HAPS – A new mood-boosting SuperFruits drink
I’ve always been annoyingly positive (the “yes we can” sort) so it was a pretty big shock to the system when the black cloud came over me in 2013 and I couldn’t shift it. I can remember it was beautifully sunny summer and my friends and family kept asking me to go and do things – fun things – the sort of things that normally I’d be really up for up. But I was so low that I wasn’t interested in being social. Instead, I shut the curtains (and the world out) and cried in bed.
I also wasn’t sleeping at night, so I was just about functioning at work, using all my energy to pull myself out of bed and get my work done. When I walked through the door of “the best place to work in the UK” I didn’t feel I could show how I was really feeling, so I tried to hide it, (unsuccessfully).
The result was I felt like I was drowning. After months of feeling like this, I was physically exhausted. I didn’t want to have to think or feel anymore and if there had been a button to push to turn my body off and never wake up I would have pushed it.
Thankfully, I realised I needed professional help and I did six weeks of CBT and counselling. This helped me make some life changes and train myself out of a bad habit of rumination (dwelling on bad experiences).
I expect you’re thinking why am I telling you all this? The reason is, although I’m through the hardest bit I still have days where this feeling comes over me. When this happens I now take HAPS to keep my low mood and anxiety at bay. I see it as food for my mind.
What is HAPS?
HAPS is a SuperFruits drink designed to boost your mood and well-being. It’s made from whole fruit powder and all the ingredients are identifiable and responsibly sourced. There’s Griffonia seed extract (5-HTP) to help regulate mood, appetite and sleep by naturally boosting serotonin. Vitamins (B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B12, C, D& Zinc) to improve your response to stress and work to convert 5HTP into serotonin. Baobab Fruit to reduce tiredness & support your immune system. Coconut MCT to help you stay alert throughout the day and Electrolytes to keep you hydrated.
How does it work?
HAPS works by giving your body a boost of specific nutrients that help to increase your body’s levels of serotonin, (aka the happy hormone). Serotonin helps bodily functions, such as sleeping, eating, and digesting and people with depression often have low levels of serotonin.
It comes in either small sunshine yellow sachets or larger brown bags for multiple servings, which you simply mix with water and drink.
Although we can get most of the nutrients in HAPS from food, getting enough can be tricky. The soil is lower in nutrients than ever measured before and the longer foods sit on the shelf, and the more they are processed, the fewer there are of most nutrients. So the freshness and sorts of ingredients you buy to make meals will impact how much nutrients your body can uptake.
It’s also important to know that HAPS shouldn’t be taken with antidepressants (ADs) because they both impact serotonin levels but in different ways. Antidepressant drugs prevent serotonin breakdown, while the 5HTP in HAPS boosts serotonin production. So, taking both together would mean the body creates more serotonin but can’t break it down. This could lead to dangerously high levels of serotonin (serotonin syndrome).
What do I think of HAPS?
I don’t feel the need to take HAPS every day, just when I feel a real change in my mood coming. When I have done this, I’ve definitely noticed it’s perked me up and stopped me spiralling down the black hole. Now obviously, there could be multiple factors that play a part in my mood change and the placebo effect at work too but whatever it is, it works for me and I see no harm in giving your body extra nutrients. It’s perfectly safe to take HAPS daily if needed, as long as you have a break after 12 weeks to help keep the 5-HTP from losing its efficacy.
Flavour wise it’s really pleasant – unlike lots of health food drinks that can taste like you’re eating a handful of grass! It has a fruity sherbet lolly flavour and depending on how much water you add, this varies in strength.
Before HAPS, my doctor prescribed me ADs when I was at my worst (far too readily in my opinion) and I didn’t get on with them at all – with side effects of anxiety and sickness. Now I’m not advising anyone stops taking ADs and switch to HAPS because for some people it’s 100% the right treatment. What I would say if you’re thinking of going on to ADs for a period of time, try HAPS first and see if it helps you, as ADs aren’t always something easy to come off and as I experienced, they can have unpleasant side effects.
If you’d like to try HAPS for yourself, visit www.WeAreHaps.com to buy online. Packs of single serving sachets start from £1.63 per serving and a bag with 40 servings starts at £1.10 per serving. Delivery to the UK is also free. And, if you like the product, it may be worth a monthly subscription which saves you 10%.
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HAPS
WeAreHaps.com
Rik@wearehaps.com
*Disclosure: The founder of HAPS is a friend and I was sent three samples of the newest version of the product to try but this has not impacted the honesty of my review in any way. I also bought a month’s supply of HAPS to try myself, prior to any gifted samples.