First, my Disclaimer: The information below is for health interest only. I’m happy to share what I do but this is not medical advice nor is it necessarily what you should do – do I know for sure it’s the right thing for me? No. So with that said I like to think of a morning routine that really maximises the potential for powerful plant ingredients and brain boosting inputs - a way to help have a great morning buzz but not too jittery with a surge from caffeine.
When I say powerful, I think “how can I fuel my gut and my brain with inputs like polyphenols, antioxidants and medicinal mushrooms”? I’m currently trialing matcha vs my normal black coffee for my morning warm drink. Realistically I’ve probably dropped my caffeine intake from 130mg to approx. 35mg (2-3 small single shot coffees vs ½ tsp of matcha green tea). I’ve done this to see if I can still start the day energized but achieve a calmer smoother morning with a brain boost.
My Gut Start: On waking I have 15ml of Akesi Ginger with 15ml of Apple Cider Vinegar.
This is a 1-2 kickstart and a great way to start my day by including an Akesi 3-in-1 (pre, pro, post biotic) with the benefits of anti-inflammatory turmeric with another fermented drink straight out of everyone’s pantry (ACV). I think of this as boot camp for my gut straight up.
My Brain Start:
My new morning warm drink is a Matcha, Lion’s Mane, Creatine combo with frothed almond milk. This is new for me but I’m really enjoying it! I’ve been trialing a few different matcha – but I use a powdered unsweetened organic matcha from the Uji region of Japan. I’m adding ½ tsp of Lions Mane extract and creatine monohydrate topped up with warmed/frothed refrigerated almond milk (they simply have less additives).
Why:
- I wanted to decrease caffeine intake.
- I wanted the benefits of matcha which has l-theanine (known anxiolytic) coupled to a slower caffeine absorption rate with the benefits of additional polyphenols.
- Lion’s Mane has some limited evidence that it supports cognition function and has anxiolytic properties. Lion’s Mane has been known within TCM so isn’t a new fad!
- Controversially, I’m supplementing with 10 grams of creatine which is higher than the recommended 5 gram dosage for women – I’m doing this for both muscle and brain benefits, this is really topical at the moment for women but definitely review loading doses and best way to initiate creatine supplementation.
Result:
I feel sharper and calmer in the morning hours. It’s hard to say which input or combination is really shaping this change but I’m sticking to my new Gut-Brain start for the time being.