Can kombucha help you reach your peak?

We chat to Team GB Olympic Rowers Hannah Scott and Ollie Wynne-Griffith about why they like to include kombucha in their diet.

Here at Equinox Organic we’ve always believed in the power of kombucha to help you feel your best. For most of us our diet is something we think about with general health and wellbeing in mind, but for elite athletes it’s a crucial part of their training and preparation.

With the Paris Olympics just around the corner, we caught up with Olympic rowers and Equinox Organic kombucha fans Hannah Scott and Ollie Wynne-Griffith to find out about their training and why they include our organic kombucha in their daily diet.

EK – What does a typical day’s diet look like for you during training?

OWG – We consume between 5,000 and 6,000 calories per day when we’re training, which means we have 5 meals per day. It’s a real challenge to get enough fuel to support our training regime of three two-hour sessions each day. We have a team nutritionist who works closely with the chef who prepares breakfast and lunch for us – we also have a first breakfast at home before training and an evening meal and snacks that we prepare for ourselves.

EK – How do live cultures feature in your nutrition?

HS – Our nutritionist is a strong advocate of including probiotics and live cultures in our diet and she helps us to balance the need to consume so many calories with the nutritional make up and diversity of our food and drink. The importance of probiotics and live cultures has become a real focus for our sport in the past two or three years because we know that the cumulative effect of all the small positive things we do makes a big difference to our results.

EK – What benefit do you experience from drinking kombucha and including other gut-friendly foods in your diet?

HS – For me the benefits of drinking kombucha are really tangible. When I first started training at this level, I struggled to take on enough calories – it was just physically uncomfortable and took a toll on my digestion. Drinking kombucha and eating plenty of fibre have really helped me to have an efficient and healthy digestive system.

OWG – We can’t afford to have time out from training. It’s so easy to pick up bugs when travelling and competing in close proximity with rowers from all over the world so it’s crucial to support our immune systems with live cultures and pro-biotics. I have used pro-biotic supplements in the past, but I much prefer the reassurance of getting them from a natural organic product.

HS – For both of us, our regular kombucha feels like a treat rather than a chore. It’s a great alternative to a fizzy sugary drink and we look forward to enjoying our kombucha.

EK – Do you think a happy gut gives you psychological benefits?

HS – I really notice the difference in my mood and resilience when my gut health is good. The gut-brain axis means that supporting your gut health is a wise move if you want to be able to cope well with stress and maintain focus.

OWG – Our training is all about the cumulative result of many marginal gains. It just makes sense that anything we can do to help stay fit, focussed and strong is a good idea – especially when it’s something we enjoy!

EK – We’re a few months out, but how are you feeling about the Olympics in July?

OWG – Paris 2024 is almost as good as a home games for me. Having won Bronze in Tokyo during COVID I can’t wait to compete with the support of my friends and family around me.

HS – I’m excited to compete in the Paris Olympics, I’m fully immersed in training, which has been going well and we’re building up to be able to give our best performance there.

We’re proud to be able to supply Ollie and Hannah with their favourite ‘booch and a little bit starstruck that they say it helps them to train and compete more confidently. We’ll be following their progress through the European Championships and on to the Olympics.

Of course, a daily kombucha boost isn’t just for rowing superstars, we can all benefit from improved digestion, better mood and strengthened immunity – even if the only medal we’re likely to win this summer is for the egg and spoon race at the school sports day.

There’s lots more information about Ollie and Hannah in their British Rowing profiles.