Best probiotic smoothies and juices in Australia reviewed
Here we will give a hands-on, taste-tested review of some of Australia’s best and most popular probiotic smoothies and juices, including ones from Nudie and Emma & Tom.
We’ll look into the benefits, ingredients, nutrition and flavour of these popular probiotic juices and see where each stands above the competition.
What is a probiotic smoothie?
A probiotic smoothie is essentially a juice which has probiotics (ie live beneficial microbes) added to it.
Often the probiotics added are unique in that they are able to form spores and survive harsh conditions (including time in bottle and your stomach acid) to reach your gut alive. Bacillus coagulans and Bacillus subtilis are often used for this purpose.
Best probiotic juice in Australia overall
Emma & Tom’s Kick Starter probiotic smoothie
This smoothie contains an array of juices as well as both prebiotics and probiotics - making it a fantastic gut health drink.
Specifically this probiotic juice contains: cloudy apple juice (53%), Valencia orange juice (18%), pineapple juice (9%), banana purée (8%), passionfruit pulp (5%), blueberry purée (4%), prebiotics (acacia fibre, chicory inulin), purple carrot extract (0.5%) and probiotics.
As you can see, it’s all natural and there’s no questionable additives like sweeteners, flavourings or preservatives.
This smoothie has an impressive 5.1g of dietary fibre in each bottle thanks to the added prebiotics.
It is also full of nutrients and antioxidants. (More on this in our full review.)
In terms of the actual amount of probiotics present, there is one billion colony forming units per 350ml.
Flavour
The aroma is complex with orange, passionfruit and banana coming through most.
The taste is equally complex like a fruit punch. It’s hard to put your finger on individual flavours but the banana, orange and pineapple come through most. It’s not too sweet either with the acidity of the passionfruit and orange balancing the taste out well.
Overall, the taste is fantastic - a fresh menagerie of natural fruity goodness.
Cost and availability
You can buy a 350ml bottle for $4.20 in Woolworths.
Summary
5 stars out of 5.
A delicious, natural and very healthy smoothie with prebiotics, probiotics and plenty of nutrients. It’s hard to fault it in any way.
Pros
great taste
clean and natural ingredients
lots of vitamins and minerals
added prebiotics (so there’s lots of fibre)
added probiotics
rich in antioxidants
Cons
just the one strain of probiotics
Read our full review of Emma & Tom’s Kick Starter probiotic smoothie.
Runner up probiotic juice
Nudie probiotic smoothie
Like other Nudie products (see our best gut health shots in Australia article), they only use clean ingredients.
Specifically this probiotic juice contains: pear juice (44%), banana puree (24%), strawberry puree (15%), orange juice (12%), raspberry puree (5%), vitamin C and probiotics.
Similar to Emma & Tom’s, there’s no questionable additives like sweeteners, flavourings or preservatives.
And there’s lots of nutrients and antioxidants in this smoothie also. (More on this in our full review.)
In terms of the actual amount of probiotics present, there is a minimum of 80 million cultures per 250ml - which is a lot less than Emma & Tom’s.
Flavour
The aroma is vibrant and mainly of banana and pear.
The taste is lovely and fresh with a broad spectrum fruitiness. It mainly has a banana base with some orange and raspberry poking through. It isn’t overly sweet either.
Overall, the taste is great - vibrant, fresh, balanced and natural.
Cost and availability
You can buy a 400ml bottle for $4.50 in Woolworths.
Summary
4.5 stars out of 5.
A delicious mix of fruit juices and purees with added probiotics. The ingredients are all clean and it has plenty of nutrients.
Pros
lovely taste
clean and proper ingredients
lots of vitamins and minerals
added probiotics
rich in antioxidants (especially vitamin C)
Cons
could be more fibre
just the one strain of probiotics
not as many actual probiotic colony forming units as other brands
Health benefits of probiotic smoothies and juices
Probiotic smoothies and juices often have various health benefits. Please note that not all the things listed below will be in every juice as their ingredients vary.
Probiotics
These drinks contain probiotics which are live microbes that are beneficial to our health. Often strains such as Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus coagulans are used. Unlike many other probiotics, these strains form resilient spores which allow them to survive extreme conditions such as high heat, acidity and long storage times. This means they are very effective at delivering live bacteria to your gut!
Learn more about the benefits of probiotics.
Prebiotics
Prebiotics are fibres which promote the growth of beneficial microbes in our gut. Some probiotic juices add prebiotics like acacia fibre or inulin for extra health benefits.
Read more about the benefits of prebiotics.
Nutrients
Most probiotic juices contain an array of fruit and vegetable juices, purees and pulps which provide a lot of vitamins and minerals essential to our health.
Antioxidants
These juices also often provide a rich source of antioxidants which which help your body fight off harmful free radicals and reduce inflammation.
Your reviewer
This article was reviewed by Travis, the founder of this website, long-time gut enthusiast and passionate kombucha maker!
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