You know that feeling you get after a huge meal (think big dinner or Thanksgiving-style meal)?

That feeling is making you tired and irritable, heavy and bloated, missing out on everything that life has to offer. What kind of life is that? The only thing on your mind right now should be HOW to turn it around and start experiencing radical amounts of energy everyday.

Energy to start your day. Inspiration at work. Feeling turned on and activated when you get home to do all the things you really wanted to do – but often couldn’t find the energy to get done. It’s all an energy game- to do the things we want to do, we need the drive to do them. That drive is born of the mental AND physical energy we have at any given point in time. A key tip? Increasing your physical energy through the meals you choose to fuel yourself with simultaneously increases your mental energy and ability to get things done in your life.

Back to that heavy, tired feeling…

That feeling comes from a number of different factors. The primary one is overeating, taking in too much food at once and having your body essentially “shut down” in order to digest it. All of your physical energy goes to the digestion of your food, and you’re left with zero for working out, playing with the kids (or friends), working on projects, etc. Zero!

I could just tell you to eat lightly, or smaller portions – but that’s not nearly the whole story. While that will certainly improve your energy levels, the primary consideration is the TYPES of foods that you’re eating. We know that refined carbohydrates (think grains like breads, cereals, pastries, biscuits, pancakes, etc) can spike the blood sugar and leave you with uneven moods and energy levels throughout the day, and especially following your meals. Of course, anything with added refined sugar in it will do the same – and even more drastically – but I’d like to hope that you’re beyond choosing those types of choices if you’ve been following me for any length of time.

You’re capable of choosing the meals that deliver solid, even and abundant energy to your mind and body all the time…it’s just a matter of finding the meals that work for you. Simply through trial-and-error, you can discover incredible combinations that really work for you. But here’s a quicker way to do it in the meantime: add in more raw foods.

We just saw that heavy, cooked meals can take away nearly 100% of your available personal energy and redirect it toward the digestion of those meals. A better way is to add in an all-raw or mostly raw meal at least every now and then. Personally, my two favorites are superfood smoothies and large salads. My own superfood smoothie is a blend of water, fresh greens, berries and a wide variety of superfoods – some of the most mineral-rich, nutrient-packed foods available to us on this planet :)

Something absolutely EVERYONE can do is throw together a healthy salad. Just toss some fresh greens (romaine, collard greens, swiss chard, spinach, others) into a large bowl or dish and get some raw nuts or seeds to round it out (hemp seeds, almonds, walnuts and so many others all work great). Even better, add in some fresh fruit! Dice up some apples or throw in a few handfuls of fresh berries.

Listen, it’s not about being “healthy” (a word that’s taken a lot of abuse in its image for some reason over the years). It’s about how you feel after every meal, which determines how you feel every day. How you feel every day determines how you feel over the course of your lifetime. Your experience of life – and the energy you have available to you – is directly related to how you feel after each and every meal you choose to fuel yourself with. Eating a large salad with fresh fruit and/or raw nuts and seeds will give you the clear-minded abundance of energy you need to stay aligned with what’s really important to you. It will let you maintain and develop those key relationships with others, give you the extra energy you need to move your career forward, and eventually net you an increase in income if you’re looking for it. It’s all an energy game in the end.

Too heavy? I hope not. Really start becoming aware of how each meal is making you feel when you’re eating it, directly after, and within the next 2-3 hours of your life. With momentum, you can start choosing only the meals that leave you inspired and full of personal energy, ready to take action and live life to the fullest.

Unleash Your Vitality,

– John Brackett

=> Leave a comment below and let me know what you think!

P.S. Check out the banner for these guys below – I use about 5-1 0 different products from them at any given time, and these are the ones that consistently give me the “edge” and mental clarity I’m looking for in my daily superfood smoothie. Click the banner and check out their online store for some cool ideas on what might be fun to throw into the mix for you personally:

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Here’s one that hits close to home: chocolate. It’s a worldwide phenomenon and a snacking bliss that’s been enjoyed since before you can remember. Actually, when you think about, how long has chocolate really been around? Chocolate bars with sugar, dairy and other additives certainly haven’t been around for centuries! Let’s take a look at a quick overview of how cacao came to be known in today’s world, and how much things have changed. I give you: “The Secret History Of Chocolate”.

Theobroma cacao was first native to South America (regions of the Amazon and Venezuela) as well as Central America and even key areas of Mexico. Cacao trees grow well in tropical climates and other areas with temperatures consistently in the 70s and 80s (degrees Fahrenheit). Because of this, as well as trading incentives, cacao from Venezuela was planted off the coast of Africa for the first time in the late 1500s. Thus began the incredible growth of cacao as an export for various nations in Africa over the next few hundred years!

What’s really exciting to me is what chocolate REALLY is…the cacao bean, sometimes called a nut, of the fruit of the cacao tree. Although more and more adults are starting to catch on to the true nature of the chocolate, the kids that are devouring sugar candy being sold as “milk chocolate” have no idea what true chocolate really is. What’s happened is that we’ve fallen completely out of touch with real, genuine food. The solution? Learning and education – exactly what you’re up to right now :)

If you’re not familiar with how cacao is grown, the trees produce bright, vibrant fruits year-round that often resemble American footballs in shape. These range from deep shades of a red-orange-yellow color all the way to a dark bluish-purplish color. They’re incredible to view – you just can’t help but wonder at them. They’re often harvested 2-3 times a year.

Breaking open these fruit pods, you’re likely to find a few dozen cacao beans in each (surrounded by the white, pulp-like fruit inside). It’s these cacao beans that are real chocolate – raw chocolate at it’s best. Raw cacao beans are loaded with nutrition, especially coming from the alkaline minerals that are becoming harder and harder to get in today’s food supply! Things like magnesium, iron, chromium and a number of other factors can all be found abundantly present in the raw cacao bean. So what are today’s chocolate bars?

It’s almost as if the history of chocolate has been hidden from us all this time. We’ve grown up on cacao beans that have had the oil pressed out of them, turning into cakes, and then been powdered into cacao powder or cocoa powder. This in itself is fine, but it’s what happens next that really makes the difference (although a lot of the nutritional value can be lost here, depending on the pressing process). What happens next?

Besides the myriad of other processing stations for mass-produced chocolate, poor-quality additives are blended into the mix. Dried milk powder, refined sugar and all sorts of artificial flavor chemicals are mixed together into a liquid that becomes a “milk chocolate” bar. My personal stance? No thanks!

Now, this is clearly not how every company operates. Mass production? Absolutely. Some of the new, up-and-coming organic chocolate brands? No way. The industry has come a long way quickly as people have demanded higher quality ingredients and products from manufacturers. We now recognize that it’s the not the synergy of dairy, sugar and chocolate that makes us feel good – it’s just the cacao, real chocolate.

The Mayans and Aztecs recognized the inherent value of the cacao bean centuries before the milk chocolate bar was first produced in 1879. When Cortez came to Tenochtitlan in the 1500s, he was surprised to find a currency not of gold, but of cacao beans. Did you read that? The ancient currency of choice was raw chocolate! Cacao drinks were prepared and enjoyed in their civilization, and it seems that chocolate played an even bigger role back then than it does today!

The secret history of chocolate may never be fully understood by our civilization. We’ll continue to uncover new history and information on chocolate as we move forward, as well as new nutritional discoveries as we advance in our understanding. For now? Think over and wonder about the history of chocolate during the day today. And more importantly, don’t settle for the cheap stuff :)

Sources: Wolfe, David. Superfoods: The Food and Medicine of the Future. Berkeley: North Atlantic, 2009. Print.

Unleash Your Vitality,

– John Brackett

Leave a comment below and let me know what you think!

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I  understand your healthy skepticism. You hear a word like “superfoods” and while a part of you lights up with anticipation, you know full-well that it sounds like another scam or new product on the market. I’m here to talk to that small part of you that just lit up with the light of possibility, and reveal how superfoods are actually a food group…and one that you’d best start paying attention to – today.

Superfoods are a class of foods that have risen above and beyond the traditional “food” label. Conventional foods give us the essential nutrients we need to survive, but superfoods deliver the things our bodies and minds need to THRIVE – in a multitude of ways. Nearly all classified “superfoods” (such as goji berries, spirulina, bee pollen, maca, aloe vera, hempseeds, etc) work to enhance the immune system in dramatic ways. They deliver the exact key players for incredible immunity, but do it in the context of an extraordinary whole food – not a refined, chemical supplement that our bodies can’t assimilate.

Superfoods go far beyond immunity, however. They deliver practical, tangible results in your health, fitness and energy levels on the spot. We can all laughingly understand that no person can feel good or perform even remotely well living off just donuts and junk food. But then we stop mid-way. If that’s the bottom end of energy and personal performance, what’s the top? It’s certainly not the traditional American or European dietary lifestyle! If we consider that (which is causing incredible amounts of disease, obesity, and unnecessary pain and suffering) as the “middle point” on the scale of energy levels and personal performance, what IS the top?

The truth is, we’re just discovering what that top is now. And a few years down the road, we’ll know even more about that peak state. As we continue evolving in our understanding of nutrition, lifestyle and the human body, we’ll continue to redefine what we think is possible. The problem right now? What we know is possible is far beyond where most people have settled. Enter: superfoods. Superfoods are the missing piece of the puzzle, the “long-lost ingredient” that we’ve been searching for. We already know that they can dramatically enhance our immunity and keep us happy and healthy all year long, but the story goes so much deeper than that.

Do you realize that you can get all the protein you need (complete proteins with all of the essential amino acids), all the vitamins and minerals you need, all of the incredible enzymes and co-enzymes missing from the conventional modern diet and so much more…all from these so-called “superfoods”? What you’ve been told you’d have to take daily supplements to get is now available in the form of raw, organic superfoods grown in pristine, fertile soils in South America and beyond – score! Who in their right mind would rather take a handful of pills than enjoy a colorful, vibrant meal of foods that could revolutionize your health and energy levels daily?

A fascinating thing that starts to happen as you get into this is the falling away of old habits and food choices. You start to realize that if you take 5-10 minutes to blend up a quick “superfood smoothie”, you’ll feel incredible for hours – and, in fact, likely the whole day! Suddenly, when you’re faced with the option to grab a quick lunch of some fast-food meal with 70+ ingredients you can’t read or understand, you’re aware of the difference in how you might feel. You start to make the choices that lead to this enhanced state of wellbeing – where you have the energy to do what needs to get done, you’re more fun to be around because you’re in a better mood, and everyday just seems to be “one of those great days” :)

This new sense of energy comes from so many individual but connected factors, ranging from eating less of the things that drain your energy in the first place to gentle detoxification of old, stored toxins currently hampering your health, all the way to weight loss and the palpable energy actually in these superfoods. Many, if not all, classified superfoods are alkaline in nature – meaning they help to balance your body’s pH level back into a more neutral state. This is becoming more and more vital as people increasingly become dramatically more acidic (a breeding ground for disease). The other part of the equation that I’ve touched on before is the importance of alkalinity in energy levels. Alkaline blood is healthy, and is better able to carry the red blood cells that deliver the oxygen we need; this, in turn, determines our energy levels throughout the day (or is at least responsible for somewhere around 90% of it).

As your energy skyrockets and disease starts getting stopped in its tracks, you’re also getting re-mineralized. With mineral-deficient soils and foods as the norm, you’ll find that this aspect makes all the difference in the world. And when I say re-mineralization, I don’t just mean your bones and teeth. I’m talking your whole body, which includes your hair, skin and nails, muscle tissue quality, your organs, etc. Just one word of warning: as your body becomes increasingly nourished and revitalized, your mind follows in turn. With an incredible diet comes incredible mental performance, and it has been noted that superfoods in particular can lead to a re-evaluation of values in your life. What’s important to you at any given moment is determined by the state that you’re in…change the state, and you change the game at a fundamental level. The catch? The first move is up to you.

Unleash Your Vitality,

– John Brackett

Leave a comment below and let me know what you think!

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I’d be surprised if you said you haven’t heard at least one person mention the media coverage of superfoods like acai, pomegranate and raw chocolate (cacao). It’s almost been a frenzy lately, and more and more people are wondering how to make sense of it all. When we get down to it though, there’s really nothing crazy about it – rather, it all comes down to a simple understanding of antioxidants and their pivotal role in maintaining vibrant health, youth and longevity.

The antioxidants we get from our diet go to work in the body preventing oxidation of the cells. What does this mean? It means that antioxidants are our first line of defense in protecting the very structure of our cells. Oxygen is an amazing, healing force in the body – but the cells themselves can’t be oxidized, and antioxidants are our natural defense system. If that was the first time that you’ve really heard it explained for you, then you may have just had one of those “aha” moments: anti and oxidant (anti-oxygen)!

So what’s the real cause behind the momentum we’re currently seeing with superfoods like acai, pomegranate and raw chocolate? It’s not because people found out that they’re among the highest antioxidant foods in the world – and they are. It’s because they found out what that means for them in their daily lives.

And what does it mean? Essentially, we’ve discovered that antioxidants are an age-old fountain of youth! Oxidation of cells is what causes a breakdown or deterioration of the physical body. This is seen as the signs of aging – or wrinkles, breakdown of tissue, disease, poor circulation, and too many other symptoms to list! Oxidation of cells and their impaired ability to reproduce or replicate perfect copies in the body has been known for years to be the real cause of aging. Just consider that the human body as a whole is actually a collection of an estimated 50-100 trillion cells, hopefully working together in harmony and seen collectively as your body.

Your body can look good on the outside for a great deal of time, but if your cellular health is in jeopardy, the clock is ticking! On the other hand, if you dive into the practices that bring about radiant cellular health, you’ll find that your body (again, a harmonious collection of cells itself) will reflect that in spades.

So start letting some antioxidants find their way into your diet! You don’t have to follow the latest media trends, you just need the background knowledge to make your own educated decisions. Among the highest ranking in the world are indeed raw chocolate (cacao), acai and pomegranate, but also favorites like blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, raisins, kale and spinach. What’s the theme? Fresh fruits and vegetables are loaded with antioxidants! The closer you are to a natural human diet, the younger, fitter and more energy-filled you’ll be! Go grab a handful from the fountain of youth, and I’ll see you here next week.

Unleash Your Vitality,

John Brackett

P.S. You can probably find most of these in your local grocery store, but I also recommend surfing around on Sunfood Nutrition, which is loaded with products containing all kinds of combinations of superfoods like the ones mentioned above. Lots of wild snacks available if you’re looking for a little more adventure in your food!