Dr. Andrew Simon, a naturopathic physician, shares how to boost energy without caffeine: identify what's causing your fatigue first, then try whole foods like avocado, adaptogenic herbs like rhodiola, B12 injections, and electrolytes. He emphasizes sleep and exercise matter more than any supplement.
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I feel like I'm already telling you something you already know. Waking up is hard. It really is. But so is getting through your day without hitting all those afternoon slumps. And Joining us today, Dr. Andrew Simon from the Bastyre center for Natural Health. He is here with some ways to re energize without the obvious go tos like the coffee or the energy drinks. Doctor, good morning.
Morning.
Thank you so much for being here. Yeah, I'm so excited about this segment because I'm perpetually tired. But what can people do besides stopping at Starbucks every morning and afternoon?
Well, the real trick is trying to find why you're tired. So maybe you're staying up late or getting up early. So as a physician, that's a big part of what I'm trying to do is try to analyze why you're tired. Myself, I've got busy practice. I see lots of patients, so I have to try to use some of these things myself.
So let's start with some super foods. What are some super foods that we can incorporate into our diets?
Really, the biggest thing is your whole fruits and vegetables. They really have a lot of your minerals, nutrients that you really need in a day. One of my favorites is avocado.
We were just talking about avocado and you actually brought a little avocado here. Oh, my gosh. I'm ready to bite in.
Yeah, exactly.
It's literally my favorite thing.
Avocado has a great nutrient called carnitine, which really helps with energy. So that's why we like avocado. Plus, it's a really good source of fats, and many people try to avoid certain fats, but fats actually provide a lot of energy throughout the day. Yeah.
We really shouldn't fear fats like we have in the past. Yes. All right, so that's good to know. Fat is okay. Yay. How about our dietary supplements? Because I have no idea what to take. I think a lot of people are. Are sort of in my same boat.
Yeah. Well, one of the benefits of seeing a naturopathic physician is we're well trained on any potential interactions that might happen. So it is good to talk to a physician before taking a dietary supplement. But rhodiola, ginseng, a lot of adaptogenic type herbs. I brought a few here. This one's actually a licorice solid extract which can be really great to take in the morning to help kind of boost your natural cortisol level.
That's so interesting because I've actually had licorice tea. Is that the Same thing or do I want to stick with a supplement?
Well, licorice tea is a tea, so it's extracted in water. This is actually a solid extraction. So it's actually even more potent and concentrated. But people often stir this into their tea just for a little bit extra flavor.
Yeah, I mean, it's really delicious. I want to ask you about this B12 shot here because how do you get this? Where do you get this?
Well, as a physician, I can measure B12 in the blood. Oftentimes we have certain nutrients that will deplete B12. Sorry, certain medications that will deplete it. Okay. As we age, we lose our absorption a little bit of B12. So as a physician, I inject these in my private practice. I track their blood levels. Oftentimes people report just a general sense of energy, not the caffeine high or the caffeine drop.
Right. Because it's like a roller coaster when you get to that point.
So usually a couple injections over a period of a month, usually people start noticing that picked up energy. But again, you still need to address the important stuff. Sleep, exercise, diet.
What about electrolytes? What do we need to know about that?
Yeah. So oftentimes electrolytes are your calcium, magnesium, potassium, especially in the hot weather. Maybe not right now, but when it is hot out, lots of fluids and electrolytes actually help hold onto that water so you feel a lot more energetic throughout the day. So I like using these Nuun tablets. They make them without caffeine, some with caffeine.
Where do you get those?
From most grocery stores. It's actually a little tablet that you put into water so you're getting the hydration, but it fizzes like an Alka Seltzer.
Oh, nice. Alright, that works. Now I'm also seeing the giant vat of coconut oil. Coconut oil, everyone is using it for everything these days. How does it relate to us keeping up our energy levels?
Well, it is a saturated fat, however, it's a plant based fat. One of the main components of coconut oil is medium chain triglycerides. And there's been research that they can help sustain your energy throughout the day. Sometimes people even add oil to their coffee.
I've heard of that kind of bulletproof.
Coffee and things like that. So the real benefit of that is it can maybe help keep the caffeine around a little bit longer. And again, use the MCT oils as a source of energy throughout the day.
So the best of both worlds, you got the coconut oil and the coffee, a little bit of both. Doctor, thank you so much. This is great information, huh? Very nice. All right, now.
