Internal Spring Cleaning

Spring cleaning is often on our minds at this time of year, but doing a bit of internal spring cleaning with a whole body cleanse can be a good idea too!

We have a product by Renew Life that can be great for that, their 3 Day Body Cleanse. I kind of like that it's a short cleanse since it's easy to commit to, and easy to do well.

It's a kit of easy-to-swallow capsules that are taken morning and night. It's going to be beneficial even if you don't change anything else in your diet, but since it's only for 3 days, we recommend partnering it with a cleansing diet: obtaining from alcohol, soda, and artificial sweeteners, limiting animal products, and focusing on eating whole foods and lots of fresh fruits and vegetables and drinking lots of water.

The kit is inexpensive and easy to use, and we think it's an excellent way to have a bit of a fresh start for spring!

Also for long-term cleaning, adding milk thistle to your daily regime isn't a bad idea. Milk thistle is fantastic for liver health, so if you drink alcohol regularly or use medications like ibuprofen regularly that are hard on the liver, milk thistle is a good idea to take. Everything is processed through our liver, and milk thistle is unique in its ability to support and even help regenerate healthy liver tissue.

We have lots of different great milk thistle supplements, but I particularly like our milk thistle by Natural Factors, which comes in a buy one get one free pack, and is a good potency.

See these articles on our website for more information:

Milk Thistle Spotlight

Milk Thistle and Medications

Jarrow's Bone Broth Powder: It's Amazing for Joints, Digestive Issues, and More

We have been searching for a good bone broth powder to carry in the store and have finally found one!  We now have Jarrow Bone Broth Powder for sale in the store, in both beef and chicken varieties. Powdered bone broth is much more economical than buying bone broth liquid (which we do also have at the store), and still makes a delicious, steamy mug.

Bone broth is an incredibly nutrient dense whole food. It is a natural source of type I and II collagen, which is amazing for skin and joint health. The collagen found in bone broth also contains natural forms of glucosamine, chondroitin, and hyaluronic acid- all nutrients which are well known for supporting the cartilage in our joints and helping arthritis-related joint pain.
Interestingly, bone broth is also incredibly healing to the digestive tract, and is something that would be particularly helpful for people with Celiac or any other digestive issues. Drinking bone broth is very comforting to the intestines, and actually helps to supply the body with specific amino acids and other natural compounds which can help to heal and repair the intestinal lining (nutrients not easily found in sufficient quantities in other foods). 

I actually went to a seminar many years ago about natural ways to help people with Celiac, and the speaker recommended simmering a variety of bones and even chicken feet for days, saying that it made a broth which he said was, “The best thing for people with Celiac disease and other digestive issues” due to the types of collagen found in such a broth. I think most of us there thought that sounded a little weird, so it’s funny how that seemingly strange advice is now becoming so well known, and now we’re hearing more and more testimonials of people who have used bone broth with impressive results for their digestive problems. 

In addition to joint, skin, and digestive health, research has even shown that bone broth can help with boosting the immune system, something we could all use as the weather turns colder.

Jarrow’s bone broth is unique in that it also has additional natural calcium and silicon, two other nutrients crucial for bone health. The type of silicon in Jarrow’s bone broth has also been clinically shown to help with reducing wrinkle depth and improving skin elasticity.

When choosing a bone broth, it’s important to use a brand you trust, since I’ve been reading more and more reports about how many bone broths on the market are not much different from regular beef or chicken broth. I trust Jarrow as a company (they make some of my favorite products) and love that they list the actual amounts of nutrients per serving (including the amounts of collagen) right on the label, so you know exactly what you’re getting.

Bone broth powder is great mixed by itself with hot water in a mug, but it can even be added to soups or other foods for an added nutrient boost. One naturopath I read an article from recommended swapping a hot cup of bone broth for one’s afternoon coffee or tea- something I think is a great idea!

Jarrow’s bone broth powder is available in both chicken and beef varieties and will be on sale for 25% off for the entire month of November.

Healthy Q & A: Healthy Eating

Q:

I know I should eat better, but I work a ton and eating healthy is the first thing to go.  I don’t eat enough fruits and vegetables since I eat out most of the time.  Is there anything I can take that would help to make up some of what I’m missing? 

A:

There are supplements which can replace some of the phytonutrients you’re missing from fruits and vegetables, though I would still encourage you to try to eat more produce.  Apples, bananas, and bags of baby carrots are healthy snacks that travel well which can get you closer to the recommended “five a day”.

Nature’s Plus makes two products I think could help.  The first is Fruitein, a drink mix that has concentrates from 110 different fruits and vegetables.  It also has 13 grams of protein so it helps you to feel fuller, longer.  It’s different from most shake mixes in that it’s meant to be mixed with water, so it’s a great drink mix to have at the office or on the go since it doesn’t require ingredients that need refrigeration.  Nature’s Plus also has a supplement called Ultra Juice which is a tablet which contains the vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients found in fruits and vegetables. 

Making green smoothies in the morning is another great way to increase the amount of fruits, veggies, and greens in your diet.  If you google green smoothie recipes the results are neverending.  Basically it’s mixing water (or milk or orange juice), spinach or kale, and a banana in a blender and drinking.  There are tons of delicious variations.  It might sound weird at first, but I know a number of people who are hooked on them.  Here’s a site with some great recipe ideas.

Also, since you mentioned eating out, there are lots of vegetarian options at restaurants which will give you some heatlthier options.   Plus, you can always request that extra vegetables be added to a dish.  Hope that helps!