New Year, New You: Wonder Supplements and Travel Helpers
We tried these supplements, vitamins, and boosters, so you don’t have to. If they made our list, we love ’em, for body, mind, and mood!
When you travel, you need to feel good about yourself. You don’t want to feel sluggish, bloated, depressed, or out of condition when you have signed on for a long-haul flight, a pricey resort, the trip of a lifetime, destination wedding, Pride event, hike, tour, cruise or trek. Most forms of travel require you are in good condition—and that means being physically and mentally prepared. Here are a few high-quality supplements that support health and help you feel ready for travel, and give you a boost when you get back.
The Fullest
Move over, turmeric, saffron is claiming its place in the party. Ancient people across Egypt, Greece, Rome, and Persia prized saffron for medicinal remedies, vibrant dye, and aromatic perfume. It was used to treat ailments, in religious rituals, as a cosmetic, and to flavor food, symbolizing wealth and high status.
Today, it’s finding a new function in the booming wellness sector. Saffron supplements show promise for improving mood in mild-to-moderate depression, boosting cognitive function and memory, supporting eye health, reducing blood pressure, appetite, and inflammation, largely due to potent antioxidants and compounds like crocin and safranal that affect neurotransmitters.
From female-founded brand The Fullest, we tried two very easy supplements to give us a little assistance this Winter. Firstly, the Saffron Latte 10 Single-Serving Sachets. This golden, rich, and delicious caffeine-free saffron latte is easy to make: Just pour the powder into your favorite mug or bowl, then add boiling water and a dash of your preferred milk (we like coconut). This powder is formulated with a therapeutic dose of 150mg of raw, high-grade saffron threads (equivalent to ~75 saffron threads per serving) to improve mood, sharpen focus, and foster restorative sleep at the end of the day. This is a beautiful and tasty beverage that gives you an immediate feeling of well-being. It works well as a replacement for that morning or afternoon coffee or snack. It also works over ice. It’s luxurious, creamy, and worth its weight in gold if you would like to feel calmer, kinder, more compassionate, and less stressed.
For clarity and calmness, start each day with a 30mg daily dose of saffron extract. Kinder Thoughts® Saffron Capsules boost mood, energy, and focus. If you suffer from mild anxiety and depression, ADHD, brain fog, insomnia, cortisol-triggered weight gain, and other ailments, you will find that these are alleviated with a therapeutic dose of turmeric (curcumin) to deliver powerful mood, focus, and inflammation support in just one capsule a day. Studies also support its benefits for PMS, low libido, sleep, inflammation, and even weight management.
Raised in a first-generation Iranian American household, The Fullest founder Nikki Bostwick grew up surrounded by traditional Persian remedies and an early respect for the healing power of plants. Her curiosity led her to teach yoga, study plant-based nutrition at the Matthew Kenney Culinary School, and become Reiki certified, while traveling and learning from leading wellness pioneers around the world.
Through these experiences, Nikki realized that lasting wellness begins with mental health. Our mood shapes how we connect with ourselves and others, and simple daily rituals can help us heal and expand. What began as a platform to share this philosophy evolved into The Fullest—a product line centered on saffron, crafted to naturally support emotional balance and help people live life to the fullest.
Stacked Fitness Hydration
One day, Kris Wilkins, co-founder of Stacked Fitness Hydration and a cycling instructor at Equinox in New York City, realized the supplement world felt confusing and unapproachable, the sports drink aisle was packed with sugar and artificial ingredients, and most hydration powders stopped short of actually performing. Drawing on his background building brands and selling beverages across both nonalcoholic and alcoholic categories, Kris decided to create something built for the way people train today, something that fuels progress, feels approachable, and inspires people to keep showing up. He called his friend and entrepreneur Gabe Nazario, and they began building Stacked Fitness Hydration.
There are two types of Stacked to choose from: BUILD is fitness hydration made for strength-focused training, whether you’re lifting heavy, getting back into motion, or pushing through a plateau. TONE is hydration for people in motion, whether you’re walking, lifting, grinding through HIIT, or just finding your rhythm again.
But with electrolytes and performance-focused ingredients like L-Carnitine and essential amino acids, they are useful outside of the gym as well. Their handy sachets are perfect for travel, touring, hiking, and long-haul flights. The flavor is light, fruity, and juicy – not too sweet at all! We were reminded of old-fashioned barley water, which is what people used to drink for hydration, vitamins, and minerals before energy and soft drinks took over!
If you’re running for your flight and about to spend multiple hours at 30,000 feet, these are a great alternative to hydration powders, expensive energy drinks, and electrolyte waters. Just pop a few sachets in your carry-on luggage, and you are good to go. And if you’re traveling for a marathon, hike, bike, mountain climb, walking tour, or sailing adventure, take some Stacked with you.
Flourish by NOVA
Not a fan of the Winter weight gain or travel belly bloat? Neither are we. That’s why we pop a couple of Flourish Weight Management + Digestive Health Supplement capsules with our light breakfast each day.
Flourish is the first body-positive supplement designed to kick-start metabolism, improve digestion, and support natural and effective weight management for women. Flourish takes a holistic, non-stimulant approach as a safe, sustainable alternative without harsh side effects.
The four main benefits are:
Clinically studied ingredients designed to boost metabolism and support up to 12 lbs of weight loss, specifically targeting visceral fat in the waist and hips.
The 3-in-1 soluble and insoluble fiber blend, combined with polyphenols, promotes natural bloat support. This helps balance your gut and nurture your microbiome, reducing bloating and increasing vitality.
Fibriss® is a baobab fruit fiber containing soluble and insoluble fiber and polyphenols to support overall digestion and gut health, while Slendacor® is a unique blend of commonly known spices that have many medicinal uses, including supporting optimal energy metabolism.
Flourish aids in weight management without the jitters, formulated without stimulants, caffeine, or side effects, allowing you to feel energized without raising your heart rate or blood pressure.
Quince
Micronized creatine monohydrate offers the same extensive, science-backed benefits as standard creatine monohydrate, with the added practical advantages of better mixability and easier digestion. The micronization process simply reduces the particle size for an improved user experience, not a change in core efficacy, and Quince brand is the finest and purest brand we’ve tried thus far.
The benefits of creatine monohydrate are well-researched and supported, primarily because it helps the body produce adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the primary molecule of cellular energy. This leads to a wide range of benefits: Increased muscle strength and mass; enhanced athletic performance; faster muscle recovery; injury prevention; improved brain function. Other potential general health benefits include addressing age-related muscle loss, bone health, and even certain neurological diseases and blood sugar management.
We like this supplement for travel, especially if you are pushing your body with an itinerary that exceeds your usual routine. We also like it as an anti-aging supplement. It’s an often-overlooked booster for women as they age, too.
We also tried Quince’s Grass-Fed Collagen Peptides Plus—it’s a delicious chocolate powder to stir into your coffee to make a mocha, or even as hot chocolate. Not only does it help curb cravings, but it also supports overall body health and features beauty-boosting ingredients such as collagen, hyaluronic acid, and vitamin C to deliver glowing wellness benefits and address visible signs of aging. Our non-GMO collagen is sourced from grass-fed, pasture-raised bovine and free from hormones, antibiotics, and pesticides, so you can feel good inside and out.*
Brik Sleep Gummies
If melatonin and cannabis are not for you, we have an alternative. Brik Sleep Gummies help restore healthy sleep rhythm with plant-based peptides that help you fall asleep faster, sleep deeper, and wake up refreshed without groggy or trippy effects. Brik’s key ingredient, PeptiSleep™, is backed by clinical research showing measurable improvements in sleep quality, duration, and next-day alertness. We noticed a difference on the first night. A long, deep and undisturbed sleep, but without any of the side effects of other products.
Warning, though: Brik really does work, and at first, when you chew on one of the delicious Berry Bliss gummies, you may not notice any effect. But we can tell you from our own experience that you will sleep longer and more undisturbed than usual. Be sure to take one of these gummies when you are ready to go to bed, as you will likely get at least 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep. These are great for everything from overstimulation to Sunday Scaries to jetlag.
