Product review: MOJO probiotic tonic

MOJO probiotic tonic is the newest member of the MOJO probiotic beverage family. They are marketed as a low sugar probiotic alternative to soft drinks.

What are probiotics

Probiotics are beneficial bacteria that normally live in our gut. Among other things, they help break down food components, produce short chain fatty acids and keep our immune system in good shape. Fermented foods and beverages that have not been pasteurised contain probiotics. There is debate regarding whether or not the probiotics in the food actually make it to our intestines after the food has been digested. Some people are of the opinion that once the probiotics get into our bodies, they might communicate at a chemical level with our immune system. Whatever the case, foods containing probiotics seem to be harmless or beneficial for most people, provided they don’t also contain a ton of junk.

What is in MOJO probiotic tonic?

The ingredients are: water, organic coconut water, organic vegan starter culture, organic apple cider vinegar, organic raw sugar, organic tea leaves, plus fruit juice, natural flavours and/or extracts, depending on the flavour.

The flavours currently available are cola, pineapple and coconut, and berry fusion. I’ve tried cola and berry fusion and they’re both good.

MOJO probiotic tonic vs MOJO kombucha

Kombucha is basically fermented tea. The tea is sweetened to feed the SCOBY (symbiotic community of bacteria and yeast, i.e. the bugs doing the fermentation) so most of the sugar is consumed by the time you drink it. I’m not sure whether this means the sugar content on the label is not necessarily accurate, but judging from labels alone, the tonics are lower in energy, carbs and sugar. See below for a comparison between a serve (330mL) of kombucha in original flavour and tonic in berry flavour:

• Energy: 281kJ (67Cal) vs 123kJ (29 Cal)
• Carbs: 13.2g vs 5.5g
• Sugar: 9.4g vs 5.4g

The probiotic content is the same for both: Bacillus Coagulans GBI-30 6086 – 1 billion organisms.

The kombucha comes in more flavours: original, ginger, lemon citrus, passionfruit, raspberry, blueberry and ginger, turmeric with carrot + ginger, and strawberry hibiscus.

Want to know more?

Head to MOJO’s website and/or buy a bottle and see how you like it. They’re available in most supermarkets, health food shops, and some cafes.

Also check out the following recipe and reviews of other probiotic drinks:

• Recipe: kombucha chilcano
• Product review: Tonicka kombucha
• Product review: MOJO kombucha and Kombucha Wonder Drink
• Product review: Little Cossack water kefir
• Product review: Coco Bliss coconut kefir

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