How Moon Juice Founder Amanda Chantal Bacon Uses Adaptogens for Stress

Amanda Chantal Bacon knows a few things about stress. 

The Moon Juice founder, who grew her business from a pocket-sized juice shop in Venice Beach, Los Angeles into a massively successful wellness brand, built her reputation around combatting mind and body stress through holistic practices. 

Suffering from an autoimmune condition (and the frustrations that go along with an illness that often displays few measurable symptoms), Bacon sought healing through her own routine. “I changed my diet and addressed stress chemistry and my response through lifestyle,” she remembers. “Things like getting adequate sleep, not drinking alcohol, walking in nature, working on boundaries, and meditation.” 

In the last decade since she launched her now-beloved brand of juices, nut milks, adaptogens, and holistic skincare products, Moon Juice has garnered a following of both impassioned supporters and critical naysayers, all orbiting around the idea of “wellness,” the complexity of achieving it, and the price tag attached. 

But in recent years — and, more specifically, since the pandemic began — Bacon has made peace with the idea that making yourself feel good, both inside and out, is essential work. After a period of intense stress, both globally and closer to home, helping people reach a state of what she calls “homeostasis” amidst the turmoil feels more important than ever.   

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The Moon Juice Way to Combat Stress 

Another essential part of Bacon’s wellness routine? Adaptogens, which are plants, roots, and mushrooms that have a “normalizing” effect on the body and help to better manage stress. Since day one, Moon Juice has featured adaptogens in nearly all of its products. “[These] herbs and mushrooms have been used for thousands of years by humans, especially in Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda, to find homeostasis,” Bacon explains. “It was through adding adaptogens daily that I really started to see and feel changes occurring in my body and mind. They were the catalyst to really get all my other efforts optimized.” 

To experience the normalizing effects of adaptogens, Bacon says taking them regularly is key — something she’s made easy (and even fun) with Moon Juice’s popular “dusts,” which include adaptogenic ingredients like ashwagandha, lion’s mane mushroom extract, and shatavari root in powdered forms that can easily be blended into smoothies or stirred into a morning latte. 

Functional Foods & Adaptogens for Stress Relief 

This year, Bacon released her second book, The Moon Juice Manual: Adaptogenic Recipes for Natural Stress Relief. She describes it as a “guide to stress, how it affects you biologically and how we can help ourselves to become more resilient.” 

Unlike her first book, which included recipes from Moon Juice’s LA shops that, admittedly, many may find intimidatingly complex, this one is decidedly stress-free — and according to Bacon, that was entirely by design.  “The Moon Juice Manual is the opposite approach,” she says. “Think: nourishing and functional comfort foods with minimal steps and maximum yum — things like grain-free cookies, waffles and brownies.” Bacon calls these recipes “functional” because each one offers suggestions for adding stress-busting adaptogens (like cordyceps, ashwagandha, and schisandra) into what are otherwise simple and delicious treats. 

This latest collection of low-effort recipes also makes the Moon Juice lifestyle accessible to a broader audience. To Bacon, this is what it’s all about now: incorporating wellness into your routine in a stress-free way, leaving you better equipped to manage family, work, a global pandemic, and anything else life throws at you. 

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Amanda’s Tips for Adding Adaptogens Into Your Day

If you’re uncertain about where to begin with adding adaptogens to your daily regimen, take a look at Amanda’s own routine, which includes morning coffee, time in nature, and room for rest during life’s busy seasons. 

Combat stress with adaptogens. 

“SuperYou, Ting, and Magnesi-Om are my holy grail products and the recommendation I make to anyone looking to feel radically better! Take SuperYou in the morning with or without food — two caps a day to keep the stress away! Put one teaspoon of Ting in your water, morning or afternoon, for energy, metabolism and mood. Finally, add one teaspoon of Magnesi-Om in water in the evening for relaxation and sleep (plus it helps you make sure you poop every day!)”

Be flexible.

“I used to meditate every morning and take a walk outside, but these last two years have been so full on with a baby and the insane amount of work I want to get done in a day. I don’t believe in neglecting yourself or burning out, but I do believe there are seasons in life, and I try to take a pragmatic approach to what can honestly get done in a day.” 

Stack your habits for success.

“​​The most effective habit is the one you’ll actually keep. So, if you have trouble remembering to take your supplements, put them next to your toothbrush, your coffee, or on your desk. Set a daily alarm on your phone if you need to!”

Create a morning routine.

“​My supplementation is exactly my recommendation for everyone: SuperYou, Ting, and Magnesi-Om, but I add SuperHair, SuperPower and SuperBeauty to my SuperYou in the morning. I also make a daily coffee with Sex Dust, Spirit Dust and Collagen Protect. Taking my supplements and making my coffee in the kitchen with my family is how the day begins, and it’s about all I have time for before I’m in meetings and the day is done.”

Get enough sleep.

“I spend my evenings cooking, making sure we sit down as a family, doing cozy bedtime things with the kids and then usually dipping back into work again before bed. I really value sleep and know that none of my wellness practices work without it, so I try to get to sleep by 10 p.m.”

Take time off.

“During the weekends, I am so happy to get to the beach, feel the sun, take a walk, find fruiting trees in the neighborhood, make something nourishing, go out for something decadent, take a long shower, lie on my bio mat at night. Life right now would probably freak out a younger version of myself, but I feel really motivated to build things within Moon Juice and my family, so I stay laser focused on making sure they take priority. Most everything done in a day supports them or supports me to keep working for them.” 

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*This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment and before changing your diet or healthcare regimen, and never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website.