Explains quickly and easily why you should be interested in this exciting ‘new’ dietary supplement from the Food Movement. This pioneering extract of CBD (cannabidiol) from industrial hemp is a safe and legal product offering new options for consumers.
Because dietary supplements are regulated by the FDA, no one selling Hemp CBD can make health claims. But an ever-growing body of research suggests that they may just be of immense benefit. The video explainer above gives you some insights into the product and also a $10 coupon code SAVEONSUPERHEMP for your first order!
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.
Hey folks, I don’t know where you live, but here in the Midwestern US of A it is about to get a lot less sunny. And you know what that means? Yes, it is once again Vitamin D season.
Now, if you’ve read my blog posts over time you’ve seen me blog about Vegan D3 over the past couple of years. Back then, an innovative company in the U.K. came out with a lichen-extracted (and therefore animal-free and vegan) form of Vitamin D3 cholecalciferol. The Food Movement, Nordic Naturals, Country Life and others moved on this great opportunity and brought the product to market. Yet still many myths and misconceptions exist so we are going through them one by one today.
Next time you see a product made with D3 from sheep’s wool lanolin which claims to be 99% vegan (I’m not making this stuff up, folks) please write and tell the nice people how ill-informed they are. Nothing personal; but misinformation is the enemy. Call them out, give them my e-mail and we will set the record straight.
MYTH #1 – ALL VITAMIN D3 (CHOLECALCIFEROL) COMES FROM ANIMALS
In terms of dietary supplements this was true up until a couple of years ago. But research by legendary mycologist Paul Stamets indicates that organic mushrooms also contain active D3, not just D2. So, there are true ‘food’ sources of D3 out there. However, if you are facing Vitamin D deficiency (which many more people are than realize) you need a therapeutic dose of at least 1000 IU, perhaps 5000. So you need a dietary supplement. Many folks have seen dramatic results using the plant-based Vitashine (TM) form.
MYTH #2 – IT DOESN’T MATTER WHICH FORM, AS LONG AS YOU GET VITAMIN D
Evidence, meaning credible scientific research, suggests that not only does the body prefer D3 (cholecalciferol) to D2 (ergocalciferol), but supplementing with D2 may actually INHIBIT the body’s production of D3. Think on that one for a moment, manufacturers of products!
While many vegan products contain D2 (ergocalciferol), which is not an animal product, they may not be a viable source of absorbable Vitamin D.
MYTH #3 – EXPOSURE TO SUNLIGHT GUARANTEES YOUR BODY WILL MAKE ENOUGH VITAMIN D
You know one thing that blocks vitamin D production? Sunscreen. Now, I’m not telling you whether or not to wear sunscreen – but I can also tell you anecdotally that I have talked to many folks who live in sunny areas, get out a fair amount, and have gone to the doctor ( a key factor here) and found their vitamin D levels were low.
When I think of ‘food medicine’ (and the arbitrary distinction between what is ‘food’ and ‘medicine’ in the West, as opposed to in the East) I often think of Moringa. You may know of it because of its reputation as a high source of vitamins and minerals. In fact the freeze-dried biodynamic Medicatrix Moringa has as much Calcium gram for gram as many Calcium isolated supplements such as Calcium Carbonate! Yet it is in a whole plant form and arguably more beneficial, if only because of the broad range of phytonutrients a whole plant can offer.
The video below drives home an important aspect of the plant – its role in alleviating hunger and other afflictions in Africa and other parts of the world. While the West suffers from diseases of excess, mother Africa still struggles with the fundamentals of survival. Moringa may be part of the solution for both. Watch the video if you get the chance and support our friends at Trees of Life. Tell them the food movement sent you!
Okay, so I have a few things in progress but haven’t actually posted anything for a while. I thought I would share this preliminary hooptie blender smoothie me and the kids made this weekend. Turned out awesome, you could even tweak this recipe and go more in the cacao-enhancement direction easily. Love Crunch is a neat organic granola with dark chocolate pieces and freeze-dried berries that come alive in all kinds of milks!
1 cup raw almonds (sprouted if you have time)
3 cups PiMag water, or just regular water if you prefer
1 1/2 cups Nature’s Path Love Crunch Premium Organic Granola (dark chocolate and red berries) Yes I’m totally fine with soy oil and soy lecithin in this non-GMO verified product. Obviously if you have soy allergies you can find a different granola, try adding some chocolate covered cacao nibs and freeze-dried strawberries for a similar effect.
1 scoop chocolate protein powder 16 grams protein – I used SunWarrior Classic Protein organic chocolate sprouted brown rice powder Continue reading →
The health food business is undoubtedly rooted in the idea of a plant-based diet. While dietary fads come and go; the general consensus that industrialized society (in the convenience era) is missing out on needed botanical nutrition seems to remain constant. On this, it seems, even vegans and paleo-caveman-diet folks can agree. The world of super food plants is just too expansive, and remarkably beneficial, not to make these nutritional storehouses more widely available.
It should be no surprise, then, that we see the most top-notch companies in the industry ramping up their offerings of completely plant-based products. Nordic Naturals unveiled a nice line extension of vegan/vegetarian products at Natural Products Expo East, including the Vitamin D3 Vegan, GLA liquid, Algae Omega, and Baby DHA Vegetarian. The top-selling Omega 3 company is built upon their vertically-integrated fish oil operations (being one of the first and most thoroughly ‘green’ companies in the category) but their purely vegetarian products are sure to command the respect of the discerning consumer.
Foods like Jem’s Almond Butters which incorporate super foods, also add a ‘gourmet’ aspect to the realm of the raw foods consumers (in their many forms). I also enjoyed the Artisana nut butters unveiled at NPEE which went even further with Goji Milk Thistle botanical foods, Phytoplankton sea nutrition and other nutritional taste treat The more we can incorporate these botanical foods into our food products, they more benefit these products will provide to our bodies. After all, isn’t a better strategy to entice ourselves with a good-tasting healing diet than to pound ourselves into submission with handfuls of pills?
Pills I say to you that your days are numbered. As more and more we all look to plants as a source of not just healing, but daily nourishment, the more we will be able to promote and preserve good health in all of us.
Another product not just for vegans and vegetarians (though wildly popular with that group as well) is Green Foods Company’s True Vitality. This is seriously one of the best values in plant-based protein shakes, actually offering 1000 mg of plant-based DHA per serving. At around $30, this is a seriously good value for every home.
The company brought cereal grasses to forefront in the marketplace, making truly digestible green food products a reality. True Vitality is an amazing extension of that offering 8 billion of active probiotics per serving, as well as the impressive botanical goodnes It also comes in Chocolate, Vanilla and Unflavored.
Moringa oleifera is a tree native to the southern foothills of the Himalayas in northwestern India and widely cultivated in Africa, Central and South America, Sri Lanka, India, Mexico, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines.
I’ve been really interested in Moringa for a number of years. It has quite a reputation internationally as one of the world’s most nutritious foods. As an herbalist, I’ve been intrigued by the possibilities of a food that offers so much benefit to anyone ingesting it, and also hope to those looking for dynamic botanical solutions to the problems of world hunger. There are so many aspects of Moringa oleifera to consider. For now, we are looking primarily at the leaf as a dynamic source of nutrition, though the ‘drumstick’ fruit pods are very commonly eaten as well. The roots and the seeds, when harvested, provide other diverse benefits.
This is an extremely important plant! It is a complete protein, contains a good deal of nutrients including calcium, iron, magnesium, is a complete protein source and contains many different vitamins and unique phytochemicals. It would be ridiculous to ‘standardize’ or extract this plant, it is a leaf vegetable used across the world for many years.
Yet it has been virtually absent from the U.S. market. Unfortunately what little I myself have found on the market has been of very low quality. As I’ve worked with the Food Movement to find a premium raw material internationally (which we have finally secured – more on that to come) I have come to appreciate why it is so easy to get it wrong with Moringa.
(The Food Movement biodynamic freeze-dried Moringa whole leaf powder will be available here in September.)
Initially, suppliers of Ayurvedic herbs would offer Moringa leaf powder at a surprisingly low price. Then, we found that some suppliers would only offer it as an extract, because the fresh raw material was often easily contaminated with potentially harmful microbes. I myself believe that the only preparation one should consider is the whole leaf. It is, after all, a food.
There is definite misinformation out there causing some to consider something other than whole leaf Moringa. Just look to the wiki page on Moringa oleifera and you find this nugget of (mis)information
“Some of the calcium in moringa leaves is bound as crystals of calcium oxalate[14] which may inhibit calcium availability to the body. It is not clear whether the calculation of the reported amount of calcium in moringa leaves includes such non-bioavailable calcium.”
However, the reference they provide only documents that Moringa contains calcium oxalate (which it does, and many plant sources of calcium do) not that calcium oxalate is a non-bioavailable calcium. A study published in 1999 in The Journal of Nutrition found that calcium oxalate indeed was a bioavailable form of calcium. The researchers concluded “Thus, calcium bound as a small, neutral, calcium salt such as calcium oxalate does not have to be dissociated prior to absorption. Possibly other small compounds would be similarly absorbed. These results alter our current understanding of calcium bioavailability from foods and therapeutic agents.”
Anybody good at doing wikipedia edits? I believe many people who have a negative opinion of calcium in plants as “non-bioavailable” would benefit from seeing this study.
Oh, and if the waters weren’t all ready murky enough for you… now Dr Oz has entered the arena…
Stay tuned to this bat channel for more examinations of the many healing aspects of Moringa to come. Harvest time is now!
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.
