CALM & COLLECTED CITRUS SPRITZ

GF. DF. Vegan.

A sharp, salty-sweet citrus spritz with L-theanine for those afternoons when your brain has twelve tabs open and you would quite like to close at least three of them.

Why you’ll love it: This is bright, refreshing and feels like an actual treat, while still bringing a little more intention than another coffee. Fresh orange and lime bring whole-food vitamin C, coconut water and sea salt provide naturally occurring electrolytes, and L-theanine is the calm-focus hero of the situation.

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: None
Servings: 1

Ingredients:

-  Juice of ½ orange
-  Juice of ½ lime
-  ¼ cup / 60 ml pure coconut water
-  200 mg L-theanine powder, or the contents of one 200 mg capsule
-  Tiny pinch of fine sea salt
-  Ice
-  ¾ cup / 180 ml chilled soda water

Optional: ½ serve of a magnesium powder you already love and know mixes well in cold water.

Method:

1. Add the orange juice, lime juice, coconut water, L-theanine and sea salt to a glass. Stir well until the L-theanine has dissolved.
2. Fill the glass with plenty of ice, then top with soda water.
3. Give it one gentle stir, garnish with a lime wheel if you are feeling fancy, and drink when you need a little reset.

Extra notes:
The magnesium is optional because it can change the flavour quite a lot depending on the product. If you are adding it, use a flavoured powder you genuinely enjoy drinking or an unflavoured one, or just keep it separate and take your usual magnesium later in the day.

L-theanine is usually sold in capsules, so you can pop that open, and the powder can simply be stirred into the citrus and coconut-water base before adding the soda. Check the dose on your specific product and, as always, speak with your practitioner if you are pregnant, breastfeeding or taking medication.

Worth the Hype: Why L-theanine?
L-theanine is an amino acid naturally found in tea, best known for helping you feel calm and focused rather than sleepy. In a four-week randomised controlled trial, 200 mg per day improved stress-related symptoms in healthy adults (PMID: 31623400). Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown on why I carry L-theanine with me everywhere I go here!