Monday 21 March 2011

Review: Green Magma 10 Day Trial pack


For those of you who have spent time researching raw greens, you will have at some point come across Dr Hagiwara's Green Magma range of barley grass. The range comes in powders and tablets as well as the 'Plus' range which is a sort of superfood blend containing everything from Royal Jelly to Pineapple powder.

The product we're reviewing today is their entry level trial pack. This contains a snazzy little shaker (about the third the size of those body building shakers) which holds 10 x 3 gram sachets in the style you frequently see instant coffee dispensed in. The lid is a simple push down rather than threaded screw type which provides a fairly tight seal for a good shake. I wouldn't personally trust it to stay secure in my bag however.




Making up the mix is simple. Simply tear open the top of the sachet, pour into the mixer and top up with water. If you are a bit sensitive to the gift of taste then you add in your preferred juice. Pop the lid back on securely (this step is very important to avoid going to work looking like you've been the victim of an attack by your lawn mower) and give a vigorous shake.

Now for anyone who has ever braced themselves against the barstool in their local juice bar, finger nails digging into the formica table surface, the sight of a dark green drink with a frothy top will come as a spine tingling reminder of their first experience of freshly juiced wheat grass. Rest assured, this drink doesn't have that same shock to the system. Personally I found it very smooth in texture and approaching somewhere between mildly sweet and bland in taste.

Some of you may be thinking "but why aren't you mentioning the extraction process causing massive denaturing of the nutrients inherent in the barley grass?". Straight to the top of the class clever clogs and a board eraser thrown at your head for interrupting. Usually when a material goes through the spray drying process, it is exposed to quite high levels of heat. The barley grass in Green Foods goes through a vacuum process to extract the enzymes and nutrients meaning more of them stay in tact to keep you feeling tickety boo.

Conclusion
If you're looking at boosting the amount of bio available vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and general 'goodness' in your diet but have a lifestyle that is quite unable to easily incorporate fruit and vegetables (apart from the odd strawberry daiquiri) then you could do far worse than to try this latest offering from Green Magma.

If you're interested in trying a barley grass product but without committing to a few hundred grams of the stuff then this is going to be an ideal starter for yourself. Available now from Discount Vitamins and Herbs - http://www.discountvitaminsandherbs.com/brands/Green_Foods/8410.htm

Pro's
+ Value for money
+ Organic
+ Convenient sized shaker

Con's
- You can't buy the sachets separately


All things considered, I give this product four out of five wheat grass shots.

Radiation in Japan causing sales boost of Kelp across the globe





Fears over the failing Fukushima nuclear reactor build across the globe this week, with seemingly every media outlet broadcasting the same footage repeatedly often with a disaster movie soundtrack (well done Sky News) to further emphasise to us idiot viewers the seriousness of the situation. The thoughts and prayers of billions are with the men and women risking their lives battling to keep the spread of nuclear material to a minimum.


This article by the New York Post reports on how health food stores some 7,000 miles away from Fukushima are seeing a rush on products containing iodine. No doubt spurred on by graphics doing the rounds on the Internet like the following:


Considerably closer than Manhattan at 6,000 miles but in the other direction we have also experienced a significant sales increase in kelp products. That's not a statistic intended to panic, there will always be people who hope for the best and prefer for the worst, no matter how unlikely.

Needless to say, if the news machine continues to ramp up the fear level globally then expect to see delays and stock levels running low. My final word on this is, be careful, kelp is NOT suitable for everyone. Consult a GP before taking any iodine products as they can interfere with medications. It can cause acne like eruptions on the face. It is NOT recommended for children.

Solgar Kelp Tablets
Links mentioned in this article:

NY Post - http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/kelp_yourself_to_some_seaweed_8AjIrHnDzHL5ygIUCdRKTL

Friday 11 March 2011

Coffee good for you? I give the Daily Mail a roasting.

An article in the Daily Mail today opens with the headline

This brew's a lifesaver: A coffee a day ‘cuts stroke risk by 25%’

 

While the fifth sentence states: Scientists stress they have yet to prove it reduces stroke risk.

Red Bull have been trading on a similar marketing strategy for years, all while their research department is working feverishly to fulfill the claims made. I don't doubt one day it shall give me wings.

Unfortunately because there is such an abundance of conflicting research in this area, they are still unable to pin down exactly what compounds in the coffee bean are beneficical and during what stage of processing they occur.

There is evidence on two sides of the antioxidant argument: roasted vs unroasted. Coming from a 'natural' background (not to be confused with feral) it is always nice to believe that unprocessed, raw and straight from the earth will give you the best nutritional profile. However there is another school of thought that says the roasting process actually changes and increases the antioxidant profile of the coffee bean and that it is these compounds that are benefical.

These antioxidants are called maillard reaction products (MRP's) which is science speak for what you end up with when the coffee is finished roasting. What the geeks in white coats can't figure out is how much roasting the coffee should undertake to obtain the maximum numbers of MRP derived antioxidants.

One study showed that chlorogenic acid derivatives were only present in roasted coffee with the most active being 5-O-caffeoilquinic acid. Again there is little research going on at the moment to discover the beneficial effects of these compounds.

Ok those in the back can wake up again now.

When looking at coffee from a health point of view, I assess statements like the one leading the Mail article with great scepticism. Clearly it is an area that needs more money thrown at it, and not from the likes of Nescafé. However nowhere is mentioned the health implications of dairy, sugar and caffeine intake for certain individuals, not to mention the severe financial dangers associated with coffee house frequenting.

The flip side of the argument for many will be that roasted coffee contains several identified carcinogens that raw coffee won't including Acrylamide. Now before you start throwing rocks at your local barista, there is again very conflicting evidence about this chemical and as such the World Health Organisation has set up a network to collect research on the subject.

Lamberts Green Coffee Extract

Links mentioned:




Chlorogenic acid derivatives - www.coffeescience.org/antioxidant

NHS recommends Vitamin D


The Department of Health have outlined who they feel is most at risk of Vitamin D deficiency:

■All pregnant and breastfeeding women, especially teenagers and young women are particularly at risk of vitamin D deficiency.
■Young children under 5 years of age.
■All people aged 65 years and over.
■People who are not exposed to much sun, for example those who cover their skin for cultural reasons, who are housebound or confined indoors for long periods.
■People from ethnic minorities who have darker skin, because their bodies are less able to produce as much vitamin D. Clinical deficiency has been most reported among children of African-Caribbean and South Asian origin.

And here you were thinking you weren't represented by government. Essentially most people are susceptible to a degree, especially during the short winter days to not getting enough sunlight and not getting enough Vitamin D via food.

In a study by the Department of Medicine, Division of Geriatrics and Nutritional Science at the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Washington University School of Medicine it showed that "vitamin D deficiency was associated with low mood and with impairment on two of four measures of cognitive performance". (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17138809?dopt=AbstractPlus)

With all this talk about Vitamin D in the press, is it possible the media and marketing departments are overdoing it? Is it possible to overdose on vitamin D especially considering the comparatively high dosages of D3 as cholecalciferol being suggested?

Well the Vitamin D council (who may, or may not have their own agenda to consider) state "This high rate of natural production of vitamin D3 cholecalciferol (pronounced koh·luh·kal·sif·uh·rawl) in the skin is the single most important fact every person should know about vitamin D—a fact that has profound implications for the natural human condition." Going on further to say that Caucasian skin can produce 10,000iu of vitamin D between 20-30 minutes of summer sun exposure.

Not having personally suffered this winter (at least not in a sense that can be attributed to a lack of Vitamin D) I can't comment on its effectiveness. However anecdotal feedback suggests impressive results, and ultimately the effectiveness will be proved when this media bubble pops and sales continue strong into Winter next year.

Healthy Origins D3 5000iu 360 Softgels

Links mentioned:
Vitamin D Council - www.vitamindcouncil.org/

Wednesday 9 March 2011

Price Fixing


It was when I stumbled upon this little article about one of the big players in the cosmetics industry getting slapped with a fine for price fixing that I turned my attention back to our own industry.

For far too long small retailers have been at the mercy of supposed 'luxury' brands, mentioning in particular Dr Hauschka because they have in particular annoyed me recently.

Now if you are a consumer reading this let me inform you of some of the hoops that a retailer HAS to jump through in order to stock this overpriced product. Before anything happens you need to take a picture of your store and send this off, at which point a 'sales rep' will get in contact if you look like a suitably upmarket proposition to them.

Assuming you have offered them the best bay in the shop with fantastic lighting and not propped up by kilo bags of oats and boxes of sesame snaps they will begrudgingly take your money in return for stock. Minimum order quantities of course apply, which usually wouldn't be an issue if this was a brand that sold itself. However it really doesn't.

So with delight after all this nonsense I can safely say I have no interest in stocking Dr Hauschka whatsoever! They certainly do not have the market to themselves any longer, and I would rather deal with an ethically minded company making gorgeous natural skin products than some bloated, price fixing organisation stuck so far up its own root chakra they can't see the wood for the trees.

Which is good, because they won't see the forthcoming fine.

REN Clean Active Skincare
 - Alexis

Thursday 3 March 2011

Homeopathy Hocus Pocus

Daily Mail states, "Scientists say homeopathy is undiluted hogwash. But it CAN work - and that's all that matters".


As hard as some may rant and rave about this unscientific method, for certain people who have experienced the effects of homeopathy they will never look back. Especially with the imminent assault on herbal medicine many people within the EU are going to find it more and more difficult to find an alternative to prescription drugs.

For those in the know, it remains a gentle but effective treatment that has proven itself to themselves, their family and even their pets. So regardless of political posturing by doctors in the media looking to further their careers (how many drugs do they suppose have gone to market with results marginally better, and sometimes worse than placebo?), it remains a useful alternative in a world where the word 'alternative' is still associated with cauldrons and witchcraft.

Just how long will it be before a new EU law passes either banning or requiring the expensive licencing that we have seen literally devastate the herbal market.

Boiron Oscillococcinum




- Alexis