If you’ve seen my Instagram stories then you’ve definitely seen me pour a matcha latte once, twice, or a dozen times. When I make my matcha lattes, I always include dashes, pinches, and scoops of different powders like Hecate called Adaptogens to which I get a bunch of DMs saying - adapta-what?
So, I figured it’s time to write a blog post! The best piece of blogging advice I’ve ever received is, “If you have to answer a question more than once, you need to write a post about it.”
Here we are, and I am so excited to have Further Food on board. Further Food has sponsored this post all thoughts and opinions are my own. For more information, please see my disclosure policy.
I've been using Further Food for several months - you've probably seen me tag them on my IG stories! They were kind enough to offer a discount code! GOINGZEROWASTE for 15% off.
I’ve been taking adaptogens and collagen for a little over a year now. Since I work and blog full time, I’m always looking for easy ways to infuse and adjust my current routines to take full advantage of them like getting a set of pedals under my desk (writing while cycling!) or elevating my current tea routine.
This, of course, saves me a TON of time, and also makes changes easier to implement since they’re piggybacking off of existing habits.
personal health:
As many of you know, I started going zero waste due to health reasons. My hormones were completely out of whack so I started trying to avoid endocrine disruptors like plastic, conventional beauty, and cleaning products.
It took several years for me to feel like I had a handle on balancing my hormones, and feel like I am always learning new things. I really try to listen to my body and support it - journaling has been huge for me in identifying problems and patterns!
At the end of 2017, my inflammation got really out of hand. I’ve been very sensitive to inflammation even as a kid and arthritis is a major problem in my family. Throw in my skin troubles, and I think we’ve pretty much hit the personal health highlights.
I slowly started introducing some supplements and then started eliminating certain foods from my diet to pinpoint triggers.
Caffeine was a major trigger which led me to cutting out coffee and then eventually all caffeine. I have slowly introduced some caffeine back into my diet, but I only do caffeine in the form of tea.
RELATED: How I Quit Coffee
I introduced collagen, b12 complex, omega-3s, CBD-oil, and use turmeric in everything I cook.
I have to say my homemade golden milk icing I used to decorate Christmas cookies is still one of my favorites!
I still struggle to find a lot of these supplements without plastic packaging and was so happy to hear that Further Food, while still packaged in plastic, uses 100% post-consumer recycled plastic #2 which is actually my favorite of all the plastics.
Yes, I do have a list ranking all of the plastics #HotOrNot, I talked about it in this post.
I like Plastic #2 because it’s considered the safest and has a great domestic recycling market which means it will actually be recycled as long as it’s clean!
Using the recycled plastic reduces the carbon footprint by 78%, drastically improves the carbon footprint for travel due to it being lighter than glass, it consumes 90% less energy, and it’s a pure plastic (not a mix!) so it can be recycled again and again.
Further Food is a woman-owned and operated company right here in San Francisco, and a portion of each sale goes to chronic illness and healthy eating programs. You know how much I love companies that give back.
about adaptogens:
Adaptogens AKA adaptogenic herbs aren’t a new fancy thing. They’ve been used for centuries in both Chinese and Ayurvedic healing traditions in the forms of supplements, tinctures, and teas.
These herbs help the body resist or adapt to stressors whether they’re physical, chemical, or biological. Adaptogens work with the endocrine system to tweak hormone production and the physiological responses to stress.
There are several adaptogens I use regularly:
Ashwaganda is best known for helping to reduce stress and anxiety. (source)
Maca gives a natural energy boost and helps to regulate estrogen. Which is great if you produce too much estrogen naturally - like ME. (source)
Reishi helps boost your immune system (source)
Cordyceps keeps blood sugar levels in check and helps to fight inflammation. (source)
Chaga is rich in essential vitamins and minerals like the b12 complex, zinc, iron, magnesium, and calcium (source)
I can really feel the energy boost from maca and recommend only taking a small amount in the beginning like a 1/4 of a teaspoon to see how it affects you.
I bought most of these adaptogens in plastic tubs, but was able to find a few at a special herb shop in bulk! I only use a teeny-tiny bit of each so thankfully they last a super long time.
I mix my adaptogens along with collagen and CBD into my morning tea lattes, but one of my favorite products Further Food offers is their pre-made Mindful Matcha and Turmeric Tonic mixes both of which are vegan! They come in big tubs (they are transitioning their entire line to recycled plastic so some are made from recycled plastic and some aren’t yet) and they already have the adaptogens mixed in.
This is honestly my favorite way to make an iced latte because I don’t need to dirty up my blender. I just put a scoop in a mason jar and add water, ice, nut milk and shake it really good. Voila, no extra dishes plus I'm saving a bunch of water. ;)
about collagen:
Collagen is the most abundant protein in our body. It makes up 90% of connective tissue, bone mass, and 70% of our skin, but our body's natural collagen production declines as we age
Most people that adhere to a typical western diet aren’t getting enough collagen through their meals. Collagen is not vegan, and most of the vegan collagens on the market are collagen boosters rather than collagen itself.
Further Food goes to great lengths to make sure the collagen is sourced sustainably. I prefer to use the Premium Marine Collagen Peptides because fish has a lower carbon footprint compared to beef.
The collagen is strictly a byproduct of the fishing industry. No fish are caught specifically for collagen. Further Food only uses the fish skin (very rich in collagen) which often goes to waste.
On top of that, they still see to it that the fish skins only come from sustainable sources with ethical fishing practices and make sure that the entire fish has been used.
Collagen is special because it contains glycine, proline, and hydroxyproline three amino acids that you won't find (in any meaningful amount) in any other foods. These amino acids help with muscle growth and joint and skin health.
But, there are a NUMBER of reasons you might want to consider taking collagen:
- Improves gut health
- Reduces joint stiffness
- Repairs muscle and prevents injury
- Reduces wrinkles and increases skin elasticity
- Thicker hair and stronger nails
- Stabilizes blood sugar
- Improves thyroid health
- Prevents and can reverse arthritis
I personally, take collagen to help with my my skin, to improve my gut and joint health. I can definitely see a difference in my face, nails, and hair after consistently taking collagen.
I got a manicure this January, just a polish, and got a bunch of dms asking why I chose to get acrylic nails… I didn’t… I just painted them. That’s how good this stuff is, people thought my real nails were acrylics because they’re so strong.
Collagen doesn’t work overnight though, you need about six consistent months of taking it.
You can learn more about the benefits of collagen
You can brew any tea that you like, but if I’m not doing a matcha latte then I like to do a black tea.
my morning tea latte recipe:
Ingredients:
- 12 oz cup of Black Tea
- 8 oz of nut milk (I like coconut or cashew)
- 1 scoop of Further Food Marine Collagen Peptides
- 1 teaspoon of Ashwaganda
- 1/2 teaspoon of reishi
- 1/4 teaspoon of Maca
- 1 dropper of CBD
- Dash of cinnamon
Instructions:
- Put the first seven ingredients in a 32 oz wide mouth mason jar.
- Use a blender wand on it’s lowest setting (in the mason jar) and blend for 30 seconds to a minute, everything will get nice and frothy!
- Pour into a 27 oz thermos
- Complete with a dash of cinnamon on top!
Making tea is one of my favorite aspects of my morning routine. I use the time to slowly process the upcoming day and check in with my body.
Do you have a morning routine you like to follow?
A huge shout out and thank you to Further Food for sponsoring this post, if you’re interested in trying any of their products you can get 15% off with the code GOINGZEROWASTE!
