Best food supplements for your gun dog – Gun Dog Magazine

Posted on July 7, 2017 by Dook Domini

Getting the most out of training and hunting with your gun dog starts with choosing the right exercise program then adding the best nutritional supplements,like krill oil, to their diet to help hard-working hunting dogs to recover faster. Getting your dog in shape is also the best way to ensure your hunting partner stays healthy and injury free. But diet, and the right supplements to help your dog bounce back after a long day in the field, is also essential. Without this two-pronged strategy of proper training and nutritional supplements, your dog will simply not hunt as efficiently or as long. And this may have a big impact on your enjoyment afield as well. A hunt I took with a friend last fall is a perfect example.

My hunting partner and I were two full days into a four-day hunt last November when his dog gave up. She wouldnt even stand when we parked the truck, and while my dog was like bottled lightning, his chocolate Lab was more like bottled mud. It seemed that two days was enough for the one-year-old pup, and after that she wasnt physically capable of hunting anymore. She needed recovery.

My black Lab, a four-year old named Luna, was like a different species. She hunted sunrise to sunset as we coursed through multiple tracts of public land throughout Nebraska. We targeted four species of upland birds in varied terrain, and without her ability to go all day and then do it again, it would have been a miserable trip.

The differences between his dog and mine are many, and something can certainly be said about drive. His dog doesnt have that magical need to go quite like mine does, but there is far more to the difference than that. His dog started out in poor shape, which is always bad.

We ask a lot of our bird dogs throughout the hunting season, especially on extended trips where they go for days on end. Its imperative we address their recovery needs correctly. Quality nutritional supplements can help.

Making An Athlete

Its really not that hard to keep a hunting dog in shape. Theyll run, swim, and engage in training drills all day long if they sport a decent pedigree and their handlers show some initiative when it comes to getting them out and moving. This should be a year-round commitment and is a much better route to take when building a great bird dogs fitness than the ill-advised method of hunting them into shape. Going that route with your dog is like one of us deciding to run marathons after a sedentary lifestyle and zero training. The odds of crossing that finish line after 26.2 miles are slim, but the odds of experiencing an injury and an embarrassing dose of humility are very high.

Not only is keeping a dog in shape the responsible thing to do, its also self-serving. Our bird dogs are expected to perform under a variety of conditions. For example, my Lab will start the season hunting doves, which is a simple pass shooting affair, although it can be hot. From there, she becomes a woodcock and grouse hunter, which involves a lot more physical activity. Not long after, the first duck hunts occur and then its on to pheasants, quail, and just about anything we can get after. She might need to retrieve mallards in a cold river for hours during the morning, and then range throughout a vast series of broken hills to flush sharptails in antelope country the rest of the day. The physical demands are serious, and without a great base with which to start, things can go wrong quickly.

Its not just what you do during the pre-hunt months that matters either. During the actual hunt, a dog needs proper energy and hydration. Ignore both, and youll put your four-legged compadre in unnecessary danger.

And then there is the need to address recovery after a hunt or rigorous training session.

While proper exercise is the key to building a bird dog that can hunt all day, its also necessary to address their ability to recover after their day-long efforts.

Heal Up, Move On

Four years ago, I embarked on a personal journey to get into much better shape. This involved making a commitment to running, lifting weights and eating healthier. It took months, but I started to feel comfortable with all three. The one hole in my new game, however, was that I felt like I never fully recovered from anything.

During a conversation with a buddy of mine who runs 100-mile ultra-marathons in the Rocky Mountains, I mentioned that I was slow to recover, especially after long runs. He asked me what I was using for supplements and I told him that I wasnt using anything. He was floored.

After the conversation ended, I ordered several products he recommended for pre- and post-workout health. As you can guess, he was spot-on in his advice. And it doesnt apply to just humans. Dogs need recovery help as well.

Their muscles, joints, and bones all take a beating during a hard day of hunting, and while the body is amazingly efficient at rebuilding, it takes time with dogs of all ages. This is why, especially on a multi-day hunt, its necessary to supplement your dogs nutrition to offer them the best chance of a quick, proper recovery.

From training to dawn-to-dark hunting days, our bird dogs put in serious effort to please us. The least we can do is offer them the right supplements to aid in their post-activity recoveries.

For years, an essential step in this process was to offer dogs a fish-oil pill. After all, thats what humans take so it must be good for dogs, right? Not necessarily. Fish oil can benefit a dogs health (or ours), but it can also contain unwanted toxins and doesnt address everything necessary for overall health and joint issues.

A far superior option is krill oil, which is found in Alpha Dog Nutritions Vitality supplement. Like fish oil, krill oil contains omega-3 fatty acids, but unlike fish oil, krill oil contains phospholipids, carotenoid and astaxanthin. In laymens terms, these compounds benefit a dogs mental state, promote heart health, and address joint issues.

Krill oils benefitsdont end there, however. It can also reduce allergies, slow the development of certain cancers, help regulate blood clots, and improve your dogs skin and coat while also benefitting eye function. To truly break it down, krill oil works on a level that benefits cellular membranes and supports overall cell survival, which is the cornerstone of not only staying healthy, but recovering after serious bouts of physical strain and activity. As an added bonus, Vitality also contains the wonder food turmeric. While its benefits are many, turmerics most important role is to combat inflammation, a task it does naturally to the same level of effectiveness that many anti-inflammatory drugs do. Inflammation is linked to a host of issues in dogs and is a road-block to post-hunt recovery, which makes this ingredient essential for hard working sporting dogs.

Unlike fish oil supplements, a krill-oil-based nutritional supplement, like Alpha Dogs Vitality, contains phospholipids, carotenoid and astaxanthin that benefit a dogs mental state, promote heart health, and address joint issues.

More Krill Oil Benefits

Suppose youre still on the fence about whether krill oil is better than fish oil, or if they are basically the same thing. After all, both contain omega-3 fatty acids, so there is no clear winner there, right? Wrong. The omega-3s in krill oil are bound to phospholipids, not triglycerides like those found in fish oil. Research strongly suggests that phospholipids may be more readily absorbed by brain tissues than triglycerides, which means your dog will reap far greater benefits from them.

Alpha Dog sources their krill from Alaskan waters, meaning they are far less likely to be exposed to toxins like mercury, pesticides and PCBs, than fish are. Also, unlike fish, krill are in no danger of being overharvested. In fact, krill fishing could increase 50-fold and still be at safe levels of harvest, which is not the case with most marine life. So, not only is a krill-oil-based supplement, like Vitality, a better choice for your dogs health, its environmentally responsible.

When it comes to helping a worn-out pheasant or duck dog at the end of a day, or even after a mid-summer training session at your local lake, there really is only one choice for offering the best recovery possible Alpha Dogs Vitality.

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Best food supplements for your gun dog - Gun Dog Magazine

Should you take dietary supplements? – Times of India

Posted on July 7, 2017 by Dook Domini

We all have supplement bottles on our night stands or our dining tables. Leading a healthy lifestyle with proper diet and exercise has indeed become the new cool. While many of us strive to be our fittest selves, we often tend to follow certain things merely because we hear they are good. Consuming supplements may work for your friend's body, but it is really necessary to take them?

What are dietary supplements? Dietary supplements are consumed to make up for the deficiencies in your body. These are the vitamins, omega- 3, calcium tablets or multivitamin tablets which are often prescribed by your doctor. They can be vitamins, minerals, iron, amino acids, or even herbs. Dietary supplements often come in capsule, tablet, powder or liquid form which can be consumed after or before your meal.

In recent years, since the health market has boomed, dietary supplements have become a habit. With many brands bringing in supplements that promise to cure you, it is important to understand the function of a dietary supplement. Dietary supplements are not drugs but food items that cannot claim to cure, treat or prevent any kind of disease. Their sole purpose is to take care of the deficiency in your body. Hence, it is safe to say that they are not medicines that will help you get rid of any disease.

Who should consume dietary supplements? Dietary supplements are ideally meant for people who have any kind of deficiency which their food habits are not able to fulfill. There can be various factors for the same; these can range from age, stressful life or simply bad eating habits.

Experts speak Many marketing strategies have, however, made us believe that everyone needs supplements in today's age.

Experts feel that if one is consuming dietary supplements then it should not be as a substitute or shortcut for a healthy diet. "It is required to take dietary supplements as our modern day diets are not able to meet all nutrition requirements. However, you should not consume them without a doctor's prescription," says nutritionist Dr Sonia Narang.

According to nutritionist Dr Madhvi Sharma, even supplements would fail to work in your body if you do not set your diet right. "There is no point in popping pills if your diet is not in place. Moreover, your sleep pattern, eating pattern, lifestyle pattern everything makes a huge impact on how supplements would work on your body," she adds.

Similarly, Dr Narang agrees that consumption of a rainbow diet, wherein you include vegetables and fruits in your diet on a daily basis is necessary for a healthy body.

For Dr Renu Garg, a homeopathic practitioner and a nutritionist, those suffering with a deficiency would definitely need supplements. She says, "If you do not eat the right kinds of food, deficiency is bound to happen. Hence, supplements are needed. Having said that, I would rather have my patient treat their deficiency with food than with supplements."

Dr Garg gives two reasons as to why food would work better than a supplement for inadequate nutrients in the body. Firstly, food will not give you allergies which supplements might and secondly, absorption of food is better than that of supplements.

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Should you take dietary supplements? - Times of India

FSSAI addressing industry’s concerns over notified standards for food supplements & nutraceuticals: CEO – Business Standard

Posted on July 7, 2017 by Dook Domini

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is in the process of addressing concerns raised by the industry on new standards for eight categories of products, including health supplements and nutraceuticals notified last year, its CEO (chief executive officer), Mr Pawan Agarwal said at an ASSOCHAM event.

I am taking this opportunity to reassure the industry here that if there are concerns with the standards we have released, we are still open to changing those standards, making provisions to address the concerns that you have, said Mr Agarwal.

We have received 5-6 representations, of course it has to go through a process, we are in the process of doing so, he said.

These standards will come into force for compliance from January 1, 2018 so we have a little time at hand before these come into compliance and hopefully we will be able to iron out those differences and concerns which will be addressed within the next 5-6 months that we have, added Mr Agarwal.

He said that the standards of nutraceuticals were released by FSSAI a few months ago after very prolonged deliberations in the FSSAI by the scientific panel, scientific committee and then the authority.

There are associated standards and regulations, and the key amongst them being labelling regulations, claim regulations for which again the draft will soon be available on our website and we will be very happy to get feedback from the industry on those drafts, he said.

He said that these are also quite contentious issues considering that consumers' interest for any regulator is primary. I think that is non-negotiable. So any food supplement manufacturer giving any kinds of claims, has to be extra cautious and as a regulator we have to ensure that those claims are substantiated with evidence.

Mr Agarwal also apprehended that industry might have reservations regarding claims regulations which will soon be put in place. There may be some concerns from the sector, I am pre-warning you.

On the labelling, he said there may not be too many issues. He however added that FSSAI has been getting reports from the field that increasingly large number of spurious products are available in the market today.

The challenge with the food supplements is that there is no robust framework for testing of food supplements products. There are also issue about good manufacturing practices around food supplements and nutraceuticals sectors, said the FSSAI chief.

He said that FSSAI has set up a technical panel with representatives from food supplement companies to put together the framework for goods manufacturing practices (GMPs) for nutraceuticals and food supplements.

We do hope that it will bring greater clarity to have a more robust ecosystem for manufacturing, processing and distribution of food supplements in the country, said Mr Agarwal.

He further said that though there are many companies that import food supplements and while the FSSAI intends to provide them a level-playing field but considering the 'Make in India,' campaign of the government, their focus is on promoting much of processing and manufacturing within India.

The FSSAI chief also said that it is imperative for both the industry and government to work together to provide a more robust framework for growth of food supplement and nutraceuticals sector in India.

In his address at the ASSOCHAM conference, Mr J.P. Meena, secretary, Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) stressed upon the need to make the food supplements and nutraceuticals affordable as about 43 per cent children across India remain malnourished while the sector mainly caters to the middle and upper-middle class consumers.

Noting the various challenges being faced by the sector like the need to gain public confidence and questions raised as to whether the claims being made the manufacturers are evidence-based, Mr Meena said, Attempts are being made to remove these constraints but I think the industry has to walk a lot of distance to make it a popular product, more so when health awareness is on the rise about processed foods, the traceability will become paramount.

He said that the only way to ensure traceability is to develop backward linkages. The present practice of sourcing raw material from here and there, I think will have to come over and get into organised cultivation of plants required for nutraceuticals.

Mr Meena also informed that MoFPI has particularly being focusing on making farmers/growers partners in the growth story of food processing sector.

Unless the benefits to some extent are passed on to the farmers, I see that the future of industry will not be very stable and we may not be able to face challenges which will emerge in the future on account of health concerns, he said.

Sooner or later traceability is going to be an issue and everybody who is there in the food business may be required to have certification on this issue and there lies actually the tie-up with the farmers, he added.

He also informed that with regards to capacity expansion and creating new capacities, MoFPI has come out with a new scheme, 'Kisan Sampada,' whereby government will be investing Rs 6,000 crore over next three years which should bring an investment of about Rs 35,000 crore in the food processing sector as a whole.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

We have received 5-6 representations, of course it has to go through a process, we are in the process of doing so, he said.

Mr Agarwal also apprehended that industry might have reservations regarding claims regulations which will soon be put in place. There may be some concerns from the sector, I am pre-warning you.

We do hope that it will bring greater clarity to have a more robust ecosystem for manufacturing, processing and distribution of food supplements in the country, said Mr Agarwal.

Mr Meena also informed that MoFPI has particularly being focusing on making farmers/growers partners in the growth story of food processing sector.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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FSSAI addressing industry's concerns over notified standards for food supplements & nutraceuticals: CEO - Business Standard

Open to changes in new standards for food supplements: FSSAI … – Times of India

Posted on July 6, 2017 by Dook Domini

New Delhi, Jul 6 () Food regulator FSSAI today assured the food supplements and nutraceuticals industry that it is open to making changes in the new standards to support growth of the sector, but without compromising on consumers interest.

The Food Safety and Standards (Health Supplements, Nutraceuticals, Food for Special Dietary Use, Food for Special Medical Purpose, Functional Food and Novel Food) Regulations was issued last December.

Food Business Operators (FBOs) need to comply with these standards by January 1, 2018.

Addressing a Assocham conference on nutraceuticals, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) CEO Pawan Kumar Agarwal expressed concern over the increasing number of spurious food supplement products in the market.

"We released standards on food supplements and nutraceuticals few months ago. There were some concerns from the industry but we went ahead and released the standards. But our effort is not to cast them in stone as these are evolving standards," Agarwal said.

"I want to assure the industry that if there are concerns, we are still open to change that. We have 5-6 months time before this regulations come in force. So, hopefully, we will iron out differences," he said.

On the sidelines, the FSSAI CEO said that it has got many representation from the industry seeking some changes in the regulations related to inclusion of ingredients.

"Food supplements is a difficult sector to regulate. But for us consumers interest is paramount and non-negotiable," he said, asking manufacturers to be cautious in declaring any claims about the products.

Stating that a large number of spurious products are available in the market, he said there is no "robust framework" for testing of food supplement products.

FSSAI has set up a technical panel, which includes representation from industry as well, to prepare a framework for Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP).

"We do hope that it will bring greater clarity to have a more robust ecosystem for manufacturing, processing and distribution of food supplements in the country," he said.

Agarwal said there is immense opportunity in this industry, but cautioned that "bad name to food supplements sector by few dubious players can hamper the growth of this sunrise industry".

Speaking at the event, Food Processing Secretary JP Meena said the size of this industry is currently USD 3-4 billion and is growing at 20 per cent.

He said there is a great potential for this sector as the market is huge for these products in India as well as overseas.

However, Meena said there is a need to keep the price of food supplements and nutraceuticals at an "affordable" level.

He also spoke about challenges before the sector and said that consumer confidence about these products is "still to be gained".

The industry should be in a position to verify claims made about these products through evidence, he said, adding that "traceability is important".

He emphasised on industry focus on backward linkages to ensure traceability and also on organised cultivation of plants required for nutraceuticals production.

Meena highlighted that the government has recently launched Rs 6,000 crore Sampada scheme to boost food processing and asked industry to avail benefit of this scheme.

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Open to changes in new standards for food supplements: FSSAI ... - Times of India

Latin American regulation harmonization bodes well for food importation prospects, consultant says – FoodNavigator-USA.com

Posted on July 6, 2017 by Dook Domini

The harmonization of regulations means a bright future is ahead for the export of food products and food ingredients into Latin America, a consultant says.

David Pineda Ereo, principal of the Brussels-based consultancy DPE Consulting, said ongoing efforts to harmonize regulations across the region after years of negotiations and discussions are finally starting to bear fruit. Pineda has deep experience with the markets in Central and South America, having been an analysts for EAS Consulting before setting up his own shop.

Pineda said the partnership between public and private interests has been advancing with an aim to improve access to the market for functional foods and dietary supplements.

The efforts began in 2014, starting first with dietary supplements and their ingredients, he said. Two trading blocs are active in South America, the Pacific Alliance and Mercosur, which includes Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. Venezuela was suspended as a full member at the end of 2016.

Examples of that in relation to some of the major markets would be Brazil and the Pacific Alliance of Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru. On the one hand, Brazil has expanded the application of the notification procedure to more categories of foodproducts and significant progress is being made towards the development and implementation of effective regulation for these type ofproducts. On the other hand, the Pacific Alliance isharmonizing their regulations on processed foods and dietarysupplements, among other areas, Pineda told FoodNavigator-USA.

The work on processed foods began later affecting a wide range of issues and is still ongoing. Needless to say that the harmonization of the food regulation in the Pacific Alliance is expected to bring positive changes into the national regulations of the member countries. Furthermore, the ambition in the Pacific Alliance is to make theirharmonized regulation a model also for the Latin American region, and also a tool to increase trade with Latin American, South East Asian and European markets, he said.

While the procedures for getting new food products and ingredients registered in the various markets shows signs of being rationalized, regulations concerning public health issues are ramping up, Pineda said. Recently Mexico climbed to close to the top of the world in the prevalence of adult obesity, having surpassed the United States by some measures (small Pacific Island nations dominate the top of those rankings). The government responded by instituting a tax on sugared beverages, which one study said had depressed sales by more than 7%. Pineda said thats just the tip of the iceberg. While the tide of interventionist regulation is subsiding in the U.S. under President Trump, the opposite is true south of the border.

When considering trends in the food and beverage area in Latin America, it is worth highlighting that Latin American authorities continue to increase their focus on the setting of additional regulatory requirements and measures on the labeling, marketing and advertising of food products as a wayto tackle noncommunicable diseases and obesity. Measures such as front of pack labeling, traffic lights, warning statements, restrictions and/or bans on the marketing and advertising of food and beverages, taxation and reformulation programs are at the top of the regulatory agenda in Latin America and the Caribbean, he said.

Economic upheavals and political crises have gripped certain markets in South America, making for problematical investment climates, Pineda said. Venezuela, after years of financial mismanagement that was papered over by high oil prices, is close to total market collapse with runaway inflation and high unemployment. Brazil has been in the throes of a constitutional crisis and a deep recession, as the drawn-out spectacle of the impeachment of previous president Dilma Rousseff finally drew to a close in late 2016. The countrys economy contracted 3.6% last year, following a 3.8% contraction in 2015. The stock market surged after Roussefs ouster, as the government forecast a return to growth this year. But now those prospects have clouded, as an ongoing corruption investigation has implicated Rousseffs successor Michel Temer, who was Roussefs vice president.

When looking at markets, it is recommended tofocus on those where consumers have higher income rates and where the market and regulatory environment provide interesting opportunities to the products. Pacific Alliance member countries - Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru - are very interesting taking into account the profile of their consumers, the easiness to start a business, as well as for the integration process that the Pacific Alliance isgoing through. Important to note though the labeling,advertising and taxation measures that food and beverage products need to observe particularly in Chile, Mexico and more recently Peru,Pineda said.

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Latin American regulation harmonization bodes well for food importation prospects, consultant says - FoodNavigator-USA.com

Huge gap exists among children’s probiotics – ConsumerAffairs

Posted on July 6, 2017 by Dook Domini

Foods and supplements that are rich in probiotics are becoming increasingly popular, so much so that some companies have even started making probiotic supplements for children. But are all these products created equal?

Independent supplement tester Labdoor wanted to find out, so it tested 11 of the most popular childrens probiotic supplements to check for safety and effective bacteria. While several brands received high overall scores, the researchers say that many others had questionable effectiveness and were vague or uninformative about their bacterial make-up.

Even though were used to seeing total bacterial counts on labels, researchers now advocate for displaying specific strain quantities as this determines what conditions a product is good for, the researchers wrote in a release.

Out of the 11 products in this analysis, however, 7 claimed proprietary blends where this information was left out. Only 2 products specifying strains had effective amounts according to pediatric guidelines developed by the World Gastroenterology Organization.

The leading brand according to the analysis was Pedia-Lax Probiotic Yums, which received a score of 96.6 out of a possible 100 points. It received full marks for product purity, nutritional value, and projected efficacy, and good scoresin label accuracy and ingredient safety.

Garden Of Life Organic Kids+ came in at a close second with a score of 92.6. While it scored well in product purity, nutritional value, ingredient safety, and projected efficacy, a low score of 48 on label accuracy dragged down its overall score. Researchers said that the product measured 38% less viable bacteria than the label claimed.

Rounding out the top three was Hyperbiotics PRO-Kids with a score of 84.8. It received full marks for product purity and nutritional value and a good score for ingredient safety, but its projected efficacy and label accuracy scores only received scores in the 70s. Researchers said that the product measured 17% more viable bacteria than the label claimed.

The full list of products and their ratings can be found here.

The researchers said that labelling inaccuracies were a major issue for many of the products that placed lower on the list, with an average deviation of 160% for claims on total bacteria. These differences hit extremes in both directions, with one product having 7 times the bacteria it claimed and another having practically no living bacteria at all.

Even though probiotic supplements for children are taking over retail shelves, research and quality-testing are still catching up, the researchers explain. While research has confirmed that probiotics help us digest and absorb food, were only just discovering how they affect metabolism, immunity, and mood, even in developing children.

These links have implications for a childs risk in a number of major diseases, including diabetes, affective disorders, and autoimmune diseases like eczema.

PureCircle Aims to Put First Commercially Viable Stevia Antioxidant on the Market in 2018, Firm Says at IFT 2017 – Nutritional Outlook

Posted on July 5, 2017 by Dook Domini

The stevia leaf (Stevia rebaudiana) has yielded exciting, zero-calorie natural sweeteners for food and beverage formulators over the past decade. Now, the leaf is offering formulators another exciting, healthy ingredient: antioxidants. Stevia supplier PureCircle (Chicago) announced that it is ready to roll out what it says is the first commercially viable antioxidant ingredient from the stevia leaf. The firm made the announcement at last weeks Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) Annual Meeting and Food Expo in Las Vegas.

The company says that while researchers have known that stevia leaves contain antioxidant properties, PureCircle claims it is the first company to be able to extract these antioxidants on a global scale from the stevia leaf thanks to a unique extraction and purification process.

The primary antioxidant compounds in the stevia leaf are chlorogenic acids, said Carolyn Clark, director, global marketing and innovation, PureCircle, at the IFT show. Chlorogenic acid, she said, is also a well-known antioxidant in green coffee bean extract. In fact, she said, the chlorogenic acid in Stevia rebaudiana exists at about 1.5% dry weight in the leaf. By comparison, Reb A, the most commonly known steviol glycoside, is about six times that. So while the quantity is much smaller than Reb A, theres enough where it still makes sense for us to go ahead and extract it, Clark said. This also means PureCircle is able to utilize more of the stevia leaf which otherwise may have been discarded as waste.

In terms of power as an antioxidant, Clark said, the chlorogenic acids from stevia have an ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) level of about 9000 mol TE/100ghigher than the ORAC values of, for instance, coffee bean extract (2500 mol TE/100g), blueberries (9621 mol TE/100g), cranberries (9090 mol TE/100g), and green tea (1253 mol TE/100g). (Values are per the USDAs database Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) of Selected Foods, Release 2 (2010), which has since been discontinued.)

Clark said that PureCircle hopes to get GRAS approval in 2018 to clear the path for the antioxidants use in food and beverages. She said that it can already be used in dietary supplements without requiring a new dietary ingredient (NDI) notification because it falls under the stevia leaf extract use thats already out there today in the supplements space in the U.S.

Meanwhile, she said, the company will also be working to build up its commercial-scale production of the ingredient. PureCircle would sell the antioxidant as a standalone ingredient alongside its other stevia sweetener offerings. She said the stevia antioxidants taste is mild and clean because of its plant base. Some kinds of plant-based antioxidants that are trying to do similar things often have an off-note, so were excited to work with formulators with this ingredient, she said. Already, the company is sampling the ingredient with some customers.

Also at IFT, PureCircle highlighted its newly announced proprietary StarLeaf Stevia rebaudiana leaf that the company developed through its PureCircle Stevia Agronomy Program. According to PureCircle, the company cross-bred the StarLeaf leaf to contain more than 20 times more sugar-like steviol glycoside content compared to standard stevia leaf varieties, particularly the glycosides Reb M and Reb D. Clark said that this is the first brand-name leaf to come out of the PureCircle Stevia Agronomy Program. Through StarLeaf, Clark said, PureCircle will be able to create more of those sugarlike stevia extracts.

Strawberry seeds show supplement promise – NutraIngredients.com

Posted on July 4, 2017 by Dook Domini

By David AndersonDavid Anderson , 03-Jul-20172017-07-03T00:00:00Z Last updated on 03-Jul-2017 at 16:38 GMT2017-07-03T16:38:38Z

Defatted strawberry seeds have great potential for use as ingredients in dietary supplements or products with high nutrition value, says a new study.

The research, which its authors claimed was the first of its kind, involved defatting strawberry seeds and analysing them for minerals, dietary fibre and polyphenols and was carried out by researchers in Poland.

Speaking to NutraIngredients, study lead author Krzysztof Koodziejczyk from Lodz University of Technology in Poland said: The most significant learning is that strawberry seeds, which are generally considered as waste product of strawberry juice production, are a source of significantly important components.

Since there is still large interest in sources of dietary fibre, one can imagine the use of defatted strawberry seeds in dietary fibre preparations. Defatted strawberry seeds are good source of dietary fibre, but it is not all.

They also contain phenolics typical for strawberries. As we know phenolics can contribute in prevention of some diseases, so the content of polyphenols in preparations made of defatted strawberry seeds in not negligible.

He said one area that further research could focus on in this area was how best to include defatted strawberries as food supplements.

There can be several possible ways of carry on the research. One can imagine the research on preparation of products to be used as food supplements, he told us.

The research on comparison of defatted strawberry seeds from various cultivars could be interesting as well."

Study details

Strawberry seeds were separated from industrial press cake of strawberry juice production in three consecutive harvest seasons. They were defatted by supercritical carbon dioxide at an experimental installation in Poland.

They were analysed for protein, fat, ash, minerals, saccharides, total dietary fibre and polyphenols.

The defatted seeds were found to be composed mainly of dietary fibres (on average 728g/kg dry matter) and proteins (167g/kg dry matter).The amount of polyphenols determined by HPLC (high-performance liquid chromatography) varied from 15.6 to 17.5g/kg of dry matter respectively over the production year.

There were two main groups of polyphenols: ellagitannins and flavanols. Total content of ellagitannins in seeds varied significantly with production year, but not flavanols.

Use in food supplements

Evaluating the composition of the defatted strawberry seeds, the researchers said: Defatted strawberry seeds can be used as additives with high- protein, high-fibre and favourable polyphenol composition, or in diet supplements rich in minerals, as well as a supplement with high nutrition value.

Defatted strawberry seeds may have a great potential for their use in the food and pharmaceutical industry.

Therefore, the present study facilitates the increased utilization of defatted strawberry seeds and the improved management of fruit industry by-products, resulting in environmental sustainability and economic benefits.

Asked about whether it was easy to get funding for projects of this ilk, Koodziejczyk told us: It depends on some factors It depends on what institution (university, research unit etc.) you work at, what research team you are a part of, what is your position as a researcher.

So there is no straight answer to such kind of question. The most important thing is the idea itself, and capacity to convince those who finance the projects.

Source: Food Science and Technology Volume 84, October 2017, Pages 1822, doi:10.1016/j.lwt.2017.05.014 "Defatted strawberry seeds as a source of phenolics, dietary fiber and minerals" Authors: Katarzyna Grzelak-Baszczyk, et al

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Strawberry seeds show supplement promise - NutraIngredients.com

Central African Republic: Zemio, a new town under fire – ReliefWeb

Posted on July 4, 2017 by Dook Domini

Fighting resumed early this morning in Zemio, a town in the east of the Central African Republic (CAR), where combats took place from Wednesday 28 to Friday 30 June.

The violence has displaced between 15,000 and 20,000 people. More than 4,000 sought refuge at the health centre, 5,000 at the Catholic mission, and between 6,000 and 11,000 others fled to different sites around the town.

Only eight wounded made it to the health centre, but the team from Mdecins Sans Frontires (MSF) has heard of many others blocked in different neighbourhoods, unable to reach the medical facility because of the presence of armed men in the town.

The neighbourhood next to our base has been burned down, as have other parts of the town. We were able to work this weekend to provide medical aid and logistical support to the most vulnerable, but the fighting started again this morning, says Mia Hejdenberg, MSF head of mission.

We want to remind all the combatants of the need to respect a humanitarian space so that people who are not involved in the conflict can receive basic necessities.

Last Wednesday and Thursday, the intensity of the fighting blocked the MSF team inside Zemio health centre, but on Saturday 1 July, the organisation chartered a plane to bring medical equipment, drugs and non-food items such as plastic sheeting, portable latrines and soap. Currently, the most urgent needs are water, food, shelters and medical care.

"The inhabitants of Zemio had no time to take anything with them when the shooting started on Wednesday morning, says Claude Bitaronga, head of MSF medical activities in Zemio.

At the health centre, they grouped together in all the inpatient and consultation rooms, in hangars and behind any wall they could find to shelter from the bullets. After a few hours, children started crying because they were hungry.

MSF distributed water to the displaced at the health centre, the church, the sub-prefecture and the Catholic mission. The medical team set up mobile clinics and conducted 70 consultations between Sunday and Monday, mainly for cases of malaria. Staff also distributed food supplements to children who were beginning to suffer from hypoglycaemia. MSF activities have been temporarily suspended when the fighting resumed this morning.

The Zemio area has been relatively quiet over the past few years, which is why there are very few humanitarian workers there with the capacity to respond to this emergency, says Mia Hejdenberg.

Mdecins Sans Frontires (MSF) manages a dozen projects in the Central African Republic. MSF has worked in Zemio since 2010 and is currently running an HIV/AIDS community-based care project that is benefitting 1,400 people living with the virus.

More here:

Central African Republic: Zemio, a new town under fire - ReliefWeb

FSSAI rejects National Anti-Doping Agency’s request to frame food supplement standards – The Indian Express

Posted on July 3, 2017 by Dook Domini

Written by Ravish Tiwari , Abantika Ghosh | New Delhi | Updated: July 3, 2017 9:35 am NADA chief Navin Agarwal.

Concerned about the burgeoning range of off-the-shelf food supplements and the possibility of at least some of them containing banned performance enhancing substances, the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) had recently approached the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) with a request to frame standards for these supplements.

But after several meetings between the two, FSSAI declined the request, maintaining that given the nature of expertise and sports medicine knowledge required to do so is beyond their mandate. NADA officials approached FSSAI over concerns that mushrooming gyms not only in urban but also in rural areas were pushing some of these supplements and there is no control or monitoring over what they contain. Hence, FSSAI should frame standards.

Though FSSAI agreed in principle with the concerns expressed by NADA and a section of the authority was keen to go ahead with the exercise, in the end the authority decided not to. A senior official told The Indian Express that though the NADAs concerns were genuine, there were several other hurdles that eventually made them decide against helping NADA.

The concerns they raised were genuine. Food supplements that are sold over the counter and often pushed by gym instructors may contain performance enhancing substances banned for athletes or substances that are just generally harmful for people if used indiscriminately. There may even be prescription drugs that ordinarily cannot be bought over the counter but have an anabolic (body-building) effect on the body, he said.

After much deliberation and several meetings with the NADA, FSSAI concluded that they couldnt frame standards from NADAs perspectives and yardsticks. It was beyond their mandate.

We deliberated over the matter, had two-three meetings with NADA and decided that we cannot frame standards from the perspective they want us to. It is beyond our mandate there is a long list of banned substances, some that are not to be used during competitions but can be used otherwise, others that can never be used, the official said, Then there is also the matter of dosage. So we told them that it is beyond our mandate, he added.

Incidentally, FSSAI had, last year notified standards for health supplements, nutraceuticals, foods for special dietary use, food for special medical purpose, functional food and novel foods. The articles of food with standard nutrient or nutritionally complete formulation shall consist of a composition delivering the desired level of energy, protein, vitamins and minerals, and other essential nutrients required for respective age group, gender and physiological stage in accordance with the guidelines made by the Indian Council of Medical Research, reads the regulations stipulated by the FSSAI.

Ingredient purity is mandated to be in accordance with the FSSAI standards for those categories of food in cases where standards are not specified, purity criteria generally accepted by the various pharmacopoeias Indian Pharmacopoeia, Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of Indian Medicinal Plants, Indian Council of Medical Research, British Pharmacopoeia, US Pharmacopoeia etc are to be used.

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FSSAI rejects National Anti-Doping Agency's request to frame food supplement standards - The Indian Express

Organic food sales jump 8.4 percent in 2016 – Capital Press

Posted on July 3, 2017 by Dook Domini

Fruits and vegetables continue to lead the way in organic food sales, but proteins and condiments made big gains in 2016.

The U.S. organic industry maintained steady growth in 2016, with food sales increasing 8.4 percent to $43 billion breaking the $40 billion mark for the first time.

The sizable growth is even more impressive considering total food sales increased only 0.6 percent.

Organic food now accounts for 5.3 percent of all food sales in the U.S., another significant first for the organic sector, according to the Organic Trade Association in its 2016 Organic Industry Survey, conducted by the Nutrition Business Journal this spring.

Organic non-food sales also posted robust growth, increasing 8.8 percent to $3.9 billion, far surpassing the 0.8 percent growth in all non-food sales of comparable items, such as textiles, supplements and personal care items.

The organic industry continues to be a real bright spot in the food and agriculture economy, both at the farm gate and the check-out counter, said Laura Batcha, OTA chief executive officer, in the associations executive summary of the survey.

The robust industry continues to gain ground, gaining market share and making its way into new channels such as convenience and drug stores, foodservice and the internet.

Organic fruits and vegetables held onto the top position in the organic line-up with $15.6 billion in sales, 36.3 percent of all organic food sales. Those sales were 8.4 percent higher year over year, more than double the 3.3 percent growth in their non-organic counterparts, and now account for 15 percent of all produce sales.

Organic meat and poultry sales shot up 17 percent to $991 million for the categorys biggest gain ever. Meat and poultry is one of the smallest organic food categories, but organic poultry moved beyond many years of supply shortages and grew at a rate of 23 percent compared with 9.2 percent in 2015.

The other smallest category, condiments, is not a headliner but is showing interesting trends, according to OTA.

Dips and spices both hit home runs, recording the highest growth rates within the food categories, OTA reported. Organic dips posted 41 percent growth in 2016 with $57 million in sales, and sales of organic spices increased 35 percent to $193 million.

The survey did note oversupply in produce, poultry, dairy and eggs in 2016. The change in the organic marketplace from undersupply to oversupply simply exemplified the ebb and flow of supply and demand as the industry grows, OTA stated.

The biggest challenge is how to grow at a rate that allows for farmers to be paid fairly for the extra work they do in organic while also assuring stability of supply, shortage versus glut, spikes in prices versus drops in prices, said Matt Dillon, Clif Bars director of agricultural policy and programs.

Growth in the organic sector also continues to translate into jobs across the supply chain, OTA stated.

More than 65 percent of organic farms sold product in wholesale markets in 2016, and more than 60 percent of organic businesses with more than five employees reported an increase in full-time employment with plans to continue increasing staff in 2017.

Organic offers in many cases the choice for growth and more viable, stable prices for farmers and food manufacturers, Batcha said.

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Alamosa News | Eye on Extension: More on supplements – Valley Courier

Posted on July 2, 2017 by Dook Domini

VALLEY Dietary supplements include vitamins, minerals, herbs, amino acids, enzymes, and other substances that may be supplemented, or added to diet, in order to complete dietary needs or to make up for a nutrition deficiency they are NOT intended to replace a healthy diet. Supplements come in many forms, including pills, capsules, powders, drinks, or energy bars. It is important to remember that supplements are not required to go through the same stringent testing as over the counter (OTC) and prescription medicine, and are not regulated as closely by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Choose Food First, Supplements Second Vitamin and mineral supplements are the most common dietary supplement used by approximately 40 percent of adults in the United States. Despite the popularity of supplements, most people are capable of obtaining all of the required vitamins and minerals through a healthy diet alone. In fact, those who take supplements daily may be at risk for excessive intake, or toxicity of certain nutrients.

Also, supplements can be very expensive as evidenced by the $30 billion that Americans spend annually on all forms, a number that continues to grow every year. In some circumstances a daily supplement may not be necessary, and for many, taking multivitamin or mineral once every two to three days may be a cost-effective choice. Since the body has limited storage for many of these nutrients, most of the time they are simply excreted. The most cost-effective way to promote good health is eat a wide selection of foods and exercise regularly.

The majority of Americans consume all of the nutrients needed through a balanced and varied diet that includes healthy food choices. Remember being told to eat a variety of foods? Thats what a balanced diet is, a daily variety of food from the food groups; breads, cereals, and grains, fruits and vegetables, dairy and milk, and protein/meat. By eating this balanced diet you should be getting all the needed nutrients per day.

Certain individuals may have dietary restrictions (such as those with celiac disease or lactose intolerance), or belong to a particular life stage (pregnant, breastfeeding, or older adult) and may benefit from taking specific supplements. Talk to your doctor before deciding to take a dietary supplement.

Again, remember, supplements are not regulated by the government and may make false health claims that are not supported by research. Before consuming any type of supplement, talk to your doctor and research the supplement thoroughly. The following website resource can help you make an educated decision and identify inaccurate information when choosing a dietary supplement: National Library of Medicine (NLM) Dietary Supplements Labels Database.

For more information contact Mary Ellen Fleming at 852-7381, or visit the CSU Extension Office for the San Luis Valley Area at 1899 E. Hwy 160 in Monte Vista. Please feel free to visit our website at: http://sanluisvalley.colostate.edu for information about services provided.

Extension programs are available to all without discrimination, Colorado State University Extension, U.S. Department of Agriculture and Colorado Counties cooperating.

See the article here:

Alamosa News | Eye on Extension: More on supplements - Valley Courier

Eye on Extension: More on supplements – Valley Courier

Posted on July 1, 2017 by Dook Domini

Extension programs are available to all without discrimination, Colorado State University Extension, U.S. Department of Agriculture and Colorado Counties cooperating.

Link:

Eye on Extension: More on supplements - Valley Courier

Sports minister Vijay Goel says import and sale of dope-laced nutritional supplements a worry – Firstpost

Posted on June 30, 2017 by Dook Domini

New Delhi: Sports minister Vijay Goel on Thursday said that the import and sale of dope-laced nutritional supplements was a cause to worry for his ministry as it sought to re-confirm its commitment to take tough anti-doping measures against drug offenders.

Inaugurating a conclave on 'Nutritional Supplements for Sports' at New Delhi to work out a doping free model, Goel said time has now come to provide safe and quality nutrition to the athletes in the wake of increasing international competition and high incidences of dope.

Goel said tackling the causes of doping was a priority for his ministry.

File photo of Sports minister Vijay Goel. AFP

"The import and sale of sub-standard and dope-laced nutritional supplement was a cause of worry as an unsuspected athlete gets banned under the Anti-Doping Code because of use of these supplements," Goel said in a ministry release.

"Supplements laced with prohibited substances have been found to be a major cause of doping in India. NADA has taken up the matter with Food Safety and Standards Authority due to which an advisory stand issued by them to the Food Safety Commissioners," said the minister.

He said to protect the clean athletes and meet their requirement for quality supplements, the convergence of various regulatory authorities to work out a dope-free model for nutritional products was a good initiative and a welcome step.

"A collaboration of NADA with FSSAI and other agencies will have far reaching impact in improving physical fitness standards in the country and help athletes in making informed choices," he said.

Goel called upon the stakeholders to create mass awareness about doping and its vicious effects on the career of athletes. He said he will personally understand the level of awareness among athletes by meeting them in different states and training camps during his visits there.

The minister further stated that while collaboration with Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority has enabled India to adopt international practices in dope testing, resulting in a high detection rate, there was also a need for strengthening preventive aspects to reduce the incidence of doping in the country.

He said the deliberations during the conclave will provide a road map of regulatory mechanism for dope free nutritional supplements which can be consumed by athletes without fear of inadvertent doping.

Pawan Kumar Aggarwal, the chief executive officer, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, eminent scientists, nutritionists, sportspersons, office bearers of sports federations, laboratory directors and regulatory authorities from various parts of the country attended the day-long conclave.

Link:

Sports minister Vijay Goel says import and sale of dope-laced nutritional supplements a worry - Firstpost

Dietary Supplement Caucus Briefing Focuses on Responsible Use of Supplements in Sport and Fitness – Natural Products INSIDER

Posted on June 29, 2017 by Dook Domini

Press Release

The 30th Congressional Dietary Supplement Caucus luncheon briefing, held last week on June 21, featured celebrated U.S. soccer player Christie Pearce (formerly Rampone), who said dietary supplements saved her and her familys lives. Speaking before an audience of 115 Congressional staffers and guests, Ms. Pearce shared personal stories and discussed the role dietary supplements have played in supporting peak athletic performance throughout her career, as well as the unique nutritional needs of her fellow players and family.

A three-time Olympic Gold Medalist and two-time FIFA Womens World Cup Champion, Ms. Pearce is the second most-capped soccer player in U.S. and world history and a long-time dietary supplement user.

One thing Im always focusing on is my fitness, Ms. Pearce told her audience. If it werent for the proper supplements, I dont know if my level of play would be where it is today.

Before highlighting her supplement regimen, Ms. Pearce revealed that she questioned dietary supplements when she started training as a professional athlete. I began looking to trusted sources of information, such as team nutritionists, and took a good look at product labels, she shared. As I transitioned from college playing to the national team, I realized that the foods I was eating were not enough. The right supplements give you something extra. They helped me prepare for each training session and game.

Ms. Pearce highlighted the critical role of consumer education and responsible supplement usage, stressing the importance of discussing dietary supplements with healthcare professionals and identifying companies that manufacture legitimate products. Ms. Pearce also echoed industrys collective message that dietary supplements are not a one-size-fits-all solution for optimal nutrition. Focus on what you need to eat, she said. The food is the fuel. Supplements fill in the gaps."

The educational event was sponsored by the bipartisan, bicameral Dietary Supplement Caucus and co-hosted by the leading trade associations representing the dietary supplement industrythe American Herbal Products Association (AHPA), the Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA), the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), the Natural Products Association (NPA), and the United Natural Products Alliance (UNPA).

Link:

Dietary Supplement Caucus Briefing Focuses on Responsible Use of Supplements in Sport and Fitness - Natural Products INSIDER

Vitamin D: Are You Taking More Than is Good for You? – TAPinto.net

Posted on June 29, 2017 by Dook Domini

The results of a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association last week found that about 3 percent of adults in the U.S. are taking more than 4,000 international units (IUs) (IU - is a unit of measurement) of Vitamin D a day, an amount beyond the upper limit considered safe. This is up from 0.2 percent 10 years ago. The recommended daily amount of Vitamin D is 600 IUs for adults under 70 and 800 IUs for those 70 and older.

Journal article preview: http://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/2632494

Article summary: https://medlineplus.gov/news/fullstory_166773.html

Use this News

Vitamin D is the sunshine vitamin. We need it to absorb calcium from our intestines, to maintain calcium and phosphorus balance for bone health, and for proper immune system, nervous system and muscle function. We make it when our skin is exposed to ultraviolet light from the sun. We also get it from the foods we eat and the supplements we take.

We need between 600-800 IUs of vitamin D a day from all sources. However, as the results of this study show, more of us than ever are taking amounts in excess of what may be safe. Yes, taking vitamins in excess can be hazardous to our health. Think of vitamins like you would aspirin or acetaminophen. If you have a head ache, you take two tablets. You wouldnt take 10 tablets figuring if two stops the pain, 10 will do it better yet some of us are doing just that with vitamin D.

According to the National Institutes of Health, Office on Dietary Supplements, (NIH-ODS) long term (three months or more) vitamin D intake greater than 4,000 IU a day, can have a negative effect on health. When intakes rise above 10,000 IU a day, there is a greater risk of some cancers particularly cancer of the pancreas, greater risk of heart attack, and greater risk of fractures among older adults. When intake goes beyond 40,000 IU a day, it can result in toxicity which causes high calcium levels in the blood, or hypercalcemia. Hypercalcemia can weaken bones, affect nerve, heart and brain function and cause kidney stones. The risk of toxicity occurs with high intakes from supplements and food. It does not happen with vitamin D produced in bodies from sun exposure.

Knowing that the recommended daily amount is between 600 800 IU, from all sources (food, supplements and sunlight), talk with your health care provider before taking quantities above the recommended amounts. If youve been taking vitamin D supplements, talk to your health care provider about having your vitamin D blood levels tested to see if you really need as much as youre taking. If you are taking any of the following prescription medications - prednisone or cortisone, cholesterol lowering drugs or seizure medications - make sure your health care provider knows you are taking vitamin D supplements. Some of these interact with vitamin D.

Use the chart below from the NIH-ODS to re-evaluate your intake of supplements in light of the amount of vitamin D youre getting in your diet.

Food

IUs per serving*

Percent DV**

Cod liver oil, 1 tablespoon

1,360

340

Swordfish, cooked, 3 ounces

566

142

Salmon (sockeye), cooked, 3 ounces

447

112

Tuna fish, canned in water, drained, 3 ounces

154

Orange juice fortified with vitamin D, 1 cup (check product labels, as amount of added vitamin D varies)

137

Milk, nonfat, reduced fat, and whole, vitamin D-fortified, 1 cup

115-124

29-31

Yogurt, fortified with 20% of the DV for vitamin D, 6 ounces (more heavily fortified yogurts provide more of the DV)

Margarine, fortified, 1 tablespoon

Sardines, canned in oil, drained, 2 sardines

Liver, beef, cooked, 3 ounces

Egg, 1 large (vitamin D is found in yolk)

Ready-to-eat cereal, fortified with 10% of the DV for vitamin D, 0.75-1 cup (more heavily fortified cereals might provide more of the DV)

Cheese, Swiss, 1 ounce

* IUs = International Units. ** DV = Daily Value. DVs were developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to help consumers compare the nutrient contents among products within the context of a total daily diet.

For more information see:

Vitamin D Council https://www.vitamindcouncil.org/about-vitamin-d/

National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements Vitamin D Fact Sheet https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminD-HealthProfessional/

Joanna Hayden, PhD, CHESis the principal ofAssociates for Health Education and Behavior, LLC, in Sparta,a practice focused onimproving health through education. Her office offers individual and group health education, and individual health behavior change guidance. For more information please seewww.associatesforhealth.com To contact Dr. Hayden, email her atjoanna@associatesforhealth.com

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Vitamin D: Are You Taking More Than is Good for You? - TAPinto.net

The PCOS Treatment Doctors Don’t Tell You About – HarpersBAZAAR.com

Posted on June 29, 2017 by Dook Domini

Welcome to BAZAAR.com's first ever Period Month, where for an entire four weeks we'll be publishing stories devoted to your period. Our aim is to delve into what really happens during a woman's cycleand with the help of Flo Living founder Alisa Vitti, we'll teach you how you can harness your hormones as a path to success, power and global change.

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You've gained the Office 15! Try to exercise more and eat healthier, youll be fine, my doctorand virtually everyonetold me when I tried to find answers behind my steady weight gain that started a few years ago.

I had just started working my first full-time job out of college and was noticing a ton of changes in my body: major fatigue, anxiety, irregular periods, sharp pelvic pains and the most noticeable, weight gain. All of which I was told were issues related to my transition from college into the working world. So I listened and tried to exercise more and eat healthier, only to frustratingly gain more weight no matter what I did. I was also hospitalized twice for ruptured ovarian cysts, something I thought was an entirely separate issue, because when I told doctors and my OB-GYN about my mysterious, sharp pelvic pain that came every month, their response was simply cysts are normal, go on birth control and you wont get them. No tests, no explanationsjust birth control pills shoved in my face.

Thinking this was my only option, I tried going on birth control only to have bad reactions to the pills (extreme nausea and an insane spike in my hormone levels that left me feeling completely insane). I decided that, for me, I would choose dealing with painful cysts instead of feeling that way on the pill. Deep down, I also knew there was something serious going on in my body and I refused to use birth control as a quick band-aid fix to the symptom (cysts), instead of actually curing the problem. It took another two years and countless doctors to finally confirm that it wasnt all in my head: I was officially diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), a chronic hormonal endocrine disorder.

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"I wasnt given any information or guidancejust birth control pills shoved in my face."

Sadly, this isnt uncommon. A recent study revealed that it takes, on average, two years and three doctors for women to be diagnosed with PCOS. (You must have at least two of its three key featuresovarian cysts, higher levels of testosterone, and irregular or missed menstrual periodsto be diagnosed.) Afterwards, I wasnt given any information or guidance, except the recommendation of birth control and the cryptic, you might not be able to get pregnant naturally, message my doctor nonchalantly slipped into our conversation.

But my journey trying to treat PCOS on my own soon led me to Alisa Vitti, a hormone nutritionist, founder of Flo Living and the author of Woman Code, a guide for women on how to rebalance hormones through food-based programs. Vitti herself had been diagnosed with PCOS 20 years ago and has since treated her symptoms through food, supplements and self-care. After reading her book, I began working with Vitti to come up with a food-based plan to treat my symptoms.

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During our first consultation, Vitti asked me for my symptoms along with an example of what my "normal day" of meals looked like. After I ran her through a typical day of eating (and by "typical," I mean I chose a healthy day instead of a day that ends in pizza and a night of drinking), I was shocked to hear that my idea of "eating healthy" was actually backfiring against me and my symptoms.

"You're cutting out an entire food group!" Vitti exclaimed when I proudly told her my normal breakfast (eggs), lunch (salmon and spinach salad) and dinner (chicken and veggies). "You can't just cut out carbs entirely. That's why you're always hungry and reaching for snacks like pretzels and chips," she explained. Instead, she suggested that I add half a cup of complex carbs like quinoa, brown rice or sweet potatoes to both my lunch and dinner. Along with fueling me, those carbs also help to manage blood sugar levels (women with PCOS typically have insulin resistance, so monitoring your blood sugar is key). So step 1: add in healthy carbscheck.

Another quick fix for my eating plan from Vitti was to bulk up my breakfast by adding a serving of (good) fat and vegetables to my eggs in order to keep me full until lunch. Dr. Kurt Waples of Bluestone Health Group backed up the theory of a high-protein, high-fat breakfast to start the day as a way to combat the high insulin spikes commonly associated with PCOS. "If you eat a breakfast thats high in fat and protein (an avocado and wild caught salmon, for example), that helps to stabilize blood sugar throughout the day. So instead of having a breakfast of oatmeal with fruit or something carby thats going to burn off fast, we have people do the opposite. The fat stabilizes blood sugar spikes that youre otherwise going to get throughout the day."

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Vitti also recommended snacking on six almonds (a good source of fat) instead of pretzels (which, okay fine, duh) and trying coconut yogurt with raspberries as an after dinner snack. Easy enough.

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But then came time for the terrible, nightmare-inducing news: if I wanted this thing to work, I would have to quit caffeine. I'm not going to lie to you and say that when Vitti told me I'd have to give up my greatest love, iced coffee, I considered hanging up and forgetting this whole thing. But the founder of Flo Living is incredibly convincing and inspiring (as referenced in her TED Talk), so I gave the idea a chance. As it turns out, my coffee addiction (consisting of two to three large iced coffees a day) was apparently making all my PCOS symptoms 10,000 times worse. "Caffeine creates cysts," explained Vitti. "With PCOS you are already prone to cysts, drinking coffee will just help create a million more."

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If you have PCOS or any hormone related issue, do me a favor: listen to Vitti and quit caffeine. This was the first change in Vitti's food-based plan that really changed the way my body felt immediately. While Vitti suggest weaning myself off caffeine and trying a week of black tea followed by a week of green tea, I decided that for me, it would be easier to quit cold turkeyrip it off like a band-aid. After five days of insanely terrible caffeine withdrawal (headaches, shakes and crying every time a coffee passed me on the street), I finally started to feel amazing: more energy, no more 3 p.m. crashes and even brighter skin. Every single person's reaction to this has been, "oh my GOD, I could NEVER do that," which is exactly what I would have said three months ago. But if I, queen of always having an iced coffee in hand, could do itso could you. Step 2: Quit insane coffee addictioncheck.

As for my other vice, alcohol, I had to make some changes in that department too. Vitti instructed me to stay away from beer altogether and to try to have as little hard liquor as possible. "Beer is full of gluten and pesticidesboth of which are endocrine disruptors. Hard alcohol is super concentrated sugar and has a higher alcohol content. It will disrupt both blood sugar/insulin levels and make the liver more fatty," Vitti said.

"I finally started to feel amazing: more energy, no more 3 p.m. crashes and even brighter skin."

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This was kind of a problem for me as I had just given up my coffee habit. I had to draw the line at giving up my beloved vodka sodas and margaritas entirely, too. So as a general rule of thumb, Vitti told me to keep my drink intake to no more than two drinks at a time. Having one glass of wine, champagne or sake with food is okay, she noted, because they have less sugar and less alcohol concentrationso they won't disrupt your blood sugar levels as much. But because sometimes one margarita turns into four and a glass of wine can turn into a bottle, she gave me a post-drinking routine to follow: Anytime after drinking two or more alcoholic drinks (which is often if you're a New Yorker), drink a serving of electrolyte enhancer (Emergen-C Electro-Mix is good) in a glass of water before you go to bed. Along with the drink, take an extra B-vitamin complex to help recover faster from dehydration. The bonus here is that along with keeping your body in check, I noticed that this little remedy also acts as a hangover preventer.

The types of food and beverages you're consuming isn't the only thing that matters, thoughit also matters what time and how frequently you're eating. According to Vitti's Woman Code plan, I needed to eat my breakfast within 30 minutes to an hour of waking up. Lunch should then be consumed within three and a half hours of breakfast, followed by a mid-afternoon snack within two hours. Lastly, dinner should be eaten around three hours after your snack. Skipping meals is an obvious no as it ends up slowing down your metabolism and, again, screwing with your insulin levels. Step 3: get on a timed schedule of eatingcheck.

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Just as important as the foods you're putting into your body are the supplements Vitti recommends adding into your diet. For me, she suggested five new supplements to start, along with a probiotic. The supplements included B-6 vitamins (which helps boost progesterone production), cinnamon pills (to stabilize blood sugar levels), magnesium (helps with insulin resistance and resets adrenal hormones) and milk thistle seed (to help detox the liver). Within just a couple weeks of starting these supplements, my body felt more energized and clear. Step 4: add the proper supplements to your dietcheck.

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After I got in the swing of these changes, it was time to follow Vitti's theory of syncing up your menstrual cycle to your entire lifewhich, trust me, sounds much more complicated than it actually is. In both Vitti's book and on her app, MyFlo, she guides you through the four phases of your cycle: the follicular phase (when follicles in the ovary mature as they get ready to release an egg); the ovulatory phase (when your ovaries actually release an egg); the luteal phase (when the lining of your uterus prepares for a possible pregnancy); and the menstrual phase (when you have your period). Based on where you are in your cycle, there are certain foods and exercises you should be focusing on. While this sounds like an incredibly difficult time commitment, it's actually really simple. For example, during your luteal phase, you should focus on adding foods rich in B vitamins to combat sugar cravings and leafy greens to reduce bloating. There is no strict diet plan to follow, it's all about weaving certain food groups into your diet based on what cycle your body is in.

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A fun fact I learned during this entire process was that I truly didn't know anything about how my body changed depending on my menstrual cycle. And how would I? Girls are never taught this in school and once it's time for the OB-GYN, their advice is almost always to go on birth control and that's that. Regardless of whether you have a hormone imbalance, PCOS, or another period-related issue, Vitti's Woman Code is such a vital read to actually understand how our bodies operate as women. Step 5: sync your life to your cyclecheck.

"Two months in, the most exciting result is that I finally cracked the code on losing weight with PCOS."

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Two months into my diet and lifestyle change, the most exciting note to result is that I finally cracked the code on losing weight with PCOS. Weight lossand controlwith PCOS is nearly impossible due to hormone imbalances and insulin resistance. In just over two years, I gained a total of 20 lbs (a significant increase on my 5'2" frame). After three years of trying everything to lose weight (more cardio, Atkin's, cleanses, you name it) and not ever losing a pound, I managed to lose a total of four pounds in just two monthsa huge feat for someone with PCOS.

At the beginning of my journey, Vitti told me that because I'm still in my twenties and have been suffering from PCOS symptoms for three years, it should only take about three months of being on her plan to reverse my symptoms. As I entered my third month last week, I felt distinctly better (both mind and body) and was finally able to lose weight for the first time in three years (which is HUGE), however I was still having painful cysts. When I told Vitti, she suggested upping my magnesium intake during my luteal phase along with taking Evening Primrose Oil as a fix, which I'm currently in the process of trying out.

As a full disclaimer, I am not someone who's good at sticking to diets, exercise or even remembering to take vitamins on a daily basis. In my first three months of trying to naturally combat PCOS, there were plenty of times I forgot to take my supplements for three days in a row, had too many vodka clubs after dinner, or totally forgot to add specific foods into my diet based on my cycle. But even following Vitti's plan only, let's say 60 percent of the time, I still managed to see results. And the entire process of working with a holistic nutritionist like Vitti gave me eye-opening insight into my own body. It's a reminder that, despite what your doctor tells you, birth control isn't always the only answerespecially to a problem like PCOS.

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The PCOS Treatment Doctors Don't Tell You About - HarpersBAZAAR.com

Dietary Supplements or Unapproved Drugs? – ModernMedicine

Posted on June 27, 2017 by Dook Domini

Red yeast rice is a dietary supplement designed to help treat hyperlipidemia and heart disease. Americans spend about $20 million a year on the product, which contains the same statin (monacolin K) as prescription lovastatin.

Despite this, the supplement is regulated as a food, not a drug. But a new study published in the European Journal of Preventative Cardiology has shown that even after the FDA implemented good manufacturing practices, the amount of the active ingredient in red yeast rice can differ widely from brand to brand, even reaching prescription-strength levels.

The study looked at 28 different brands of the supplements, each on sold in at least one of four major chainsGNC, Walgreens, Walmart, and Whole Foods.

Two of the brands contained no monacolin K. The brands that did contain monacolin K varied widelyfrom 0.09 to 5.48mg per 1200mg of red yeast rice. Over one-third of the brands tested contained more than 2 mg of monacolin K per 1200 mg of red yeast rice. This means that consumers could be ingesting 0.09 to 10.94mg of monacolin K per day, a difference of 120-fold. The study found that the dosages for some brands lined up with the dosages on prescription lovastatin tablets, which are produced in 10 mg, 20 mg, and 40 mg dosages.

No brand listed the amount of the monacolin K and only two brands warned the consumer not take the supplements with prescription statins. Previous studies have shown that consumers may suffer from the same adverse effects while taking red yeast rice as they would when taking a statineffects possibly exacerbated when taken with another prescription statin.

So why all the variance? Red yeast rice is made by fermenting rice with different strains of Monascus spp., also known as ang-khak rice mold. As with any fermented product, minor differences in the process can lead to large differences in the final result. Authentic Chinese red yeast rice generally contains small amounts of monacolin K, but certain mutant strains of yeast can produce higher levels of the statin.

FDA regulations say that red yeast rice with higher levels of monacolin Khigher than 4 mg per dayare not supplements but unapproved drugs. Six brands tested in the study would qualify as unapproved drugs.

The study only tested one batch of each supplement, but the authors warn that even from batch to batch the amount of monacolin K is most likely variable. The study also only examined monacolin K, whereas red yeast rice can have multiple statin-like monacolins, potentially creating additional problems.

Dietary Supplements or Unapproved Drugs? - ModernMedicine

Lighthouse Church offering free food – Your Daily Globe.com

Posted on June 27, 2017 by Dook Domini

By RALPH ANSAMI

ransami@yourdailyglobe.com

Ironwood - For the second straight year, a Feed the Hungry van arrived Monday to bring 21,000 pounds of food to the Lighthouse Faith Center Church on Ironwood's Ayer Street.

Pastor Tom Rouse said the free food products will be distributed to the needy on the Gogebic Range on Thursday from 5 to 8 p.m.

"Whoever comes, comes," he said of the would-be recipients.

Rouse said from his conversations with area food shelter operators, like the Union Station pantry, the need is as great or greater than ever for the food supplements on the Gogebic Range.

The semi-truck and trailer arrived for unloading on a rainy, cold Monday morning from "Feed the Hungry," of South Bend, Ind., and there were about a dozen volunteers on hand to help out.

Forslund Building Supply of Ironwood offered a forklift for the church to use to remove the large boxes from the truck.

Rouse said some of the food items were to be transported to the companion church in Calumet.

Included in the food items are sausages, oatmeal, apple juice, granola bars and cereal.

The church has been feeding hungry people in Africa for more than a decade. "We've fed 43,000 people in Africa," Rouse said.

The food distribution here is available to anyone in need. They should bring bags or boxes for the food.

The church is at 777 E. Ayer St., near the high school baseball field.

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Lighthouse Church offering free food - Your Daily Globe.com

Trendy health ingredients give restaurants’ menus an extra kick – Baltimore Sun (blog)

Posted on June 27, 2017 by Dook Domini

Sandlots Fire on the Mountain isnt the best-selling drink on the menu at the new waterfront hangout in Harbor Point. But it might be the healthiest cocktail on the list.

With ingredients including turmeric, yogurt and hot peppers, the blended beverage provides a refreshing kick while incorporating elements that boost gut health, fight inflammation and combat depression.

Turmeric, activated charcoal and spirulina are some of the trendiest superfoods, spices and supplements of the year. And theyre making appearances in Baltimores drinks and dishes.

Just as the orange hue of turmeric makes the Fire on the Mountain pop, so too does charcoal infused in the Dark Knight cocktail at Minnow, another newcomer on Baltimores restaurant scene. The drink turns heads at the South Baltimore seafood spot, co-owner and general manager Jake Lefenfeld said.

Activated charcoal (which has oxygen added to increase its surface area and increase its efficacy) has been heralded for its detoxifying properties, and as Lefenfeld was looking for different ways to add color to his drinks, he began experimenting with food-grade charcoal.

I kind of got on that kick before, when I was looking for ingredients that had a purpose rather than just creating a color, he said. Im not really into using food coloring. ... I wanted there to be a purpose.

With the proper serving size, charcoal can improve digestion and bind to toxins, preventing them from being absorbed into the blood stream. But the same properties that make it a strong detoxifying agent can also prevent the body from fully absorbing drugs and nutrients, meaning it can make certain medications ineffective and reduce the nutrients people get from food.

Chris D'Adamo, research director at the University of Maryland School of Medicines Center for Integrative Medicine, suggests taking activated charcoal several hours after taking medication or eating, but said it isnt harmful in small doses in food and drinks.

Theres about half a teaspoon of charcoal in the Dark Knight. Its mixed with Ransom Old Tom gin, Jack Rudy Cocktail Co. tonic, agave and a splash of soda, and garnished with a bright lemon peel that stands out against the chalky black drink. Lefenfeld wanted the cocktail to stand up to a little bit of a gritty charcoal taste.

It doesnt taste anything [like] the way it looks, he said.

Krystal Mack was careful when she began using the substance in baked goods and drinks at her bakery, Blk // Sugar, at R. House.

She researched ideal doses of charcoal in food while developing her activated charcoal brownie recipe, and spent time experimenting to strike the right balance between healthy and scrumptious. She uses about a teaspoon per batch of 10 brownies, which are large enough that theyre not meant to be eaten in one sitting.

I find that if I try to increase more actual charcoal, it makes it not delicious, Mack said. It absorbs the moisture. The more activated charcoal you add, not only is it harmful to the customer but its also not a delicious brownie.

Born from a broken heart, her first activated charcoal brownie recipe was crafted for Valentines Day and paired with a charcoal cocktail at R. Bar in the Remington food hall.

My whole process was thinking just like when people are heartbroken they turn to sweets and indulge in that way, she said. If youre trying to get over a lost love that you have, it can kind of detoxify your body of unwanted feelings.

Because charcoal and other trendy ingredients are present in small doses at bars and restaurants, Paul Thomas, a scientific consultant for the Office of Dietary Supplements at the National Institutes of Health , said they dont make the foods and drinks healthier for those who indulge.

In the broader sense of consuming these foods with these added ingredients, do they help to enhance health or make the food or drink like if its a dessert or a very sweet sugary drink you know, a little less bad for you? No. Almost certainly not, said Thomas, who is also a registered dietitian nutritionist.

They are an effective marketing tool, though.

Sometimes these ingredients are added to give kind of like a health halo to the product to people who are kind of susceptible to those kind of claims or promotions, and its also sometimes a way to charge more for the product, Thomas said.

Lefenfeld said he uses ingredients like charcoal in part to appeal to health-conscious customers, while prompting curiosity from others.

For customers, seeing the word charcoal on a menu can be more off-putting than the dark coloring of the items themselves. Some customers are more familiar with charcoal in an emergency room setting because it can be used to detox patients in hospitals.

Matthew Akman, a 32-year-old attorney, said he had never tried food with charcoal in it before sipping the Dark Knight at Minnow, and was not aware of its reputation as a detoxifying substance. Akman tried the drink after Lefenfeld recommended it, and said he would go back to Minnow for the cocktail alone.

I was kind of blown away by the creativity aspect of it, he said. It almost tastes more of like a summery drink, and it looks like something someone on Game of Thrones would drink.

Some additives, like turmeric, are more effective than others. DAdamo said the yellow-orange spice can have anti-inflammatory benefits in small amounts. It works best in foods because it is fat-soluble, and is even more potent paired with black pepper.

You dont need massive doses to get some benefits, he said.

Turmeric is among the spices and superfoods restaurants in Spike Gjerdes Foodshed group have been incorporating in its foods and drinks. Andrew Nichols, now bar manager at Sandlot, previously worked at Woodberry Kitchen, which is also owned by Gjerdes group, and said the restaurant group began using turmeric more often in the winter because its high in vitamin D, which can help combat seasonal depression.

We added a golden milk latte onto the Woodberry menu, and turmeric kind of spread into the cocktail program from there, he said.

The lattes, first popularized on the West Coast, combine turmeric paste with milk and coffee or tea. Charmingtons, on the border of Remington and Charles Village, also offers a golden milk latte, and Blk // Sugar served the beverage during the winter.

Heading into warmer months, Nichols developed the Fire on the Mountain cocktail at Sandlot using turmeric primarily for its bright color.

I wanted to create a savory, spicy smoothie that had booze in it, Nichols said.

Named for a Grateful Dead song, the blended drink incorporates Baltimore Whiskey Co. Shot Tower Gin, plain yogurt, turmeric vinegar, turmeric powder, honey, fire bitters (made with four types of spicy peppers, black pepper and coffee) and chili pepper jam.

Opposite the color wheel from turmerics sunny tinge sits the deep blue-green of spirulina, another flashy, if not eyebrow-raising, ingredient making inroads in Baltimore eateries. The superfood, a type of algae, comes powdered and is often used in smoothies and juices. The plant has gained traction for its richness in micro-nutrients, including chlorophyll and carotenoids, which give it its intense hue.

Its also the ingredient that gives mermaid toast and other mythical Instagram foods their blue-green tint.

Spirulina is another supplement that can have benefits in small amounts, DAdamo said.

One World Cafe in Tuscany-Canterbury, Liquid Earth in Fells Point and Zias Cafe in Towson serve spirulina as a smoothie additive. And Plantbar, which has a location in Belvedere Square Market and is opening a second in Harbor Point, also offers it as an additive in juices and smoothies.

Mack said she even tried her hand at spirulina pie but didnt end up selling it at her bakery.

Popular supplements change rapidly, and DAdamo said he sees the trends in such ingredients driven from two sides: human needs and research.

Despite eye rolls and mutterings of being hipster, Mack said she hopes the presence of healthy supplements in her foods opens her customers minds and encourages them to do their own research.

We make our stuff for anyone and they dont even really know it yet, Mack said. Were there to try to open everyones minds a little bit more when it comes to food and exploring food options, and starting a larger conversation.

smeehan@baltsun.com

twitter.com/sarahvmeehan

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Trendy health ingredients give restaurants' menus an extra kick - Baltimore Sun (blog)

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Category Archives: Food Supplements

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Vitamin D: Are You Taking More Than is Good for You? – TAPinto.net

The PCOS Treatment Doctors Don’t Tell You About – HarpersBAZAAR.com

Dietary Supplements or Unapproved Drugs? – ModernMedicine

Lighthouse Church offering free food – Your Daily Globe.com

Trendy health ingredients give restaurants’ menus an extra kick – Baltimore Sun (blog)