selaing Posted January 9, 2016 Share Posted January 9, 2016 A large number of workmates, my wife and I are starting the Whole30 in two weeks. Yes, waiting so we can plan everything out. They were very excited the other day when I found out Kombucha was ok to drink. In Oregon, we have a ton of brands - Humm, Brew Doctor etc. All the labels state sugar as an ingredient. The companies are saying they use sugar in the fermentation process and not after. How can one tell if this is OK to drink? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeadowLily Posted January 9, 2016 Share Posted January 9, 2016 I know it's been said that the sugar disappears but the bottles say there are grams of sugar in it, I believe there's sugar residues remaining. I've tasted the new generic grocery store brands. They taste like koolaid. If it tastes and quacks like a duck... Google kombucha Whole 30. Many threads have been written about compliant kombuchas. Mostly GT (Organic Raw - Original) brand and others brew their own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
praxisproject Posted January 9, 2016 Share Posted January 9, 2016 No sugar after the fermentation process is the measure of compliance. It's fermented twice, so no sugar in the second ferment means minimal sugar in the end product. This is a good thread about Kombucha http://forum.whole30.com/topic/14334-kombucha/ There's even a post about Brew Dr (if this is the same brand) http://forum.whole30.com/topic/17611-townshends-dr-brew-kombucha/ Another measure I use is whether it's stored in the fridge. If they don't keep it cool, I don't drink it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
selaing Posted January 9, 2016 Author Share Posted January 9, 2016 Brew Dr is the brand I can drink in Eugene OR. So are you saying since all their sugar is pre fermentation, it's ok? They say sugar in the ingredient list on the bottle? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
selaing Posted January 10, 2016 Author Share Posted January 10, 2016 Following up on another Brand - Humm from Oregon. The company says sugars in fermentation. Now the bottle ingredients look like this: Organic Raw Kombucha (purified water, organic evaporated cane juice, organic green tea, organic black tea, and live kombucha culture), organic apple juice, organic ginger juice, cinnamon, organic cayenne You can see some ingredients are within parentheses.... I take it that means 1st fermentation. cheers Stuart Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators ShannonM816 Posted January 10, 2016 Moderators Share Posted January 10, 2016 Following up on another Brand - Humm from Oregon. The company says sugars in fermentation. Now the bottle ingredients look like this: Organic Raw Kombucha (purified water, organic evaporated cane juice, organic green tea, organic black tea, and live kombucha culture), organic apple juice, organic ginger juice, cinnamon, organic cayenne You can see some ingredients are within parentheses.... I take it that means 1st fermentation. cheers Stuart This is fine. If the sugar were listed after the parentheses, those are the ingredients added after the first fermentation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
praxisproject Posted January 10, 2016 Share Posted January 10, 2016 It's the one time where the ingredients can be a bit confusing. Some companies clearly state it on their website or on the label, but others you need to ask if the label isn't clear and some companies have some kinds which aren't compliant and some which are. Quite a lot of them are on Facebook and happy to answer questions like this Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1groovy Posted January 14, 2016 Share Posted January 14, 2016 I just started whole30 and have the same questions about Kombucha. I bought the GTs Gingerade which said it had 2 grams of 'sugars' - but no sugar was listed on the ingredients list. Then I realized that the ingredients list had "Kombucha" as an ingredient, which seems to be a sly way of having sugar without disclosing it. The Kombucha ingredients most likely include the sugar and the fermenting tea yeast. And there's no way there are only 2 grams of sugar. That was the most delicious drink I have tasted in a long time! So - Whole30 compliant - or not? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators ShannonM816 Posted January 14, 2016 Moderators Share Posted January 14, 2016 I just started whole30 and have the same questions about Kombucha. I bought the GTs Gingerade which said it had 2 grams of 'sugars' - but no sugar was listed on the ingredients list. Then I realized that the ingredients list had "Kombucha" as an ingredient, which seems to be a sly way of having sugar without disclosing it. The Kombucha ingredients most likely include the sugar and the fermenting tea yeast. And there's no way there are only 2 grams of sugar. That was the most delicious drink I have tasted in a long time! So - Whole30 compliant - or not? Here's the official stance on kombucha from the Can I Have list: Kombucha: Read your labels We like the probiotic benefits of ‘booch, and we think it makes a fine addition to your Whole30 menu. Just read your labels carefully—sugar listed in the ingredients generally means that it was added after fermentation, and that’s a no-go. Some varieties, like GT Dave’s Enlightened flavors, have fruits and fruit juices added, which are just fine. Yes, your GT's Gingerade was compliant. If you thought it tasted sweet, stay away from guava, mango, and strawberry flavors, which to me tasted way sweeter. (Those flavors are compliant, though -- they just taste even sweeter.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Georgia Kaye Posted January 15, 2016 Share Posted January 15, 2016 I bought a bottle of GT's Enlightened Gingerade Kombucha yesterday; I've never had Kombucha, but it sounds interesting. Exactly where does this fit into the meal planning? Is it just a beverage I can have whenever I want, or should it take the place of something else in a meal? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators ShannonM816 Posted January 15, 2016 Moderators Share Posted January 15, 2016 I bought a bottle of GT's Enlightened Gingerade Kombucha yesterday; I've never had Kombucha, but it sounds interesting. Exactly where does this fit into the meal planning? Is it just a beverage I can have whenever I want, or should it take the place of something else in a meal? It's just a beverage. Occasionally people who are new to it report that having a whole bottle at once can cause some digestive issues, but not everyone has that experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Georgia Kaye Posted January 15, 2016 Share Posted January 15, 2016 Thank you Shannon! It's a huge bottle, so I think I'll just have half. Maybe tomorrow when I'm cooking dinner and am pining for a glass of wine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
praxisproject Posted January 15, 2016 Share Posted January 15, 2016 The serving size is usually no bigger than a normal size glass beer bottle (this is a bit tricky across countries lol). I like it most on super hot days (kinda dry-ish a bit), when I feel sick or really tired. For anyone who has trouble with histamine, severe bloating or in the middle of troubleshooting digestive problems, you may want to go easy the first time, if you have a reaction to a shot glass full (some histamine people will), don't have any more. If you tolerate it, ginger kombucha is great for soothing nausea too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maddy A. Posted January 15, 2016 Share Posted January 15, 2016 This is the first day of my whole 30 and I bought GT Dave's gingerade Kombucha. The ingredients are compliant but below it says 'This product contains a trace amount of alcohol.' Is it still okay? I really want to drink it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators ladyshanny Posted January 15, 2016 Administrators Share Posted January 15, 2016 This is the first day of my whole 30 and I bought GT Dave's gingerade Kombucha. The ingredients are compliant but below it says 'This product contains a trace amount of alcohol.' Is it still okay? I really want to drink it... Hi Maddy, this is a suitable drink. In order to avoid duplication, feel free to search the forum using Google. Just type in "Whole30" and your topic and lots of search results will come up. Almost anything you can think has been asked and answered multiple times. Happy searching, there's a wealth of knowledge here! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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