Dr. Amy Nett: I think, yes, kombucha is safe to recommend to patients as a fermented drink. The reason Chris doesn’t generally mention it is primarily because he hasn’t seen the same therapeutic benefit when compared with sauerkraut, kefir, beet kvass, some of the other more traditional fermented foods and drinks. In general, his recommendation is going to be for something like sauerkraut or kefir.
One other consideration—and I think you’re getting to this, maybe, with using honey instead of sugar—some of the commercial brands of kombucha are pretty high in sugar, and when you read the labels, one bottle might have two or three servings. If patients ask me if they can drink kombucha, I generally say it’s fine in moderation, but make sure you’re either doing a homemade kombucha that’s not too high in sugar or you’re choosing a commercially made brand that’s not too high in sugar. I think, yes, it’s a reasonable approach, but probably more if the patient enjoys kombucha rather than as a therapeutic food choice, whereas with sauerkraut and kefir, that might actually be more of a therapeutic choice.