Health-Ade Just Released a New "Glow Up" Kombucha, but Is It Healthy?

More and more research is coming out about the importance of our gut in our overall health, and specific foods that can help support it. And if you've taken a vested interest in gut-friendly foods, chances are you know what kombucha is. The fermented tea drink is well-known for its health benefits like promoting gut health, supporting healthy immunity and aiding digestion. While all kombucha is praised for its probiotic content, Health-Ade took it one step further with their new Glow Up product line. 

The Glow Up kombuchas come in three different flavors: Citrus Immune Boost, Strawberry Glow and Ginger Pineapple Belly Reset. Each of these flavors is fortified with certain ingredients that are claimed to provide additional benefits to gut health, skin health and immunity. They ring in at $49.95 for a 12-pack on the Health-Ade site and they offer a subscription purchase option that's delivered every 30 days as well.  

We tried out the Health-Ade Glow Up line and took a closer look at the ingredients to see if they really are as health-promoting as they claim (and if they're worth the high price point).

Here is the nutrition information for a 16-ounce bottle of each of the flavors in the Glow Up line. 

• 80 calories
• 0 g fat 
• 0 mg sodium 
• 16 g total carbohydrate 
• 16 g total sugar
• 14 g added sugar 
• 0 g protein
• 18 mg vitamin C 
• 2.2 mg zinc 

• 70 calories 
• 0 g fat 
• 0 mg sodium 
• 15 g total carbohydrate
• 14 g total sugar
• 13 g added sugar 
• 0 g protein 

• 80 calories
• 0 g total fat 
• 0 mg sodium 
• 18 g total carbohydrate 
• 17 g total sugars 
• 12 g added sugars
• 0 g protein 

While looking at the nutrition information, take into account the added sugars of your kombucha. Each of the flavors in the Glow Up line have 12 to 14 g of added sugar per 16-ounce serving. With each serving providing you more than 20% of the recommended max of added sugars in your day, you may want to consider enjoying them on occasion rather than everyday. 

Each flavor includes 5% juice, derived from "cold-pressed fruit juices" that vary from orange strawberry to kiwi and ginger. The Citrus Immune Boost and Strawberry Glow flavors have 1 billion colony-forming units (CFU) of probiotics and the Ginger Pineapple Belly Reset has 6 billion CFU. 

The Citrus Immune Boost is advertised as supplemented with vitamin C and zinc, which are nutrients that can help support your immune system. One serving will give you 20% of your daily vitamin C and zinc needs, so it's compatible for a healthy immunity. 

"Getting enough probiotics can help add to the variety and diversity of the helpful microbes in our gut," says Jessica Ball, M.S., RD, nutrition editor at EatingWell. "Kombuchas are a great option to help up your intake. But most Americans regularly consume too much added sugar, so be mindful about how these drinks fit into your day and overall eating pattern."

We tried all three of the flavors in the Glow Up lineup to see if they really lived up to the hype, and here's what we thought.  

The Citrus Immune Boost is sweeter than most regular kombuchas and does not have that traditional kombucha acidity, making it ideal for those mornings where you wake up with the tiniest stuffy nose. Think of it like a healthier alternative to orange soda!

The Strawberry Glow flavor was subdued and floral. This flavor's added ingredients include "bamboo extract and biotin to nourish skin from the inside out." Biotin is a B vitamin known for its effects on hair and skin health, and is primarily found in whole foods such as meat, eggs, fatty fish, nuts and leafy greens. "Biotin is becoming more and more popular in supplement or extract form (like in the Strawberry Glow), but here at EatingWell we always try to choose whole foods first when we can," adds Ball.  

The third flavor, Ginger Pineapple Belly Reset, is a sweet and zippy beverage that Health-Ade says is best for "a gut reset," claiming that it contains "detoxifying acids" along with a larger dose of probiotics. "For those of us with functioning livers and kidneys, we don't need to rely on products to 'detoxify' us, as it's something our body does perfectly well on its own," Ball clarifies (read on for more of a dietitian's dish on detoxing here).  But if you like the flavor, it's still a great source of probiotics and antioxidants. We recommend trying this flavor in our Pineapple Kombucha Mai Tai recipe for something fun and flavorful.

Kombucha is a fun, bubbly beverage that can be a healthier alternative to other sugar-sweetened beverages. Its health benefits are dependent on the brand, flavor and serving you consume, so be sure to check its nutritional information to see if it aligns with your goals. 

The Glow Up kombuchas from Health-Ade are delicious, fizzy and fun to drink, while giving you a few added health benefits. So if you're looking to shake up your kombucha routine (or try kombucha for the first time), the Glow Up products could be a fun and tasty place to start!