Why kids need vegetables...

Scientists say we need the the full range of vitamins and trace elements, but also carotenoids - lutein, lycopene, beta-carotene, zeaxanthin; flavonoids - anthocyanidins, flavanols, catechins, epicatechins, and the list of hard-to-pronounce compounds goes on...

This vast number of compounds are currently lumped under the generic term "antioxidants". But this terminology indicates one single mode of action when in fact we are referring to thousands of different chemicals, with vastly different chemical structures.  

Historically we looked at things rather differently, learning that form equals function with a sliced carrot resembling the human eye - pupil, iris and radiating lines - with carrots greatly enhancing the function of the eyes. Grapes form a cluster in the shape of a heart and each grape looks like a blood cell with research confirming that grapes are also profound heart and blood-vitalizing foods and so it continues through celery (bones), walnuts (brain), kidney beans (kidney), eggplant, avocados, pears (cervix and uterus) and figs (sperm health).

Then at the most fundamental level, we’re reminded to think red, yellow, orange, deep green, leafy, purple - and choose colours from the rainbow every day! Mum told us to eat our vegies, and now the researchers confirm how truly miraculous vegetables and fruits are in what they provide. If you want kids to eat their vegetables, get them started on growing their own, then enlist their help in the kitchen. In addition, you can boost their vegetable and fruit intake with simple to use, single dose sachet supplements of high potency fruits and berries from clean, green NZ orchards. 

Foundation supplement product? Make yours a probiotic.

‘Improving’ and ‘maintaining’ overall health are the top reasons for consumers to use supplements, according to new data from the National Institutes of Health.

And surprise, surprise, the majority of supplement users don’t use them as a substitute for healthier lifestyle and diet, but to support both! Supplement users have lower BMIs, drink less alcohol, exercise more regularly and are less likely to smoke than the non-supplement-taking population.  Nor do the supplementers use the products to treat a chronic disease or acute condition, but rather to promote or maintain wellbeing and astoundingly more than 60 percent of Americans fall into this category. That’s no small number, and the rest of the world is fast catching up.

Which raises the question, exactly which supplements should you be taking? If I were asked to single out one I’d say a high potency probiotic tops the list. This recommendation is based on most current research conducted by eminent scientists worldwide! Get your gut health right and other supplements and health-promotion measures will work better! Previous posts expand on the gut story if you’re new to the news that the gut bacteria are responsible for much more than the digestion of your food. 

Clean, green and made in New Zealand

Wow, this is exciting. Just learned that our little next-door neighbour, long-regarded as some sort of poor country cousin by a lot of Aussies (well at least when they’re not talking about rugby) has aspirations to be the world’s first totally organic food-producer before this decade is out!

Michelle Glogau, CEO of Organic Certifier Biogro said: “We strongly believe that organics should be the standard rather than alternative way of growing, processing and trading in New Zealand - for the wellbeing of our environment and communities and animals. The ongoing success of our certified organic-producers is proof enough that consumers in New Zealand and around the world want more [organics] of what we have got.”

There’s no doubt about the desirability of clean green products from New Zealand, and at HSG we’re doing our best to give our customers the very best of what NZ has to offer. Most particularly, we’re proud of our infant formula and other dairy products from pasture-fed cows and our high potency fruit and vegetable supplements based on kiwi fruit and a range of NZ berries. Those berries have an antioxidant content that is higher than berries from anywhere else in the world.

There's a brain in your gut!

A new study from UCLA and Danone shows that daily supplements of a fermented milk product may influence the parts of the brain linked to emotion and sensation. So yes, the gut-brain axis is alive and well, with science now confirming what many people understand intuitively ... 

“I knew in my guts it was wrong” 

“Just trust that gut-feeling”

“My insides were in knots”

“That was my gut-reaction!”

and so on ... our emotions, our response to stress, our initial impressions of an idea, a person or an action are deep-seated and gut-connected. There is indeed a brain in our guts, with connections and receptors that are very like those in our “head brain”. What’s more, this latest study shows that our gut brain is influenced by the health and composition of the gut microbiota.

The research is certainly piling up in support. This is the new frontier and natural and orthodox medicine actually seem to agree that the gut is the seat of optimal physical and mental health. So get with the probiotic program - ensure your regular daily intake of a premium product for emotional balance, stress-reduction and overall wellbeing! So very easy - Zoloft sales might never be the same again!

Probiotic - foundation step to health and wellbeing

The research is expanding at a great rate, new light is constantly shed on the role of the “gut microbiota” and the brief post-natal window of opportunity to establish optimal gut health is confirmed by Yale and Harvard studies. But if you or anyone in your family missed the window, the good news is that a probiotic product can act as a surrogate. 

100 times more cells and 100 times more genes than are present in your body. A massive amount of information carrying material in a mere 1.5kg - you can think of the gut microbiota as your “other genome”. A probiotic used to be a product you took after a course of antibiotics or maybe something you took along on your overseas trip to ward off “Delhi belly.” Now when I recommend a foundation health-promoting product for my clients, it’s always a probiotic. In fact, whatever your age or life stage, I’d put a probiotic at the very top of your “must-have” supplements. 

These days your probiotic product can come in flavoured tablet (great for children), in a single dose sachet that is easy to carry and can be added to water, juice or milk or as more conventional tablets or capsules. While regular intake of a probiotic doesn’t let you off the hook of regular physical activity and embrace of a healthier diet and lifestyle, its benefits are equally far-reaching, and it has the potential to make all your other health-promotion measures more effective.

Optimising the health of your gut sets a foundation for everything else: digestive health; nutrient absorption; immune response; weight management; hormone balance; mental and emotional state and overall wellbeing. Never to soon to take this step - for every member of the family.