At 30 years old, taking the food newborns drink right after birth as a supplement sounds unusual. However, for Summer House’s Ciara Miller, colostrum is the core of her wellness routine. “I’ve actually been using Armra [Colostrum] for about a year now,” she tells ESSENCE.

The first, nutrient-dense form of breast milk, colostrum is the thick, sticky, and yellow substance secreted from the mammary glands for an infant to drink immediately after birth. It’s known as the “first immunization” because it’s rich in nutrients such as antibodies, proteins, growth factors, and vitamin A. “For babies, we know it helps with their immune system and gut health; it’s the liquid gold they talk about with new moms,” Miller says. But, who says you have to stop drinking it? Now, “we’re approaching this new type of science where we can apply these things that work, for adults.”

While the registered nurse and reality TV star is not actually drinking the breast milk of new mothers, the supplement she takes, Armra Colostrum, is a bovine-derived colostrum supplement powder. Scooping the blood orange flavor into her water and drinking next to a morning matcha, the first change she noticed, like newborns, was a boost in her immune system. 

“I’m always traveling, so it’s easy to be run down with my type of schedule,” she says. Between traveling and not getting enough sleep, it’s been the one supplement she actually uses—that really works—in an industry full of them. “It’s kind of all in one,” she says. Taking colostrum is the one part of her wellness routine that’s consistent, hitting the target from immune and gut health to metabolism, skin, and hair health. As long as she does that, everything else, like working out or taking a dance class, is “whatever I can squeeze in for the day.”

At the core of self-optimization culture, the pressure to be “on” at all times and constantly improve yourself can be difficult to keep up with. And, at times, even the source of burnout. For Miller, finding just one supplement, especially one similar to our natural bodily functions, helps her show up for herself much more easily. 

“When the world beats you down you’re all you’ve got,” she says. However, even with taking a supplement, there’s one other thing that keeps her even more grounded in her body. “Honestly, there’s nothing like a Black mom to put you in your place,” she laughs. “They’ll keep you real all the time.”

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