If you are trying to restrict your sugar intake, it can be worth looking for sugar-free kombucha. Though the process of brewing kombucha involves sugar, only trace amounts remain when fermentation is complete. Find out why Instant Kombucha is the best way to obtain the wellness benefits of drinking kombucha without added sugar.
What Is Sugar-Free Kombucha?
Kombucha is brewed with sugar, which means that it is technically not sugar free. However, little or no sugar remains in kombucha after fermentation. As long as liquid or powdered kombucha has no added sugar, this brewed or reconstituted beverage can be considered sugar free. This means that no free sugars remain that are likely to affect blood sugar or insulin levels.
Superfoods Company Instant Kombucha is a powdered drink mix that has zero added sugar. A 5-gram serving of our flavoured kombucha powder mixed in water contains 10 calories and 3 grams of carbohydrates, of which 0 grams are from free sugars. Instant Kombucha with apple cider vinegar contains 15 calories and 5 grams of carbohydrates, of which 0 grams are from sugar. Each pack of Instant Kombucha contains 30 servings.
Many bottled kombucha beverages do contain added sugar. You should always check the nutritional information when looking for sugar-free kombucha. A number of brands use non-caloric sugar substitutes to sweeten kombucha without adding sugar. Mixing Instant Kombucha powder in water is the best way to ensure that the resulting drink contains zero-added sugar.
How Is Sugar Used To Brew Kombucha?
The process of making kombucha starts with the introduction of a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast to brewed and sweetened tea. Over the course of several weeks, these live active cultures gradually break down the sugar in the mixture into alcohol, acids and enzymes. By the end of primary fermentation, only a minimal trace of sugar remains. When producing sugar-free kombucha, no additional sugar is added after the first round of fermentation.
Some kombucha brands use more sugar to start a secondary fermentation process. Further fermentation can develop flavours and generate natural carbonation in bottled beverages. The kombucha used to make Instant Kombucha undergoes a 21-day primary fermentation process that converts all of the sugar used to brew kombucha into probiotics and other beneficial compounds.
Reconstituting our kombucha powder in water provides all of the benefits of this beverage without any of the drawbacks. You can also mix kombucha powder in juice or other beverages, but the resulting drink will contain any natural or added sugars that are in these beverages.
Why Does Some Bottled Kombucha Contain Sugar?
Kombucha can still contain sugar if the first or second rounds of fermentation are left incomplete. Any sugar that is present in kombucha will make it possible for fermentation to continue and can lead to levels of alcohol that exceed the 0.5% ABV that is common for bottled commercial kombucha. In the United Kingdom, low-alcohol drinks can contain between 0.5% and 1.2% ABV.
Added sugar in kombucha does not have nutritional benefits. The bioactive compounds in kombucha can help to slow down the digestion of carbohydrates and control blood sugar levels. These properties make kombucha effective for managing some Type 2 diabetes symptoms. Sugar-free kombucha is the best choice if you want to obtain these benefits.
Superfoods Company Instant Kombucha is sugar- and alcohol-free. Our powdered kombucha is also gluten-free, non-GMO and vegan. With a pack of our Instant Kombucha, you can drink kombucha daily over the course of a month. Studies suggest that 30 days can be enough time to start seeing improvements in your digestive health and other positive effects of drinking kombucha on overall wellness.
How Is Instant Kombucha Made?
Superfoods Company Instant Kombucha starts with brewed Alishan High Mountain oolong tea, which is combined with a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast and sugar. During primary fermentation, live active cultures break down the sugar in this mixture. The finished brew then undergoes a patented microencapsulation process to produce a powder that retains all of the probiotics and enzymes present in kombucha.
The powdered kombucha is blended with soluble fibre in the form of maltodextrin, which comes from tapioca sourced from the cassava plant. Each serving of flavoured Instant Kombucha contains one gram of fibre, while powdered kombucha featuring apple cider vinegar has three grams of fibre. A combination of probiotics and fibre make a daily dose of sugar-free kombucha even more effective at promoting comprehensive gut health.
Brewed apple cider vinegar further enhances the positive effects of Instant Kombucha. Apple cider vinegar is another fermented product that studies have shown to regulate blood sugar and insulin levels. The probiotic Bacillus coagulans supplements the live active cultures in microencapsulated kombucha.
What Is Used To Flavour Kombucha Powder?
The original version of Instant Kombucha gets its taste from oolong tea and apple cider vinegar. This formula has a tea flavour without any additional sweetener. Our flavoured sugar-free kombucha contains juice powder and erythritol, neither of which introduce free sugars.
Grapefruit Instant Kombucha is made with natural grapefruit juice powder. The Mixed Berries flavour contains natural mixed berries juice powder. Pomegranate Instant Kombucha features natural pomegranate juice powder. These fruit flavours of Instant Kombucha also contain the sweetener erythritol.
Erythritol is a type of sugar alcohol that has just 6% of the calories but 70% of the sweetness of sugar. This sweetener is less likely to cause digestive upset than other sugar alcohols, such as sorbitol or xylitol. Erythritol enhances the taste of flavoured kombucha without increasing blood sugar or insulin levels. A combination of fruit flavours and sweetness can make the prospect of drinking kombucha even more appealing.
How Do You Prepare Sugar-Free Kombucha?
The best way to prepare kombucha with no added sugar is to mix Instant Kombucha powder with cold water so you are sure you are not introducing any sugar to the prepared beverage. Try Superfoods Company Instant Kombucha today and discover what sugar-free kombucha can do for your digestive health and wellness! You can choose from powdered kombucha featuring apple cider vinegar or flavoured kombucha sweetened with natural juice powders and erythritol.