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“People of the past obtained a substance that modern generations do not have” -Weston A. Price

Traveling the world in search of the secrets of optimal health and immunity, Dr. Weston A Price noted a radiant wellness and unmistakable brilliance in the indigenous peoples of cultures unexposed to a modern diet. After a decade of carrying out the most compelling cross-cultural research around the globe, Price conducted groundbreaking research in his laboratory where he was able to pinpoint particular nutrients responsible for this remarkable robust health. It was through this detailed analysis that he isolated a critical unnamed fat-soluble vitamin he called the X-Factor or Activator X. For years people have searched for this mysterious super nutrient, desirous of its health-giving potential. Well, it turns out the X-factor now has a name: it’s vitamin K2.

The "low fat" movement made its debut on national television in 1956 when several American Heart Association doctors conducting a fundraiser encouraged their audience to replace traditional American foods with boxed cereal, margarine and vegetable shortening. At this time we waved a tragic goodbye to breakfast as it should be: no more protein-dense eggs, bacon simmering in the pan, slowly baking soaked grains and fresh vegetables tossed in a coat of delicious shimmering butter. An era had ended. Now we are pushed towards heaping bowls of sugary cereal drizzled with low fat milk, bulky bagels slathered in commercial cream cheese and scrambled egg whites plopped over toast- or nothing at all. Are these really the "healthy options" we are looking for? September is National Breakfast Month, marking a time for all of us to reconsider breakfast and get back to some of the traditional kickstarter foods our bodies deserve.

Are you vitamin D deficient? This is a hot question in the health field these days, with experts estimating that between 70-90% of individuals living in the United States and Canada are deficient in vitamin D.  Out of fears of "dangerous rays," we have been trained to be a sun-phobic culture slathered in pasty sunblocks and flaunting gargantuan floppy hats every time we peek our heads out the door. It seems we have paradoxically worked our way into completely blocking out our most valuable source of vitamin D: the sunshine! This realization has sent those in the health field into a tizzy, resulting in a flurry of ground-breaking research about vitamin D and a new line of synthetically made supplementation products to fix this deficiency. With studies exploring the sunshine vitamin's importance in preventing a myriad of conditions from bone fractures to cancer to depression, there is a an article released about its usefulness nearly everyday. However, despite this paradigm shift, vitamin D levels remain low in many individuals. Why? Perhaps it is time to consider the mechanism of this unusual vitamin and realize that like all nutrients, it certainly doesn't work alone.

8 out of 10 individuals consume artificial sweeteners daily and many people don't even know it. From aspartame to saccharin, many of these chemical sugar alternatives are being guzzled down in popular flavored waters with the idea of "diet" in mind. Earlier this week we talked about the risks around artificial sweeteners and confirmed that they are not so sweet after all. If you are looking to add some excitement to plain water, homemade organic flavored waters are one of the most inexpensive and simple things to create in your kitchen. By crafting your own herb and fruit infused water, you can ensure that the ingredients you use are real, fresh and organic, with drinking water that is pure. Did I mention that these infusions taste better than anything you could find at the store too? Enjoy a twist on water without the plastic bottle and chemical aftertaste. 

We rarely go a day without seeing them- stuffed into car cupholders, slung into messy gym bags and placed neatly at the edge of office desks. With sodas slowly following out of the spotlight, flavored bottled water is everywhere- finding its way into all parts of the consumer’s day. Now, with clever multimillion dollar marketing initiatives bursting into a colorful array of fancy enhanced waters bulked with “energy boosting” electrolytes and sophisticated flavor combinations touted for their “still natural” appeal, there are more fancy water options available than ever before. Flavored waters are loaded with nasty artificial sweeteners and ineffective synthetic vitamins all of which increase their already soaring price tag while increasing thirst, stimulating appetite and posing some other significant health risks. So, what makes flavored waters so sweet?

In the United States, we tend to think of algae as something that we peer at through microscopes during 4th grade cellular biology lessons or as the morphing clouds of green goop that creepily touch our toes when we take a dip in the lake. While often dismissed as an unimportant nuisance, algae are in fact a fascinating group of microorganisms, which use the simple components of sunlight, carbon dioxide and mineral water to robustly sustain life and reproduce at incredible rates. They are in essence, nutritionally complete microcosms of the energy systems that support us all- a blueprint for life as we understand it to be. In many cultures around the globe, different types of algae are revered as sacred superfoods, enjoyed as a spread over tortillas or dried and served with grains and vegetables. Yet with their somewhat elaborate, scientific-sounding names and vibrant green coloring, these algae superfoods can be alienating and confusing to American consumers. With so many algae products available on the market today, which do you choose? Let’s take a look at two of the most heavily researched products on the market today chlorella and spirulina, so that next time you find yourself dizzily clicking through pages of research on green supplements, you have some context to go by.

It’s a fact that is gross but true...all humans produce some amount of sweat and body odor. Starting in the gloriously awkward, braces-wearing days of puberty and on into later adulthood, we are taught to dutifully fend off any offensive underarm smells by smearing on globs of odor-fighting antiperspirants and deodorants. However, despite their common use, these odor-fighting personal care items contain a shocking amount of toxic substances and irritating chemicals that are really just not worth the trade-off. So next time you are searching for a stench-eliminating weapon, try making your own natural deodorant with coconut oil instead. Inexpensive, strong and long-lasting, this wholesome alternative is quite effective and can actually be fun to make. Who ever imagined that “deodorant” could ever be used in the same sentence as “fun”? 

There are few things more blissful than sitting in scrubby patches of mountainside blueberry bushes and gingerly scooping up their tiny multi-hued blue fruits into your palms. This year, as we retreated slowly from our annual late August blueberry-gathering trip surrounded by the dipping rays of an early evening sun, I decided there were few other places I would rather be. The same excitement struck when we arrived home and, unloading the berry-filled containers from our beat-up backpacks, went about cheerfully reviewing the endless possibilities for blueberry-themed culinary experiments. For an innovative spin on the traditional blueberry muffin, we decided to try this No-Sugar Blueberry Muffin recipe from our newly added book by Dr. Bruce Fife, Cooking with Coconut Flour. Pleasantly buttery and bursting with flavor, this delicous gluten free alternative is easy to make even if you are new to baking with coconut flour. And if you didn't get out to pick wild blueberries this season, these tasty native fruits are still in season at many farmer's markets and local stores to savor while they last.

Are you exhausted by the scrambled mix of odd flours, thickeners, harsh additives and exotic gums that are often called for in gluten-free recipes? Sometimes it seems as though gluten-free cookbooks, though charmingly organized with their neat black type and enticingly glossy photos, are nothing more than a daunting list of mysterious ingredients. Drowning in the sea of gluten-free alternatives offered on the market today, it can be difficult to decipher which products are actual nourishing “real foods” and which are synthetic marketing ploys meant to cater to the "trendy" gluten-free market. The confusion is understandable- many of the wheat alternatives offered are extremely high in carbohydrates, cruelly bleached, heated or otherwise processed, and many contain irritating soy products. What are we to do? Radiant Life is proud to introduce a new gluten-free addition to our product collection: coconut flour. This refreshingly simple and mouth-wateringly delicious natural wheat alternative may be just the inspiring ingredient you have been searching for.