10+ Foods, Herbs, and B12 to Boost Your Energy and Mood

Boost energy and mood

It’s 3:00 p.m.  Are you tired or having trouble focusing?  In this article are some new ideas about easy ways to use Natural Medicine to help you.  It’s using your intelligence and Food as Medicine.  Oh, and lest I forget while I have your attention right now:  Acupuncture helps energy and brain function too!  Yes, acupuncture can INCREASE your energy just as well as CALM it.

 

ATTENTION:  If you or someone you know has Chronic Fatigue, Alzheimers, Parkinsons’, other Neurological Conditions, Depression, Autism, Severe Allergies, Cancer, Heart Diseases, is Pregnant or has any Autoimmune condition such as Multiple Sclerosis or Crohns’, this article may open up a whole new realm of health possibilities.  If I didn’t list the disease or condition you care about, B12 will probably help that too. 

 

My guess is that many of you experience a mid-afternoon slump.  So, what to do about a quick energy fix, or how to prevent the energy slump in the first place?  NO, don’t go for that killer Monster Drink filled with caffeine and loads of sugar and preservatives!!  Instead, consider how these ideas could work for you:

 

  1. Grab a handy snack (or drink) filled with Nature’s energy-boosting, mood-enhancing nutrients. This snack can quickly feed your mitochondria (the little energy generators in our cells).  Many options are listed in this article!
  2. Take a rare-to-find, high-quality B12 supplement (you may want the B Complex too—surprisingly affordable). Finding one that actually works and is affordable may not be easy.  We found some B vitamins that we can’t keep on the shelf, they are that popular!  How do you know if it’s working?  Get the right one, and you’ll likely feel the difference.  For some, it happens quickly, as soon as an hour or two.
  3. Quick! Squirt into your mouth a dropper filled with a powerful Asian herbal tincture which contains herbs such as ginseng and/or cordyceps.  Immediately get back to loving and living your day.

BTW, you can use your own energies to tap into the energy field in and around your own body.  Not sure how to do this?  We can help you individually or develop a class on this in a flash!

 

My Top Recommendations for Energy & Mood Boosting Foods:   

  1. PROTEIN DRINKS with a good profile of amino acids are better than most supplements because they are FOOD. The shakes we carry are labeled as “Medical Food” because they simply have better absorption and real nutrition.  This is a cellular wake-up meal!  Avoid the soy protein as it blocks absorption of key minerals like zinc, iron & magnesium… not to mention adding to our modern estrogen problem.

 

  1. MACA ROOT is a powerful endocrine system support food. The Chinese call this one a “Jing” herb (sexual function-enhancing). Among its many functions, it has proven to measurably decrease menopausal symptoms and increase male sperm count.  So yes, this will give your body Life Force Energy!  Maca also has a phytochemical called anandamide. This compound keeps happy hormones active in your brain longer.  Put this South American powder in your morning shake for sure!  It has a tasty carmel flavor, so you could shake it up in water or almond milk at any time.

 

  1. AH, THE AVOCADO! What a perfect, neat package for a quick pickup that will keep your brain humming and energy flowing for at least a couple of hours!  Your body and brain know what to do with Nature’s good fats in this satisfying food.  Concerned about having too much fat?  Anyone who wants to lose weight is well advised to consider having an avocado daily!  This is the kind of fat our body craves, and it reduces cravings for the bad stuff.

 

  1. WALNUTS AND DARK CHERRIES (especially Montmorency) have melatonin, a compound in our pineal gland which puts us to sleep. You feel better when your body has time to sleep and repair itself, so this one is a Prevention Strategy!  Take 5 walnuts at night or a tart cherry drink.  Consume one or both an hour before bedtime.  Observe as your eyelids get heavy!

 

  1. B12 FOODS. Hold onto your seats…you are about to enter the Energetic and Healing World of the B12 Foods!

 

CALLING ON THE POWERS OF B12

This is more critical than you may think.  B12 is an essential DNA requirement for many processes of the brain, heart, bones, and metabolism.  B12 is one of eight B vitamins that help the body convert the food you eat into glucose, which makes possible the production within the cell of a compound called ATP.  It’s the ATP which fuels your energy. And, you need it for the production of elements of DNA.

 

Nearly every process in our bodies is linked to this illusive vitamin.  It’s especially illusive to vegans and vegetarians, and it’s critically needed in pregnant women.  It is key in nourishing the growing fetus’ heart and brain.

 

Neurological conditions such as Alzheimers and Parkinson’s are often helped by an absorbable kind of B12.   Did you know that the symptoms of MS look like the symptoms of B12 deficiency?  (Do some research of your own on this, and you’ll be shocked at the illnesses that turn around with B12.)  Avoid the cyano-cobalamin.  You’ll need methyl- and adeno-cobalamin, in an appropriate ratio.  Remember, it needs to be in an absorbable form, or you’re just flushing some compounds down the toilet.  The best formulas seem to be found in liquids.  And, you’ll want some other Bs in your body.  B9, known as folate, is a critical co-factor.  In fact, many B12 deficiencies no longer show up because the B9 “fortified” into our foods masks the problem.  All too often and tragically, a B12 deficiency no longer shows up in standard blood tests.

 

Lastly, and important to today’s article:

  • B12 is an energy feast for your body! You probably have heard or experienced how quickly energy is restored via B12 shots.
  • Natural medicine treatments for depression and improved happiness also include Vitamin B12.

 

As I stated earlier, it’s difficult to find a vitamin that absorbs and truly works.  It took us a while to find one that’s in liquid form, has all the “right” levels of the necessary components, and works.  We are able to provide it cheaper than you are likely to find any decent B12 product online.  BUT, this article is mostly about food, so let’s look at B12 foods.  These are natural foods, and our bodies crave them…well, at least a few of these are cravings for many people!

 

B12 Boosts Energy and Mood!

  • LIVER.  Yuck, most of us say!   Very few people love liver, and these days many are vegetarian or vegan—or nearly so.  I list it here because it is a top supplier of B12.  In fact, in mid-1900’s, people more frequently died of a form of mal-nutrition called “pernicious anemia”.  Some clever healer decided that liver would help.  They found that cow liver milkshakes revived people who were dying.  What did the scientists eventually figure out?  Liver is chock full of Vitamin B12 (and so was the milk in those days).  The liver shake was in an absorbable, food form, and it saved lives.

 

  • CHOCOLATE in the form of Raw Cacao contains B12 (as well as B1, B5, B6). It is a rich source of PEA (food for our mitochondria), Theobromine (a gentle relative of caffeine), Serotonin (our feel-happy hormone), Tryptophan (more about happy and calm), and Anandamide (also called the Bliss chemical because it helps serotonin stay active longer in the body).  These brain-friendly hormones and phytochemicals give us sustained energy, improved mood, increased focus and enhanced overall mental function.  You know this intuitively, and there is plenty of science about raw cacao’s power to assist humans in their quest for energy, happiness and health.    Google is filled with over 6,000 studies, many of which are high quality studies from famous universities such as Harvard and Oxford.

 

  • MUSHROOMS! Make these organic, please.  They all have B12.  Mushrooms do a great job of absorbing toxicity from their growing environments.   They can clean up toxic energy spills and radiation.  Buy or grow these organic.  Let them help you remove toxicity from your body!   They must be cooked or fermented or properly extracted.
    1. Lion’s Mane is HIGH in B12. Used in Chinese Medicine in treatments for depression and multiple sclerosis and other brain conditions.
    2. Cordyceps is a supplier ATP energy. ATP is increased by adenosine, a compound found in cordyceps, and hence, this mushroom has been used by Asian athletes to improve performance.)

 

  • BEANS all have B12 and offer low-carb, slow-burning, long-lived energy.
    1. Kidney beans are best known for their B12 and blood building abilities.
    2. Black contains the highest antioxidant level. This is generally true in nature; the darker the veggie or fruit, the higher the antioxidants.
    3. Fava Beans have all the goodness of beans’ protein and B12. Here’s a BONUS:   Fava Beans have L-Dopa and C-Dopa (dopamine).  These are critical brain chemicals and are helpful for everything from depression to Parkinsons’ Disease.
    4. White for easy digestion

 

  • EGGS are the perfect food for many people. They are among the rare sources of B12 foods.  They are packed with a full complement of amino acids (proteins) that your body and brain will love. Nature puts its best in the seeds and eggs to fuel the next generation.  There are people who have allergies, and sometimes those with autoimmune conditions are in this group.

 

  • KOMBUCHA & KEFIR. Want to see someone’s health turn around QUICKLY?  Take these Foods as Medicine!   Mood and Energy rise, guts heal (which in turn significantly helps with most other illnesses), people get happier and more focused.  We see it every day, and it thrills us to no end!
    1. Kombucha is made with black or green tea and a fermenting culture called a SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast). It turns out that all B12 is originally synthesized by bacteria.   So you are getting a fresh supply of B12 when you drink a bottle or glass of Kombucha!
    2. Kefir & Yogurt can be other significant sources of B12 (kefir being the strongest). It’s best when homemade and raw and some store bought products can be less than useful.  So how does B12 get into the milk?  When animals (e.g., cows, goats, shellfish) consume B12-synthesizing bacteria, they pass on the B12 via their flesh or milk.  Be sure you have good, clean sources of these foods.  Fermented milk products are strongest when they are made with raw milk, with a surprising  35-55 different strains of bacteria present in kefir.   We highly prefer goat-milk-based kefir, made in your own home.  We teach the simple and practical steps to do this.

 

  • SEA VEGGIES

While these may not be tasty treats like Kefir, for a vegan these are a must in the diet.

  1. Spirulina has B12, amino acids and DHA. We put it in our daily shakes.
  2. Kelp is another sea source. It also speeds up metabolism.

 

  • CHIA SEEDS were once used by the runners of the ancient Aztec & Mayan worlds. Today chia seeds are a favorite drink  for long-distance bike riders such as the 20,000 biking enthusiasts who cross the state of Iowa every summer.  You can find chia seeds in some Kombucha drinks—now that’s a power drink!   Chia seeds are also the basis of a favorite recipe of mine called Morning Manna Chia Porridge.  Add raw chocolate powder for a double punch of B12 and tons of phytonutrients.

 

  • NUTRITIONAL YEAST this fermented food is cheesy-tasting, packed with B12, and it is a great thickener used in cooking. Add THIS to your soups, nut-based dips, and your smoothie.  Get creative and use it wherever you can!

 

NOTABLE INFO:  HERBS & EXERCISE

Additional ideas to consider for energy and mood boosting:

  • CBD Oil for sleep, anxiety relief, calming
  • Asian medicine tinctures for energy
  • St. John’s Wort for depression
  • Adrenal Support Herbs
  • And these activities provide energy too: Acupuncture!  QiGong!  Yoga!  TaiChi!  Dancing!

 

ADDITIONAL REFERENCES:

2018, Dr. Mercola Video on B12

Everything You Need to Know about Vitamin B12, Dr. Edward Group DC, NP, DACBN, DCBCN, DABFM

“CBD for You and Me”  

Back to Library