Elixir Flight :: A Trio of Taste Shots
It’s that time of day again : The mid-afternoon crash.
Clients often ask if I’ve ever had another client who felt like they hit a wall at 3 or 4 pm. They feel like they’re alone, but I see it all the time. These are our blood sugar roller coaster clients, as I lovingly call them. They’ve had a stressful, busy morning, forgot to eat lunch (or had something less than stellar in a rush) and are now crashing. They’re craving another coffee, or something super sweet and carb-heavy. They’re craving it HARD. And they’re craving it NOW.
If this sounds like you, then these elixir shots are going to be just what the NeuroTritionist ordered! They’re delicious, for one, and guaranteed to satisfy that sweet craving without being sickly sweet. Second, they’re designed to bring your blood sugar back up and keep it balanced. This means stable, steady energy and mood for the rest of your day. And third, these shots are super fast to make! Make them fresh in 5 minutes at home OR bring them with you to work (we love them in little mason jars). Oh, and they have one serving of Botanica Fermented Kombucha and Botanica Fermented Turmeric Ginger in them, to show your gut (and brain, who we now know is your gut’s BFF) some extra love! We’ve got three elixirs for you to choose from: (1) Apple & Cardamom, (2) Pear, Apple & Rosemary, and (3) Pineapple & Star Anise. Enjoy as a flight of three, or individually!
Apple & Cardamom Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup apple juice (fresh pressed or organic/not from concentrate bottled)
- 5 cardamom pods
- 20 ml Botanica Fermented Kombucha
Pear, Apple & Rosemary Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup pear juice (fresh pressed or organic/not from concentrate bottled)
- 1/4 cup apple juice (fresh pressed or organic/not from concentrate bottled)
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- 20 mL Botanica Fermented Kombucha
Pineapple & Star Anise Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup pineapple juice (fresh pressed or organic/not from concentrate bottled)
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 star anise pod
- 30 mL Botanica Fermented Turmeric Ginger
Apple & Cardamom Method:
- Heat pan on medium/high heat. Toast cardamom pods until aromatic. Take off heat and reserve.
- In a sauce pot on medium heat, add apple juice and cardamom pods. Bring to a light boil; once boiling, take off heat and allow it to cool and steep.
- Once cooled, add Botanica Fermented Kombucha and pour over ice.
Pear, Apple & Rosemary Method:
- Heat first ingredients in a saucepan on medium heat. Bring to a light boil then allow to cool.
- Once cooled add Botanica Fermented Kombucha and pour over ice.
Pineapple & Star Anise Method:
- Heat first 3 ingredients in a sauce pot on medium heat. Bring to a light boil; once boiling remove from heat and allow to steep and cool.
- Once cooled add Botanica Fermented Turmeric Ginger and pour over ice.
Apples:
- One of their polyphenols (fancy plant compounds), chlorogenic acid, has anti-anxiety effects most likely due to its free radical fighting potential.
- Their flavonoids (componds found in their pretty colour pigments) are shown to improve cognition and reduce age-related declines in learning and memory.
Cardamom:
- Extracts are showing promise in the treatment of PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) by preventing the formation or anxiety-like behaviour in animal models of PTSD.
- It is shown to effectively reduce blood pressure in those with hypertension (an all-too-common consequence of a high stress life). Because it can help counteract the hypertensive (blood pressure raising) effects of stress, it is such a helpful culinary herb for those of us who deal with a lot of stress (or who just feel stressed out all the time).
Pears:
- They have a low glycemic index and glycemic load so will not spike (then inevitably crash) your blood sugar. Rather, pears balance your blood sugar which means more stable, steady energy and mood for you ALL DAY LONG. Say goodbye to the blood sugar roller coaster and feeling HANGRY for good!
- Pears are much less allergenic (likely to promote a food allergy or sensitivity) than almost every other food. Some experts even call them hypoallergenic (although in our experience, if you are allergic to Alder or Birch pollen you may be sensitive to pears).
Rosemary:
- Two cool compounds in it, carnosic acid and carnosol, account for over 90% of the antioxidant activity of rosemary AND may also help this culinary herb fight neuroinflammation (inflammation in your brain that scientists are now linking to depression and anxiety).
- Because of its ability to also inhibit brain cell death and slow the production of an Alzheimer’s disease related protein called beta-amyloid, rosemary is being looked at as a key brain food for Alzheimer’s free aging!
Pineapple:
- Proper digestion is KEY for brain and mental health. Likewise, poor digestion is linked to not-so-great mental health. Bromelain is an awesome, naturally occurring digestive enzyme found in pineapple, (you can find it in supplemental form, too) that can help improve your digestion and mental health.
- Bromelain is a unique digestive enzyme because it can also fight (and fight HARD) against inflammation. So if you deal with inflammation or autoimmune disease or mental health challenges (which are now being linked to neuroinflammation), pineapple is your new best friend with benefits.
- References
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- http://www.glycemicindex.com
- Al Mofleh, I.A., Alhaider, A.A., Mossa, J.S., Al-Soohaibani, M.O., Rafatullah, S. 2007. Aqueous suspension of anise “Pimpinella anisum” protects rats against chemically induced gastric ulcers. World J Gastroenterol, 13(7), 1112–1118.
- Bouayed, J., Rammal, H., Dicko, A., Younos, C., Soulimani, R. 2007. Chlorogenic acid, a polyphenol from Prunus domestica (Mirabelle), with coupled anxiolytic and antioxidant effects. J Neurol Sci, 262(1-2), 77-84.
- de Oliveira, M.R. 2016. The Dietary Components Carnosic Acid and Carnosol as Neuroprotective Agents: a Mechanistic View. Mol Neurobiol, 53(9), 6155-6168.
- Habtemariam, S. 2016. The Therapeutic Potential of Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) Diterpenes for Alzheimer's Disease. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. doi: 10.1155/2016/2680409.
- Kreydiyyeh S.I., Usta, J., Knio, K., Markossian, S., Dagher, S. 2003. Aniseed oil increases glucose absorption and reduces urine output in the rat. Life Sci, 74(5), 663-673.
- Masoumi-Ardakani, Y., Mahmoudvand, H., Mirzaei, A., Esmaeilpour, K., Ghazvini, H., Khalifeh, S., Sepehri, G.The effect of Elettaria cardamomum extract on anxiety-like behavior in a rat model of post-traumatic stress disorder. Biomed Pharmacother, 87, 489-495.
- Shahamat, Z., Abbasi-Maleki, S., Saeid Mohammadi, S.M. 2016. Evaluation of antidepressant-like effects of aqueous and ethanolic extracts of Pimpinella anisum fruit in mice. Avicenna J Phytomed, 6(3), 322–328.
- Spencer, J.P. 2010. The impact of fruit flavonoids on memory and cognition. Br J Nutr, 104, Suppl 3:S40-7.
- Verma, S.K., Jain, V., Katewa, S.S. 2009. Blood pressure lowering, fibrinolysis enhancing and antioxidant activities of cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum).Indian J Biochem Biophys, 46(6), 503-506.
