**REVIEW** Thyroid Support from Zhou Nutrition

This right here...

... is the subject of today's post.

That's the Zhou Nutrition supplement Thyroid Support with Iodine.

There is a reason I applied to test out this product. Bear with me for the story.

Just over a month ago, I started experiencing some weight gain. This is after I had worked so hard to lose the first 40 of the 45 pounds that was my goal. The weight gain hit at a time when I was also dealing with more fatigue than I'm used to. I knew that I had not been eating well because I hadn't had much of an appetite. Mostly, I was living off of soup and bits of deli turkey meat. I hadn't been getting much green stuff in my diet other than some of the green food powder that I'd put into some gel caps.

My initial reaction was to start drinking more water and making sure to get some black strap molasses on a daily basis. Black strap had almost miraculously increased my energy levels before, then I had started slacking on my intake.

When my energy was still down after a few days (and was even getting worse), I too tired to deal with anything other than crawling out of bed for a few hours a day. The next symptoms were really worrying. Almost overnight, I started to develop patches of dry skin on the lower inner sides of both feet - the area just above my arch line. No other part of my body was dry or irritated.

I talked to someone I know who told me to try adding some iodine to my daily diet. And, wouldn't you know that I just happened to have some J. Crowe's  around.

As soon as I began adding a few drops of iodine to my water and coffee (for at least 3 cups of beverages each day), I noticed that the drying skin on my foot stopped getting worse. The itch was disappearing withing the first few days and it looked as if the skin was healing.

My primary doctor was absolutely no use at all. I checked with him about the iodine and explained why I was taking it. His answer was just not to take too much iodine. Well, done, my physician, well done.

I have an upcoming appointment with my specialist and I trust him with the whole of my life. I will talk to him then. In the meantime,  I am taking the Thyroid Support (with iodine) from Zhou Nutrition. Since the supplement includes iodine, I'm not taking the J. Crowe's right now. What I was interested in is the ingredients listed in the T.S. supplement:

Here is some general info about the various ingredients:

• Iodine - deficiency... in the diet... Wikipedia
• Magnesium oxide - Warnings/Effects...Wikipedia... benefits of
• Zinc oxide - skin benefits/uses... various benefits/uses...Wikipedia
• Selenium - chelated minerals in general...General info... Wikipedia
• Copper oxide - uses/warnings
• Manganese - Wikipedia... uses/warnings
• Molybdenum - uses/warnings... how it helps
• L-Tyrosine - uses/warnings... stress reliever?
• Schisandra Powder - uses/warnings... another 'super fruit' ?
• Ashwagangha Root - uses/warnings... benefits of
• Bladderwrack Powder - uses/warnings... benefits
• Cayenne Pepper Powder - cayenne powder vs pepper
• Kelp - General info...  general info/benefits

When I just glanced over some of this info, I could see how all the ingredients (or the blend) could help with clearing up some of the skin issues I was having. This is what my feet look like after just using the iodine for a few days. They are getting better and I hope they will be back to normal after using this supplement for a while.

Everyone who knows me know that I take excellent care of my skin. It's a vanity thing in a way, but it's also the one thing I've always been able to control. So... yeah.

I know that a lot of my symptoms indicate thyroid issues. I have never had such problems so I'm interested in the relief I'm getting from the ingredients in this supplement.

I received the bottle on Tuesday and, even though it was after 5 o'clock, I took one tablet right away., then I took another tablet just before going to bed (about midnight). The recommended dose is no more than 2 tablets each day. On Wednesday, I took my morning dose and started doing some freelance work. At around 3 or so, I realized that I wasn't so wiped out. I have no idea if the supplement is supposed to start working so fast. I can't remember what time I took my second dose on Wednesday, but I can tell you that I woke up this morning not feeling like I was going to die of fatigue. Of course, I'm not seeing any weight loss yet. To be honest, I don't care if the supplement doesn't help me lose weight. Now that I am getting some pep back in my step, I will be able to make it to the gym. I'm already more active around the house and my pedometer step numbers are way, way up from the past weeks.

I'm going to have to do more checking up on all the individual ingredients listed on the label of this supplement but, in the meantime, I am overjoyed at the resurgence of energy. Until you have dealt with extreme fatigue, it's hard to understand how much it impacts your life. For me, either the fatigue or underlying symptoms, had me feeling so depressed that I was scaring myself. I was sleeping like Rip Van Winkle and, even when I was awake, I couldn't function. I completely dropped off the radar with Google Plus, and I wasn't able to do any work on the revisions for my short story collection.

Today, I feel more alert and my depression is nearly gone. I'm actually getting more than one thing done. The past several days, I could pull myself together only long enough to update a review, post some photos, or pay some bills online. After I finished one thing, I'd take 2- or 3-hour nap.

In a few weeks,  I will come back and update this post but, for now, I just want to say how much better I feel. I can't say what this supplement will do for anyone else, but it's been (so far) life-saving for me. I mean that literally. If I'd had to go on any longer with the fatigue and depression, I was going to be dialing a helpline.

If anyone else has dealt with the symptoms I've mentioned, please let me know about your experience. I'm looking anywhere and everywhere for information because I don't think that my primary care doc pays that much attention to me when I talk about my concerns. I have been spoiled to having the best doctors ever and this new one is just not that impressive in my opinion. I want to hear from other "real" people who can relate to the symptoms I've had.

To close, I want to mention Zhou Nutrition's site. Many of their products are available via Amazon (which helps for those of you with Prime membership). A nice Plus is that their guarantee will accept even your empty bottle.

Peace
--Free



DISCLOSURE: I received one or more of the products mentioned for free or at discount in exchange for my fair and honest review.

**REVIEW** Ceylon Cinnamon Powder (Frontier Co-Op)

Here I am again, trying to do something natural and healthy for myself.

Years ago, I heard talk about cinnamon being good for you. I was never a big cinnamon fan. When other kids were eating cinnamon toast and cinnamon cereals, I was sticking to the plain stuff. I like the taste of cinnamon in very small quantities because the flavor is too spike-y or "hot" for me. You know me, when I do something, I go all out. Good thing I never got into the cinnamon craze when I first heard of it because the only kind I'd heard of was the most common types: Cassia and Saigon. Those are tasty (if you like cinnamon), but they contain something called coumarin. Too much of this coumarin can have a negative effect on the liver.

When more recently I started hearing about the health benefits of cinnamon, I did a little research. What I learned is that there is a cinnamon that has very little of the coumarin that is to be avoided.

You can see that the powdered Ceylon cinnamon is a different color than the kind we've grown up sprinkling on our toast. It's also a very fine (talc-like) texture.

Ceylon cinnamon is from Sri Lanka. Where the common type of cinnamon found in local grocery stores can have as much as 63 times more coumarin than the Ceylon variety. Big difference. Also, the flavor of Ceylon is milder.

Some of the claimed benefits of cinnamon in general and specific types of:

• Regulating the blood sugar
• Helping with weight loss
• Lowering cholesterol
• Treating yeast infections
• Anti-inflammatory & anti-oxidant
• Relief for depression
• Helps concentration and memory
• Good for the immune system

I just like spices and experimenting with new ones so I figured, why not cinnamon? But I had to find the Ceylon (or Cinnamon Verum) type. The one I could find that had good "ratings" and reviews from other users was this one from Frontier Co-op.

Let's go straight Pro and Con with this one:

PROS - 

• The brand source does have lots of good reviews from users.
• The size and price* is very reasonable (especially considering how little I need to use for a serving)
• The taste is amazing.
• Their website is wonderfully informative (about the company and user info)
• The company lists their contact number for questions (and they answer those questions)
• The company is a Fair Trade co-op (which equals ethics in sourcing).

*Note The price for this 1-lb bag was $18.57. I had to do a double-take when I saw the prices for larger quantities:

I don't think I'd ever need anything larger than the 1 pounder but, if I did, why wouldn't I just order 2 or 3 of the one I did buy? I mean, why does the price-per-unit go up on that listing???

CONS - 

• Not much info on label for new cinnamon users
• The powder doesn't "melt" completely, and...
• ... is very fibrous (which might also be a Pro)
• Country of Origin not labeled (you have to call)
• Amazon Product Page info confusing on C/O also
• Their website doesn't offer a lot of info on their products' pages
• No scoop included (okay - I'm being a bit petty)

Really, though, there's not much not to like about this product. Because I am a rookie at using this kind of cinnamon, I did have to do some searching. Since I don't plan to bake with this cinnamon, I looked into ways of cooking with it. For me, that's going to be limited pretty much to mixing this with other spices. I'll end up adding some to what I call my TCC spice mix (Tumeric, Curry, Cardamom) for seasoning meat and veggies.

What I will be using this a LOT for is as a beverage enhancer. 

Cinnamon and honey drinks are supposed to be great for weight loss. I think that's because (at least for me) they help reduce cravings and give a boost of energy. It's claimed that you can lost up to 5 pounds a week with the mixture. I don't know about all that. I'll have to let you know how that works out later. For now, I just love the way this tastes. 

I call this my "Cinnamon Sludge" drink. It's basically about 2/4 cup of the cinnamon powder, 2/4 cup of raw (filtered) honey, and around 4 1/2 cup of water. 

I boil the water and cinnamon (stirring it a lot), the I let that mixture cool down before I add it to my honey. (Remember that too much heat can leech some honey benefits.). 

When I add this to a container, I will let the "sludge" of the powder settle to the bottom so that I can sip from the clearest part. Every now and then, I shake the container, then let it settle again. From the photos, you can see the difference when shaken (right)  and then settled (left).

I don't drink all this amount you see at one time. What I do is sip from it off and on during the day (making sure to get some first thing in the morning and last thing before bed), adding up to about 1 cup per day. 

This helps me not have to make a new batchup every day. I keep the ready batch in the fridge in between drinking it. When I finish off this batch, I will add more cinnamon and honey to the "sludge" residue.

Here's the thing, since I gave up carbonated drinks a long time ago, I limit myself to coffee, water, honey-water and, every now and then, a bottle of juice. That gets boring and, sometimes, I am really tempted to buy a Dr. Pepper or Sprite when I'm at the store. The only thing stopping me is I can no longer finish more than a few mouthfuls of that stuff. Yew-ick! Having this cinnamon-honey mix is nice. If I want to drink more than a cup a day, I can always dilute it with more water.

Peace

--Free

**ApothaCare** The *Other* Honeys

When I started looking into the various types of honeys, I had no idea how far down a rabbit hole I was sliding. It's a nice slide. I'm learning more than I expected to.

Last post, I mentioned how pricey Manuka honey can be. I wanted to look at some other types of honey that might be just as healing.  One of the sites where I found so much good information is called Benefits of Honey. It's a pretty amazing source of information and it's where I first heard of these "medicinal grade" honeys:

• Tualang  (what it is, and compared to Manuka)
• Sidr (is apparently more difficult to find; this is a video comparison)
• Honeydew

I haven't found any of those at my local health food store, but I will mention them to the folks there. What I can find there is pretty varied, some of which are mentioned a lot in the online health communities:

• Neem (scroll down for it)
• Buckwheat
• Tupelo
• Sage
• Wildflower

And lots more, including those made locally (Fireweed is one I want to try).

Soon, I will get the chance to try out some actual raw honeycomb and even some Propolis Extract. Neither of them cost me anything due to a gift card, so... I can't wait to let you guys know all about that.

To close out this post, let me tell you how I have been experimenting with using honey lately:

• As a face wash: Mix a little bit of honey with a 1 or 2 drops of water. Rub between palms to warm. Apply to face (avoiding eye area). Let rest for 5-10 minutes. Rinse and use your usual moisturizer. I've done this for  about 3 days now after seeing it on Crunchy Betty. My face always feels good when I do a honey mask, but doing this every day gives some really good results. Don't know why I only ever did this on an every-now-and-then basis!
• As a lip healing salve: I get cold sores. Always have. I swear I think someone with a cold sore infected me as an infant! Mostly happens when I am stressed. I've been using really expensive (but highly effective) Abreva,, which I always keep on hand. The last time that I felt that itchy little tingle that indicates a sore coming on, I dabbed on some honey with a Q-Tip and just let it sit there like a sugary mole. Guess what? I never did have to pull out the Abreva as a backup. Hmmm.
• For intermittent/alternate day fasting: As I said recently, I need to fast more often. Since I got back to using the honey-water on a more regular basis, I discovered that I can fast for up to 18 hours every other day as long as I nourish myself with a little bit of honey. This is great because I had been fasting off and on, but never more than once a month (truth be told!). I guess all this discussion of my love of honey has inspired me. After the first couple of times, it gets easier to go for longer and longer periods. I started with 10 hours, then 15, then 18. Think about it, for around 6 hours of that time, I'm sleeping anyway. (I'll make sure to post more about this after I've been doing it for a while.) By the way, some people opt for setting aside days for "calorie restriction" instead of total fasting. Since I have, on some fasting days, ingested some light broth (in addition to my honey-water drinks), I guess I'm riding in the "calorie restriction" lane. You'll have to get in where you fit in, healthwise.

I'd love to hear from anyone who's been lucky enough to try some of these honeys. 

Peace

--Free

**ApothaCare** For the Love of Honey: Manuka Mania

In the last post, I talked about my love of honey and the various favorites I have. This post, I have to talk about one that I would just love to try:



Manuka honey is a prized type among honey lovers. While I do think it's a very potent honey (as far as its healing benefits), I've learned about other honey types that may be just as good. I'll be talking about those later. For now, on to Manuka and why it's such a big deal.

By the way, there is a bit of Manuka honey in the Antioxidant blend that I mentioned in the previous post, I don't know how much is in the blend, or how "active" it is. And by "active" I mean- Well, just keep reading and it will start to make sense.

The first place I looked for some info on Manuka honey and other types was WebMD, and this is what they had to say in part:

Looks like peanut butter, huh?

"But not all honey is the same. The antibacterial quality of honey depends on the type of honey as well as when and how it's harvested. Some kinds of honey may be 100 times more potent than others." (source)

Basically, it goes on to say that where most honey types are known for being protecting against bacteria and infection, as well as being anti-inflammatory,  Manuka honey (MH) and some other types of honey have multiple components that are beneficial.

As I mentioned in last post, I learned that one of the key components in honey is hydrogen peroxide.

Since I do love honey so much, I really wanted to see if I could find some that I could afford (like maybe in a sample size), and I did find some. One Seller on Amazon lists a reasonably-priced jar of Manuka, but... something about the wording on the label made me hesitate.

When I doubt, read the reviews! I'm really thankful to the other people who take time to review products online (whether "in exchange" for a product or not). When I checked reviews for the brand of Manuka I was thinking of buying, I noticed one that stood out. It was very informative and detailed. I'm not kidding when I say this reviewer did an amazing job of listing some things to look for when buying Manuka honey. I sure hope he/she doesn't mind my copying his comments to share because I love their reviews on the site (my emphasis on certain points).

1. It says UMF, MGO, or OMA clearly on the front of the jar
2. It says “Active” on it
3. It is packed into jars and labelled in New Zealand
4. It’s from a New Zealand company that is licensed to use the name UMF (which is actually a trademarked name), OMA, or MGO
5. It has the UMF, OMA, or MGO licensee’s name on the front label
6. It has at least a rating of UMF or OMA 15+ or more, or if it is MGO, then at least 250+
Apparently 16 is the highest rating that is naturally found. While there are manuka honeys rated above 20, I've heard that some companies artificially reach this lofty rating for marketing purposes, so I’m sticking with 16 and probably wouldn't go lower than that.
0 – 10 is pretty much just normal honey, and while ratings 10 – 15 are less expensive and have some beneficial properties, they don’t have as much as we’d like. I figure that if I’m going to shell out for honey that’s pricier than normal, I may as well go ahead and get the real good stuff!

 Now that is a super helpful review. It sure saved me from possibly adding the wrong item to my Shopping Cart.


You should definitely check out the full article on WebMD if you've been interested in trying (or learning about) Manuka honey. It even explains something else I was wondering about: what's up with the different types of ratings I've been seeing while browsing for Manuka honey. Remember what that reviewer mentioned about the ratings? Well, here's some clarification on that:

• MG =  methylglyoxal  which is an  found in most types of honey, but usually only in small quantities.In manuka honey, MG comes from the conversion of another compound -- dihydroxyacetone -- that is found in high concentration in the nectar of manuka flowers.The higher the concentration of MG, the stronger the antibiotic effect. 
• UMF = "Unique Manuka Factor" . To be considered potent enough to be therapeutic, manuka honey needs a minimum rating of 10 UMF.  (my emphasis)
• "Active" = Honey at or above the 10 UMF level is marketed as "UMF Manuka Honey" or "Active Manuka Honey."

When I checked around. I went back to the best source to explain the grading system for Manuka honey. If you're super-vigilant (or just nosy like me), you can go in and search for one of the many, many papers and reports written by researchers.

Of course, I can look lots of places for the claims about the power of Manuka honey, like here, but I'm still educating myself. I've contacted the UMF org for more information since using their search system for licencees was tricky. I'll keep you posted.

Now that thing is, I was really wanting to try the Manuka honey. Until I saw those Manuka prices at local health food stores and online. Yikes. If that honey really is as healing as is claimed, I'd need it to heal my pocketbook after buying any of it. I saw prices from $49 to $112 for anywhere from 4 to 8 ounces. Whenever I found a jar that was more in my price range (I saw one jar for around $30), I noticed that the rating was low (in the 5+ range).

I will wait until I can find a decent jar of Manuka that doesn't require me to go without any other groceries for a month! Probably, I will go ahead and get the same brand pictured at the start of this post. For one thing, I was able to check that Y.S. is one of the suppliers that is actually licensed and legit. For another thing, the price was decent for the 15+ rated honey.

Next post, I will talk about some of the honeys that might be as potent as Manuka honey. Stay tuned.

Peace
--Free

**REVIEW** Pinjian Home Gym Pedal Fitness Latex Tube Foot Elastic Exerciser

Because the snow up here keeps doing encores, it's tough for me to make it to the gym. (I hate driving on snow and ice.) Plus, it's just plain hard to get motivated to make it to the gym as often as I should.

You can bet that I was excited to try this:

It's a Home Gym Pedal Exerciser. Basically.

I was ready for it because I get a text alert for arriving parcels. I was suited out in my sweats and tennis shoes. And immediately ran into 2 problems. First:

No instructions. Not even a scrap of paper with stick figures. You have to go back online and find something...  If your internet connection is down, well, I guess the pictures on the box are supposed to be enough instruction. But did you really look at that photo?

Notice she has SHOES on

That chick is sitting on air and not moving at all. That was ZERO help to me. Also, I ran into another problem that the she's not having:

That's a regular highlighter just for perspective

Wearing just socks, my feet only barely fit into those peddle slots. No way am I going to get my sneakers in there. (Yes, I tried. It was embarrassing. One shoe got stuck and my little nephew gave me the side eye.)

On the product page for this item, the man is not wearing shoes. That's more honest.

Another problem I have with this item is materials. None of the parts feels cheap, but I worry about wear and tear. I really didn't want to pull that hard on the thing. Since there are no instructions or other helpful pieces of info -other than in the photos at the product page -  I can't be sure that I won't mess around and snap something. I was a little worried about the way the tension pieces hung unevenly.

That's not resting on anything,
just hanging straight down

Most of all, I keep coming back to the biggest problems with this: No instructions and those tiny peddles. I felt like a giant, trying to squeeze my size 7 1/2 dogs in there. (Okay, I wear an 8 now, but my tennis shoes run small...)


This is included on the product page:

Maybe I had the wrong expectations

                                 
I will say that I like the concept. I took off my shoes and tried playing around with this and actually managed to do some kind of "something". I can't call it 'exercise' because I was just improvising. At any rate, my socks didn't provide enough grip for me to feel safe about my foot not sliding loose. I mean, it was just barely hooked in the pedal anyway...

As far as the exercises shown above, I didn't feel comfortable doing anything but the "Hand Training". I don't need that one. I need the ones for my waist. But I'm worried about this thing snapping on me.

I really feel bad that this didn't work out. I was just too excited, I guess. Maybe someone else has managed to work with this and can send me tips. For now, the best I can say is that, for those who purchased this, there is this: "WARRANTY--90 days no hassle money back guarentee, life-time replacement warranty."

It's not often that I can find so little positve to say about a product I try, but this one is not up to snuff, IMO. Sorry, but this seems like the kind of thing I expect to find in the Dollar Store. It's not for me and I really cannot recommend it to my readers :-(

Peace
--Free




DISCLOSURE:
In exchange for providing my fair and honest review, I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only review products that I have personally used and can give an opinion of.

**Pre-REVIEW** Nature's Bounty Hair, Skin & Nails (UPDATED)

**UPDATE FEB 14**
I will take some photos when I twist my hair and take the polish off my nails. For now, after just about a month use of the supplements, I can report some things: 1) My nails are much stronger than they were when I started. The length is about the same because I keep them filed, but the strength is amazing. 2) My hair did SO well for the first couple of weeks. I didn't pay much attention after that, but I noticed about 3 days ago that I was washing out a lot of what looks like broken pieces of my hair. Kind of alarming, right? The thing is, I have dyed my hair so that could be the cause. Yesterday, I decided to stop the supplements and get back to my regular vitamins (minus the biotin). I want to see if I'm still getting hair breakage after a few days. 3) Last of all, I noticed that, while my skin is much softer to the touch, I also notice that I have some tiny bumps on my face - almost like a breakout or reaction to a lotion. Since I haven't changed anything in my face care regimen, I'm watching to see if laying off the Hair, Skin & Nails will make a difference. 

I will try to follow up soon and let you know.


Skin, Hair, Nails vitamins and supplements have been popular the past year. I never tried any because I 1) hate taking pills, and 2) take enough pills already. I recently changed my mind and decided to try the supplements. Because my budget (if that's what it can be called) is so tight, I had to look for a brand I trust at a reasonable price. Thank goodness for Walmart.

I chose Nature's Bounty Extra Strength Hair, Skin & Nails.

About $10 at Walmart ***

Although I paid just over $9 in-store, Walmart's online price is higher by a few dollars. This is a 1-month+ supply and just about what I pay for any other vitamins, so...

This is what I'm reading about this particular brand:

I'm not sure how well this "multivitamin supplement" is going to work for my hair, skin or nails, but since I have to take a daily vitamin, it's no big deal.

Today is Day 3 of taking the supplement. This is what my hair looked like this last night after I washed and twist/coiled it to dry:

Notice that this is the
"Extra Strength" formula

They look like pearls!

You can see the breakage

It didn't use to be this thin
in between the twists

My nails have always
been strange

(below is an updated photo taken 2/24/16)

I chopped all my hair off to start over

& will blog on that separately!

These, of course, are recent photos (from November/ December 2015) of my hair in various states and styles:

Nov (moisturized)
I like this the best, BTW

Nov (dry)

Dec (flat ironed)

I really do hope that these vitamins work because I feel better when I look better. My hair isn't awful (and not nearly as damaged as it was a year ago), but I would like it to be a little less dry and fragile. Hopefully (please, God, hear my prayer), I will be going back to work this year so some extra energy would be nice also.

When I told my niece that I was starting these supplements, she mentioned that a co-worker also tried a similar product and that her results were visible within the first week. Wow. Of course, I think the co-worker is younger (around 30), so that might be a factor. I'm not looking for miracles, but...

Anyway, I wanted to post the "Before" photo so that I can do a visual update down the road.

One last thing to mention: I have already noticed that my face and lips are much softer/less dry.

Peace
--Free

**REVIEW** Suja Organic (organic juices)

My weight has gone up. Again. Probably has something to do with the fact that I tried eating way through North Texas...





(None of those photos show my chowdowns at WhatABurger, ChicFilA, Jack in the Box, Sonic or the aisles of Kroger...)

The last week that I was there, I slowed down and tried eating healthier. I discovered a love for sushi (as long as it is cooked) and certain seafood is cheaper there in Costco. I took up walking because of the amazing trail system that is near my niece's house. By the way, I wish that more places had a color-coded system of walking/biking trails. I think that having such an even terrain and safe place to walk would be a huge motivation for people to get in shape.

As part of my diet, I tried to drink a lot more water. Also, I tried out a couple of juices that are new to me. This is the first one I tried out:

 It's "Sweet Beets" by Suja Essentials. I picked it up because I love beet juice and the other ingredients are nice. The one ingredient that I had never tried was tumeric. Because of the other flavors, I can't describe the taste accurately, but it didn't take away from the light and mellow sweetness of the drink. What it did do was, uh... "move" me. After just one bottle (which I sipped out of over about two hours), I was doing 'eliminations' like nobody's business. Really. Nobody needed to be involved with that.

I've been looking around for the same blend of "Sweet Beets" but can only find this one of "Berry Goodness" here in Anchorage.

Of course, I haven't yet been to all the local stores to look for the brand.

The only downer to this product is the price. In Texas, I paid $2.50 each for 2 bottles (because there was a store sale). In Anchorage I paid around $3.50 for the one bottle. Crazy, right?

Since I like the "Sweet Beet" brand, I plan to juice the combination of ingredients myself. As much as I like the brand, if I can't find a better price, I will probably only buy it once in a blue moon. BUT, for anyone who can afford it, the juice is pretty terrific. Both blends taste great and they aren't too thin or thick. I could actually use one as a meal substitute. Also, in the warmer weather, the juice was super refreshing and cooling.

Oh - speaking of meal replacement,  there is one other thing about these juices: the calorie content is up there. For the "Sweet Beets" it's 210 calories for a 12-oz bottle (plus 65 mg of sodium, 40g sugar and 49g in carbs). "Berry Goodness" is 190 calories (0 sodium, 36g sugar and 44g carbs).

Yeah.

Just like with most "healthy" juices, you have to watch the nutrition labels for the real story. I was only looking at the brand's hype label when I purchased the juice. They do have great hype.

I think that a lot of us focus on the 'organic' notice and ignore the breakdown of the content. There is good and not-so-good in the two juices I tried.

Plus side: "Sweet Beets" daily value is 90% Vit A and 4% of calcium (but only 1g dietary fiber and 2g protein).

The "Berry Goodness" values are high in Vit C at 42%, with 5% iron and4% calcium. Fiber is 2g and protein is 1g.

Since my body reacted to the "Sweet Beets" in ways that it never has to the other ingredients, I figured I needed to learn more about turmeric. I've only ever heard of it being used to season food. What I learned is that it does have a laxative effect. Also, I wanted to be aware of any possible cautions and side effects. I don't love that whole "stimulating the appetite" part!

Bottom line: I really enjoy the juice (at least the 2 I've tried), but the cost is up there right along with the calories. This is something that will be a splurge treat - maybe in place of a fatty coffee? - but not one that I can indulge often.

By the way, I have re-joined the gym and am working to be in top shape before the sun warms Anchorage again. That should give me ample time!

Peace
--Free


NOTE: I was calling the whole brand "Suja Essentials" but, as you can see on their site, "Essentials" is just one of a line of several types of juices. Sorry about that Suja!

**REVIEW** Greens Plus Superfood Raw

When I mentioned that I was finally getting some energy back and would try catching up on reviews, this is something that I believe helped a little bit:

I got it because I want to get rid of some of this "sad weight" I've put on. I actually should calling it "saddage weight" since it is from mood and age! Ha!

Greens Plus Superfood Raw was a bit of an impulse buy. I was strolling through the local Carrs/Safeway store's health food section, trying to find something that would help with the whole "I seriously need energy" thing. When I saw the GPSR, I recalled reading something in a forum about such "superfood" blends helping with the immune system. Another benefit I could use. With a $25 dollar price tag, the GPSR should probably come with a blender and some utensils...

I googled to see where else the product might be available locally for cheaper, and... No such luck. Since I haven't really done anything frivolous with the recent PFD money I got, I went ahead and splurged. Because I will return for refund if something I buy doesn't work for me.

What almost made me return it was what it looks like.

Yuck, right?

What made me give the first taste a try was remembering how yucky my wheat grass powder also looks. It's not as yucky as it looks, so...

Let's check the label one more time to see if I might be able to use this stuff:

That's a lot of stuff - green and otherwise. Of course, I had to Google most of the ingredients.

• Barley grass
• Wheat grass
• Alfafa grass
• Oat grass
• Dandelion leaf
• Stevia leaf
• Red beet juice (potential benefits & second mention)
• Spirulina (warning: annoying pop up!)
• Chlorella (first link and second)
• Dunaliella salina algae (what it is vs possible benefits)
• Nova Scotia dulse (love that the blog is just unfinished!)
• AppleBoost (dehydrated apple peel powder)
• Sambuzon acai berry ('Sambuzon' is the brand, Acai info.)
• Acerola berry juice powder (thoughtful info & health info)
• 2 probiotic cultures (link 1, link 2, and link 3)

Whenever I read an ingredient list like this, I realize how little I have lived, travelled or hung out with people who read nature magazines. 

You can check out the links to the various ingredients - or at least the links I found interesting - but I can tell you about the taste of this blend. It is not bad. Not bad at all. 

I'm pretty relieved about the taste because I read some of the Amazon reviews and, boy, some people went in!

While the taste is not bad, I hate the slight grit. Maybe if I blended the powder into a smoothie, it would be better, but I don't really have my own kitchen so that's kind of a hassle. I simply add the powder to about 8 ounces of any juice with a strong flavor of its own. Apple cider works best, but I also use regular apple juice. Yesterday, I added some to one of those sugar-laden aloe drinks and that didn't work out so well. For one thing, the powder clumped up with the aloe pulp. For another thing, too much sweetness. Ick. I will stick with the apple ciders and juices.

I think that blending this would help with the grittiness. For now, I just add a touch more juice to thin out the dregs. The taste would be pleasant if not for the grit. 

The suggestion on the label is to do 1 scoop,3 times a day. The first couple of days I stuck to that, but I forgot the third scoop until late last night. There does seem to be a bit of an energy boost - or maybe that's psychosomatic? - so I didn't want to use the powder so close to bedtime. However real the energy boost is, I will say that I don't feel so hungry all the time. 

My feeling is that this adds a lot of nutrients that I'm not getting (when I let my eating habits go downhill) so my body is not craving as much. Basically what I have been doing the past week is fixing a pot of pinto beans with seasoned ground beef and, throughout the day, eating four or five small servings with corn bread. Beans are fiber (filling), meat is good protein (and flavorful), and cornbread is, well... cornbread is just delicious.

I have just about 10 days before I travel. I'd like to not look like a half opened can of biscuits. My bloating is down (in spite of the beans) and I stay full longer.

So, if you are wondering about this product, I can tell you that it's really doesn't taste bad. It's probably yummy in simple smooties. Matter of fact, this might be great for when you only have some liquid and one fruit but want a smoothie as a meal replacement. ~shrug~

Finally, there is one HUGE negative I  see with this (other than the grit) is that it's sold by weight. I was  very disappointed at the cost when I opened the container and saw that almost  a third of it was just air. I mean, why the deception with the too-big container? That's something that will make me look around for a different brand next time.

Peace
--Free

P.S.: I didn't link to this brand because I am put off by the packaging. When I see a can that big, I expect more product for the money and the brands know that!