I’ve been trying an experimental new protocol (at a number of top secret research facilities) and I’m finally able to share some of the results with the world.
That’s right : it is coming soon; our Maca rainbow whole food pre-workout. While these are not published clinical trials – the gold standard of food supplements – you can bet that everyone involved has been impressed with the results!
One of the secrets; at least the only one I can divulge at this time – is a TRIFECTA of Maca rainbow energy. Yes, that’s right folks we’re combining Red Maca , Black AND Yellow Maca (organically grown in the Andes mountains in their raw state) to find out – the amount of whole food synergy is this combination is astounding.
More on this, and the other important whole food ingredients in this formula, to come.
You would have to been under a rock to have not heard of “Bullet Proof Coffee” and perhaps you won’t be surprised to know that the inventor has written a book called the “Bullet Proof Diet”.
However when it comes to supplements there may be some holes in the program. One potentially misguided recommendation of the author, who recommends relying on ‘good fats’ such as MCTs in coconut oil and grass-fed butter, may be the recommendation of Krill Oil over Omega-3 Fish Oil supplements. Continue reading →
Cod Liver oil, the result of the process of extracting the omega-3 fatty acids from wild-harvested Cod fish livers, has a long history of traditional use in the Kingdom of Norway, considered one of the most progressive countries in the world. Though the Nordic people endure harsh winters and long periods of darkness, their culture became pioneers in nutritional supplementation long before the industrialized world evolved.
Today, we are free to buy Cod Liver Oil even though it does not fit into the mainstream model of using only pharmaceutical drugs as medicine. So, the next time you pick up a bottle of Cod Liver Oil to enjoy the natural benefits of Omega-3 EPA & DHA and natural Vitamins A & D – take a minute to be thankful that you live in a country where you have the freedom to choose natural; even when it goes against the grain of the established system. Research shows Cod Liver Oil may have benefits for the heart and many other parts of the body.
In fact, it really shouldn’t go against the grain of medicine – it is historically important to note the widely recognized benefits of Cod Liver Oil. Modern advances in technology of processing (and vertically-integrated sustainability) have brought us the finest Cod Liver Oil in the free world. Be thankful for the freedom to choose natural!
On Monday, the NY Times reported that the New York Attorney General’s office had accused four major retailers (Walgreen’s Wal-Mart, Target and GNC) of having adulterated and useless (or potentially harmful) products on their shelves. The paper of record reported that “The authorities said they had conducted tests on top-selling store brands of herbal supplements at four national retailers — GNC, Target, Walgreens and Walmart — and found that four out of five of the products did not contain any of the herbs on their labels. The tests showed that pills labeled medicinal herbs often contained little more than cheap fillers like powdered rice, asparagus and houseplants, and in some cases substances that could be dangerous to those with allergies.”
This could be attributed to what many in the natural products industry had already believed – that the products carried under the brand of big box retailers like Wal-Mart might be less than stellar quality. The unfortunate reality might also be that this could have negative ramifications for other companies as well.
Today the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) responded publicly to the charges from the NY State Attorney’s office by saying “the New York State Attorney General used an inadequate and unproven analytical method to test herbal supplement products at the core of the State’s allegations that several retailers are selling adulterated and/or mislabeled herbal dietary supplements. The results of this analysis, therefore, cannot be considered valid. According to AHPA Chief Science Officer Maged Sharaf, Ph.D., the New York State Attorney General and the laboratory that conducted the analysis relied on an analytical technology that does not have the capacity to reach the degree of certainty represented by the State in its accusations.”
While this is clearly an evolving case, it underscores the need for consumers to support high quality natural products supplements that use the kind of rigors in keeping with GMP. Read more about AHPA’s response here.
It really pains me to type that title, folks. I’m a big fan of Maca. It is one of the best ‘tonic’ super foods – meaning that it is safe enough to eat every day and provides continual body strengthening benefits. It is a member of the Cabbage family that only grows in the Andes mountains on the coast of South America.
When the Food Movement project first began bringing Red and Black Lepidium preuvianum (Maca root) from Peru into the US health food store market, I was ecstatic that we were able to bring this international superstar to folks at a fair price, and were able to work with our supplier partners to obtain verifiable certified organic plants in a raw form. Now international demand has pushed prices sky high and made good materials more scarce.
So here’s the long a short of it; if you see a Maca you like on the shelves right now – especially at prices consistent with what they were earlier in the year – buy it all. If you liked Maca at $13.99 for an 8 oz (retail price on TFM Red Maca before the recent disruption) you can expect to buy quite a bit more as the overall market absorbs supply-side price increases of 400 to 500%!
Consider this recent report from America TV
While price increases can cause problems for retail and wholesale suppliers, as well as importers (not to mention consumers!) the real problem may end up being one of supply. For a crop that only grows properly in a certain part of the world, there can be only a certain amount of supply without sacrificing quality. At this moment I’d rather pay too much for Maca than have none at all! It seems that it may be the only option we have.
As far as blaming Asian markets for this problem – if anyone is to blame it might just be the Chinese government. Because they had state-controlled limits on birth rates, recently lifted, their people were not concerned with procreating at the rate they are in the free world. China’s one-child policy from 1979 to 2009 may have averted as much as 200 million births, although ethnic minorities within China were not limited by the single child rule and other exceptions were actually made to this limit. Even so, since the change in China’s family planning policy, their demand for products ranging from Prenatal Vitamins and EFAs to aphrodisiacs such as Maca root, have skyrocketed. As these pressures impact our global market, we can only do our best to keep our eyes on the prize in regards to sustainability, fair trade principles, and environmental footprint. Good Maca will likely continue to be available, but we will always struggle with increased levels of inferior products as Maca poaching and other tactics become more profitable than ever.
Sort of a long title for a blog entry isn’t it? Well, admittedly so, but I wanted to let you know specifically what this post is going to be about because it is so important.
You see, Alkalize 55 is a dietary supplement I have been lucky enough to have a hand in developing. To be totally transparent it is the NAME I have mainly to take credit for. As part of the Medicatrix naturae consortium which developed the product, my greatest contribution was helping to create a name and presentation that people would remember (and of course with a good deal of significance!) The credit really must go to Dr Michio Kushi and his formulation of over 50 triple-fermented super food ingredients grown on the biodynamic Anew farm in Brazil.
Dr Kushi and his wife Aveline have been leaders in the macrobiotic world for many years. I consider him to be one of the founding fathers of health food in the modern era, and there can be no doubt that his work has helped countless thousands. With Alkalize 55 his work on fermented foods and acid-alkaline balance has been encapsulated in supplement form (and in foods) in a way that can help a really broad number of folks who desperately need it.
But what I wanted to focus on, as my wordy title implies, is the other part of Alkalize 55, the over 70 humic/fulvic trace minerals which are so absorbable and potentially beneficial to the human machine.The above chart shows some of the mineral synergies at work when we take a broad spectrum of trace minerals. The mineral complex in Alkalize 55 is a proprietary blend called Whole Earth Minerals which is mined from a fresh water source in the United States which is tested for safe levels of heavy metals.
The main point here is that we really need a WHOLE SPECTRUM of trace minerals, rather than just say – large amounts of Zinc or Magnesium. All of these elements work in concert, so if we upset the balance there can be dire consequences for the body. Having a broad spectrum of trace minerals promotes the type of inter-related mineral synergy you see depicted above.I think that in order to understand this kind of synergy, we have to have a good philosophical understanding of nature and the way things fit together. Just what is synergy? Why do things appear together in nature? Usually there is some purpose. For example, if humic acid and specifically fulvic acid have a way of breaking oxygen to the cells of the body, and helping to transport waste products out of the cell there must be some reason? The answer is that these organic acids helped with the transport and assimilation of trace minerals, as well as the removal of dangerous toxins and heavy metals.
In summary, some of the most important dietary supplements are well-known; fish or algae DHA & EPA Omega-3 (more on this soon!), probiotics, digestive enzymes, not to mention vitamins and macro-minerals. Yet a growing body of evidence suggests we should start to focus more on these trace minerals and the way they interact – in the natural world, and in our bodies. The spectrum of whole foods and humic fulvate minerals in Alkalize 55 can have unique benefits for the human machine – even beyond what we understand about dietary requirements for nutrients and co-factors.
If you haven’t yet heard of White Mulberries, botanical name Morus alba, you probably will. They have recently been getting a lot of attention including an over-the-top proclamation from Dr Oz that these berries will “change peoples’ lives.” !!
You will be happy to know, that there is indeed some science behind these amazing claims. (People, at least here in Chicago, LOVE Dr Oz, and that gives him a lot to live up to, right?) I decided to delve into the science on White Mulberries to examine what some of the well-documented benefits are.
First, lets look at some of the research that has been done on the potential health benefits of the White Mulberries, the actual fruiting berries. (There is other research done on the leaves for some of the same benefits.) If you want to see an abstract of these studies visit http://www.pubmed.gov and search for the PMID listed. These are just a few of the most interesting studies done on Whilte Mulberries
The juice of the Mulberry fruit may be useful in the prevention of foodborne viral infection.PMID:24350883
Pyrrole alkaloids from the fruit have been shown to activate macrophages, an important part of the immune system.PMID:23164765
Researchers identified a number of antioxidant stilbene compounds in White Mulberries, including resveratrol, oxyresveratrol, and mulberroside A. PMID:24023529
Researchers have also examined the antidabetic and antioxidant effects of a number of phenolic phytochemicals PMID:23936259
Another study indicated that the anthocyanins from White Mulberries fruit prevented diabetes in Zucker diabetic fatty rats. PMID:24137248
In just this handful of studies, you can start to see that these little berries have an amazing amount of antioxidant and health-giving potential. They appear to be able to active macrophage immune cells and may have anti-aging and cell-protective abilities. To add to the total package, the dried berries taste delicious! They can really satisfy the sweet tooth of even the most jaded junk food junkie.
(DISCLAIMER : This writer does not condone animal testing. In doing research, we are forced to consider the results of animal testing because it is still valid and relevant. However, many of these same studies could be done in human volunteers or using in vivo modeling if the scientific system at present wasn’t dead set on continuing to use animal-testing as a mainstay of research. I believe in my heart of hearts that one day we will progress beyond this methodology.)
I’ve been trying an experimental new protocol (at a number of top secret research facilities) and I’m finally able to share some of the results with the world.
