Is Kombucha Keto? How to Pick a Keto-Friendly Kombucha
Move out of the way celery juice and ginger tea. Kombucha has become the new it drink to help reduce bloating and improve GI health. You may just assume that kombucha is keto-friendly because it is advertised as healthy, organic, and/or made with clean ingredients, but that’s not always the case. Is kombucha really keto?
What is Kombucha?
Kombucha is a fizzy fermented drink that is made from tea, sugar, and a SCOBY. SCOBY actually stands for Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast and it’s what gives kombucha all of its wonderful probiotic properties. [1]
What are the Benefits of Kombucha?
Bacteria such as Gluconacetobacter and Lactobacillus have been found in large quantities in kombucha, both of which may contribute to immune and gut microbiome health. Lactobacillus, in particular, has probiotic effects that have been shown to be substantially beneficial for digestion and the GI system. [2]
Anecdotal evidence claims that kombucha helps reduce bloating, but this has not been directly proven through research. However, this idea is supported by the abundance of healthy bacteria found in kombucha. [2] [3]
Furthermore, kombucha might also help protect against liver damage in the cases of lead toxicity and oxidative stress. [4] [5]
Is Kombucha Keto?
Unfortunately, the answer is, it depends! Kombucha is created through fermentation with sugar. High quantities of sugar are not completely broken down during the fermentation process.
This means that some kombuchas have a higher carb count. On the other hand, kombucha can be created by using a small amount of sugar that is completely broken down during the fermentation process.
It is always important to look at the nutrition label before picking up a kombucha that claims to be keto. Just passing down the health-food aisle in your grocery store, you can easily find kombucha brands with 15g+ of sugar and carbohydrates. Instead, opt for a lower-sugar/lower-carb kombucha. Some brands, like Humm Zero Sugar, have only 1g of net carbs and are sweetened with monk fruit and allulose.
As with most food & drink products, we recommend trying them out yourself and conducting blood testing yourself to see how the product personally affects you. Without having gone through our Ketogenic Certified process, we can not guarantee that any of these products will not kick you out of ketosis.
Do You Enjoy Kombucha on Keto?
Comment below and share your favorite keto kombucha brands. Do you make your own keto kombucha at home? Share your tips below with the community!
References
J.M. Leal, L.V. Suárez, R. Jayabalan, J.H. Oros, A. Escalante-Aburto A review on health benefits of kombucha nutritional compounds and metabolites. CYTA J Food, 16 (1) (2018), pp. 390-399
Marsh AJ, O'Sullivan O, Hill C, Ross RP, Cotter PD. Sequence-based analysis of the bacterial and fungal compositions of multiple kombucha (tea fungus) samples. Food Microbiol. 2014 Apr;38:171-8. doi: 10.1016/j.fm.2013.09.003. Epub 2013 Sep 25. PMID: 24290641.
Pace F, Pace M, Quartarone G.Probiotics in digestive diseases: focus on Lactobacillus GG. Minerva Gastroenterol Dietol. 2015 Dec;61(4):273-92. PMID: 26657927.
Dipti P, Yogesh B, Kain AK, Pauline T, Anju B, Sairam M, Singh B, Mongia SS, Kumar GI, Selvamurthy W. Lead induced oxidative stress: beneficial effects of Kombucha tea. Biomed Environ Sci. 2003 Sep;16(3):276-82. PMID: 14631833.
Murugesan GS, Sathishkumar M, Jayabalan R, Binupriya AR, Swaminathan K, Yun SE. Hepatoprotective and curative properties of Kombucha tea against carbon tetrachloride-induced toxicity. J Microbiol Biotechnol. 2009 Apr;19(4):397-402. doi: 10.4014/jmb.0806.374. PMID: 19420997.
