Staff Pick of the Month

Kind Organics Multi-Vitamins

-Mona, Director of Marketing and Wellness Support

Kind Organics is a certified organic, non-gmo, whole food multivitamin with a concentration of nutrients that come from real food.  Real food from organic apples, strawberries, lemons, spinach, blueberries and tomatoes. Over 30 fruits, vegetables and herbs making them rich in plant-derived phytochemicals and cofactors such as antioxidants, carotenoids, flavanols, isoflavones, catechins, anthocyanins, polyphenols, vitamins and trace minerals. The packaging is renewable energy with recycled packaging materials and vegetable inks on forest friendly paper.  This is an excellent mutivitamin for anyone seeking energy and support from food sources.

Vegan Teriyaki Udon Noodles
-Victoria, Baker
A new item in the deli cold case has rocketed to the top of my list of favorites: the Vegan Teriyaki Udon Noodles. While the summer weather might be too warm to enjoy this dish hot, these noodles are equally scrumptious chilled.  What really stands out is our in-house teriyaki sauce which, unlike a lot of commercial sauces I have tried, isn’t overly sweet.  The recipe also uses toasted sesame oil which gives the noodles a subtle smokiness.  Broccoli, carrots, and scallions give the dish color and crunch, while seasoned tofu diversifies the texture and brings the warm, spicy-sweet flavors of Asian Five Spice. Often used in Chinese cuisine, this spice blend contains cinnamon, fennel, cloves, star anise and white pepper.  If you love noodles and Asian food like I do, I recommend that you give this new dish a try!  You’ll be happy you did.

EO Bath Salts

-CJ, Supervisor

With the spring upon us and summer fast approaching, and with everyone outdoors – whether they be running, jogging, hiking, biking, yoga, or simply just taking a stroll, now is the time to give our bodies a little TLC. EO makes this amazing bath salt and soak called Be Well. Be Well consists of not only eucalyptus for rejuvenation but arnica as well to ease and mend those aching muscles. As a horseback-rider and practitioner of yoga and cardio, I love this blend. Not only does the eucalyptus help mend sore muscles, but it also helps with sinus and allergy issues. As an avid user of arnica, I can say this bath salt blend truly does help the body mend and ease muscle pain and discomfort. This product is one of my favorites and I will gladly suggest it to any one who walks into The Healthy Grocer needing assistance with muscle pain.

Captain Dan

-Claudia, Head Buyer

Recently, I was listening to Terry Gross on  NPR’s “Fresh Air” interviewing Paul Greenberg. Mr. Greenberg was addressing the plight of seafood in the United States, a topic he has researched quite thoroughly for his two books: American Catch, The Fight for our Local Seafood  and Four Fish, The Future of the Last Wild Food. I was shocked to find out that 91% of the seafood American’s consume comes from abroad.  

We export millions of tons of our wild Alaskan salmon and import mostly farmed salmon. And some of our wild Alaskan salmon is actually sent to China, defrosted, boned, refrozen and sent back to us to consume.

Since I am a real fan of salmon, it is a comfort to me to be able to reach into our freezer at The Healthy Grocer and grab a package of Captain Dan’s Wild Alaskan Salmon. Captain Dan spends his summers catching the salmon in Alaska.  The fish is cleaned packed and frozen right there on location. That’s as fresh as you can get it!  And that is why it is the most amazing salmon you will ever taste.

Gluten Free is Here to Stay

More people than ever are buying, cooking and eating gluten-free foods — not all require the diet. Gluten-free living appeals to about 30 percent of American adults and despite the lack of scientific clarity, gluten-free eating appears here to stay, whether it’s trendy for some or necessary for others.

Celiac disease is an inherited autoimmune disease that causes damage to the small intestine when gluten is ingested. Celiac disease damages the lining of the small intestine and prevents it from absorbing parts of food and essential nutrients. The damage is due to an immune reaction in the small intestine when eating gluten. Gluten is found in wheat, barley, rye, and possibly oats.  Food doesn’t usually trigger a response by the body’s immune system, your defense against microbes and other threat to health.  But with celiac, the ingestion of gluten triggers a reaction from the immune system that causes the lining of the small intestine to become inflamed and swollen. This results in the villi, the tiny hair like projections in the small intestine, to shrink and eventually disappear. In a healthy body, the villi absorb vitamins and minerals and other nutrients from food.  With shrunken or no villi, a person with Celiac loses the ability to digest and absorb nutrients, resulting in malabsorption. Malabsorption can deprive the brain, nervous system, bones, liver, and other organs of nourishment and cause vitamin deficiencies in iron, folate, niacin, vitamin D, zinc, phosphorus, calcium and vitamin B12.

About 1 in 133 people or .75 percent of the population is celiac. About .4 percent of those people have a doctor-diagnosed wheat allergy. In those people, a true allergic response to wheat (which contains gluten) can include skin, respiratory and gastrointestinal symptoms. Celiac disease can affect anyone at any age and can be triggered by pregnancy, severe stress, physical trauma, or a viral infection. Diagnosis can be difficult and symptoms are broad range with no common symptom. Eating certain foods like pizza, pasta, most bread, cookies, cakes, candy bars, canned soup, lunch meat or beer can cause cramps, diarrhea, anemia, skin disorders, osteoporosis, neurological conditions or chronic fatigue and more. 

Blood tests can help with diagnosis and can be confirmed with endoscopy. If you are on the gluten-free diet before the testing is done, the results of the blood tests and biopsies can be inaccurate and indicate a normal status. 

Celiac was once thought to be a rare disease, but now is quite common. Celiac disease is thought to be incurable, but treatable by adhering to a 100% gluten-free diet. You can avoid further damage to your intestinal lining and villi by following the gluten-free diet.  Significant healing and re-growth of the villi may take several months in younger people and as long as 2-3 years in older individuals.

All individuals with celiac disease can be at risk for long-term complications. If celiac disease is left untreated, the autoimmune disorder can cause diabetes, multiple sclerosis, dermatitis, anemia, osteoporosis and other illness. Celiac can be a gateway disease and the longer you go without being diagnosed, the greater your risk of developing additional disorders. The major issues that can arise come from malabsorption of nutrients. Some symptoms are gas and bloating, fatigue, chronic diarrhea, constipation, sleeping issues, weight loss or gain, neuropathic issues, brain fog, and hemorrhoids. 

                                   

Dermatitis herpetiformis, also known as DH and Duhring’s disease, is a skin manifestation of celiac disease. Itchy bumps or blisters appear on the body, on the forearms, knees, and buttocks. Dermatitis Herpetiformis bumps and blisters resemble herpes lesions, but are not caused by the herpes virus. Symptoms of DH tend to come and go, and it is commonly diagnosed as eczema. Most all symptoms normally resolve when on a strict, gluten-free diet.

A gluten-free diet includes:

• Fresh meat, fish and poultry                  
• Milk and unprocessed cheeses*
• Dried Beans
• Fruit and Veggies
• Corn and Rice
• Amaranth
• Brown Rice
• Buckwheat
• Millet
• Quinoa
• Sorghum
• Wild Rice
• Black Rice
• Oats (marked gluten free due to cross contamination)

Avoid bread and cereal make from wheat, rye, barley and oat flours. Processed foods that contain wheat and gluten derivatives as thickeners and fillers like hot dogs, ice cream, salad dressing canned soup, soup mixes, non dairy creamers, processed cheese, cream sauces, and some medicines can contain wheat. Malt (malt vinegar, barley malt extract), brewer’s yeast and derivatives of wheat such as modified food starch, starch, and dextrin, may also contain wheat. Shared lines with other wheat products could be a problem for some diets.

On August 2, 2013, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced its long-awaited gluten-free food labeling rule. After August 5, 2014, all food product and dietary supplements regulated by the FDA must adhere to the food label guidelines for gluten-free.  The gluten-free labeling standard of < 20 ppm of gluten is based upon the recommendations of the scientific and medical communities, because there are no analytical methods available that are scientifically validated to reliably detect gluten below 20 ppm. 20 ppm is a scientifically determined level of gluten that has been shown to be tolerated by those with celiac disease and is in line with standards in other countries. There is no requirement that gluten-free foods must be labeled “gluten-free.” Any food product conforming to the standard may be labeled “gluten-free” even if it is naturally gluten-free (i.e., water or fresh produce).

-Mona Claypoole, Director of Marketing and Wellness Support

Oil Pulling

Oil pulling or oil swishing has become a popular home remedy. Oil pulling is a process where vegetable oil is swished or held in the mouth for a short period of time to help improve oral and systemic health. Oil pulling has been used in ancient Indian Ayurveda as daily prevention to help reduce dryness, inflammation, and burning sensation in the mouth.

By increasing the secretion of saliva, oil pulling uses the salivary glands to detoxify. The saliva can trap toxins within the oil particles and dislodge bacteria and undigested particles from the deep crevices within the mouth.

Coconut oil can help eliminate microbes, viruses, and bacteria and has a pleasant taste. Coconut oil that has been partially digested or enzyme modified by saliva is more effective at removing toxins than natural coconut oil. Oil pulling provides a surface layer that can help prevent plaque or bacteria from adhering to teeth which helps with fresh breath, whiter teeth, reduced inflammation and improved gum health.

You simply swish a couple teaspoons of coconut, sesame, sunflower, or olive oil in your mouth, “pulling” it between your teeth for about 20 minutes. Then spit the oil out into the garbage can, not the sink since coconut oil can clog the pipes if it solidifies. Avoid swallowing the oil because it may be loaded with bacteria, potential toxins, and debris it has pulled out. Once the oil turns thin and milky white, you'll know it's time to spit it out. After you spit out the oil, rinse your mouth with water or a combination of water and baking soda. Coconut oil mixed with baking soda is simple, inexpensive, and effective toothpaste to help fight tooth decay. Oil pulling should be done in the morning before breakfast, but it can be done at any time. It can be done before each meal if needed for more severe infections or dental problems.

Oil Pulling Tips

• Put 1-2 teaspoons of organic virgin coconut oil in mouth.

• Let oil liquefy in mouth.

• Swish for 20 minutes.

• Spit oil into the trash can not into the sink.

• Do not swallow the oil as it may contain bacteria and toxins.

• Rinse well with warm water.

• Brush well.

Swish long enough to break through plaque and bacteria but not long enough to re-absorb toxins and bacteria. The oil gets thick and milky as it mixes with saliva and should be creamy-white when spit out.

- Mona Claypoole, Director of Marketing and Wellness Support

Summer Poisons

Over 350,000 people in the United States are affected every year by poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac. Every part of these plants has clear, toxic oil found in the sap that is called urushiol. If you touch the plant it can cause an allergic rash at any time of the year, even if the plant looks dead because the oil can remain active for several years. Urushiol can cause a temporary, irritating, allergic rash when it comes in contact with skin. The skin reaction and treatment are the same for all plants containing urushiol. It is best to avoid the plants by knowing more about them and covering up with clothing.

Poison ivy grows in the eastern United States and poison oak grows in the western United States, in woods, rocky areas, and open fields as a vine or shrub with clusters of 3 shiny leaflets and no thorns. Poison sumac grows in the northern and southeastern United States in wet, swampy soil as a shrub or small tree with two rows of 7 to 13 leaflets. All of these plants have small, light colored fall berries that help distinguish them from harmless plants. Over time, people have used rhymes to describe the appearance of poison ivy and poison oak:

 

"Leaf of three; let it be".

"Hairy vine is no friend of mine”.

"Berries white, danger in sight”.

Oil transferred from the plant to other objects (such as pet fur, shoes) can cause a rash if it touches skin. Skin and objects that have been exposed to the oil should be washed right away with soapy water or alcohol to prevent transmission. Smoke inhaled by burning plants can cause a rash in the skin, nose, throat, eyes, and the lungs.  If poison ivy is eaten, the mucus lining of the mouth and digestive tract can be damaged. A high-temperature, fully inflamed bonfire may incinerate the urushiol before it can cause harm, while a smoldering fire could vaporize the oil and spread it as white smoke.

Urushiol binds to the skin causing redness, swelling, clear liquid-filled blisters, streaking, and burning. Rash symptoms can appear 12 to 72 hours after exposure, go away within 14 days, and can cause scarring. Scratching doesn’t spread the rash but can cause an infection, blisters should be left unbroken during healing. The rash is not contagious once the area has been washed, because the fluid in the blisters is not urushiol. A spreading rash indicates that some areas received more poison sooner or indirect contact with contaminated items is still occurring. Sensitivity to urushiol can vary. People may develop progressively stronger reactions after repeated exposures, or show no response on their first exposure, but show sensitivity on following exposures.

The first thing to do upon contact is to stop the urushiol from having a reaction with the skin and reduce the itch, pain, and blisters. To stop the urushiol from reacting with the skin, immediately (within 10 minutes) wash skin using cold water, soap, or alcohol before the oil bonds. Reducing the pain and itching of blisters can be helped with oral homeopathic remedies.

Natural topical products like zinc oxide and calamine help to dry blisters. Hot showers, oatmeal baths, himalayan salt baths, or a baking soda compress can help relieve itching. Plant based remedies like jewelweed, aloe vera gel, witch hazel, and apple cider vinegar can be applied directly to the skin for cooling and help reduce inflammation, oozing and itching. Histaminum 30c is a homeopathic remedy used as an antihistamine that helps reduce histamine and allergic reactions like itching and swelling, without the drowsiness. Rhus tox is a homeopathic remedy made from poison ivy and is used to help with the rash and inflammation.

- Mona Claypoole, Director of Marketing and Wellness Support