If your stomach's been bloated, gassy or just unpredictable, you're not alone. It's one of the most common reasons people come into the taproom asking about kombucha. It was Kev's reason too.
There's no magic bottle, and anyone selling you one is having you on. But the research points to a few everyday habits that give your gut a better chance: more variety, more fibre, and fermented foods like raw kombucha, little and often. Here's what the science actually says, a simple plan, and where to start.
Trillions of bacteria in your gut help break down the food your body can't. The more varied they are, the better. Here's what the research shows about feeding them.
Stanford researchers split 36 healthy adults between a high-fibre diet and a fermented food diet that included kombucha, kefir, yoghurt and kimchi. The fermented group's gut bacteria became steadily more diverse, and 19 markers of inflammation went down.
Source: Wastyk et al., Cell, 2021
Fibre is what your gut bacteria live on. They ferment it into short-chain fatty acids, which help look after the lining of your gut. The catch: go slowly. A sudden jump in fibre is a classic cause of wind and bloating.
Source: SACN, Carbohydrates and Health, 2015
The American Gut Project studied thousands of people and found those eating 30 or more different plants a week had more diverse gut bacteria than those eating 10 or fewer. Herbs, nuts, seeds, beans and spices all count.
Source: McDonald et al., mSystems, 2018
NHS advice for IBS is to try probiotics for at least 4 weeks before judging whether they help, alongside regular meals and less fatty, spicy and processed food. The same patience applies to any change: a month, not a day. It's why our challenge runs for 30 days.
Source: NHS, Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
100 to 150ml of raw kombucha, every day. Little and often beats a big bottle once a week. If the fizz bothers you, let it go a bit flat first.
Work up towards 30g a day over a few weeks, not overnight. A spoon of prebiotic fibre in your porridge or smoothie is an easy start. Drink plenty of water with it.
Count your plants for a week: fruit, veg, beans, nuts, seeds, herbs and spices. Then see if you can creep up towards 30.
Jot down what you eat and how your stomach feels. After a couple of weeks, patterns show up that no website can spot for you.
Brewed for Kev's own daily glass. Four flavours, raw and unpasteurised, so the live cultures are still in there.
Six bottles of small daily glasses lasts about two weeks, and the pack counts as one item towards the box deal.
How Kev takes it: A small glass with lunch, every single day.
Most of us are about 10g short of the 30g of fibre a day the UK recommends. A spoonful of prebiotic fibre is the simplest way to close the gap and give your gut bacteria something to work with.
How Kev takes it: Half a spoon in his morning smoothie to start, building up over a couple of weeks.
Kev's own four. Where most regulars start.
Warming flavours a lot of regulars reach for.
Fibre, olive oil, apple cider vinegar. They count towards the box deal too.
Mix any 6 for 5% off, 12 for 10%, 24 for 15%. Kombucha and the basics all count.
Honestly, nobody can promise that, and we won't. Raw kombucha is a fermented drink, and in research fermented foods are linked with more varied gut bacteria. Plenty of our regulars say a small daily glass made a difference for them. Give it a month alongside more fibre and variety, and see how you feel.
It can for some people. Start with a small glass, sip it slowly, and let it go a little flat if the bubbles bother you.
Start with 100 to 150ml a day, about half a bottle. Consistency matters more than quantity.
Everyone's different. Some people with IBS find fermented drinks suit them and some don't. Start with a small glass and see how you go. If you're following a plan from your GP or a dietitian, check with them first.
If bloating or stomach trouble lasts more than 3 weeks, keeps coming back, or comes with blood in your poo, losing weight without trying, or a lump in your tummy, see your GP. Those need checking properly.
This page is general information, not medical advice. Kombucha is a food, not a treatment. If you have ongoing stomach symptoms, or you're pregnant, on medication or managing a health condition, talk to your GP or pharmacist before changing your diet.