Here’s the recipe for my new “Brain Fuel Shake”, which I’ve been taking as part of my ‘fuel’ experiment this month.

1 teaspoon each of…

Chia seeds
Maca (Energiser and re-mineralizer),
Lucuma (Anti-inflammatory and supports the nervous system),
Camu-camu (Vitamin C powerhouse for peak mental function),
Spirulina (Ultimate superfood)
Bee pollen (Energy enhancer + will help with your hayfever)
Powdered raw cacao (super antioxidant)

Mix all into a glass and add 200ml of water. Soak in the fridge overnight.

In the morning add berries, ginger or fruit and 2 scoops of Hemp Protein. Shake or blend into a disgusting but super fuelling shake!

All of the above can be found in any health food shop, with the possible exception of Camu Camu, which I had to buy from Amazon instead.

This has been particularly recommended for me by Colette Heneghan from Optimum Living, given that I’m on the move a lot, spend a lot of time on trains and lead a busy lifestyle. So far I haven’t worked out how I get it to taste great, but plenty of raspberries and a touch of ginger make a bearable – it’s pretty neutral-tasting anyway.

Any other recommendations for a great start to the day?

Hello there.

I think your Brain Fuel shake could benefit with the addition of a few things. You can pick and choose whatever you like:

– Organic Peanut Butter: It’s great for the protein and would taste nice with the cocoa (assuming that the cocoa tastes vaguely of chocolate?)
– Avocado: Just half of this superfruit has more potassium than a banana, plus good fats and brain-protecting folate. Also, it would make the shake more creamy, fooling you into thinking that you’ve added some illegal cream when really, you’re adding in some good fats.
– Blueberries: With more disease fighting antioxidants than almost any other fruit, they strengthen the mind, your muscles and bones.
– Kale/Spinach/some sort of green veggie: For Kale, it’s antioxidant rich, and this green contains calcium, potassium and vitamins A, C, and K. Research shows it helps fight age-related diseases too! Adding green veggies in will not only up the nutritional value you’re getting, but you will probably feel healthier about your shake (mood booster) and you won’t be able to taste much of it anyways. This one is like a freebie.
– Yogurt, Milk or freshly squeezed orange juice instead of water: This is more according to taste, but the addition of milk or yogurt would add more proteins. Orange juice will add some vitamin C
– Chopped Nuts on top for garnish: This will add a nice texture to the shake. You could use peanuts to go with the peanut butter, etc etc.
– All natural honey: As far as I know, it’s not a processed sugar and so, it should help the drinkable factor go up by adding some of this to your shake. Not to mention that it has loads of nutritional benefits.

Basically, adding in whatever fruits/nuts/liquid-bases you love will make the shake easier to drink and you’ll be getting some good nutrition in return. Yes, I do know that you’re watching your sugar content, but all of these have natural sugars and you do need sugar to survive. Feel free to ‘shake’ things up by changing the ingredient mix you use every so often, so that you get some variety and also keep things interesting.

Most of the facts that I quoted were from Chatelaine Magazine (January 2013), page 136 [Meet the Superfoods]. Anything else is from what I remember reading about.

I hope this helps!