It’s that time of day again: the mid-afternoon crash.

Clients often ask if I’ve ever had a 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 nutritionist 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 a serving of Botanica Daily Digestive Shot and Botanica Daily Anti-Inflammatory Shot in them, to show your gut (and brain, who is apparently your gut’s BFF) some extra love!

Apple & Cardamom Energy Shot

Yield: 4 oz
Ingredients: 3
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients

• ½ cup apple juice (freshly pressed or organic/not from concentrate bottled)
• 5 cardamom pods
• 20 ml Botanica Daily Digestive Shot

Method

1. Heat pan on medium/high heat. Toast cardamom pods until aromatic. Take off heat and reserve.
2. 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.
3. Once cooled, add Botanica Daily Digestive Shot 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 (compounds 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).

Pear, Apple & Rosemary Energy Shot

Yield: 4 oz
Ingredients: 4
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients

• ¼ cup pear juice (fresh pressed or organic/not from concentrate bottled)
• ¼ cup apple juice (fresh pressed or organic/not from concentrate bottled)
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary
• 20 mL Botanica Daily Digestive Shot

Method

1. Heat first ingredients in a saucepan on medium heat. Bring to a light boil then allow to cool.
2. Once cooled add Botanica Daily Digestive Shot and pour over ice.

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 ageing!

Pineapple & Star Anise Energy Shot

Yield: 4 oz
Ingredients: 4
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients

• ½ cup pineapple juice (fresh pressed or organic/not from concentrate bottled)
• ¼ cup water
• 1 star anise pod
• 30 mL Botanica Daily Anti-Inflammatory Shot

Method

1. 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.
2. Once cooled add Botanica Daily Anti-Inflammatory Shot and pour over ice.

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.

Star Anise

This beautiful spice is shown to have positive effects on anxiety, depression, seizures and Alzheimer’s disease in animal models, and has been used in other cultures as medicine for what seems like forever!
It can enhance glucose (sugar) absorption (in rats, so far). People with diabetes have a very hard time absorbing sugar, but all of us can get too much sugar in our blood from high sugar foods (which pineapple, as much as we love it, IS). Lovely star anise might just be what we need to balance our blood sugar (and energy. And mood) when we treat ourselves to something sweet.
Research is suggesting that it may be helpful at preventing stomach ulcers (one very painful consequence of long-term high stress).