Written by Janette Mason, CNP
How are you feeling right now? As you read this article, how is your energy? Your zest for life? Are you feeling more or less motivated compared to a year ago?
The last year and a half have been hard on all of us. Whether you had to move your business online, balance the demanding at-home school curriculum, or find space to move your body at home – adapting and rolling with the changes has taken its toll.
Feeling off, having low energy and low motivation have been conversation pieces for some time now and we are hearing from many of you that you are ready for a change. You are done with feeling lethargic and as if one day blends into the next, leaving you feeling depleted at the end of the week.
You are ready to wake up in the morning feeling geared-up and excited to start your day. We are here to support you!
A key element to reaching your goals and feeling your best is nutrition. It’s no secret that when you eat well, you feel well. This is why, at Iron Vegan, we are obsessed with helping you feel like your Optimal Self through specific superfoods and next-level nutrition that works with your body.
Consuming enough protein throughout the day is something we could all benefit from. It is a necessary macronutrient and provides the building blocks we need for repair and recovery4,5.
Adaptogens, like maca, mushrooms have been studied extensively for their benefit towards helping improve energy levels as well as resistance to stress6,7.
To help you get to feeling like your Optimal Self, we’ve created specific blends to work with your body and your current state of being.
To help increase energy throughout the day or before a workout, reach for Balanced Energy. This blend of superfoods and adaptogens have been put together to help increase energy and combat mental fatigue at a foundational level.
After a workout, or a long day of meetings, Rebound Recovery is the perfect refreshing beverage to help promote relaxation. This blend contains anti-inflammatory ingredients like turmeric9, as well as adaptogens like chaga and ashwagandha10.
For nutritional support, we love Superfoods & GreensTM as it ensures we are consuming a healthy mix of green foods to fill in any nutritional gaps we may have. Superfoods & GreensTM uses the power of functional food ingredients like organic mushrooms, sprouted grains and seeds, land and sea vegetables, and plant-sourced digestive aids. It’s also a source of antioxidants!11
Let’s not forget protein! For a lot of people, time and taste are two reasons we hear that they are not consuming enough protein throughout the day. We understand, life gets busy and sometimes it can be hard to prioritize. This is why leaning on functional foods, like protein powder such as Sprouted Protein, can be very helpful. Each scoop provides up to 22g of sprouted and non gmo protein, that can be added to the beverage of your choice.
Remember, meeting yourself where you are is important for true change to occur. Bringing in additional support by way of nutrition supplements can help get you going, and ensure you are able to reach your goals.
References:
- Westerterp-Plantenga M. S. (2008). Protein intake and energy balance. Regulatory peptides, 149(1-3), 67–69. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.regpep.2007.08.026
- Noakes, M., Keogh, J. B., Foster, P. R., & Clifton, P. M. (2005). Effect of an energy-restricted, high-protein, low-fat diet relative to a conventional high-carbohydrate, low-fat diet on weight loss, body composition, nutritional status, and markers of cardiovascular health in obese women. The American journal of clinical nutrition, 81(6), 1298–1306. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/81.6.1298
- Evans, E. M., Mojtahedi, M. C., Thorpe, M. P., Valentine, R. J., Kris-Etherton, P. M., & Layman, D. K. (2012). Effects of protein intake and gender on body composition changes: a randomized clinical weight loss trial. Nutrition & metabolism, 9(1), 55. https://doi.org/10.1186/1743-7075-9-55
- Jäger, R., Kerksick, C. M., Campbell, B. I., Cribb, P. J., Wells, S. D., Skwiat, T. M., Purpura, M., Ziegenfuss, T. N., Ferrando, A. A., Arent, S. M., Smith-Ryan, A. E., Stout, J. R., Arciero, P. J., Ormsbee, M. J., Taylor, L. W., Wilborn, C. D., Kalman, D. S., Kreider, R. B., Willoughby, D. S., Hoffman, J. R., … Antonio, J. (2017). International Society of Sports Nutrition Position Stand: protein and exercise. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 14, 20. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12970-017-0177-8
- Bosse, J. D., & Dixon, B. M. (2012). Dietary protein to maximize resistance training: a review and examination of protein spread and change theories. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 9(1), 42. https://doi.org/10.1186/1550-2783-9-42
- Stone, M., Ibarra, A., Roller, M., Zangara, A., & Stevenson, E. (2009). A pilot investigation into the effect of maca supplementation on physical activity and sexual desire in sportsmen. Journal of ethnopharmacology, 126(3), 574–576. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2009.09.012
- Health Canada. Mushrooms Monograph. Accessed May 25, 2020 at: http://webprod.hc-sc.gc.ca/nhpid-bdipsn/atReq.do?atid=mushrooms.champignons&lang=eng
- Connolly, D.A.J. (2015). The role of cherries in health, exercise and disease. Journal of Human Nutrition & Food Science, 3(1): 1058
- Fang, W., & Nasir, Y. (2020). The effect of curcumin supplementation on recovery following exercise-induced muscle damage and delayed-onset muscle soreness: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Phytotherapy research : PTR, 10.1002/ptr.6912. Advance online publication.
- Wankhede, S., Langade, D., Joshi, K., Sinha, S. R., & Bhattacharyya, S. (2015). Examining the effect of Withania somnifera supplementation on muscle strength and recovery: a randomized controlled trial. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 12, 43. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12970-015-0104-9
- Government of Canada. Product information. Accessed on June 15th, 2021 at http://health-products.canada.ca/lnhpd-bdpsnh/info.do?licence=80107729