Tuesday, June 26, 2012

How to Take Supplements and Have Fun with Them!

How to take supplements is a tricky question because everyone has an opinion. Should you follow the latest fad in the health magazine, listen to Dr. Oz, or go with what your doctor recommends? Or should you listen to your own body?

More importantly, how to take supplements so it's not a chore. Taking supplements can actually be both fun and healthy if you are open to a few innovative techniques.

How to Take Supplements and Have Fun!
If the idea of swallowing a ton of pills each day isn't your idea how to take supplements in a fun way, then you feel the same way as the majority of people. Luckily, there are ways to take supplements in a way that is wise and honors your body ... and can be kind of fun! Here are three suggestions on how to take supplements that might perk you up:

1. Take What Falls Out of the Bottle: Sometimes taking supplements in a highly regimented way is boring, not to mention unwise. Sometimes your body needs more of one supplement and less of another. One way to "figure out" what you need and when is to simply open the bottle and tip some supplements into your hand. If the number seems reasonable, then take it. Obviously, you would only want to use this approach with nutritional supplements that can't hurt you. For instance, you can do this with probiotics like acidophilius or bifidus. The same goes for enzymes. You would NOT want to do this with over the counter pain pills or any substance for which intake needs to be carefully contained. However, if you are feeling sore, don't be surprised if a large number of antioxidant supplements tip out of the bottle. That's your body telling you that you need some extra antioxidant support.

2. Take a Day Off: Taking a day off from your supplement regimen can be one way to give your body a little break. When you consider how to take supplements, consider the fact that your body may need a day to "process" all the supplements you take on a regular basis. Some people even take a whole weekend off, every weekend. Play around with this and see what feels best to you.

3. Change Your Routine Seasonally: Tribally, people have always changed their diet and actions according to the seasons. In more modern times, when it comes to how to take supplements, a lot of us just pick a regimen and follow it. But that's not always wise. You may need more cooling foods and supplements during the summer months, and more invigorating foods and supplements during the colder months. Take a look at your supplement program and maybe choose a different program for each season.

Most of all, listen to your body. It will tell you how to take supplements. Your body has a lot of native wisdom and all you have to do is hear what it is telling you!

If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment or subscribing to the feed to have future articles delivered to your feed reader. Also, check out the free health resources or order blue-green algae products at wholesale prices on our website.

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Organic Foods Expensive for Your Budget?

There is no doubt that organic food is the healthier choice, but  many people experience sticker shock when shopping for organic foods. Some organic vegetables can cost up to twice as much as vegetables grown with conventional herbicides and pesticides.

So what's a person to do? If organic foods are too expensive for your checkbook yet you want to eat healthy, do you have other options?

Yes. Supplementation with organic wholefoods is an option.

Organic Wholefood Supplements
While you don't want to rely entirely on supplementation for your organic foods, you can certainly fill in a lot of nutritional gaps with supplements. There are now many sources of organic foods in supplement form, and since many supplements offer concentrated organic sources of vitamins, minerals, and trace minerals, you can take a relatively small amount and still get your daily fruit and vegetable servings.

Getting all the fruit and vegetable servings your body needs is important. Fruits and veggies, especially from organic food sources, help protect against the effects of aging, support your immune system, and even enhance the appearance of your skin. Who doesn't love that?

Organic Foods: Which Supplements?
There are many supplements on the market today which can be good sources of organic foods. My personal favorite are the Freggies from Simplexity Health. Freggies (fruits and veggies) are composed of organic foods that come in capsules--no fuss, no muss.

Each capsule is packed with organic goodies:
  • 12 organic berries
  • wholefood vegetables including spinach, kale, tomatoes,
    carrots, and beets
  • superfood blue-green algae

That's a lot of organic food to put into a single capsule. The great news is that even if you do eat a healthy diet filled with organic foods, the Freggies are great to carry around during summer vacation or whenever you are away from home.

Taking Freggies can even make you feel good about yourself when you go for the occasional "gut bomb" of oversized burger, fries, and milk shake! With Freggies, you can truly enjoy your gut bomb and know that you have still covered your nutritional needs!

If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment or subscribing to the feed to have future articles delivered to your feed reader. Also, check out the free health resources or order blue-green algae products at wholesale prices on our website.

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

What is GMP by NSF International?

What is GMP anyway? Is it related to GMO or other acronyms in the alphabet soup of life? Well, if you have wondered, "What is GMP," then we can spell it out for you:

GMP = Good Manufacturing Practices

Simple enough, right? In fact, the GMP regulations are outlined by the FDA, which requires that that dietary supplementation follow quality-assurance practices to minimize the risk of contamination.


What is GMP and Why You Might Care
Now that you have the definition of GMP you might want to know what the heck it means to you ... and your nutrition and supplements.  So here's the deal: GMP basically ensures that the products that you buy, use, and consume are as safe as they can be.

One of the most prominent GMP certification companies is NSF International (check out their website at http://www.nsf.org/business/gmp).

 NSF International and GMP
To really understand the question, "What is GMP?" take a look at the definition of GMP according to NSF International:

"Good Manufacturing Practices are guidelines that provide a system of processes, procedures, and documentation to assure the product produced has the identity, strength, composition, quality, and purity that it is represented to possess."

If you visit their website, you will see that they certify all kinds of products, everything from nutritional supplements to fire safety products. That's a lot of stuff!

What is GMP and How You Eat
If you take nutritional supplements and dietary supplements, check whether the company that makes these products has a GMP registration. If they do, you can rest assured that these products are created under the safest conditions possible.

For instance, Simplexity Health, the makers of the amazing Super Blue Green Algae products, is proud is announce that their Klamath, OR facility has achieved GMP registration from NSF International. That's a big "Yahoo!" for all of us who eat, love, and thrive on the blue-green algae products.

 NSF International and GMP for Sport
Simplexity Health also garnered a secondary registration from NSF International: GMP for Sport.  Because professional athletes have to be careful about avoiding banned substances, NSF International created a new program just for these people. According to NSF International's website:

"This new NSF program is a focused solution designed to minimize the risk that a dietary supplement or sports nutrition product contains banned substances ... This program, which focuses primarily on the sports supplement manufacturing and sourcing process, provides key preventive measures to:
  • Protect against adulteration of products
  • Verify label claims with product contents
  • Identify athletic banned substances in the finished product or ingredients"

If you are an athlete taking the SBGA products, then the NSF International registration for Sport means that you can feel safer about taking these products before, during, and after competition.  The same is true if you feed these products to show animals, such as horses, dogs, and cats.

One final note: In addition to being registered by NSF International, Simplexity Health also holds organic, kosher, and halal certifications. That means Simplexity Health products are not only good and good for you ... they are certified six ways to Sunday!

If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment or subscribing to the feed to have future articles delivered to your feed reader. Also, check out the free health resources or order blue-green algae products at wholesale prices on our website.

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

How to Build Self-Esteem and Bifidus

Did you know that millions of people suffer from low self-esteem, and that some of the most successful people in the world have the lowest self-esteem? And did you know that most of these people don't know how to build self-esteem?

Amazing ... and true.

If you suffer from lack of confidence of low self-esteem, don't worry. First, you are not alone. Second, there are some simple natural solutions that can really boost your mood and confidence. We call these "good mood foods."

How to Build Self-Esteem and Bifidus
If you want to know how to build self-esteem there are many ways--everything from joining a Toastmaster's group to therapy to improving your nutrition. We have found that improving nutrition can really support someone's mood, confidence and self-esteem.

It turns out that Bifidus (also called Bifidobacterium) can play a key nutritional role in supporting the substances in our bodies that promote health self-esteem. It's one of the key ingredients in mother's milk.

Bifidus is one of the biggest sources of immunity during a child's first two years of life. It's no wonder that it is present in mother's milk as well as in the birth canal during birth. This bacteria live mostly in the large intestine (colon). In fact, in breast-fed children, 99 percent of the bacteria in the colon are Bifidus.

On a mental-emotional level, Bifidus is linked with feelings of self-esteem, as well as feeling supported and nurtured in life. Many fearful or depressed people, or people with low self-esteem, often experience a dramatic change when they add Bifidus to their daily regimen.

If you want to know how to build self-esteem, adding Bifidus to your diet is a simple and supportive solution. People lacking in Bifidus either did not get enough during childhood, or the stresses of living have decreased the levels of Bifidus in their bodies. In either case, supplementing with Bifidus can create a strong positive change, both physically and emotionally, and is option for how to build self-esteem.

How to Build Self-Esteem in Other Ways
Many other life practices, aside from taking Bifidus, can help build self-esteem. Consider the following:

- regular exercise
- meditation
- learning and using a new skill (no matter how trivial)
- reaching out to help another in need (get out of yourself!)
- finding a single thing to appreciate about yourself each day

That doesn't sound too complicated, does it? As always, keep it simple and keep on truckin' the road of life!

If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment or subscribing to the feed to have future articles delivered to your feed reader. Also, check out the free health resources or order blue-green algae products at wholesale prices on our website.