Steps for your morning routine

by Juliana Velezg & Crystal Carson

We sat down with Desiree Nielsen, educator, and registered dietician, to discuss the road to health through the natural tools from nature. For we are nature too.

Let’s first get on the same page; you might have heard of the word adaptogens. If you haven’t, adaptogens are plants and mushrooms that help your body respond to stress, anxiety, postpartum depression, fatigue and overall well-being. These tools bring your body back to a steady balance by managing physical and mental stressors from our everyday lives.

Now, sounds lovely right? That’s because it is. Mushrooms have been used for thousands of years, Ethnomycology is the study of how people have used fungi – as food, tinder, medicine, and spiritual tool – and how this use has influenced them, and many cultures of the world consider mushrooms to be sacred cures of sickness and givers of information. Native Americans have used mushrooms such as Chaga found in birch trees in the interior of northern North America since the 19th century and the Valley of Mexico and the rest of Central America starting at least 3,500 years ago for medicinal, edible and even recreational purposes.

So yes, sure, we have established that mushrooms have ancient practices, are organic, edible, and medicinal, and as a society, we have recognized it as well. It’s been called the Shroom Boom, an industry that exploded meanwhile we were distracted by the pandemic, but it is also a solution for all the stress we lived in during those two very difficult years we faced as humanity.

If you go into any vitamin store, you will find a myriad of adaptogens, but it is very confusing to pick and choose, and really how do you know you are getting the best of the bunch? An option is Optimi, which is a locally owned Canadian company committed to turning advice into concrete choices.

These concrete choices will provide you with all the science and research to obtain the most bio-available, absorbable and high potency adaptogens you can get your hands on.

So what are you looking for? Do you want to strengthen your immune system? Are you experiencing brain fog? Maybe you need a bit of extra energy for that morning run or morning meeting?

For women on the go, try Optimi’s Mindful featuring the gorgeous fungi Lion’s Mane, which helps increase nerve growth factors and neuroplasticity, improving clarity and focus. Cordyceps for energy and stamina boost, or even better, the Optimi formulation will provide you with a well-curated synergy of these fungi.