I don't take a lot of vitamins but always take this

I love a good green juice and enjoy taking healthy “shots” but when it comes to vitamins you may be surprised to know I take relatively few. If I can get a nutrient via food in a reasonable manner, that’s what I prefer. Some nutrients are difficult to get via diet and that’s why Evening Primrose Oil is one of my dailies.

Evening Primrose Oil contains a few types of fat,  the one it is known for is GLA (black currant seed and borage are in the same category) It’s a good (anti-inflammatory) omega 6, I know, I know it’s confusing. The important thing to note is that in many people the conversion to GLA is lower than others

Evening primrose is used for:

Skin: for conditions such as eczema and psoriasis but also for dry, itchy skin. Interestingly GLAs are found in breast milk and it’s been suggested that infant eczema seen after switching to formula may be because it lacks GLAs (please don’t ask me about EPO and infants).

Hair and nail health: EPO can slow hair loss (more so in women for some reason) and improve hair texture.

PMS symptoms- women with PMS symptoms often have imbalance of fatty acids and low (or undetectable) levels of GLAs.

Weight- in addition to GLA, Evening primrose oil (EPO) also has type of fat  (linoleic) found in safflower sunflower seeds that is linked to body fat loss.

I take the capsules from Barleans (1300mg total) 2/day but for serious skin conditions it’s suggested to double this amount.  These are organic EPO which isn’t easy to find. It’s suggested to take EPO (and most supplements) with food. Be patient though, it can take 8 weeks to really see a difference although I have to say in my first month taking EPO I noticed dry skin (backs of arms) and hormonal symptoms (pain/cramps) better. I think some studies that have concluded EPO wasn’t effective simply because the study duration wasn’t long enough. You can get GLAS from a couple of foods such as oats and spirulina…while spirulina in in my cabinet; it’s hard to consume enough. I don't know if everyone should rush out and start EPO but if one or more of the items listed above (skin, PMS) need addressing it's worth a try and can make a big difference.

Have you heard of EPO? Do you take vitamins? What are your dailies? 

Solutions to Holiday Problems Including Puffy Eyes

We’re closed next week and you know what happens right before you go away? Well if you’re like us, you start to lose it. As we outlined our December newsletter, holiday music coming our of our ears (nothing against holiday music), we joked about the 12 days of Christmas which morphed into the 12 days of Craziness and here you have it. For time’s sake I’ll work backwards. I suggest singing out loud it’s sort of stress relieving you know the tune…

On the twelfth day of Craziness, Foodtrainers gave to me

A gift certificate for January Foodtraining

“Peace of Mind” for patience waning

Oloves for the plane delay

Safslim so weight wont stay

Gluten free cookies for Santa ho, ho, ho

Pure Aloe Force to help me “go”

Hangover Tonic for after “highs”

Green tea ice cubes for puffy eyes.

Raw Reserve for portable green juice

Newtree for my sweet tooth

Astragalus for Immunity

AND A NUTCASE FOR MY NUTTY FAMILY.

The green tea ice cube tip came from our friend Valerie, founder of Odacite’ skincare. Odacite uses only the best ingredients (all organic no paraben nastiness lurking) I’ve mentioned them before in a skincare post. Recently, they sent out a fantastic email that Valerie gave me permission to repost (condensed a bit).  I love the combination of topical and nutritional solutions for our eyes which Valerie explains is the first place to show signs of aging (no kidding) so it’s important to start caring for eyes early. Find your eye issue and corresponding solution. Personally, I’m a puffiness/sagging hybrid.

Fine Lines, Crows Feet, Sagging

The Cause: UV rays, wind, cold, heat cause inflammation and diminish skin's elasticity. Repeated expressions (smiling, squinting) form creases.

Odacité Solution: Evening primrose, jojoba, and olive oils to hydrate and maintain flexibility. Pomegranate to support the skin’s underlying structure. Blue Green Algae contains powerful antioxidants hat will stimulate the renewal of the firming tissues.

Nutrition Help: Include a variety of brightly colored fresh fruits and veggies in your diet for a blast of antioxidants

Dryness

The Cause: The skin around your eyes is very thin and does not produce any oil making it extra prone to dryness and flakiness.

Odacité Solutions:  Hyaluronic acid attracts and binds water within the cells of the skin to bring instant hydration. Because hyaluronic acid is a naturally occurring substance found in skin, collagen and other areas of the body it is deeply absorbed with no risk of irritation or allergy.

Nutrition Help: Include nuts and seeds in your diet. One of my favorites is chia, with the highest nu source of omega 3s fatty acids of any seed. Chia seeds are also hydrophilic meaning they attract water.

Dark Circles

The Cause: Genetics, lifestyle, lack of sleep. Also the under-eye and eyelid skin gets thinner and more transparent with age, allowing bluish-red blood vessels to show through.

Odacité Solution:  Tea extracts and Tocopherols (natural Vit E) improve circulation, lessening bluish tones from blood - Aloe to speed healing - Blue green algae for its high Vitamin K content.

Nutrition Help: Eat foods rich in vitamin K, it helps fortify blood-vessel walls. The major source of Vitamin K is green, leafy, vegetables - kale, collards, spinach, and turnip greens are the highest.
Puffiness

The Cause: Fluid pools around the eyes while you sleep but should drain quickly after you get up. Persistent swelling may result from stress, lack of sleep, allergies that cause irritation, or a diet that promotes water retention.

Odacité Solution: Aloe vera to soothe irritated skin.  Calendula to reduce inflammation and redness.  Tea to diminish excess fluid.

Nutrition Help: Drink plenty of water and limit salty restaurant foods, caffeine and alcohol to reduce water retention.

Odacite has a fantastic eye cream for all of your (and my) eye complaints. The Ultra Effective Eye cream is super concentrated, yet very well tolerated by even the most sensitive skin. I contemplated never smiling again, based on what Valerie mentioned, but that will not work so until then Odacite says Happy, puff-free Holidays and is offering a Free eye cream + free shipping with orders above $120 if you use the Code FOODT. Offer valid for 3 days or until 12/23.

Do you use eye cream? What’s your main eye issue? What do you do to ameliorate it? Are you conscious of looking at ingredients in your cosmetics and skincare?

Happy Holidays, thank you for reading. If there’s any topic you’d like to see covered in the New Year, let me know. I’m off to mainline chia and aloe.