Each month I’m hosting a Q&A over in my Facebook Group: Healthy Gut Support (which, you should join if you haven’t already!). For this month’s Q&A, I’m addressing kombucha. Is it actually healthy? Will it fix your digestive problems? Should you be drinking it daily?  

Let me start off by saying that kombucha is healthy for some people — but not everyone. Read on to find out all about kombucha, including its benefits and who should (and shouldn’t) be drinking it. 

First of all, what is kombucha? 

Kombucha is a fermented tea that has been around for about a thousand years. To make it, you take sweetened tea and mix it with a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast (aka: the scoby). The scoby eats (aka ferments) the sugar in the tea and as a result: you get kombucha. 

So what are the benefits? 

Kombucha is naturally rich in various species of good bacteria (probiotics), organic acids, B vitamins, and antioxidants. Polyphenols, powerful antioxidants found in black tea (and kombucha), are great for the body and may help protect against disease.

Kombucha definitely has some health-promoting properties. Especially if you are swapping it in your diet for a lower sugar version to juice or soda. 

Who should and shouldn’t be drinking kombucha? 

Most healthy people should have no problem drinking kombucha. It can be a wonderful beverage to support a healthy body but it shouldn’t be used to treat stomach issues, such as IBS. That being said, there are a few cases where I would recommend avoiding this beverage altogether: 

• If you have candida or any issues with yeast
• If you have IBS or IBD. Kombucha is high in FODMAP and could cause unpleasant symptoms for these people. 
• If you have Small Intestinal Bacteria Overgrowth (SIBO)
• If you are avoiding alcohol or caffeine for any reason. Kombucha contains small amounts of both. 

How can I enjoy Kombucha healthfully?

If you want to use kombucha as a healthy addition to your already healthy lifestyle, great! Here are a few tips to keep in mind: 

• Dark bottles are best. Get your kombucha in a dark bottle instead of a clear bottle. This is because light can damage probiotics, so you’ll want to opt for the darker bottle which will protect the probiotics. 
• Look for a simple ingredient list. Water, sugar, tea, bacteria should be about it — no artificial ingredients.
• Pay attention to the serving size. Most kombucha bottles contain at least two servings. I recommend only one serving per day to keep your sugar consumption in check. That way you can still get the benefits of kombucha without overdoing it. 
• Keep carbonation in mind. Kombucha is carbonated, which can cause gas, bloating, and acid reflux in some individuals. So just be aware of how your body reacts to carbonation. 

If you like the taste, great. If you don’t? Nothing lost. You can find the benefits of antioxidants and probiotics in other foods too, such as sauerkraut, kichi, yogurt, and regular teas. 

The bottom line is: Kombucha should be used to support a healthy body — not to treat any digestive issues, such as IBS or chronic bloating. If you’re dealing with any of those, I recommend teaming up with a dietician to get to the bottom of it.