If you’re a health-oriented person who wants to keep up on exercise and fitness, you’ve probably heard of wellness shots. From health gurus to regular people, it seems that everyone’s praising them. But what are wellness shots? Why have so many people taken to them? And do they work?
Wellness shots aren’t your yearly vaccine. They’re just common ingredients and juice! Cold-pressed juice with an eye for immunity and nutrition, we might add. Wellness shots often focus on nutrition, giving you a mouthful of helpful nutrients in one small, strong-tasting shot.
But do they really work? Are they the health miracle people have been lauding, or is the story just a bit more complicated? This article will discuss what a wellness shot is, its possible benefits, as well as some of its advantages over other forms of wellness drinks. Read on to find out more about the now-famous wellness shot.
What Are Wellness Shots?
When it comes to nutrients, wellness shots try to cover all their bases. If there’s a nutrient-rich ingredient, a wellness shot is likely to have it. You can find everything from turmeric to ginger, right down to apple cider vinegar in your wellness shot. It’s all about clever combinations that your body will respond to.
The purpose of all these nutrient-rich ingredients is to increase your overall energy and improve your health. All this seems like a no-brainer- after all, if you give your body what it needs, it will give back what you want.
Originally, wellness shots were made of wheatgrass and peddled as a sort of health-nut alternative to other wellness drinks. But, as demand has gone up, alternatives have cropped up. Now, most wellness shots come in the form of cold-pressed and concentrated juices—a blessing to the taste-sensitive among us.
But they’re not exactly the sweetest health drinks out there. Sure, they taste a bit better than pure wheatgrass. But then again, their ingredients are still more geared towards health than taste. A wellness shot may even be hard to choke down for the anti-bitter people out there. Overall, their taste is like a lemon- bitter, perhaps a bit sour, with a punch of zest.
Ingredients and Benefits of Wellness Shots
While scientific studies about wellness shots can be scarce, we do know a couple of things about their ingredients. They’re a relatively easy way to get some key nutrients, although they may be a little hard to choke down.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Apple cider vinegar, for example, is just one of the many ingredients to be found in a wellness shot. It has shown promise in improving blood-sugar levels- a sure sign of desirability for the health-conscious. However, studies on this are not necessarily conclusive, and many claims lack empirical backing.
Vinegar is an age-old ingredient. For the chemical-skeptics out there: vinegar is actually mentioned in the old and new testaments of the bible. It’s no chemical concoction made in a lab but a natural product of fermentation.
Apple cider vinegar contains a whole host of nutrients, including B-vitamins, vitamin C, and polyphenols. You can also find acetic acid in apple cider vinegar- an ingredient proven to help digest minerals from foods.
Aside from all this, it’s also thought to help out your gut microbiome. During the process of fermentation, vinegar will pick up lots of cultures of helpful bacteria. These bacteria help your gut function properly, which can help your whole body and, possibly, your brain.
Ginger
Ginger is another common ingredient in wellness shots, and its purported benefits are many. From the aptly named compound gingerol to its ability to treat nausea, ginger has many benefits commonly associated with it.
Let’s start with gingerol. Gingerol has a long history, going back to ancient times where it was used in traditional medicines. The ancients used ginger for a whole host of medicinal tricks, curing a wide range of ailments.
Gingerol has anti-inflammatory properties and acts as an antioxidant. Its primary function is to reduce the presence of free radicals in the body, which can cause oxidative stress. Oxidative stress can contribute to a wide range of health defects, including diabetes.
That doesn’t mean wellness shots are a cure-all for the things that ail you, but they might be able to help. Just like with cardamom tea, gingerol’s anti-inflammatory properties may be a way to reduce inflammation and get focused on really living your life.
Turmeric
If you’ve ever had curry, you’ve had turmeric. Turmeric is to thank for curry’s bright hue, and it has been used in traditional medicines for thousands of years. Like with the other ingredients on this list, it may be a health boon for the more organically-inclined out there.
Just like with ginger, turmeric’s main ingredient, curcumin, is a powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory. That comes along with all the benefits we listed in the previous section of this article.
There are a few problems with the presence of curcumin in turmeric, however. For example, curcumin is hard to absorb, so you may benefit from adding a bit of black pepper to your shot (as disgusting as that may sound).
Also, curcumin comes in a relatively small concentration in turmeric. According to healthline.com, its concentration is usually around 3% by weight, which is not a lot, all things considered.
Curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric, has also been found to increase brain-derived neurotrophic factor. Now, that’s a very intimidating and technical-sounding term. All we really need to know about it is that it’s linked to improved cognitive function and lowered risks of brain disease.
Thus, if you want to stay on top of your game physically as well as mentally, a wellness shot may just hit the spot.
Wellness Shots Pair Best With a Healthy Diet
While you may be salivating over the health benefits of the modest wellness shot, you should temper your excitement. The health benefits are many, that’s true, but they’re not comprehensive. Drinking a wellness shot alongside a poor diet may just be like shooting a squirt gun at a dumpster fire. So, you’re going to want to watch what you eat.
Having a healthy diet is linked to all sorts of health benefits. Your body is a fully-integrated system, meaning that failures or a lack of nutrients in one system can affect all others. You don’t have to be a scientist to know that all parts of the body are connected. Just take the gall bladder for example- it does nothing, but a problem with it can seriously endanger your whole-body health.
Thus, it’s important to get the whole host of nutrients that your body’s systems need to function. These come in the forms of the many fats, vitamins, and minerals that your body uses to perform its essential functions. Putting in your research to develop a healthy diet can maximize the benefits you get out of your wellness shots.
Exercise, too, is an integral part of health. Don’t fall for anything that tries to tell you exercise isn’t a necessary part of a healthy life. There’s no magic trick in the world that can substitute for a good run or a healthy lift. If you want the best health benefits, diet and exercise are key.
To get the most out of your wellness shot, optimize your diet. Learn to listen to your body- see what its responses are to certain practices and patterns of consumption. Being in tune with the feelings your body uses to express its health is another way to optimize your health and well-being.
When paired with these healthy practices, the health benefits of a wellness shot will be more likely to come to light. They won’t be bogged down by grogginess, inflammation, and the host of other health detriments that can come from a poor diet.
A healthy body acts as a blank canvas, and the wellness shot a splatter of bright paint.
A Few Good Wellness Shot Brands
Now that you know a thing or two about the health benefits of wellness shots, consider these brands to get you started.
Suja Functional Shots
The Suja brand has been making its famous cold-pressed juices in San Diego for years now. As of late, they’ve decided to dip their toes into the wellness shot market.
As is their practice, they never include GMOs, preservatives, fillers, chemicals, or any other nasty ingredients. If you can’t spell it, you probably shouldn’t be drinking it. Suja takes this mantra to heart and wants to create healthy wellness shots for those of us who want the best for our bodies.
The price tag on the Suja brand is high, and for good reason. The clean, wellness-oriented practices of the Sua company make their products a wise investment. Suja wellness shots sell for $69 for 20 shots. That’s just over $3 per shot. Not too bad when you consider all the great ingredients that go into them.
GT’s Kefir Probiotic Shots
That word- ‘probiotic’- seems to have magical properties to it nowadays. Ever since health gurus starting lauding gut health and calling the stomach the ‘second brain,’ people have been talking non-stop about probiotic foods.
Kefir, an ancient probiotic drink made from fermented cow or goat’s milk, is perhaps one of the most recognizable. Kefir comes in a variety of flavors under a variety of brands. Where someone really had a stroke of genius, though, was to make a wellness shot out of it.
GT’s Kefir Probiotic shots are lovingly made from young coconuts and unprocessed vegetables, and of course, kefir. They include an army of probiotic cultures that aim to increase gut health and help your digestive system.
You could slog down a big, bitter glass of kefir in the morning, or you could get it all down in one quick, easy shot. If you want probiotics that really pull their own weight, you want GT’s Kefir Probiotic Shots.
Turmeric Time
We talked about the inflammation-fighting powers of turmeric. Now it’s time to put them to the test. If you want a wellness shot that’s going to do the job of fighting inflammation, all while providing you with helpful antioxidants- turmeric time is the way to go.
As we mentioned above, adding some black pepper to the mix can seriously increase your uptake of turmeric. Although the active ingredient, curcumin, is in short supply in plain turmeric, you should have no trouble getting your supply of it with the help of this tabletop condiment.
These wellness shots come in an adorable little bottle, are completely portable (just in case you like a shot with lunch), and are priced at only $1.17 per fluid ounce on Amazon. If it’s the inflammation-fighting power of turmeric you want, there’s really no better choice than a case of Turmeric Time wellness shots.
Frequently Asked Questions About Wellness Shots
Just in case we missed a few things, here’s an FAQ on wellness shots that will hopefully answer all your queries.
How do you store wellness shots?
Wellness shots should be refrigerated if you want them to stay good very long. Freezing them might mess with the consistency- a bane to the entire advantage of the shot. Don’t put them in your cabinet or leave them out like peanut butter or other non-perishables. We assure you, they will go bad eventually.
Are wellness shots really a cure-all?
No. Wellness shots have a host of reported health benefits, but the studies are far from conclusive. What we can measure is things like reviews, already known scientific knowledge about vitamins and antioxidants, and nutrient contents. Because of all of this, we can say that wellness shots may be one step on the way to a healthy gut microbiome and a healthy diet.
They still, of course, have to be paired with a healthy diet. Doing any else would be spitting on a house fire.
Are wellness shots gluten-free?
For the gluten-conscious among us, there are gluten-free wellness shot options. It depends on what company you go to. One company offering gluten-free wellness shots is 20/20. You can find their products online.
Are wellness shots vegan?
Oftentimes, yes! Again, you just have to do research on the specific brand to find out whether or not any animal products are used in manufacturing their products. It will vary from company to company, but you won’t have any trouble at all finding a vegan wellness shot.
Do you have to take wellness shots straight?
You can do almost anything with your wellness shot, so long as you don’t boil it or freeze it. We recommend mixing your wellness shot into a yogurt-based smoothie for optimum probiotic benefits. Get creative, and find the best way for you to down your favorite wellness shot. Your body will thank you.
Can you take wellness shots while pregnant?
We wouldn’t recommend it. Check your brand’s FAQ for information on taking the shots while pregnant. Do not restrict your caloric intake while pregnant or breastfeeding.
A Final Word From Wellness Nova
While wellness shots aren’t a cure-all for what ails you, there can be another integral part of a healthy diet. Wellness shots host numerous vitamins and nutrients, and wield antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds to help with a whole host of health issues.
