A Helpful Tip: Chewable Gummy Vitamins for Kid’s Lunches

In general, for kids, we think hard chewables are better for kid’s multivitamins, since they usually have more complete ingredients, and/or higher potencies of vitamins. However, I wanted to share a helpful tip regarding gummy vitamins which has helped our family and that I’ve found to be especially useful.

My first grader takes a lunch to school every day, and I’ve gotten in the habit of putting gummy vitamins for her to take in with her sandwich. Most schools would balk at seeing regular hard vitamins in a school lunch (understandably, since they can look like medicine), but the gummy vitamins we have at the store just look like candy or fruit snacks. I’ve found it to be a perfect solution for us since I never forget to give her her vitamins (I do a gummy multivitamin, an omega 3 chewable gummy, and a gummy probiotic), and she loves having them in her lunch since the gummies taste like a treat (I don’t usually give her fruit snacks or the like, so the gummy vitamins are a special thing in her mind).

We have a number of great tasting gummy vitamins at the store which are “kid approved” for taste.

Multivitamins

While multivitamins aren’t a replacement for a healthy diet, they are helpful to “fill in the gaps” especially for picky eaters. We recommend Nordic Naturals Nordic Berries Multivitamins and Yummy Bears Multivitamins.

Probiotics

Probiotics help with digestion and boost the immune system naturally.  Research has shown that kids who take probiotics on a regular basis get fewer upper respiratory infections than kids who do not take probiotics.  We recommend Renew Life’s Ultimate Flora Sour Gummies.

Omega 3s

Omega 3 fatty acids help with brain function, improving concentration and focus.  Omega 3s must be obtained through diet, since the body does not manufacture them, so if a child isn’t eating fatty fish on a regular basis, it is likely they’re deficient.  We recommend Yummy Bears Omega 3 + DHA and Nordic Natural's Omega 3 Gummies.

Stop by the store and we'd be happy to help find the children's vitamins right for your family!
 

Tart Cherry Juice for Better Sleep

Q: I’ve heard that cherry juice can help you to sleep better. I wondered if that was really true, and if so, if there was a certain kind of cherry juice to look for.

A: Yes, Montgomery tart cherry juice has been shown in research to aid in sleep. For example, one study gave participants an 8 oz. glass of tart cherry juice twice a day for two weeks. The group who took tart cherry juice slept an average of 84 minutes longer than a separate period when they took a placebo. Their sleep was also recorded as being more efficient, meaning it took less time to fall asleep and they had a better quality of sleep that those who did not use the tart cherry juice. Cherry juice is a natural source of melatonin, which can help to regulate the sleep cycle.

Montgomery tart cherry juice has also been researched with great results in helping to prevent and treat symptoms of gout, as well as reducing inflammation in the body. Tart cherry juice also has documented benefits for heart health and muscle recovery. Click here for links to a variety of research studies on the benefits of tart cherry juice.

When taking tart cherry juice medicinally, it’s important to look for an unsweetened juice without added ingredients. Many cherry juices on the market are mixed with other juices like white grape to make it sweeter, which is not a bad thing if you just are looking for a refreshing beverage, but if you’re looking for tart cherry juice for health benefits, it’s important to get the real thing.

More than any other, we would recommend our Cherry Bay Orchards brand of Montgomery tart cherry concentrate, since it is the specific variety that has been in the most research studies.

A New, Easier Way to Take Calcium Supplements

I have a confession to make- I’m terrible at taking my vitamins, calcium in particular. Not always, just sometimes I feel like I go through fazes where I just don’t want to- not like swallowing a pill is difficult, it just can seem undesirable for whatever reason, and it gets put off and put off until I've missed a day. This is why chewable vitamins are really great, and now we have a number of different new chewable and gummy vitamins at the store which are not only palatable, but delicious, which makes you want to go out of your way to take them.

The first I’d recommend is a new calcium gummy chewable by Carlson, it’s a great option because it tastes amazing; it makes taking a calcium supplement actually pleasurable, as strange as that sounds. We’ve all started taking it at the store, and I would really recommend trying it if you don’t currently take calcium supplements, or if you’re a person who routinely forgets to take their calcium. I feel like this calcium has made me remember to take it every day for the simple fact that it’s so tasty. Joanne, one of our owners, saves it for after dinner because she says it satisfies the craving for having something sweet while checking off her calcium requirement for the day. 

Each chewable gummy contains 250 mg of calcium, so we recommend taking them two at a time. The standard daily recommendation for calcium is 1000mg per day, but most people don’t need to take that full amount if they eat dairy products and other calcium containing foods. Here is a great list from the University of Chicago of the calcium content in different foods. Many people have the idea that if they are worried about bone health that more calcium is better, which is not necessarily the case. The body can only absorb roughly 500mg of calcium at one time, so taking mega-doses is rarely effective.

We’re having our new Carlson calcium gummies on sale this month for 25% off, so March is a good time to try them, and honestly, they taste like candy. They also use a well absorbing form of calcium which does not cause constipation.

We also have a large selection of other great chewables in the store, from multivitamins to vitamin D, and more. I really think chewables can be a beneficial way to take your supplements, particularly if you are a person that doesn’t like to swallow pills.

Barlean's Flax Super Seed Blends

We have a new line of product by Barleans (the whole line of which is on sale this month for 25% off) of new ground flax seed blends.  There are four varieties available: 

Superfruit Blend- a mix of flax, coconut, strawberry, blueberry, and raspberry

Antioxidant Blend- a mix of flax, coconut, acerola, acai, and camu camu

Energy Blend- a mix of flax, chia, coconut, and panax ginseng

Digestive Blend- a mix of flax, chia, coconut, pumpkin, and quinoa

Flax seed is a fantastic whole food source of omega-3 fatty acids, but not everyone likes the flavor by itself.  These blends aregreat tasting way to add some extra omega 3s, fiber, and antioxidants to your diet.  They can be mixed in with hot cereal, smoothies, yogurt, or even eaten by themselves.  I’ve tasted all of them and the superfruit blend and the digestive blend are my favorites (the superfruit blend is seriously delicious, even just eaten straight out of the bag).

 

New Products We Love

We have all sorts of new products this month, but I wanted to highlight two that we’re really excited about. The first is a new line of essential oils called Breathe Me by Nectar Essences, which include three new blends specifically formulated for children, which is a first. The kid’s blends include a focus and calm blend, an immunity and decongestant blend, and a sleep blend. We also have a new gift set of essential oil blends for adults by Breathe Me, as well as a new Super-Immunity blend that we really love. We have testers of each available at the store, so stop by and give them a sniff!

Also new this month is a new and absolutely gorgeous line of beauty products which are made with essential oils and plant essences called Aroma Actives. I’ve been using a few of their new products and have been very impressed with the formulations, plus they really look beautiful on your bathroom counter. 

All our new Breathe Me essential oils and our new essential oil powered beauty line, Aroma Actives, are on sale for the month of February for 20% off.

Men's Sexual Health

Since we wrote about women’s sexual health this month, I wanted to mention that we do have products for men’s sexual health as well. It’s estimated that over 30 million American men suffer from low sex drive and/or erectile dysfunction. In many cases it can be a side effect of health issues like high blood pressure or can even be caused by a number of common medications. 

The first thing I would recommend is maca root. It’s available in capsules or powder (the powder is a great addition to a morning smoothie or protein shake) and has been used for thousands of years for virility and male potency; recent research has confirmed that it can help with increasing sperm count and help to reverse sexual dysfunction.

Another supplement we’d recommend is Steel Libido for Men by Irwin Naturals. We wrote about the women’s formula for sexual health, but the men’s formula definitely deserves a mention as well. It has a variety of well-researched ingredients that work in several different ways to restore sexual function, including several supplements which help with increasing blood flow, which directly impacts erectile functioning. Just like the women’s formula, it can be either be taken on a daily basis or only used occasionally as needed before sexual activity.

All of our Steel Libido formulas for men and women are on sale during the month of February for 25% off.

See our article here for information on Women's Sexual Health.
 

Natural Help for Low Sex Drive in Women

Q: I feel like this is kind of an awkward question, which is why I’m sending it in. I wondered if you had anything that really works for helping with female sex drive. To make matters worse, I’ve started to enter menopause, and have been dealing with vaginal dryness. Is there anything that can really help?  I see ads for Viagra everywhere, but never anything for women…

A:  Low sexual drive in women is an incredibly common problem, estimated to affect over 1/3 of the general population. It can be caused by a number of factors, the most common being stress and anxiety as well as hormonal issues. 

There are natural products which can help, however, and the one I would recommend the most is called Steel Libido Pink for Women by Irwin Naturals. It combines several different natural supplements long known for their benefits for sexual health. Steel Libido Pink works in a number of different ways to relax the body and mind and bring the body back into balance; it also helps to create a pleasurable warming sensation in the body. We have had many of our female customers use it with great results. It can be taken on a regular basis for overall sexual health, or used on an occasional, as-needed basis before sexual activity. 

Vaginal dryness is also a common complaint, particularly for women entering menopause, and can definitely hamper sexual activity. We have several wonderful varieties of natural lubricants available at the store from Emerita, a company that specializes in natural women’s health with products specifically formulated to compliment women’s unique body chemistries. The vast majority of lubricants found at drug stores are made with petroleum products, something you really should not be putting near your lady parts.

During the month of February, we will be offering 25% off on Steel Libido Pink as well as our full line of natural lubricants by Emerita. If you have any further questions or need additional help, please stop by the store so we can help you further. We are a female owned business, and women’s health of all stages is very important to us.

See our article here for more information on Men's Sexual Health and Erectile Dysfunction.

Featured Solgar Products

We love Solgar at Pass Health Foods, and I’ve written about their products numerous times in past newsletters.  I’ll link a few articles below on different products we’ve featured of theirs in the past.

Solar’s New Full Spectrum Curcumin

Solgar's PM Phytogen for Hot Flashes and Menopausal Symptoms

Leaky Gut and IBS: Solgar’s Probi Probiotics

Anemia and Iron Supplements (without constipation): Solgar’s Gentle Iron
 

Solgar is an American company based in New Jersey which is known for its high quality supplements, many of which are unique in the supplement industry.  For more information about solgar click here.

Help for New Year's Resolutions

Many people make resolutions at the start of the year, one of the most common of which is to lose extra weight. First, let me say that there is no miracle pill (unfortunately!), but there are some natural products that can really help.

This is a great rundown the different weight loss ingredients out there, and how they work. Everybody’s different, so reading it might help you to find the weight loss aid that’s right for you.

Another goal many people have for the new year is to live a healthier, more natural lifestyle. If that’s the case for you, be sure to read our article on whole body cleanses in this month’s newsletter. Additionally, this article on natural household cleansers (and their chemical laden counterparts) may be a helpful read.

Finally, if your resolution is to try to have a more calm and stress free 2017 (wouldn’t that be great?), here are a few articles that might help: 

Natural Ways to Reduce Stress

Theanine, a Pass Favorite

Two Fantastic Natural Mood Boosters

We wish you the very best for this New Year.  Be well.

Start the Year Fresh with a Whole Body Cleanse!

With the new year upon us, many people strive to begin the new year in a healthier way, and a whole body cleanse is an easy and helpful way to do that. One that we particularly recommend is the Complete Body Cleanse by Nature’s Plus.

Their complete body cleanse is a mix of three products in one kit. An herbal cleansing formula, which has ingredients designed to helps to detoxify the liver, lymphatic system, kidney, blood, and lungs. Next, there is a fiber formula, which helps to bind the released toxins and also works as a whisk to clean out the intestines. Finally, there is a gentle colon cleanse with laxative herbs for nighttime.

Many people are worried about doing a cleanse, particularly the colon cleansing part with laxative herbs because they’re worried that they won’t be able to leave the house because they’ll be in the bathroom all day. Don’t be. A good cleanse like this one by Nature’s Plus that we’re recommending should be gentle, gradually helping to increase the amount of bowel movements you have per day, but not in an excessive or unpleasant way.

A cleanse is a fantastic thing to do a couple times a year, or at least annually. Our modern lives put a big stress on our bodies by the chemicals and toxins we come in contact with every day, whether through our environment, our food and drinks, the medications we take, and even the very air we breathe. Taking time out to cleanse and restore the body’s systems can help to bring the body back into balance.

After doing a cleanse, many people feel lighter and more energized, but I would say that it’s definitely beneficial, even if you don’t feel very different afterwards, it’s a way of knowing that you’re doing what you can to help your body to run right and give it a bit of a break from the constant toxic load that it usually has to deal with (even from the healthiest of us). It’s almost something that can be likened to changing the oil in a car- your car might not ride much different afterward, but its continued maintenance will help it to run longer and better. Well, your body is definitely more important than a car, so make sure to treat it right too!

When doing a cleanse,  you can still eat as you normally would, but choosing a diet full of fresh produce, whole grains, and unprocessed foods will help it to be even more effective. A cleanse will still work if you’re eating McDonald’s every day, but I personally wouldn’t recommend it. ;)

Nature’s Plus Complete Body Cleanse comes in both one and two-week formulas. I would absolutely recommend doing the two week one. It’s only a few more dollars than the one-week formula, and having a second week of cleansing really does help to release more toxins in the body- in my opinion, the second week makes a big difference.

Happy cleansing!