My Favorite Four Sigmatic Products
Consumed for centuries, mushrooms can provide a great natural, nutrition boost to improve your immunity, energy, and longevity. When I first heard Tero, the founder of Four Sigmatic on The Model Health Podcast speak about the healing power of mushrooms in 2015, I had to give their products a try. You can find many of the Four Sigmatic products at retailers nationwide, including Whole Foods, Natural Grocers, as well as online at FourSigmatic.com or Thrive Market. I tend to purchase direct from their website because I believe it’s the only place that carries their entire product line. I love the quality of the Four Sigmatic products and they make mushrooms so palatable and consumable through their great tasting coffees, elixirs and blends.
I have tried most of their product line, though I am not always able to keep up with all of the new, innovative items they introduce regularly. Here are some of my favorites, the products I recommend most to my clients and why. If you want to learn more about using mushrooms to improve your health, I highly recommend this book written by the Four Sigmatic Founder.
Coffees & Hot Cacao
All of their coffees come in an “instant”, powder form which is great for easy preparation and travel. I like them by themselves or mixed with my favorite non-dairy milk and collagen for more of a latte feel. They also contain only about half the caffeine that a regular cup of coffee does, but you wouldn’t even notice the difference with the superfood mushrooms and adaptogens they add in.
Instant Adaptogen Coffee
I love how the adaptogens in this coffee help to combat stress and reduce the anxious feeling that coffee alone can give you. It contains Tulsi a calm-promoting adaptogen, known to uplift mood, support digestion, and promote balanced energy. They add Astragalus, another adaptogen which contains saponins, flavonoids, and polysaccharides. Saponins are known for their ability to lower cholesterol, improve the immune system and prevent cancer. Flavanoids have anti-oxidative qualities, control and scavenge free radicals, and can help prevent heart disease, cancer and immunodeficiency viruses. Polysaccharides are known to have antimicrobial, antiviral and anti-inflammatory capabilities, among other health benefits.
Instant Coffee w/Chaga and Cordyceps
This was one of their original products and still one of my favorites to date. I take this one when I need a boost pre-workout, especially if I am doing something on the more challenging side. Cordyceps support energy, stamina and athletic performance, and have been found to have strong antioxidant properties in some studies. Chaga mushrooms help support your daily immune function. I recommend consuming Chaga tea (or the Four Sigmatic Chaga Elixir linked below) when you are starting to feel under the weather.
Instant Coffee w/Lion’s Mane
This coffee is great for when you need to focus (like when you need to have a productive morning at the office). Lion’s Mane is a powerful nootropic as it helps increase Nerve Growth Factor or NGF, a protein that is crucial for the survival and function of nerve cells. When the amount of NGF in the brain increases, it enhances cognition by reducing inflammation, encouraging neural growth, and improving overall brain health. As I mentioned before, Chaga is a wonderful immunity booster. This coffee also contains the adaptogen Rhodiola, also known as “golden root,” is known to have tremendous fat-burning, energy-enhancing and brain-boosting power as well.
Hot Cacao w/Reishi
This isn’t your usual hot chocolate but it will satisfy your craving for sure. Made with organic cacao, cardamom, cinnamon, Reishi mushroom, and a touch of coconut sugar and stevia. I normally don’t love stevia, but I hardly notice it in this beverage. Reishi is one of the world’s most studied mushrooms and has been shown to help support sleep and occasional stress. They are believed to help a wide range of health issues including inflammation, liver disease (it’s a great liver detoxifier), digestive/gut issues, heart disease, anxiety and depression. I enjoy this one in the afternoons or evenings mixed with warm water or a non-dairy milk.
Chai Latte w/Reishi & Turkey Tail
All you need to do is mix this with water and you have a wonderful, nourishing chai latte. The Reishi is calming and stress relieving while Turkey Tail is a strong immunity booster and is one of the most nourishing mushrooms for gut health. Turkey Tail is a powerful prebiotic which supports the microbiome by feeding the good bacteria in the gut. This beverage is a healthy option when the afternoon sugar cravings hit or you are looking for a warm, sweet beverage to wind down in the evening with.
Elixers
I love them all! They come in Chaga, Cordyceps, Reishi, and Lion’s Mane versions and can be mixed with water to drink on their own or added to other beverages including coffee or smoothies. See the benefits of each of these mushrooms in my previous comments above.
Blends
Superfood Blend
I love this blend because you can get the benefits of so many mushrooms in one little serving. This is the product I use the most. I add it to coffee, teas and my morning smoothie. I even add it to sauces, soups and stews for a boost of mushroom nutrition.
Adaptogen Blend
This blend of mushrooms and adaptogens is great for those needing adrenal/stress support in the mornings. You can add a teaspoon of this blend to your morning coffee, tea or smoothie.
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What's Up with Supplements?
Do we need them? I’d love to say no, but unfortunately given today’s environment the answer is yes for most people. Here are some of the reasons:
Soil diversity and quality has declined in modern times, decreasing the nutrient density of the food that comes from this soil. Modern farming has also led to a reduction in the diversity of plant foods that we eat on a daily basis and an increase in environmental toxins. Not to mention, most people don’t eat nearly enough of the right foods to obtain the amounts of nutrients that our bodies thrive on.
Our generation grew up with chronic antibiotic use, long-term use of birth control pills and other medications which wreak havoc on the liver and digestive and endocrine systems. We have reached a point where healing the gut and reversing damage to our bodies require more than dietary changes.
Our lifestyles today are challenging. In general, we are chronically stressed, we have poor sleep quality and quantity, we are not getting enough activity and movement in or we are over exercising, and we don’t spend enough time connecting with nature or spending time with one another.
I encourage my clients to obtain as many nutrients from food as possible because nutrient dense, whole foods are essentially pre-packaged nutrients that fit together naturally, containing many co-factors and enzymes required to absorb those nutrients. Though as I mention above, most of us are not obtaining the optimal level of at least some nutrients. Supplementation may be necessary indefinitely or for a period of time depending on the situation. For example, many of us are vitamin D and magnesium deficient. Other vitamins that we tend to be deficient in include vitamin A, K2, C, B12, selenium and iodine. Given our years of consuming more omega-6 vegetable oils when saturated fat had a bad rap, many have an imbalance in their omega-3 / omega-6 ratio as well (they should be balanced).
Because we are all so different and our bodies have different needs based on our lifestyles, diets and history I don’t make blanket recommendations. The best way to determine what deficiencies you have is to work with a functional medicine or holistic practitioner. As practitioners, part of our job is to research and test the best supplements for our clients to ensure that they are getting the appropriate nutrients their body needs. We help to monitor any adverse reactions or interactions with other medications you may be taking and help ensure proper dosing and timing. Some nutrients are known to be toxic if taken in high doses. For example, vitamin A can cause liver problems, too much zinc can reduce copper in the body and vitamin E and selenium may be linked to prostate cancer.
It is also important to note that the supplement industry is not regulated by the FDA and is in fact, not regulated at all. Standards for quality do not exist and there is nothing keeping companies from making false claims on their packaging which is ineffective and even dangerous. A Canadian research group conducted a study on a variety of different generic brand supplements. They found that many of these supplements found in well-known pharmacies (e.g. Walgreens, Wal-Mart) contained unlisted fillers, contaminants, completely different compounds than listed, and in some cases no active herbal ingredients at all. Over 60% of the store brand supplements tested had incorrect labeling, and more than 50% didn’t contain the advertised ingredient.
Given this problem, it is very important to purchase high quality supplements from trusted source. It is also important to find brands whose products are considered to be pharmaceutical grade which are at the top-tier of quality and generally only dispensed (or at least endorsed) by practitioners and clinicians. These supplements are produced under rigorous laboratory conditions, tested for purity, contaminants, and are free of allergens and questionable ingredients. The companies package synergistic compounds together to help improve your body’s ability to absorb the active ingredients. You can also be sure that you will be getting only those ingredients listed on the labels, without fillers and toxins.
Supplements can have a place in our health journey, provided we use them sensibly and not at the expense of a whole foods-based, nutrient dense diet. Ignore the dogma that is rampant in the health and wellness industry about the latest and greatest supplement and figure out what will work best for YOU with the help of someone trained to do so. You may find that in the long run you save money on products and supplements you don’t need and actually feel better using the supplements that serve your mind and body and improve your health.
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