Kombucha Kamp Blog

Kombucha as Workout Recovery Drink or Weight Loss Aid?

Kombucha as a post workout beverage to aid in recovery? Many world class athletes say "yes!"

I’m always keeping my eyes peeled for mentions of Kombucha around the net and in the media to see what’s next on the horizon. Lately I’ve been seeing more buzz around Kombucha for weight loss and athletes using Kombucha as a recovery beverage after workouts.

Followers of this blog may remember that we featured some of our athlete friends’ Kombucha drinking habits in a post last spring, so to see more people discovering this wonderful possibility for taking advantage of Kombucha’s gifts is very heartening.

Can Kombucha help you burn fat?The real question is, while the health benefits of Kombucha include aiding digestion, increasing stamina and boosting energy, can Kombucha Tea also help with losing weight? If you listen to these dietary advisers and other sources like famed Kombucha researcher Michael Roussin, the short answer is absolutely YES!

So, how can Kombucha help with weight loss?

First of all, just like other fermented foods, Kombucha brings billions of self-perpetuating beneficial bacteria to your gut.

buy million of probiotics, get one free!These bacteria take up residence in your gut and boost the natural healthful conditions, or help begin the clean up and recovery process, depending on how much distress the digestive system is under.

Once the body is digesting food more efficiently, releasing more vitamins and enzymes that fuel the body and experiencing reduced sugar cravings, it has more natural energy to heal itself and tend to its own needs.

Fat Burning Man Abel James recently addressed this subject. He says that when you drink Kombucha,

…(i)nstantly, you feel ‘different’… Kombucha is packed with probiotics that aid digestion, which in turn speeds fat-burning. You will definitely feel a rush with the first swig.

Abel is definitely on to something. Kombucha also contains all natural alpha-hydroxy, the synthetic version of which is used by both dieters and weight lifters to improve the effectiveness of their regimens.

I should emphasize, once again, that Kombucha is a food not a supplement and delivers (more bioavailable) microdoses of these nutrients, nothing like the massive-dose wasteful supplements favored by some nutritionists.

I haven’t mentioned this before but drinking Kombucha Tea every day helped my husband gradually lose over 40 lbs. This weight loss was spread out over a year and a half and included many other sensible changes to his diet, but he wasn’t obese or even that much overweight when the changes started.

Though he had been drinking Kombucha occasionally (GTs Gingerade addict at one point), he hadn’t made it a daily habit. When I first started developing my Pink Lemonade flavor (strawberry is one of his favorite flavors), his interest perked up.

Over time, he developed a very specific morning regimen, starting with an 8oz glass of Kombucha over ice, followed by a glass of raw milk. Within a few months of starting this daily routine, the weight loss was noticeable.

We don’t have a scale around the house and our gym memberships have long since elapsed in favor of sunshine harvesting exercise, so we don’t know exactly when he lost what, but the changes were visible to everyone who knows him, and those people he hadn’t seen in awhile were amazed to the point that it was a little embarrassing for him (“Was I such a fat a$$!?” he complained).

Kombucha tea, other probiotics and an improved diet helped him drop about 40 pounds over 1.5 years

If he sees this, he’ll make me take it down. “No honey, no need to click on that post!” 😉

Now, the quality and type of the food we ate changed dramatically over this period of time as well, so it is not only the Kombucha and raw milk but the improved dietary choices that we began making that helped as well. But he says those dietary changes were easier to make this time.

Its funny, when the body reattenuates to the appropriate pH, cravings for sugar become more rare. Then, when he felt like a snack, he would reach for a glass of Kombucha instead. Soon the pangs disappeared.

Also, since he wasn’t weighed down by more food, he noticed improved energy and focus.

What about Kombucha Tea as a post workout recovery drink?

I recently came across the websites and podcasts of Liz Wolfe, a nutritional therapist based out of Kansas, who recommends a Paleo style diet to her clients, and writes,

Fermented beverages contain minerals and electrolytes. They were traditionally thought to quench the thirst of physical activity better than water alone.

Kombucha as a post workout beverage to aid in recovery? Many world class athletes say "yes!"Liz advocates drinking fermented drinks like Kombucha and kefir post-workout as a healthier alternative to the manufactured commercial sports drinks. I have to agree with her on that one and, if you remember our previous post, some world class athlete type blog buddies of mine agree too as they told us how Kombucha fits in with their work out routines back in April.

Whether one prefers to grab Kombucha at the store or make it at home, Devon, Matt and Jennifer all agree that the key is to get frequent, small doses of Kombucha on a daily basis, or at least whenever they are working out or need more energy.

You don’t have to be a world class athlete to experience positive effects from drinking Kombucha. The anecdotes of middle aged folks attributing improved joint health to daily Kombucha consumption are many.

Is Kombucha Tea some kind of magic bullet to weight loss or easy path to healthy joints?

No way! Diet, exercise, sunshine, fresh air and loving relationships are all necessary for optimum health, in my opinion. I’m no doctor, but that makes sense to me.

What I have heard over the years from you the readers is that Kombucha fits into just about any lifestyle and supports both the good and bad choices we make as best as it can through digestive health, flushing toxins and re-balancing the body. It has a tonifying effect, especially when drunk on a daily basis.

It has changed my family’s lives,
Liz, Abel, Devon, Jennifer & Matt’s lives.

Has it changed yours?

Check Out These Related Posts & Pages!

19 Comments

  • Atalanta

    March 22, 2019 at 12:43 pm

    I really started drinking booch after having hernia surgery (strangled gut, restricted diet) and am hooked. It helped me feel better and I liked that when I went to my WW meeting that week I was down. I think the booch helped, but I was also on a liquid diet. I need to go back to drinking it at that frequency now that I’ve healed.

    Reply
  • Amanda Milewski

    February 14, 2014 at 2:50 pm

    Great article!

    Reply
  • Teresa Smith

    January 29, 2014 at 5:15 pm

    I just got back into Kombucha but I am having a hard time finding a glass jar to brew it in. Do you have any ideas? Also interested in the lemonade idea.
    Thank you

    Reply
    • Hannah Crum

      February 3, 2014 at 3:18 pm

      Many folks use old pickle jars. Check out our extensive collection of Kombucha brewing vessels if you don’t find anything locally.

      Reply
  • kathy

    August 29, 2013 at 3:53 pm

    If anyone has acid reflux Kombucha is great for that too. I bought a bottle for the first time two days ago, I had acid reflux that day really bad. A young man was telling me about the benefits of Kombucha I was so uncomfortable that I said “why not” I took it to work with me and started drinking it and I could not believe how quickly I felt energized, not hungry and my acid reflux was gone. Yes, and I am not kidding either. I am buying more of this stuff. It is really great!!

    Reply
  • Eileen Smith via Facebook

    May 27, 2012 at 9:47 am

    Just wanted to let you know I featured one of your pages on my social media site :)Hope it helps spread the word!

    Reply
  • Anne Tess via Facebook

    May 24, 2012 at 9:26 pm

    I’ve been drinking kombucha for 8 months now, and it helped me completely kick the soda habit. But, there’s been no noticeable health improvements from drinking it, nor have I lost any weight. I love it, though, and drink at least 16oz per day! 🙂

    Reply
  • Eros Bongiovanni via Facebook

    May 24, 2012 at 12:19 pm

    Thanks for this, so many people don’t understand my obsession with the booch and this helps.
    Yes it helps me eat less and make healthier choices, I get fewer illnesses and have more energy. I’m totally off caffeine. It’s a godsend.

    Reply
  • Rachel MacPherson Crouse via Facebook

    May 24, 2012 at 11:11 am

    I did notice “feeling different” the very first time I drank it (yesterday!). I wonder if it would make a good drink for labour in place of the labour-aid I made last time….

    Reply
  • Cinda Brent via Facebook

    May 24, 2012 at 11:01 am

    My body craves it when I’m hot and doing a lot of activity.

    Reply
  • Dana Bosiger Hale via Facebook

    May 24, 2012 at 10:59 am

    I started adding it into my diet to replace sodas, which helped me cut way back on sugar! Now I drink it as (what I consider) a supplement to my low carb diet. It helps me not snack at night because that is my treat instead. I’ve lost 12 lbs in 3 weeks, so that’s not so shabby!

    Reply
  • Clayton Wakefield via Facebook

    May 24, 2012 at 10:29 am

    I see a lot of truth in this article. If you havn’t tried komboucha, you should!

    Reply
  • Diana

    April 15, 2012 at 11:33 am

    Wow. Thank you so much for all the information and the work you put in. Am 18 and not overweight but some more curves and tone wouldnt harm. My friend just gave me the scoby. The fungus used to make the drink. And now i have the baby fungus.. Thank you. May God bless you all. Besides, your body is your tempel.

    Reply
  • Liz

    October 28, 2011 at 3:01 pm

    What a great post – and thanks for the shout-out! I truly hope we’ll see more buzz about these traditional foods as athletic performance tools as time goes on.

    Reply
  • Abel James

    October 28, 2011 at 7:19 am

    I use kombucha often for a workout recovery drink and I recommend that my clients incorporate it into their daily habits as well – it’s fantastic. In addition to being a powerful probiotic, I find that it also settles the stomach.

    Reply
  • CustomPens ByDavid via Facebook

    October 27, 2011 at 11:46 am

    I lost 15 lbs drinking kombucha.obviously joined the gym and eating well.absolutely love my kt.still learning but it works.

    Reply
  • Sharon Mitas Abler via Facebook

    October 27, 2011 at 10:39 am

    Wish it would help me to lose weight. Love it but hasn’t helped with the weight issue.

    Reply
  • Susan Hagen

    October 27, 2011 at 10:25 am

    OK What is the recipe for Pink Lemonade Kombucha? I have done fruit flavored but I might be able to get my kids to drink this lemonade.

    Reply
  • Julia Eickmeier via Facebook

    October 27, 2011 at 10:09 am

    KOMBUCHA BABYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Reply
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