21 results found for: ashwagandha

Where To Find Some of My Exotic Ingredients

By Grace O Because of FoodTrients, I have made it my mission to find herbs, fruits, vegetables and plants from all over the world that pack a lot of nutrition and age-defying benefits.  It’s been so rewarding to introduce some of the foods and ingredients I grew up with in Southeast Asia like moringa, yuka/cassava, jackfruit, ashitaba and others. It’s also been a great adventure for me to learn about new superfoods from around the world like baobab, reishi mushrooms, ashwagandha and more. I’m very fortunate to live in southern California where so much produce grows. It’s a melting pot […]

The Best Herbs To Fight Your Stress

By Ginger Hultin, MS RDN CSO Stress: a multi-factorial problem for so many as we move through a busy and sometimes chaotic life. Under stress, the body has to adapt by altering a variety of hormones and making adjustments in blood pressure and other regulations. Stress could be emotional or mental – imagine a work deadline, relationship problems, or balancing money or family priorities. Stress could also be physical – toxins in our environment, an unhealthy diet, chemical exposure from cleaning and body products, or air pollution. Some stress is good; for example, physical activity challenges the body and helps […]

A Little Help From My Friends

Friends and faith help get me through all of the big and small stresses in my life.  I spend time every day meditating, praying and reflecting on all of the blessings I have in my life. Every day I think about how grateful I am to have so many loving friends in my life, and to have such joy in my work. Stress is a serious threat to our health whether it’s emotional or mental. Chronic, long-term stress can wreak havoc on the body’s systems, causing imbalance. So what can you do? One way to combat stress is to look […]

Nibbling Our Way Though the Natural Products Expo

If it’s March, it must be time for Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim, CA. Billed rightfully as, “the the world’s largest natural, organic and healthy products event.” Along with the FoodTrients team, I once again took to the miles of aisles and the more than a million square feet of exhibit space at the Anaheim Convention Center to find the most significant trends. This year’s show was the biggest in the 37-year history of the Natural Products Expo—estimates of 82,000 to 85,000 attendees (vs. 77,000 last year) and 3,100 exhibitors, including 500 newcomers. As overwhelming as these numbers can […]

Plants That May Help Boost Sexual Performance

The earliest humans used plants for medicine as well as for food. By medieval times, people were making huge amounts of money trading spices around the globe. People wanted to make their food taste good, of course. But the perceived medicinal benefits also were extremely important. According to author Jack Turner, “In the medieval mind, spices and medicine were effectively one and the same. Not all drugs were spices, but all spices were drugs.” An 11th-century monk named Constantine wrote that ginger, cinnamon, galangal (a root related to ginger) and pepper could be used to treat impotence. Indeed, the search […]

What’s New, Delicious, and Coming To a Store Near You?

March marks the last gasp of winter months and the long-awaited annual Natural Products Expo West, the “coming out” party for new products.  So once again, the tireless FoodTrients team made its way up and down the miles of aisles at California’s Anaheim Convention Center. The Expo was held from March 8-11 and we were there to discover (and taste) new natural products and uncover the latest food trends. This event showcases over 3,500 exhibitors, of which 600 were there for the first time, hoping to sell their products into stores across the country. These consist of manufacturers, marketers, and […]

Can Supplements Truly Lift Your Mood?

Mood is one of those human experiences that’s difficult to quantify, tricky to change. You know when you’re in a good mood and when things are sour. But what’s at work physiologically in determining your mood? Can transitory events, like a baby shower, cause mood swings? Can you change your mood with a simple shift in outlook? Can supplements help? When it comes to shaping your mood, it might help to think of it like building a house; you start by fortifying the foundation with more bricks and mortar. For the brain—your body’s cornerstone—that means fat. The brain is composed […]

doing yoga

Simple Health Hacks To Get You on Track

Life can get in the way of you doing the things you know you should do to be healthy. Luckily, there are simple hacks you can try to get back on track and stay there. As a person who prioritizes wellness, you already know you should prioritize healthy foods, stay hydrated, move your body often and get plenty of sleep for optimal health. But following a healthy lifestyle is a juggling act full of distractions and diversions. Sometimes you drop the ball on healthy habits. You may have to work through lunch and end up eating from the vending machine. […]

Cheers to the Top 50 Foods for Happiness

  Did you know that food can actually play a role in your mood and happiness levels? So many people live with restricting many foods or feelings of guilt or shame surrounding eating. Others may not get the nutrition they need to fuel the pleasure centers in the brain (think serotonin production), keeping mood stable. The brain uses a full 20% of the calories you take in so fueling it is absolutely critical. Foods that contain compounds like zinc, selenium, B6 and B12, magnesium, omega 3 fatty acids and antioxidants have proven links to brain health and even mood, which […]