For optimal gut health, it’s vital to have a well-balanced diet, hydrate frequently, stick to a consistent sleep schedule and exercise regularly. With that said, when many of us experience indigestion or heartburn, it may be tempting to reach for a fizzy, caffeinated beverage to feel relieved. We checked in with health experts who explain why avoiding carbonated energy drinks is crucial for healthier, smoother digestion, and why switching to probiotic-filled kombucha instead, is the way to go. Read on for tips, suggestions and insight from Kelsey Butler, MS, RDN, registered dietitian and nutritionist at Coastal Dream Life and Dana Ellis Hunnes, senior dietitian at UCLA medical center and assistant professor at UCLA Fielding school of public health.
Tip 1. Skip Carbonated Energy Drinks
If you're feeling bloated, have heartburn or some other symptom of indigestion, you may find temporary relief from sipping a carbonated beverage like soda or energy drinks. However, Butler explains that this may be doing more harm for your gut than good. "Carbonated energy drinks can negatively affect gut health because they can cause gastric distress, interfere with nutrient absorption, and contribute to diarrhea," she says.
Firstly, Butler notes that they can "stimulate the release of acid in your stomach" which can actually lead to more heartburn and indigestion. Secondly, the "high sugar content in these drinks can cause diarrhea by pulling water into your intestine" (which also leads to dehydration). The caffeine in these drinks can also contribute to diarrhea by increasing intestinal motility, she warns. "The worst kind of carbonated drink would be highly caffeinated, sugary energy drinks like Monster or Red Bull," she continues. These drinks, she reiterates, can cause issues like "diarrhea, malabsorption, and dehydration. "
2. Choose Kombucha Instead
If you still like to sip on a fizzy beverage and want to choose one that is *actually good* for your gut, Hunnes recommends kombucha. Kombucha, she says, is a fermented tea drink that is "high in beneficial probiotics and also high in antioxidants (from the tea)." The probiotics and the antioxidants are anti-inflammatory and can "aid in promoting GI health by helping to colonize the GI tract with healthy bacteria (known as probiotics)," she continues.
The antioxidants within the beverage "also help keep the inflammation away," according to Hunnes, promoting the health of the probiotics as well. "It is also thought that kombucha can slow down the digestion of carbohydrates by, likely in-part, because of the healthy anti-inflammation effects it has on the GI tract," she adds. With so many flavors of kombucha to choose from, Hunnes suggests that it is easy to replace your favorite high-sugar and unhealthy soda or energy drink with the tea instead. "There are so many healthy benefits from drinking kombucha, which have been taken for hundreds of years," she concludes.
