Why Broccoli Juice Is The It Beverage Of The 2026 Olympians

Food, drink, and the Olympics often go hand-in-hand, sometimes in strange ways. Case in point, the 2026 Winter Olympians are currently indulging in one of the more unusual sports culinary developments in recent history. It's no secret that athletes are always looking for better ways to power themselves and boost their performance. Just think of the current craze for high protein ingredients and foods. That chase opens up a whole market for inventive entrepreneurs looking to sell the next big sports supplement, and if the participants at the Winter Olympics are a hint at what's to come, by this time next year every aspiring athlete or gym rat is going to be swinging broccoli juice.

According to a report from The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), a highly concentrated shot of broccoli juice has exploded in popularity at the games this year, with European endurance athletes in sports like cross-country skiing particularly enamored by the liquid supplement. Why? Well, according to the Swedish company Nomio (the brand behind these broccoli shots), the green vegetable contains high levels of compounds called isothiocyanates (ITCs), which it says lowers blood lactate levels.

As a result, the beverage helps alleviate the "burning" sensation felt in muscles during intense exercise, allowing athletes to push themselves harder and longer with less pain. Nomio notes that its product contains over six pounds worth of compounds from broccoli sprouts compressed into a tiny 60 milliliter shot. We may prefer a nicely browned piece of roasted broccoli ourselves, but admittedly we aren't trying to ski 50 kilometers.

So, what does Nomio taste like? In speaking with WSJ, Nomio co-founder Emil Sjölander described it as "some combination of wood and Dijon mustard." This is not exactly something folks are sipping for the taste, but maybe it would work mixed with olive oil into a nice Dijon vinaigrette dressing. While sports supplements with big claims are always a little suspect, Nomio does have some real legitimacy behind it.

The performance enhancer was developed through the collaboration of Sweden's Karolinska Institute and the Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences, which has done well-known work researching the performance-boosting effects of other vegetables (like beets). The brand has also been endorsed by some big names in endurance sports, including American long-distance runner Cole Hocker. Several Nordic skiers interviewed by WSJ also claim that it has helped them push through the more difficult uphill sections of their courses better.

However, being a new supplement means Nomio still has quite a way to go in proving its claims. It's always hard to tell how much of what the athletes feel might be a placebo effect, and while Nomio has some clinical studies backing up its product, there are still too few out there to start believing anything definitively. While the 2026 Olympians may be downing Nomio with abandon, at $7 a serving ($28 for a case of four) you may want to hold off for a little more proof — or just stuff six heads of broccoli in a blender and see how you feel after drinking it.