From multivitamins to honey – we test three products to help your mental health
HAVING a healthy mind is vital to your overall health but the old grey matter is often the trickiest thing to keep in tip-top shape with our busy lifestyles.
Relaxing, reducing stress, keeping physically fit and improving your sleep are all key ways to help with mental health but there are also supplements that claim they can help too.
Here, I put some of those to the test.
MULTIVITAMIN TABLET
VIRIDIAN’S High Five Multivitamin contains 23 vitamins, minerals and plant extracts but the “high five” refers to the higher level of Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid) found in this formula.
This contributes to better mental performance and a reduction in fatigue.
Prolonged stress depletes supplies of all B vitamins but if you’re getting enough every day – 5mg per adult – it helps regulate production of the stress hormone cortisol when you’re under chronic stress.
Viridian tablets have no nasty ingredients so you’re getting a pure and simple product (£10.20 for 30, viridian-nutritian.com)
POWDERED DRINK
ADUNA’S Mind Advanced Blend is a chocolatey powder you can make into a hot chocolate, stir into smoothies or yoghurt or use in baking recipes.
It is a blend of vitamin-rich baobab and camu camu powder, flaxseeds, agave inulin, wheatgrass, moringa, cacao and date.
Plus the herb ashwagandha, nootropics lion’s mane, reishi mushroom powder, the Asian Chinese berry schisandra and cinnamon, which combined can help with stress response and the nervous system to make you feel more “zen”.
This is a great combination of organic ingredients that are good for the mind as well as the gut.
I tried this in a smoothie with milk and banana – not overly sweet and you only need a couple of teaspoons to get 230 per cent of your RDI of vitamin C (£21.99, Holland And Barrett)
MANUKA HONEY
SCIENTIFIC research has shown that honey contains polyphenols which have antioxidant properties that can enhance memory and support mood.
Manuka honey has the highest phenolic content and a high concentration of B vitamins too which affect mood and other brain functions.
It can even cause a rise in insulin and release serotonin – a neurotransmitter that improves mood and happiness.
Melora makes some great manuka honey in squeezy tubes.
I love their Manuka Honey Squeeze Bottle 70+MGO Blueberry. You can get much stronger manuka honey but this is great for everyday use.
It tastes amazing, isn’t messy and the blueberry extract gives an extra dose of antioxidants.
Has a three- for-two offer now (£12.50 for 330g, melora.co.uk)