In Good Health

Amino Acids in the Body

Amino acids are specific molecules that work in unique ways throughout the body. If you think back to health class, scratch your head and try very hard to remember, it may come back to you that amino acids the building blocks for proteins and vital for daily functioning.

Amino Acids and Proteins
As components of proteins, amino acids each perform a specific support function. Proteins are necessary in the body for virtually all cellular processes, and amino acids are an essential part of this chain.

There are 20 primary amino acids, and the human body naturally produces half of these. We rely on nutrition to get the remaining 10. Our bodies cannot store a bank of amino acids for later, so we must get these amino acids daily from the foods we eat and supplements we consume.

Amino Acids in Supplements
Amino acids are available in supplements. Nutri-Health’s Focus Force™ Active Memory features gamma amino butyric acid (GABA), an amino acid derived from glutamic acid, one of the 10 amino acids produced naturally in the body.

GABA is found naturally in the brain. It helps calm the central nervous system by blocking overactive nerve cells. In a supplement, GABA supports healthy neurotransmitter activity in the brain to promote a balanced stress response and cognitive focus.* Focus Force features all-natural Pharma GABA 80—no synthetic substitutes.

So, the next time you’re trying to remember that lesson from health class, try a little natural GABA for an amino acid boost that helps you zero in and focus!

Pretty, Healthy Salad

With spring around the corner (ok, it’s not quite February but I’m hopeful), I’ve got flowers on the brain. Flowers make a great addition to planter patios, cut indoor arrangements, in the garden, and in salads. Wait a minute, did you say salads?

Dress up your salad
Adding edible flowers to salads, soups, or other foods is not a new idea. The petals or edible portions of these flowers often provide a tangy, spicy and fun flavor plus a vibrant burst of color in select dishes. A great option for a reliable and organic edible flower source is your own window planter full of your favorite edible blooms.

Visit this What’s Cooking America article for some helpful advice on picking out truly edible flowers and what to watch for when choosing flowers for your salad or food. The nutritional profile of different flowers will vary—most of the flower petal is typically water with a small vitamin and nutrient value.

Do you have a great recipe featuring edible flowers? Feel free to share using the comment field below!

Watch for Updated Probiotic Formulas!

We're making some exciting formula changes to our probiotic supplements. Watch for the 2010 rollout of our new improved synbiotic formulas—a dynamic new partnership between probiotics and a very beneficial non-gas forming prebiotic fiber called scFOS® (short chain fructooligosaccharide).

A Perfect Partnership
You can read more about scFOS here, the healthy “food” for probiotics and beneficial bacteria in your digestive tract that supports digestive and immune health.* scFOS is known as a “prebiotic” because of its nourishing effect on healthy probiotic growth.

The combination of probiotics and prebiotics is a powerhouse for digestive and immune health support.* We’ve added scFOS prebiotic to all our probiotic formulas to create truly integrated supplements that help you get the most out of the probiotics you take. This synergy between probiotics and prebiotics is often called a synbiotic blend, and will be rolling out in Nutri-Health probiotic formulas throughout 2010.

As always, here’s to your happy, healthy digestion and best health this year!

Let's Talk Lactium

If you've tried Nutri-Health's Flora Calm Rest & Relax (also called Flora Sleep Rest & Relax) you've probably noticed this product contains an all-natural nutrient called Lactium®. Lactium is one of those breakthrough nutritional supplement ingredients that promotes a major health benefit from a completely natural source.

What is Lactium?
Lactium was inspired by the profound state of relaxation babies feel after drinking milk. This effect is produced from breast milk and from cow's milk/formula, so researchers set out to see if they could isolate the relaxation benefits of cow's milk and produce a nutrient with targeted relaxation and sleep benefits.

The result of this research and clinical testing is Lactium, a highly absorbable milk protein that, when tested, demonstrated natural relaxation and sleep support. Lactium was awarded the Bronze medal for best innovation in Health Ingredients, 2004, in Europe's HIE exhibition and it has become a favorite with people seeking natural alternatives to relaxation and sleep support. Some compare it to drinking a warm glass of milk, soothing and calming.

Aaaahhh, Relax
Healthy relaxation supports healthy sleep and a feeling of calm and well-being all day. Amazingly enough, we perform better in a state of relaxation than in a state of stress, but it's easy to forget this in our fast paced society.

Nutri-Health's Flora Calm (Flora Sleep) with Lactium can be taken in the morning to promote a relaxed and healthy stress response or in the evening to promote healthy sleep.

Vinegar for Health

Many people use vinegar, and most commonly apple cider vinegar and balsamic vinegar, as a healthy addition to their daily diet. Whether you take vinegar straight up or add it to salad dressings, a honey health tonic, or as a marinade, you can benefit from vinegar’s natural goodness.

Vinegar is a fermented food and is the result of further fermenting a fruit, vegetable, or any whole food with a natural sugar content beyond an alcohol state to a vinegar state. Yeasts in the fermenting liquid break down carbohydrates to produce acetic acid, which can act as a natural cleanser in the body.

• Apple cider vinegar is made from apple mash and many people take it daily as a natural health “tonic.”If you are just starting to add a few tablespoons of apple cider vinegar to your daily diet, begin slowly. Vinegar can cause stomach upset and should be diluted with water to avoid this.

• Balsamic vinegar is made from grapes, though not first fermented into wine. Its sweet, rich taste make it a favorite for sauces and salad dressings.

• White vinegar is typically made from grains to produce a clear vinegar widely used as a natural household cleaner. Keep a bottle handy…no need to refrigerate and its shelf life is practically unlimited thanks to its naturally fermented state.

Clearing Some Space

We recently enjoyed a breakroom facelift here at Nutri-Health. This did wonders for our use of space and for a healthy sense of clarity we now enjoy in our streamlined and updated shared room. Our remodel got me thinking about spring cleaning and revamping a living or work space for a fresh, healthy outlook.

Keep these points in mind if you’re trying a room remodel to clear some more space:

• Do I need it? No, really… do I need it?

• Clear off a group of shelves and try displaying just a few items to create clutter-free visual appeal.

• Combine and condense items for true efficient use of space.

• Coordinate items visually for a less cluttered look. Matching containers, baskets, planters, and pillows can help reduce visual “noise” and create a clear space.

Do you have some healthy room remodel tips? Join the conversation using the comment field below!

Soak Those Grains

Whole grains are part of a well-balanced diet, an important segment of the USDA’s revised food pyramid. The portion of a whole grain that makes it good for us – packed with fiber, iron, and B vitamins – also contains phytic acid, a substance in the grain that prevents premature sprouting.

Too much phytic acid can bond with minerals such as iron, calcium, zinc and others to pull them from the body. For this reason, people turn to soaking grains before cooking or preparing them to neutralize phytic acid.

Soaking whole grains begins a germination or sprouting process rendering the phytic acid unnecessary and inactive. Think of this process as a kind of pre-digestion that encourages mineral retention and, best of all, it’s easy to do!

                                               
Soaking Grains
Try these easy tips for soaking your favorite whole grains and seeds (cover each container with a cheesecloth or similar breathable material):

• Quinoa (keen-wa) – this “superfood” is actually a seed, not a grain. Rinse your quinoa in a fine mesh strainer and then soak overnight in room temperature water to begin the sprouting process to make for easier digestion. Rinse again before cooking.

• Rice – brown rice, while very good for you, is packed with starch. Soak uncooked rice for 24 hours and scoop off the floating starchy substance and rinse before cooking for all the goodness of the grain, a sweeter taste, and no hassle.

• Oats – buy steel cut or whole oats for their nutritional value and soak them overnight to begin the sprouting process, then rinse before cooking. You’ll have all the benefits of “quick oats” with greater nutritional value than manufactured/instant oatmeal.

• Nuts and Seeds - you can soak raw nuts and seeds before eating them to neutralize phytic acid and enzyme inhibitors. Soak between 4-6 hours.

Tips for Maintaining Eye Health

You may not think too much about eye health, until there is a reason to, but maintaining healthy eye tissue is an important part of aging well.

According to Harvard Health Beat, there are some important steps to take in promoting eye health throughout life:¹

• Do not smoke, it can negatively impact eye health

• Maintain a nutritious diet packed with fruits and veggies

• Wear sunglasses and hats in bright sunlight

New Eye Health Supplement
Nutri-Health has developed an innovative new supplement that targets eye health to support healthy retinas, blood vessel strength, and healthy vision as you age. Xanthalin™ Eye Health contains specific eye health antioxidants – zeaxanthin and lutein - plus vitamins C, E, and a powerful B vitamin blend to support optimal eye health.*

(Find out how you can save $21.97 on your first bottle of Xanthalin™ Eye Health!)

¹ Harvard Health Beat. Safeguard Your Sight. Dec. 15, 2009.

Supplement Ingredient Feature - What is NAC?

There are many natural supplement ingredients out there with long names that are tough to pronounce –
N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC) is one of them. But, even though NAC is a tongue twister, it offers important health benefits.

NAC is produced naturally in the body from the amino acid, Cysteine. When produced or ingested in a supplement, NAC is metabolized into glutathione, a very powerful antioxidant that works to detoxify and transport vital nutrients to immune cells.* Glutathione in supplements can be hard for the body to absorb, making NAC an excellent choice for supporting healthy detoxification in the body and a healthy immune system, and for helping break up mucus.*

NAC in Supplements
These health benefits make NAC an important ingredient in Flora Sinus® Seasonal Support (for its role in breaking up mucus and supporting immune health) and AstaCor® Heart Health. Look for NAC is new supplement formulations as well – an exciting ingredient, with a long name!

                                                                           

New Year, Same Health Routine?

I’ve always thought of New Year’s Eve/Day as a time for radical honesty – namely what’s working and what’s not? It can be tempting to “keep on keeping on” without stopping to take stock of the bigger picture, but a lot can be missed in our  attention to detail and daily life.

So, how about taking a break before the New Year and looking at the year as a whole with an eye on your health? How have your resolutions panned out from this last year (or maybe you want to skip this question)? How is your health compared with this time last year? Just as important, how is your state of wellness – the way you feel – overall?

Diet and Exercise – The Building Blocks
Maybe it’s time to revamp that exercise routine (and pick a better word than “routine”). For me, this means being realistic about the activities I really enjoy (hiking, swimming, yoga) versus the ones I think I should be doing (trudging the treadmill, deciphering bizarre pulleys on the latest-and-greatest weight machine).

Maybe it’s also time to take a look at diet, the kind of nutrition we’re really getting on a daily and monthly basis. Do I meet the recommended daily servings of fruits and veggies (um, no)? If not, can I boost up with natural supplements or on-the-go nutrients like green drinks? Is my multi-vitamin doing much for me anymore, or would I do better on a different supplement plan?

Take a little time to look back and think forward, assess and address changes, even congratulate yourself. It’s almost a New Year…what will you change?