d ee n u o y e verything t u o b a w to kno adaptogens
“Adaptogen.” It’s a word popping up all over the food scene, referring to herbal ingredients that impact the body’s response to hormones and stress. With my background in Holistic Nutrition, I am so fascinated by adaptogens and love incorporating them into my diet. To find out more about adaptogens and ways to consume them, I went to my friend Amanda — the founder of Moon Juice, a plant-source alchemy brand that offers “dusts” and foods FULL of adaptogenic ingredients.
1. Can you tell us about your background in wellness + nutrition? I traveled a lot through Europe and South America — living in Italy, then Uruguay for a while. These experiences stirred a love not only for the preparation of food but in tracing ingredients back to their purest forms. In 2006, I began studying the power of raw, medicinal food to heal the hypothyroid condition I had had since I was a teen, in addition to my severe allergies to wheat, sugar and cow dairy. These live, medicinal foods changed me from the inside out and inspired me to create Moon Juice.
2. How do you define adaptogens? Adaptogens are plants, mushrooms and minerals that help combat the effects of stress — whether the source is mental, physical, or emotional.
3. How do adaptogens work? Adaptogens work to support the physiologic functions of the endocrine, nervous, and immune systems, helping offset the side effects of stress (aging, dullness, exhaustion, insomnia, bad mood, digestive issues, brain fog, illness etc.) to nourish body, beauty, and consciousness from the inside out.
