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What if I told you most bergamot supplements were not made from bergamot? That sounds unbelievable, right? But it’s true and not shocking, given the craziness in the supplement industry.  Bergamot, a citrus fruit that thrives in the stunning Calabria region of Italy, is a key ingredient in many supplements. Its unique properties make it popular for those looking to support healthy cholesterol and triglyceride levels. A lot of bergamot supplements are not made from bergamot Many companies display a picture of a bumpy green fruit on their bottles and pages for bergamot supplements. Guess what? That green fruit is not bergamot. It is a Makrut lime, also known as a kaffir or Thai lime.  Makrut is a Thai word used interchangeably for the bergamot orange and kaffir lime. A translation error has caused many companies to sell makrut lime pills but label them as bergamot. Makrut limes do not have the same benefits or research that bergamot does, so in the end, the supplement companies get a much cheaper raw material, but the consumer looking for the benefits of bergamot gets the short end of the stick. This is a bergamot orange. When ripe, it is yellow and round, like an orange. It is never a lumpy lime. In not-so-shocking news, most of these wrongly labeled supplements contain ingredients manufactured and grown in China . Many claim to be from Italy, even though they lie about it. They often cover up the origin with the use of transhipping. This is where the material gets routed through another country and labeled as being from the country it is being routed through. It’s like buying a bag of produce labeled oranges, but apples are in the bag when you get home. You would rightly be mad at that and should be upset if you buy mislabeled supplements. Once you move past all the makrut lime supplements sold as bergamot, there are many necessary quality control steps to check for to ensure you are getting a good bergamot supplement.  Bergamot Supplements Quality Control A bergamot supplement should be tested for adulteration, ensuring it is bergamot, not makrut lime or other citrus fruits. It is common practice to cut bergamot with other citrus fruits because limited amounts are produced, which significantly cuts the cost of making it. These other fruits do not provide the same benefits, though. That’s why specialized testing is needed to check for the presence of adulteration, not the standard testing. Only 22,000 tons of bergamot are produced in the Calabria region each year, so adulteration is a massive problem due to the low amounts produced. In other cases, terpenes or fractions of essential oils are added to mimic the profile of bergamot to help trick standard testing methods. Please be aware that bergamot essential oil is not the same as bergamot extract, and you should never ingest essential oils, despite companies' claims that oils are safe for ingestion or deceptive claims of oils being “therapeutic grade .” Bergamot supplements should also be tested for heavy metals, pesticides, herbicides, and fungal and bacterial contamination. Since real bergamot extract is expensive, companies often use lower amounts to cut costs. To get the benefits, you need to take at least 1200 mg per day of properly concentrated bergamot extract. 300 mg or 500 mg is not going to be enough. Always take bergamot before a meal. You want to look for products standardized to at least 40% Bergamot Polyphenolic Fraction (BPF, which is comprised of Neohesperidin, Naringin, Neoeriocitrin, Brutieridin, and Melitidin), not just products showing flavonoid or polyphenol content. Total polyphenol content does not tell you much about bergamot because not all flavonoids or polyphenols have the same benefits. BPF only occurs in bergamot in significant quantities, whereas flavonoids and polyphenols of varying types occur in all citrus fruit. BPF content is one good marker for knowing you are getting real bergamot. If a company lists over 50% BPF content, be aware this is a sign it is most likely adulterated, as it is nearly impossible to get a BPF content of 50%. Farm-To-Table Bergamot Supplements- Sourcing And Manufacturing The next thing to look for is knowing the source. You want companies that buy directly from farmers in Calabria, Italy, where the best bergamot fruit is grown. Look for bergamot products that are approved by the International Bergamot Academy of Reggio Calabria to show they are authentic bergamot from Calabria. Finding a good bergamot supplement It took a while to find a bergamot supplement that checked all of our boxes. So many of them were mislabeled or adulterated, making it a nightmare. Thankfully, after a lot of research and detective work, we found one  that met all of our criteria.  The hand-picked fruit comes from farms in the Calabria region. The fruit is grown organically without synthetic pesticides, fertilizers, or fungicides. The extract is standardized to 47% BPF. Proper testing is done for adulteration. It is extracted without using solvents like acetone, hexane, and ethylene dichloride.  It is approved by the International Bergamot Academy of Reggio Calabria It is a much more effective and safer choice than red yeast rice, which is often contaminated with toxins, like puberulic acid, that have made many people sick . Bergamot is an excellent supplement, but as with other supplements, it only works if it’s made properly and taken consistently. Bergamot Supplement Support We know this is a lot of information, so if you have questions, don’t know where to start, or need support, we are always available to help. Drop us an email anytime at info@rooted-nutrition.com , or   book a free call ,   and we will be happy to help you on your health journey!

Glutathione is experiencing quite a spike in popularity. It performs a variety of essential roles in the body, and naturally, people would want those benefits. Glutathione is produced in the liver from the amino acids glycine, cysteine, and glutamic acid. Glutathione is often referred to as the body's “master antioxidant.” What does glutathione do? Glutathione is involved in many body functions. Its two most well-known jobs are acting as an antioxidant and supporting multiple detoxification pathways. As people age, levels tend to decline. Glutathione also helps to “recycle” antioxidant vitamins such as C and E. As an important antioxidant, GSH plays a role in the detoxification of a variety of electrophilic compounds and peroxides via catalysis by glutathione S-transferases (GST) and glutathione peroxidases (GPx). The importance of GSH is evident by the widespread utility in plants, mammals, fungi and some prokaryotic organism. In addition to detoxification, GSH plays a role in other cellular reactions, including, the glyoxalase system, reduction of ribonucleotides to deoxyribonucleotides, regulation of protein and gene expression via thiol:disulfide exchange reactions. There are a lot of claims made for glutathione. Some are reasonable, and others are truly outrageous. I could write an entire book on all the claims I have heard glutathione is good for because many proponents say it is excellent for everything. That will have to be a topic for another day.  However, I want to stress that nothing is a cure-all. Anyone claiming that one thing is good for everything is full of crap. If you are wondering what your glutathione levels might be, your doctor can write for a glutathione blood test . What are some ways to support healthy glutathione levels? High levels of chronic stress increase oxidative stress and reduce glutathione levels. This means it’s essential to control stress to support healthy glutathione levels and improve your health overall. Check out our blog, Stress 101 , for great tips to reduce and get stress under control. Spending time in a sauna is excellent for glutathione levels. It helps to support the body's detoxification pathways and improve circulation. Make sure to drink plenty of fluids with electrolytes after spending time in a sauna because it can be very dehydrating. Cold plunging  might seem a little crazy,   but one of the body's responses to it is increasing glutathione levels . It also helps to reduce uric acid levels, improve circulation, and harden the body, which enhances the response to stress. It ’s time to get cold! If you need another reason to exercise, it is one of the best ways to increase glutathione levels. Combing aerobic and weight training exercises was most effective at raising glutathione levels. If you have a heart condition, please talk to your doctor before starting to use a sauna, do cold plunges, or begin an exercise program. Getting proper sleep is a great way to support glutathione levels.  Even just short-term sleep deprivation can reduce glutathione levels. Click the button below to download our guide to healthy sleep. Dehydration decreases glutathione levels. Make sure you are drinking plenty of water and eating water-rich fruits to stay hydrated, especially if you are outside sweating a lot this summer. What foods support healthy glutathione levels? The right foods can help to support your body's production of glutathione. The key is to eat plenty of these foods every day. You cannot just eat them once in a while and expect to get results; consistency is critical. Here are some of the best glutathione-supporting foods: Grass-fed full-fat plain yogurt and kefir Buy unsweetened versions and add fruit if desired. Most sweetened versions contain large amounts of added sugar. Grass-fed full-fat ricotta and cottage cheese Buy brands without thickeners and gums, like this one . Lacto-fermented veggies (fermented without the use of vinegar) Pickles Kimchi Sauerkraut Beets Ginger Carrots Pastured Eggs Organ Meats, especially kidney and liver Wild-Caught Fish Grass-fed red meat like beef, bison, buffalo, mutton, and lamb Berries Pomegranates Apples - especially red ones Fresh broccoli sprouts Grow your own; don’t buy the ones in the store. Harvest them on day six for the most benefits. While broccoli and broccoli seeds have some of the beneficial compounds, broccoli sprouts have far higher levels. Rescue Cacao This is cacao that is ethically produced and lower in heavy metals than regular cacao. Turmeric Cook it in a good fat, like ghee, for the most benefits. Garlic - especially black garlic Beets A perfect breakfast to keep you healthy and full of glutathione! Replacing ultra-processed junk foods with nutrient-dense whole foods makes a huge difference in your health and will help support healthy glutathione levels. Eat real food! What supplements help to support healthy glutathione levels? There are two primary schools of thought regarding supplements for glutathione. The first one is to give glutathione directly through supplements, nasal sprays, or IV. The second is to support the body in producing its glutathione.  We fall into the second camp. However, we understand some people may want to use glutathione supplements. We recommend choosing liquid liposomal glutathione  packaged in glass and free of gums and preservatives like potassium sorbate and sodium benzoate. It should also be free of sweeteners and "natural" and artificial flavorings. Liposomal glutathione is significantly more bioavailable than traditional glutathione supplements. We fall into the second camp because when you work on your body's ability to produce glutathione, you support many other pathways and important systems, which yields many more benefits than glutathione alone does.  It's important to support all of the pathways. What are our favorite supplements for supporting healthy glutathione levels? First up is black garlic. When raw white garlic undergoes thirty days of aging at one hundred and fifty-eight degrees in a controlled humid environment, it undergoes a mallard reaction and transforms into black garlic, not only offering delectably sweet umami flavors and aroma but also enhancing its nutritional profile. During this process, a highly beneficial compound, s-allyl-cysteine (SAC), is formed, amplifying the potential benefits of black garlic. This compound is not found in regular garlic supplements. S-allyl-cysteine works on the NRF2 pathway , which is one of the main pathways by which glutathione is synthesized in the body.  Nearly all black garlic supplements are produced from garlic grown in China and much of the garlic grown in China is produced with prison labor . The Netflix documentary show Rotten has a great episode about it. Check out our blog  to learn why we work hard to avoid sourcing supplements with ingredients from China.   NXGEN Wholefoods black garlic supplement  is made from organic garlic grown on small Australian family farms. A true farm-to-bottle  garlic capsule. It is gently freeze-dried to preserve the beneficial compound, rather than the traditional high-heat spray drying. It is easier to digest than regular garlic pills and gentle on the stomach. One of the most popular ways to support healthy levels of glutathione in the body is through “sulforaphane” supplements. The funny thing is that supplements claiming to contain sulforaphane is that they don't contain any sulforaphane. They actually contain a compound called glucoraphanin. Sulforaphane does not exist in food. Some plants, such as broccoli sprouts, have glucorphanin. Glucorphanin must be converted in the body to sulforaphane using the enzyme myrosinase. Sufloraphane is not in broccoli. Certain gut bacteria produce small amounts of myrosinase, so some people are able to convert some glucoraphanin into sulforaphane, but many people are not able to do this due to poor gut health. Unfortunately, most glucoraphanin supplements contain little to no myrosinase, so most people do not benefit from them. Broccoli seeds do not contain sulforaphane, so they cannot be standardized to 0.1% sulforaphane. This is mislabeled or meant to be deliberately misleading. Either way, it's wrong. Do not buy broccoli supplements claiming to contain sulforaphane. Broccoli sprouts are one of the best ways to support healthy glutathione levels in the body through their actions on the NRF2 pathway, but like anything else, they have to be done right.  You can grow your own broccoli sprouts  pretty easily; make sure to harvest them on the sixth day to get the highest levels of beneficial compounds. We don’t recommend store-bought sprouts as they can often be too old, the levels of beneficial compounds will be much lower, and they usually have high mold levels and unwanted bacteria. The sprouts naturally contain myrosinase, so you do not need to supplement separately. Eat an ounce of them raw each day for maximum benefits.  The next option is to take a properly made broccoli sprout supplement. The compounds in broccoli sprouts are fragile, so the growing and manufacturing process needs to reflect that. While most glucoraphanin supplements are made from broccoli or broccoli seeds because they are cheaper to produce, you should use a supplement made from sprouts due to a higher level of beneficial compounds and more myrosinase. NXGEN Wholefoods broccoli sprout supplement  is made using Australian organically grown broccoli sprouts that are harvested on day six and then immediately taken to the manufacturing facility, where they are gently freeze-dried to retain the active myrosinase enzyme and glucoraphanin. They are retained intact by the freeze-drying process, which removes all water from the sprouts using cold drying technology under a vacuum. After being freeze-dried, they are milled into a powder using a unique cryo mill to prevent heat and friction degradation. Then, the powder is encapsulated. That’s it; nothing is added or removed except the water. When the capsule enters the gut, stomach acids break down the cellulose capsules, creating a reaction between the myrosinase enzyme and the glucoraphanin molecule, producing sulforaphane. Three capsules supply the equivalent of one ounce of fresh broccoli sprouts. Last but certainly not least, it is one of our favorite products, Seleno Health GPX Immune Protect . It is a revolutionary breakthrough developed from years of clinical research that acts to support the body's production of a group of compounds called glutathione peroxidases (GPx), thio-redoxins, and peroxy-redoxins along with their co-factor glutathione (GSH). It contains the following ingredients: Super concentrated milk thistle extract (75:1, meaning it takes seventy-five pounds of milk thistle seeds to make one pound of this extract) Alpha-lipoic acid Buffered Vitamin C Glutamine Quercetin A very special form of cysteine, Fermopure. Fermopure is a vegan form of cysteine produced in Spain. Most NAC (N-acetyl cysteine) and cysteine are made from duck feathers and human hair; yummy! A unique form of selenium, SelenoExcell. This form of selenium is safer and more effective than traditional selenium supplements. To get more detailed information about GPX, check out this page . For the complete package, check out our Glutathione Support Pack . It contains black garlic capsules, broccoli sprout capsules, and GPX to help support healthy glutathione levels, as well as brain, liver, lung, and immune health. Glutathione Supplement Support We know this is a lot of information, so if you have questions about glutathione supplements, don’t know where to start, or need support, we are always available to help. Drop us an email anytime at info@rooted-nutrition.com , or   book a free call ,   and we will be happy to help you on your health journey!

One of the questions we get asked the most is whether Maca is safe for the thyroid or for those with thyroid problems. Maca and Thyroid Health Getting some background on Maca and the thyroid is essential to learn whether Maca supports or harms thyroid health. What does the thyroid do? The thyroid gland, a part of the endocrine system, sits at the base of the throat and produces thyroid hormones and calcitonin. Thyroid hormones help regulate the body’s metabolic rate, heart and digestive function, muscle control, brain development, mood, and bone maintenance. Thyroid hormones are produced through a complex cycle and controlled regulatory feedback. First, the hypothalamus excretes a releasing factor (TRH) to stimulate the production of thyroid-secreting factor (TSH) from the anterior pituitary gland. Then, TSH initiates the synthesis and release of thyroid hormone (TH) from the thyroid gland. The thyroid hormones are triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4) and are partially composed of three or four iodine molecules, hence an association with iodine-based treatments for thyroid-related issues. High levels of TH reduce gene transcription of components for TRH and TSH production, reducing their relative concentrations and acting as a homeostatic feedback loop. The breakdown of TH is done by proteins composed of selenium, an essential mineral for healthy thyroid function. A blood test for TSH is the primary screening for thyroid dysfunction. Thyroid disorders are uniformly observed more commonly in women than men. Hypothyroidism occurs when there are low amounts of TH. Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, an autoimmune disease, is the most common cause of hypothyroidism in countries with sufficient iodine intake. Conventional treatment is levothyroxine, a synthetic version of TH. Other conditions can cause low TH levels, such as menopause. Furthermore, it has been shown that rebalancing thyroid function can enhance libido in some cases. Symptoms of hypothyroidism include: Weight gain High cholesterol Depression Fatigue Myxedema (an oedema-like skin condition) Anxiety Heart palpitations Decreased sweating Memory loss Common causes of hypothyroidism: Autoimmune disease (Hashimoto’s thyroiditis) Iodine deficiency Hormonal changes (menopause etc) Following surgery or radioiodine therapy (supplemental iodine) Congenital abnormalities Adverse drug effects Conversely, hyperthyroidism is characterized by elevated circulating free thyroid hormones. It is estimated that in Western culture, approximately 1.2 percent of people have hyperthyroidism. Graves’ disease, an autoimmune disorder, is the most common cause of hyperthyroidism. Symptoms of hyperthyroidism include: Weight loss Increased appetite Insomnia Decreased heat tolerance Hand tremor Depression Anxiety Sometimes: Chest pain Diarrhea Hair loss Muscle weakness Common causes Graves’ disease Inflammation of the thyroid Overactive thyroid nodules Pituitary adenoma Taking too much iodine or thyroid medication Tumors When using Maca for thyroid health, it is very important not to use a product that might worsen thyroid conditions! Raw Maca and Thyroid Maca is a type of cruciferous vegetable in the Brassica family, which is a species often contraindicated in those with thyroid issues. However, traditionally, Maca is consumed by chopping, sun drying, and cooking the roots, which breaks down the glucosinolates often found in Brassica plants, which protects the thyroid gland from these compounds. Thankfully, cooking maca does not change its nutritional quality. Primarily, chopping and heating reduce the activity of myrosinase, which produces isothiocyanate, a compound often avoided by those with thyroid conditions. Isothiocyanates are believed to reduce iodine uptake into the thyroid as the gland is more selective for these molecules than iodine. Therefore, Maca should always be cooked. It is essential for those with thyroid issues to use gelatinized Maca, not raw Maca. Raw Maca is like a sponge for mold; the longer it sits in humid conditions, the more mold it attracts. The problem with the type of mold that loves Maca is that it produces highly toxic chemicals called aflatoxins. Aflatoxins are carcinogenic and can have serious long-term adverse health effects on your body and gut bacteria, even in tiny doses. This is another reason why raw maca products should be avoided at all costs, especially if you have a thyroid problem. For more detailed information on raw Maca, check out our blog, Raw Maca: Friend or Foe? Does heating maca destroy nutrients? No, it doesn’t. This is the most common misconception about Maca, showing a lack of understanding of maca biochemistry and mode of action. Almost all clinical studies demonstrating the positive benefits of Maca have been performed with traditionally prepared Maca (boiling or heating in water) or with heat-activated or extracted Maca. From this, it is evident that the active components are not denatured with heat, and new studies suggest that heating is necessary for producing various important metabolites. Dr. Gustavo F. Gonzales, who heads the Department of Biological and Physiological Sciences and High Altitude Research at the Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, stated in his comprehensive biochemical review of Maca: "The process of preparation of Maca is important to obtain adequate biological effects. Traditionally, Maca is boiled or extracted in alcohol before it is consumed. In experimental studies, aqueous extract of Maca is only effective after boiling pulverized maca hypocotyls in water….The boiling process seems to increase active metabolites." Raw versus Gelatinized Maca The only way to kill the mold found naturally on Maca and prevent it from forming aflatoxins is by cooking it to sanitize it, as the Incas have done for centuries. The safest form of Maca is commercially called gelatinized Maca or activated Maca, which has gone through high-pressure steam to kill the mold, sanitize it, and remove much of the starch. In addition, gelatinized Maca has a sweeter caramel flavor and tastes much better than earthy raw Maca. The process makes it gentler on the gut and easier to digest. It also contains higher levels of beneficial compounds. So , when it comes to gelatinized Maca versus raw Maca, gelatinized Maca is the clear winner. We only sell gelatinized Maca, so none of our products require cooking before use. In Peru, yellow Maca  is commonly used to support healthy thyroid function. It is sun-dried and made into teas, broths, porridge, or soups. It is taken daily. As with any supplement, always talk to your doctor before starting it. Is Maca Safe for Thyroid Health? Well, the answer is it depends. If the Maca is prepared correctly, then yes. If it's not or the maca powder is raw, it is not safe for the thyroid. One thing to keep in mind is that the vast majority of Maca products are not made properly. Check out our Maca Center to learn how to identify a good Maca root product. Do you have questions about Maca and thyroid? We know this is a lot of information, so if you have questions about Maca and thyroid health, email us at   info@rooted-nutrition.com  or schedule a free call . We will be happy to answer any questions you have!

It’s easy to think that two bottles of supplements with similar labels, ingredients, and amounts might be the same. One brand might cost $19.99, the other $44.99, and you might say, "Well, I should save a few bucks; they are probably close enough." We want to take you on a behind-the-scenes journey of two similar-looking products and see how much they have in common. A Farm to table Supplement Journey The first leg of our journey begins in the Andes mountains of Peru. Our farmer wakes up early as the sun rises over the mountains and has some breakfast , then heads out to the maca fields to begin the harvest. His family has farmed Maca for generations and grows it the old-fashioned way, letting each field lay fallow for ten years after the harvest because Maca takes so much out of the soil. He does not use synthetic pesticides or herbicides, trusting the earth to provide for it and farming in harmony with nature. The Maca is hand harvested and set to sun dry for ninety days in the high mountain elevation and sunshine, as his ancestors have done for generations. A long drying process in the sun, at high altitudes, is much more expensive than quick oven drying, but it is necessary to develop high levels of beneficial compounds (such as macamides). Oven drying at low altitudes does not allow for this to happen. After the Maca is dry, it is activated (gelatinized, no gelatin is used, it is vegan), powdered, and bagged (if you want to learn what it takes to make good Maca, click here ). He performs all of this work at his facility near the farm. He is paid directly for his crops, a good price (the farmer decides what he is paid, without haggling from the company he is selling to), far above what the brokers and middlemen pay, so he can live a life of dignity and provide for his family. In addition, the company that purchases his Maca gives a certain percentage from selling every bag to local projects that help support his community. That’s how all products should be made! The Illusion of Sameness: When the Supplement label and the ingredients don't match The second leg of our journey takes place in the Yunnan Mountains in China. A few years ago, whole Maca and seeds were illegally taken to China to be planted . Maca has very particular requirements for growing correctly, and they are unique to the Junin region of Peru. Peruvian Maca is dependent on the land of the Andes, extremely rich in minerals, at an altitude of 3,900-4,300 m, and close to the Equator. Therefore, even Maca grown only a few hundred kilometers south of the Junin region lacks the nutritional value, fibrosity, size, and hardness of properly grown Maca. Maca does not naturally grow in the climate and soil of the Yunnan Mountains, so they genetically modified it. The fields are not rotated and require large amounts of pesticides and herbicides to keep the crop from being destroyed by pests. There is a big difference between dried Peruvian Maca and Chinese Maca (right). After harvesting, the Maca is immediately sent to a factory, where it is oven-dried and powdered. It contains almost none of the beneficial compounds, high mold levels, and aflatoxins. The workers are paid very little, often barely above the poverty level. The powdered Maca is then sold to brokers and middlemen, who create a fake chain of custody document and label it as Peruvian Maca (check out the  honey episode of the Netflix show Rotten to  learn more about this type of practice). It is often cut with caramelized sugar or banana powder during the repackaging to increase profit margins further. We estimate (conservatively) that at least fifty percent of the Maca sold in Europe and the United States is Chinese, labeled as Peruvian. This adulterated and genetically modified powder is then sold to unscrupulous companies who package it and sell it as Peruvian Maca. Many of them even come up with fake stories about the family farmers who produce it for them or have pictures of farms that have nothing to do with the Maca they are selling. People would be shocked to know just how common this is with many different types of products and ingredients. Here are a few examples ( 1 , 2 , 3 ). If you look deeply into this issue, you will find that the vast majority of this occurs due to ingredients produced in China. For example, eighty percent of fake country of origin labeling in Europe was from Chinese products. FARM To Table supplements The next time you see two brands selling a similar labeled product, remember they are usually anything but the same. The journey we took you on can be replicated across every supplement and ingredient category, from herbs to protein powders. That’s why we are so intent on pushing our Farm-To-Bottle Project forward. Knowing where and how your products are made is essential to making sure you get the best products for your health and that the people who produce them and the planet are well taken care of. Supplement Support If you have questions about the journey one of our supplements may have taken, feel free to email us at info@rooted-nutrition.com or book a free call !

“ Colostrum is the milk produced during the first few days after birth and contains high levels of immunoglobulins, antimicrobial peptides, and growth factors. Colostrum is important for supporting the growth, development, and immunologic defense of neonates . ” Colostrum is one of the main ways mammals pass immunity down to their young. The Benefits Of Colostrum Supplements Bovine colostrum has been used for hundreds of years to support health. It has been the subject of many clinical trials for everything from gut and immune health to athletic performance. Colostrum is a great prebiotic. It contains a multitude of constituents that feed your good bacteria and support a healthy gut lining and microbiome.  Properly made colostrum contains a wide array of beneficial compounds, including immunoglobulins (IGA and IGG), lactoferrin, oligosaccharides, growth factors, sialic acid, and much more. What does it take to make a high-quality colostrum supplement? While colostrum supplements have many benefits, you won’t get them if they are not correctly manufactured and produced. Everything from when it is harvested and the drying process to how the cows are treated and raised makes a big difference in the quality of a colostrum product. Over the first 24 hours after birth, a cow will produce about 8-10 liters of colostrum. For the health of the baby cow, the first five liters should be given to the calves, as this is vital for their survival and health. This first food of life provides sufficient immunity and nutrition for the calf to safeguard herd quality and life. The rest can be safely collected and used for other purposes. Many large companies take all the colostrum without leaving any for the calves. This practice is very unethical, and we recommend only getting colostrum from companies that ensure the calves have plenty for their health. That’s why it is so important to be able to trace your colostrum back to the farms it comes from.  The cows should be 100% grass-fed and free to graze on open pastures. Ideally, they would be raised using regenerative farming to keep them and the planet healthy and to produce more nourishing food than traditional farming methods. Colostrum should be collected in the first 8-12 hours when the concentration of beneficial nutrients and compounds is at its highest. After that, amounts begin to decline.   Collecting it at the right time is critical to getting the best and most effective colostrum. Many companies buy colostrum collected much later in the process because it is significantly less expensive but will not be as beneficial. Many companies have even begun producing colostrum products from milk collected many days after, which will have virtually no benefit but is very profitable. After harvesting the colostrum, what is left after giving the calves what they need, the whole colostrum should be placed in refrigerated, sterilized stainless steel tanks. It then needs to be flash pasteurized at the lowest possible temperature for fifteen seconds to kill off any pathogenic microbes, but not long enough or at a high enough temperature to damage the fragile compounds, ideally at about 72 degrees Celsius. Some companies use cheaper, higher-heat pasteurization methods for a longer time, which can damage critical bioactive compounds. It is not legal to sell raw colostrum capsules or powder in the United States. Any company claiming to sell raw versions is not being honest. Then, it should be properly freeze-dried to preserve the bioactivity and nutritional value of the original colostrum. Proper drying keeps heat-sensitive proteins, vitamins, minerals, immunoglobulins, and enzymes intact. Many companies use spray drying, but this is not how colostrum should be dried because it usually involves high heat and pressure. Spray drying leads to colostrum that is whitish in color rather than the golden yellow color it should be because this harsh processing method damages many of the fragile compounds. In addition, a white powder can often indicate that it was cut with milk powder to reduce the cost of production. Companies do not list this adulterant on the label. At this point, the colostrum should be tested to ensure it is free of microbial pathogens. After drying, the colostrum powder should either be bottled or encapsulated and then bottled; that's it! Whole Food Colostrum Versus Defatted Colostrum Many companies think that they can improve colostrum by manipulating it. This is far from the truth.  One of the biggest brands, which is currently spending a fortune on TV commercials and advertising, proudly claims that they remove “unnecessary” compounds like fat and casein to produce a more concentrated product that is richer in certain compounds. There are multiple problems with this. The biggest one is that the casein in colostrum plays a vital role in its effectiveness. “Casein may also play a role in preserving the activity and aiding adsorption of other biologically active peptides by reducing their digestion by pancreatic enzymes, by means of functioning as a competitive substrate. This action is similar to that reported for bovine trypsin inhibitor, which protects IgGs, growth factors, and other biologically active proteins against proteolytic degradation within the gut. Bovine trypsin inhibitor is present in BC at about 100 times higher concentrations than mature milk. Studies have demonstrated that the co-presence of casein partially protects epidermal growth factor (EGF) from digestion in humans, and that the stability and absorption of IGF-1 is also improved. Casein also possesses other metabolic and protective effects including protective activity against experimental bacteraemia through increasing myelopoiesis. Therefore, casein should not only be considered as an energy source but also as a factor that possesses immune-regulatory, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory properties.” So, while some companies may view casein as “unnecessary,” they are wrong, and it should not be removed. Without it, the effectiveness of colostrum would be significantly lower. Higher levels of “active” ingredients do not mean much if they are not going to survive the digestive process and be able to be utilized by the body.  It never ends well when we mess around with whole foods, thinking we know better. The intricate relationship between nutrients and compounds is not something that is fully understood. Holism is the philosophy we should follow when it comes to food.  “Holism is the theory that parts of a whole are in intimate interconnection, such that they cannot exist independently of the whole, or cannot be understood without reference to the whole, which is thus regarded as greater than the sum of its parts.” Another large colostrum company claims that defatted colostrum is best. They say that the fat does not have beneficial nutrients or compounds, and you need to take the fat out to prevent it from going rancid. This is simply not true. Properly drying, manufacturing, and storage methods will prevent the fat from going rancid. In addition, colostrum fat has many nutrients, such as CLA, an important and beneficial fatty acid. CLA in dairy has been linked to a number of health benefits , Grass-fed dairy has higher levels of CLA than grain fed, another reason to opt for cows that spend their life on pasture. CLA is undoubtedly something that should not be removed. When we alter foods, there are often unforeseen consequences. It’s best to process them as little as possible and leave them as close to their original state as possible. Foods are so much more than just a collection of chemical compounds. How to choose a high-quality colostrum supplement In looking for a good colostrum supplement, we wanted one that checked every box: Cows that are treated properly and enough colostrum is saved for the calves. Grass-fed and farmed using regenerative agriculture. Colostrum was collected in the first 8-12 hours. It was produced with gentle freeze-drying and minimal filtering. Yellow in color to show that the beneficial compounds have not been damaged and the colostrum was not treated with high heat. Whole colostrum - nothing removed - fats and casein left in. Traceable back to the farms it came from. Free of fillers, binders, excipients, artificial and “natural flavors, and sweeteners. No added milk powder. The company produces its own colostrum from start to finish, with no middleman. Thankfully, after much searching, we were able to find a colostrum that met all of those criteria without any compromises. The best colostrum supplement It took a lot of work and searching, but we were finally able to find a properly made colostrum. SGD Dairy is one of a very small number of companies that produce its own colostrum supplements from start to finish and the only Australian colostrum producer, unlike the vast majority of companies that buy bulk colostrum from middlemen and have it bottled for them. We strive for that kind of traceability with our Farm-To-Bottle Project , which is bringing the farm-to-table concept to supplements. All SGD Colostrum comes from their farms to ensure that only the best Colostrum is collected. All products can be traced back to the farm of origin and is quality controlled for each cow. South Gippsland Dairy does not blend or import Colostrum from outside sources into their products. ​ It is hand-harvested from a very small and select number of family farms. By  harvesting this way, local farmers get both the benefit of their production and, in return, can meticulously collect the excess Colostrum. The high levels of antibodies and growth factors in their products occur naturally and are balanced by nature. They do not standardize or alter the amounts of any compound. The calves are first given all of the colostrum they need, and then the excess is what is collected for producing this incredible colostrum supplement. This is how it should be done. ​ They built their plant from the ground up to specialize in the proper production of colostrum. It was not a side project that was added on later. Their colostrum is gently freeze-dried, which helps to protect and preserve the beneficial compounds. Most colostrum is spray-dried, which can damage important constituents. Colostrum can be a powerful tool for health, but as with other supplements, the full benefits can only be achieved if it’s made properly.  How to take colostrum Colostrum is best taken apart from meals. Take two grams or two capsules per day or as directed by your healthcare practitioner. The powder should be mixed into cold beverages or foods like applesauce and yogurt. Store it in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight and moisture. Colostrum supplement support We know this is a lot of information, so if you have questions, don’t know where to start, or need support, we are always available to help. Drop us an email anytime at info@rooted-nutrition.com , or   book a free call ,   and we will be happy to help you on your health journey!

We are very excited to introduce The Protein Powder Project. Feeling incredibly disillusioned over the products on the market, we began a search to find some truly special protein powders. It was a long and frustrating process, but it was worth it. Protein powders are a big topic, so we broke it into three parts. If you don’t feel like doing all the reading and want to see which protein powders we found. Click here and check them out. However, if you thirst for knowledge like Vikings lust for blood, read on, brave warrior. Part one is all about the issues with the protein powder industry. Part two is about the different types of protein powders available. Part three is about the fantastic protein powders we found. What should you look for in a protein powder? There are several very important factors to consider when looking for a good protein powder. Minimally Processed Protein Powder First was minimal processing. Despite massive amounts of marketing money spent to make people think they are whole foods, most protein powders are heavily processed. Just because a company slaps words like raw or cold-processed does not mean they are. Most are the equivalent of white bread with a few synthetic vitamins or an insignificant spec of food powder added to make the label look good ( fairy dusting ). It’s interesting to see people talk about eating whole foods and avoiding ultra-processed foods while at the same time, drinking protein shakes made entirely of heavily refined ingredients. Of course, we wanted ingredients to be processed as little as possible and made without acid washing, bleaching, or harsh chemical processing. It should retain as much of the nutrients found in the whole food as possible. Proper drying of protein powders Protein powders should be gently dried at low temperatures. Unfortunately, most of them are dried using very high heat, which denatures (damages) the proteins and can destroy fragile compounds. Non-Denatured Protein Powder Ensuring that the proteins are non-denatured is extremely important. Most protein powders end up denatured from harsh processing and poor drying methods. Many companies claim their proteins are non-denatured or “undenatured” (undenatured is not a real thing; once a protein is denatured, it cannot be undenatured). They then try to filter out the damaged proteins, leaving behind a narrow range of what they claim are “undenatured” proteins that survived the process. Unfortunately, the typical manufacturing process leaves a protein devoid or lacking in many beneficial intact proteins and compounds. Clean Protein Powder Protein powders should be free of added thickeners, gums, fillers, sweeteners, and flavorings (“natural” and artificial). Unfortunately, whey (haha, I made a protein pun; I’ll see myself out) too many protein powders have laundry lists of questionable additives. Protein Powder Sweeteners Let’s talk about sweeteners first. Most proteins contain a sweetener, such as: Artificial: Sucralose Aspartame Saccharin Acesulfame These may harm the gut microbiome and increase cravings for sweet foods. Certainly not what we wanted in our proteins. Refined: Sugar Glucose Fructose High fructose corn syrup Corn Syrup Agave Most people get whey (there I go again) too much sugar in their diet. So, there is no need to get some more in your protein shake. Sugar Alcohols Xylitol Sorbitol Allulose Maltitol Mannitol These can cause some not-so-great feelings in your gut, such as gas, bloating, and loose stools for many people. In addition, they may harm the gut lining. "Plant “Derived”: Stevia Unrefined stevia is green in color and has a potent flavor. It is very different than the white, heavily refined powders in most stores. Monk fruit Thaumatin All of the “plant-derived” sweeteners are heavily refined; that to say they are “plant-based” is pure marketing at this point. They bear as much resemblance to the plant they came from as corn does to high fructose corn syrup. Many of these heavily refined sweeteners may cause unfavorable changes in the gut microbiome. In addition, all monk fruit and most stevia are coming from China now, where slave labor and environmental issues are rampant. They often come with a strange aftertaste that is unpleasant and certainly not something you want to have to choke down every day. Unrefined sweeteners: Coconut sugar Maple sugar Honey These are better choices than the other sweeteners, but we still felt it would be best to avoid them because most people are just getting too much sugar in their diet. However, if you need a sweetener in your protein shake, choose one of these. "Natural" Flavors IN Protein Powder Except for some unflavored protein powders, almost all contain flavoring. These flavorings can be both “natural” and artificial. We put the word natural in parenthesis because most of them are anything but natural. “Natural” flavoring can be made from many things, and there is almost no way actually to know what that is. According to a great New York Times article on the topic: “The loophole, as it were, is that for non-organic foods, the regulations do not restrict the dozens of other ingredients like preservatives and solvents that can go into a so-called natural flavor. Ultimately, because of the wide variety of ingredients that typically go into “natural” flavorings, “there does not seem to be much of a difference between natural and artificial flavors,” said David Andrews, a scientist at the Environmental Working Group, a research, and advocacy organization. While food processors must list all of the ingredients on a food label, flavor manufacturers do not have to disclose their ingredients. They can add synthetic solvents, preservatives, emulsifiers, carriers, and other additives to a flavor that qualifies as natural under current regulations.” We wanted protein powders that use whole foods such as direct-trade cacao, organic berries, and fair-trade vanilla beans for the flavors instead of flavorings made from god knows what. Real food is always better! Gums, Thickeners, fillers, and emulsifiers in protein powders Most proteins add a variety of thickening and emulsifying agents to make them mix in a certain way or improve solubility. These include cellulose gum, guar gum, and xanthan gum. Each of these has its issues and is completely unnecessary. They are cheap shortcuts that companies use instead of processes that result in better products but have a lower profit margin. Lecithin is added to many proteins as part of the instantizing process. It is a harsh processing step that makes it mix a little easier, but it damages many of the fragile compounds. In addition, most lecithin is extracted with solvents such as hexane and acetone. We wanted proteins that were free of lecithin, or if they did use lecithin, it was made without those solvents and was only used in small amounts. Companies will defend their additives, sweeteners, and flavorings, saying things like "A little won't hurt you" or "They are needed to make the formula work." However, they are really there to improve the profit margin, nothing else. Chocolate flavoring is cheaper than cacao, guar gum is less expensive than using a better quality protein, and refined sweeteners cost next to nothing compared to organic berries. You should want the best protein for your health, not what's best for the company's profit margin. Heavy metals in protein powders Heavy metal contamination, such as lead, cadmium, and arsenic, is a big problem with many protein powders, especially plant-based ones. It usually happens because of poor-quality ingredients farmed in contaminated soils, particularly those from Southeast Asia, where most plant protein powders originate. Therefore, our protein powders needed to be low in heavy metals, and every batch gets tested to ensure this. We wanted genuinely organic plant proteins ( not fake corporate organic versions ) grown in good soil, with proper crop rotation in an environmentally sustainable manner, without synthetic herbicides, pesticides, and fungicides. In addition, we wanted the people who grew them to get a fair price for their crops and a good wage for their labor. We wanted animal-based proteins from 100% grass-fed animals. Animals that were well taken care of and spent their lives outdoors chilling in the fields, snacking on lush green pastures, doing happy cow things. Many companies claim to sell pasture-raised whey protein, but that has little meaning, and the animals could spend almost all their time in a feedlot with just a few moments of pasture. Grass-fed is better for you, the animals, and the environment. Check out this great article about how regenerative grazing and farming can help to combat climate change! We wanted whole proteins, not isolates. Protein isolates strip away many beneficial compounds found in the foods that deliver the protein. It also requires a lot more processing to produce a protein isolate. We feel that the best way to get protein is from whole foods, so we wanted our powders to be as close to whole food as possible, so they delivered the goodness those foods had to offer. An apple is more than just a single flavonoid, an orange is not just vitamin C, whole wheat is a far cry from white flour, and a steak is much more than just a collection of amino acids. So, keep those things in mind when thinking about protein powders. Protein Powder Adulteration Many protein powders have added isolated amino acids. While people might think this is a good thing, it is one of the most common ways to adulterate a protein powder . Isolated amino acids make the nitrogen content of the protein appear higher. This helps to cheat the protein content testing and make the products seem to have higher protein levels than they do . While good testing can catch a lot of this, it is expensive, so most companies do not do it. So avoid protein powders with added amino acids (especially glutamine and taurine). You will often see them listed in the other ingredients. Unfortunately, some protein powders are adulterated with these amino acids, and it is not listed on the label. It is yet another reason to ensure that they can be traced back to the source, not just the company that slaps a label on the bottle. Farm to table protein powders We wanted companies who made their protein from seed or milk to bottle. Unfortunately, there are very, very few companies that do this. Nearly all protein powders come from a few big suppliers, and companies blend them with some additives and slap their labels on the bottle. It makes it almost impossible to know where they came from and if they were adulterated. We wanted them to do everything from growing and milling the seeds to filtering the milk from small, family farmers. We wanted farm-to-bottle proteins. Since it is nearly impossible to know where most protein powders come from, transparency is severely lacking with almost all protein powders. They might list a country or region, but that does not tell much. There are good and bad farming practices in every country. We believe that farm-to-bottle is the only way to ensure clean and ethically produced supplements. The people who come up with new forms of adulteration will always be three steps ahead of those developing the tests to find them. Check the Rotten episode on honey (on Netflix) to learn how this often plays out. Farm-to-bottle allows us to know that the people who produce it get paid a fair price for their work, that the land it comes from is well taken care of, and any animals involved (such as dairy cows for whey) are well taken care of. Protein Powder Packaging Packaging was another focus of ours. Most protein shakes come in giant plastic tubs and create a lot of waste. We wanted to find protein shakes in bags, tins, or cardboard packaging, to significantly reduce the amount of plastic used and lower the carbon footprint in shipping. Great Tasting Protein Powder Last but certainly not least, they had to taste good and mix well. It does not matter how great the product is if it tastes bad or does not mix into a shake. We found some great products along the way, but some of them did not taste good or were very gritty, so we kept looking. Any protein shake we chose had to mix well in just a simple shaker cup. By the way, these glass blender bottles are a great alternative to plastic shaker bottles. Looking at the lists of our wants in protein powders, we knew it would be a daunting task, but we wanted every box checked. We could have taken the easy way out, slapped our name on a private label product, and made up a great story as most companies do, but that’s not how we roll. Private label is the exact opposite of the transparency that we believe in. Head over to part two to learn about the different protein powders available, from soy to whey. Protein Powder Questions And Support If you have questions about protein powders, please email us at info@rooted-nutrition.com , and we will be happy to help!

Collagen peptides have been one of the hottest supplements for a long time now. COllagen ethical issues One thing often left out of the collagen peptide conversation is ethics. Most people are unaware of where it comes from, who produces it, and its associated problems. While collagen is very popular, nearly all of it is an ethical nightmare. From deforestation of the Amazon rainforest to slavery, land theft, and murder, the production of most collagen is horrific. Collagen from South America The vast majority of collagen peptide products are produced from raw materials farmed in South America, with most coming from Brazil. Some companies will buy these raw materials , refine them in another country, and hide where they come from. For example, a company may say their collagen is produced in Germany, but it is made from Brazilian cattle hides. Brazilian cattle farming comes at a very high cost. It is the leading cause of rainforest deforestation. The Amazon rainforest is often called the lungs of the earth. It’s not worth losing it over beef and collagen that can be farmed and produced elsewhere without environmental and ethical problems. In just the last six years alone, over 800 million trees have been cut down in the Amazon rainforest to make way for beef production . The hides from this are used to produce the vast majority of collagen peptide products on the market. While the Amazon Rainforest is heavily protected on paper, in reality, that paper is not worth much. Between August 1, 2018, and July 31, 2021, more than 34,000 square km (8.4 million acres) disappeared from the Brazilian Amazon. That’s an area larger than the entire nation of Belgium and a 52 percent increase compared to the previous three years. The biggest driver of this is cattle and especially cattle laundering. In a cattle laundering scheme, ranchers move cattle from “dirty” ranches, which contribute to deforestation, to ranches that are “clean,” with no recent forest loss. By the time those cattle arrive at slaughterhouses, the path they’ve taken is obscured, as is the damage they’ve caused. What’s astonishing is that much of this laundering is happening out in the open; investigations largely rely on public records in Brazil, and their findings have circulated for years. Meat from laundered cows is almost certainly now sold around the world. And like that, the Amazon continues to fall. As much as 90 percent of all forest that’s been cleared in the Brazilian Amazon is now covered in pasture, most of which is for cattle. It is not possible to source ethically produced collagen peptides from Brazil because of how hidden and corrupt the process is. Any company claiming to is either not being honest or fooled by fake paperwork and good marketing. JBS Collagen The leading suppliers of collagen peptides, such as JBS and others, have their own issues. JBS has had more scandals than you can shake a stick at, from insider trading to bribery, the usage of slave labor, and the sale of rotten meat. “The investigation also uncovered footage of a Temer aide carrying a suitcase containing nearly $150,000, allegedly handed over by JBS. Ricardo Saud, a JBS executive, subsequently testified the company had bribed 1,829 candidates from across the political spectrum, spending almost $250m.” Who doesn’t walk around with a suitcase full of money? That’s not suspicious at all. The company has also come under fire over “dirty meat.” In 2017, JBS was caught up in an industry-wide scandal; police claimed inspectors had been bribed to allow the sale of rotten beef, falsified export and other documents, and had deliberately failed to properly inspect meat plants. In 2017, an investigation by the Guardian and Repórter Brasil found JBS had bought beef from a farm that was under investigation by Brazilian prosecutors for using workers in conditions described as being like “modern-day slavery.” Documents said police had found men forced to live in conditions described as inhumane and degrading, with inadequate shelter, toilets or drinking water. This is the behavior so many people are unknowingly supporting by buying collagen peptides produced in South America. The problem is that most companies are not upfront and hide where their collagen comes from, how it is produced, and who makes it. An investigation by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, the Guardian, ITV and O Joio e O Trigo has found that tens of thousands of cattle raised on farms damaging tropical forests were processed at abattoirs connected to international collagen supply chains. NESTLE VITAL PROTEINS COLLAGEN Some of this collagen can be traced all the way to Nestlé-owned Vital Proteins, a major producer of collagen supplements championed by the actor Jennifer Aniston. Vital Proteins is sold globally – including online on Amazon, in Walmart stores in the US, in Holland & Barrett and Boots in the UK and in Costco in both countries. Some companies claim that they are just buying the by-products of the Brazilian cattle industry, so they are not contributing to the problem. This argument is a giant steaming pile of horseshit. Bovine collagen is a so-called by-product of the cattle industry, which in Brazil accounts for 80% of all Amazon forest loss. But “by-product” is a misleading term, according to the Environmental Investigation Agency, an advocacy group headquartered in London. “​​I wouldn't call any of them by-products. The margins for the meat industry are quite narrow, so all of the saleable parts of the animal are built into the business model,” Rick Jacobsen, commodity policy manager at the EIA, said. Non-meat products account for just under a half a slaughtered cow's weight and can generate up to a quarter of meatpackers’ incomes, according to estimates by Bain & Co, a market research group. By far the most valuable “by-products” are the cattle hides used to make leather and collagen. The immense violence caused by the expansion of cattle ranching in the Brazilian Rainforest against the native peoples there is horrific. “No cattle ranching expansion in the Amazon can take place without violence,” said Bruno Malheiro, a geographer and professor at the Federal University of Southern and Southeastern Pará. For Kátia Silene Akrãtikatêjê, the first woman to become a leader of the Gavião people, it’s like living on an island. Her people feel “surrounded, suffocated”, she told TBIJ. The Mãe Maria reserve is the only territory in hundreds of miles that still resembles the imposing Amazon rainforest. Malheiro calls it “a process of territorial confinement”. For the Gavião, maintaining the forest where they hunt, fish, farm and collect seeds comes with threats, attempted invasions and arson. In September last year, an entire village was burned down. A school, dozens of houses and a patch of forest were reduced to ashes. The fire was no accident, they say, and the community still lives in fear. “[The farmers] destroy what is theirs, and invade what is ours. I can’t understand why they destroy everything,” the Indigenous leader said. According to José Batista Afonso, a lawyer and land rights defender working with Pastoral Land Commission in Marabá, the region offers a glimpse of what the whole Amazon could look like if ranching continues to expand unchecked. Brazil’s Piripkura Tribe has suffered horribly from beef production. Many of their people have been killed in massacres, and more than 12,000 hectares of their land has already been destroyed. Collagen and slave labor In addition, slave labor runs rampant in the Brazilian cattle industry. Workers on various beef farms in Brazil have been found toiling in “slavery-like conditions,” according to a report from Brazilian investigative agency Repórter Brasil, the Guardian reported. On some operations, workers were paid around $11 a day and were kept in shacks without running water, electricity, and toilets. Since 1995, 55,000 workers have been rescued from similar situations during government audits, according to the Guardian. The farms engaging in this activity often supply multinational meat processors, the investigative report found, including JBS and Minerva. Now you can see why we never have and never will sell collagen peptide powders and glandular supplements from South America. ETHICAL COLLAGEN IS POSSIBLE! There is a better way. As with many of the things we buy, it does not have to be that way. Profits don’t have to come before a better environment or the fair treatment of people who work the fields and labor in factories. Unfortunately, when the largest sellers of collagen are mostly owned by Nestle (such as Vital Proteins, Garden of Life, Pure Encapsulations, and Orgain) and other large corporations, profits will always come before people. Thankfully your choice does not have to be between a collagen that’s ethically compromised and no collagen at all. Despite being our most requested product, we refused to sell collagen peptide powders for years because we could not locate any that we could guarantee were ethically produced. We will never sell products that use ingredients that cause massive deforestation in the Amazon rainforest and the suffering of native peoples. Collagen straight up collagen peptides Finally, after several years, we were able to locate a family-owned Australian company producing them. These collagen peptides come from small family farms in Australia. The cattle graze freely on lush pastures and are well taken care of. No forest is cleared; the pastures they are grazing on naturally occur there. They are not given hormones or antibiotics. The Australian government runs a strict monitoring program to ensure there is no risk of BSE (mad cow disease). Every batch is third-party tested for over two hundred contaminants. As they say, good things come to those who wait, and we have waited a long time to find them. We are so excited to be able to make ethically produced collagen peptides available! Collagen questions and support Check out our Ethical Collagen Center for lots of great information on collagen. If you have questions about collagen and collagen peptides, please email us at info@rooted-nutrition.com , and we will be happy to help!

Most people know very little about private equity firms, what they are, or what they do. What are private equity firms? According to Pro Publica : “Private equity funds are pooled investments that are generally not open to small investors. Private equity firms invest the money they collect on behalf of the fund’s investors, usually by taking controlling stakes in companies. The private equity firm then works with company executives to make the businesses — called portfolio companies — more valuable so they can sell them later at a profit.” “This is different from, say, an individual investor buying a share of Amazon stock for $135. Purchasing that share gives you an infinitesimal stake in the company and entitles you to any dividend the company may pay out, but your ownership stake isn’t large enough to affect the company’s decision-making and operations. Private equity funds, by contrast, are not publicly traded securities, and the amount they invest usually involves trying to take a controlling stake in companies.” “Private equity funds are generally backed by investments from large institutional investors: pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, endowments and very wealthy individuals. Private equity firms manage these funds using investors’ contributions and borrowed money.” Those things don’t seem that bad but do not truly explain what happens when a private equity firm takes a controlling stake in a company.    What happens when private equity firms buy a company? When private equity firms buy or take a significant stake in a company, they do not do it out of the goodness of their hearts; they do it to make huge profits. It’s not the profit-making that is the problem; it's how they achieve those massive profit margins that is the issue. From Inetenomics : “Financier William Simon got the idea for private equity back in the seventies. Simon, a Nixon administration official and right-winger whose heart’s desire was to free finance and corporations from regulation, left Washington to execute the first “leveraged buyout.” He and a partner bought an old greeting card company on mostly borrowed funds, extracted huge fees, and then sold it for enormous profit in a rising market. People like “junk bond king” Michael Milken took notice and started following the model. In the go-go eighties, the Washington Post noted that “greed and debt” had combined to “create the hottest game on Wall Street today.” Until things went bust, the leveraged buyout industry got a nasty reputation as the “robber barons of the eighties” and retreated.” “But there was just too much money to be made. The industry went on to rebrand itself as “private equity” and expanded following the 2008 financial crisis into many of the less regulated corners of finance – some previously occupied by the great investment banks. After yet another run of bad press – you might recall when Mitt Romney’s Bain Capital was denounced as a profiteering predator in the 2012 election — the industry started to rebrand itself once again. Today some of the big firms call themselves “global investment businesses” or “alternative asset management businesses.” Ballou warns that whatever you call them, many have become incentivized to do great harm to consumers, workers, and taxpayers– and they’re doing it with the help of lavishly-funded political allies.” “But, you might ask, isn’t this just capitalism? Nobody said it was pretty. According to Ballou, this is something different – an industry that has metastasized into a job-killing, business-destroying, community-crushing machine the likes of which we haven’t seen since the money trusts of the nineteenth century. In other words, it’s predatory capitalism on steroids. Most worrisome of all, in Ballou’s view, is the fact that these firms have almost no accountability to the U.S. legal system. Some liken private equity firms to vultures picking the bones of dying companies, which you could argue is a necessary activity. But Ballou points out that many private equity firms now target healthy companies, leaving them gutted, unproductive, or even bankrupt. Whether it’s Bain, Apollo, or Sun Capital, each firm has its preferred tactics for extracting money from the businesses they buy up, too often hurting the most vulnerable people, like nursing home residents, who can’t fight back. When they buy up rental properties, watch out for evictions. When they target doctors’ offices, expect to pay more for care. They might even be cutting corners at your hospital’s emergency room (the horror stories will make you research your local ER). And they really, really want to get their hands on your 401 (k). The founders of these companies have become absurdly rich – we’re talking multi-multi-billionaires — so their power in American politics is tremendous. Not only do they influence the political system — increasingly, they are the political system. Just ask men like Timothy Geithner, Newt Gingrich, Paul Ryan, and David Petraeus, all now working in private equity. It’s more than a revolving door between Washington and Wall Street. As Forbes magazine highlights, it’s a “passionate love affair.” The New York Times has a great article on private equity ; here is just one example of what happens when private equity buys a chain of nursing homes. “Consider the case of the Carlyle Group and the nursing home chain HCR ManorCare. In 2007, Carlyle — a private equity firm now with $373 billion in assets under management — bought HCR ManorCare for a little over $6 billion, most of which was borrowed money that ManorCare, not Carlyle, would have to pay back. As the new owner, Carlyle sold nearly all of ManorCare’s real estate and quickly recovered its initial investment. This meant, however, that ManorCare was forced to pay nearly half a billion dollars a year in rent to occupy buildings it once owned. Carlyle also extracted over $80 million in transaction and advisory fees from the company it had just bought, draining ManorCare of money.” “ManorCare soon instituted various cost-cutting programs and laid off hundreds of workers. Health code violations spiked. People suffered. The daughter of one resident told The Washington Post   that “my mom would call us every day crying when she was in there” and that “it was dirty — like a run-down motel. Roaches and ants all over the place.” In 2018, ManorCare filed for bankruptcy, with over $7 billion in debt. But that was, in a sense, immaterial to Carlyle, which had already recovered the money it invested and made millions more in fees. (In statements to The Washington Post, ManorCare denied that the quality of its care had declined, while Carlyle claimed that changes in how Medicare paid nursing homes, not its own actions, caused the chain’s bankruptcy.) Carlyle managed to avoid any legal liability for its actions. How it did so explains why this industry often has such poor outcomes for the businesses it buys. The family of one ManorCare resident, Annie Salley, sued Carlyle after she died in a facility that the family said was understaffed. According to the lawsuit, despite needing assistance walking to the bathroom, Ms. Salley was forced to do so alone, and hit her head on a bathroom fixture. Afterward, nursing home staff reportedly failed to order a head scan or refer her to a doctor, even though she exhibited confusion, vomited and thrashed around. Ms. Salley eventually died from bleeding around her brain. Yet when Ms. Salley’s family sued for wrongful death, Carlyle managed to get the case against it dismissed. As a private equity firm, Carlyle claimed, it did not technically own ManorCare. Rather, Carlyle merely advised a series of investment funds with obscure names that did. In essence, Carlyle performed a legal disappearing act.” So not only do these companies cause untold pain, but they face no consequences. The Atlantic   detailed more of the horrors and deaths caused by private equity: Private-equity investment in nursing homes, to take just one example, has grown from about $5 billion at the turn of the century to more than $100 billion today. The results have not been pretty. The industry seems to have recognized that it could improve profit margins by cutting back on staffing while relying more on psychoactive medication. Stories abound of patients being rushed to the hospital after being overprescribed opioids, of bedside call buttons so poorly attended that residents suffer in silence while waiting for help, of nurses being pressured to work while sick with COVID. A 2021 study concluded that private-equity ownership was associated with about 22,500 premature nursing-home deaths from 2005 to 2017— before  the wave of death and misery wrought by the pandemic. Mother Jones   goes into more detail on just how destructive these companies are to our society. “In the last decade, private equity has taken control of more than 80 retailers, leading to the loss of 1.3 million jobs.” “Private equity incursions into real estate have left no form of housing unscathed, driving up the costs of both owning and renting any type of house or apartment or mobile home. They’ve bought up for-profit colleges, driving down graduation rates while increasing student debt. They’ve sought gains in the obscure crevices of our mutual existence, from contact lenses to port-a-potties to ketchup. And they’ve enveloped the health care sector, including hospitals, dermatologists, ophthalmologists, veterinarians, hospice care, and nursing homes, often leading to increased medical costs for patients and a drop in the quality of care. A 2021 study from a group of business school professors found that private equity ownership of nursing homes increased their Medicare billing and upped the mortality of patients by 10 percent—about 20,000 lives across the 12-year period they studied.” “Multiple studies have also found that private equity buyouts drive down wages at acquired companies, even when productivity increases.” “This aversion to stricter regulation of private equity means its dominance will only grow, says Appelbaum, and so will cutting costs and corners and jobs to extract financial gain. The evidence can be seen in small inconveniences: the decision by a PE-owned hospital, for instance, to buy the cheapest, roughest paper towels for nurses who wash their hands dozens of times a day. Or in broader indignities: a PE-owned ­hospice care company that provides fewer visits to dying patients by medical assistants who are cheaper to employ, but for whom the company can bill Medicare the same amount as for a visit by a nurse. And then there is life-altering damage: medical bills that gut family finances all because private equity firms have bought up so much of the health care sector that they can charge virtually anything. “Right now, they can do whatever they want,” Appelbaum says. “And that means quality of life deteriorates for everybody.”  These companies make nearly every part of our lives worse and more expensive. What happens when Private Equity takes over A supplement company? Private equity companies also own and have controlling stakes in many supplement companies. What happens, in most cases, when a private equity company buys a supplement company or takes a considerable stake in one? The first thing that happens is staff cuts, wages slashed, and benefits reduced. A lot of institutional knowledge and workings are lost, as the most knowledgeable employees are often the first to go. They have often been there the longest and are usually paid the most, or they quit because they do not like the company's new direction. Consultants like McKinsey & Company are often hired to “justify” these cuts. The second thing is cheaper raw materials are substituted. This lets the labels and formulas look the same while dramatically reducing costs. Check out our blog, A Tale Of Two Bottles , to learn how two labels can look the same but be very different products. The third thing that happens is outsourcing. Many companies outsource their manufacturing and quality control departments to questionable third parties, who promise to do the work for significantly less. Next, the marketing budget increases. Fancy new packaging, advertising, and social media strategies are implemented. This results in products that cost fifty to seventy percent less to produce while the company increases the prices people pay for them. So, not only are there a ton of ethical issues with private equity, but the consumer also gets products that are not nearly as good and pays far more for them. If you want a deep and in-depth look at how damaging private equity is to the very fabric of our society, check out this book . Does a private equity-owned company sound like an excellent place to get your vitamins from? Which Supplement Companies Are Owned By Private Equity? Here are some (definitely not all) well-known supplement companies that are owned by or that private equity has a significant stake in: Thorne Metagenics Vega Ultima Electrolytes Muscletech Swanson Plant Fusion Gaia Herbs Reliance Private Label Vitamins - They make the supplements many health food stores and pharmacies sell under their own label. Braggs Nutraceutical Solaray Kal Zhou Natures Life Natural Care LifeTime Heritage Store Life Flo Emerita Theraneem Zand Dynamic Health Honey Gardens Sunny Green All One Natural Sport Thompson Herbs For Kids Natural Balance Simplers Botanicals Floragen Lipoflavonoid Genexa Check out this page   to see more companies affected by private equity firms. While the issues caused by private equity firms may not make the news often, they are one of the biggest drivers of problems in our society, from healthcare to housing costs, food quality, and education.  Rooted Nutrition Says No To Private Equity Owned Supplement Companies We work very hard to avoid selling products from supplement companies owned by or primarily controlled by private equity companies (and those owned by horrible corporations like   Nestle ) because people and the environment should come before profits. Partnering with small family-owned companies makes it easier to verify sources of raw materials and ensure that the environment is protected and that farmers and laborers are paid a fair price for their products and labor. It also helps to keep more money in the local communities, which benefits all of us.  It can be hard to know who owns which companies, but whenever possible, choose companies you know are independently owned and work hard to improve their communities and the world. It would make a huge difference if everyone changed a few monthly purchases! Do you have questions about Private Equity and Supplement Companies? If you have questions about private equity and supplement companies, email us at   info@rooted-nutrition.com ,  or schedule a free call . We will be happy to answer them!

Fairy dusting is a massive problem in the supplement industry….and, no, I’m not talking about sparkles falling from a magic wand, although I wish I were. Fairy Dusting supplements What is fairy dusting, you ask? It involves using ingredients in a product to make the label look good but using amounts of these ingredients that are so low, they won’t do anything. It is an all too common practice in the supplement industry. Companies use a variety of ways to hide how they are doing this, but all of it is being done to increase their profits, not for your benefit. As someone who has worked behind the scenes in the supplement industry for many years, including in product formulation, I have seen companies do this time and time again because they care more about money than your health. Fairy dusting is great for profits but not so great for you. Examples of fairy dusting in supplements Let’s do a deep dive into what this means and what to look out for! First up is changing the usual measurement for a nutrient. Ingredients in supplements are traditionally measured in grams, milligrams, micrograms, IU, etc. One gram equals one thousand milligrams, one milligram equals one thousand micrograms, and so on down the line. Companies will say that an ingredient traditionally measured in milligrams contains 1000 micrograms to make it appear like a normal or high dosage, but that would actually only be one milligram. Lutein, an ingredient used for eye health, is an ingredient that this practice is commonly used for. Lutein is used in milligram dosages, which can vary anywhere from 5 mg to 40 mg. Check out this label: You can see on the bottom of the right column Lutein 300 mcg. That is equal to .3% of one milligram. It’s not enough to actually do anything, but it looks like a lot. It allows them to advertise on the label that the product is good for eye support when that amount of lutein is not going to do anything. It serves no purpose in that product except to help the marketing department. Lycopene is an ingredient that is often used for prostate health. Lycopene is used in milligram dosages, typically ranging from five to fifteen. Check out this label: At the bottom of the right column, you can see lycopene 600 mcg. This is .6 mg, not even close to enough to have any effect, but it allows them to market the product for healthy prostate function, even though this amount of lycopene will certainly not help prostate function. The second type of fairy dusting is using proprietary blends to throw in a lot of ingredients, but none will actually be at a dosage that actually does anything. If you have a blend of 30 ingredients and the total of that blend is something like 60 mg, you will only be getting an average of 2 mg per ingredient, but it will make the label look as though it has lots of good stuff in it, even if they are in amounts that will have no effect. Blends of fruits and vegetables are some of the most common ingredients this type of fairy dusting affects. Check out this label: This product has a blend with twenty-two ingredients for a total of two milligrams. That means there is an average of .09 mg per ingredient. So, while it looks nice on the label, you would be getting nothing more than a whisper of each ingredient. Imagine kissing a strawberry. The amount left on your lips would be about the same amount. There are no benefits, but good marketing. As an additional thought, this product says b-12 from Saccharomyces cerevisiae. However, Saccharomyces cerevisiae does not actually contain B-12. This is an example of a fake whole-food supplement. You can read more about this sort of thing in our blog, Whole Food Supplements 101 . This liquid multivitamin has some excellent examples of this type of fairy dusting. On the right-hand column, scroll down to the fruit and vegetable blend. This blend contains twenty-two ingredients for a total of 150 mg. This gives you an average of 6.81 mg per ingredient. Definitely not enough of any fruit or veggie to have any benefit. The next blend is the mushroom mycelia blend. It contains a blend of ten ingredients, giving you an average of five milligrams. Not only is that not enough to do anything, but it’s also the mycelium (roots) of the mushroom ground up with the grain with it was grown on, not even the fruiting bodies that we think of when we think of mushrooms. To learn more about how mushroom supplements should be made and all the crazy things that go on with them, check out our Complete Guide to Mushroom Supplements . It’s that block of stuff underneath those mushrooms that you are getting with this type of blend, not the actual mushrooms. Next up is the sprout blend. It contains a blend of twelve ingredients for a total of fifty milligrams. This gives you an average of about 4.16 mg per ingredient. Not enough to actually do anything, but it sure looks great on the label. Check out this label; it is probably the best example of this type of fairy dusting: This product has a 42 fruits and vegetable blend in 5 mg. That means there are, on average, .11 micrograms per ingredient. That is less than 1/100th of a strawberry. Imagine cutting a strawberry into 100 pieces and then imagine even less than one of those pieces. It looks great having all those foods in there, but they are doing absolutely nothing except helping the marketing department. The third type of fairy dusting is listing the percent of a compound that is that compound, while the full amount looks much higher. I know that sounds confusing, but you will see it in a second. Check out this label: If you look at the bottom right, it says Lutein 5% - 10 mcg. This means you would only get 5% of that ten micrograms. Ten micrograms are already far too little lutein, which is used in milligram dosages, to do anything, so getting five percent of that tiny amount is even more of an insult, but the marketing people are happy. In this one, you can see the same trick but with three ingredients: On the bottom, you can see that lycopene and lutein both say 5%. So you will be getting 5% of those already tiny amounts. Both of those should be given in milligrams, not micrograms. The citrus bioflavonoids say 40%, so an ingredient that is normally used in hundreds of milligrams is only going to give you 12.5 milligrams. The fourth type of fairy dusting is using dosages too low to do anything without any attempt at hiding it. Why put enough of an ingredient in when just one or two milligrams will make the label look great and be just enough for marketing purposes? Check out this liquid vitamin: The last ingredient at the bottom is Aloe vera gel 200:1 extract. It does not matter how much you concentrate aloe vera, one milligram is not going to do anything, but it lets you have aloe on the label. Check out this page to learn all about how aloe should be made and how much you need. This multivitamin gives us three great examples of this type of fairy dusting: Towards the bottom, you can see bioflavonoids at 1.25 mg, quercetin at 2.5 mg, and aloe at 1 mg. While all of those ingredients have wonderful uses, at those dosages, they will have no benefit to anyone but the marketing department. This one has a great example: Amino acids are needed in large amounts, generally hundreds or thousands of milligrams. This one has eight milligrams of methionine, five milligrams of glutamine, and fifteen milligrams of lysine. There are not going to be any benefits from those dosages, but they sure make the label look pretty. This label also has another red flag. On the right column, it has grape seed and says 100 mg, but right underneath that, it says from 5 mg of a 20:1 extract. So it does not actually have 100 mg of grape seed extract; it has 5 mg. What it should say is: Grape Seed Extract (20:1) 5 mg This is incredibly deceiving and another type of fairy dusting. There are some easy ways to avoid getting fleeced by fairy dusting. The first and simplest is to buy products with fewer ingredients. For example, don’t buy a green food product that looks like this: In addition to having way too many ingredients at levels that will not do anything, companies will often add cheap filler ingredients to pad the label. Ingredients in green food powders like lecithin and inulin are cheap fillers that bulk up the product and make it much cheaper to make without really providing any benefits. It is much better to get a properly prepared green food, with just a few ingredients, in amounts that actually provide benefit, without all the fillers, sweeteners, and useless junk, such as this: Just a few simple ingredients: Organic lacinato ("dino") kale, mustard leaves and collard greens When products have so many ingredients, especially with foods, you will never get enough of them to have a beneficial effect. When buying multivitamins, avoid those that say for men and women. These products will just put a tiny spec of some ingredient for men or women, but not enough to actually do anything. These products are just marketing. Just buy a good, real, whole-food multivitamin . Prenatal vitamins are one of the few multivitamins worth buying a specific type. Avoid herbal formulas with huge amounts of ingredients, as there is simply not going to be enough of any one ingredient to have a beneficial effect. Here is one example of this type that's stuffed more than a Thanksgiving turkey; instead of delicious stuffing inside, it's just disappointment. Too many ingredients are the same as too many cooks in the kitchen. Instead, use something like this: Just a few properly prepared simple ingredients. There are a few exceptions to this rule when it comes to herbs, some are used in small amounts to potentiate a formula or make some other herbs work better, but for the most part, the fewer ingredients are better. If you are wondering whether an herb in a formula is just fairy dusting or if it is performing an important role, only needed in small amounts, check with a good herbalist. You want products that benefit you, not the marketing department. If you haven’t figured it out yet, I am not overly fond of the marketing departments at most supplement companies. I may have had more than a few, let’s just say, passionate conversations with a lot of them. Hopefully, this article gave you some great insight into some of the underhanded things that supplement companies do and how you can avoid them! Supplement Fairy Dusting Questions And Support If you have questions about fairy dusting in supplements, please email us at   info@rooted-nutrition.com ,   and we will be happy to help!

We often get asked what makes our maca different from others on the market. For example, “Product X is only $15.00. What is the difference between yours and theirs?” After answering questions like that hundreds of times, I thought it would be a good idea to put the answers all in one place. What to look for in a maca supplement Maca has many excellent properties and is one of my favorite herbs, but these benefits only come if grown and manufactured correctly. Maca farming It all starts with respecting the growing process. Maca takes a lot of nutrients out of the soil, so crop rotation is critical. Every field needs to grow one maca crop and then rest for nine years to produce the best Maca. If there is no proper crop rotation, it will result in poor-quality maca. Unfortunately, most companies do not do this, resulting in maca with little to no beneficial effect. Maca drying process The next step is the drying process. The main group of beneficial compounds in maca is called macamides. Few of these compounds will form if the maca is not dried correctly. Maca must be sun-dried for ninety days at the high altitudes where it is grown in Peru. The drying process will cause maca to lose up to sixty percent of its weight. This process is much more expensive, but it results in the best maca. Unfortunately, most companies now oven-dry their maca at lower elevations without going through the proper sun-drying process. Other companies claim to do sun-drying, but it is for much shorter periods, such as thirty days. It is much cheaper to use these improper processes, but it results in maca that has little to none of the beneficial macamides. Gelatinized versus raw maca The next step is the processing stage. Maca must be cooked to make it digestible and usable by the body. Gelatinization (no gelatin, it’s just the name of the process) performs several essential functions. First, when Maca grows, a mold forms around it. Removing the mold is necessary to make maca safe to eat. It is one of the many reasons never to eat raw Maca . In Peru, maca is cooked and never eaten raw. Gelatinization removes the mold and much of the starch, making it easy to digest. Raw maca is incredibly hard on the digestive tract. It also helps to remove compounds, such as glucosinolate, that can negatively affect thyroid function. Some companies tout the levels of this harmful compound in their product, which shows they have a genuine lack of understanding of maca. Raw Maca is much cheaper to sell and produce, but it has little to no beneficial properties and can have many harmful side effects. Farm to table maca powder Next up is traceability. Most maca comes through middlemen and brokers, which combine maca from various farmers and regions. It results in a wide variety of maca quality mixed in big batches. Some of it might be of good quality, but much of it will not be. If even a tiny amount is made correctly and dried, companies will not hesitate to label it that way, even if it was just a small part of one batch and the rest was of inferior quality. Seleno Health Maca comes directly from their farm partner in Peru. There is no middleman involved, and only maca from that farm is in the products. Traceability is a crucial step in ensuring a high-quality product. Maca adulteration Adulteration is a common problem with maca products. Caramelized sugar is added to give most maca powders a particular taste and color. This impurity will not be listed on the label. Another problem is the addition of Chinese grown maca. A few years ago, the Chinese mafia came to Peru and started stealing Maca roots from farmers. Maca is considered a heritage crop, and it is illegal to take whole roots from the country. These were taken to China, genetically modified, and planted. However, the climate and soil are not suitable for growing maca, and the crop grown there has little to no beneficial properties. As a result, much of the maca sold in the United States is Chinese Maca labeled as being from Peru. Heavy metals in maca High levels of heavy metals, such as lead, are a problem with many maca products. Often companies will reduce the serving size of their products to make it appear that their products have lower levels of heavy metals. The maca is tested for heavy metals to ensure that a proper serving size is low in heavy metals. Rather than use a small serving size to make the heavy metal levels look good, levels should be based on the daily amounts used. The colors of maca Another factor that adds to the cost of a maca product is using different colors of maca. The same maca seed produces three colors of maca. The colors have different effects. Yellow makes up about 65 percent of the crop, red about 25 percent, and black about 10 percent. Products containing red and black maca will be more expensive than those having just the yellow variety. Maca serving size Serving size is a common problem in the maca industry. Depending on the use, five to ten grams of gelatinized maca (while ensuring adequate macamides) are needed each day. Often companies will sell products with a one to three gram serving size. This amount is not enough to do anything, but it does allow them to sell products and claim more servings per bag or bottle, making the product seem less expensive when in reality, it is much more costly to take a dosage that does not do anything. For example, a company might sell 500 mg pills and tell people to take just two pills a day. So while a thirty serving container might only cost fifteen dollars, it will do anything at two capsules per day. If they were honest with the dosage, that bottle would only last five to ten days. So always check the serving size to ensure you are getting enough maca and not being taken advantage of by companies who want people to think their product is less expensive and don’t care about whether someone gets results. Macamides in maca One of the most important factors is the level of macamides per serving. Unfortunately, most products do not list the percentage of macamides. Products with little to no macamides will not have a therapeutic effect. While two product labels may look similar, the levels of macamides can vary greatly. Buying maca products without knowing the amounts of these critical compounds is a terrible idea. Fair Trade Maca One thing that is often not talked about is fair pay for the farmers who grow the maca. Many maca farmers are impoverished and often get taken advantage of by brokers and middlemen. They are paid next to nothing for their crop, barely enough to survive. It is wrong on every level, but it is great for the profit margin. They must get a reasonable price for their hard work to produce an ethical product. They do the hard work of growing and processing the maca. They deserve a fair price that allows them to live a life of dignity. Sure it would be easy to pay them poverty prices and sell maca for much less, but can a product be good if those who grow it are taken advantage of and forced to live a life of poverty because of greed? No, it cannot. Maca can improve communities Essential to the ethical production of any product is investing in the communities that make it possible. A portion of every bag of maca helps support schools, bring clean water, and many other improvements that make the lives of the people there better. It would be cheaper to skip all of these things, but it would not be ethical. Unfortunately, all too often, companies take and never give back. Breaking this cycle is essential. Truly investing in these communities, not just token lip service, is something more companies should do. When you see cheap Maca, it is not just your health being cheated; the farmers and community suffer greatly. Instead, seek out Maca that benefits the farming communities. Maca questions and support Hopefully, this blog covered all the questions you might have about what it takes to make a good Maca product and why the ethical production of maca is so essential. If you have a question about maca products, feel free to email us at info@rooted-nutrition.com , and we will work to get you the information you need! Click the button below to learn all about maca, from farm to bottle.

Cholesterol is a pretty big topic, so we broke it into four parts. Cholesterol is one of the most misunderstood substances out there. There are so many misconceptions that we thought it might be a good idea to write an article to help clear things up. Every day we get asked, “How can I lower my cholesterol?” The problem with this is that it’s the wrong question and loses sight of the big picture. So, what should you be asking? We will get to that in a bit. What is cholesterol? Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance found in all the cells in the body. Your body needs some cholesterol to make hormones, vitamin D, and substances that help you digest foods . The two most well-known types of cholesterol are LDL and HDL, with each one having subtypes. Unfortunately, using the terms “good” and “bad“ referring to LDL and HDL was a mistake when it was done and is why you will often see good and bad in parentheses. Here are the most well-known types of cholesterol and the ones you are most likely to see on your blood test: HDL carries cholesterol from other parts of the body back to your liver, and then your liver removes cholesterol from the body. LDL transports cholesterol throughout the body. VLDL transports triglycerides and is produced in the liver. Triglycerides (not a type of cholesterol, but they are usually tested at the same time) are a type of fat that your body makes when there are excess calories that it does not want to use right away". Triglycerides are stored in your fat cells. Hormones release them for energy between meals. What does cholesterol do? Cholesterol is essential, and without it, you would die. Your body produces the cholesterol you need. The cholesterol you eat in foods such as eggs and butter does not significantly impact your blood cholesterol levels . In the past, people thought that dietary cholesterol significantly raised levels in the body. Thankfully this myth is on the way out. When getting blood tests for lipids, such as cholesterol and triglycerides, it is essential to fast for nine to twelve hours to ensure accurate results. Cholesterol performs many functions in the body . It helps to: Produce bile acids, which help the body to digest fats and absorb nutrients. Produce vitamin D, which is a hormone, not a vitamin. Produce hormones such as testosterone, adrenal hormones, estrogen, and more. Make cell membranes and structures. Make the myelin sheath, which helps to protect our nerves. And much more! Despite all of these incredible benefits, so many people are scared of cholesterol and worry about how bad it is for them. How did cholesterol become vilified? Does cholesterol belong behind bars? The answer is pretty simple. I t was the sugar and processed food industries. Saturated fat is terrible, and cholesterol will give you coronary artery disease trope came about because the sugar industry spent massive amounts of money to vilify them. In the same way, big tobacco spent money to make people think that cigarettes were harmless, big sugar spent money trying to falsely blame fat and cholesterol while making people believe their products were harmless. At the same time, processed food manufacturers wanted to replace animal fats like lard and tallow with trans-fats and cheap vegetable oils. We all know how the trans-fat experiment went. It was as if they teamed up to make our foods as inflammatory as possible. As early as the 1950s, the terrible effects of sugar on cardiovascular disease were well known. The SRF (Sugar Research Foundation) sponsored its first CHD research project in 1965, a literature review published in the New England Journal of Medicine, which singled out fat and cholesterol as the dietary causes of CHD and downplayed evidence that sucrose consumption was also a risk factor. The SRF set the review’s objective, contributed articles for inclusion, and received drafts. The SRF’s funding and role were not disclosed. Who knew that letting companies pay for and publish their results without strict oversight would lead to problems? By the 1960s, two prominent physiologists were championing divergent causal hypotheses of CHD2,3: John Yudkin identified added sugars as the primary agent, while Ancel Keys identified total fat, saturated fat, and dietary cholesterol. Care to guess which man recieved the most funding and went on to be supported by the medical community? If you thought Ancel Keys, you would be right. D espite vast conflicts of interest, massive funding by the sugar industry, and flawed, poorly done research, Ancel Keys’s work is still widely accepted by mainstream medicine . It is the underlying work on which the flawed lipid hypothesis (also known as the cholesterol hypothesis) is built. This type of information is not something that should be used for anything other than a cautionary tale of what we need to be on the lookout for in the future. So if you have come to fear fat and cholesterol, you have the sugar industry to thank for that, not good science. Yup, sugar is nothing but healthy energy, just like how tobacco is so soothing to the lungs. What is heart disease? What is cardiovascular disease (also known as heart disease)? Heart disease includes a wide range of conditions. According to the Mayo Clinic: Blood vessel disease, such as coronary artery disease A buildup of fatty plaques in your arteries or atherosclerosis can damage your blood vessels and heart. Plaque buildup causes narrowed or blocked blood vessels that can lead to a heart attack, chest pain (angina), or stroke . Heart rhythm problems (arrhythmias) Your heart may beat too quickly, too slowly, or irregularly. Hear t defe cts you're born with (congenital heart defects) Heart defects you're born with (congenital heart defects) usually are noticed soon after birth. Heart valve disease The heart has four valves — the aortic, mitral, pulmonary, and tricuspid — that open and close to direct blood flow through your heart. Many things can damage your heart valves, leading to narrowing (stenosis), leaking (regurgitation or insufficiency), or improper closing (prolapse). Diseases of the heart muscle Cardiomyopathy Heart infection Endocarditis is an infection that affects the inner lining of your heart chambers and heart valves (endocardium). The condition most associated with cholesterol is atherosclerosis, a buildup of fatty plaque in the arteries. What causes atherosclerosis? According to the Mayo Clinic : “Atherosclerosis is the buildup of fats, cholesterol, and other substances in and on your artery walls. This buildup is called plaque. The plaque can cause your arteries to narrow, blocking blood flow. The plaque can also burst, leading to a blood clot. Although atherosclerosis is often considered a heart problem, it can affect arteries anywhere in your body. ” “Atherosclerosis is a slow, progressive disease that may begin as early as childhood. Although the exact cause is unknown, atherosclerosis may start with damage or injury to the inner layer of an artery. The damage may be caused by: High blood pressure High cholesterol High triglycerides, a type of fat (lipid) in your blood Smoking and other sources of tobacco Insulin resistance, obesity, or diabetes Inflammation from an unknown cause or diseases such as arthritis, lupus, psoriasis, or inflammatory bowel disease Once the inner wall of an artery is damaged, blood cells and other substances often clump at the injury site and build up in the inner lining of the artery." Over time, fatty deposits (plaque) made of cholesterol and other cellular products also build up at the injury site and harden, narrowing your arteries. As a result, the organs and tissues connected to the blocked arteries do not receive enough blood to function correctly. Eventually, pieces of the fatty deposits may break off and enter your bloodstream. In addition, the smooth lining of the plaque may rupture, spilling cholesterol and other substances into your bloodstream. This may cause a blood clot, which can block the blood flow to a specific part of your body. For example, when blocked blood flow to your heart causes a heart attack. A blood clot can also travel to other parts of the body, blocking flow to other organs. What is arterial plaque made of? Plaque contains various substances, including fatty deposits, oxidized cholesterol, oxidized phospholipids, cellular waste products, calcium, and fibrin. So here are the questions you should be asking: Are there blood tests that can be helpful to see if I am at risk for plaque buildup? How do I know if I have plaque buildup in my arteries? How can I prevent plaque from building up in my arteries? What can I do if I have plaque buildup in my arteries? It's time to head on over to part two as we start to delve into those questions. Cholesterol questions and support We know this is a lot of information, so if you have questions, don’t know where to start, or need support, we are always available to help. Drop us an email anytime at info@rooted-nutrition.com   and we will be happy to help you on your health journey!

Welcome to part two (of four) of all about cholesterol. If you have not read part one , we recommend you start there. When we left off, we were discussing the questions you should be asking instead of just saying, “How do I lower my cholesterol? Are there blood tests that can be helpful? How do I know if I have plaque buildup in my arteries? How can I prevent plaque from building up in my arteries? What can I do if I have plaque buildup in my arteries? Part two will go over these questions: Are there blood tests that can be helpful? How do I know if I have plaque buildup in my arteries? Cholesterol blood tests One of the first things to keep in mind when looking at cholesterol testing is that, in general, LDL and HDL levels do not tell you very much. You can have high LDL and be fine or have low levels and be at risk and vice versa. Other tests can give you a much bigger picture of what is going on. Think of it as looking at the whole forest, not just a couple of trees. You can talk to your doctor and see if any of these might be helpful in your particular case, and they may have others they think you should have as well. Having a thorough discussion with your doctor about your heart health is very important. The more information they have, the better they can help you. Remember, when getting blood tests for lipids like cholesterol, it is essential to fast for nine to twelve hours before the test to ensure the most accurate results. What are the different cholesterol blood tests? Oxidized Phospholipids on apoB (OxPL-apoB) blood test “Oxidized phospholipids are found on all apoB-containing lipoproteins, namely, LDL, VLDL, and especially Lp(a). When taken up by the artery wall, oxidized lipoproteins accelerate atherosclerosis, increasing the risk of myocardial infarctions, strokes, and calcific aortic valve stenosis. Oxidized phospholipids are highly pro-inflammatory and contribute to many diseases of aging.” The second test is Lipoprotein(a) (Lp(a)) . High levels of LPA can create plaque in your arteries and indicate coronary artery disease. The third "test" (more of a calculation) is Very Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol (VLDL-C) . “VLDL is a type of lipoprotein made in the liver that carries triglycerides and cholesterol. VLDL-C is the amount of cholesterol carried by VLDL lipoproteins.” The best way to lower your VLDL is to reduce your triglycerides. The fourth test is Triglycerides (TG) . “Elevated levels increase CVD risk by altering lipoprotein metabolism.” “Enhance the formation of small dense LDL particles.” “Contributes to low levels of large HDL particles.” The fifth "test" (more of a calculation) is Very Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol/Triglycerides Ratio (VLDL-C/TG): “This is a ratio calculated by dividing very-low-density lipoprotein cholesterol by triglycerides. A high ratio has been linked to abnormal lipid metabolism and increased risk of CVD events.” The sixth "test" (more of a calculation) is the omega-six to omega-three ratio . Having a good balance of omega-six to omega-three is so helpful for keeping your arteries healthy. You can read more about it here . The seventh test is a fibrinogen level test . High levels of fibrinogen can lead to increased plaque formation. Last but not least is fasting insulin . This test measures the amount of insulin in your blood. Chronically high levels of insulin can lead to insulin resistance. Insulin resistance is associated with a cluster of cardiometabolic risk factors known collectively as the insulin resistance (metabolic) syndrome (IRS). Knowing your Triglyceride/HDL ratio can help you understand your risk of insulin of resistance . Regular check-ups and bloodwork are essential, don't put them off any longer. How do I know if I have plaque buildup in my arteries? Your doctor can run some tests to determine plaque buildup in the arteries. You can talk to your doctor and see if these might be helpful in your particular case, or they may refer you to a cardiologist if you need more specialized care. Arterial plaque tests The first is Calcium-Score Screening Heart Scan . “A calcium-score screening heart test (coronary calcium scan) uses computerized tomography (CT) to detect calcium deposits in the coronary arteries of your heart. A higher coronary calcium-score suggests you have a higher chance of significant narrowing in the coronary arteries and a higher risk of a future heart attack.” If you have a stent, this test will not provide as much information, as the stent can interfere with the test results. In addition, a calcium score does not mean there is no plaque at all, as it will not exclude the presence of soft non-calcified plaque. However, this test provides valuable information and is incredibly useful. The second is Carotid Intima-Media Thickness Test (CIMT). "The carotid intima-media thickness test (CIMT) is a measure used to diagnose the extent of carotid atherosclerotic vascular disease. The test measures the thickness of the inner two layers of the carotid artery—the intima and media—and alerts physicians to any thickening when patients are still asymptomatic.” This test is not widely available and may be hard to get. The next is a stress test, also known as an exercise stress test . “A stress test also called an exercise stress test, shows how your heart works during physical activity. Because exercise makes your heart pump harder and faster, an exercise stress test can reveal problems with blood flow within your heart.” It's time to head to part three as we delve deeper. Cholesterol questions and support We know this is a lot of information, so if you have questions, don’t know where to start, or need support, we are always available to help. Drop us an email anytime at info@rooted-nutrition.com ,   and we will be happy to help you on your health journey!