If you’re a coffee lover, you’re probably already aware of the drink’s many benefits, including caffeine to help you stay awake and the ability to aid your digestive system. If your goal is to promote a healthier gut, there are also other healthy, caffeinated and probiotic-providing options, like popular kombucha teas.
We checked in with nutrition experts to learn more about the classic beverage, how it is a wonderful choice for gut health, and how drinking it daily can help not only your digestion, but also your metabolism as well. Read on for tips from Lisa Richards, registered nutritionist and creator of The Candida Diet, Dana Ellis Hunnes, PhD, MPH, RD, senior dietitian at UCLA Medical Center and Erin Mewshaw, health expert and clinical director at New York Center for Innovative Medicine.
First Off, How Does Drinking Kombucha Help Your Gut?
Kombucha is a fermented, probiotic beverage “intended to restore gut health and aid in digestion” while also improving energy, Richards says. Hunnes agrees, and adds that “the probiotics and the antioxidants are anti-inflammatory and can aid in promoting GI health by helping to colonize the GI tract with healthy bacteria.” The antioxidants also help prevent inflammation, she notes, promoting the health of the probiotics as well. “It is also thought that kombucha can slow down the digestion of carbohydrates by, likely in-part, because of the healthy anti-inflammation effects it has on the GI tract,” Hunnes says.
How Often Should You Drink It? (And How Much?)
According to Richards, 1 cup or bottle of kombucha is “best enjoyed around midday” when there is food in the gut to digest while you also may be needing the extra energy boost. (This could easily replace another cup of coffee). Although most bottles contain 16 ounces, 12 ounces is the standard recommendation for daily consumption, Mewshaw says. “Kombucha can assist in balancing the gut microbiome—bacteria in the gut,” she adds, and this can result in “improved digestion, increased energy, mental clarity, and enhanced mood.” It can also be beneficial for anyone currently taking antibiotics or who has taken them recently, both for “its beneficial bacteria as well as its polyphenol content.”
What Makes Kombucha So Popular?
As the drink continues to make its way onto restaurant menus and hit more grocery store shelves, Mewshaw says this is due to it being an easy source of probiotics and having a variety of tastes, flavors and brands to choose from. “Its growing popularity is likely due to its many touted health benefits, as well as its sweet flavor, fizz, and countless flavors,” she explains, “whereas many other probiotics like kefir, kimchi, and miso may be less palatable and require some getting used to.” Mewshaw concludes that kombucha products may aid in digestion and prevent constipation, help the liver to rid toxins, and boost energy with their B vitamin contents, as well as them being rich in live probiotics. “Just watch out for certain ones that may add additional sugar which can negatively impact gut health and the microbiome,” she advises.
