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Palm oil is present in many products we eat and use daily - it may be present in as much as fifty percent of packaged foods and products, from foods and vitamins to cleaning products, beauty care, and biofuel. It sneaks into your pantries and cabinets, hidden under many different ingredient names  you probably don’t recognize.     Ingredients made from Palm Oil Here are a few examples of ingredients made from palm oil (not a complete list): PKO – Palm Kernel Oil PKO fractionations: Palm Kernel Stearin (PKs); Palm Kernel Olein (PKOo) PHPKO – Partially hydrogenated Palm Oil FP(K)O – Fractionated Palm Oil OPKO – Organic Palm Kernel Oil Palmitate – Vitamin A or Ascorbyl Palmitate (NOTE: Vitamin A Palmitate is a very common ingredient in breakfast cereals (we have confirmed 100% of the samples we’ve investigated to be derived from palm oil) Palmate Sodium Laureth Sulphate (Can also be from coconut) Sodium Lauryl Sulphates (can also be from ricinus oil) Sodium dodecyl Sulphate (SDS or NaDS) Elaeis Guineensis Glyceryl Stearate Stearic Acid Steareth -2 Steareth -20 Sodium Lauryl Sulphate Sodium lauryl sulfoacetate (coconut and/or palm) Hydrated palm glycerides Sodium isostearoyl lactylaye (derived from vegetable stearic acid) Cetyl palmitate and octyl palmitate (names with palmitate at the end are usually derived from palm oil, but as in the case of Vitamin A Palmitate, very rarely a company will use a different vegetable oil) Vitamin C Ester (different than Ester-C) Magnesium Stearate Stearates Vegetable Stearates What is palm oil, and where is it grown? From The Great Projects , "Palm oil is a type of vegetable oil that is derived from the fleshy fruit of the oil palm tree and is the most widely used vegetable oil in the world. Surprisingly, palm oil is more common than you think, as it can be found in half of all supermarket products, including many processed foods, toiletries, cosmetics, and candles. We'll talk about this in more detail as we go on… You are more than likely to find palm oil plantations across continents such as Africa, Asia, and the Americas, but the two main areas with the highest production are Indonesia and Malaysia. The two together account for 85% of the world's palm oil production alone, and according to rainforest-rescue.org , oil palm plantations currently cover more than 27 million hectares of the Earth's surface." Palm oil is often harvested via child and slave labor . No surprise here, but Nestle  (vying for the world's worst corporation award, human rights violations expert, and  owner of vitamin companies such as Garden of Life, Vital Proteins, Orgain, and Pure Encapsulations ) is, of course, involved: "Advocates for the workers charge that migrants working on FGV farms are forced into debt bondage with the farm, have their passports confiscated, and are prevented from leaving the property. The organizations say some farms may use child labor. The allegations are in line with reports from the U.S. Department of State’s  2019 Trafficking in Persons Report: Malaysia . Roughly 20,000 migrants are believed to work on FGV plantations in Malaysia." No matter what a company claims about ethics or doing the right thing, if it is made using palm oil from those regions, it is virtually impossible to be produced ethically . Child Labor and palm oil Child labor is still being extensively used: “ Amnesty International documented evidence of the involvement of children in hazardous work on plantations owned by two Wilmar subsidiaries (PT Daya Labuhan Indah, PT Milano) and three Wilmar suppliers (ABM, SPMN, and PT Hamparan). Workers employed by these companies told researchers that they had seen children working on the plantation, helping their parents. Because of a fear that they could lose their jobs if they spoke about this issue, parents were nervous about being interviewed about child labor. Researchers, however, interviewed five children who help their fathers and also interviewed their fathers. They interviewed five other fathers, who are harvesters, who described how their children work with them on plantations. Some children started working from the age of eight years onwards, and all were below fifteen years of age. Most of the children help their parents in the afternoons, after attending school, and on weekends and holidays. However, some children have dropped out of school and work for all or most of the day. Children carry heavy loads, as they have to carry sacks of loose fruits and some transport wheelbarrows full of heavy palm fruit bunches over uneven terrain and narrow bridges. They run the risk of injuries from repetitive movements, carrying heavy loads, and from working in an environment where they are exposed to chemicals.” No product made with child labor can ever be considered ethical, and due to the lack of transparency in the palm oil supply chain, companies have no way of being 100% sure that child labor is not used. Slavery and palm oil Then there's "regular" slavery : "Palm oil companies often solicit the aid of labor contractors who are responsible for recruiting low-wage workers for their plantations. As a result of a booming need for unskilled workers, the practice of labor recruitment in the palm oil industry has become entangled in serious allegations citing human trafficking, forced labor, debt bondage, as well as child labor. The Arakan Project, which tracks migration through the Bay of Bengal, estimates roughly 50,000 individuals led by human smugglers have suffered the perilous and often illicit journey to Malaysia in the past two years. It is precisely these atrocities that have earned oil palm plantations charges of “modern-day slavery”— and appropriately so. Mohammad Rubel’s report to the WSJ, which details his migration from Bangladesh to Malaysia, exposes the inhumane conditions, reminiscent of those on the horrific 18th century Middle Passage, that he and other passengers endured for several weeks. The following is an excerpt of his account:“… armed men operating the boat rationed food and water so the packed-in migrants would make fewer trips to the toilet and beat them when they asked for more. The heat and stench were overpowering, he said, and he saw dozens die. At one point, he said, he watched as the traffickers threw migrants’ bodies into the sea after slitting open their abdomens so they would sink. After three weeks, the boat reached southern Thailand. Mr. Rubel said he and hundreds of others were put in crowded camps, sleeping entangled in one another’s limbs behind coils of barbed wire.”As a survivor of the voyage, Rubel was subsequently funneled to Jempol, Malaysia, where he found work as an employee of one of the labor contractors at a plantation owned by Felda Global Ventures, the largest palm oil producer in Malaysia. Appallingly, Felda is certified by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil, an international organization established to promote a sustainable standard for palm oil production. Since arriving in December, Rubel has not been compensated for his seven-day-a-week toil, sawing off oil palm fruit bunches to be processed at the local mill." That's just one of thousands of similar stories. Orangutans and Palm Oil Animals suffer, as well. Most palm oil is sourced from the orangutan's native habitats : "The men came at Hope and her baby with spears and guns. But she would not leave. There was no place for her to go. When the air-gun pellets pierced Hope’s eyes, blinding her, she felt her way up the tree trunks, auburn-furred fingers searching out tropical fruit for sustenance. By the end, Hope’s torso was slashed with deep lacerations. Multiple bones were broken. Seventy-four pellets were lodged in her body. Her months-old baby had been ripped away." Hope, who was named at a rehabilitation center, is a Sumatran orangutan — a critically endangered animal that scientists warn could be the first major great ape species to become extinct. As jungles and swamps are cleared for palm oil plantations, orangutans, whose name means “people of the forest” in Malay, are losing the very habitat that gives them their identity. From 1999 to 2015, the orangutan population on the island of Borneo declined by more than 100,000, researchers reported in the journal Current Biology. The unluckiest orangutans die in the fires set to clear the land. The more fortunate are marooned on small islands of trees among oil palms. Desperate for food, they stray into areas inhabited by humans, raiding crops and provoking villagers to act. “They eat a couple of fruit, and they get shot,” Singleton says. “And nothing’s done about it. There’s no law enforcement.” When Hope showed up earlier this year on the outskirts of Bunga Tanjung village in Aceh province on Sumatra, some of the earth was still smoldering. Neat rows of oil palm seedlings stretched towards the horizon. Confined to a narrow strip of secondary forest, Hope gobbled fruit from village orchards to survive. The majority of Bunga Tanjung’s residents are not from Aceh but are poor, economic migrants from other parts of Indonesia, lured by the demand for palm oil." A   comprehensive study  pooled data collected by 38 different research organizations. When Maria Voigt, the study's lead co-author and a researcher from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology and the German Center for Integrative Biodiversity Research, crunched the numbers, she found just under 150,000 Borneo orangutans were lost between 1999 and 2015—roughly half the population. Greed seems to have no boundaries. There is no ethical way to create palm oil in an area that requires the habitat of orangutans to be destroyed like this. Companies can put out all the symbols, greenwashing, and claims they want, but it is simply not possible. Environmental problems from palm oil The environment is not spared. ​ "Palm oil production is the largest cause of deforestation worldwide , and while the majority of plantations are cultivated on peatlands, huge areas of rainforest are being bulldozed and torched to make room for more plantations. It is estimated that worldwide, an area of rainforest the size of 300 football pitches is cleared every hour. In light of this, Indonesia and Malaysia alone could potentially see the complete eradication of their rainforests in just a matter of years. Regardless of this fact, Indonesia has already announced plans to double its palm oil production by the year 2020 – according to the Union of Concerned Scientists." ​ and ​ "...according to the report " The Last Stand of the Orangutan- State of Emergency: Illegal Logging,  Fire and Palm Oil in Indonesia's National Parks "  (published in 2007 by the United Nations Environment Program UNEP), palm oil plantations are currently the leading cause of rainforest destruction in Malaysia and Indonesia: "A scenario released by UNEP in 2002 suggested that most natural rainforest in Indonesia will be degraded by 2032. Given the rate of deforestation in the past five years and recent widespread investment in oil palm plantations and biodiesel refineries, this may have been optimistic. New estimates suggest that 98% of the forest may be destroyed by 2022, the lowland forest much sooner." ​ Today, rainforest area, the equivalent of 300 soccer fields, is being destroyed every hour. This gives rise to numerous problems for the climate, environment, and people living in the forest: ​ CO2 emissions – In preparing rainforest land for a palm oil plantation, the most valuable trees are cut down and removed first. What remains is cleared by burning. If the forest was on peatland – as is the case in much of Indonesia – the land is drained. Peatlands store vast quantities of carbon, and the conversion of a single hectare of Indonesian peatland rainforest releases up to 6,000 tons of CO2. Tropical deforestation is currently responsible for about 18 percent of greenhouse gas emissions, making it a significant contributor to climate change ( see 4. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, IPCC ) . Loss of biodiversity – Indonesia's rainforests and peatlands are among the world's most species-rich environments and home to numerous endangered plants and animals, such as orangutans, Sumatran tigers, and Bornean rhinos. The destruction of natural habitats deprives the animals of the basis for their existence, causing an irreversible loss of biological diversity." There is simply no way to produce palm oil in Asia in an environmentally friendly way. Many companies like to tout that their palm oil or ingredients made from palm oil are certified by the RSPO (Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil). The RSPO claims to be an organization working to make palm oil more environmentally and sustainably friendly. It is a complete and utter scam. This group is nothing more than an industry greenwashing group. "A new investigation of palm oil plantations, companies, and auditors has found that the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil is failing to deliver on its promise, writes Chris Lang. Widespread fraud, collusion between auditors and companies, conflicts of interest, and a flawed complaints system mean that RSPO-certified palm oil may be destructively and illegally produced." There's no mention of the fires that engulf Indonesia every dry season. There are no interviews with workers forced to work in conditions of modern-day slavery. ​ The new report by EIA and Grassroots finds that "Auditing firms are fundamentally failing to identify and mitigate unsustainable practices by oil palm firms. "Not only are they conducting woefully substandard assessments, but the evidence indicates that, in some cases, they are colluding with plantation companies to disguise violations of the RSPO Standard. The systems put in place to monitor these auditors have utterly failed." The report is titled, 'Who watches the watchmen? Auditors and the breakdown of oversight in the RSPO' , and includes a series of case studies that highlight the failures in the RSPO system. The case studies identify the following problems: Auditors providing fraudulent assessments that cover up violations of the RSPO standard and procedures. Auditors fail to identify indigenous land rights claims. Auditors fail to identify social conflicts arising due to the abuse of community rights. Auditors failing to identify serious labor abuses Auditors fail to identify the risks of trafficked labor being used in plantations. Ambiguity over legal compliance. Auditors provide methodologically and substantively flawed HCV (High Conservation Value) assessments that will enable the destruction of HCVs. Certification Bodies display a weak understanding of the standard. Certification Bodies provide suspect assessments in response to legitimate complaints from NGOs that fail to address the substance of the complaints. Conflicts of interest due to links between certification bodies and plantation companies. University of Queensland Report : The researchers found orangutan populations declined at similar rates between RSPO-certified and non-certified plantations between 2009 and 2014. "We found no significant evidence to suggest RSPO was better in achieving any of those metrics compared to non-certified plantations," Ms Morgans said. ​ Greenpeace exposed massive rainforest destruction in Papua, allegedly caused by palm oil companies  that are subsidiaries of a current RSPO member. Buying from them were big multinationals, including Unilever, Nestle (shocker), Pepsico and Mars. ​ More than 100 organizations from five continents signed on to this open statement from Friends of the Earth International and the World Rainforest Movement , denouncing the failure of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil to eliminate the violence and destruction that oil palm plantations cause in the territories where they are established. They also know that the key to the corporate success story of producing “cheap” palm oil is a particular model of industrial production with ever-increasing efficiency and productivity, which in turn is achieved by: Planting on a large scale and in monoculture, frequently through the conversion of tropical biodiverse forests; Using “high-yielding” seedlings that demand large amounts of agro toxins and abundant water; Squeezing cheap labor out of the smallest possible workforce, employed in precarious conditions so that company costs are cut to a minimum; Making significant up-front money from the tropical timber extracted from concessions, which is then used to finance plantation development or increase corporate profits; Grabbing land violently from local communities or by means of other arrangements with governments (including favorable tax regimes) to access land at the lowest possible cost. Those living on the fertile land on which corporations choose to apply their industrial palm oil production model pay a very high price. Violence is intrinsic to this model: Violence and repression when communities resist the corporate take-over of their land because they know that once their land is turned into monoculture oil palm plantations, their livelihoods will be destroyed, and their land and forests invaded. In countless cases, deforestation caused by the expansion of this industry has displaced communities or destroyed community livelihoods where companies violate customary rights and take control of community land. Sexual violence and harassment against women in and around the plantations often stay invisible because women find themselves without the possibility to demand that the perpetrators be prosecuted. Child labor and precarious working conditions go hand-in-hand with the violation of workers’ rights; working conditions can even be so bad as to amount to contemporary forms of slavery. This exploitative model of work grants companies more economic profits while allowing palm oil to remain a cheap product. That is why neither they nor their shareholders do anything to stop it. Exposure of workers, entire communities and forests, rivers, water springs, agricultural land, and soils to the excessive application of agrotoxins. Depriving communities surrounded by industrial oil palm plantations of their food sovereignty when industrial oil palm plantations occupy land that communities need to grow food crops. ​ How can we make things better? ​ Orangutan.org has released an app that allows one to scan an item barcode and easily check if it contains palm oil or palm oil derivatives. The next step is to call on stores and businesses you frequent and ask them to stop carrying products made with palm oil. If a business claims to care, supports ethical causes and often is promoting ways to improve the environment, they should have no problem getting on board with getting rid of palm oil. If they are not working to replace products containing palm oil with palm oil-free versions, then you know they really do not care, and they only care about looking good, not actually doing something. Palm oil free vitamins and supplements Unfortunately, the vast majority of vitamins and supplements contain ingredients made from palm oil. We are proud to be working diligently on our plan to go 100% palm oil-free. When you see that symbol, you know that 100% of the ingredients, including fillers and binders, are completely free of any ingredients made from palm oil or its derivatives. It is a huge project to find all the products we need and make sure they are palm-free. While we are not quite 100% there yet (about 80%), we are pushing hard to get there. Over the past couple of years, we have been working behind the scenes to help supplement companies who care to transition to palm oil-free raw materials and ingredients.  We are incredibly proud of how many products on the market are now palm oil free because of our hard work, and we have no plans to stop!

Omega fatty acids are one of my favorite topics, so I got a bit carried away, so we split the article into two parts. Hop aboard sailer, the SS Minnow is setting sail to Omegaville. What are omega-three fatty acids, and what do they do? Omega-three fatty acids are called essential for a reason. They are as important and needed as your vitamins and minerals. Yet, for some reason, they are not treated as such. You may be checked for vitamin D, iron, or B12 deficiency at the doctor's office, but almost never for omega-three or your omega 3:6 ratio. In rare cases, it is tested, and often, the wrong test is given. However, you can get an at-home finger stick tes t to accurately determine your levels of omega-three, other fatty acids, and omega 3:6 ratio. It is unfortunate that proper testing is not frequently done because the dangers of not getting enough omega-three and too much omega-6 have big implications for our current and future health. Omega-three fatty acids have a lot of essential functions in your body: They are vital to the cell structure in every cell wall in your body. Your eyes and brain need plenty of them to function correctly. They are a source of energy that helps to keep your heart, lungs, blood vessels, and immune system functioning correctly. They are needed to produce resolvins, a compound that helps resolve inflammatory issues that arise in the body. They help to reduce platelet stickiness, which reduces the risk of blood clots. They help to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. They help to improve blood flow. They help to reduce stiffness in the joints. Supports healthy red blood cells. They help to reduce triglyceride levels. They help to reduce oxidized cholesterol. They help to improve arterial flexibility. And much, much more! Considering their importance, it may shock you that almost no one is getting enough omega-3s in their diet; the vast majority of the population is incredibly deficient and consuming far too much omega-6. This issue does not get nearly the attention it deserves. How to Correct the omega-three and Six Ratio The first step is to reduce your intake of omega-6 (linoleic acid). The more omega-six you eat, the more omega-three you need to balance it out. Before anyone gets out the pitchforks, yes, you do need some omega-six, but people are getting way too much. Too much omega-six, which leads to a poor omega-six to omega-3 ratio, contributes to a host of health issues: Increased oxidized LDL cholesterol - the actual "bad" cholesterol. Increased insulin resistance and other blood sugar-related issues. Increased risk of cardiovascular disease . Joint Problems Vision problems Cognitive issues Increased risk of clotting Increased risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. And a lot more. Too much omega-6 and not enough omega-3 make our health worse in almost every way. Reducing your omega-6 intake is just as important as increasing your omega-3 intake. It is a balanced ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 that is most important, not getting a specific amount of omega-3. Your omega 3:6 ratio should be between 1:3 or 1:5. As with all things, balance is key. How to reduce omega-six in your diet Nearly everyone eats far too omega-6, that’s right, even you. It’s hard to avoid because it’s in so many foods. The good news is that a few simple changes can quickly and dramatically reduce your intake. First, eliminate vegetable and seed oils—yes, even the ones from the health food store—from your diet. These are by far the largest sources of omega-6. Here is a list of vegetable and seed oils: Sunflower Oil Grapeseed Oil Safflower Oil Canola oil (More like con-ola, am I right? I'll see myself out.) Rapeseed Oil Soybean Oil Corn Oil Cottonseed Oil Flax Oil Having a bit of ground flax seeds is fine; it's the oil you want to avoid. Hemp Oil Having a big of hemp seeds is fine; it's the oil you want to avoid. Chia Oil Having a bit of chia seeds is fine; it's the oil you want to avoid. Peanut Oil Fake butter spreads - Yes, even from the health food store. We have never found a low omega-six spread. If you know of one, please let us know. Margarine Shortening While palm oil may not be high in omega-6, it is one of the worst foods from an environmental standpoint, and massive amounts of slavery and suffering are involved in its production, so we recommend avoiding it. They are also found in most ultra-processed foods, such as chips, cookies, and crackers. So read the ingredients carefully and ensure none of these oils are present. Some omega-6 fats are beneficial, such as GLA (found in evening primrose oil and borage oil) and CLA, but they occur in very small amounts and are very different from linoleic acid. They are not the problem. Vegetable and seed oils are some of the worst foods you can eat. In the future, they will be considered like trans-fats today. Eliminating them is one of the best things you can do for your health. Fats to use instead of omega-six-rich vegetable and seed oils What should you use instead? For salad dressings and finishing foods, some good extra virgin olive oil is always a great choice. There is one caveat, though: Most olive oil is adulterated with seed oils, oxidized, or low in polyphenols. It is important to get the real thing so you are not adding more omega-6 to your diet. If you want to learn more about this, check out this book . For baking, grass-fed butter is always great. For day to day cooking, NXGEN Wholefoods grass-fed beef tallow, made from regenerative suet, is our favorite. Grass-fed ghee is an excellent choice for high-heat cooking. Coconut oil is an excellent choice for stir-fries. Make sure you are getting ethically sourced coconut oil, as much of it is produced using slave labor. The next step on our journey to reducing omega-6 is to replace your grain-fed meat, dairy, and eggs with grass-fed and pastured versions. Grass-fed meat has higher levels of omega-3 and lower levels of omega-6. Eatwild.com is a great website for finding grass-fed meat, eggs, and dairy products near you. Now that we have decreased the omega-six in our diet, it’s time to get more omega-three. How to get more omega-three in your diet According to every major medical and scientific organization, whole foods are the best way to get your omega-three. Wild-caught fish and shellfish are the best sources of omega-3. With pollution in the oceans and the rapid depletion of fish stocks, many people are rightfully concerned about making sure their seafood is sustainable and clean. So, we wanted to share some great places to get seafood that is environmentally friendly and free of high levels of contaminants. Vital Choice Alaska Home Pack Great Alaska Seafood Tanners Alaskan Seafood Wild Alaska Company Don’t sleep on canned fish. Canned sardines with the skin and bones are a great source of omega-three and calcium. They are incredibly affordable and sustainable. Just make sure they are not packed in vegetable oil. Canned salmon is often overlooked. It is rich in omega-three, vitamin D, and if you get the kind with the bones, lots of very absorbable calcium. It makes a great substitute for canned tuna. While they are not well known, tinned cod livers are a great way to get omega-3 fatty acids. They have a smooth, creamy taste and also have lots of vitamins A and D. Think of them as a poor man's foie gras. One of our favorite omega-3 foods is fish roe. It is delicious, easy to prepare, and packed full of omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin K2 (as MK-4), choline, and so much more. Fish roe is an amazing and underutilized food. Check out our blog article to learn more . Many people rightfully have concerns about mercury in fish. Check out the   NRDC wallet card to choose fish with low mercury risk. What about farmed fish? We recommend avoiding farmed fish for a variety of reasons. Higher in omega-6 and lower in omega-3 than wild-caught fish. Fish are often treated with antibiotics because of the poor conditions in which they are raised. Just like we don’t want our meat pumped full of antibiotics, we don't want our fish given lots of them, which increases the problem of antibiotic resistance. Farmed salmon tend to be higher in PCBs and dioxins than wild salmon. Farmed fish tend to be lower in protein than wild fish. It is not more sustainable. It takes several pounds of wild small fish to make one pound of farmed salmon because the fish chow the salmon are fed is partly made of small wild fish. Don't worry if seafood isn't for you; there are many other great foods rich in omega-3. Pastured eggs are a great source of omega-3. They are rich in other beneficial nutrients like vitamin D, vitamin E, choline, and so much more. Your local farmer is the best source of these eggs. Check Eatwild.com to find a source near you, or look for some chickens running around. If you don’t have one near you, this scorecard is a great way to help you choose the right eggs. 100% Grass-fed and grass-finished meat is a good source of omega-3. If you replace the grain-fed meat in your diet with it, not only will you be increasing your omega-three intake, but you will be decreasing your omega-6 intake! Eatwild.com is a great resource to find a local farmer near you. We recommend swapping turkey, pork, and chicken for red meat like buffalo, bison, elk, venison, beef, lamb, mutton, and goat because they have far less omega-6 and more nutrition. Are flax, hemp, and chia seeds good sources of omega-three? Now, you might be wondering, "Why have I not included any plant foods on the omega-3 foods list?" Many plant foods contain a fatty acid called alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). This is a precursor to the omega-three fatty acids our bodies need, such as EPA/DHA. Our bodies are not great at the conversion process, so only a very small amount of the ALA is converted. In addition, the already low conversion rate is reduced much further in a diet rich in omega-6, which nearly everyone has. So, they are not a good source of omega-3. However, the biggest reason we do not recommend plant oils such as flax, hemp, and chia as a source of omega-3 is that they contain huge amounts of omega-6. For a very small amount of omega-3, you will be getting huge amounts of additional omega-6, which you do not need. So, skip the flax oil. Hopefully, this post has inspired you to reduce your omega-6 intake and eliminate those nasty vegetable and seed oils! What about omega-three supplements? Head over to part two to learn all about omega-three supplements.

Your heart works incredibly hard, beating about 100,000 times per day. What can you do to keep your heart healthy? There are a lot of things you can do to keep your heart healthy and nourished. From exercise and stress reduction to eating right, we have you covered. Stress and heart health The effects of stress on the heart are well documented, and chronic stress increases the risk of heart attack and stroke. Therefore, keeping your stress low is very important for a healthy heart. Check out our article, Stress 101 , for ways to keep your stress under control. Gut health and heart health Most people don’t know that your gut's health impacts your heart. Changes in certain gut bacteria can increase the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, and heart failure . So keeping it healthy is vital to keep your heart in shape. Check out our Gut Health Center to learn how to keep your gut working at its best. Exercise and heart health To no one's surprise, exercise is essential to any healthy heart program. It can strengthen the heart, reduce blood pressure levels, help the heart function better, improve energy levels, and more. But, contrary to popular belief, cardio is not the best exercise for cardiovascular health; strength training is. So, check out this great guide to strength training to get started. Always talk to your doctor before starting any exercise program if you have a heart condition. It's time to put on Eye Of The Tiger and get those reps in! Sunshine and heart health One of the most underrated ways to improve your heart health is to get in the sun at certain times . It will help to optimize your sleep cycle and reduce stress levels. Try to get at least 15 minutes of sunshine first thing in the morning (without sunglasses) before looking at your phone or other screens, and 15 minutes around sunset. Walk around barefoot in the grass while doing it, also known as grounding, for maximum benefits! Nature and heart health Spending time in nature is a great way to benefit your heart and helps build your microbiome. Hiking, jumping in a lake, climbing trees, and digging in the garden provide many more benefits than most people imagine. So get outside! Sleep and Heart Health Getting proper sleep is very important for a healthy heart. Insomnia is linked to high blood pressure and heart disease . Check out our blog,   From Sleepless Nights to Peaceful Slumber , for lots of great tips to help you get a good night's rest. Hydration and heart health Drinking plenty of water is vital for a healthy heart. Being dehydrated makes it harder for your heart to pump blood properly, can increase blood pressure, and make blood thicker, increasing the risk of blood clots. It’s easier to get dehydrated than most people think. Clean electrolytes are great to add to water in the summer if you are outside sweating a lot or having a bit too much alcohol. Avoid electrolyte mixes with flavorings and sweeteners. Skip the terrible water-flavoring products and use whole foods to flavor your water. Foods to avoid and foods to eat for heart health What you eat can make the difference between a healthy, strong heart and a weak one. The right whole foods nourish and support your heart; the wrong ones make it sad. Avoid these foods if you want to keep your heart happy. By far, no other foods come close to the horrors that vegetable and seed oils inflict on your heart (and the rest of your body). No other dietary factor has had such a huge negative impact on cardiovascular health. Despite claims of how healthy these oils are, as they have replaced animal fats, rates of cardiovascular disease continue to skyrocket. These fats lead to massive amounts of inflammation and oxidative stress. Avoid them like the plague, including all those fake butter products, even “healthy” ones sold at the health food store. You can read more about them and see a list of them here . If you can only make one change in your diet, eliminating these toxic foods will make the most significant difference. Fake sweeteners hurt the gut microbiome, and this can lead to heart problems. In addition, some, like erythritol, are linked to heart problems on their own. Even so-called “natural” ones (stevia, monk fruit, agave, xylitol, etc.) cause several issues. Instead, use small amounts of local raw honey (buy honey from a local beekeeper because a lot of the honey at the supermarket is adulterated with corn syrup), real manuka honey , maple syrup, coconut sugar, date sugar, and molasses. Excess-added sugar of any kind is not good for your heart, so don’t go crazy with these sweeteners, either. Fresh fruit is the best sweet choice (I know it’s not exciting). Try the recipe below for a nourishing dessert to satisfy your sweet cravings. Many foods are fortified with calcium, but the type of calcium added can lead to heart problems. In addition, most foods that get this added calcium are heavily processed junk food and are not good for you. So avoid any food that claims to have added calcium. Some examples include calcium-fortified orange juice, fake milk products (instead of drinking these highly processed products, you can easily make homemade coconut or macadamia nut beverages), certain cereals, and breads. Foods fortified with plant sterols claim to lower cholesterol and protect your heart. While they may slightly lower cholesterol, newer and better research shows they may be atherogenic. Most foods fortified with plant sterols (like fake butter spreads) contain vegetable and seed oils, the most significant dietary contributor to heart disease. Just because something may lower cholesterol does not mean it is healthy or that it reduces your risk of a heart attack and stroke. Heart health and cholesterol are more than just moving some numbers around. To learn more about cholesterol, check out our four-part series , all about cholesterol . These nourishing whole foods can help you keep your heart pumping away. Make sure to eat some daily; you cannot just eat them occasionally and expect to get the benefits. Your heart is a muscle that puts a lot of work in. So it needs plenty of high-quality protein and amino acids (such as taurine, carnitine, and cysteine) to function at its best. You should strive to get one gram of protein per pound of ideal body weight. For example, if you weigh 150 pounds, but your ideal weight is 130 pounds, aim for 130 grams of protein. High-quality sources of protein include: Grass-fed ruminant meat (beef, bison, buffalo, lamb, mutton, elk, and venison Wild-caught Alaskan Seafood We are often asked about “organic” and “healthier” farmed fish. There is no such thing; all of these terms are just marketing. You can order really good wild fish here or check out the frozen seafood section of your supermarket. Unfortunately, fish counters often have mislabeled fish or can often have misleading fish origins. Fish is packed with essential omega-3 fatty acids. Choose fatty fish for the most benefits. Don’t sleep on good-quality canned salmon. It’s much less expensive than fresh and has nearly the same benefits. Wild mackerel is a great fish choice because it is packed with coq10! Low-Pufa Pork Commercial pork is very high in omega-six, and the pigs are kept in horrible conditions. Instead, choose truly pastured pork from farms that allow the pigs to roam free and eat a diet of fruits, vegetables, and foods they forage. Truly pastured pork can be hard to find in stores, so check out this link to find a farm near you. Low-Pufa Chicken Commercial chicken is very high in omega-six, and they are kept in horrible conditions. Instead, choose truly pastured chicken from farms that allow the chickens to roam free and eat bugs, worms, grubs, and whatever else chickens eat when doing chicken things. Truly pastured chicken can be hard to find in stores, so check out this link to find a farm near you. Grass-fed dairy products Pastured eggs Good eggs are an excellent source of protein and are packed with nutrients necessary for heart health, like vitamin E and phosphatidylcholine. Eat the whole egg, not just the white. Eggs, dairy, and meat are not bad for your heart. They supply valuable nutrients in bioavailable forms and amounts not found in plant foods. But, unfortunately, for years, they were vilified based on terrible “science.” If you want to read more about this topic, the science behind it, and understand how people were made to fear these beneficial foods, check out this fantastic book . The best vegan protein option is tempeh . Good fats provide critical fat-soluble vitamins such as k2 (as mk-4, the form of k2 most beneficial for heart health), vitamin A (very different from beta-carotene), beneficial fatty acids, and much more. The most nutrient-dense fats are grass-fed butter, grass-fed ghee, and grass-fed tallow made from suet (most tallow is made from non-suet fat, which has lower amounts of fat-soluble vitamins). Berries are a food your heart loves. They contain lots of nutrients and phytochemicals that give your heart a lift. When berries are out of season, it is better to choose frozen berries. They are picked when they are ripe and at their most nutrient dense. Check out our friends at Stalhbush Farms for the most delicious frozen fruits grown on their farm in Oregon. Good farming makes a better berry. If you try one of their frozen berries and compare it to a traditional frozen “organic” berry, you will understand. Olive oil gets talked a lot about for heart health. However, this comes with some qualifications. First, it must actually be olive oil. Most olive oil is adulterated with vegetable and seed oils (even most from the health food store). This turns it into an inflammatory food. Second, it has to be fresh. Many olive oils are rancid and oxidized. Never buy olive oils in plastic or clear containers, as light causes it to break down. Third, it has to be very high in polyphenols. A considerable part of the benefits of olive oil comes from its polyphenol content. Most olive oil is very low in these polyphenols. Look for an olive oil with testing to show it contains high amounts of polyphenols. Olive oil is best used for finishing foods, not high-heat cooking, as the beneficial compounds are easily oxidized. If you have good olive oil, it’s an excellent food for your heart. Unfortunately, the vast majority of olive oils are anything but good. If you cannot get really good olive oil, it's best to stick to olives; that way, you get the beneficial compounds without worrying about adulteration. To learn more about this topic, check out this eye-opening book . The heart needs lots of potassium to function correctly. Excellent food sources of potassium include: Bananas Sweet Potatoes Citrus fruit Citrus fruit has many flavonoids that help strengthen the vascular system and support circulation. Eat those oranges. If you take prescription medications, you should avoid grapefruits as they interact with many medicines. Yogurt and kefir Yogurt and kefir also provide good bacteria for your gut, yay. Choose grass-fed, full-fat, unsweetened versions, and add some berries for sweetness, a heart health two for one! Pomegranates pack a big heart health punch. This delicious fruit contains potent antioxidants that supply several benefits for the heart. Eat it fresh or get the frozen kernels; avoid the juice. You cannot go wrong getting these in your diet. Garlic is well known for supporting the heart. Even better is black garlic. Black garlic is created through an aging process that converts certain compounds in fresh garlic into more stable and beneficial versions. Add some of it to your cooking for big benefits. Lacto-fermented veggies help support a healthy gut and benefit your heart. In particular, lacto-fermented beets are a superstar. They support nitric oxide production, which helps to improve circulation and blood flow. Having a serving of these every day will make your heart happy. Purple grapes with the seeds (yup, eat the seeds) are rich in potent antioxidants like resveratrol and OPCs. It’s much better to have grapes than wine to get your resveratrol because the studies showing benefits from alcohol were quite flawed, and more recent research has shown it is not beneficial. Many people got in the habit of drinking a bit too much during the pandemic, and it’s time to start cutting back. Cherries provide beneficial compounds that can reduce uric acid levels. Increased uric acid levels can increase the risk of heart and cardiovascular problems. Choose fresh or frozen cherries, not juice. Red-skinned apples ( not red delicious, that abomination of an apple ) have high levels of potent polyphenols that strongly protect the heart. So, make sure to eat the skin; that’s where they are! Avocados are a rich source of good fats and vitamin E. Avoid avocado oil as it is usually adulterated, similar to olive oil, and most of it is rancid. Stick the fruit. Vitamin E is essential for heart health; most people do not get enough. Beef heart is the richest food source of coq10. Coq10 is a very important compound used by the heart (and other muscles) to produce energy and is involved in a variety of important processes in the body. As we age, production decreases, so getting some in your diet is important. In addition, many people are on statins and other medicines (such as certain blood pressure medications) that deplete coq10 in the body. In those cases, getting some in your diet is even more essential. Beef heart is a great starter organ meat, as it does not taste as strong as other organ meats. If we cannot convince you to eat it, grass-fed beef heart capsules are a great whole food coq10 supplement. Check out this recipe for an easy way to get it into your diet. Take your taste buds on an adventure; I promise it's delicious! Last but not least is our favorite heart food, cacao. Properly made cacao has soo many benefits for your heart that it’s hard to know where to begin. As with olive oil, the benefits are contingent on it being high-quality cacao. Check out our rescue cacao center to learn about choosing good cacao and how to avoid the high levels of heavy metals (lead, cadmium, etc.) found in most cacao products. Cacao is rich in magnesium (a vital mineral most of us do not get enough of and is extremely important for heart health), potassium, and several other compounds that provide unique benefits. The most important flavanols in cacao are the catechins, the epicatechins, and the procyanidins, which act as antioxidant and protective compounds in the body. These beneficial effects are crucial for cardiovascular health. In addition, cacao’s potent antioxidants help to reduce oxidative stress in the body. This is more important than ever with our modern health challenges. Cacao flavanols exhibit antioxidant properties, meaning they scavenge free radicals and other reactive species to protect our cells. They also encourage the activity of our natural antioxidant enzymes, such as glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and glutathione reductase (GR). In addition, cacao flavanols affect the activity of certain enzymes that can affect cytokine production. Several human studies have shown that consuming cacao flavanols improves antioxidant levels in the body and supports a healthy heart heart. It is essential to ensure that the cacao you use is correctly tested for heavy metal content and flavonol levels. Low flavonol cacao will not have the same benefits as cacao with high flavonol levels. One of the best ways to measure the level of flavanols present in cacao products is by the gallic acid equivalent (GAE) method. With this method, the cacao's antioxidant capacity is measured using a mixture of the compounds phosphomolybdate and phosphotungstate. These compounds react with flavonols and other compounds with antioxidant capabilities. The number of reactions that occur can be measured, given the levels of antioxidant products present in the cacao. It can also directly measure the presence of the flavanol, catechin, which is particularly important in cacao. Just one serving per day of high flavonol cacao can provide a lot of benefits. Whole Food Supplements For Heart Health Whole food supplements can help give your heart that extra nourishing boost it needs. However, it’s important to take them daily at the full dosage because 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 time will not get you the results you are looking for. First up is Rosita cod liver oil , a true whole-food omega-three supplement. Over ninety-five percent of the population does not get enough omega-three fatty acids. This can have a profound effect on heart health. The body's ratio of omega-six to omega-three should be less than four to one. Unfortunately, most peoples are around thirty or fifty-to-one. This imbalance causes a tremendous amount of health issues. You can read more about this here . The solution to this is to dramatically decrease the amount of omega-six in the diet and increase the amount of omega-three. You need to do both, not just take an omega-three supplement. Unrefined cod liver oil is rich in omega-three fatty acids, vitamins A, D, and other beneficial compounds. The fatty acids and vitamins are in their naturally occurring forms. Nearly all cod liver oils are heavily processed, which changes the structure of the fatty acids into one not found in fish or food, and the natural vitamins are stripped out. True, whole-food cod liver oil offers incredible benefits. Refined, heavily processed fish oils (such as those made with molecular distillation) are not a substitute, any more than heavily processed foods are a substitute for whole foods. Vitamin K2 (as mk-4, which differs from the mk-7 form commonly sold in supplements) is very important for heart health. Unfortunately, only a few foods contain it, and most people do not eat them. Mk-4 helps to keep the arteries healthy, promotes blood flow, and supports healthy heart valves. Unrefined, whole-food emu oil is the best source of this vital vitamin. It also contains many beneficial fatty acids and vitamins A and E. Unfortunately, nearly all emu oil supplements are heavily refined, which strips away many beneficial nutrients and compounds and will not provide the benefits that an unrefined one does. Our favorite is NXGEN Wholefoods Emu Oil . Next up is magnesium . Most people do not get enough magnesium in their diet. Magnesium plays many key roles in the body, and not getting enough magnesium can lead to many issues. We recommend taking two Triquetra whole-food magnesium capsules  at bedtime. Unlike many magnesium supplements,   they are easy on the digestive tract. Not only will it help support healthy sleep, but also a healthy stress response. Nutriplex Formulas Cardio Food is a whole food supplement containing a blend of foods (brewer’s yeast, garlic, and grape seeds) and herbs (Hawthorne berry, cayenne, green tea, bilberry, and ginkgo), that help to nourish and strengthen the heart, support healthy circulation, and reduce oxidative stress. It also contains grass-fed beef heart for a whole food source of coq10, carnitine, and taurine. Think of it as a multivitamin for your heart. Last but certainly not least is our favorite heart support supplement, Selenoe Health Chocolate Maca . This blend contains rescue caca o and activated yellow maca . With chronic stress being a leading cause of cardiovascular problems, maca is an essential helper for your heart. Maca helps to support a healthy response to stress, as well as support the body's endocannabinoid system. Unfortunately, the chronically high-stress levels most of us have can cause this system not to function as it should. Maca contains compounds called macamides that help to support a healthy endocannabinoid system. These compounds are not found in any other plant. Unfortunately, most maca products are poorly made and contain little to none of these beneficial compounds. Check out our blog to learn more about this. Maca and cacao are a superstar team for heart health. It’s never too late to start working on your heart health; the best time to start is now! You don’t have to be perfect; going slow and gradually implementing positive changes is great. The most important thing is to get started. Heart Health Question and Support We know this is a lot of information, so if you have questions about heart health, email us at   info@rooted-nutrition.com ,  or schedule a free call . We will be happy to answer any questions you have!

In the age of pandemic after pandemic, it's understandable that most people have questions about what to do to stay healthy. We thought it might be helpful to put everything in one place, so we made this guide to staying healthy for you! What can I do to stay healthy? sunshine Believe it or not, sunlight is one of the best ways to keep your immune system healthy. 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 does 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. Most of us do not get nearly enough sunlight, so your first job, if you choose to accept it, is to get your butt outside and in the sun! nature It's time for you to get outside and get in nature. There are so many benefits. Besides the most well-known ones of stress reduction and improved mental health, being out in nature offers tremendous benefits to the immune system. Breathing in the air, touching rocks, trees, and soil, as well as swimming in the water all expose our immune system to various bacteria. Exposure to them strengthens the immune system and improves the body's microbiome. So, it's time for you to jump in a stream, swim in a lake, climb a mountain, or just get out there! Get Dirty Getting dirty is your next step on the way to wellness. Gardening, farming, sitting in the grass, and rolling around in the dirt with your kids and pets are great ways to support your immune system. Many scientists subscribe to the hygiene hypothesis , which states that our day-to-day environments are too clean, weakening our immune systems. Exposure to the bacteria in the soil is a great way to build and improve the microbiome. It's time to turn off the TV and get dirty! danger Humans evolved, living outside in dangerous conditions. Running from predators, fighting the elements, and hunting large animals, risked death every day. While it's great we don't have to run from tigers anymore, our inner selves need a bit of danger. Working this "muscle" is a great way to stay healthy, as it " exercises" a part of ourselves that most of us have never worked out and bridges the gap to your primal self. Some great ways to work this "muscle" are: Hang gliding Rock climbing Bungee jumping Cage diving with sharks White water rafting Cliff jumping Zip lining Skydiving Anything that gets your adrenaline pumping, that you are a bit scared of, is a great choice. stress reduction Chronic stress profoundly impacts our health and, over time, can negatively impact the immune system. The human body has not evolved to handle modern-day stressors, so it is very important to do as much as possible to reduce stress. Check out our article, Stress 101 , for lots of ways to fight the stress monster. What does your stress monster look like? Exercise While we tend to think of exercise for its benefits on weight and heart health, it has incredible benefits for the immune system and stress reduction. Regular exercise may: Flush bad bacteria out of the lungs, which may help to reduce your risk of cold and flu. It can lead to changes in antibodies and white blood cells. It helps them circulate faster, which means they may detect illness earlier than they may have. The increase in body temperature can prevent the growth of bad bacteria and improve the body's ability to fight infection. It may slow down the release of stress hormones. More important than the type of exercise is that you do it consistently. Consistency is more important than perfection! Get A Dog They say dogs are man’s best friend. Humans have long had animal companions. We domesticated wolves and wild cats for a variety of reasons, not just for work. They comfort us when we are sad and love to be by our side. Having a dog will make you get outside and take a walk, give you a reason to get up in the morning, greet you at the door when you get home from work, and help you forget the stress of the day. Dogs help to improve immune function and reduce asthma risk in children . Adopt a dog and see who rescues who! While some people cannot have pets for a variety of reasons, animal shelters and rescues are always looking for volunteers to help with walking dogs and other tasks. They are a great way to get you out of the house and get your exercise! Get Plenty of Rest Our bodies need to rest. In today's society, we often do not take any time to rest and recharge. Make sure you take some time to do that. Take a break. Take a deep breath. Watch a funny movie. Laugh with a friend. Pet your cat. Read a good book. Walk the dog. Take your kids to the park. Get Plenty Of Sleep The importance of getting enough sleep cannot be overstated. Sleep is essential to staying well and critical to keeping your immune system functioning properly. According to Dr. Bruce Corser, medical director of the Sleep Management Institute, "Sleep loss increases an individual's vulnerability to infectious diseases, "Even a mild disruption in sleep can reduce the body's immune response and lower your natural resistance against illnesses such as the flu." Check out our blog,   From Sleepless Nights to Peaceful Slumber , for lots of great tips to help you get a good night's rest. Clean Body Care, Laundry, And Cleaning Products It's to clean up and replace your cleaning, body care, and laundry products. The skin is the largest organ. What gets put on it often gets absorbed into the system. It's very important to keep that in mind when choosing these types of products. Most laundry detergent products are filled with questionable ingredients and synthetic fragrances, even the "natural" ones. Choose those that are truly natural and free of fragrances. This is a great option . The same goes for your cleaning products and dishwashing products. Get those that are free of synthetic chemicals and fragrances. This and this are great options. Skincare products such as shampoos, toothpaste, makeup, and body care products are a leading source of unhealthy contaminants that go into our bodies. Instead, choose clean products that nourish your skin and body. This , this , and these are great options. Stay Hydrated Your body needs enough fluids and electrolytes in order to function properly. Some good sources of fluids with electrolytes are: Mineral Water Soup Nettle Tea Coconut Water Grass-fed Milk Electrolyte mix Avoid those that have sugar, sweeteners, or flavorings added. Here are our favorite s . Fruit is a great source of electrolytes. Eat Nourishing Food Eating well has a profound effect on your health. Avoiding processed foods, vegetable oils, fake butter, sweeteners (use a bit of local honey, maple syrup, or coconut sugar when you need a little sweetness), and fake foods is a great place to start. Focus on whole foods as close to their original state as possible. Here are some foods to focus on that are particularly good for supporting a healthy immune system. Grass-fed organ meats Grass-fed meats Beef, bison, lamb, mutton, goat, elk, and venison are great choices. Their meat is much healthier than chicken or turkey. Grass-fed Bone Marrow Real Bone Broth and soup made with real bone broth. Wild Salmon Roe Oysters Wild-caught fish Canned wild salmon, mackerel, and sardines are great affordable choices. Pastured Eggs Grass-fed Yogurt and Kefir Buy full-fat, unsweetened versions and add your own fruit. Lacto-fermented Pickles Colorful fruits - Eat the fruit, not the juice. Kiwis Berries Mangos Papayas Guavas Apples Citrus Fruits Elderberries Watermelon Pineapples And all the others that you love! Many times frozen is better than fresh, especially when the fruit is out of season. Check out our friends at Stalhbush Farms if you want the most delicious and nutritious frozen fruit. Olives Squash Butternut, acorn, pumpkin, spaghetti, etc. Squash can be a chore to cut up sometimes, so we found this awesome frozen squash that can be quickly roasted and enjoyed. All of the nutrition, none of the work! Sweet Potatoes Avocados Eating real, whole foods is the best way to stay healthy and keep your immune system functioning at its best. Real Whole Food Supplements Sometimes we can't eat as healthy as we should, or our body needs a little extra support. Whole food supplements are a great way to help fill in those gaps. Unfortunately, too many companies claim to sell whole food supplements that are anything but; check out our article, Whole Food Supplements 101 , to learn the difference between a real whole food supplement and a fake one. Here are our favorite whole food supplements that help to keep you functioning at your best. First up is unrefined cod liver oil . This oil has all of its naturally occurring vitamins A and D and the important omega-3 fatty acids in their natural form. Nearly all cod liver oils (and fish oils) are heavily refined and filled with questionable flavorings. Many have synthetic vitamins added, and the processing changes the structure of the fatty acids to one not found in nature. They are not even close to the real thing. Check out our article to learn more about the difference between whole food and refined fish oils. If you can only take one supplement, this boat-to-bottle cod liver oil is it! Next up is a true whole food probiotic . Your gut is a huge part of your immune system. Keeping your gut healthy is key to keeping you feeling your best. Unfortunately, most probiotics just do not live up to the hype. Check out our article, It's Time For A Better Probiotic , to learn what it takes to produce a proper whole-food probiotic. Colostrum is one of the most incredible foods that feed your immune system unlike any other. Properly made colostrum contains a number of important compound,s such as lactoferrin and immunoglobulins. These support a healthy immune system. Colostrum helps your immune system function just right, not too hot or too cold. Think of it like the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. So if you want to feed your immune system right, good colostrum is what you want. Sometimes, despite our best efforts, we just don't eat well. That's where a true whole-food multivitamin comes in. It's a great way to help fill in the gaps in our diet. When we aren't eating enough whole foods, replacing that with synthetic vitamins is a mistake. They can never replace the complexity and nourishment that comes from real food. Our favorite whole food multivitamin is made entirely from real foods sourced directly from Australian family farmers in the Outback. No synthetic vitamins here. Farm or Factory - Where do the ingredients in your multivitamin come from? Getting Healthy Support Hopefully, this blog gave you some great ideas on how to stay healthy. If you have questions , feel free to email us at   info@rooted-nutrition.com , or book a free call , and we will help you on your health journey.

Electrolytes are some little fellas with big jobs. What are electrolytes, and what do they do? Electrolytes are essential compounds, such as potassium, sodium, chloride, bicarbonate, magnesium, and calcium, vital to human health. They are often promoted for dehydration and fluid loss from illness or working out. Without electrolytes, we would die, so you could say they are a little important. They: Regulate muscle contractions Help to keep PH levels balanced Used by cells and muscles to carry electrical impulses And much more! There are several possible causes of low electrolyte levels, including, but not limited to: low levels of electrolytes and hydration after exercise prolonged periods of vomiting or diarrhea poor diet severe dehydration disruption of the acid-base balance congestive heart failure cancer treatment some other drugs, such as diuretics bulimia kidney disease age, as the kidneys of older adults become less efficient over time A deficiency in electrolytes can cause: irregular heartbeat weakness twitching and muscle spasms changes in blood pressure excessive tiredness numbness confusion bone disorders nervous system disorders seizures None of those sound like much fun. It’s very important to get enough electrolytes in your diet. If you are working out or outside and sweating a lot, replenishing electrolytes, not just water, is essential. These two know how to stay hydrated. High electrolyte Foods Potassium: Bananas Avocados Oranges Use the fruit, not the juice Squash Sweet potatoes Cantaloupe Coconut water Be careful with coconut water brands; many have unwanted additives and come from unethical sources. Here is a good brand . Add some good salt to your coconut water to help give it a more balanced electrolyte profile. Dairy Milk and yogurt Choose full-fat, plain, and unsweetened yogurt and milk from grass-fed cows. Add some fruit or a bit of honey for sweetness if desired. Chicken Breast Certain wild-caught fish Snapper Salmon Halibut Tuna Tuna can be high in mercury, so it is best to limit consumption of it. Beets Cooked Chard If you are sensitive to oxalates, it is best to avoid chard. Magnesium Cacao (also rich in potassium) Choose cacao that is ethically produced and very low in heavy metals. Click here for more information on how to source cacao. Sprouted Pumpkin Seeds Sprout and then roast them to increase the bioavailability of the magnesium. Raw pumpkin seeds have a lot of nutrient inhibitors. Sprouting and dry roasting them will give you the most nutritional value. Most pumpkin seeds come from China, and there are a lot of quality control and ethical issues around sourcing. Choose pumpkin seeds grown in the USA or Europe. Avocado Cashews and almonds These contain a lot of omega-6, so be careful not to overdo them. As with pumpkin seeds, sprouting and dry roasting them is the best way to eat them because it reduces the nutrient inhibitors. Cooked spinach If you are sensitive to oxalates, it is best to avoid spinach Calcium Dairy Choose full-fat, plain, unsweetened, and minimally processed dairy products from grass-fed cows. Add some fruit or a bit of honey for sweetness if desired. Avoid low-fat, sweetened, ultra-pasteurized, and homogenized products. Raw dairy is best if you can get it. Click here to find a source near you. Canned sardines and salmon with bones These are also packed with tons of other nutrients and omega-3. They are a great, inexpensive source of high-quality protein. Don’t sleep on these. Cooked mustard greens Fortified foods like almond milk, orange juice, and cereal are not good sources of calcium. The calcium they contain is just ground-up chalk. Please do not rely on it for your calcium. Chalk is not a good source of calcium as it is poorly utilized and absorbed by your body. Sodium (and chloride) Salt We like Redmond Real Salt and Celtic Sea Salt. Nearly all Himalayan salt appears to have a lot of contamination and ethical issues (including slavery) surrounding its production, so we recommend avoiding it. In addition, very little of it is actually from the Himalayas, despite the name . Most foods have little naturally occurring sodium (except blood), so salt is the best source. Don’t be afraid of it. It does not contribute to blood pressure issues for most people (there are always a few exceptions, such as those with specific kidney problems who retain fluid). As with saturated fats , salt was vilified for years based on terrible “science.” Salts have different tastes because of their differing mineral content. Everyone can agree that whole foods are the best source of all nutrients, including electrolytes. However, most people do not get enough in their diet, which has caused an explosion in the popularity of electrolyte supplements. Electrolyte Beverage Powder Problems The problem is that most electrolyte supplements are full of crap. Refined sugars - There is no question about it; nearly everyone consumes far too much-refined sugar. A lot of electrolyte supplements contain lots of refined sugar. You will see it under a lot of different names, such as: Tapioca maltodextrin Maltodextrin Cane sugar Dextrose Fructose Corn Syrup While it is true that some people do need some carbohydrate replacement after working out or illness, refined sugars are not the answer to that need. Another additive that nearly all electrolyte products contain is some type of no or low- calorie sweetener. 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 electrolyte products (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 very strong aftertaste. Any white stevia powder is a heavily refined product, nothing like stevia leaves. In addition, there are several health concerns 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. As with other no-calorie sweeteners, it can increase sugar cravings. There are also ethical issues with the labor used to harvest much of it. Artificial Food Dyes - Many electrolyte products contain artificial food dyes, like red 40 and yellow 5, associated with significant health concerns. It is best to avoid products containing these ingredients. Stimulants - Many electrolyte products contain high amounts of caffeine and other stimulants. Most people are getting more than enough of these; you don’t need them added to your electrolytes. Also, stimulants dehydrate, which is the opposite of what you want to happen when you need electrolytes. Caffeine Yerba Mate Guayusa Kola Nut Green Coffee Bean Synthetic vitamins and minerals - Most products use synthetic vitamins and minerals to supply the nutrients and electrolytes needed. This is a poor replacement for nutrients found in food, but they are much less expensive and more profitable for companies to use. Nutrients in food are better utilized by the body and contain value compounds not found in isolated and synthetic vitamins and minerals. Whole foods have a complexity that cannot be duplicated in a lab. Gums and thickeners - These are used to improve mixability, but they can irritate the gut. Carrageenan Guar gum Xanthan gum Cellulose gum Flavorings - Nearly all electrolyte products contain artificial and “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: “O ils, 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 should just 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 it allows 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. Just say no to "natural" flavors. So what is a better option? Whole Food Electrolyte Beverage Powders If whole foods are the best way to get electrolytes, then a whole-food electrolyte supplement is the answer. A whole-food electrolyte supplement would have no added sweeteners, fillers, flavorings, and questionable ingredients. It should only contain properly dried whole foods and high-quality salt. We have searched for a whole-food electrolyte supplement for a long time but could not find one. Recently, while working on another project, we stumbled upon one , and to a supplement nerd like me, it was a huge find! They contain only freeze-dried fruits, freeze-dried coconut water, and super pure, mineral-rich Redmond Real Salt and come in a variety of delicious fruity flavors. It even comes in a pineapple version for kids, a great, whole-food alternative to Pedialyte . They supply valuable electrolytes in the best way, via whole foods. So the next time you need to replenish your electrolytes, you can reach for products with sketchy ingredients or give your body the nourishment it needs in the way it was meant to, with whole foods . Start tomorrow with a serving of whole food electrolytes in twelve ounces of water and a walk in the sunshine instead of reaching for coffee. You will feel one thousand times better and have a lot more energy! Electrolyte Beverage Support If you have questions about our electrolyte supplements, email us at info@rooted-nutrition.com , and our superstar staff will be happy to help!

It’s time to give an incredibly healthy food the attention it deserves! Fish And Salmon Egg Benefits Fish eggs have been prized by native peoples around the world as a sacred food. Native peoples of South America would travel for weeks over long distances from their mountain villages to the sea to get the eggs, dry them, and carry them home. The eggs were given to women to help ensure a healthy pregnancy and happy, well-nourished babies and children. They were the first “prenatal vitamin.” Combine them with some liver, bone marrow, and egg yolks, and you will have the ultimate menu for a healthy pregnancy. The Inuit are incredibly fond of fish eggs, especially salmon. The eggs are sun-dried and stored for consumption during the year. In Alaska, the Tlingit mothers feed salmon eggs as one of the first solid foods to their infants at eight to nine months of age. They believe, and rightfully so, that this food provides the nutrition needed to help the children properly develop and gives the kids a palate ready for a lifetime of seafood. This is a wonderful practice. Getting kids to prefer healthy, nutritious foods rather than sweet ones is a great way to set them up for a lifetime of health and good dietary habits. In his book, Nutrition, and Physical Degeneration, based on his work traveling the world to see the effects on the dental health of modern foods, replacing traditional ones in the diet of native peoples, Dr. Price (One of the people who do not get enough credit for the incredible research and work they did) wrote: “In many of the primitive tribes living by the sea, we found emphasis on the value of fish eggs… for ensuring a high physical development of growing children... through reinforcement of their mother's nutrition.” As modern foods replaced the traditional nutrient-dense foods, the dental health of native peoples declined rapidly. Throughout the world, cultures that had no contact with each other realized that fish eggs are one of nature’s perfect foods for promoting healthy pregnancy and happy children. Let’s bring that knowledge back to the modern world. Health Benefits of FIsh eggs Fish eggs have a lot of benefits. Healthy brain Healthy Pregnancy Healthy bones Healthy heart Healthy joints Healthy circulation And lots more! Nutrients in Fish Eggs Fish eggs are rich in many nutrients, including important fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K2, as MK-4. They also contain omega fatty acids EPA, DHA, DPA, ETA, and many others. For those looking for a source of omega-3 to support a healthy brain, eyes, pregnancy, and children's health, fish eggs are by far the best choice. Sources of Wild Fish Roe When choosing fish eggs to eat, you want wonderful, vibrant, and fresh or frozen wild-caught fish eggs. Choose eggs from wild-caught fish like Alaskan Salmon for the most nutritional bang and delicious flavor. You can see some great sources here , here , and here , or check with your local fishmonger. Wild Alaskan salmon roe is great. It generally comes in three types, and they are all so incredibly good for you: Keta Salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) : Pale red with strong orange overtones, keta salmon roe is the most popular type of salmon roe, regarded for its flavor, long shelf life, and signature “pop” in the mouth. Pink Salmon (Oncorhynchus Gorbuscha) : Orange with a subtle rose hue, pink salmon roe is valued for its sweet, mild taste and long shelf life. Sockeye Salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) : Bright red and significantly smaller than the other salmon species, sockeye salmon roe can have a slightly bitter natural finish and a shorter shelf life due to the natural fats found in the yolk of the eggs. How to Eat Fish Eggs So how do you eat fish roe? Many people get nervous about eating fish roe because they have never had it or have only seen black eggs in a can, like caviar in a movie. Eat it right off a small wooden spoon. Top hardboiled eggs Top sushi Top avocado toast (damn Millenials and their avo toast) Serve over freshly made rice Serve on top of a canape with creme fraiche There are lots of ways to enjoy fish roe. Getting in the kitchen and experimenting is half the fun! This food is definitely one you need to add to your diet as soon as possible. Even kids love it! While fish eggs are a wonderful food, many people are squeamish about eating them or do not have access to them. So the next logical step was to find a good supplement for them so that everyone could have them in their diet. Wild Fish Egg Supplements While I had been recommending fish eggs to people for years, finding a supplement for them proved more difficult than I thought it would be. There were and are many fish egg supplements on the market, but none of them fully tapped the potential of this incredible food. They suffered from several drawbacks. The first was that most of them are heavily refined to concentrate one or another part of the fish eggs This heavy refining process removes many of the beneficial compounds and constituents, leaving the supplement lacking and far from offering the true benefits that the whole food had to offer. Other companies attempted to keep the whole food intact but used high-heat drying methods, which caused a loss of nutrient value, oxidation, and rancidity. The final issue that came up was sourcing. Ethical sourcing of products is a core tenet of what we do at Rooted Nutrition. Many fish egg supplements currently on the market were sourced from fish whose origin could not be fully determined or were from polluted sources, causing the eggs to have excessive levels of heavy metal contamination. Not being able to verify the source of the fish eggs was a bright red flag. When sourcing supplements, it is incredibly important to us to be able to verify where the ingredients come from so we can ensure that the people harvesting them are well taken care of and that the environment is not harmed in the process. Generally, when companies go to great lengths to hide their sourcing, they are up to no good, or they themselves have no idea where the materials are coming from. For years, I was unable to find any fish egg supplement that did not have these issues, so I gave up on finding one. Then, a few months ago, we got word from one of our favorite suppliers, NXGEN Wholefoods , that they were going to be making a fish egg supplement. I was very excited to hear this (yes, I am a big nerd) but a bit nervous because of all of the issues in the past with fish egg supplements. The company was very upfront with its sourcing; this is always a good sign. The fish eggs for this supplement are sourced from the clean waters of southwestern Australia. This was a great first step. Australia has some of the cleanest waters and strictest environmental standards in the world. We source many of our products from there. Wild Australian salmon are plentiful and not in danger of overfishing. In fact, they are mostly used as baitfish. So now that we could verify the sourcing of these eggs and see that they were from a clean source, we moved on to the next step. We needed to verify that they did not have high levels of contamination from things like heavy metals, PCBs, and radiation. Third-party testing on the product showed that it was incredibly clean and free of high levels of contamination and rancidity. The final portion we needed to verify was that it was genuinely whole food and properly dried to ensure it maintained its incredible nutritional value. The company was completely transparent about its process for making the supplement. After harvesting, the eggs are washed and cleaned. After cleaning, the eggs are put into a freeze-dryer. After freeze-drying, the eggs are ground into a powder and put into a capsule. That's it, nothing added or taken away. Freeze-drying is a low-temperature process that preserves nearly all the eggs' nutrient value. Since the omega fatty acids in fish eggs are primary in the phospholipid form and contain all the needed cofactors found in the whole food, they are easy to digest and absorb. We are so excited to be able to offer NXGEN Wholefoods Wild Egg capsules ! Wild Fish Egg Questions And Support We know this is a lot of information, so if you have questions about wild fish eggs, email us at   info@rooted-nutrition.com  and we will be happy to answer any questions you have!

It’s finally happened...you’re pregnant; congratulations! Knowing what to eat to keep you and your baby healthy can be confusing; let’s hope we can clear up some of your questions. Pickles are an essential part of any pregnancy diet. Nutrition and pregnancy During pregnancy, you need higher levels of vitamins, minerals, and nutrients. Eating healthy, whole foods is your best way to achieve this. There are certain nutrients that are especially important to support the growth and development of your baby that most women do not get enough of while pregnant. These are the ones that we want to focus on. Pregnancy and iodine First up is iodine. Iodine is essential for healthy brain development . Pregnant women about 220 mcg per day. The average pregnant woman in the US consumes about 163 mcg per day, far short of the needed amount. Women who do not consume dairy products are even more at risk, with consumption of only about 100 mcg per day. So making sure to consume enough iodine in your diet is very important. Here are some great foods rich in iodine: Grass-Fed Dairy Grass-fed dairy is rich in many nutrients, including iodine. It is one of the easiest ways to get more iodine in your diet. Pastured Eggs Pastured Eggs are rich in iodine, choline, DHA, and vitamin E, which are also very important for healthy babies. Wild-caught whitefish, such as cod and wild-salmon roe . These fish are also rich in high-quality protein and valuable omega-3 fatty acids like DHA. For those who feel that they cannot get enough iodine in their diet, wild salmon roe capsules are a great source of iodine to help fill in the gaps. Choline for pregnancy Next up is Choline. Choline is so important, but it is only now starting to get talked about. It plays an essential role in brain and nervous system development. Pregnant women need about 450 mg per day. 90-95% of pregnant women do not consume adequate amounts of choline, and most prenatal vitamins have little to no choline. Prenatal vitamins without choline should not even be allowed to be called prenatal vitamins. For help choosing a good prenatal vitamin, check out our blog article, choosing a good prenatal vitamin . Ensuring you are getting enough choline in your diet is very important. Here are some great foods rich in choline: Grass-fed beef liver is the richest source of choline and contains many other essential nutrients like iron, B12, zinc, and folate. For those who cannot stand the thought of eating liver, ethically sourced, high-quality liver capsules are a great choice and one of the best ways to make sure you are getting enough choline. Pastured eggs Grass-fed Beef Wild-caught whitefish, such as cod. Pastured Eggs are one of the best foods you can eat for a healthy pregnancy! Pregnancy and zinc Third up is zinc. Zinc deficiency can increase the risk of preterm birth and prolong labor time . Zinc is also important for cell growth and brain development. Pregnant women are one group of women most at risk of zinc deficiency , with vegetarian and vegan women being even more at risk. So, making sure to consume enough zinc in your diet is very important. Here are some great foods rich in zinc: Grass-fed beef liver is one of the richest sources of zinc. It is also more bioavailable than zinc found in plant foods. Grass-fed beef, lamb, and buffalo Pastured Pork Raw, low heavy metal, Cacao Nibs They are also rich in magnesium as well. Make sure to choose ethically sourced, low-heavy metal ones, as many cacao products are high in heavy metals like lead and arsenic. If you feel you cannot get enough zinc in your diet, ethically sourced, whole-food zinc supplements are easy on the stomach and can help you meet your daily zinc requirements. Folate and pregnancy Next up is folate. Folate is essential for neural tube development. Inadequate maternal folate status has also been associated with low infant birth weight, preterm delivery, and fetal growth retardation . Many women have a genetic issue called MTHFR polymorphism which can affect the conversion of folic acid into folate. It is best to avoid depending on fortified foods and supplements containing folic acid in case you have this issue. In addition, eating foods with methyl donors can help to ensure that folate in food is adequately converted to methyl folate. Getting enough folate in your diet is very important to ensure a healthy baby. Here are some great foods rich in folate: Grass-fed beef liver is the richest source of folate. It is also rich in methyl donors that help convert folate to methyl folate. Mangoes Kiwis Pomegranate Citrus Fruits Papayas Cooked leafy green vegetables For those who feel they cannot get enough folate in their diet, ethically sourced liver capsules are a great source of folate to fill in the gaps. Don't be afraid of eating plenty of fruit during pregnancy; it supplies important nourishment. Iron for pregnancy Iron is our next important nutrient. Pregnant women are one of the most at-risk groups for iron deficiency. Iron deficiency during pregnancy increases the risk of maternal and infant mortality, premature birth, and low birth weight. Eating enough iron during pregnancy is incredibly important. Keep in mind that heme iron found in animal products is much better absorbed and utilized by the body than the non-heme iron found in plant foods. Make sure to eat vitamin C-rich foods with iron-rich plant foods to help increase the absorption. Avoid eating iron-rich plant foods with dairy products, as this can decrease the absorption of iron. Heme iron found in animal products does not have the same issues. Eating probiotic-rich foods such as Lacto-fermented vegetables like pickles can help to increase iron absorption. Unfortunately, many women simply do not eat enough iron-rich foods. Here are some great foods rich in iron: Grass-fed Beef Liver Grass-fed Beef, Buffalo, Lamb, Venison Pastured Ostrich Canned Sardines Grass-Organ Meats, especially spleen. Pregnancy and iron supplements An iron supplement may be the answer for those who feel they do not get enough iron in their diet. Unfortunately, most iron supplements can be hard on the stomach and cause unpleasant side effects like constipation. Thankfully, there are whole-food iron supplements that can help you get enough iron without the unpleasant side effects. Check out our blog article, all about iron , to learn more. B vitamins in pregnancy B vitamins, especially B6 and B12, are often found to be deficient in many pregnant women. These vitamins are important for various reasons, including brain and nervous system development. Eating enough of these vitamins is essential to supporting a healthy pregnancy. Here are some great foods rich in B vitamins: Grass-fed Beef Liver Organ Meats Heart, Kidney, etc Grass-Fed Beef, Buffalo, Lamb, Venison Pastured Eggs Pastured Poultry Pastured Pork Grass-Fed Dairy Wild Caught Salmon Magnesium and pregnancy Magnesium is very important mineral for a healthy pregnancy and unfortunately, most pregnant women don't get enough. Check out our magnesium blog to learn all about this important nutrient and how to get enough of it in your diet. Pregnancy and omega three Last but certainly not least on our nutrient journey are omega-fatty acids, especially DHA. Omega-3 fatty acids are very important for the baby's healthy development and the mom’s mental well-being. The vast majority of people, not just pregnant women, do not get enough of these incredibly important essential nutrients. One important note is that flax, hemp, and chia do not actually contain the omega-fatty acids we need. They contain a precursor fatty acid ALA, of which only very small amounts actually convert to fatty acids like EPA and DHA. In addition, they also contain large amounts of omega-6, which people already consume way too much of. Getting enough omega-3 fatty acids in your diet is very important to ensure a healthy baby. Here are some great foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids: Wild-Caught Fish Here is a great wallet card to see which fish are low in mercury. Pastured Eggs Grass-Fed Full-Fat Dairy Grass-Fed Beef, Lamb, Buffalo, Venison For those of you who do not think you can get enough omega-3 in your diet, check out our recommended whole-food omega-3 supplements . Whole food omega-3 supplements are very different than the typical heavily refined and processed fish oil supplements found in health food stores and pharmacies. They contain many other important nutrients and compounds not found in traditional omega-3 supplements. In addition, they contain these omega-3 fatty acids in their natural state as they are found in food, unlike the altered state that they are found in traditional fish oil supplements. Check out this article to learn more. While getting enough of all of your nutrients is important, the ones listed above are those in which deficiencies are most often found in pregnant women. To ensure that all your boxes are checked, nearly all major medical organizations recommend a good prenatal vitamin. Check out our recommended prenatal vitamin here . We hope that this article gave you some valuable information and helps clear up any questions you might have about healthy eating during pregnancy. Don’t forget to see the rest of our pregnancy center for more great information on everything from healthy eating for c onception to support for healthy breastfeeding . Pregnancy nutrition questions and support If you have questions about nutrition during pregnancy, please email us at info@rooted-nutrition.com , and we will be happy to help!

Bone Broth and soups are some of the oldest and most nourishing foods that humans have ever eaten. Nearly every culture on earth has its own variety. Chinese Master Stock, Japanese Dashi, Italian Pestat di Fagnana, Korean Ox Bone, Mexican Sopa de Lima, Southeast Asian Fish Sauce, Jewish Chicken soup, and Vietnamese Pho are just a few of them. One thing that each of these has in common is that they take time to cook if you want to do it right. These foods are often a labor of love, and recipes are passed down from generation to generation with unique local ingredients. All of them have tales of incredible healing powers. One South American proverb says, “Good broth will resurrect the dead.” Many of us have fond memories of parents serving us a warm bowl of soup when we were sick and have passed on that tradition to our own children. I remember my mom making chicken soup with lots of carrots, celery, and parsley. I will never forget how careful you had to be with my mom’s soup because she did not seem to be overly fond of making sure all the bones were taken out. I think she just wanted to make sure we got enough calcium, right, Mom? So what makes good broths and soups so special? Well, besides the love that goes into making a good broth, often, these soups have ingredients that have health and healing benefits. The cooking of the ingredients for long periods of time often makes them easier to digest and many nutrients and health-promoting compounds more bioavailable. One of my favorite benefits of a good broth or soup is often one that is not talked about but is the synergy between the ingredients. This concept is often found in herbalism as well. Sometimes, combined ingredients, herbs, and foods can have a synergistic effect that is not found when eaten or taken separately. Some examples of food synergy include: 1. Vitamin C-rich citrus fruit helps to improve the absorption of iron from plant foods. 2. The good fats in olive oil help to improve the absorption of beneficial lycopene from tomatoes. 3. Compounds in lemon help to increase the absorption of catechins in green tea. 4. Eating sulfur-rich foods like garlic and onions with zinc-rich foods such as pumpkin seeds and red meat, helps to increase the absorption of zinc. There are many more examples out there, so remember to get a wide variety of healthy whole foods in your diet every day. As we enter fall and winter, there is no better time to start making your own soups. You can make large batches and freeze them in individual servings for quick, healthy, and delicious meals. Don't be afraid to experiment and try new combinations. Bone broth has become incredibly popular recently. Real bone broth is rich in nutrients and beneficial compounds such as collagen, vitamins A and K, zinc, iron, boron, manganese, potassium, and selenium, as well as beneficial fatty acids. It is one of the best foods you can eat for your health. Real bone broth will help you feel better and calm an upset stomach like nothing else. Bone Broth Recipe Here is a simple recipe for homemade bone broth that you can use as a base for your soups: 2 lbs of bones 2 chicken feet (optional) but adds more benefits 1 gallon water 2 TBSP apple cider vinegar - The vinegar helps to draw the collagen out of the bones. Salt and pepper to taste if desired. Instructions: If you are using raw bones, especially beef bones, it improves flavor to roast them in the oven first. Place them in a roasting pan and roast for 30 minutes at 350°F. Place the bones in a large stockpot or the Instant Pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover. Cook for at least 10-12 hours or until reduced by 1/3 or 1/2, leaving you with 6-8 cups of bone broth. The more it reduces, the more intense the flavor and the greater the number of nutritional benefits it will have. Twelve hours is the ideal amount of time unless you are using a pressure cooker, in which case the time will be much less. Strain and use or store. You can freeze large batches of bone broth in individual servings or ice cubes to drink on a cold day or use them as a base to make quick and easy soups. Fake bone broth Many people do not have the time or desire to make their own bone broth but still want the benefits. There are a number of really wonderful companies out there selling real bone broth. At the same time, there are many companies selling fake bone broth. Unfortunately, the term bone broth is not regulated, so many companies are taking advantage of its popularity without doing the right thing. A lot of bone broths are really just bouillon water or regular broth relabeled as bone broth. Unfortunately, there is almost no way to tell from the label. Powdered Bone Broth Powered bone broth (sometimes sold as bone broth collagen or bone broth protein powder) has become very popular. Quick and easy to use, most people rightfully think that these products provide the same benefits as bone broth and are just bone broth powdered and dried. Unfortunately, most of these products are nothing like real bone broth. Real bone broth powder should be made the same way you make it at home, just like the recipe above. Nothing should be added or taken away except the water, and no heavy processing or harsh drying methods should be used. Many bone broth powders go through drying processes that can damage the final product. Look for products that are freeze-dried. Real bone broth powders would have all the nutrition found in properly made bone broths. They would also have a similar color. Real bone broth powder should have a brownish color. If your bone broth powder is white or lightly colored, it is either heavily processed or not real bone broth powder. Make sure your bone broth powder is made with organic apple cider vinegar because, just like when making bone broth at home, the vinegar is needed to draw out all the collagen from the bones. Mixing the powder in hot water should yield a similar color and consistency to homemade bone broth. It should also gel up just like homemade bone broth when cold. Real bone broth powder will not mix well into cold liquids. Bone broth powders that claim to mix well into cold beverages have been heavily processed or are not real bone broth. To get a powered bone broth to mix into a cold liquid or smoothie, it would need to be instantized, which can damage fragile compounds in the broth or even harsher methods. Do not buy products that claim to be bone broth powders, which are easily mixed into cold beverages. If you see words like hydrolyzed on the label, that also means the product is not real bone broth or has been heavily processed. Many products claiming to be bone broth powder have added thickeners, fillers, sweeteners, flavoring, and coloring agents such as guar gum, xanthan gum, natural flavors, etc. These products should be avoided as it shows you are not getting pure bone broth powder. Look for products made from pastured chickens or grass-fed cows sourced from small family farms. In addition, avoid products made from Brazilian cows because of the issues of rainforest deforestation associated with Brazilian cattle farming. We do not need to sacrifice the rainforest to get good bone broth. Bone broth protein powder We have been getting asked for a bone broth protein powder for a long time. We could not find one that met our standards: ethically sourced, properly made, and free of the contaminants found in many bone broth powders. So, we did not sell one. Finally, after searching and searching, we found NXGEN Wholefoods Bone Broth Powder made from regeneratively farmed cattle in the Lake Eyre region of Australia. The broth is simply made, just bones slowly simmered with a splash of organic apple cider vinegar and murray river salt over low heat until a delicious, rich broth is made, just like you would make at home. Then, the broth is cooled and spread out on sheets, then it travels through a freeze drier. After drying, it is packed and shipped out. Nothing is added or taken away. Simple and delicious. It's packed with nutrients and multiple types of collagen. So, on the next cold day, make yourself a nice soup or a simple cup of bone broth, take a deep breath, and let the broth soothe you. Broth is beautiful, and so are you! Bone broth questions and support If you have questions about bone broth or bone broth protein powders, email us at info@rooted-nutrition.com , and our superstar staff will be happy to help!

While selenium might not be as popular as other minerals, it’s just as important and deserves more attention than it gets. What does selenium do? It supports glutathione production. It acts as a powerful antioxidant. Iodine, an important mineral for thyroid function, cannot do its job without enough selenium present. This can lead to many problems you don’t want to deal with. It supports a healthy intestinal lining. It supports cardiovascular health by promoting healthy CRP and oxidative stress levels in the arteries.  It supports healthy cytokine levels. It supports brain health by reducing oxidative stress. It is needed for the normal function of the pancreas. And much more! Thyroid And Selenium Selenium is essential for thyroid function. The thyroid gland contains more selenium than any other organ. Selenium helps activate thyroid hormones and protects them from oxidative damage. Without enough selenium, the thyroid will not function well. Selenium helps with the conversion of thyroid hormones t4 to t3. If it is not present or in very low amounts, this conversion cannot occur. Selenium recommended daily intake What Foods are rich in Selenium? Many foods are rich in selenium. Plant foods, though, really depend on the soil they were grown in.   With so much of our soils becoming depleted and climate change reducing levels of soil selenium , the levels can be much less than what is thought to be in plant foods. Foods rich in selenium include: Brazil Nuts Avoid eating more than two to three of them per day because eating too many of them every day can lead to an excessive accumulation of selenium, which can lead to problems. Eat them sprouted or dry roasted to get the most nutrients from them. Wild-Caught Tuna Buy low-mercury tuna. A great brand of that is Safe Catch . Canned Sardines This is one of the best sources of selenium, protein, and omega-three fatty acids. Buy them in water or olive oil. Wild Caught Shrimp Grass-fed beef Grass-fed beef kidney Beef kidney is also a rich source of DAO and B12. DAO helps to break down histamine in the gut. Grass-fed beef liver Cottage Cheese Eggs Wild Caught Cod Types Of Selenium Supplements There are multiple types of selenium supplements, and they fall primarily into two categories: inorganic and organic (a different kind of organic than when referring to how food is grown). Inorganic forms of selenium are those found in soil. Plants take these inorganic forms and convert them into organic forms that our bodies can utilize. Then we eat the plants or the animals that ate the plants. In the same way, we do not go outside and eat rocks and dirt to try and get nutrients; we should not use the forms of nutrients found in rocks and dirt in our supplements and expect to get significant benefits. There are multiple organic forms of selenium in foods, which have different effects on the body. That’s why foods rich in selenium are the way to go, because you get the various types and better forms. Organic forms of selenium are readily utilized by the body and incorporated into selenoproteins. Unfortunately, most supplements use inorganic forms of selenium, which are cheaper but less effective. They also can lead to problems. While some supplements use a synthetic form of organic selenium, you are still missing the benefits of all of the other things in whole foods and the variety of organic forms of selenium found in them.  Here comes the science part. Inorganic selenium salts, like sodium selenite and selenate, and most “organically chelated” forms of selenium (chelates and aspartates) are broken down into elemental selenium, which has very poor bioavailability and can lead to selenium toxicity at far lower levels than organic forms of selenium. A common form of synthetic organic selenium is called selenomethionine. Many companies claim to sell this, but they are not and are using selenium created by a practice called dry-blending. This is where, rather than the proper manufacturing process for making selenomethionine, they simply mix inorganic selenium and the amino acid methionine together. This does not make selenomethionine; it creates a powder blend containing an inorganic selenium and the amino acid methionine. This is often sold as selenomethionine, even though it is not. This blend has the same risks as other inorganic forms of selenium. Unfortunately, there is no way to tell if a product has real selenomethionine or is an inorganic selenium without knowing its supplier. That is why we require any product we sell that uses selenomethionine to divulge their supplier to us so we can check to ensure it is genuinely selenomethionine.  Research has repeatedly shown that organic forms of selenium are far more effective in improving selenium status and endpoint results than inorganic forms. Best Selenium Supplements As with other supplements, you know we prefer whole-food ones. Finding truly whole-food selenium supplements was difficult, as many that claimed to be whole-food were anything but . Real whole-food selenium supplements will contain multiple forms of organic selenium, which provide the full spectrum of selenium benefits. Our first whole-food selenium pills are   NXGEN Wholefoods Beef Kidney capsules . These capsules are made from grass-fed cattle raised with regenerative farming practices by family farmers. The cattle roam the Lake Eyre region of Australia, spending their entire lives outdoors and eating a variety of grasses.  The kidneys come directly from the family farms to the facility, where they are gently freeze-dried, cryo-milled into a powder, and then encapsulated. That’s it. The kidney is also rich in a host of nutrients, including B-12 and a whole food source of DAO. DAO is an enzyme that helps break down histamine in the gut. Each serving contains approximately 45-50 mcg of selenium. Beef kidneys contain multiple types of organic selenium Our next selenium pills are Triquetra Total Selenium , which are made from garlic. The garlic is farmed hydroponically in India. It takes up the inorganic selenium in the growing medium and converts it into four bioavailable, organic forms of selenium. Then, the garlic is dried, milled into a powder, and encapsulated. That’s it! Each capsule contains 200 mcg of organic selenium. Selenium Supplement Support And Questions If you have selenium questions, feel free to email us at info@rooted-nutrition.com . We will be happy to answer them!

Vein problems are something no one wants to deal with. They happen when the veins become weak, resulting in many unpleasant symptoms. Chronic Venous Insufficiency This weakness can create a condition called chronic venous insufficiency . It occurs “When your leg veins don’t allow blood to flow back up to your heart. Normally, the valves in your veins make sure that blood flows toward your heart. But when these valves don’t work well, blood can also flow backward. This can cause blood to collect (pool) in your legs. If this condition is not treated, you may have pain, swelling, cramps, varicose veins, and leg ulcers.” It can be extremely painful and significantly reduce a person's quality of life. If you have bad varicose veins, you should see a doctor to ensure you are not at risk for blood clots. Hemorrhoids Hemorrhoids are swollen, inflamed veins around your anus or the lower part of your rectum. There are two types: External hemorrhoids, which form under the skin around your anus. Internal hemorrhoids, which form in the lining of your anus and lower rectum. What Can you do to support healthy veins? Thankfully, there are many things you can do to help keep your veins healthy. Most people are not aware that stress can cause vein problems. As stress increases blood pressure, it creates tension on the walls and valves of your veins, making it harder for blood to flow. Over time this weakens the veins. Therefore, keeping your stress low is very important for healthy veins. Check out our article, Stress 101 , for ways to keep your stress under control. Sleeping with your legs elevated can help to prevent venous pooling in the legs. You can get pillows made especially for this, such as th is one . This allows your veins to relax and heal at night rather than have constant pressure while you sleep. Get a squatty potty. Straining to poop is a big cause of many hemorrhoids. A squatty potty makes it easier to go to the bathroom. If constipation is the cause of your potty problems, check out our Gut Health Center to help get your constipation under control. Vein symptoms can worsen much faster by standing in one place and sitting for long periods. Take time during the day to move around as much as possible. Here are some good exercises to keep your veins healthy. Walking for at least thirty minutes daily, split up throughout the day. Calf raises Going up and down the stairs. Toe flexes Yoga Stretching Doing these exercises daily can help to prevent and improve vein problems. Hydration and Vein health Drinking plenty of water is vital for healthy veins. Being dehydrated makes it harder for your blood to flow through the veins, can increase blood pressure, and make blood thicker, increasing the risk of blood clots. It’s easier to get dehydrated than most people think. Clean electrolytes are great to add to water in the summer if you are outside sweating a lot or having a bit too much alcohol. Avoid electrolyte mixes with flavorings and sweeteners. Ditch the junk filled water flavoring products and use whole foods! Foods for vein health What you eat can make the difference between healthy, strong veins and weak ones. The right whole foods nourish and support your veins; the wrong ones make them weak. Avoid these foods if you want to keep your veins happy. By far, no other “foods” will cause as negative effect an effect as vegetable and seed oils. These “foods” cause massive amounts of inflammation and oxidative stress, two of the worst things for veins. Avoid them like the plague, including all those fake butter products, even “healthy” ones sold at the health food store. You can read more about them and see a list of them here . If you can only make one change in your diet, eliminating these toxic foods will make the most significant difference. These oils make platelets stickier, increasing the risk of vein problems and blood clots. Consuming lots of excess sugar increases inflammation, so reduce your consumption as much as possible. However, this does not mean you should switch to zero-calorie or fake sweeteners (including “natural” ones like stevia, xylitol, agave, and monk fruit). These are pretty bad for your gut microbiome. Instead, focus on using smaller amounts of natural sweeteners like local raw honey and maple syrup and, over time, gradually reducing the quantities of all sweeteners in your diet. Alcohol thickens the blood and reduces circulation. This creates increased pressure on your veins, which weakens them over time. So, there is never a better time than today to cut back on alcohol. No one wants to hear this, but caffeine worsens vein problems. It constricts the veins, increases blood pressure, and reduces blood flow. Cutting back on caffeine is a big help to your veins. Try a rescue cacao latte instead for a morning pick-me-up that supports healthy veins, instead of vein problems causing caffeine. These nourishing whole foods can help you keep your veins healthy. Make sure to eat these foods daily; you cannot just eat them occasionally and expect to get the benefits. These foods help to make platelets less sticky, which makes it easier for blood to flow. Ginger Turmeric Cayenne Ceylon Cinnamon Rosemary These foods act as vasodilators, which help to relax the muscles and open blood vessels. Lacto-fermented beets Beets are rich in nitrates, which are converted to nitric oxide, which is a vasodilator. Pomegranates Citrus Fruits Citrus fruits contain flavonoids that help to strengthen and repair veins. Load up on them. Avoid grapefruit if you take prescription medications, as it has a lot of drug interactions. Berries Pineapples have a dual benefit for vein health. They are rich in potassium, which can help to reduce blood pressure, and they help to reduce the production of fibrin, which impedes blood flow. Pastured eggs are an excellent vein-supporting food. They are packed with protein, healthy fats, and nutrients. They are associated with a reduced risk of developing chronic vein diseases. Red grapes, with their seeds (yes, eat the seeds), contain potent antioxidants (OPCs) that help protect and strengthen veins. Wild-caught fish is rich in omega-three fatty acids that help to reduce platelet stickiness and improve blood flow. They can also help to regulate vasodilation and constriction. So, working to increase the amount of omega-three in your diet and reduce the amount of omega-six is one of the best things you can do to improve your health. Last but certainly not least is our favorite vein health food, rescue cacao . Cacao is rich in flavonols that help to support healthy veins. In addition, it is rich in magnesium, which helps to support the heart and healthy blood flow. Always get ethically produced cacao that is low in heavy metals . Just one serving per day of high flavonol cacao helps to keep your veins healthy. Supplements for vein health The right supplements can help to support healthy veins. However, taking them daily at the full dosage is essential because 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 time will not get you the results you are looking for. First up is Rosita cod liver oil , a true whole-food omega-three supplement. Over ninety-five percent of the population does not get enough omega-three fatty acids. This can profoundly affect vein health. The body's ratio of omega-six to omega-three should be less than four to one. Unfortunately, most people's ratio is around thirty or fifty-to-one. This imbalance causes a tremendous amount of health issues. You can read more about this here . The solution to this is to dramatically decrease the amount of omega-six in the diet and increase the amount of omega-three. You need to do both, not just take an omega-three supplement. Unrefined cod liver oil is rich in omega-three fatty acids, vitamins A, D, and other beneficial compounds. The fatty acids and vitamins are in their naturally occurring forms. Nearly all cod liver oils are heavily processed, which changes the structure of the fatty acids into one not found in fish or food, and the natural vitamins are stripped out. True, whole-food cod liver oil offers incredible benefits. However, refined, heavily processed fish oils (such as those made with molecular distillation) are not a substitute, any more than heavily processed foods are a substitute for whole foods. Xymogen DioVasc is one of the best supplements to support healthy veins. There are many diosmin products on the market; however, most of them are not made correctly, for example, not micronized properly, and use dosages that are much lower than needed. You should not use diosmin when taking aspirin if you have dental or gum bleeding issues, and blood-thinning or antiplatelet medications. How to Take Diosmin Dosage: Take one capsule twice daily, with food or as directed by your healthcare practitioner. For intensive support, take three tablets twice daily with meals for four days, then decrease to two tablets twice daily with meals, four four days, then decrease to the maintenance dosage of one capsule twice per day. It’s never too late to start working on your vein health; the best time is now! You don’t have to be perfect; going slow and gradually implementing positive changes is great. The most important thing is to get started. Do You have questions about vein health? We know this is a lot of information, so if you have questions about vein health, email us at   info@rooted-nutrition.com ,  or schedule a free call . We will be happy to answer any questions you have! Nettles are a wonderful herb that can help support healthy veins!

Whole food, food-based, and plant-based are some of the supplement industry's most widely used marketing terms. But what do these terms mean, and how can you tell if something is a whole-food supplement? What Are whole food supplements? What a “whole food” supplement is, is one of the most obscured and misunderstood terms in the supplement industry. Without the FDA stepping in and setting an actual definition, manufacturers are free to call anything a “whole food” supplement and market products however they want, no matter how misleading or inaccurate. Here is the Rooted Nutrition definition of a whole food supplement: A true, whole-food supplement is made from nothing but 100% whole foods. These foods are ground and dried or concentrated (for example, forty pounds of food concentrated down into one pound of powder, you might see this listed as 40:1 or similar) and dried. Genuine whole food supplements contain nutrients and all the other compounds found in food in their naturally occurring forms and ratios, the way our bodies have evolved to obtain nutrition. They have no synthetic or isolated substances, such as vitamins or minerals, added at any time during the process. Any nutrient value must come 100% from the foods themselves. The only exceptions are flow agents needed to help get ingredients through the machinery, such as cellulose or starch, or things like capsules that keep everything together. No additives can contribute to nutrient content. For example, if a product lists 60mg of vitamin C, it should all come from the foods, not in whole or part from something like ascorbyl palmitate, a synthetic form of vitamin c often used as a lubricant. When people see the words whole food, raw, food-based, and lots of foods shown in pictures on the label, they think the products are made from food, and rightfully so. We are not saying synthetic or isolated vitamins have no value. They certainly have their place and uses. We are simply saying that claiming or advertising products are whole food but are made with synthetic or isolated ingredients is wrong. Examples of fake whole food Vitamins Here are just a few examples (there are thousands, so we cannot go through all of them) of companies that claim to sell whole food supplements but add synthetic or isolated vitamins, minerals, or other substances to their products: Standard Process: This is the label of their Catalyn product: They state this on the Catalyn page: “ The resulting whole food ingredients are then added to a formula that may include whole food extracts, animal tissue extracts, concentrates, botanicals, whole food isolates, and synthetic ingredients.” We have no idea what they mean by a "whole food" isolate, as the word isolate is entirely at odds with what it means to be whole food. Here is a list of the synthetic and isolated vitamins in Catalyn (there are other synthetic and isolated ingredients as well, such as calcium lactate and magnesium citrate): Ascorbic acid (Vitamin C), cholecalciferol (Vitamin D), pyridoxine hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), vitamin A palmitate (Vitamin A), thiamine hydrochloride (Thiamine, vitamin B1), riboflavin (Riboflavin, vitamin B2) If you notice, those synthetic and isolated vitamins are the exact ones showing values in the supplement facts panel. Since this product contains isolated or synthetic ingredients, it does not meet Rooted Nutrition's definition of a whole-food supplement. New Chapter (owned by Procter and Gamble): This is the label of their Every Women’s One Daily 55+ Multivitamin : On their website, they state the following : Step 2: Targeted nutrients (vitamins and minerals) are added to the yeast solution. The company admits that it adds vitamins and minerals to the product. However, nearly every vitamin in this product is synthetic or isolated. One example is folic acid. Folic acid does not occur in nature; it is 100% man-made. In food, there are various folates but no folic acid. Since nearly every vitamin and mineral in this product is synthetic or isolated, it does not meet Rooted Nutrition's definition of a whole-food supplement. Rainbow Light (owned by Clorox): This is the label of their Prenatal One Multivitamin : Based on the label, this product contains very little food, less than 300 mg. Nearly all of the vitamins and minerals are synthetic and or isolated. For example, pyridoxine hydrochloride does not occur in nature. It is 100 percent man-made. In food, it appears in several forms, but never pyridoxine hydrochloride. Since nearly every vitamin and mineral in this product is synthetic or isolated, it does not meet Rooted Nutrition's definition of a whole-food supplement. Megafood (owned by Otsuka Pharmaceutical): This is the label of their Blood Builder: On their website, they state the following: “To craft our minerals, we begin with a specific single mineral in the form of an amino acid chelate with glycine (iron bisglycinate, for example). This is the starting point , and then we add live yeast to the iron bisglycinate and create fermented iron bisglycinate through aerobic fermentation.” Iron bis-glycinate does not occur in nature. Thankfully, the company has begun admitting on its website that it is using synthetic and/or isolated vitamins and minerals to make its products. The B12, folic acid, and vitamin C are synthetic or isolated. Since nearly every vitamin and mineral in this product is synthetic and/or isolated, it does not meet the Rooted Nutrition definition of a whole-food supplement. Garden of Life is owned by Nestle, one of the worst corporations in the world . Nestle argued before the Supreme Court that because it is a corporation and not a person, it should not be held responsible for the use of child slavery in the production of materials it buys. If this is not a reason to boycott a company, I don’t know what is. This is the label of their mykind Organics B-12 Organic Spray: If you look at the label, it says Vitamin B12* (as methylcobalamin). Lower on the label, they explain what the star means: To learn more about the Raw Food-Created Nutritions used exclusively by Garden of Life, go to our website. On the page for the product, they state : “Developing a multi and targeted nutrient that are Certified USDA Organic, Non-GMO Project Verified, made from nothing but real, whole foods is incredibly difficult—which is likely why it had never been done before.” And: “One spray daily delivers 500mcg (8333% DV) vegan vitamin B-12 as methylcobalamin from Saccharomyces cerevisiae to support energy and metabolism.” They are claiming that the vitamin b12 as methylcobalamin in the product is derived from nothing but real whole foods, and this b12 is made from Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Saccharomyces cerevisiae is also known as nutritional yeast. The funny thing about nutritional yeast is that it does not contain b-12. Some companies do fortify nutritional yeast with added b-12, but it does not naturally have any. So , if nutritional yeast does not contain any b-12, how could the methylcobalamin b12 in this product be derived from nutritional yeast? The b-12 in this product is made by taking synthetic or isolated b-12 and feeding it to yeast. I visited the facility where this b-12 is made and was shown the process. I was appalled that a facility where no food was used in the manufacturing process, produced "whole-food" supplements. Since the b12 in this product is synthetic or isolated, it does not meet the Rooted Nutrition definition of a whole food supplement. Head of Research at Rooted Nutrition There's little Food In Most Whole Food Nutritional Supplements Think about a large strawberry. It weighs about 18 grams, which is 18000 milligrams. Of that, 16.4 grams is water. So, after drying, let’s say you have about 1.6 grams left because I am bad at math and like easy round numbers. To get the equivalent of one strawberry, you need to get at least 1.6 grams of powder. Eight large strawberries are considered one serving of fruit. So, to get one serving of strawberries in powder form, you must take 12.8 grams of strawberry powder. So when you see a product like the one below containing "23 fruits and veggies" in a 20 mg blend, how much are you getting? (Hint: it's the equivalent of 1/320th of a strawberry.) That's practically nothing. It might look good on the label to list so many fruits and veggies, but really- it's just marketing. You are not getting any amount of fruit and veggies that would make a difference, but the company does get to put lots of pretty pictures on the label and say “food-based,” “raw,” or “whole food,” which have no actual meaning in the supplement industry. Avoid supplements with that many ingredients because putting enough of each ingredient in would be impossible. For example, you would get far more benefit from a properly prepared, farm-to-bottle blend containing just beets, leeks, kale, swiss chard, zucchini, and peppers, rather than something like this insanity: Not only do you not know where any of the ingredients come from, but some of the ingredients are just entirely made up - like Bifidobacterium Rhamnosus. No such bacteria exist. Do you want to trust a supplement with elements on the label that do not exist? For most whole food supplements, powders are the best bet. Getting one serving of powder can sometimes take 6-12 capsules. Powders can be mixed in various foods, smoothies, or beverages. Properly made powders do not need additives and fillers. In addition, tasting food can lead to benefits you may not get from a pill. For example, bitter foods can improve digestion because the bitter taste can stimulate digestive secretions. Therefore, if you were to swallow it in a pill, you would miss out on some benefits. Some things may not taste or mix well and are best in capsules, but you cannot take just one pill and get enough. A good whole-food supplement should be able to stand on its own two feet. Unfortunately, too many companies feel this is not the case or decide that profit is more important than producing a good product. Acerola cherries are rich in vitamin C and many phytonutrients. One acerola cherry contains about 80 mg of vitamin C! After you remove the water, each one gives you about 700 mg of powder. That makes each cherry about 11.5% vitamin C. You can see from the above label that a 3.2-gram serving gives you 160 mg of vitamin C- from acerola and ascorbic acid. However, several issues are happening with this product. First, they add synthetic vitamin C, as evidenced by the listing of ascorbic acid. The second is that they are using spray-dried acerola cherry. You can tell it is being spray-dried by the listing of maltodextrin in the other ingredients. It is used as a carrier for the ingredient to be sprayed onto. Spray drying uses high heat and is a very cheap drying method. This method often damages and degrades the food causing losses in the vitamin and other constituents found naturally in the food. Many companies use this method because it saves them a lot of money. Based on our knowledge that one acerola cherry contains about 80mg of vitamin C, a 3200 mg serving should yield about 365mg of vitamin C. Yet, even after adding synthetic vitamin C, this product is still much lower in vitamin C than we would expect from acerola cherry powder. That’s most likely due to poor quality raw materials that have most likely been degraded during spray drying or other processing methods. If we look at a non-spiked, non-spray dried product: A 3000 mg serving contains 270 mg of vitamin C, meaning most of the vitamin C naturally occurring in the fruit has been preserved. The product contains no added synthetic vitamin C, fillers, or spray drying carriers. With better raw materials and drying methods, there is no need for spiking with added vitamins or carrying agents like maltodextrin. Want to learn more about vitamin C? Check out our blog article, All about vitamin C . Unfortunately, too many companies care more about using marketing words than producing real whole-food supplements. As a result, every year, there are fewer and fewer true whole-food supplements and more fake ones. What are Some Organic Whole Food Supplement Companies? Rooted Nutrition will never sell fake whole food supplements or products from companies owned by horrible corporations like Nestle . We hope natural food retailers and stores will practice what they preach. Ethics must be more than just posting signs in your store or posting nice pictures on your website. Actions matter more than words. Real whole-food supplements are some of the best and most nourishing. We highly recommend them as the ideal complement to a healthy diet to help supply your foundational nutritional needs. Here are some of our favorite whole-food supplement companies: Seleno Health - The best maca and cacao in the world!   Hydrata - Whole food electrolyte powders NXGEN Wholefoods - Nutrient-rich whole food concentrates and organs Cow and Bull - W hole food formulas for nourishing and building health. Emerald Isle Seaweed - Hand-harvested seaweed from Northern Ireland. Emu Spirit - Unrefined Emu oil from Australia. Nature2U - Whole Food Vitamin C, made with Kakadu Plums Nutriplex Formulas - Whole food formulas designed to help you thrive. Immunity Fuel - Probiotics Rosita Real Foods - Omega-three fatty acids in their natural form John's Killer Protein - Whey protein Triquetra Health Magnesium - Whole food magnesium supplement Algomed Chlorella - The finest glass tube grown chlorella Apogee Spirulina - Artisan grown spirulina from New Mexico Nutu Moringa - Moringa with a purpose NaturAloe - Raw aloe vera juice, right from the farm SDG Colostrum - Freeze-dried Australian Colostrum Do you have questions about whole food supplements? Many people do not know where to start when choosing which whole-food supplements might be right for them. If you have questions email us at info@rooted-nutrition.com , or book a free call , and we would be happy to help you get on the road to a healthier you!

Stress, we all hate it, but we all have to deal with it. Humans have evolved with various methods of handling stress, but unfortunately, it was for stressors that we no longer have much of. Things like being chased by lions, tigers, and bears. The types of stress we face now are those that our bodies have not evolved to deal with properly. Things like work, bills, and relationships are very different from the stressors our ancestors faced. Each of us responds to stress differently; our responses to stress can vary depending on the type of stress we are dealing with. The two main types of stress are acute and chronic. Acute stress, think of fight or flight, is our reaction to an immediate stressor. It is extremely intense and can be exhilarating, such as bungee jumping, or be something scary like a robbery. Severe acute stress can sometimes lead to issues such as post-traumatic stress disorder. It can also lead to other health problems such as headaches, stomach problems, or serious issues such as a heart attack. Chronic stress is the kind that sticks around. While mild acute stress can be beneficial if it spurs us into action, chronic stress will gradually wear you down. This persistent stress can lead to all kinds of health issues and weaken the immune system. It can also lead to depression, anxiety, panic attacks, and chronic sleep issues, which create their own health issues. Ways to manage stress The first part of effective stress management is to identify the sources of stress. Take a moment to write down a list of triggers or situations that are causing your stress. Some will be events that happen in your life, and others will be ones that come from within you. Be honest with yourself when making this list; avoiding the issues or pretending they are not there will not help you. Once you have your list, you can take concrete steps to address them. The good news is that we have the ability to control and manage our stress; the bad news is that our bad habits of dealing with stress have been with us for a while, so it can take some time to start to deeply and truly address stress. We just need the right tools. One of the most important tools available is talk therapy (also known as psychotherapy). Unfortunately, in the past, therapy was looked down upon and only needed by crazy people. Gradually that stigma is going away, and that is great for everyone. Sometimes we need help, and it is ok to admit that. Think of a therapist as a sort of brain doctor. If you had a broken leg, you would go to the doctor to get it fixed. If you had a tooth infection, you would go to a dentist to get it taken care of. Your mental health is the same way. You should look at it the same way as you would seeing any other type of doctor. You are not messed up or crazy. A good therapist will help you work through things and develop the tools you need to be able to handle the stressors of life. One thing to keep in mind is that sometimes finding the right therapist is like kissing a frog to get a prince. You may have to try a few to find the one that works for you. Do not give up if the first one you try is not for you. A good therapist is not always going to tell you what you want to hear but what you need to hear. They are going to push you a little bit to help you grow and get better. You want this. Along with talk therapy, there is a wonderful app called Youper . This app can be used as a sort of therapy add-on to help you and your therapist track your progress. It can also be used on its own if you are not quite ready to make the leap into talk therapy. Mindfulness and Meditation for stress relief Next up in our stress toolkit are mindfulness and meditation. These are incredibly helpful and will help train your body to be able to handle stress properly. Mindfulness and meditation are practices that can help to reduce stress but also help you to cope with and deal with chronic stress much better. Mindfulness is the practice of being aware of the present moment and acknowledging your feelings in it. Meditation is the practice of focusing and clearing your mind to achieve a sense of peace and relaxation. Here is a great article about it. Sometimes a book can be very helpful to teach you ways to be mindful and to meditate. This workbook is one of my favorites. It is an eight-week program that helps you develop tools to handle emotional stress. Another one of my favorite books is this one , which can help you develop the tools you need if you are dealing with a person in your life that is causing much of your stress, such as a boss, family member, or spouse. The key is daily practice. Once you are doing these things daily, they will start to become part of your life. A simple and easy way to get started being more mindful! Journaling for stress relief Our next tool is journaling. Journaling is incredibly helpful when dealing with stress. Sometimes seeing our thoughts written down can help us to process our feelings in a way that is not possible when they are constantly being turned over in our heads. It can also help to organize our thoughts and goals while relieving stress. Journaling is a wonderful way to help get control of stress. This is a great article about the benefits of journaling about how to get started and do it right. There are many different ways to use exercise to reduce stress. Physical activity increases endorphins, reduces the negative effects of stress on your body, helps with mindfulness, and improves mood. Whatever exercise helps you is the best. There is no one that works best for everyone. For some people, a long, intense run or laps in the pool might be best. For others, morning yoga might work. No matter which exercises you choose, the key is doing it often. The more you do it, the more effective it will be. This article has great information on the benefits of exercise for stress relief. Namaste Nature and stress relief Next up is nature. Humans have evolved in nature, and we need not forget that. We spend way too much time indoors. Reconnecting with our evolutionary past is one of the most important things we can do to relieve stress. Simple things like walking barefoot in the grass (even in cold weather) for a few minutes (some people call this grounding or earthing ) can greatly reduce your stress. Try at least once a week to go for a hike or sit outside in your yard, without your electronics, and soak in the outdoors. Be present and mindful when you are outside; look at the breeze going through the leaves or a chipmunk scurrying over the rocks. The more you can do this, the better. Get outside! Parker getting outside. Sunshine and stress relief Sunshine is next on our list. Getting some sunshine every day is so important. It improves our mood by increasing serotonin levels, helps our immune system to work properly, increases our ability to focus, and supports healthy sleep. The best times to get sunlight are during sunrise and sunset. Just ten minutes at each of those times will have a huge impact on your body’s ability to deal with stress. Here is a great article about it. Dogs and stress relief They say dogs are man’s best friend. Humans have long had animal companions. We domesticated wolves and wild cats for a variety of reasons, not just for work. Pets are actually a great stress reliever. They comfort us when we are sad and love to be by our side. Having a dog will make you get outside and take a walk, give you a reason to get up in the morning, greet you at the door when you get home from work, and help you to forget the stress of the day. Dogs also help to improve immune function and reduce asthma risk in children . Adopt a dog and see who rescues who! While some people cannot have pets for a variety of reasons, animal shelters and rescues are always looking for volunteers to help with walking dogs and other tasks. This is a great way to get out of the house, get exercise, and reduce stress! Meg Meg says hello. Doom scrolling, social media, and stress Stop doom-scrolling! Due to the prevalence of 24-hour news, cell phones, and social media, we are constantly being fed information, and a lot of it is not good. Set aside a few times of the day to watch the news or look at social media and stick to it. Don’t do it before bed. Once those times are over, try not to look at it for the rest of the day. This will greatly reduce low-level chronic stress. Our brains are not designed to constantly be bombarded in this way, and it only leads to trouble. Work and home life balance for stress relief Separate work life from home life. With the pandemic, many people are working from home. This can lead to a real problem with work-life balance and lead to a lot of stress. There are a few good ways to reduce this stress. Try and keep your work to just one room in the house. Only work in that room if possible. Get dressed to work. Changing clothes is one way to keep them separate. The changing of clothes after helps to signify the end of the workday. Get in the car and drive around the block after work. For many people, the ride home used to help signify the end of the workday; when working from home, this often does not happen. So a drive or walk around the block can help to keep work and home life separate. Set a final time to answer work emails. It can be tempting when working from home to constantly answer emails. This is not a good idea as it never allows your brain to relax. Set a time and stick to it. Baby Steps for stress relief Sometimes things can seem so overwhelming that we do not know where to begin. This is the perfect time to focus on small good things that bring us a smile and don’t require effort on our part. These can be random events, such as seeing a butterfly or bee on a flower or things you plan each day. For example, at 6:00 each night, you and your spouse hug for a minute. For me, it is a toad I have affectionately named Melvin. Each night, before bed, when I take Meg Meg (our dog) out to go the bathroom, Melvin is always waiting by the door eating bugs (I leave the light on for him so he has plenty to eat). On the way back, I wish Melvin a goodnight. This little ritual helps to signify the end of the day and helps me relax. Sometimes the smallest things make a big difference. It's Melvin! Sleep and stress relief Sleep is so so important. It affects every aspect of our life. When we don’t sleep well, it leads to a lot of issues. Without enough sleep, our ability to handle and manage stress will be greatly reduced. Decreased sleep leads to increased cortisol levels which creates a feedback loop that can become hard to stop. Establishing good sleep hygiene is very important to getting stress under control. Check out our blog for lots of great sleep tips that will help get you on the path to a better night’s sleep. Foods for stress relief The foods we eat can have a great impact on our ability to handle stress. Things will only worsen if we are stressed and eat lots of junk food. You don’t have to be perfect, but eating well will help you to feel better. It can be really challenging to eat well when we are stressed, so take little baby steps. One of the worst mistakes people make is having coffee first thing in the morning on an empty stomach and not eating for a long time after that. This causes your body to run on stress hormones all day. You are not feeling good from the coffee; you are feeling the effects of your body's stress hormones. Over time this leads to fatigue and other harmful effects. Instead of having a coffee first thing, have a protein-rich breakfast (with a minimum of 30 grams of protein) within an hour of waking up. You will feel so much better. If you need coffee, have it with this breakfast, not on its own. Keeping your blood sugar even and stable will also help you to deal with stress better. As the Snickers commercial says, “You’re not you when you’re hungry.” We all know how we get when our blood sugar is low. Start with simple steps like a protein-rich rich breakfast and an apple with macadamia nut butter before bed. Try not to skip meals and have an afternoon snack. Here are some foods that are great to eat to help with stress. Cacao Rich in magnesium and other compounds that support a healthy response to stress. Matcha Rich in theanine, an amino acid that helps with relaxation. Sweet Potatoes and Winter Squash Helps to support healthy cortisol levels. Citrus fruits Rich in Vitamin C, which is very important for adrenal function. Lacto-fermented veggies such as pickles. The good bacteria in these foods can help you cope with stressful situations. Organ Meats Rich in B vitamins and zinc, which are very important for a healthy response to stress. Eggs Eggs yolks are rich in choline which has been shown to help support a healthy response to stress and improve mood. Shellfish Shellfish are rich in taurine, which helps with neurotransmitter production. Fatty Fish Fatty fish are rich in omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin D, which are essential for dealing with stress. Turkey Rich in the amino acid tryptophan, which helps with relaxation and the production of serotonin. Blueberries Blueberries are rich in flavonoids that help to protect the body from the damage of stress. Avocados Rich in vitamin E. This delicious chocolatey recipe is rich in stress-busting nutrients! Dietary supplements for stress There are a number of supplements that can help with stress. There are way too many to go through all of them, but I wanted to highlight a few of them that can make a big difference. Sometimes we can feel so overwhelmed by stress that it can be hard to do anything else. During these times, you want something that works fast to help you relax and feel calmer. Magnolia bark extract works quickly to help you relax. Don't use this if you take antidepressants, sleeping medications, or benzodiazepines. The second is whole food B vitamins. When you are stressed, your body uses up your stores of B vitamins much more quickly. This can lead to a worsening of the stress response over time because the body becomes depleted. Nutriplex Formulas Bfood is a whole food b-complex supplement that is much different than traditional b complex products. No weird vitamin smell, no yellow urine, and no upset stomach; check them out here . Another great supplement for stress is gelatinized Maca . Maca is an incredible food that, over time, helps to support the body’s response to stress by nourishing the nervous system and supporting healthy adrenal function. Activated Maca is key to nourishing and building a healthy stress response. No other food or herb has such a dramatic effect on your body’s stress response systems. Beware, though, many Maca products are not made properly and can have contaminants such as mold. Here is our recommended Maca for stress support . Activated maca can be used alongside the red maca. The concentrated red maca provides fast relief while the Activated Maca nourishes over time. Last but certainly not least is Uturkunku Ceremonial Cacao . Uturunku Cacao is rich in amino acids, minerals (such as magnesium), and flavonoids. Cacao contains a variety of important compounds that support your body's endocannabinoid system. Ceremonial cacao is a big step above your traditional chocolate experience. It is made using the whole bean, which gives you more of the oils and other volatile compounds that provide a much more uplighting and relaxing experience than simply eating a chocolate bar. Unlike other varieties of cacao, which can be energizing, Uturunku is calming. Try and add a few of these stress reduction tools to your life at a time. You won’t get them all at once, and you won’t be perfect (trying to be perfect is just adding stress) at it. That is completely ok. Stress can be overwhelming. Making small changes and improvements is a great way to go. Keep in mind that it can take at least twelve weeks to make real changes in your habits. It does not happen overnight. Over time they will become second nature, and you will notice that you are able to handle stress better and better. Stress does not have to control your life. You can do this as they say in one of the greatest movies of all time (and every therapist’s nightmare): baby steps. Stress management support If you have questions about stress management, email us at info@rooted-nutrition.com , and our superstar staff will be happy to help!