Best gut health shots in Australia reviewed
Here we will give a hands-on, taste-tested review some of the Australia’s best and most popular gut health shots, including ones from Nudie, Coco Earth, PERKii, Jiva and Juice Lab.
Gut health shots have become popular especially for their benefits regarding digestion. As we’ll see below, gut shots can be quite different with some focusing on gut health nutrients and fibre while others include probiotics (ie live beneficial microbes).
Let’s take a look at the best gut shots available in Australia!
Best gut health shot overall in Australia
Nudie Juice Shot Antioxidant
This gut shot is very natural with clean ingredients. It has apple juice, blueberry puree, blackberry puree, raspberry puree, orange juice, probiotics, cayenne pepper and vitamin C.
There’s plenty of vitamins and minerals from the juices and cayenne pepper including vitamin C, A, K, folate, potassium and more.
This gut shot also includes probiotics for further gut health benefits. It includes the strain Bacillus coagulans - which is common in commercial kombuchas and excellent at reaching your gut alive.
Flavour
The aroma is mostly apple and pear-like, with a generic red fruit background.
The taste is surprising. It starts with a lovely rich forest red fruit sweetness and then suddenly the heat of the cayenne pepper hits! I was not expecting it and it was quite strong.
Overall the fruit juices taste great, but the heat of the cayenne pepper may not be for everyone.
Cost and availability
The shot sells for $3.60 in Woolworths.
Summary
4.75 stars out of 5.
A enlivening gut shot with plenty of health benefits - great as long as you can handle the heat!
Pros
good source of vitamins and minerals
contains cayenne pepper (with its various health benefits)
contains probiotics
great taste if you don’t mind the heat
energising
very natural ingredients
rich in antioxidants
Cons
perhaps not such a great taste if you don’t like the heat of the cayenne pepper
only one strain of probiotics
Best gut health shot for fibre
Nudie Juice Shot Digestive
This gut shot is very natural and I can’t fault any of the ingredients.
Specifically it has apple juice (33%), orange juice (22%), soluble fibre (tapioca starch) (14%), carrot juice (10%), ginger juice (10%), beetroot juice (7%), lemon juice (4%) and vitamin C.
The various juices are also not from concentrates. And there is no added sugar, flavours, colours or preservatives.
The various juices as well as the added tapioca starch provide prebiotic fibre for your gut. This gut shot has an impressive 2.8g of dietary fibre.
It also contains various juices which provide a wide array of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.
Flavour
The aroma is appealing with apple, beetroot and citrus coming through most.
There’s a lot going on in the taste! What I notice most is the beetroot and a fairly strong heat/spiciness from the ginger. The ginger lingers on the tongue as does an apple and citrus aftertaste.
Overall the taste is great, with the ginger making it refreshing and providing an invigorating kick.
Cost and availability
The shot sells for $3.60 in Woolworths - which I think is pretty good value considering the health benefits.
Summary
4.75 stars out of 5.
A great tasting and enlivening gut shot with plenty of fibre and nutrients.
Pros
great refreshing taste
high in fibre
very good source of vitamins and minerals
very natural ingredients
contains ginger juice
rich in antioxidants
Cons
there are no probiotics in this shot
Best gut health shot with spirulina
Coco Earth bio-active gut shot
As a point of difference with most other brands, this gut shot has spirulina which is rich in vitamins and minerals that support energy production and immune function.
It has ginger, lemon and prebiotics in the form of inulin which your gut will love. And it also includes the probiotic Bacillus Subtilis.
Flavour
It has a vegetal aroma of leafy greens, with some lemons and apple coming through.
The taste is mostly like lemon juice with a subtle green vegetal background. And it has a moderate acidity.
Overall the taste is good and refreshing.
Cost and availability
The shot sells for $4.50 in Coles. In my local Coles it is kept warm in the supplement aisle, not in the chilled drinks section where you might expect it.
Summary
4.75 stars out of 5.
A good quality and nice tasting gut shot which has many health benefits.
Pros
probiotics
prebiotic fibre
various health benefits from spirulina, ginger and lemon
good source of vitamins and minerals
no nasty ingredients
good flavour
Cons
just one strain of probiotics
not the cheapest
Best gut health shot for immunity
Nudie Juice Shot Immunity
Similar to other Nudie gut shots, this is full of natural and clean ingredients.
Specifically it has orange juice (88%), ginger juice (7%), lemon juice (5%), probiotics and cayenne pepper.
In terms of supporting your immunity, it has a lot of vitamin C (6mg per shot).
The ginger and cayenne pepper also bring health benefits which you can read about in our full review.
It has the appearance of a very bitty orange juice. Along with the orange pulp, you can also see red specks of the cayenne pepper here and there.
Flavour
The aroma is strongly of orange and ginger.
The taste is like a spicy orange juice. The heat from the cayenne pepper is fairly strong. I can’t quite pick out the ginger as it’s lost in the heat - which does linger and tingle for a while.
Overall the taste is good, refreshing and invigorating - as long as the heat doesn’t bother you.
Cost and availability
The gut shot sells for $3.60 in Woolworths.
Summary
4.75 stars out of 5.
A refreshing gut shot with probiotics, antioxidants and lots of nutrients.
Pros
good, invigorating flavour
source of vitamins and minerals - especially vitamin C
natural ingredients
contains ginger juice and cayenne pepper
rich in antioxidants
Cons
may not be best for people who don’t like the heat of cayenne pepper
only one strain of probiotics
Best gut health shot with ginger and turmeric
Jiva Detox Spicy Ginger gut shot
There’s a lot of ingredients to like here - particularly the ginger and turmeric.
Specifically it contains: water, ginger juice, turmeric juice, carrot juice, apple cider vinegar, coconut blossom nectar, ginger extract, cayenne pepper, vitamin C, turmeric oil and black pepper oil.
There is no added sugar, flavours, colours or preservatives.
Flavour
The aroma is like oranges (even though there is none in the gut shot) and carrot with notes of earthy turmeric and ginger there also.
The taste is dominated by a strong heat - and it’s hard to say where the ginger, cayenne pepper and black pepper oil begin and end. But they’re all certainly adding to the heat! Along with the lingering heat, there’s a citrus-like finish and some carrot sweetness.
Overall, I love the fiery taste - but it might not be for everyone. To me it’s quite awakening and invigorating.
Cost and availability
This larger 100ml shot sells for $3.50 in Woolworths.
Summary
4.5 stars out of 5.
A lovely, fiery gut shot with quality, clean ingredients and plenty of health benefits.
Pros
great fiery taste
health benefits from ginger, turmeric, cayenne pepper and apple cider vinegar
rich in antioxidants
natural and quality ingredients
larger 100ml size than many other brands
Cons
there are no or very few probiotics - there may be a small amount in the apple cider vinegar
no details on the amount of fibre
fiery taste might be too much for some
Best gut health shot with apple cider vinegar
Juice Lab Digest gut health shot
This gut shot includes 3% apple cider vinegar which can help with blood sugar control, weight loss and heart health. It also has a good amount of fibre.
And it includes wheatgrass which is high in vitamins, minerals, enzymes and amino acids.
Flavour
The aroma is mostly pear with a hint of leafy greens.
The taste is similar with a strong pear showing, along with a slight earthy vegetal note and a decent sourness from the vinegar.
Overall the taste is fine and not offensive in any way.
Cost and availability
The shot sells for $3.50 in Coles and Woolworths.
Summary
4.25 stars out of 5.
A shot which will give your gut a healthy kick of fibre, vitamins and minerals - however it will not give it much (if any) probiotics.
Pros
a good amount of fibre from various ingredients
good source of vitamins and minerals
contains apple cider vinegar
no nasty ingredients
Cons
there are no or very few probiotics - there may be a small amount in the apple cider vinegar
not as good taste as others (but still not a bad taste)
Other gut shots in Australian supermarkets
PERKii probiotic shot
PERKii’s main point of difference with other probiotic products is the way they ensure that the probiotics survive your acidic stomach and get to your gut alive. In simple terms, PERKii uses calcium alginate to micro-shield the probiotics as they pass through the stomach and this then breaks down in the gut releasing the live and healthy probiotics to colonise your gut.
In less positive news, it does include a few additives. It includes natural sweeteners, flavourings and colourings.
Even more curious and concerning is that it includes potassium sorbate which is a preservative (!). Given that preservatives specifically aim to reduce microbial activity, it seems strange to find it in a probiotic drink - whose main benefit is the microbes it contains! Also, potassium sorbate has been shown to reduce diversity of gut bacteria. So it’s quite surprising and confusing to see this used in a gut shot - especially one which is otherwise so science based.
In better news, it does contain a lot of Bifidobacterium lactis with each shot containing 8 billion colony forming units of this probiotic - which is far higher than other brands.
Flavour
It has a strong and frankly unnatural aroma of raspberry and strawberry.
The taste is an overly sweet, dull generic berriness. There’s also something to the taste which is hard to describe (is it a bit milky??) which perhaps comes from the calcium alginate.
Overall the taste is okay enough - it’s not offensive, but it does comes across something which relies too much on natural sweeteners and flavourings.
Cost and availability
The shot sells for $4 in Woolworths.
Summary
2.5 stars out of 5.
Great that it has bacteria shown to survive your stomach, but its use of a preservative and the average, unnatural taste let it down.
Pros
micro-shielded probiotics to survive your stomach
a lot of colony forming units of probiotics
good source of vitamin C and some other vitamins and minerals
Cons
includes a preservative
just one strain of probiotics
average taste
no fibre
Health benefits of gut shots
Below are some of the benefits of common ingredients in gut shots. But please note that ingredients vary widely in different brands and a gut shot won’t include everything listed below.
Probiotics
These are the live beneficial microbes which are added to some gut shots.
Probiotics offer many health benefits including:
better digestive health
better immune function
reduced inflammation
reduced allergies
better nutrient absorption
Postbiotics
In simple terms, postbiotics are essentially things probiotics produce during fermentation. These include short-chain fatty acids which nourish our gut lining and may help reduce symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome.
It’s worth noting that if the probiotics have simply been added to the product, rather than playing a direct role in fermenting the product (eg PERKii and potentially others review here), there won’t be much if any postbiotics present.
Prebiotics
These fibres (for example, inulin and apple fibre) will feed the good bacteria in your gut and help them multiply to create a healthy microbiome.
Read more about the benefits of prebiotics.
Ginger
Digestive health: Ginger can alleviate nausea and vomiting
Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects: Contains gingerol, a substance with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties
Pain relief: Studies have shown it may help reduce muscle pain and soreness due to its anti-inflammatory properties.
Lowering blood sugar levels: Studies show ginger can help in managing blood sugar levels.
Read more about ginger’s proven benefits.
Turmeric
Anti-inflammatory: Studies have shown curcumin has strong anti-inflammatory properties, which may help with arthritis.
Antioxidant: Antioxidants can neutralise free radicals.
Brain function: May boost brain-derived neurotrophic factor, linked to improved brain function and a lower risk of brain diseases.
Heart Disease: May help protect against heart disease.
Read more about the evidence supporting turmeric’s health benefits.
Apple cider vinegar
Blood sugar control: May improve insulin sensitivity and help lower blood sugar responses after meals.
Weight loss: Can increase feelings of fullness, leading to eating fewer calories and potentially losing weight.
Heart health: May help lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels, although more research is needed.
Read more about the evidence supporting apple cider vinegar’s health benefits.
Wheatgrass powder
In terms of vitamins and minerals, it contains:
iron
calcium
magnesium
vitamins A, C, E, K, and B complex
It also contains enzymes and 17 amino acids.
Wheatgrass can help with inflammation, immunity, energy levels, digestion and more.
Read more about the evidence-based benefits of wheatgrass.
Spirulina
Spirulina is high in protein and rich in various vitamins (such as A, B, C and E) and minerals (like copper, zinc and iron). These vitamins and minerals are especially helpful in supporting energy production and immune function.
It also is rich in antioxidants and has anti-inflammatory properties.
Read more about the health benefits of spirulina.
Cayenne pepper
Apart from including various vitamins (C, A, B6, K), cayenne pepper:
stimulates digestion: Cayenne pepper can increase the production of digestive enzymes
boosts metabolism: The compound capsaicin in cayenne pepper stimulates metabolism and may help with weight management
improves circulation: It promotes healthy blood flow
reduces inflammation: Capsaicin has anti-inflammatory properties which can soothe inflammation in the gut
Your reviewer
This article was reviewed by Travis, founder of this website and long-time passionate kombucha maker!
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