Search Results

The thyroid is a little gland with big jobs. But, unfortunately, it’s also one of the most misunderstood and malnourished. Properly nourishing your thyroid can have a profound impact on your health and your quality of life. What does the thyroid do? The thyroid sits on the base of the neck, just below the voice box. The two main hormones it produces, T-3 (triiodothyronine) and T-4 (thyroxine), have many critical bodily functions. They regulate metabolism and can affect how fast your heart beats, how deeply you breathe, weight loss or gain, body temperature, cholesterol levels, hormonal balance, and energy levels. Talk about a lot of jobs for a little gland. Thyroid blood test markers There is a lot of confusion regarding what markers to look at for thyroid health. These are some of the most important. T3 - The levels of triiodothyronine T4 - The levels of thyroxine (levothyroxine is the synthetic version of this hormone) TSH - Also known as thyrotropin. It is produced in the pituitary gland. It tells the thyroid gland to produce t3 and t4. So as you can see, the pituitary and thyroid glands have a close working relationship. TGAB - Thyroglobulin Antibodies - This antibody can indicate thyroid damage caused by an autoimmune condition. TPO/TPEX - Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies - Another antibody that can indicate thyroid damage caused by an autoimmune condition. If you feel something is wrong with your thyroid, your doctor can write blood tests to help you understand what is happening. Sometimes a primary care doctor may not write for all these (for various reasons), and you may need to see an endocrinologist to get the entire panel. The problem is that it can be very costly or may take a long time to see one. If you need a full thyroid panel and cannot obtain one through your doctor (for whatever reason), you can order a kit online and do it at home. Then, once you get the results back, you can bring them to your doctor to review them. Thyroid conditions There are many different thyroid conditions. Goiter - Irregular growth of the thyroid gland. Simple - The entire thyroid gland swells and feels smooth to the touch. Nodular - When a lump called a nodule develops, it can make the thyroid feel lumpy. Multinodular - When multiple nodules develop. Sometimes they are visible; others can only be discovered through examination or testing. Hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid) - The thyroid gland does not produce enough hormones to meet the body's needs. This is one of the most common types of thyroid problems. Hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid) - When the thyroid gland produces too many hormones. Graves Disease (also known as Basedow’s disease) - This autoimmune disease causes the thyroid gland to produce too many thyroid hormones. Hashimotos Thyroiditis - This autoimmune disease causes the immune system to create antibodies that attack thyroid cells. Hashimotos usually result in the thyroid becoming underactive. Postpartum Thyroiditis - Inflammation of the thyroid that occurs after giving birth. It can cause the thyroid to become overactive or underactive. Mr. Thyroid is not feeling so well with all those conditions. Holistic ways to keep your thyroid healthy So, how do we go about taking care of the thyroid? Stress and thyroid health One of the first and most important steps to keeping the thyroid healthy is to reduce stress. Chronic stress has a powerful effect on the thyroid. When the body is under lots of stress, it releases cortisol. However, too much cortisol can reduce thyroid hormone production. It can also cause a reduction in the conversion of T4 to T3, leading to a higher level of reverse T3. In addition, it can lead to increased insulin resistance and blood sugar issues. Check out our article, Stress 101 , to find ways to control your stress. Just one more reason it’s essential to reduce chronic stress. Sunshine and thyroid health Next up is sunshine. One of the most overlooked but important ways to keep your thyroid healthy is to get proper sun, especially for those with Hoshimotos. At sunrise and sunset, try to get outside and get at least fifteen minutes of sunlight (even when it’s cloudy, you still benefit greatly), and you get bonus points for walking barefoot in the grass. Get the morning sunshine before you look at your phone or a screen. The improved melatonin production and reset of your sleep cycle greatly impact thyroid function. Sleep and thyroid health Getting proper sleep is vital for a healthy thyroid. Unfortunately, many thyroid issues negatively impact sleep, from the feeling of needing to sleep all the time to being unable to sleep. Your sleep quality will improve as you work on your thyroid problems and implement positive changes. Check out our Sleep Health blog to help you get on the right track to a good night's rest. Gut and thyroid health Most people don’t know that the gut’s health significantly impacts your thyroid (and many other body systems). So keeping your gut healthy is vital to a healthy thyroid. Check out our Gut Health Center to learn ways to keep your gut working at its best. Hydration and thyroid health Drinking plenty of water is vital for a healthy thyroid. Being dehydrated is a great way to make your thyroid unhappy. In addition, being dehydrated can increase your risk of being fatigued. Mineral water is excellent because many people do not get enough minerals, such as magnesium, in their diet. An electrolyte drink , free of sweeteners and flavorings, can be helpful to add to your water if you are not getting enough in your diet. Foods for thyroid health As you can guess, food has a powerful effect on thyroid health. The following foods negatively affect thyroid health; do your best to avoid them as much as possible. Avoid all artificial, fake, and zero-calorie sweeteners, including xylitol, allulose, erythritol, stevia, and monk fruit. These negatively affect gut health, which in turn negatively affects your thyroid. Instead, use small amounts of maple syrup, date sugar, raw honey, and molasses. Vegetable and seed oils cause massive inflammation and wreak havoc on your thyroid (and every other part of your body). Cutting them out is key to getting a healthy thyroid. Check out our blog article to learn more about them and what to replace them with. I know I sound like a broken record with these; however, they are the most significant dietary contributor to many diseases and health issues. If you can only make one change in your diet, do this. Goitrogenic foods can reduce the uptake of iodine. Therefore, reducing them is a good step in improving thyroid function. High goitrogenic foods include cruciferous vegetables such as bok choy, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, Chinese cabbage, collard greens, kale, kohlrabi, mizuna, mustard greens, radishes, spinach, rutabagas, turnips. Other foods that can negatively affect thyroid function, in some people, include soy, spinach, millet, tapioca, yucca, corn, and lima beans. Thankfully, properly cooking them can greatly reduce the goitrogenic content of those foods. Steaming them until fully cooked can reduce levels by seventy-five percent, and boiling them for thirty minutes can reduce them by almost ninety percent. So if you have thyroid issues, just make sure to cook them properly and not eat them raw. Many people have read about the possible adverse effects of gluten on thyroid function, especially in those with autoimmune diseases like Hashimoto's. While it has not been proven, there is no harm in eliminating gluten from the diet for a few months to see if it helps. The key here is not to replace gluten-containing foods with heavily processed gluten-free alternatives but instead switch to naturally gluten-free whole foods. Many people on gluten-free diets develop significant nutrient deficiencies because of all the terrible, ultra processed gluten-free products they eat that are marketed as healthy. Stick to whole foods, and you will have no issues. Caffeine puts stress on your thyroid. If you have hyperthyroidism, it can make your symptoms worse. If you must have some caffeine, have it with a nourishing breakfast. Never have caffeine before breakfast because then your body runs on stress hormones all day. A quick and easy breakfast would be scrambled eggs with a bowl of fruit (whatever fruit makes you happy). If you can, try and avoid caffeine after noon as well. Try swapping out your morning coffee for a cup of low-heavy metal cacao . It’s rich in minerals and helps to promote a calm and relaxed outlook. A far better choice than stimulants, and it helps to support a healthy response to stress. Plus, what's better than cacao for breakfast? The right foods help to nourish and support your thyroid. Eat lots of the following foods for a happier thyroid. Remember to eat plenty of these foods every day, not just once in a while. Eat plenty of healthy fats; these provide valuable fat-soluble nutrients and beneficial compounds. In addition, eating plenty of good fats can help with the dry skin that often comes with thyroid problems. Good sources of fat are: Grass-Fed Tallow made from suet A lot of tallow is made from less nutritious fat parts and has lower levels of beneficial nutrients. In addition, tallow should be hard at room temperature. It is not made from suet if it is soft and runny at room temperature. Grass-Fed Ghee Grass-Fed Butter Pastured Eggs Low Heavy Metal Cacao Butter Low-Pufa Lard Avocados Olives Real Olive Oil (be careful with this as most olive oil (even the stuff at the health food store, is adulterated with vegetable and seed oils) Your thyroid needs plenty of high-quality protein to function correctly. So eat plenty of it; we recommend at least one hundred grams of high quality protein per day. Good sources of protein are: Grass-Fed red meat (beef, buffalo, bison, lamb, goat, mutton, elk, venison, etc.) Pastured Eggs Wild Seafood Grass-Fed Dairy Products Real Bone Broth Tyrosine is an amino acid that combines with iodine to make the T3 and T4 hormones. Good food sources include: Grass-Fed Dairy Products Wild Seafood Grass-Fed Red Meat Low-Pufa Chicken and Pork Avocados Bananas Zinc, selenium, and manganese are needed to synthesize thyroid hormones, convert T4 to T3, and release T3 from the thyroid gland. Zinc and selenium also function as antioxidants and may help to protect the thyroid from inflammation and immune stressors. Good food sources include: Zinc Grass-Fed Red Meat (beef, buffalo, bison, lamb, goat, mutton, elk, venison, etc.) Oysters Low-Pufa Chicken and Pork Selenium Grass-Fed Kidney Wild Alaskan Seafood Grass-fed Red Meat Low-Pufa Chicken and Pork Pastured Eggs Grass-Fed Cottage Cheese Manganese Shellfish (especially mussels) Grass-Fed Beef Liver Pineapple Blueberries Leucine is an amino acid needed to produce thyroglobulin (a protein the thyroid gland makes) to produce T3 and T4. Good sources of leucine include: Wild Alaskan Salmon Pastured Eggs Grass-Fed Red Meat Cottage Cheese Grass-Fed Greek Yogurt Low-Pufa Chicken and Pork Vitamin A is very important for thyroid function. Unfortunately, many people with thyroid problems have trouble converting beta carotene to vitamin A, so it is best to get pre-formed vitamin A. Good sources of vitamin A include: Tinned Cod Livers Grass-Fed Liver Pastured Eggs Grass-Fed Dairy Products Wild Mackeral Wild Alaskan Salmon and Roe Omega-3 fatty acids and a proper omega-6 to omega-3 ratio are essential to healthy thyroid function. Good sources of omega-3 include: Wild Alaskan Seafood and Roe Grass-Fed Dairy Products Pastured Eggs Tinned Cod Livers Probiotic foods support a healthy gut, which in turn supports a healthy thyroid. Good food sources of probiotics include: Grass-Fed Yogurt and Kefir Certain Lacto-fermented vegetables Pickles Ginger Carrots Beets Kvass It’s best to avoid lacto-fermented sauerkraut and kimchi if you have low thyroid function because the fermentation process increases the goitrogenic compounds. A Whole Food Probiotic Supplement Iodine is the most well-known nutrient for thyroid health, but it is also the most misunderstood. The thyroid needs iodine for a variety of functions. Unfortunately, most people, especially pregnant women, are not getting enough iodine. Here is how much iodine is needed daily: AGE Male Female Pregnancy Lactation Birth to six months 110 mcg 110 mcg ​ ​ ​7-12 months 130 mcg 130 mcg ​ ​ ​1-3 years ​90 mcg 90 mcg ​ ​ ​4-8 years 90 mcg 90 mcg ​ ​ 9-13 years 120 mcg 120 mcg ​ ​ 14-18 years 150 mcg 150 mcg 220 mcg* 290 mcg ​19+ years 150 mcg 150 mcg 220 mcg* 290 mcg The World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and the International Council for the Control of Iodine Deficiency Disorders (ICCIDD) recommend a slightly higher iodine intake for pregnant women of 250 mcg per day.* If you notice, those amounts are micrograms, not milligrams. One thousand micrograms equals one milligram. All too often, people are being told to take unsafe quantities of iodine. You can get too much iodine, and it can cause a lot of problems. One of the most significant issues resulting from excess iodine is that your Wolff-Chaikoff mechanism may become compromised, and you can develop iodine-induced hypothyroidism . Avoid all supplements providing high-dose iodine; taking dosages such as five to fifteen milligrams (5000 - 15000 micrograms) is not a good idea. The risks far outweigh any claimed benefits. Consume whole foods rich in this vital mineral to ensure you get enough iodine. Good food sources include: Irish or Scottish seaweed (it is lower in heavy metals than seaweed from other places) Pastured Eggs Grass-Fed Dairy Products Wild Seafood and Roe If you have hyperthyroidism or Graves disease, it’s not a good idea to consume lots of iodine, and your doctor may put you on a low-iodine diet. Wild salmon roe is one of the most amazing foods for your thyroid. Supplements for thyroid health Nourishing whole-food supplements are a great way to support your thyroid ( real ones, not all the fake whole-food ones out there ). However, taking them daily at the correct dosage is essential for them to work. It can take several months to start to feel the full benefits. Taking too low a dose, taking them inconsistently, or taking them for too short a period will not get you the results you are looking for. Rosita Wild Seaweed capsules are a natural, whole-food source of iodine. They are lower in contaminants and heavy metals than seaweed harvested from many other areas. They are hand-harvested in Scotland and gently dried. If you are hyperthyroid, you should not take seaweed capsules. If you have Hashimoto's disease, you should speak with your doctor before using any seaweed or iodine supplements, as there may be contraindications. Grass-fed thyroid is packed with important nutrition for thyroid health. Do not use this if you have an overactive thyroid or take thyroid medication. Grass-Fed kidney is a rich source of bioavailable selenium, with all its needed cofactors. Selenium is so crucial for thyroid function. Synthetic selenium supplements do not compare. Grass-fed liver is a rich source of vitamin A (as retinol), tyrosine, and manganese, three essential nutrients for thyroid function. Oyster capsules are a whole-food source of zinc. Unlike most zinc supplements, this zinc is easily absorbed and gentle on the stomach. Whole food fish oil and salmon roe capsules are the best supplemental sources of omega-three. They provide valuable nutrients, such as vitamin A (as retinol) and omega fatty acids in their natural state, to support healthy thyroid function. However, whole food omega fatty acid supplements differ significantly from traditional, heavily refined omega-three products. You can read more about this difference here . Ashwagandha is an herb that helps to support a healthy thyroid. If you are hyperthyroid, you should not take ashwagandha. Activated yellow maca ( raw maca will actually worsen thyroid function ) is another wonderful food for thyroid health. It helps to support a healthy pituitary gland (where TSH is produced) and helps to support a healthy stress response. In addition, it can help support healthy energy levels. It’s never too late to start working on your thyroid health. The best time is now! You don’t have to be perfect; going slow and gradually implementing changes is okay. The most important thing is to get started and be consistent. ThyroiD Health Questions And Support If you have questions about thyroid health, email us at info@rooted-nutrition.com , and our superstar staff will be happy to help! Look how happy Mr. Thyroid is after you started nourishing him properly!

Your brain is a hard worker. Did you know your brain consumes more energy than any other organ, up to twenty percent of your body’s total energy use? So if you want this hard-working organ to function at its best, you must feed it right. What are some ways to support brain health? Nourishing your brain is more than just about the food you put in. You need to feed your brain in six ways: stress reduction, exercise, sunlight, being outdoors, sleep, and food. Each of these is just as important as the others. Working on each is critical if you genuinely want to improve your brain function. The first is relieving stress. Chronic stress has an incredibly negative effect on your brain. Chronically elevated levels of cortisol can cause brain atrophy and reduce volume . Reducing stress is too big of a topic to cover in this article, so check out our article, Stress 101 , for ways to help you manage stress. The brain needs two types of exercise, physical and mental. Activity that promotes circulation is excellent for your old bean, such as moderate or vigorous cardiovascular exercise (brisk walking, jogging, running, biking, swimming, etc.). Shoot for at least 150 minutes a week of these exercises, divided into multiple sessions (always talk to your doctor before starting an exercise program if you have heart problems). These aerobic exercises help increase brain volume and reduce the risk of dementia. Yoga , Tai-Chi , and dancing also have shown lots of benefits. So get moving! Brain Exercises There are so many great ways to exercise your brain. However, don’t rely on apps that cater to improving brain function. Most of them are not nearly as effective as they claim to be . Jigsaw Puzzles Cards There is never a wrong time to take up poker and blackjack. Learning a new language Choose a place you always wanted to go and tell your significant other you need to go there to learn the language. It’s ok if you just want to eat chocolate croissants in Paris, they don't need to know that's why you chose french. Learn a new skill. Teach someone else a skill you know. Listen to and learn to play music. Meditation Experiment with new ways of doing things. Take a different route to the store or work. Do a task differently than you usually would. Sunshine and Brain Health Believe it or not, sunlight is one of the best ways to feed your brain. At sunrise, before looking at your phone and turning on the tv, get barefoot, go outside and get at least fifteen minutes of morning sunshine with your feet in the grass. This is how the body is meant to wake up and greet the day. It will make a massive difference in your health, improve sleep, reduce inflammation, and make your whole day seem better. Then at sunset, do the same thing again. It will make a big difference in your sleep and how you feel. Our bodies are meant to get morning and sunset sunshine. At night after sunset sunlight, wear proper blue light blocking glasses to ensure that blue light from phones, computers, and TVs do not reverse many of the benefits of sunset sunlight. Unfortunately, most blue light glasses do not block much blue light (despite their claims). Here is our pick , which blocks over 95% of blue light. Properly made blue light glasses are one of the best ways to support your brain and improve sleep. Nature, the outdoors, and brain health Next up in our brain-feeding journey is being outdoors in nature. The fresh air and connection to nature have soo many benefits . Bonus points if you can walk around barefoot, this is called grounding . It reduces stress and anxiety, improves the immune system, reduces inflammation and improves creativity, concentration and focus, and much more. So what are you waiting for? Get out there and get hiking. Sleep and Brain health Sleep is next on our list. We all know getting a good night's rest is essential, but did you know how important it is to your brain? Sleep loss can make it hard to focus and concentrate during the day. It can also make your mood much worse. In addition, long-term sleep deprivation can lead to a host of cognitive issues . Check out our blog,   From Sleepless Nights to Peaceful Slumber , for lots of great tips to help you get a good night's rest. B12 and brain health Age, certain medications, and some restrictive diets can cause a b12 deficiency that often manifests as cognitive decline, dementia, or Alzheimer 's like symptoms. Unfortunately, standard blood testing does not always do a great job of detecting deficiency of b12 in tissues and the brain. As a result, many people are deficient in b12 even though their blood test shows normal levels. We recommend talking to your doctor about getting a test for methylmalonic acid (MMA), in addition to a standard blood test, as this can sometimes show markers of a deficiency that a standard blood test cannot. Urinary Tract Infection and Brain Health Another issue that can arise is the rapid onset of delirium, confusion, and other symptoms in some older adults. This can often result from an untreated urinary tract infection without traditional urinary tract infection symptoms. If you notice symptoms like this in you or a loved one, get to a doctor immediately to get tested. Make sure to drink plenty of water and get lots of electrolytes because a hydrated brain is a happy brain. Brain Health Foods Your brain needs lots of nutrition. Here are some of our favorite nutrient-dense ones. Probiotic Foods - Your gut and brain have a connection, often called the gut-brain axis. Sometimes the gut is referred to as the second brain. Eating probiotic-rich foods can help to nourish that connection. Lacto-fermented p ickles Grass-fed yogurt and kefir Miso Tempeh Whole food probiotic supplements Pastured eggs are rich in DHA, b-vitamins, phosphatidylcholine, and much more. These nutrients help your brain to function at its best. DHA and phospholipids , in particular, help to support the structure and volume of your brain. Avocados are rich in healthy fats, vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Avocados are rich in monounsaturated fats and potassium (if you are on a potassium-restricted diet, do not start eating more potassium foods), which can help reduce blood pressure. Uncontrolled high blood pressure increases the risk of dementia. Avocados are particularly rich in vitamin E and K, which help to reduce stroke risk. The antioxidants in avocados help to reduce inflammation in the brain. Maybe the millennials are right about something. Blueberries are one of the most potent brain foods you can get. There is a lot of research showing tremendous benefits. They reduce oxidative stress and inflammation in the brain and improve memory and blood flow. Frozen blueberries (check out Stahlbush Farms if you want the most delicious frozen blueberries) are best when fresh blueberries are not in season because they are picked at the peak of ripeness, whereas fresh blueberries are often picked unripe. A big handful of blueberries daily is one of the best ways to support your brain. Other fruits such as strawberries, apples, mangoes, papaya, kiwi, guava, pineapple, and more are also great for brain health. So eat plenty of fruit! Wild-caught fish - You’ve probably heard someone call fish brain food, and they would be correct. Fish are rich in fats (such as omega-three) essential to the brain's structure and volume. They also support a number of other important brain functions. Unfortunately, good-quality wild-caught fish can get expensive. Some easy, more affordable ways to get more fish in your diet are to get canned wild sardines, mackerel, and salmon (avoid eating a lot of tuna because it is higher in mercury than most fish) with the skin on. You can find them at any grocery store. Just make sure they have no added vegetable oils. It’s best to get them packed in water. Canned wild-caught fish is also one of the best, most affordable proteins! Uturunku Ceremonial Cacao is a fantastic brain food. This type of cacao is rich in bioactive compounds and tryptamine. Take it in the evening while journaling. It is made from a rare variety of cacao hand-harvested and processed in Tarapoto, Peru. Regular cacao does not have anywhere near the levels of tryptamine and bioactive compounds. Cacao is a sacred food with so many incredible benefits. Grass-fed liver (and other organ meats) is one of the best brain foods. It is rich in b vitamins, vitamin A, minerals (such as zinc and iron), and choline. Think of it as the food equivalent of a multivitamin for your brain. In addition to being rich in those nutrients, it contains them in their most usable and bioavailable forms. High polyphenol olive oil is another excellent brain food. Not only does good olive oil have fats that are great for the brain, but it also has polyphenols that are potent antioxidants. Look for olive oil with its polyphenol content tested and containing at least 900 mg/kg. Unfortunately, a lot of olive oil has little to no polyphenols because it is adulterated with seed oils. Check out Extra Virginity to learn about how prevalent olive oil adulteration is. Hint, it’s very prevalent. Most olive oil is adulterated (yes, even the organic ones from the health food store). Avoid olive oils that list multiple countries of origin on the label, as these are the most likely to be adulterated. One to two tablespoons of good olive oil per day has enormous benefits. Eat it off the spoon or drizzle it on food, rather than cooking it, for maximum benefit. We often get asked what our number one brain food is. That food is wild salmon roe. Fish eggs have so many benefits that it’s hard to know where to begin. Check out this article to learn more about them. If you could only do one brain food daily, one tablespoon of wild salmon roe should be it. You can buy high-quality wild salmon roe here , here , and here , or call your local fish monger to see if they have some. Whole food Brain Health Supplements There are many supplements that can help support a healthy brain, but we wanted to focus on a few of our favorites. First up is a whole food omega-three supplement . Nearly everyone in the United States consumes too much omega-six and too little omega-three. Your ratio of omega-six to omega-three should be 2-3:1, but most people are over 50-100:1. You can order an at-home test (we have no affiliation with the company)to see your levels. We highly recommend doing that. Increasing the amount of omega-three and decreasing the amount of omega-six ( it is just as important to lower your omega-six intake as it is to increase your omega-three ) in your diet. The best source of omega-three is wild-caught fish. Second to that is a whole food, unrefined omega-three supplement. Most omega-three products are heavily refined and processed. Unfortunately, that strips out many of their beneficial nutrients and fatty acids. Think of white bread versus whole wheat bread. The heavy processing also changes the structure of fatty acids to a form that is not found in food. These are not the same fatty acids you get in fish. Our choice of whole-food, unrefined, omega-three fatty acid supplements is here . These virgin fish oils are also rich in vitamins A and D and other critical brain-supporting nutrients. You can read more about the difference between whole food and refined fish oils here . There is a massive difference in producing whole food fish oil and traditional fish oil products. Next up is concentrated black maca . It is the perfect food for fighting that afternoon slump Unfortunately, too many maca products are not made correctly and contain compounds such as mold and high levels of goitrogens that can have the opposite effect of what you are looking for. Check out this article to learn what it takes to make a good maca supplement. Try gradually replacing your morning coffee with it. Your body will thank you! An excellent whole food complete probiotic supplement (containing whole-food prebiotics, live probiotics, and postbiotics in adequate amounts) to support your gut-brain axis is another way to support your brain. Unfortunately, nearly all probiotics are anything but live and whole food. Check out this article to find out what goes into making a real, live whole-food probiotic supplement. Last is our whole food “multivitamin” for your brain and our favorite brain health supplement. NXGEN Wholefoods Whole Brain contains grass-fed ovine brain (there is no risk of BSE), pituitary gland, hypothalamus gland, pineal gland, and beef liver. This blend of foods is rich in many of the nutrients that your brain needs, in forms that are far more bioavailable than the types found in other foods. Brain is rich in phospholipid-bound omega fatty acids and other fat-soluble nutrients that can cross the blood-brain barrier and be utilized by the brain . Brain is also rich in sphingomyelin, which supports a healthy central nervous system. Liver is rich in b-12 and folate, essential nutrients for brain health, and chromium, which helps to support healthy hypothalamus gland function. This product is packed with brain-supporting nutrition. No other supplement comes even close to the nutritional punch that this does for your brain. It's time for you to get outside in the sunshine (barefoot), take a hike in the woods, and eat your brain foods because there is never a better time to start than today! Brain Health Support We know this is a lot of information, so if you have questions about brain health, email us at   info@rooted-nutrition.com . We will be happy to answer any questions you have!

Not a day goes by when we don’t get questions about the various “other” ingredients in supplements. There are a number of additives in supplements: fillers, binders, dilutents, dissolution aids, excipients, sweeteners, flavorings, colors, enteric coating, and the ingredients a capsule, chewable, or softgel is made of. Every once in a while, either due to a social media trend, a company's marketing efforts, or an in vitro study discussed on the news, a particular one will enter the spotlight. Often, the big headlines are completely wrong, but they get picked up, and by then, the bad information has made the rounds, and it’s too late to stop it. Many companies use the fact that they are free of a particular ingredient in their marketing, trying to convince people that because their product is free of a specific additive, it’s better than other products. In case it’s not clear from all my other blogs, I am not a huge fan of most marketing departments.  Why are additives used in supplements? There are several reasons why additives are sometimes necessary. Here are a few examples: Make an ingredient go through the machinery more easily. Protect ingredients from degradation. Fill up a capsule. Increase the absorption of nutrients or compounds. Speed up the breakdown of a tablet. Hold a tablet together. Make ingredients blend together more easily. Improve the dissolution of powders into liquids. Improve the taste of a formula. Improve the mouthfeel of a formula. Used as a carrier for an ingredient. Some ingredients need to have a carrier to make them able to be added to a formula or are added as part of their drying process. For example, some ingredients are spray-dried onto a carrier, such as maltodextrin. Used to dilute an ingredient that is too concentrated to be added directly to a formula.  Used as a preservative. Used as a stabilizer to keep the pH in the correct range to prevent the growth of mold, yeasts, bacteria, or fungi. Does every formula need these things? Nope, but some do. Not everything can be made additive-free, despite the marketing claims made by certain companies and influencers.  What are the different additives in supplements? There are numerous types used, and it would be impossible to cover them all in one article; however, we can discuss the most common ones. Cellulose There are a lot of types of cellulose used in supplements that perform a variety of functions. Cellulose in supplements is derived from various plants and then modified in specific ways to suit its intended use. You will see various forms of it going by different names in supplements. Methylcellulose This is used to fill capsules. Sometimes, the ingredients and amounts in a capsule don’t completely fill it, so cellulose is added to fill the rest of the capsule. Hypromellose, also known as HPMC or hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose. A semi-synthetic polymer. This is what most vegicaps and vegetarian capsules are made from. These capsules break down faster than gelatin capsules. Croscarmellose sodium A cross-linked sodium carboxymethylcellulose that is used to help tablets disintegrate faster. Carboxymethylcellulose, also known as CMC or cellulose gum Used as a thickener, stabilizer, and emulsifier. Microcrystalline cellulose Purified form of cellulose. Used a capsule or tablet filler, which helps to make it easier for manufacturing equipment to compress a formula, allowing for smaller tablets and capsules to be used. Also used as an anti-caking agent. DR Caps A special kind of HPMC capsule that is slower to break down than regular vegetarian capsules, which helps to protect ingredients from digestive secretions.  Silica, also known as silicon dioxide. It can be derived from various sources, including quartz or sand, or synthetically produced. Used as an anti-caking agent Used to make it easier for ingredients to go through the tableting and encapsulation equipment. Stearates Made by reacting stearic acid, which in supplements is usually derived from coconut and palm oils, with a mineral such as magnesium oxide.  Goes by a number of names, including stearic acid, magnesium stearate, calcium stearate, vegetable magnesium stearate, and vegetable stearates. Used as a lubricant to prevent ingredients from sticking to the machinery.  Citric Acid Generally produced via fermentation. Occasionally extracted from fruit, however, it is extremely expensive to produce large amounts of citric acid that way, so it is not done very often. Used as a pH stabilizer to prevent mold, fungi, bacteria, and yeast growth. Glycerin Derived from oils including palm, coconut, and rapeseed. Helps to improve taste, texture, mouthfeel, and coat tablets to make them easier to swallow. Gelatin Can be made from beef (sometimes labeled as bovine), pork (sometimes labeled as porcine), or fish. Used to make capsules. These break down more slowly than vegicaps and provide more protection from digestive secretions than traditional vegetarian capsules. Talc, also known as magnesium silicate Used as a lubricant to help things flow through the machine more easily. Titanium dioxide Used as a whitening agent.  Maltodextrin It is derived from a variety of plants, typically through a process of hydrolysis. Acts as a carrier for other ingredients. For example, many ingredients are spray-dried onto it. Added as a carbohydrate source to some supplements. Polydextrose A type of fiber that acts as a binder to help hold tablets together. Dicalcium phosphate Typically made by reacting phosphoric acid with a calcium-containing substance like calcium hydroxide (lime) or tricalcium phosphate . Has a number of uses, including serving as a filler, binder, helping to speed up tablet disintegration, and acting as an anti-caking agent. BHT, also known as Butylated hydroxytoluene  Used as a preservative. Carrageenan,  Typically derived from red seaweed. Also known as seaweed extract. It is considered a gum. Used to help prevent vegetarian softgels from breaking down.  Also used as an emulsifier and thickener. Povidone A type of plastic used as a carrier for ingredients. Modified food starch  Sometimes labeled as rice starch or tapioca starch. Used as a tablet binder and flow agent to make it easier for materials to go through machinery. Ascorbyl palmitate Typically made using ascorbic acid and palmitic acid derived from a variety of sources. A fat-soluble form of vitamin C used as a lubricant. Leucine  An amino acid used as a lubricant. Sorbitol A sugar alcohol that is used to keep softgels from breaking down. Caramel color A coloring agent made from burnt sugar. Enteric coating This can be made from a lot of different ingredients and is used to protect pills from stomach acid. Rosemary Extract Preservative Lecithin Usually derived from soy or sunflower. Sometimes called phospholipids. Used as an emulsifier. Potassium sorbate Used as a preservative. Sodium Benzoate Used as a preservative. Gums Also known as guar gum, xanthan gum, gellan gum, and cellulose gum Used as thickeners and emulsifiers. Rice Hulls and Rice Starch Used as lubricants, anti-caking agents, and fillers. Some ingredients, like SAM-e have properties that require more additives to make the supplement properly. Without the additives, the Sam-E would break down and become ineffective. Ways that companies hide additives in their products There are several ways companies conceal additives on the label, and at other times, companies simply fail to list them, which is an unfortunate but common practice. Sometimes, companies are aware that consumers are avoiding certain additives, so they prefer not to list them on the label; however, they still need that additive to make the formula effective. One of the best examples of this is carrageenan. Many companies simply changed the name from carrageenan to seaweed extract. Now their label looks cleaner and people are happy, but the formula remains unchanged. Here are a few more examples: Labeling talc as magnesium silicate. Labeling Magnesium stearate as stearates or stearic acid from a vegetable source. Name changing is one of the most frequently used methods companies employ to hide additives.  The first trick used is changing where the additives are placed on the label and in the formula to make it appear as though the product is additive-free, even though it's not, which helps with marketing. Here are a few examples: Listing ascorbyl palmitate as a vitamin C source when it is being used a flow agent. You would see this on a label where there were only a few milligrams of vitamin C. Putting things like lecithin or sugars in an ingredient blend rather than in the other ingredients.  Leaving off ingredients from a more complex additive is our next magic trick. An example of this is enteric coating. Enteric coatings often contain undesirable substances, such as plastics, phthalates, parabens, and a range of other unwanted ingredients. What a lot of companies will do is put enteric coating on the label and not put what’s in it, despite being required to by law, or they will write something like enteric coating (water, cellulose, gellan gum) and not put the rest of the ingredients in the enteric coating on the label. This makes their label look clean, which is excellent for marketing. We recommend avoiding all enteric-coated supplements, as it is nearly impossible to know if companies are being honest about listing all of the ingredients. There are newer and better ways to protect supplements, so there is really no need for enteric coating anymore, except that companies can save a few cents by using enteric coating instead of the superior new methods that are available. Another practice is for companies to simply not list ingredients on the label. This can stem from their being deceptive, wanting to advertise as additive-free, or because they are unaware of what’s actually in the raw materials they are using. Here are a few examples of this: Betaine HCL is often spray-dried onto povidone, a plastic. This ingredient is rarely listed on the label, despite being used in the production of most Betaine HCL supplements. BHT is used as a preservative in most bulk vitamin D used to make supplements. This is almost never listed on the label. Lactose is also used as a filler in bulk vitamin D that is used to make supplements, but is almost never listed on the label.  Maltodextrin is often added to aloe supplements to help them pass testing and make them appear to have more polysaccharides than they actually do. It is almost never listed on the label. Maltodextrin and other starches are often used as a carrier for various spray-dried ingredients, including mushrooms, fruit, herbs, and vegetable powders. It is almost never listed on the label.  Caramelized sugar is often added to many maca powders to impart a distinct flavor, but it is not disclosed on the label. There are far too many examples of this to list. Including ingredients in a product without listing them on the label is a despicable practice that needs to be ended.  Are additives in supplements safe? Before we delve into that question, we need to go over some basic science. There are three main types of research, and it is crucial to understand what each one is. In vitro Studies are done in a petri dish or test tube. This is often done with human cells or blood samples, which can lead to considerable confusion. Studies on human cells or blood are not the same as studies conducted on live people, and results obtained from human cells should not be extrapolated to have the same effects on a live person. In vivo Studies conducted on live people. Animal study Studies are conducted on laboratory animals, such as mice, rats, and rabbits. It’s really important to understand that just because something happens to cells in a petri dish or mice, it does not mean that those adverse effects will happen in people, or that something dangerous to cells in a petri dish or lab rats will hurt people. For example, you can achieve a high enough concentration of vitamin C in a petri dish to kill cells, but that does not mean that vitamin C is harmful to people. The way animals metabolize things is often different than people, and ingesting a substance and having it go through the digestive process in a live person is very different than dumping a bunch of a substance on cells in a petri dish. Another thing to consider is that there are often different forms of the same ingredient, where one form is harmful and the other is not. Research showing one form is bad for you does not mean that all forms are bad. For example, studies showing that degraded carageenan causes health problems do not mean that non-degraded carageenan causes the same health issues.  The next consideration is the dosage. Many substances, when taken in high dosages, can be harmful; however, in the small amounts found in supplements or foods, there are often no issues. For example, drinking too much water in a short period can be fatal, but it does not mean that adding a small amount of water to a supplement is dangerous.  Lastly, regarding the safety of additives, some ingredients can be either harmful or safe, depending on the method of exposure. For example, inhaling silicon dioxide (silica) is very harmful to the lungs, but that does not mean that ingesting some in a pill is equally detrimental. How good research is conducted involves researching a substance in vitro, then in animal studies, and finally in vivo. Claims for safety or negative effects in people should not be based on in vitro and animal studies. Three additives seem to receive the most attention, so we will use them as an example when discussing the safety of supplement additives.  Carrageenan in supplements The first is carrageenan. Multiple studies have demonstrated that degraded carrageenan can lead to significant issues in the gut. Degraded carrageenan is actually used in lab animal studies to cause intestinal ulceration. However, non-degraded carrageenan has not shown the same problematic effects in people. Studies done on degraded carrageenan do not prove that non-degraded carrageenan is harmful and should not be automatically applied. Unfortunately, far too many companies decided to demonize carrageenan and advertise their products as being free from it, without informing people that what they were referencing was not commonly found in foods and supplements. The real issue with carrageenan in supplements and foods is that it can be almost impossible to know if a company is using degraded or non-degraded carrageenan. All companies claim to use the non-degraded version, but we know that corporations often exaggerate or mislead to increase profits. Lots of companies are now listing seaweed extract or Irish moss on their label instead of carrageenan, even though the ingredient has not changed, in order to appeal to consumers looking for carrageenan-free products. This is excellent marketing, but not exactly an ethical practice. On another note, it’s amusing to see so many people and companies who are anti-carrageenan taking and selling sea moss gel, which is packed with carrageenan. Silicon dioxide and silica in supplements It's become quite popular recently to criticize this additive. Inhaling silicon dioxide can indeed be harmful, but that is not how you are supposed to take your supplements. Lots of things are harmful when inhaled, but completely safe when ingested. This is because fine particles and powders can damage delicate lung tissues. Many companies have been marketing their products as safe and superior because they are free from silicon dioxide. They claim silicon dioxide harms the gut in various ways. The problem is that all of the studies they quote as saying they are bad are in vitro and animal studies. When safety is examined, taking into account more than just those factors, including human research, those issues are not identified. The European Food Safety Authority stated: “The Panel concluded that E 551 (silicon dioxide) does not raise a safety concern in all population groups at the reported uses and use levels. The use of E 551 in food for infants below 16 weeks of age in FC 13.1.1 and FC 13.1.5.1 does not raise a safety concern at the current exposure levels.”  Magnesium stearates, stearates, and stearic acid in supplements No other additive has gotten a worse rap in the past few years than magnesium stearate. Magnesium stearate is made by combining magnesium with stearic acid. A few companies found studies showing that it caused problems in rats and test tubes, and then they exaggerated those claims to sell their products, leading to many people insisting that magnesium stearate is harmful and should not be in supplements. Now, most of our products don’t contain magnesium stearate, and I don't particularly care if people want to avoid it, but I really hate it when companies promote misleading or incorrect information to sell products. The average supplement that contains magnesium stearate contains about twenty milligrams of stearic acid. The average chocolate bar contains approximately 5,000 milligrams (five grams) of stearic acid. You would need to take a lot of pills, far more than anyone would actually take, just to get the same amount of stearic acid in one chocolate bar. Let’s review a few of the studies and claims cited to try to convince people that it is dangerous. The first   study was based on the effects of stearic acid on T-cells in vitro (cells in a lab setting). The cells were saturated with stearic acid. The problem here is not just that we should not apply the results of test tube studies to live people; it’s that cells in your body would never be exposed to levels of stearic acid as high as those in these studies because it’s not physiologically possible. You would be dead if you had that high of levels in your body of any fatty acid. This is the study most often cited to claim that magnesium stearate is detrimental to the immune system.  Another claim is that magnesium stearate promotes the formation of colonies of harmful bacteria in the gut and creates biofilms that reduce nutrient absorption. We have seen this claim repeated numerous times, and yet when we contact the websites and companies promoting it, they are unable to provide any references to support those claims. It appears that the various places promoting this are simply copying each other and hoping no one actually investigates it. We could find no studies on PubMed or other scientific publications showing support for these claims. If someone has a study that supports their claims, please send it to us, as we would love to read it. The other thing to know is that not all biofilms are bad; some are very important to our gut microbiome. The next claim we have seen is that magnesium stearate reduces the absorption of nutrients. The  study  most often cited for this shows that magnesium stearate may slightly change the release rate of the ingredients, but it did not show that it reduced the absorption of nutrients.   Another strange claim we have seen is that magnesium stearate is the same as blackboard chalk. This is just patently false. It is an entirely different compound. It's really weird to have companies saying something like this that would be easily debunked.  The use of pesticides to grow the oils from which it is made is another claim for why magnesium stearate is bad. The issue with that claim is that the stearic acid is isolated, highly purified, and refined from the original oil, meaning little to no pesticide residue would remain. Pesticide residue is not an issue with magnesium stearate, regardless of the plant from which it is made.  There was a single batch of magnesium stearate made by one manufacturer that was found to be contaminated. However, this was a manufacturing issue, and no one was harmed by it. Saying this is a reason to avoid magnesium stearate is like saying that because one batch of lettuce was contaminated with Listeria, no one should ever eat lettuce again. It is often claimed that magnesium stearate is made from trans fats. This is not true, as the stearic acid commonly used in supplements is derived from non-hydrogenated plant oils, such as palm. In the past, some stearic acid used in supplements was made from animal fats, but that is not really done much anymore. That claim is just patently false and would only be used by people who are being completely disingenuous or those who don’t know how it is made. Now, I will say that there is an ethical issue with a lot of magnesium stearate. Most magnesium stearate is made with stearic acid derived from palm oil.   Palm oil is horrible for the environment. While these misleading advertising and marketing campaigns should never have happened, one good thing that came out of it is a reduction in palm oil usage in supplements. Look for this symbol on product pages on our website to see products that are made without palm oil. Here are some additives that we do recommend avoiding: Sodium Benzoate Titanium dioxide Talc (magnesium silicate) Phthalates Parabens Povidone BHT Propylene and polyethylene glycol Gums If you have gut issues, eliminating gums from food and supplements can be beneficial for some individuals with gut problems. Carrageenan While non-degraded carrageenan is not harmful, it can be challenging to determine whether companies are using the non-degraded or degraded form to save a few bucks. Therefore, it is best to avoid it unless you are 100% certain that the company did not use the degraded form. Unfortunately, not all of these additives will appear on the label, even if they are present in the product, due to dishonesty or a lack of knowledge on the part of the companies selling the products.  While many additives may have long names that seem intimidating, most of them are completely harmless at the amounts and delivery systems used in supplements. They are being used as a scare tactic by companies to make their products appear better in marketing campaigns, rather than being based on any real science. We have a wide range of products without additives, but that does not necessarily make them better than products with additives. Whether or not something contains an additive is not the determining factor as to its quality. For example, an additive-free SAM-e supplement would be a very poor-quality product. There are far more important things to consider when deciding whether a product is good or not. Check out our blog   on quality control to see what things you should look for. Additives in Supplements - Questions and Support If you have questions about the additives used in our supplements, please email us at info@rooted-nutrition.com , and we will be happy to answer them!

It’s no secret that a lot of kids don’t eat as well as they should. Because of this, many parents give their kids vitamins to help fill in the gaps. What are the problems with kid's vitamins and gummies? Unfortunately, the kids' vitamins on the market have a lot of drawbacks and are filled with all kinds of crap. However, since there have been no clean, whole-food children's vitamins, what choice did people have but to use the subpar products? There is a multitude of problems with nearly all kid's vitamins. The average kid's gummy or chewable vitamin should really be called the destroyers of teeth. Packed with sugar and acidic vitamins like ascorbic acid, they go at tooth enamel like I go at croissants. Ask your dentist how they feel about gummy vitamins.  Refined sugars - There is no question about it; nearly every kid consumes far too much refined sugar. A lot of kid’s vitamins contain loads of refined sugar. You will see it under many different names, such as: Tapioca maltodextrin Maltodextrin Cane sugar Dextrose Fructose Corn syrup High fructose corn syrup Agave The last thing kids need is a bunch of refined sugar in their multivitamins. One very popular kid’s vitamin contains nearly the equivalent of 2 teaspoons of added sugar per serving. How healthy! No kid needs to start the day with this much refined sugar from a vitamin. Those that don’t use sugar often contain sugar alternatives, these include: Artificial Splenda (sucralose) Aspartame Acesulfame K Saccharin Sugar Alcohols Xylitol Maltitol Sorbitol Erythritol “Natural sweeteners” Stevia Monk Fruit Allulose All of these sweeteners have significant drawbacks and are best to be avoided. The stevia added to kid’s vitamins (and many foods) is not what people think it is. Most people believe that it is just some ground-up stevia leaves. When you see stevia listed in the ingredients, nearly all of the time, it is some isolated compounds called steviol glycosides, not whole stevia leaf. Whole stevia leaf powder is green and has a potent aftertaste. Any white stevia powder is a heavily refined product, nothing like stevia leaves. In addition, several health concerns are related to the consumption of isolated steviol glycosides. As with other no-calorie sweeteners, it can increase sugar cravings. Monk fruit has similar issues to stevia. Despite its natural, whole-food product image, it is anything but. The process of making monk fruit sweetener purifies and isolates several compounds. It is nothing like eating whole food, despite the marketing of it. It also can increase sugar cravings. There are also ethical issues with the labor used to harvest most of it. In addition, the long-term effects of children consuming non-nutritive sweeteners have not been studied. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics: "Looking at the evidence, we found there’s still a lot to learn about the impact of non-nutritive sweeteners on children’s health,” said Carissa Baker-Smith, MD, MPH, FAAP, lead author of the AAP policy statement. “We need more research into the use of non-nutritive sweeteners and the risk for obesity and Type 2 diabetes, especially in children. Considering how many children are regularly consuming these products – which have become ubiquitous -- we should have a better understanding of how they impact children’s long-term health.” Rather than conduct a science experiment on our kids, it's probably best to avoid them until their safety can be determined. Most liquid vitamins contain preservatives like sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate, which no kid needs. In addition, many vitamins are not stable in liquid, resulting in liquid vitamins quickly losing their potency. "Natural" Flavorings in kid's vitamins Nearly all kid’s vitamins contain artificial or “natural” flavorings. Most people do not understand that “natural” flavors are anything but natural. Often, companies will claim that it is made from the fruit that the flavor claims to be, but this is nothing but marketing speak. Companies that develop and sell “natural” flavorings are not required to list the ingredients that go into making the flavorings. There are over three thousand that can be used. The FDA defines flavors as: “Oils, resins and other extractions derived from plant or animal sources (called “natural”) or man-made compounds (“artificial”) that are synthesized in a lab.” Now, you would think that the FDA regulates natural flavors and decides which ones are safe. Unfortunately, as with most things in our government, corporate interests decide that. A trade group, the   Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association   serves as the de facto regulator. I’m sure you can imagine where their funding comes from. This group operates with the blessing of the FDA. How has letting corporations decide what is safe worked out for us in the past? In Europe, corporations must have their flavors and other ingredients reviewed by an independent agency; their word is not just accepted. Here, we let them decide, and the FDA accepts their recommendations. The organization does not make the vast majority of its research publicly available. A Center for Public Integrity review of documents provided by the Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association found that four of the group’s most recent safety assessments depended largely on studies that were not published in scientific literature. Public interest groups say that is problematic because it doesn’t allow the scientific community to vouch for the industry’s safety decisions. Gee, I wonder why they might not want to publicize their research. “Given the competitive landscape in our industry, many companies, including ours, regard our flavor formulations as valuable proprietary business information,” Donald Wilkes, president and chief executive officer of California-based Blue Pacific Flavors, emailed in response to questions. “We typically do not share this information unless required to do so for legal reasons.” Nevertheless, the public should be assured food flavor safety standards are high, said Kevin Renskers, president-elect of the Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association and vice president for corporate safety and regulatory affairs at Takasago International Corp. So basically, they are saying, no, you cannot see the ingredients, no, you cannot see the research, you just have to trust us. The flavor industry makes its safety evaluations “behind closed doors” and then asks consumers to trust them, said Caroline Cox, research director for the Center for Environmental Health. “We just have enough experience with all kinds of toxic chemicals to know not to want to trust an evaluation if someone says, ‘Trust us, it’s all OK.’” “There is some real need for reform here,” Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine, who serves on a subcommittee that oversees the FDA, said in an emailed statement. “We can do better than just letting the flavor industry decide for themselves which chemicals they can put in food without any oversight.” Letting corporations decide what is safe, with little to no oversight, always works out great, right? It’s not like any of these companies have a long history of doing horrible things, right? Another issue with flavorings is that they allow companies to use cheaper, inferior, and poor-quality ingredients, and the flavors cover it up. Why pay the money for real fruit powder when you can spend next to nothing on Frankenstein “fruit” flavoring? The next time you see a product with “natural” flavorings, be aware that you can never really know what is in it and if it was adequately tested to be safe. A big problem with gummy vitamins is the manufacturing process. Making a gummy requires a much harsher process than making a capsule or powder. This means that many raw materials cannot be used because they do not hold up to the process. That is why nearly all gummy vitamins have to use poor quality forms of nutrients because the better forms break down, are not stable enough, or become degraded during the harsh processing steps that gummy vitamins have to go through. Ingredient potency is a real problem for a lot of gummy vitamins. Due to stability issues and harsh processing during the gummy vitamin manufacturing process, many of them fail to meet the amounts of ingredients claimed on the label. To try to fix this issue, companies spray the vitamins onto the outside of the gummy, like how flavoring is added to many candies. However, this creates stability problems and will cause many nutrients to degrade faster. Let's stop teaching our kids that candy is healthy. Most ultra-processed foods targeted towards kids, such as cereal and goldfish, are packed with synthetic vitamins. The average kid is getting plenty of those. What they are missing is nutrient-dense whole foods. Identifying the problems with kid’s vitamins was easy. Finding something clean that kids would take was another story. As we all know, kids will only take something if it tastes good. What Should you look for in kid's vitamins? First up, it had to be free of all “natural” and artificial flavorings for the reasons listed above. We wanted the taste to come from whole foods, such as organic fruit. Second, it needed to be free of sweeteners. Most kids get far too much sugar, so added sugars were out of the question, and we did not want the negative effects on the teeth that come from sweetened chewables and gummies. All of the alternative sweeteners have problems (including xylitol, monk fruit, and stevia), such as negatively impacting the gut microbiome and increasing cravings for sweets, so those were out of the question. Thirdly, it needed to be free of common allergens, such as wheat,  gluten, tree nuts, peanuts,  shellfish, and soy, so that as many children as possible could use it. Fourth was that it needed to be 100% whole food. This meant that only nutrient-dense whole foods would be used to create the most nourishing supplement possible. We wanted foods that contained nutrients in their most bioavailable forms as well. We certainly did not need another fake whole food kid's vitamin ; there are plenty of those on the market already. No synthetic or isolated vitamins would be used at any time in the process. This would be the first 100% whole food kid’s multivitamin on the market. Check out our blog to learn more about the difference between real whole-food supplements and fake ones.  We wanted a product that was traceable back to the farms it came from so we could know that it was produced ethically and free of contamination. Check out our Farm-To-Bottle Project to learn more about why it is essential to know exactly where the ingredients in a supplement come from. Lastly, it had to have sufficient amounts of ingredients. Unfortunately, fairy dusting is an all too common practice in the supplement industry. This is where companies put lots of ingredients into a product to make the label look good and make it more marketable, but the amounts of each ingredient are too low actually to do anything. Here is an example of that: While that fruit and vegetable blend might look good on the label, a twenty-five-milligram blend of twelve fruits and vegetables means you only get about two milligrams of each, which is a tiny spec and certainly not enough to contribute to fruit and vegetable intake. Virtually nothing, but it looks good on the label. Any whole food kid's vitamin would have to have sufficient amounts of those whole foods, not just label padding. Unfortunately, a product that checked all of our boxes did not exist. Thankfully, one of our favorite whole-food supplement partners, NXGEN Wholefoods , was willing to step up and make one for us. What's in our favorite 100% Whole Food kid's vitamins? It contains freeze-dried organic Australian strawberries and freeze-dried, regeneratively farmed, organic, grass-fed Australian beef liver. That’s it! No fillers, no binders, no flavorings, no colors, no sweeteners, and no junk! Beef liver is one of the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet, which made it the natural choice if we wanted a product that could pack the most nutrition into a concentrated powder. That way, we could avoid the use of synthetic vitamins. The liver is quickly freeze-dried after harvest and milled into a powder; that’s it! It is traceable back to the farms in the Australian Outback where it comes from. The cows spend their days roaming the Lake Eyre region, eating a wide variety of grasses and plants. Australia runs a strict monitoring and testing program for Mad Cow Disease (BSE), so there is no risk of that. The cows are not given hormones or antibiotics. One thing we hear a lot is people being afraid to eat beef liver because it stores toxins. This is completely untrue. The liver performs over 500 functions, such as: The liver filters all of the blood in the body and breaks down poisonous substances, such as alcohol and drugs. The liver also produces bile, a fluid that helps digest fats and carry away waste. Albumin Production: Albumin is a protein that keeps fluids in the bloodstream from leaking into surrounding tissue. It also carries hormones, vitamins, and enzymes through the body. Bile Production: Bile is a fluid that is critical to the digestion and absorption of fats in the small intestine. Filters Blood: All the blood leaving the stomach and intestines passes through the liver, which removes toxins, byproducts, and other harmful substances. Regulates Amino Acids: The production of proteins depend on amino acids. The liver makes sure amino acid levels in the bloodstream remain healthy. Regulates Blood Clotting: Blood clotting coagulants are created using vitamin K, which can only be absorbed with the help of bile, a fluid the liver produces. Resists Infections: As part of the filtering process, the liver also removes bacteria from the bloodstream.  Stores Vitamins and Minerals: The liver stores significant amounts of vitamins A, D, E, K, and B12, as well as iron and copper. Processes Glucose: The liver removes excess glucose (sugar) from the bloodstream and stores it as glycogen. As needed, it can convert glycogen back into glucose. Rather than storing toxins, w aste products and toxins are removed through bile. The liver does store important nutrients, which is what makes it a nutritional powerhouse, but it filters and removes toxins. If someone's liver stored toxins instead of filtering and removing them, they would quickly become very ill. Removing toxins is one of the main and most important functions of the liver. There is no risk of getting toxins from eating properly raised beef liver. In addition, the liver in this product is third-party tested for contaminants. Strawberries are no slouch themselves. They are rich in antioxidants, bioflavonoids, vitamin C, potassium, and more. These are not your run-of-the-mill, bland strawberries from the grocery store. These are picked at just the right time to maximize nutritional content and taste. Then they are quickly freeze-dried and powdered; that’s it! The powder can be eaten as is, like a natural take on a pixy stick, or added to smoothies, yogurt, applesauce, and ice cream. It can also be mixed into baked goods and sauces. The opportunities are endless, so get creative. The question we got the most asked during this process was, "Why not make a chewable?" Well, the answer is that it’s not really possible to make a whole food kids' chewable multivitamin without it being pretty much useless. Freeze-dried whole foods take up a lot of space. This would result in a chewable that contained too little of any ingredient to be beneficial or would require a huge number of chewables to be taken daily. In addition, it would have to contain the ingredients we wanted to avoid to hold it together. We are so excited to partner with NXGEN Wholefoods to bring you the first truly whole-food kid’s multivitamin ! Use code kids at checkout to save 10%! Whole Food Kid's Vitamins Support We know this is a lot of information, so if you have questions about your kid's vitamins, don’t know where to start, or need support, we are always available to help. Drop us an email anytime at info@rooted-nutrition.com , or   book a free call ,   and we will be happy to help you on your health journey!

Liposomal supplements, like liposomal vitamin C and liposomal glutathione, are all the rage, but many people are unaware of a big problem with most of them. Liposomal Vitamin C What are liposomal vitamins? The term liposome is derived from the Greek words "lipos" for fat and "soma" for body. The root word also describes the properties of liposomes. They form a body (vesicle) that serves as a protective shield. Liposomes are lipid vesicles made of phospholipids strung together to form a double membrane. A structure arranged in this way is also present in the cell membranes of the human body. Regardless of size or structure, liposomes can enclose different substances. These are transported both in their aqueous interior and within their liposoluble double membrane. Liposomal thus means the encapsulation of a particular active ingredient in phospholipids. Liposomes act like a protective shield around the nutrient. Thus, the main ingredient does not come into contact with gastric acid, and consequently, its absorption is not restricted. The desired ingredient is protected in a double membrane made of phospholipids. Therefore, the function of liposomes is mainly to transport the active ingredient in a hidden way so that it can enter our bloodstream without loss of effect. I know that is a bit sciency, but it’s important to understand because the big problem I mentioned earlier is that most liposomal supplements are not actually liposomal and will not provide the advantages that real liposomal vitamins do. Unfortunately, labeling products as one thing when they are not is common in the supplement industry. What is the difference between a fake liposomal supplement and a real one? To get right down to it, most companies' “liposomal” supplements are just the main ingredient, such as vitamin C,  mixed with phospholipids. Putting vitamin C in a big blender with some liquid lecithin is not how you make a liposomal supplement. These are not real liposomal supplements and do not offer the advantages a true liposomal supplement provides. However, it is far cheaper and easier to make, so that’s why it’s done. How are liposomal supplements made? A real liposomal supplement is made by taking phospholipids and using ultrasound to cause the desired ingredients (vitamins, minerals, herbs, etc) to be enclosed in the phospholipids, thus creating a liposome. The ingredient is then protected inside. By applying this special kind of energy, the  phospholipids arrange themselves in the formation of double membranes, which are similar in structure to the human cell membrane. An aqueous solution surrounds the liposomes. The fat-loving heads of the phospholipids are directed inwards, and the water-loving heads are directed outwards to the surrounding water solution. In order to arrange properly, phospholipids must be surrounded by water. Only then would they form a spherical structure. That is when you have a real liposomal vitamin. Liposomal Vitamin capsules and powders Properly made liposomal supplements will not come in pill or powder form, only liquid. There are several important reasons for this. I am aware that a lot of companies claim to sell pill and powder versions of them, but it shows a lack of understanding or caring about what they are selling. The problem with "liposomal pills" is that the entire functional principle of liposomal formulations is based on the fact that the active ingredient is masked, i.e., made invisible, by the phospholipids. The small intestine thus sees only the phospholipids and absorbs them with the main ingredient hidden in them. However, if the ratio between the main ingredient and phospholipids is out of balance and the proportion of the main substance is too high, this again becomes visible to the small intestine, and the liposomal functional principle fails. This is the big problem with liposomal capsules. With liposomal molecules taking up a lot more space than a traditional vitamin or ingredient, companies have to decrease the ratio of phospholipids to the main ingredient, thereby defeating the purpose of a liposomal supplement. The next time you see a company selling liposomal supplement capsules or softgels, know you’re not getting the advantages of a real liposomal vitamin.  So what's the issue with "liposomal powders"? To create a powder formula, manufacturers first create standard liposomes encapsulated with an active ingredient. These liposomes are homogenized and converted into a dry powder by freeze-drying or spray-drying. One advantage of these formulations is that they have a long storage stability. The question arises: does this come at the expense of bioavailability, utilization of the encapsulated nutrient, and the structure of the liposome? The answer is yes, because liposomes can only exist in water. If there is water inside and around the liposome, a special pressure is created that holds the liposome membrane in place. The liposome cannot maintain its three-dimensional shape if the water falls away. This leads to a loss of the structural shape of the liposome. This means that liposomal powder, in the traditional sense, does not exist. Although the basis of these " liposomal powders" is phospholipids, no spherical phospholipid bilayer forms around the active ingredient. As soon as the liposomes are dried into a powder, the phospholipids "stick" to the active ingredient in a disordered manner. Therefore, the term lipid powder is probably a more appropriate description. Here is a direct comparison in pictures: Liposome in water on the left and powder on the right . The pictures show the clear difference: The liposome in water has a perfect, spherical shape due to the water pressure. On the other hand, the picture of the powdered liposome formula consists only of dried phospholipids and active ingredients. Compared to intact liposomes, the bioavailability of the powder formulas in water is significantly worse. This goes for capsules with powder inside as well. Without water, the liposome ruptures, disintegrates, and does not function normally. This cannot be fixed by buying a powder and mixing it with water. It’s like Humpty Dumpty; it’s not getting put back together again. The structure of liposomes is very similar to that of a human cell. The chemical law of nature applies: "Like mixes with like." Liposomes' special interaction with our human intestinal cells happens because both comprise phospholipids. This allows the intestine to transport the main ingredient unhindered into the bloodstream. In the case of tablets or powders, the active ingredients must be absorbed via osmosis or other transport channels. So even if your pill or powder says it is liposomal, it will not be absorbed like a real liposomal liquid, resulting in reduced absorption compared to a truly liposomal vitamin. The digestive tract can be a hostile environment for conventional dietary supplements. Ingredients sensitive to stomach acid or digestive enzymes are often poorly absorbed because they become degraded by digestive secretions. Liposomes can bypass these obstacles in the digestive tract, keeping the ingredients safe and delivering them efficiently to the cells and bloodstream.  No liquid = no benefit of liposomal supplements Real liposomal supplements will always be in liquid form so that the effect and benefits of the liposomes are not lost. The formation of the encapsulation around the active ingredient is only possible in the liquid state, which is why the production of liposomal capsules is not an alternative. Liposomal supplements are also a great choice for people with difficulty swallowing pills. Dried powders or oils inside of a pill will not be liposomal.  How should liposomal supplements be packaged? How your liposomal supplement is packaged makes a huge difference.  First up, it should be protected from light. Clear packaging is a terrible idea, as it is for other supplements. Light will cause a breakdown of a number of different nutrients, and the supplement will have reduced potency. Second, it should not be in plastic bottles or foil packets. Packaging them that way will cause significant leaching into the product. None of us need more microplastics, BPA, or similar substances in our bodies. Just because the bottle says BPA-free does not make it a safe plastic. Pills or powders inside a plastic bottle are fine, but you don't want liposomal liquids in plastic. We contacted many of the largest manufacturers of liposomal supplements, who package them in plastic bottles and foil packets. None of the ones we talked to tested properly for microplastics, BPA, and other similar compounds. Liposomal supplements should be packaged in dark glass. That is the best way to protect the product and your health. Preservatives in liposomal vitamins Far too many liposomal supplements have preservatives that are not things you want to put in your body, like EDTA, sodium benzoate, and potassium sorbate. Properly made liposomal vitamins don’t need those, and you should not buy supplements with them. One preservative we see a lot in liposomal supplements is something called tocofersolan. This is identified on the label as being vitamin E. This seems harmless enough and makes the label look clean. What these companies conveniently leave off the label is that this is not regular vitamin E but a  polyethylene glycol (PEG) derivative of vitamin E. It is not the common form of natural vitamin E used as a preservative. Companies should be upfront and put that on the label, but I guess it would not be so appealing to people looking for clean products. Hexane and acetone in liposomal supplements Most liposomal supplements use phospholipids that were extracted with hexane and acetone. You don’t want or need those in your supplements. It’s important to choose those made without those solvents. How to use liposomal supplements Liposomal supplements can be taken with or without food. Make sure to shake them well before using. They can be mixed with any cold food or beverage. After opening, the products should be refrigerated and consumed within 6-8 weeks. Please note that in order to maintain the liposomal effect, they should not be heated or frozen. The Best Liposomal Vitamins And Supplements Finding a company that made real liposomal supplements without any unwanted preservatives and packaged them correctly felt like a herculean task. There were just so many fake ones. We think this is because most companies selling them don’t make them themselves and don’t truly understand what a real liposome is. That or they don’t care.  The sheer number of companies that just said they were nutrients mixed with phospholipids or lecithin was astounding. After all these years, you would think I wouldn't be phased by its insanity, yet here I am. If they don't even know what liposome is, how can we trust that their products are made correctly? The vast majority of liposomal supplements are made by just a handful of large white/private label manufacturers and then the supplement companies just slap their label on it.  That was certainly not going to cut it for us. We wanted to find a company that made their own liposomes, not just put their name and label on a finished product.  We wanted one packaged in dark glass, free of hexane and acetone, free of questionable preservatives, and, of course, it had to be in liquid form. Most importantly, though, they had to truly be liposomal supplements, not one of the eight million fake ones we looked at. We also wanted them to be free of sweeteners and non-food flavorings. Our search took us around the world because we could not locate a line of them in the United States that met our standards. Thankfully, after banging my head on my desk eight thousand times and being bullshitted by countless companies, we finally found one.  How I felt most of the time during this whole process. Actinovo Liposomal Supplements Actinovo Liposomal Supplements are produced in Hamburg, Germany, by their parent company PlantaCorp. They have one of the largest and most comprehensive lines of liposomal supplements.  They use hexane and acetone-free phospholipids, which are over 96% pure and derived from European-grown sunflower seeds. Most phospholipids are made from soy, which can be problematic for those with soy allergies.  They do not use unwanted preservatives; sea buckthorn and rosemary provide a natural and safe preservative solution. In addition, malic acid is used to balance acidity. No potassium sorbate, sodium benzoate, polyethylene glycol, alcohol, or EDTA are used. Their unique manufacturing process, using ultrasound, creates true liposomes that deliver the full advantages they offer. There are no fake liposomal supplements here.  All of their products are packaged in dark glass. In addition, they are all gluten and dairy-free and vegan.  One of our favorite things about them is that the glycerin in their products is not made from palm oil, which unfortunately, most glycerin is. Palm oil is one of the worst crops, ethically and for the environment , so whenever we find supplements made without palm oil, it makes us really happy. While the process of finding a good liposomal supplement company was, let's just say, not the most fun, it was certainly worth it. You can see the full line of Actinovo products we have here . Liposomal supplement questions and support If you have questions about liposomal vitamins and supplements, please email us at info@rooted-nutrition.com , and we will be happy to help!

This is a question we are frequently asked. Our friends at Seleno Health have written a great blog on this topic, and we're excited to share it with you. Why Has The Price of high-quality cacao gone up so much? Seleno Health is passionate about bringing you the finest ceremonial cacao, sourced with intention and respect for both people and the planet. But if you’ve noticed the price of cacao creeping up, you’re not alone. Over the past few years, cacao prices have soared to unprecedented levels, with global markets reflecting a perfect storm of challenges. In this article, we’ll explore why cacao is becoming so expensive, dive into the global price trends over the last fifty years, and highlight why choosing quality, safety-tested, ethically sourced, and sustainable cacao is more critical than ever. The Perfect Storm: Why Cacao Prices Are Skyrocketing Cacao prices have surged dramatically, reaching record highs per ton in 2024, nearly triple the price from the previous year. This spike is driven by a combination of environmental, economic, and structural factors, particularly in West Africa, which produces over 80% of the world’s cacao. The key causes of Cacao price increases Climate Change and Extreme Weather Cacao trees thrive in a narrow equatorial band, requiring specific conditions of heat, humidity, and rainfall. Climate change has disrupted these conditions, with phenomena like El Niño bringing excessive rainfall and heatwaves to West Africa. In 2023, heavy rains in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire exacerbated diseases like the swollen shoot virus and black pod disease, reducing yields by up to 50% in affected areas. The International Cocoa Organization (ICCO) projects a global shortfall of 374,000 tonnes for the 2023-2024 season, compounding two previous years of deficits. Disease and Aging Plantations The cacao swollen shoot virus (CSSV), spread by mealybugs, has devastated crops in West Africa, with no chemical treatment available. Infected trees see yield declines of up to 25% in the first year and 50% in the second, often requiring removal. Aging cacao plantations, many of which have not been adequately reinvested in, are also less productive and more vulnerable to pests and diseases. Structural Challenges and Low Farmer Incomes In countries like Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana, where cacao farming is often nationalized, farmers receive fixed prices that are often too low to support reinvestment in their farms. This perpetuates a cycle of poverty, limiting resources for soil health, new trees, or disease management. The lack of financial resilience makes it harder for farmers to adapt to climate and disease challenges. Regulatory Shifts and Sustainability Demands The European Union’s Deforestation-free Regulation (EUDR), set to impact imports in 2025, bans cacao grown on recently deforested land. While this is a positive step for the environment, it adds complexity for West African farmers, who rely on Europe as a significant market. Additionally, stricter regulations on cadmium—a toxic heavy metal found in some cacao due to soil contamination—require rigorous testing and compliance, increasing costs. In the US, tariffs have added another layer of cost increases. Despite what a certain someone claims, the importer of the product pays the tariff, not the country or company sending it to the US. Ultimately, the US consumer bears the burden of these tariffs because businesses must raise prices to offset the tariff costs. These factors have created a supply crunch, driving cacao prices to levels never seen in the history of cacao farming. Prices are hitting $12,000 per ton in 2024, a 300% increase year-over-year, signaling widespread concern about the chocolate and cacao industry’s future. Tariffs and cacao prices In the US, tariffs have added another layer of cost increases. Despite what a certain someone claims, the importer of the product pays the tariff, not the country or company sending it to the US. Ultimately, the US consumer bears the burden of these tariffs because businesses must raise prices to offset the tariff costs. Global Cacao Price Trends: A 50-Year Perspective To understand the current price surge, let’s examine cacao’s price history over the p ast fifty years. Data from sources like the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (FRED) shows cacao prices have fluctuated due to supply disruptions, demand growth, and market dynamics. Below is a summary of key trends: 1970s–1980s Cacao prices peaked in 1977 at around $5,500 per ton (adjusted for inflation), driven by supply shortages and speculative trading. Prices then stabilized in the $2,000–$3,000 range as production grew in West Africa. 1990s–2000s Prices remained relatively low, averaging $1,500–$2,500 per ton, as global supply expanded with increased planting in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana. However, low prices often meant farmers struggled to earn a living wage. 2010 Prices hovered around $2,000–$3,000 per ton, with occasional spikes due to weather events or political instability in producing regions. 2020s Prices began climbing steadily from 2021, reaching $3,200 per ton in 2023 and surging to over $10,000 in 2024, driven by the aforementioned factors. Forecasts suggest prices may stabilize at a higher baseline of $4,000+ per ton in the coming decade due to ongoing supply challenges. Why Quality, Safety, and Ethics Matter More Than Ever As cacao prices soar, the temptation to cut corners on quality or sourcing practices grows. However, at Seleno Health, they believe this is a critical time to double down on choosing cacao that is safe, high-quality, ethically sourced, and sustainable. Here’s why: Quality and Flavor High-quality cacao, like their ceremonial-grade beans, offers unparalleled flavor and benefits, rich in antioxidants, magnesium, and flavonoids. The Cocoa of Excellence Program emphasizes standardized quality assessments to ensure beans meet sensory and chemical standards, enhancing the consumer experience. Choosing quality cacao supports farmers who invest in better practices, even amidst rising costs. Safety (Cadmium Testing) Cadmium contamination, particularly in Latin American cacao due to volcanic soils, poses health risks, especially to the kidneys. The EU’s 2023 regulation sets strict cadmium limits (0.6 mg/kg for cocoa powder), making testing essential. At Seleno Health, they rigorously test their cacao to ensure it meets safety standards, protecting your health and peace of mind. Many cacao brands are selling high-cadmium cacao at reduced prices, which puts your health at risk. The maximum permitted levels of cadmium in cacao-based products as specified by the EU. Specific cocoa and chocolate products Maximum permitted cadmium levels Milk chocolate with ≤30% total dry cocoa solids 0.10 mg/kg Chocolate with ≥30 to <50% total dry cocoa solids 0.30 mg/kg Chocolate with ≥50% total dry cocoa solids 0.80 mg/kg Cacao powder (as an ingredient in sweetened cocoa powder) sold to the final consumer 0.60 mg/kg Ethical Sourcing: Low farmer incomes are a root cause of the cacao crisis, as they limit reinvestment in sustainable practices. By sourcing from fair trade cooperatives, Seleno Health ensures farmers receive a living wage, supporting their livelihoods and communities. Their cacao is sourced from farm to table, eliminating the middlemen and ensuring that the farmers benefit from the profits, not the corporate middlemen. Sustainability: With deforestation linked to 94% and 80% forest loss in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana, respectively, sustainable practices are critical. Their cacao is grown in rich agroforestry that supports the flora and fauna of the Amazon rainforest. Their commitment to sustainability ensures your cacao supports the planet, not harms it. Slave labor Slave labor (and child labor) is used extensively throughout cacao-growing regions, especially in Africa. One of the main reasons that slave and child labor is used is that companies refuse to pay a sustainable price for their cacao. It's essential to know precisely where your cacao comes from in order to avoid purchasing cacao that is produced using slave labor. Cacao purchased through a middleman is most likely to be produced using slave labor. A Call to Conscious Cacao Consumption The cacao crisis is a wake-up call for all of us. As prices rise, choosing quality, safe, and ethically sourced cacao isn’t just about enjoying a better product—it’s about supporting a sustainable future for cacao farmers and the environment. Seleno Health and Rooted Nutrition are committed to transparency, from cadmium-tested, ceremonial-grade cacao to our partnerships with farmers who share our values. Together, we can make a difference, one mindful purchase at a time. Explore the full range of ceremonial cacao and join us in celebrating cacao that’s good for you, the farmers, and the planet. Working to Keep Costs Down Seleno Health and we here at Rooted Nutrition have been working hard to contain cacao prices as much as possible, without cutting corners or requiring sacrifices from the farmers. We have both absorbed significant price increases and tariff costs. We will continue to do our best to avoid large price increases while still providing you with the most amazing ceremonial cacao! Questions about cacao If you have questions about our cacao products, please email us at info@rooted-nutrition.com , and we will be happy to answer them!

Think of how important your eyes are in your everyday life. With how essential they are, it’s vital to nourish them every day. From sunshine to eating nourishing whole foods, your eyes will be happy and healthy if you follow these tips! What can you do to support healthy eyes and vision? First up is sunlight. Exposing your eyes to sunlight at the correct times during the day is simple and has fantastic benefits. At sunrise and sunset, try to get outside and get at least fifteen minutes of sunlight, and you get bonus points for walking barefoot in the grass. Get the morning sunshine before you look at your phone or a screen. Not only will your eyes benefit, but it also helps reset your sleep cycle, improve immune health, and boost your mood. Blue light-blocking glasses are an importantstep in keeping your eyes healthy. Constant exposure to screens has a very harmful effect on the eyes. You should wear your blue light glasses while working on the computer and after dinner when the sun sets. Unfortunately, most blue light glasses block very little blue light. Get a pair that blocks over ninety percent of blue light if you want the benefits, such as improved eye health and a better sleep cycle. Turning on the night light feature on your phone and computer can also help reduce the amount of blue light the eyes are exposed to throughout the day. Make sure to take a few breaks from screens every hour, even for just a few minutes, to rest your eyes. Many different types of eye exercises can help be helpful to improve vision. However, doing them every day is key to getting the benefits. Click the button below to download a guide to eye health exercises. Chronic uncontrolled stress can have a strong negative effect on the eyes. It can increase the risk of vision loss from glaucoma, optic neuropathy, diabetic neuropathy, age-related macular degeneration, and other eye health issues. Getting and keeping your stress levels under control is crucial to keeping your eyes healthy. Check our blog, Stress 101 , for tips to reduce stress levels. Drinking plenty of water is another way to keep your eyes happy. If you don’t, they can become dry and irritated, making them more susceptible to blurred vision, increased tearing, and in severe cases, corneal ulcers. Ensure you get plenty of fluids such as mineral water, herbal teas, seltzer, and milk. In the winter, when the air gets dryer, a cold steam humidifier in the room you sleep in can be helpful to prevent common dry eye issues that can occur from lower humidity and heating systems. Preservative-free lubricant eye drops can be used as needed for dryness. Avoid redness-relieving eye drops as they often contain ingredients that can constrict blood flow in the eyes. Make sure to see an eye doctor if you have chronic dry eye problems. If you are bored with water, try adding some whole-food flavors instead of those awful fake water flavor products. As with the rest of your body, what you eat and how you nourish yourself makes a big difference in the health of your eyes. What foods support healthy eyes and vision? While some foods nourish the eyes, others cause harm. Avoid these foods to ensure your eyes are at their healthiest: Vegetable and seed oils, fake butter spreads They cause large amounts of inflammation and oxidative stress, damaging the eyes. I cannot think of foods more damaging to human health than these. If the only change you made was this one, it would still result in a massive improvement in your health. Instead, use grass-fed butter, grass-fed ghee, grass-fed tallow , and genuine olive oil (be careful with olive oil as most olive oil is adulterated with vegetable and seed oils, even at the health food store). Refined flours and sugars Artificial sweeteners, sugar alcohols, and no-calorie, heavily refined sweeteners Instead, use small amounts of local honey, maple syrup, or coconut sugar. High-fructose corn syrup Ultra-processed foods Artificial food dyes Fake food What do I mean by fake food? Check out the picture below. Two of the burgers above are made from real food, and one is frankenfood made by mad scientists. Ultra-processed fake foods exist to make companies money. They are not better for your health or the environment, no matter what nonsense claims companies make. In fact, in terms of environmental benefits and nourishment supplied, regeneratively farmed grass-fed beef is far better than the others, especially if the meat is local to you. Eat real food! Certain foods provide nutrients in their most bioavailable and complete forms. Adding these foods frequently to your diet gives your eyes the nourishment they need. However, just eating them once in a while will not cut it. Your eyes need nourishment every day, so eat these foods daily. What nutrients support healthy eyes and vision? Vitamin A is an essential nutrient for healthy eyes. Beta carotene and vitamin A are not the same things. Vitamin A has far more benefits for eye health than beta-carotene; most people get very little in their diet. Good sources of vitamin A are: Grass-fed liver and organ meats Unrefined cod liver and ratfish oils Mackerel Pastured eggs Grass-fed dairy products, especially hard cheeses and butter Clams Oysters Vitamin C rich foods can help reduce the risk of developing cataracts and age-related macular degeneration. Good sources of vitamin C include Berries Citrus fruits Avoid grapefruit if you take prescription medications Guavas Mangos Pineapples Amla berries Kiwis Cantaloupes Papayas Red Peppers Basically, eat plenty of fruit (fresh and frozen are both excellent). Synthetic vitamin C supplements are not the same as foods rich in vitamin C; check out our article, All about vitamin C , to learn more. The Vitamin C gang! Vitamin E rich foods help to protect the eyes from damaging free radicals. Good sources of vitamin E are: Sweet potatoes Pastured eggs Pumpkin Avocados Mangos Kiwis Wild salmon with the skin Wild salmon roe Zinc helps to bring vitamin A from the liver to the retina to help produce melanin, a pigment that helps to protect the eyes. Certain health conditions have been linked to zinc deficiency, such as poor night vision and cloudy cataracts. Good food sources of bioavailable zinc are: Grass-fed red meat Shellfish Oysters Crab Lobster Organ meats, especially liver Low heavy metal cacao Omega-three rich foods help in proper vision development, retinal function, tear production, and lubrication. Good food sources of omega-three fatty acids (EPA, DHA, DPA, etc.) are: Wild-caught fatty fish and shellfish Wild salmon is also rich in astaxanthin which helps to reduce oxidative stress. High-quality canned fish with skin is a great choice as well. Tinned cod livers Pastured eggs Wild salmon roe Grass-fed red meat Grass-fed full-fat dairy products Unrefined cod and ratfish oils Flax, hemp, and chia do not have the type of omega-three that the eyes need; they contain something called alpha-linoleic acid, which the body only turns a tiny amount into the omega-three needed. You can learn more about this here . They are also very high in omega-six; nearly everyone gets too much in their diets. Over ninety percent of people in the USA do not get enough omega-three fatty acids, so eat up. Lutein and zeaxanthin-rich foods help to reduce the risk of chronic eye diseases. Good food sources of bioavailable lutein and zeaxanthin are: Pastured Eggs Consumption of just one egg per day helps to significantly increase serum lutein and zeaxanthin levels in the body. Certain fruits and vegetables are rich in them, but it's important to eat them with some fat to increase absorption. Summer squash Basil Parsley Red Peppers Romaine Lettuce Purple berries and plums Lacinto (aka dinosaur) Kale - The best kale to eat because it is the lowest in oxalates and goitrogens. It is best to eat this cooked, not raw. Foods that support healthy blood flow and circulation are great for the eyes. Some of these foods are: Wild-caught fatty fish Unrefined cod and ratfish oils Pomegranates Citrus fruits Avoid grapefruit if you take prescription medication Berries Watermelon Purple and red grapes Ginger Avocados Garlic Turmeric Eat turmeric cooked with good fat, like grass-fed ghee, to help increase the absorption of beneficial compounds. Avocado egg boats are a great way to nourish your eyes and make a delicious breakfast! What whole food supplements support healthy eyes and vision? Just as whole foods nourish the eyes, true whole food supplements (there are soo many fake whole food supplements on the market) can play a role in helping to keep your eyes healthy. As with all supplements, it’s essential to take them daily and consistently at the full dosage for the correct period of time. Taking one pill once in a while will not give you any benefits. So if the bottle says four capsules per day, make sure to take four capsules every day. While many whole food supplements can support healthy eyes, we wanted to highlight a few of our favorites. First up is NXGEN Wholefoods Beef Eye with Liver . Think of this as a whole-food multivitamin for your eyes. This supplement combines grass-fed eye and liver, which supplies vitamin A, bioavailable fat-soluble nutrients, and is a rich source of zinc, to help nourish and support your eyes. Beef eye is one richest food sources of highly bioavailable lutein and zeaxanthin. Rosita Unrefined, whole-food cod liver oil is a natural source of omega-3, vitamin A, and vitamin D. It contains these nutrients in their original state, as found in the fish. Unlike nearly all cod liver and fish oils, it does not contain added synthetic vitamins, has not had the structure of the fatty acids altered, and has not been heavily refined. It helps keep the eyes moisturized and lubricated, promotes circulation, and reduces oxidative stress. NXGEN Wholefoods salmon roe capsules are another great option for getting omega-3 fatty acids and fat-soluble vitamins your eyes crave in their natural, unrefined, and unaltered state . The omega fatty acids are naturally in a phospholipid form, which helps to increase absorption and make them easy to digest and gentle on the stomach. Next up is a whole-food zinc supplement. NZ Pure Health Oyster zinc contains zinc in its whole food, bioavailable form, and naturally occurring copper, which helps to prevent a copper deficiency that can happen when taking zinc supplements long term. In addition, it is easy to absorb and gentle on the stomach, unlike most zinc supplements which cause an upset stomach. Spirulina is a fabulous food for the eyes. It is rich in the fatty acid GLA, zeaxanthin, and phytocyanin in their natural whole-food form, which helps to reduce oxidative stress and protect the eyes. Unfortunately, most spirulina is grown in questionable places with high pollution levels and open ponds, leading to contamination. Therefore, understanding where your spirulina comes from and how it is produced is imperative. In addition, most spirulina is spray dried which causes nutrient loss and unwanted changes to the spirulina. Nourishing your eyes will benefit not only them but your whole body. Including more whole foods, drinking water, getting sunshine, and reducing stress will help you feel much better. You don’t have to try and do it all at once. Making small, consistent lifestyle changes builds up over time, snowballing into lasting beneficial changes. Eye Health and Vision Support We know this is a lot of information, so if you have questions about eye and vision health, email us at   info@rooted-nutrition.com . We will be happy to answer any questions you have!

We are often asked, multiple times daily, whether our supplements are third-party tested, so we decided to write a blog post on the topic. If you're a bit of a nerd like me, this article is for you. What are 3rd party tested supplements? Third-party testing of supplements is done in a few different ways. The first is when a company sends a sample of its product to a lab of its choosing, with a list of things it would like tested for. The company can choose the testing methods or use the lab's suggested methods.  The second type is organizations like Consumerlab or Consumer Reports, which have products tested, and people can pay to see the results. Another type is done by groups like Lead Safe Mama, which are focused on a particular type of contaminant in products, such as lead, and publish their findings publicly for people to see. A fourth type is groups like NSF and USP, which companies can pay to certify their products. Each group has different standards and methods, some more strict than others. Companies can then use the organization's seal on their packaging and marketing. Fifth is when companies like ours send some of the products we sell off to a lab for testing. In this case, a company like ours would decide what they wanted to test for and the testing methods or rely on the lab's recommendations. Problems with supplement third-party testing While third-party testing might seem like a great way to ensure that a product is safe and of good quality, a host of issues prevent it from being a useful measure. I say this as a company that sells a lot of products that are third-party tested in various ways. What are the problems? The first problem is a lack of standards for methodology, testing, and standards. There is no agreed-upon set of tests and standards for any material or supplement, so each organization will have its own. Products that pass one third-party testing panel would fail others, and so forth. This leads to many gaps, especially in testing for the full range of things that need to be tested for. When a third-party group gives their seal of approval to a product, saying it’s clean and safe, but they didn’t test for half the things that should be tested for in that particular supplement, does that mean it’s clean and safe? No, it does not, but it has a third-party tested seal, so people think it’s great. These things do a real disservice and create a false sense of security. One popular third-party supplement testing website recently did a big turmeric/curcumin supplement testing, but it did not test for solvent residue, such as ethylene dichloride, a very common but dangerous solvent used in the manufacture of turmeric/curcumin raw materials and metanil yellow, a banned food dye commonly found in turmeric supplements. None of those products should be certified as clean and safe if they are not fully and properly tested. Yet, a bunch of these companies are out there bragging about how they passed third-party testing by this company.  Many of these third-party companies have a program that sells supplement companies that the public is unaware of. These supposedly independent and impartial third-party testers will withhold negative results from the public when these companies fail tests and give them a chance to send a new sample because they are paying to be a part of the program. This is a horrible practice that should be illegal. Another problem we see often is companies sending a product for third-party testing and testing for one thing because it’s cheap. Then, they can say it was third-party tested. For example, I could send a multivitamin supplement to a third-party lab, have them test for vitamin A content, and then label it third-party tested, which, while technically accurate, clearly does not mean anything. Sensationalism and Fear In Third-party Supplement Testing There has recently been a proliferation of organizations claiming to be looking out for the consumer and publishing third-party results on heavy metals like lead in foods and supplements. While it is good to consume the least amount of lead and heavy metals possible, these companies often use measurements or standards that make people scared of foods or supplements that are very safe because they don’t give them anything to compare it to because if they did, people would realize they were just fear-mongering. However, their creation of fear gets them lots of clicks, shares on social media, and views, which makes them lots of money. Many people don’t know this, but many of these organizations sell a seal or certification, and if a company buys their seal or pays for their program, they won’t reveal negative information about them. For example, recently, there was a big blow-up about several popular salt brands having heavy metals like lead. What these companies don’t reveal is that if you consumed an average serving of that salt, you would get a similar amount of heavy metals as if you were eating a serving of root vegetables like beets or carrots. However, if they revealed that information, people would not be scared and would not get so many clicks, views, and ad money.  Do some products have excessive amounts of heavy metals? Absolutely! For example, there was a recent applesauce that had cinnamon that was very high in lead. Should we require more companies to test foods for heavy metals? Yes, of course! However, when giving heavy metal test results, these places should not just list amounts in things like ppb, which most people don’t understand, but how they compare to common foods in actual serving sizes so people can make an accurate judgment. No one eats a cup of salt daily, but you can easily eat a cup of roasted beets. Comparing the lead in a cup of salt versus a cup of beets is nonsense. These companies are just after clicks and ad money, not looking out for you; otherwise, they would provide helpful information, not just scare tactics.  In addition, heavy metals are not the only things that need to be tested. Just because a product is low in heavy metals does not mean it is free of other contamination, adulteration or meets label claims. Supplement third-party testing is missing a lot Third-party testing of supplements often misses many things. Here are a few examples. It is definitely not a complete list, as that would require several books to fill out and go over in detail. Solvent residue is a big problem in many popular supplements, including turmeric/curcumin. Many of these supplements are contaminated with awful solvents like ethylene dichloride, hexane, or acetone. The standard testing for solvent residue in herbal supplements is gas chromatography. However, because of certain properties of curcuminoids, this test cannot correctly detect solvent residues in them. A different test, gas headspace, needs to be used. The amount of companies and third-party testing companies saying products are free of solvent residue that used the wrong testing method is massive. The test results do not mean anything if the wrong testing method is used. That’s why looking at a third-party test result without knowing the proper testing methods is useless. Another common testing issue that third-party testing often misses is overdilution.  Overdilution is the practice of cutting a raw material, such as a botanical, with something, such as maltodextrin. This maltodextrin is often not shown on the ingredients label. It's a cheap and easy way to cheat common adulteration testing. For example: “As for that first method of cutting with extreme levels of excipients, the HerbalGram  authors describe a valerian root extract cut to 0.25% with maltodextrin, levels undetectable by authentication testing with high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC).” “We look at raw materials all the time with microscopy, and this is very common,” says Elan Sudberg, CEO at Alkemist Labs. “It’s usually cut with malto, or another inert ingredient. Most companies aren’t looking directly for the diluents, since that’s an additional test to buy on top of identity authentication.” The worst offenders here, per Sudberg, could rather easily fall prey to some basic microscopic scrutiny if only company’s knew what to look for and took the time to actually look. “It’s so rare to see a company ask for that one additional test, which is sad,” says Sudberg.” Most companies, including third-party testing agencies, are entirely unaware of this adulteration, so they don’t test for it or don’t want to spend the extra money to run additional tests. Spent materials are another common problem not addressed by third-party testing. Spent materials are those left after an extract is produced. For example, when making cranberry extract, there is a leftover material. This material has had nearly all of the beneficial compounds, such as PAC’s, removed, but is technically cranberry powder. It will have no benefit and should be discarded or used as animal feed, compost, etc. Instead, unscrupulous or unknowing companies buy this material because it is super cheap and sell it as a cranberry supplement. Often, these spent powders will be labeled as 4:1, 10:1, 50:1, etc, making them seem potent because it took lots of material to make the original extract, but this remaining powder is nothing but a shadow of that extract. Common third-party testing schemes will show it is as cranberry, and the product gets a third-party certification despite it being completely useless. This is one of the reasons ( (but not the only) a lot of clinical trials show no benefit from taking cranberry or other herbal supplements.  Adulteration can take many forms, from spiking with compounds to cheat standard testing methods, diluents, additives to increase the weight and much more. Adulteration is getting more sophisticated and more creative. It’s an arms race between the people doing the adulteration and the people developing tests to detect the new forms. It is far cheaper and faster to create new adulteration types than to develop new methods to detect them. These new tests are also much more expensive, so most companies don’t want to pay for them. Very few third-party labs deploy any of these newer methods because of the cost of the machines and training. Third-party supplements testing and dry labbing Another issue that arises is that many companies are doing “third-party” testing using something called dry labbing. This is where you pay a company to say they tested your products and give you the exact results you want, but they did not actually test the product. This is a widespread practice but certainly not a good thing. We found a whole bunch of companies using third-party testing symbols on their products and marketing materials that used dry-labbing. So, while they may say they are third-party tested and provide “test results,” there was no testing done.  A fun practice that is becoming more common is companies taking test results from another company, changing the company and product name on the test results, and using them as their own. Sometimes, you even get companies just creating their own test results, which is pretty easy to do now with AI technology. Boom! Fake third-party test results in just minutes. third party testing of supplements Ethics And the Environment Another issue is that third-party test results tell you nothing about the ethics or environmental issues related to the creation of the product. If a product tests great but is made with prison or child labor, is it really a good product? Plenty of third-party tested products made with materials such as cacao and garlic were harvested and produced with slave labor. Are they great products because the third-party test results are good? Should you rely on third-party testing for supplements? While it may feel good to see a product labeled third-party tested or to request test results and have companies send you them, but unless you truly know what you are looking for in terms of what should be tested and the right testing methods, it’s not really beneficial.   Because of these issues, third-party testing has become a marketing gimmick, not a symbol of quality. That’s why we do not rely on it to determine product safety and quality, and you should not either. What should you look for to know if a supplement is good quality? We have two great articles on quality control and adulteration. The first is an in-depth look at quality control; you can see it here . The second article is about sourcing and the importance of knowing where the ingredients come from. You can view it here . Third-party supplement testing questions and support If you have questions about quality control and testing, please email us at info@rooted-nutrition.com , and we will be happy to answer them!

I’ve written extensively about quality control and testing in the supplement industry. Every day, we are asked many questions about the topic. There’s so much that goes into it, and most people don’t understand how vast and in-depth the subject is.  Lots of companies put symbols and seals on their products and websites, talking about how great they are, and brag about how much quality control they do. While these things might seem good, most of them are meaningless and don’t tell you anything about whether a product is good or bad.  It would take multiple books to go through all of the different things that need to be done in order to check the quality of each category of product. It also changes over time as newer, more advanced methods of adulteration become prevalent, which can cheat the current testing. It is much faster and cheaper to devise new adulteration methods than it is to develop the new tests needed to detect them. It can feel overwhelming to understand it all. Supplement Quality Control T There are a lot of things to consider when looking at the quality of a supplement. Many of these are not things you can tell from the label. Lots of labels look good, but that means very little as to whether a product is made correctly or not. Companies often say one thing on the label, but what’s actually in the product may be very different. Companies can have almost identical product labels, but what’s inside the bottle could not be more different. Check out our blog  to learn more about this. Ethics is always the first thing we check. Ethics involves ensuring that the production of raw materials doesn’t contribute to human suffering, such as forced or slave labor, and assessing its impact on the environment, including sustainability, overharvesting, deforestation, and pollution. We believe that, regardless of a product's quality control, if it has ethical issues, it’s not a good product.  The source of the raw materials is the next key consideration. Does the company get the raw ingredients and produce a material used in the production of their supplements, or do they source it from a middleman or directly from a farm or factory? We always prefer to use companies that work directly with the people who produce the ingredients or produce them themselves, whenever possible. This eliminates more quality control problems than any other method that we have found. It does not mean that no testing or quality control is needed, but it eliminates many of the risks. Check out our blog  to learn more about this.  Once we know the source of the raw materials, we can begin to investigate them. The source and type of raw material will determine what we are looking for. For example, what we are looking for in an echinacea extract is different than what we are looking for in a whey protein powder.  Next, we need to determine what the raw material should be tested for. Different materials will need to be tested for different types of adulterants and contaminants. For example, solvent residues such as hexane, acetone, and ethylene dichloride are a problem for many botanicals, but not an issue for whey protein. However, for whey protein, nitrogen spiking is a problem, but that’s not an issue for botanicals.  Ensuring the right testing methods are used is just as important as the testing itself. If something is tested, but the wrong test is used, a good test result does not mean anything. Even when testing for the same thing, such as solvent residue, different testing methods will be needed depending on what the raw material is. It’s important to know exactly what test is being used, not just that something was tested.  Keeping up with all the new adulterants and creative ways that ingredients are being adulterated is a huge job, and that’s an understatement. Every year, it gets crazier and crazier as suppliers find new insane ways to adulterate materials. These adulterants are so cheap, they don’t mind if they get caught. Another issue is that when good companies discover adulterants, they often return the contaminated raw materials, and then those suppliers send them to other companies that don’t prioritize quality or conduct testing. Here are a few examples of adulteration that you will not see on the label: Cutting saw palmetto with vegetable oil and fatty acids. Cutting Rhodiola Rosea with cheaper species of Rhodiola, such as Rhodiola Crenulata. Adding black soybean hulls and black rice to elderberry extracts. Cutting goldenseal with cheaper yellow herbs and adding yellow pigments. Adding medications to products, like viagra in sexual enhancement products. Adding starch, like maltodextrin, to Aloe Vera products. Adding caramelized sugar to maca powders. Selling regular honey as manuka honey. Spiking green tea extracts with synthetic EGCG. If you want to learn more about botanical adulteration, check out The American Botanical Council . They are an awesome organization! It would take a manuscript to list all of the adulterants that come up in supplements. Food and ingredients adulteration has been happening for thousands of years, it’s just getting more sophisticated and harder to detect.  Once the raw materials have been properly tested and the product manufactured, finished product testing should be conducted to verify that the product meets label claims and is free from high levels of contaminants, bacteria, fungi, and other impurities, depending on the type of product. Different testing methods will be required for different types of finished products.  It has become increasingly trendy for companies to advertise their products as having been third-party tested. A lot of people are really surprised when we tell them that we don’t use third-party testing as a measure of quality, despite having lots of products that are third-party tested. There are numerous problems with third-party testing systems. Here are a few examples: Lack of consistent standards for testing and methodologies from third-party testing labs and companies. Inadequate testing You can test for one thing and call a product third-party tested, despite it not being tested for most of the things it should be. Lack of in-depth testing Most third-party testing misses things like overdilution, solvent residue, spent materials, and a lot more. It does not address ethical issues Check out our blog for a more in-depth look at why we don’t feel it’s a useful tool. It's enough to make you want to stick your head in the sand, we get it. What can you determine from a supplement label? It takes a massive amount of time and research, which costs a significant amount of money, to determine if a company or its products are properly manufactured. We are a small, family-owned business, so we do not have the resources to vet every single product on the market thoroughly, as it should be done. While we have a huge database featuring tens of thousands of products and companies we have researched, we cannot examine the label of a product and determine whether a supplement is good or not. We can tell certain things, including, but not limited to: Fairy Dusting This is where companies put lots of ingredients in the label for marketing purposes, but not in dosages that do anything.  Check out our blog  to learn more about fairy dusting. Impossible levels of nutrients This is where companies claim a product contains a certain amount of nutrients derived from a specific food or herb, but the levels claimed are not possible or would make the product cost hundreds or thousands of dollars to make. For example, companies often claim that camu camu powder contains more than twice the vitamin C it actually has, which either means that their labels are incorrect or they purchased raw materials that were spiked with synthetic vitamin C. Claims of nutrients being derived from a food that does not contain that nutrient. This is where companies claim a supplement containing a particular nutrient is derived from a food that does not contain that nutrient. For example, many B12 supplements claim to be derived from Saccharomyces cerevisiae (nutritional yeast), but nutritional yeast does not naturally contain B12. What they are doing is either spiking it with synthetic B12 or feeding it to yeast. Inaccurate nutritional content claims This is where companies claim a product has a certain amount of a nutrient, but that amount is not possible based on the amount of material that went into it. For example, magnesium glycinate is about 14% elemental magnesium. So a product containing 500 mg of magnesium glycinate would contain about 70 mg of elemental magnesium. If a company claimed it had 140 mg of elemental magnesium glycinate in that 500 mg magnesium glycinate capsule, that would be an example of an inaccurate nutritional claim.  Some false label claims This is where companies write things on the label that are not true. For example, claiming on the label that a supplement is whole food when it has synthetic or isolated vitamins and minerals added.  Check out our blog to learn how to spot fake whole food supplements. Whether the product uses the correct delivery format. Some products need to be in pill, powder, or liquid form, depending on the product's intended use. For example, liposomal supplements cannot be in pill or powder form; they must be in liquid form. So, if a product claims to be a liposomal pill or powder, that would be a red flag. To learn more about this, check out our blog . Cost can be a red flag. Often, products contain what are supposed to be very expensive raw materials and good dosages, but the product is sold for less than the cost of that raw material. That is a good indication that the product is not what it seems. There are things that cannot be discerned from a label, including, but not limited to: If the raw materials were ethically produced. If the raw materials were processed correctly. If the raw materials were adulterated. If the product and raw materials were tested for contaminants and adulterants using the right methods. If the product was manufactured correctly. Whether the product meets its claimed amounts for nutrients and ingredients listed on the label. Each of these things requires a lot of work and time to research thoroughly. Most products and companies fail our vetting process before we even get to the more advanced aspects we examine. That’s one of the reasons we don’t get as many new products or get them as quickly as other places. Until we can check and verify everything we are looking for, we just don’t get the products.  Once we vet a company or product, it does not mean it’s set for life. It requires ongoing checks, especially with companies that do not produce their own raw materials and products. Sometimes, for example, a company will change the supplier for an ingredient, and that new supplier does not meet our standards. In this case, we would discontinue the product, even though the label remains unchanged. It sucks having to change brands, and it would certainly be easier not to, but doing the right thing has to come before doing the most profitable thing. Quality control must be an ongoing process and is something that requires continuous updates and improvements. Don’t fall for flashy marketing, random seals, and lofty claims; those are easy to do. Real quality control is a long, tedious, research-intensive process that is not easily translated into an advertising campaign. Supplement Quality Control Testing Questions And Support If you have quality control questions about our supplements, please email us at   info@rooted-nutrition.com , and we will be happy to answer them!

Histamine, Zonulin, and DAO are becoming more well-known because an increasing number of people are finding out that histamines are more than just a problem with seasonal allergies. They can affect everything from gut and skin health to immune function and more. What are Histamine, Zonulin, and DAO? Histamine is a chemical that helps to communicate messages to your brain, triggers the release of stomach acid for digestion, and is released after injury or allergies as a part of your body's immune response. ​ Some histamine is beneficial, but excessive amounts can lead to problems. Too much histamine can cause a number of unpleasant effects, such as headaches, nausea, congestion, and watery eyes. It can lead to more serious conditions, such as ulcers. ​ Excess histamine also causes a number of gut health issues and can make certain conditions, such as IBS, much worse. DAO, diamine oxidase, is an enzyme produced in your kidneys, thymus, and intestinal lining that helps to break down histamine. Without enough DAO, histamine can begin to accumulate in the body. Zonulin is a protein that regulates intestinal permeability. Zonulin modulates the permeability of tight junctions between cells of the wall of the digestive tract. Our bodies need some zonulin, but excessive amounts can lead to problems. "Leaky Gut" is a term commonly used to describe problems with the gut lining. What it really is is a symptom of a larger problem in the gut. It happens when the tight junctions in the gut lining start to come apart, allowing things to leak into the bloodstream that should not be there. We believe a more accurate term for this is tight junction dysfunction. Zonulin plays a huge role in this process. Elevated zonulin levels contribute to a loosening of the tight junctions.   The small intestinal villi help to absorb nutrients and provide digestive secretions.  If there are problems with your gut lining, the villi will be negatively affected. Zonulin plays a vital role in the health of your villi. Villi in the small intestine What is Histamine Intolerance? Histamine Intolerance is a condition that can affect the ability to metabolize histamine, and often, there is overproduction of histamine. People with this disorder tend to have much lower levels of DAO in the body. DAO plays a big role in regulating the amount of histamine in the body. It’s essential for people with histamine intolerance to follow a low-histamine diet . It can be a challenging diet to follow, so working with a dietitian  who understands histamine intolerance is important. Foods that support healthy histamine, DAO, and Zonulin levels To ensure optimal DAO levels, the following nutrients are especially beneficial: ​ Vitamin C Copper Vitamin B6 Phosphorous Magnesium Zinc Iron B12 ​ Eating lots of whole foods rich in these nutrients is a great way to support healthy DAO levels. Beef and lamb liver is an incredibly nutrient-dense food and is rich in so many nutrients that support healthy DAO levels, including: B-12 Zinc Iron Copper Phosphorous Ensure you obtain grass-fed liver that was processed and frozen shortly after harvest. Here is a   great source .  If eating liver is not for you,   grass-fed liver capsules   are an easy option. As with making sure your liver was processed and frozen soon after harvest to prevent it from being high in histamine, your beef liver capsules should be quickly processed and freeze-dried. Unfortunately, most companies don’t make their own raw materials or beef liver capsules, so they are often quite old when you get them, leading many people to think they cannot tolerate liver capsules, when in reality, it is just poorly made liver capsules causing problems for them.  Vitamin C is so important for healthy DAO levels and histamine metabolism. While many foods rich in vitamin C are high in histamine, there are a number of options that are low in histamine and high in vitamin C: Mangos Broccoli Apples Bell Peppers Blueberries Apricots Cranberries Peaches ​ If you are not getting enough vitamin C rich foods in your diet, a real, low-histamine,  whole food vitamin C supplement  is a great option. Unfortunately, many vitamin C supplements labeled as whole food are not. Check out our blog  to learn more about how to choose a whole food vitamin C and spot the fake ones. Magnesium is very important for healthy DAO function in the body. Most people do not get enough magnesium in their diet. Here are some low-histamine, magnesium-rich foods: ​Sprouted pumpkin seeds Sprouted almonds Sprouted chia seeds Macadamia nuts Cooked kale Wild-caught salmon  Buy frozen seafood, not from the seafood counter or canned, to ensure it is low in histamine. ​ Having adequate B12 levels helps to support healthy DAO activity. These foods are rich in B12, while being low in histamine: Eggs Milk Beef Lamb Buffalo Elk Venison Beef Kidney Wild-caught frozen fish Ensure meats are quickly frozen after butchering and not aged, to minimize histamine levels. White Oak Pastures  is a great source of low-histamine meats. Copper is crucial for maintaining healthy DAO function. Here are some great low-histamine copper-rich foods: ​ Beef liver Sprouted pumpkin seeds Sweet Potatoes Wild-caught frozen salmon Getting enough zinc in your diet will help a lot to improve DAO function in your body. It is also very important for a healthy gut lining. Here are some great low-histamine, zinc-rich foods: Sprouted pumpkin seeds Beef liver Beef Elk Venison Bison Buffalo Lamb Goat Mutton Vitamin B6 helps to support the healthy production of DAO in the body. Here are some great low-histamine B6-rich foods: Sprouted oats Milk Ricotta Eggs Beef liver Kidney Sweet potato DAO Rich Foods There are only a few foods that are rich in DAO. ​ Pea shoots are one of them. These little guys are an excellent way for those who are low in DAO to get some from their diet. You can grow your own   pretty easily. We don’t recommend buying them at the store because they often sit for too long or are grown in conditions that are too warm, which can significantly reduce the levels of DAO. Beef kidney is packed with DAO. It is also rich in vitamin A, B12, B6, and selenium, which are important nutrients for healthy histamine metabolism. Here is a   great source   for it. If eating kidney is not for you,   grass-fed kidney capsules  are a great option. Foods that reduce histamine Having excess levels of histamine in the body is a miserable experience, as anyone who has allergies can tell you. There are some foods that can help support healthy histamine degradation.  Onions, garlic, shallots, and leeks not only make food taste delicious, but they are also some of the best foods for histamine metabolism. Onions are especially rich in quercetin. Quercetin is a flavonoid found in certain plants with a variety of helpful properties. While they may be famous for a not-so-great reason, fava beans are one of the richest food sources of quercetin.  Watercress is a potent antioxidant, rich in vitamin C, and a natural antihistamine. This food is one of the most potent histamine-fighting foods. Apples are rich in quercetin and other flavonoids that help to reduce histamine levels. The peel is especially rich, so don't throw it away. Red and golden delicious apples have lower levels, so it would be best to choose other varieties. Pomegranates are another great choice for healthy histamine levels. Eat the seeds, not the juice. You can buy the seeds frozen if you don't want to fight with the whole fruit. Ginger and turmeric help to support healthy cytokine and histamine levels. Cook them with some fat like ghee for the best effect. It's best to use fresh ginger and turmeric if possible. Grate them for maximum benefit. As a base for sautes, cook onions, garlic, ginger, and turmeric together in ghee for a powerful punch. Peppermint is an excellent herb for supporting healthy histamine levels. Make a tea using fresh peppermint for the most potent effect. Steep it covered for ten minutes before drinking. Foods that support healthy zonulin levels Maintaining zonulin levels within a healthy range is crucial for supporting gut lining health. Some foods shine in supporting this goal. Bone marrow is rich in collagen, healthy fats, and much more. This is one of the most nourishing foods for your gut lining. Make sure to use bones from grass-fed animals. If you're having trouble finding them near you, here's a   great source .  This incredibly delicious and nourishing food is   fast and easy to make .  If eating bone marrow is not for you, then properly made   grass-fed bone marrow capsules  are a great option. Tripe and intestines are rich in protein, collagen, the amino acid glutamine, and many other important nutrients for gut health. Some of these, cooked in some low-histamine bone broth, will provide potent nourishment for your gut. If you cannot find grass-fed tripe and intestines near you, here is a   great source .  If eating tripe and intestines is not for you,   grass-fed intestines and tripe capsules  are a great option. Homemade applesauce is rich in pectin. This pectin helps to soothe and hydrate an irritated gut lining. Here is an easy recipe: Slice apples, leaving the peel on. Just cover with water and simmer until the apple peels get very shiny. Strain the apples. Mash or puree until it reaches the desired consistency.  Place in single-serving jars and freeze. ​ Just two tablespoons per day is all you need, but you can have more, of course. This simple food is one of the best for supporting a healthy gut lining. Bone broth is excellent for gut lining health, but most of it is very high in histamine due to how it is made and stored.  It is rich in collagen, gelatin, and a host of other beneficial compounds. Here is a great recipe  for low-histamine bone broth. Freeze it in single-serving glass containers for a warm, nourishing broth whenever you need it. If making bone broth is not for you, you can use low-histamine bone broth powder . Hydration and Histamine Being dehydrated will significantly increase the levels of histamine in your body. Make sure you are drinking plenty of water or eating lots of water-rich, low-histamine fruits and vegetables. Stress and histamine Stress plays a significant role in the metabolism of histamine. Chronic uncontrolled stress can lead to an increase in histamine levels. Check out our blog  for lots of great tips on how to manage stress. Sleep and histamine Poor sleep quality can drastically affect histamine levels. Check out our blog  for lots of great tips to help you sleep well. Supplements that support healthy zonulin, DAO, and histamine levels There are a number of supplements that can help support healthy histamine levels. Keep in mind that it can take time for them to kick in and start working at their full potential. Just like with other supplements, ensure you take these daily for at least three months and at the correct dosage to yield the best results.  Consistency is key. As with other supplements, it’s a good idea to speak with your healthcare practitioner before starting them.  First up is   IGY . IGY are immunoglobulins that are derived from special chicken eggs.  They work to support the entire gut environment, making it more hospitable to beneficial bacteria and promoting the healthy production of DAO and maintaining healthy zonulin levels. IGY works gradually, with the effects building over time. So make sure to take it every day. It can be mixed with any cold food or beverage.  Next up is Beef Kidney . Beef Kidney is one of the richest food sources of DAO. DAO is the enzyme that helps to break down histamine in the gut. It is also rich in selenium and B6, which are important nutrients for supporting healthy DAO levels. Beef kidney is packed with nutrients, including: Vitamins A, B2, B3, B5, B6, B9, B12 Phosphorus Selenium Zinc  Iron Copper  It is best taken before meals and snacks. Histamine and Immune   is made with grass-fed grass-finished regenerative farmed beef thymus, beef lung, beef spleen, beef liver, and beef kidney . It contains a unique combination of nutrients, peptides, and compounds, including: Thymopoietin and Thymulin from Thymus. Thymosin fraction five and thymosin alpha-1 peptides  Thymosin beta-4  Thymic humoral factor Diamine Oxidase (DAO) from kidney Kidney-Specific Peptides LEAP-2 peptide from liver.  Hepcidin Peptide Splenin, Tuftsin and Splenopentin from spleen Ergothioneine Peptide Vitamins and Minerals: A, D ,E, K2 (as mk-4) B2, B9. B12, B3, and choline Copper, heme iron, selenium, and zinc CoQ10   Gut and Digestion   is made with grass-fed bovine liver, pancreas, spleen, intestine, and stomach (tripe). It contains a blend of important nutrients and compounds that help to nourish and support the gut. Vitamins  A, D, E, K2 (as mk-4), b12, and niacin Minerals Heme iron, selenium, and zinc Tripe  Collagen, enzymes,  BP-157 peptide Intestines Collagen and glutamine Spleen Hepcidin Peptide, Splenin, Tuftsin, and Splenopentin Alkylglycerols Pancreas The richest food source of pancreatic enzymes. Amylase - Starch digestion Protease - Protein digestion Lipase - Fat digestion  Liver Leap-2 peptide  Choline A nutrient most people don’t get enough of, which plays a crucial role in digestion. Choline helps the body utilize and transport lipids, is an important food source for gut bacteria, and supports healthy gut motility. Think of Gut and Digestion  as a whole food multivitamin for your gut. It’s crucial to know that when using beef organ supplements that you choose those are made from fresh organs that the company gets directly from the farms and processes right away, because many beef organ supplements are made from bulk powders that have been sitting in warehouses for long periods of time, which can lead them to be high in histamine, which is the last thing you want if you are dealing with histamine issues. Check out our blog  to learn more about what to look for when choosing a beef organ supplement. Histamine, DAO, and Zonulin Questions and Support If you have questions about our DAO, histamine, and zonulin supporting supplements, please email us at info@rooted-nutrition.com , and we will be happy to answer them!

Welcome to the Protein Powder Project part two. If you have not read part one , we recommend starting there. In part one , we went over the general information about what we were looking for in finding some great protein powders. In part two, we will go over the different types of protein powders on the market. how to pick a protein powder There are a number of important factors to know when choosing a protein powder. Protein powder pdcaa value One of the most important things to consider when choosing a protein powder is the PCDAA value (Protein digestibility-corrected amino acid score). The higher the number, the better quality of the protein. A protein with a value of .5 will require twice as much protein to give your body the same usable amount of protein as one with a value of one. For example, hemp protein has a PDCAA value of around .66, while whey has a PDCAA value of one. So you would need ninety-nine grams of hemp protein to get the same amount of usable protein as sixty-six grams of whey protein. Two protein powders may say twenty-five grams of protein per serving, but that does not mean that they are equivalent. The protein quality is what matters most, not the amounts claimed. There are many protein powders on the market right now, with more coming every day. First up are the plant proteins. Examples include flax, chia, sunflower seed, soy, rice, pumpkin seed, squash seed, pea, quinoa, and amaranth, with new ones coming to market frequently. Most plant-based protein sources are not complete. Therefore, it is best to look for a product that contains a blend of different protein sources. In addition, they tend to have a lower PDCAA value, so keep that in mind when deciding on how much to take each day. Protein Powder Serving Sizes Another thing to consider is that plant proteins will require larger serving sizes without heavy refining and processing. For example, a whole food plant protein powder may contain forty to fifty percent protein, while whey protein concentrate is usually around eighty percent protein. So in one hundred grams of powder, a plant protein might have fifty grams of protein, while whey protein may have eighty grams of protein. Soy Protein Powder We highly recommend against the use of soy protein. Soy protein is always heavily processed and is usually extracted with solvents like acetone or hexane. In addition, it contains a large number of nutrient inhibitors and a host of other downsides. Much of the soy protein powder on the market comes from farmland in the Amazon rainforest that is cleared to grow soy that is made into protein powder, added to meat alternatives, or fed to cattle (a terrible idea). Can we please stop cutting down the rainforest to get cheap collagen , beef, and soy, for god's sake? Soy protein powders should be crossed off everyone's list. It is, however, much cheaper for companies to use as it is generally a byproduct of other industrial processes, not made from fresh soybeans. Grain Based Protein Powder Grain-based proteins like amaranth and quinoa are becoming more popular, but they require large amounts to get a measurable amount of protein in a protein powder. So these are usually just added in small quantities to make the label look good. In addition, much of the quinoa used comes from areas where the native people are no longer able to afford their staple food because so much of it is being sent to other countries which have dramatically increased the price for them. If you want to get quinoa without the ethical issues, check out our friends at Kandarian Farms . Rice Protein Powder Rice protein is a common plant protein. However, it is not a great choice. The PDCAA value is low, and it is often grown in places with contaminated soil, leading to very high heavy metal levels. In addition, it is often heavily processed and refined to increase the protein content. There are much better alternatives. Pea Protein Powder Pea protein is another popular choice. It has a higher protein content than most plant proteins. The downside is that it tends to be heavily refined and is commonly sold as pea protein isolate. The refining process (often using harsh chemicals or acids) involves many steps. The final product has very little in common with the peas you eat, as usually large parts of the pea are removed during the refining process. If choosing pea protein powder, choose one that is mechanically separated to avoid the problems that come from most pea protein powders. Mechanically seperated pea protein will have most of the nutrients still in it, except for some of the fiber. This is the best type of plant-based protein powder. Plant-Based Protein Powder They have a good percentage of protein per gram and a variety of nutrients like magnesium, which most people do not get enough of. The downside to these is that they can be a bit gritty. So, look for companies that have figured out a milling process to help them mix more smoothly, not heavily refining them as most companies do to improve the taste. Good-quality seed proteins do not require heavy refining and processing. They mill the seeds into a powder and package them. The only thing that should be removed is the shells the seeds come in. As with anything else, know the source. Many seeds are grown in very polluted areas, resulting in powders that are very high in heavy metals. Look for those that can be traced back to the farms they came from, grown organically in good soil, with farming practices that help to improve the environment, and the laborers are paid a fair wage. Look for products that blend different seeds, not a single source. The reason we do not tend to recommend seed based protein powders is that they tend to be very high in omega-6, which nearly everyone tends to get far too much of in their diet, so adding more to it is not a great idea. Check out our blog to learn more about this. Animal-Based Protein Powder Egg white protein is not as well known as other proteins. It features a good amino acid profile, but we recommend against using it. Egg white protein powder contains large amounts of avidin, which can cause a deficiency in biotin. Eating the whites without the yolk is the opposite of whole food, and who wants to miss out on all the yolk's goodness? Beef Isolate Protein Powder Beef protein isolate should be made from the muscle meat, bones, and collagen of cattle. They are then hydrolysed to break down the proteins into their constituent amino acids. These amino acids are then purified and dried to form the final powder. This method ensures that the protein retains its nutritional integrity. Unfortunately, most beef protein isolate powders are just made from the collagen, not the muscle meat and bones, resulting in a powder without the nutritional value that comes from beef. You should look for companies that produce their own beef protein isolate and have a direct relationship with the farms from which they get the beef. Very few companies produce their own beef protein powder and instead buy the bulk powder from huge manufacturers and slap their own label on it, without any relationship with the farmers who produce it. Often, the sources are unknown or very questionable. Collagen Peptide Powder Collagen powders are very popular, but they are not what people think. Near all of these heavily refined and processed powders often come with a massive ethical cost. You can read more about it here . Collagen does not contain tryptophan and is low in certain other essential amino acids. It is not considered a complete protein and should not be used as the main source of protein in your diet, as it lacks the amino acid tryptophan. The most popular collagen powders have massive ethical and environmental issues. Collagen is the most ethically challenged of all (yes, the brand of white powder you got at the health food store, with great packaging and a fantastic story, is part of the problem). While we do not recommend using collagen as a protein source, it has other benefits and can be used along with protein powders. This is our choice for ethically sourced collagen peptides. Bone Broth Protein Powder Next up is bone broth protein. Bone broth is rich in an array of beneficial compounds and amino acids. However, it contains almost no tryptophan, so it is not a complete protein. When people think of bone broth powders, they often think it is just like the bone broth they made at home, but that is not what is happening for nearly all bone broth powders. Most bone broth powder is heavily refined and processed. It bears almost no resemblance to bone broth made at home. Some companies even advertise that their bone broth powders mix in cold water. The only way to get that to happen is to put the powder through even more processing to alter it enough to mix in cold water. Real bone broth does not dissolve or mix into cold water, and a powder should be no different. Good bone broth powder is made by cooking grass-fed bones for many hours, just like you would make it at home. Then, the liquid would be dried at low temperatures and milled into a powder. No other steps or processing would be necessary. Whey Protein Powder Last but certainly not least is whey protein. Whey protein is considered the gold standard of protein powders for many good reasons. It has the highest PDCAA value, the best amino acid profile, and is rich in all of the essential amino acids. When compared to other protein powders, nothing comes close to the amino acid profile of whey protein. Good whey is also rich in minerals and compounds that support gut and immune health, such as immunoglobulins. It is also rich in cysteine/cystine, which helps support the body's glutathione production. The problem with most whey protein is that it is so heavily processed and filled with unnecessary additives. As a result, it can be almost impossible to trace where it came from, who actually made it, and whether it was ethically produced. Most whey protein is a byproduct of cheese manufacturing, supplied by a few massive corporations (Glanbia, Fonterra, Warrnambool, Agropur, Arla Foods, Milk Specialties, and a few more). They pool milk from various farms, from small to massive, from vast regions. Using whey protein from these suppliers makes traceability almost impossible. All whey protein comes from milk, which must be pasteurized to sell for whey protein. There is no raw whey protein powder. Any company claiming to sell raw whey protein powder is misleading you. Whey protein is usually sold as a concentrate, isolate, or hydrolyzed. The concentrate is the least processed, followed by isolate and hydrolyzed. Whey protein Concentrate Concentrate retains much more of the nutrients found in milk, but isolate tends to have a slightly higher protein content. Hydrolyzed whey is further broken down through a process called hydrolyzation. Many companies claim this makes it easier to digest and absorb. However, this heavy processing can result in the loss of many of the beneficial and fragile compounds found in good whey protein. Therefore, a minimally processed concentrate is closest to the original food. Native Whey Protein Another less well-known type is called native whey protein. Native whey is produced from fresh milk rather than the leftover byproduct of cheese manufacturing. As a result, it tends to be less processed and closer to the original food. One thing we had to be careful of, though, is that many companies who produce native whey protein use it as a chance to buy lower-grade milk, which the farmers could not sell to cheese manufacturers who generally require higher-quality milk. So it was essential to know it was made from the best quality milk, not whatever they could get for the lowest price. The heavy processing of most whey protein made it too far from being a whole food to be a good protein powder choice, but we wanted the benefits of whey protein. Good whey protein comes from happy, grass-fed cows! How to pick a whey protein powder In our mind, a good whey protein would be: Native, made from fresh milk, not a byproduct of cheese manufacturing. Use the minimal amount of gentle processing and drying possible. Be cold-filtered. It should be made by the company selling it, not just a bulk protein powder made by one of the massive suppliers, with a pretty label slapped on it and a good story. This was a big one, as almost no companies manufacture their whey protein. Sourced from small, family farms so that traceability could be established. We wanted the company to have a good relationship with, actually know their farmers, and pay them a fair price for their milk. Whey should be made with grass-fed milk from cows treated well, spending their days outside in the sun, grazing on rich pastures, and doing happy cow things. It would have no sweeteners, thickeners, gums, fillers, artificial and “natural” flavorings, just whole foods for flavoring. Be as close to milk as possible while retaining much of the beneficial fats and other compounds naturally present. Be non-denatured. It tastes good and mixes well. That's an extensive list, but it’s what we felt was necessary to make a whey protein that we could be proud of. Well, that’s it for part two. Head over to part three to find out which protein powders checked all of our boxes. Protein Powder Questions And Support If you have questions about protein powders, please email us at info@rooted-nutrition.com , and we will be happy to help!

Welcome to part two of our series on omega-3. If you have not read part one , you should definitely start there. All aboard for part two of our journey. How to Choose the Right Omega Three Supplement Many people need to take a supplement to get enough omega-3. As always, remember to check with your doctor before starting any supplement. With so many omega-3 supplement choices, how do you know which one to take? What are the different kinds of omega-3 three supplements? The most well-known type of omega-three supplement is fish oil. You can get them from various fish, including salmon, anchovies, sardines, cod liver, and sometimes squid. All fish have similar fatty acids, just in different ratios and amounts. Some oils, like cod liver, may have additional vitamins or beneficial compounds, such as alkylglycerols in ratfish. Other less common types of omega-3 supplements are krill oils , algae oils , ratfish oil , and fish roe . For the reasons we outlined in part one , we do not count flax, chia, or hemp oils as omega-3 supplements. Omega three supplements - sustainability and ethical considerations The first things to consider when choosing an omega-3 supplement are sustainability and ethics. Companies may often tell you the country of origin of their oil, but that is not enough and tells you very little. Here are some questions that you need to ask to find out more about where your omega three supplement comes from and how sustainable it is: Are huge bottom trawlers used, or are they line-caught by small fishermen, and how is this verified? Huge bottom trawlers are terrible for the environment. This causes a massive loss of sea life and often damages the local environment, such as harming coral reefs. What is the state of the fishery they come from, and how is this verified? You should be able to look up the fishery and see reports on how well it is managed from a source other than the company. Can the fish be traced back to the boat they came from? Traceability back to the boat is critical to verifying all other sustainability and ethical claims. Are the fisherman well compensated for their work? Everyone deserves a living wage. In addition, there is a lot of slavery involved in the seafood trade , so knowing that the fish is caught without slavery is incredibly important. What percent of bycatch is there, and how is it verified? Bycatch is fish or marine life that   the fisherman does not intend to catch. It is a huge problem in the fishing industry and results in the needless killing of thousands of marine creatures. Bycatch ideally should be less than one percent. How long it takes for the fish to get to the processing facility? Just like with fish you buy, the fresher, the better. Most fish oils are made from the rendered by-product of fish meal processing facilities, and needless to say, this will not be the freshest. They need a lot of processing and added flavorings to turn them into palatable oils. Who makes the fish oil, and how is it made? Most companies do not make their own oil. They buy bulk oil and bottle it or have it bottled for them. Ideally, you want companies who control the process from boat to bottle. Ethically sourced fish oil should be produced with very little bycatch. How are most omega three supplements made? Nearly all omega-3 and fish oil supplements are heavily refined and processed to remove contaminants and improve flavor. While these processes may “clean” the oil, they come at a heavy cost to the nutritional value of the oil. As with any food, heavy processing removes beneficial nutrients and compounds. Think of whole wheat bread versus white bread. Here are the steps most omega-3 and fish oil supplements go through: Degumming Separation and removal of phospholipids Bleaching Removes color Deodorization via hot steam Removes odor Removes some free fatty acids Winterization Increases the concentration of some fatty acids and removes others. Molecular Distillation Remove contaminants such as heavy metals and PCBs. Changes the structure of the fatty acids. The fatty acids are no longer in their natural form. Some companies produce an ethyl ester form (a form of fat not found in food), others produce monoglycerides, and many companies try to reattach the triglyceride backbone. This reesterified triglyceride form is not identical to the natural triglyceride form found in fish. There are ongoing lawsuits that are challenging whether these altered fatty acid supplements should be allowed to be called fish oil as they do not occur in fish. Removes most of the vitamin content. Many companies will add synthetic vitamins A and D back to their oils, while others will sell the oil without the vitamins or with very low levels. Each of these processes removes something from the oil. While it is good to remove the contaminants from the oil, removing all of those other beneficial compounds is not good. A better way to produce omega three supplements What if there was a better way? A way that removed the contaminants but left the oil in its original state with the naturally occurring nutrients and beneficial compounds still there. We always recommend genuine whole-food supplements whenever possible. They are better in every way. Finding a fish oil that was truly whole food was difficult. There were a lot of companies claiming to sell them, saying their process was raw or unheated. However, those claims usually turned out to be false. For example, there were quite a few companies that claimed that their Alaskan salmon oil was raw when, in fact, it was treated with hot steam and other refining processes. Very often, companies who sold the oil were not aware of how their oil was being produced. Other times, they came from fisheries that were not sustainable and becoming overfished or the fish were caught in ways that produced a lot of bycatch and damaged the local environments, such as bottom trawling. We wanted an oil that was: Environmentally sustainable Strict government monitoring and regulation of the fishery. Ethically produced The fishermen are paid a fair wage for their work, and no slavery is used. Traceable from boat to bottle Vertically integrated The company should produce its own oil from fresh fish. Incredibly fresh and pure The fish get to the processing facility very quickly. Every batch is third-party tested to ensure low levels of rancidity. Peroxide Acid Value Anisidine The liquid bottles are nitrogen-flushed to protect the oil from oxygen. Every batch third-party tested for contaminants like lead, cadmium, mercury, PCBs, and dioxins. Every batch third-party tested for radioactivity. Every batch third-party tested for microplastics. This one was very important. With more microplastics ending up in the environment every day, it was important to us that the fish oil be free of microplastics. Unfortunately, most fish oil companies do not test for this. Truly whole food We wanted an oil that was not refined. One that kept the fatty acids in their natural state. One that retains all the beneficial nutrients and compounds in their naturally occurring state. This gentle, cold processing removes the contaminants, keeps the fatty acids in their natural state, preserves all the naturally occurring nutrients, and keeps the oil fresh. Rosita Cod Liver Oil While it was not easy, we were very excited to find a company that produced fish oil that checked all of our boxes. That brand is Rosita Real Foods . Rosita's oils are line-caught near the Island of Donna by small, fisherman-owned Norwegian fishing boats, virtually eliminating bycatch. There is no trawling whatsoever. The fishery is strictly monitored and protected by the Norwegian government , which has some of the most stringent regulations in the world. These rules have allowed the fishery to thrive, while codfish populations are in decline in many other places. The cod livers go right from the boats to the processing facility, which is just a few minutes away from the docks. As fresh as can be! Check out this great video with one of the fishermen: Look how beautiful the fishery is (hopefully, one day, we can all visit): While most fish oils are the same color all year round because of the heavy processing, this This incredible oil changes color throughout the year because the diet of the cod changes. This also causes the oil to change in taste throughout the year. Rosita Cod Liver Oil and Ratfish Oil are truly the gold of the ocean. While many people like the taste of whole-food cod liver oil, some are not fans of the flavor. Here are some great ways to disguise the taste: Give it flavor! Add a hint of licorice, ginger, or lemon Mix it into a smoothie. Add it to a tangy juice. Add it to yogurt, raw cream, honey, maple syrup, apple sauce, or even peanut butter. Use a chaser. Try a slice of lemon or a crisp cucumber. Use an ice cube tray and freeze it into small pieces you can swallow. Beat the oil into a bit of fresh-squeezed orange juice to emulsify it. The I don't want to taste it method: Pour your oil into the glass measuring cup. In a drinking glass, put a couple of ounces of cold water or juice. Hold your breath and swallow the oil Then drink the water and don’t breathe until after you swallow the water. Chase with a lemon or lime slice like you would after a shot of tequila. How much omega three do you need? We get this question a lot. It is a complicated question. As with most supplements, a focus was put on a few isolated fatty acids or compounds instead of the whole food. It started with EPA and DHA, then companies started finding out the benefits of DPA, and that became a hot compound to advertise. Then, it moved to SPMs (specialized pro-resolving mediators). Soon, another fatty acid or compound will be promoted. It becomes a moving target; get more of this fatty acid. No, this one is better than that one, and you need this amount. This is a major problem in the supplement industry. They are constantly chasing the next big thing they can isolate and make a lot of money on. There are so many wonderful fatty acids and beneficial compounds in omega-three rich foods that focusing on one or two will always leave you missing out. Instead of focusing on how much of a particular fatty acid or compound to get, focus on getting more omega-three rich whole foods in your diet to ensure you get a good amount of a wide variety of these beneficial compounds and fatty acids. If you are not eating enough of them, have health issues, or eat too much omega-6, then you should consider adding a whole-food fish oil,   like Rosita Cod Liver Oil . When choosing an omega-three supplement, remember that every major medical and scientific organization agrees that whole foods are the best way to get your omega-three, so we want our fish oil supplement to contain a full spectrum of beneficial fatty acids and compounds, just like you get when eating fish, not just a few isolated fatty acids. Remember to talk to your healthcare practitioner before starting fish oil, especially if you take blood-thinning medications like Warfarin or drugs that affect clotting, such as Plavix. Several factors determine how much omega-3 you need. Your intake of omega-6. The more omega-6 rich foods you eat, the more omega-3 you need. Your health status. If you are struggling with your health, you will most likely need a higher dosage than if you want to stay healthy. If you are on certain medications. For example, cholesterol medications can negatively affect the omega-six to omega-three ratio , so you may need more if you take them. Testing is a great way to accurately measure how much omega-3 you need. We recommend getting tested when you start reducing your omega-6 intake and increasing your omega-3 intake. Then, in twelve weeks, get tested again. Here is a link to our favorite   omega-3 test . We have no affiliation with the company; we have found their testing very helpful. Remember, the more omega-6 you eat, the more omega-3 you need. For adults, we recommend taking 5 ml of the Rosita Cod Liver Oil daily. When first starting, we recommend using 2.5 ml to allow your body to become accustomed to a whole food omega-three. Whole-food fish oil supplements have a much more potent effect than heavily refined ones, so starting a little lower and gradually increasing is the best way. For kids, we recommend starting with 3-5 drops of unrefined Rosita Ratfish Oil . It has all the same benefits as cod liver oil, but it has a milder taste and helps to support a healthy immune system, which is so vital for growing children. Some people may need a higher dosage if they are facing health challenges. Talk to your healthcare practitioner to see if a higher amount might be best for you. To ensure you get the correct dosage, use a proper measuring device—do not use a soup spoon. Shake it well and store it in the fridge. Because it is unrefined, it will get cloudy and may thicken a bit in the refrigerator. Always take it with food for the best absorption. Remember, it can take up to twelve weeks to start feeling the full effects because they need to build up in your body. Remember, omega-3 fatty acids are nutrients you need daily, like B12, vitamin D, or calcium. TLDR: Reduce your omega-six intake from food. Increase your omega-three intake from food. Take a whole-food omega-3 supplement . Stop settling for heavily refined oils. They can never replicate the balance found in whole foods. Raw, unrefined fish oils are an easy and potent way to nourish your body and improve your health. Do you have questions about omega-three supplements? We know this is a lot of information, so if you have questions about omega-3 supplements, email us at   info@rooted-nutrition.com  or schedule a free call . We will be happy to answer any questions you have!