My Favorite Health Drinks (For Now)
Anyone who knows me knows that I like to experiment with health crazes, especially drinks, concoctions and elixirs. I spend a good portion of my life on the road, in crowded airports and around a constantly changing set of people with their unique germs and sicknesses. My job also carries with it extreme stress at times and changes in schedules and work day length verging on lunacy. Taking that all into account, I like to look for things that give me the advantage. Being sick on the road is miserable, so how to I fight off the airport germs? Exhaustion and insomnia are real, so how to I maintain energy levels while on a show run? So here are some of my favorite go-tos!
IMMUNE SYSTEM
CHAGA MUSHROOM
I’ve become especially intrigued with the medicinal properties of mushrooms lately. They range from mental boost and relaxation (which I’ll talk about later) to immune support in Chaga. My favorite as of now is the Chaga Mushroom Elixir Mix from Four Sigmatic. I find that, combined with other habits and dietary additions, this helps me fight off sickness.
DIGESTIVE SYSTEM
KOMBUCHA
I’ll be the first to admit that I may or may not have a slight addiction to this vinegary fermented probiotic tea. Some of my film coworkers even call me “Booch” because of my obsessive hunt for my daily fix. My love for kombucha started way back in college when it was just starting to pop up on shelves. I don’t think it’s coincidence that it coincided with my foray into the low carb / low sugar world. When you cut down on sugar your body will start to crave citrus and vinegar tastes. Now, ‘booch is one of those “miracle drinks” that people will claim does everything from clear up acne to prevent disease. I don’t know how much I buy into at this point, but I do know that after 5 years of drinking it consistently I do find that my immune system seems to be stronger and my digestive system seems to be much more consistent, which is a miracle when you consider how much crafty and on set lunches in places like Nebraska, Florida, Ohio and Minnesota I’ve eaten. I’ll cling to anything that keeps me from intestinal misery when I’m traveling and I believe ‘booch does that for me. Plus it tastes amazing! I drink a wide variety of booches, but I always like to support local so I have to shout of Mamachari for making some of the best Kombucha and Kefir Water I’ve tasted.
STIMULANTS
BUTTER COFFEE
This is a strange one I’ll admit. Also, let me add that I’m not advocating for a full keto diet. I don’t believe it’s healthy or sustainable. I think it’s great for resets and cleanses to combat sickness and disease. But that’s another post entirely. What I DO ADVOCATE FOR is an addition of healthy fats into the diet. In laymen’s terms, it’s good for your brain. One of my favorite ways to start the day has become a breakfast salad (I don’t start my day with carbs or sugar) washed down with a butter coffee, made famous by Dave Asprey as Bulletproof Coffee. What is it? In its simplest form butter coffee is organic coffee, grass-fed butter and MCT oil (coconut and palm oil) all blended up into creamy goodness. It jump starts the metabolism, kick starts the brain and, from my experience limits the crash of traditional coffee, as well as keeping you fuller longer!
LION’S MANE MUSHROOM COFFE
Keeping with my mushroom coffee obsession lately, my other favorite stimulant, which I often use as a substitute for coffee in my morning butter coffees, is Lion’s Mane Mushroom Coffee from Four Sigmatic. As I mentioned, my schedule is obscenely inconsistent and extremely chaotic. Sleep comes sporadically and days are long. As such, I stimulants like caffeine, mate and ginseng often. I’ve found a great way to maintain effectiveness is to vary these so the body is kept guessing and tolerance cant’ build up. I’ve found that when rotated in, mushroom coffee is a fantastic addition. It’s a different kind of stimulant. You won’t feel the “rush” of caffeine, but more of a sustained buzz, which I find very helpful for work that requires high levels of focus.
BEDTIME AND ANTI-STRESS
HOLY BASIL (TULSI) TEA
I love tea of all kinds, especially of the caffeine free herbal variety for winding down at the end of the day. Again, it’s one of those “super drinks” that people rave about for treating everything from bug bites to nausea. You’ll find that most herbal remedies fall in that category. The important thing to remember is that nothing is a cure all and everything does something slightly different depending on the person. For me, though, the most beneficial thing about Holy Basil is its anti-stress and anti-anxiety properties. Freelance work combined with long days can be stressful and I want to manage that stress, if only so I can sleep when I need to. Holy Basil tea is something I’ve found that helps me manage that anxiety and calm down at the end of a long day. It’s a fairly common tea, but I’d definitely recommend finding it from a good local shop if you can. Some of my favorite comes from my hometown at a tea house called Lake Missoula Tea Company and their Holy Basil Blend.
REISHI MUSHROOM
Another in the realm of medicinal mushrooms I’ve been playing with the past year is Reishi. Again, keeping with the theme of our drinks, a lot of speculation is made about this “superfood” from possibly helping prevent cancer to simply treating fatigue. Personally, I use it for its immune boosting properties and its calming effects. I have what Tim Ferriss calls a “Monkey Brain,” meaning I have a hard time turning it off at the end of the day to fall asleep. Reishi helps me calm down and turn off. I love the stuff from Four Sigmatic and their unsweetened Reishi Elixir is one of my favorites, although REBBL also makes a great Reishi Cold Brew for on the go.
DISCLAIMER: None of these companies have paid me or compensated me for linking to their products (Although if they want to I wouldn’t fight it). I just love to experiment with things that I think could help my health and share them with others.
This is obviously just a snapshot of all the foods, drinks or other remedies I play with, but hopefully it gives the rest of you roadtrip warriors some ideas. If you have any favorites that weren’t on this list I’d love to hear them!
Galen Murray,
Owner / DP
VISUAL VAGABONDS, LLC.
