Dr. Steven Gundry:
Some of the most exciting wellness trends today come in the most unexpected forms, like fizzy sodas that claim to support your gut. A centuries-old green tea with a modern superfood reputation and chocolate crafted in the deserts of Dubai. But do they actually live up to the hype? In this episode, we’ll explore whether gut-healthy sodas are truly good for your microbiome? If matcha deserves its super tea status? And what makes Dubai chocolate different and potentially healthier than the rest?
But before we dive in, can I ask a favor? Please rate and review this podcast. It helps others find the tools they need to reclaim their health. So, in advance, thank you. You’ve seen it, bright, colorful cans with words like prebiotic, gut-friendly or immunity support slapped across the labels.
They’re in health food stores, Instagram ads, and maybe even in your fridge. Some promise better digestion, others say they’ll help you lose weight or clear up your skin. Today I’m walking you through the nutrition labels of some of the most popular healthy sodas on the market. And I’ll give you my honest take on each one of them.
So, before we get started, make sure you subscribe on YouTube or follow this podcast wherever you listen. That way you won’t miss my latest health tips and myth-busting episodes. Okay, let’s take a closer look. All right, here’s olipop. That makes you think of a lollipop, doesn’t it? A new kind of soda. Now, there’s so many ingredients that they couldn’t really fit it on here, so they had to put it on the side.
So, this can has 45 calories in a serving. There’s 15 grams of carbohydrates, but there are nine grams of dietary fiber. So, if you remember my rule, you take the nine grams of fiber from the 15 grams, that’s six grams of carbohydrates. There’s four grams of carbohydrates and a teaspoon of sugar.
So, there’s a teaspoon and a half of sugar in here. Not bad. So, what’s it got? We got carbonated water, we’ve got cassava root fiber, chicory root inulin, Jerusalem artichoke inulin, nopal cactus, marshmallow root, calendula flower, kudzu root. Those are all the fibers, and there’s quite a bit of fiber in there.
Then there’s concord grape juice concentrate, 9% juice. Well, that’s really nothing. Lime juice, apple juice concentrate, cassava root syrup, stevia, Himalayan pink sea salt, natural grape flavor. So, in the scheme of things, there’s not much sugar in here, but many of my patients, that many soluble fibers combined with the gas gives them double gas sensation.
So, what might be happening is olipop, when you drink it, you go, “Pop”. Okay, here’s Culture Pop soda. This is black cherry, fizzy & gutsy probiotic soda. Ooh, probiotic! Now, probiotic makes you assume that there’s a ton of probiotics. Okay. So, calories, 45 calories, there’s 10 grams of sugar, there’s no prebiotic fiber.
So, that’s two and a half teaspoons of sugar, in that can. Let’s read the ingredients: carbonated water, organic juice blend from concentrate, white grapes, sour cherry, contains 18% juice. Okay. Malic acid, that’s vinegar, folks. Natural flavor, sea salt, fruit and vegetable juice for color, organic cacao and live probiotic.
Now, they don’t mention how many live probiotics are in there. That’s probably for a good reason because they’re probably not much at all. The probiotics are meaningless because they’re all going to be killed by your acid when you drink this. So, you get a fizzy, two and a half teaspoons of sugar.
All right. Zevia, grape, naturally flavored, zero sugar soda. Calories, zero, total carbohydrates, zero. Ingredients: carbonated water, natural flavors, citric acid, stevia leaf extract. Okay, that’s flavored carbonated water, no other claims. Word of warning, stevia can increase insulin levels in some people.
I’m not against stevia, but for those of you who are, this is a flavored carbonated beverage with no calories and no other claims. At least they’re not making any other claims. How about poppi? Sounds happy, doesn’t it? 6% juice, oh, boy! Strawberry Lemonade, 30 calories, it’s got nine grams of sugar, three grams of fiber. So, that’s six grams of sugar, which is a teaspoon and a half.
Okay. So, what do we got? Sparkling water, cassava root fiber. Notice we’ve heard that word before. Organic cane sugar, ooh, third ingredient. Organic apple cider vinegar, natural flavors, lemon juice, strawberry juice. Have you ever tried a juice of strawberry? It’s not a lot of fun. Organic agave inulin and stevia leaf extract.
So, prebiotics, there’s three grams of dietary fiber. The recommendation is that you should be getting somewhere between 50 and even a hundred grams of prebiotic fiber a day. Let’s take the lowest number, that would be 50. So, you’d have to have… Oh my gosh! What, 12? More than that. 15 cans of this soda to even get close to your recommended daily fiber.
And 15 times three, that would actually be 1,500 calories to get that much fiber in you. Not exactly a good value for money now, is it? Okay. This one is humm: probiotic kombucha, tastes great, less sugar. Where we heard that before? This is blackberry. All right. 30 calories. Now, this one’s got probiotics, absurdly tasty, and vitamin B12. Let’s throw that in for fun. It’s got eight grams of carbohydrates, no prebiotic fiber.
So, that’s got two teaspoons of sugar, in here. What do we got? Organic raw carbonated kombucha, filtered water, organic green tea, organic black tea, organic cane sugar, there it is, and live kombucha cultures, organic apple juice, oh, 16% juice! Okay, we doubled on the last one. Organic blackberry juice, natural flavors, organic elderberry juice, probiotic, Bacillus Subtilis, vitamin B12.
Again, they don’t want to tell you how many probiotics are in there. Why? Because there’s not much folks. Two teaspoons of sugar and carbonated water, and that’s what you’re getting. So, kombucha is great, it’s a fermented beverage, but you got to always look for the amount of sugar on the label and you want to get as low as possible.
Now, of the kombuchas, this is actually a low sugar kombucha. Some of these have literally 10, 12 teaspoons of sugar. So, a good choice for a kombucha beverage. But buyer beware on all of these, they’re not as great as you think they are. Okay. To reiterate, some of these drinks do contain decent ingredients.
Things like chicory root inulin or apple cider vinegar, can be great additions to your diet. They can help boost your fiber intake and support the growth of beneficial bacteria. But here’s the problem, those good ingredients are often buried under layers of fruit, juice, sugar, or filler fibers that can do more harm than good.
And while I love fiber, I talk about it all the time, we don’t actually know whether soluble fiber added to a drink works the same as fiber from real food. It may get absorbed too high up in your intestines to reach the bugs in your gut. Plus, when you combine fizzy liquid with soluble fiber, you are just asking for gas and bloating.
That’s one of the top complaints I hear from people drinking these gut-friendly sodas. If you are looking for a healthy soda alternative, here’s what I actually do at home. I take plain sparkling water, something like San Pellegrino and I add a splash of balsamic vinegar or a apple cider vinegar.
That’s it. You get the bubbles, the tangy flavor and the gut-supporting benefits of real vinegar without the added sugar, juice or synthetic flavors. Bottom line, don’t be fooled by flashy branding. These drinks might taste good but your gut deserves so much better.
You’ve seen matcha in almost everything from lattes to donuts, and some people even call it the healthiest drink on the planet. But is that true or is good old-fashioned green tea actually better for your body? I am Dr. Steven Gundry and today we’re breaking down the real science behind matcha versus green tea. So you know what’s worth your time and money and what’s just hype.
And hey, if you enjoy practical science-backed health content like this, be sure to subscribe or follow the podcast so you don’t miss a thing. All right, what makes matcha different? Now, matcha and green tea both come from the same plant, Camellia sinensis.
But the big difference comes down to how they’re grown and how they’re consumed. Now, matcha is shade-grown, which boosts chlorophyll and amino acids like L-theanine. It’s then ground into a fine powder and whisked into water. Meaning you’re drinking the whole leaf, not just the steeped water like with traditional tea.
Now, that sounds powerful, right? Well, it is, with a big caveat, the polyphenol problem. Now, here’s where things get interesting. Matcha is absolutely rich in EGCG, a powerful catechin and other polyphenols that can support mitochondrial uncoupling.
But your body’s ability to actually absorb those polyphenols depends on something important, fermentation. Green tea and other fermented teas like pu-erh or black tea, have the compounds that are broken down by fermentation, making their polyphenols far more bioavailable.
In other words, you and your gut buddies can actually eat them and benefit from them. Matcha, it’s not fermented. That means many of its polyphenols passed through us unabsorbed. Especially, if your gut microbiome isn’t in tip-top shape.
So yes, matcha contains more polyphenols per serving. But green tea delivers more of them where it actually counts, your bloodstream. Now, there are still real but limited matcha benefits, and that doesn’t mean what I just said, that matcha is useless, far from it.
Here are a few real benefits. So, brain support: matcha contains L-theanine which smooths out the caffeine response. It gives you a calm alertness, focus, but not jittery. Some studies suggest matcha can help reduce liver enzymes in people with fatty liver.
But again, this hasn’t been shown as clearly in people without liver issues. Matcha may support fat burning and mitochondrial uncoupling, though regular green tea has these effects too. Matcha, like all polyphenol teas may help support heart function.
But again, this isn’t unique, the matcha. But here’s something I want you to be aware of, matcha has become so trendy that the market is flooded with sugary imposters. Let me give you two examples, Trader Joe’s matcha latte mix. It has 17 grams of sugar per serving. That’s four and a half teaspoons of sugar.
Now, bottled matcha wellness drinks are often found at health food stores. These are often filled with bad oils and hidden sugars. These aren’t health drinks, they’re desserts in disguise. So, if you want the real benefits of matcha, you got to do it right.
If you want to still enjoy matcha, and there are good reasons to, quality matters. So, here’s what I recommend, look for ceremonial-grade matcha, not culinary or matcha blend. Always choose organic and sourced from Japan, not China, especially regions like Uji and Kyoto. Check for a vibrant and green color.
Doll matcha is usually stale or low quality. It should come in an airtight, opaque container. Light and air degrade the nutritional benefits. So, how do you prepare it? Well, you whisk a half to one teaspoon of powder with hot not boiling water. Now, optionally, you can add unsweetened coconut milk for a creamy texture.
But please don’t add animal dairy. Dairy unfortunately binds polyphenols. Need a sweetener? Use a few drops of allulose syrup or allulose powder, a gut-friendly blood sugar-stable sweetener. So, what’s the bottom line? Green tea offers better polyphenol absorption.
It’s easier on the wallet and backed by more long-term studies. Now, it’s true, matcha can be beneficial, but only when it’s pure high quality and not drowning in sugar. Finally, look at the cost. A cup of matcha is usually three times more expensive than traditional green tea.
So, is matcha worth the hype and the extra money? Not really. It’s tasty and not harmful, of course. But for me, green tea is the better choice for overall gut health and your wallet. And hey, if you’re just getting started with polyphenol-rich beverages, a great green tea or pu-erh is a simple powerful place to begin.
These glossy, pistachio-filled bars are all over Instagram, TikTok. They look luxurious, they sound healthier than your average candy bar and they’re flying off the shelves. So, should you be eating them? Well, let’s take a closer look.
Dubai-style chocolate is basically a thick shell of dark chocolate filled with a rich pistachio cream, sometimes with crunchy layers of pastry for texture. It originated in the Middle East where pistachios and chocolate are classic staples. But the viral versions we’re seeing now, they’ve been reworked with mass-market ingredients, preservatives and sugars.
One of the most popular versions in the U.S. right now, Trader Joe’s Pistachio, Havla filled chocolate bar. It’s their take on Dubai-style chocolate and it’s selling out fast. But here’s what most people aren’t looking at, the ingredient label. Here’s what’s really inside that trendy little green chocolate bar.
Dark chocolate, 60%. And remember, 60% is not high enough to get real polyphenol benefits. Sugar, listed right up front, cocoa mass, cocoa butter, that’s the chocolate itself. Whole milk powder, whey powder, skimmed milk powder, ultra-processed dairy, soy lecithin, natural vanilla flavors, common additives.
Then we get to the pistachio cream filling, which is 50% pistachios. Okay, great. But also sugar, sunflower, and palm oil, more powdered milk, emulsifiers, preservatives, and salt. Finally, pastry made with gluten containing wheat flour. The nutrition panel isn’t doing it any favors either. It’s got 10 grams of fat, five grams saturated, 10 grams of carbs, eight grams added sugar in just one quarter of a bar.
Only one gram of fiber, three grams of protein. So, you’re not exactly fueling your gut, you are just spiking your insulin with sugar and refined oils, then throwing in a little pistachio dust to make it seem worthwhile. Now, I’ve said it before, I love dark chocolate and I love pistachios.
Dark chocolate, 72% or higher is one of the best sources of gut-supporting polyphenols, and pistachios are loaded with prebiotic fiber. But this is not that, this is ultra-processed chocolate with ultra-processed pistachio cream, and they’re both diluted by dairy, sugar, and seed oils that do your gut absolutely no favors.
You’ve got emulsifiers, powdered milk, gluten, all of which can contribute to digestive issues, leaky gut and more. And sure it’s prettier than a Snickers bar, but nutritionally not a huge difference. Now, if you love this flavor combo, I get it, it tastes good. So, here’s what I’d recommend.
First, check out the lectin-free version from Creative in My Kitchen. She makes Dubai-style chocolate carbs with real pistachios and no garbage ingredients. Or if you want to keep it simple, just grab a handful of raw pistachios and a square of 72% or higher dark chocolate, not as creamy or sweet, but way more satisfying for your body.
Want that creamy texture? Try blending pistachios into your own nut butter. You can even add a tiny bit of monk fruit or allulose and melt dark chocolate on top, done. Just remember, not everything that looks healthy is healthy. A green center and a buzzword like pistachio, don’t cancel out the rest of the label.
So, if you’re reaching for a Dubai-style chocolate because it feels like a cleaner indulgence, flip that bar over and read what’s really in it. There’s no shame in wanting a treat. Just make sure your treats are honest and work with your body not against it.
Now, it’s time for the question of the week. The question of the week comes from @Robert Schwartz, 3076 on YouTube. “I’m paralyzed so the only way to get any exercise is swimming. I am 63 and wondering if chlorine and pool water is seeping through the skin, and how safe is it to swim in pools?”
Well, that’s a very good question. You’ll probably notice on the internet there are all sorts of devices to put on your faucet or your shower to take chlorine out. But as you probably are well aware, chlorine is used in almost all pools. Certainly, public pools for sanitary reasons.
On the other hand, if you swim in a pool at home, you probably know that you can use a saltwater pool that doesn’t use chlorine or certainly a lot less. So, long story short, I realize you got to swim and swimming is probably far better for you than worrying about the amount of chlorine that you’re going to absorb through your skin.
My advice is just don’t drink the pool water, okay? Great question. Now, it’s time for the review of the week from @Happy Cactus on YouTube, for your recommended cleaning products, I have been using number four for the last three years. I did it because it was economical: vinegar, water, and a bit of dish soap, just like you said. Works great.
Well, it is a great recommendation. Some people want to know what dish soap my wife and I use, and I must admit we use Dawn. And I figured they’re right, if it’s safe enough to wash little duckies, then it’s probably safe enough to wash my dishes. So, just put a little dab of Dawn in your cleaning product and you’ll be fine.
Speaker 1:
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