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Kombucha


Jtandi

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Ok, another question about this - I saw one at trader joes and ingredients read: organic raw kombucha (water, organic cane juice, organic black and green tea, kombucha live cultures)...

Then the rest of the ingredients - this ok?

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The brand I used to buy (GT's) before making my own never listed sugar as an ingredient. I think seeing cane sugar on the ingredients means it's been added after it's been brewed which is no bueno. GT's has about 7 grams of sugar or carb (I forget which) per each of 2 servings.

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The brand I used to buy (GT's) before making my own never listed sugar as an ingredient. I think seeing cane sugar on the ingredients means it's been added after it's been brewed which is no bueno. GT's has about 7 grams of sugar or carb (I forget which) per each of 2 servings.

Except...I just bought a GTs Lemon and it had 12 grams of sugar. Down the drain it went. Just goes to show you even a trusted brand has to be scrutinized. Grrr...

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Except...I just bought a GTs Lemon and it had 12 grams of sugar. Down the drain it went. Just goes to show you even a trusted brand has to be scrutinized. Grrr...

Susan,

Was there sugar listed in the ingredients? If not, it would have been okay to drink (especially in small portions as you're known to do). Don't just go throwin' away good booch! :blink:

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Susan,

Was there sugar listed in the ingredients? If not, it would have been okay to drink (especially in small portions as you're known to do). Don't just go throwin' away good booch!

Oh yes dear Robin, there sure was. The first was in parentheses right after the word Kombucha along with the Oolong tea. I think that one was fine. But then the buggers put it in again without the parentheses along with the lemon extract. I am glad I read the label before I drank it. Grrr.. I would have kept it but for some crazy reason I am doing a W100 so didn't want to look at it the entire time. :)

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What flavor was it? The ones I buy I know are compliant. I favorite is the lavender.

It was Essence Of Lemon. Guess what though. Confession time. I just grabbed the bottle out of my recycle bin to get the flavor right and discovered it wasn't GT's at all. No wonder!!

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I dont think we have to always rule one out because sugar is listed in the ingredient list. The brand I drink is Brew Dr. by Townshend Tea (this may be local to Portland area). For the Superberry flavor that I like, cane sugar is listed as the second ingredient but only has 2 grams of sugar in the finished product. And it tastes great! 😊 Correct me if I'm wrong though...I want to stay on track!

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Oh yes dear Robin, there sure was. The first was in parentheses right after the word Kombucha along with the Oolong tea. I think that one was fine. But then the buggers put it in again without the parentheses along with the lemon extract. I am glad I read the label before I drank it. Grrr.. I would have kept it but for some crazy reason I am doing a W100 so didn't want to look at it the entire time. :)

Boooooo. Boo. Boo.

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I dont think we have to always rule one out because sugar is listed in the ingredient list. The brand I drink is Brew Dr. by Townshend Tea (this may be local to Portland area). For the Superberry flavor that I like, cane sugar is listed as the second ingredient but only has 2 grams of sugar in the finished product. And it tastes great! 😊 Correct me if I'm wrong though...I want to stay on track!

The issue is whether it's listed as part of the kombucha tea ingredients - it will be in parenthesis after the "kombucha tea" - or if it's added after fermentation. I looked at that brand, and I can't tell which they do. I'd stick with one that is labeled clearly, just to be sure.

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I dont think we have to always rule one out because sugar is listed in the ingredient list. The brand I drink is Brew Dr. by Townshend Tea (this may be local to Portland area). For the Superberry flavor that I like, cane sugar is listed as the second ingredient but only has 2 grams of sugar in the finished product. And it tastes great! 😊 Correct me if I'm wrong though...I want to stay on track!

The issue is whether it's listed as part of the kombucha tea ingredients - it will be in parenthesis after the "kombucha tea" - or if it's added after fermentation. I looked at that brand, and I can't tell which they do. I'd stick with one that is labeled clearly, just to be sure.

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Today is Day 1 of my FIRST Whole 30 and I'm wondering if...

fermented foods in general are ok as long as they don't have added sugar (as in the case of the suspect kombucha in this conversation)...

I have a lot of gut healing to do and I understand that fermented foods are great for that....

BUT, I see that some fermented foods have whey as an ingredient... ?????

I really want to stick to this neurotically for best results... any recommendations?

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Today is Day 1 of my FIRST Whole 30 and I'm wondering if...

fermented foods in general are ok as long as they don't have added sugar (as in the case of the suspect kombucha in this conversation)...

I have a lot of gut healing to do and I understand that fermented foods are great for that....

BUT, I see that some fermented foods have whey as an ingredient... ?????

I really want to stick to this neurotically for best results... any recommendations?

Minky, I do a neurotic w30 program as well. :) The whey is an issue so avoid that one. What the heck is whey doing in fermented foods. If you have Whole Foods near you, they carry organic, raw veggies that are fairly reasonable in price. You could also make your own if you enjoy such activities.

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The issue is whether it's listed as part of the kombucha tea ingredients - it will be in parenthesis after the "kombucha tea" - or if it's added after fermentation. I looked at that brand, and I can't tell which they do. I'd stick with one that is labeled clearly, just to be sure.

Robin, Thanks for your reply...after reading it I was dying of curiosity. I emailed Townshend and they were kind enough to answer my question about whether they add sugar after fermentaion. I am happy to report that they do not add any ingredients after the fermentaion process (with the exception of cayenne in one of their flavors). Yea!

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@Johnny M - There is so much misunderstanding and ignorance about sugar and kombucha. Listen up guys: kombucha tea cannot, repeat CANNOT be brewed without a good amount of sugar for the culture to feed on, and it has to be cheap white cane sugar, without which it cannot ferment. Of course much of the sugar will be converted into the good stuff in the process, but please do not be fooled by some of the commercial drink labels that claim levels of only 2g per 8 fl oz - at this level the brew would resemble vinegar!

Furthermore, if as you suggest sugar is added just prior to bottling, then that will only create a secondary fermentation in the bottle leading to a spike in acohol levels - the very reason why all commercial kombucha tea brands were recalled in 2010, because they all follow each other and add fruit syrups and other sugary gunk to flavour! If you do not add sugar or aduterate your kombucha in any way before bottling the tea will remain stable inside the bottle for years!

I honestly do not get how some brands get away with their misleading labeing - the leading brand doesn't even list tea or sugar as an ingredient and its "Enlightened" version claims exactly the same nutritional composition as the original alcohoic version that was recalled, despite being a diuted version of what went before (though interesting to note they have dropped many of the heath claims they were making!).

The only real authentic kombucha tea brand I have found anywhere in the world - that doesn't favour with fruit sugar or mess with the production process in any way - is GO! Kombucha in England UK. Seems ironic that our English cousins can teach our commercial makers how to brew and favour kombucha tea properly. They use only specific teas to provide a range of delicious and contrasting favours, nothing else - www.gokombucha.com

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The only real authentic kombucha tea brand I have found anywhere in the world - that doesn't favour with fruit sugar or mess with the production process in any way - is GO! Kombucha in England UK. Seems ironic that our English cousins can teach our commercial makers how to brew and favour kombucha tea properly. They use only specific teas to provide a range of delicious and contrasting favours, nothing else - www.gokombucha.com

This is the only one we can get over here but it's delicious.

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There are kombucha "drinks" that have sugar added. Perhaps they're pasteurized and therefore able to add sugar without extra fermentation happening. Either way, for whole30 kombucha is still allowed. It should have minimal ingredients that do not include sugar added after the fermentation. Thanks for the input.

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