New and Noteworthy

Here you’ll find the newest products on our shelves.  Each has been selected to meet a stringent set of criteria.  Products at Harvest Market must really earn their shelf space.  We are always open to product suggestions- please let Customer Service know what you love and we’ll see what we can do for you.

Priti NYC: We searched a long time for nail polish with cleaner ingredients that performed like nail polish of yore.  Priti NYC fits that bill.  The Priti remover even smells “priti” good.  (Sorry!  Can’t resist a pun, even a bad one.)  Find really beautiful, bright colors perfect for summer, like blue sage (link includes ingredients), at Customer Service near Dr. Hauschka and essential oils.  We’d love to know the colors you want for Fall, please drop a line so we can continue to bring in your favorites.

 

 

 

Salus Red Beet Crystals:  Fresh, organic beets are harvested, pressed, and bottled in the same day at Salus Haus.  The instantly-soluble crystals that result from this simple process include most of the benefits of fresh beets: liver and detoxification support, blood pressure and circulatory support, muscle support during exercise, with naturally occurring Vitamin C and iron- all without preservatives or additives of any kind.  When we added Red Beet Crystals to the new Vega smoothie powders in our blenders last week, the combo tasted like strawberry milkshake.  Putting the power of beets to work for you is easy.

 

Vega and Vega Sport protein and energy supplements: super-clean, plant-based nutrition designed for performance.  Vegan, gluten-free, and soy-free, with protein, fiber, superfoods, and healthy fats.  As always, free of artificial ingredients of any kind.   Smooth and delicious- nothing but great reviews from staff and customers so far.  Many mix easily with water.  The Sport line was created by professional Ironman Triathlete and best-selling author on plant-based nutrition Brendan Brazier for nutritional support before, during, and after your workout.  All Vega products enjoy an introductory special of 25% Off into July.

 

Barkable Bites: the newest healthy dog treats on the block are locally made, delicious, and free of artificial ingredients.  Pets need real food, too.  Find these atop the pet treats shelf, across from our freezers.

 

 

 

Honey Stinger Energy Chews: These treats provide starch from tapioca and honey, balanced with fiber and a little protein to keep you going longer, no matter your sport.  Gluten- and dairy-free with no nasty additives.  See what Livestrong athlete and National road race champion Ben King has to say about Honey Stinger here:
http://shop.honeystinger.com/categories/Organic-Energy-Chews/.

 

 

 

Therapik: Therapik is based on a very simple, scientifically proven principle. Most insect venom is thermolabile (sensitive to heat). Therapik’s patented technology delivers heat in the specific temperature range necessary to neutralize the venom from over 20,000 different species of insects and sea creatures.

There’s no way we can suggest that thermo technology may help deter the transfer of lyme after a tick bite, and we don’t intend to make that assertion.  We can, however, direct you toward this information (and this information) about infrared technology and lyme disease, to draw your own conclusions.  Every option is worth a shot in this area.

 

Nicobella Chocolates: Made with organic, Fair Trade chocolate and other real food ingredients such as almonds and coconut.  Nicobella are antioxidant-rich, gluten-free, soy-free, and vegan.  Find them right next to the Queen Bee chocolates in the case at the checkstand.

 

 

Andalou Naturals: Fruit stem cell science in hair spray, citrus cleansing gel, exfoliating peel, and lemon sugar facial scrub.  Find the new skincare lines on the shelves between books and kids’ care.

 

 

 

 

100% Pure: Health food for your face.  Try body wash, body scrub, hand wash, cleanser, toner, face scrub, mask, body cream, hand cream, seaweed, lip butter, sun repair cream, or eye cream.

 

 

 

 

 

Nubian Heritage: Indian Hemp & Haitian Vetiver or Goat’s Milk & Chai with Rose Extract.  Shea butter shows its stuff mixed with other gentle ingredients.

 

 

 

 

 

Bhaktiveda: Tulsi is long known for soothing the stress-response systems in our bodies.  Apparently it works for skin, too.  Especially good after-sun.  Let us know what you think!

Transform Your Health: Fitness and Supplements

Warm weather means outside activity.  Whether you stretch in the garden, walk the dog, run, bike, swim, or stroll around the neighborhood, this month Harvest Market supports your fitness goals by looking at the foods and supplements you need for best performance.  Each individual has the power within themselves to create optimal health, and everybody can exercise.  By working within your current limits and gently stretching your comfort zone, your body can support and co-create your state of wellness long into the future.

Eating and supplementing for optimal metabolism and maximum fitness can be very simple: adequate protein, healthy fats, plenty of vegetables grown in mineral-rich, organic soil, great digestion, and the right amount of complex carbs help your organs run efficiently, as they are designed to do.  Over time, a diet mostly free of processed foods creates a healthy feedback loop between organs and hormones responsible for metabolism and muscle/fat ratios.  Quick-fix weight-loss supplements can jumpstart or encourage this process, but only food can create lasting metabolic stability.  Some supplements are even potentially harmful, and dubious claims abound.  Manipulating hormones to fake healthier states for bodybuilding or weight loss purposes (such as with HCG, which Harvest Market will never carry, or the popular Raspberry Ketones) perpetuates a state of distress and dis-ease.

So, how can you build metabolic health with so much pseudo-science and hype clamoring for your attention and money?  By knowing what nutrients your diet really does provide, and supplementing only with what you truly need to achieve a desired result.  Many fitness folks are familiar with the carbs-before, protein-after mantra.  Carbs are appropriate for intense workouts in which fat burning is not the goal, such as with marathon runners.  For example, Clif gel blocks provide carbs to keep the body from entering a ketosis state during prolonged exercise.  Most of us, however, live in a carb-heavy, protein-deficient state, and unfortunately, we’re not getting those fueling carbs from vegetables.  Determining the carb/protein balance that best suits your body is an individual path.  Our bookshelf is a suitable place to start.  Remember, the process of lasting change happens one meal or snack at a time.

Join us Monday, June 18 through Saturday, June 23 to sample protein shakes and electrolyte boosters that work naturally to aid your body’s recovery and rehydration process.  Saturday, June 23, we welcome the Vega line of top-notch, purely plant-based nutrition and performance supplements to our store, with samples 11am – 2pm.  On Monday, June 25, from 7-9 pm, Rick and Bob will host a free discussion on Responsible Supplementation.  Our goal is to empower you to know your own supplement needs, determine the appropriate form of supplemental nutrients, distinguish acute and long-term uses, and discover what “whole ingredients” in supplements really offer.  As always, we love to hear and share what foods and supplements work hardest for you.  See you this week.

On Dandelion, friend to your liver and much more.

This Spring at Harvest Market we take a look at liver health and its role in allergies, digestion, and skin conditions.  Fortunately, nature provides a liver tonic at the right time to cleanse, outside our back doors: the humble dandelion.

Dr. Cynthia Crosser discusses liver health Thursday, May 3, 7 – 9 pm.  This free talk will arm you with new understanding of liver support and detoxification.  Saturday, May 5, backyard herb-walkers will meet at the store at 10:30 am, then ride over to the Longs’ homestead for a free herb walk with Emma Long, sponsored by Urban Moonshine.  If you don’t use Facebook, details for both events can be found on our calendar.  Look for features on liver health in-store, too.  Modern commerce has made it simple to bring liver-boosting herbs into your life, whether in tincture, tea, or stir-fry form.  (Please note: these resources were chosen for accuracy and sensibility.  However, it is never out intent to diagnose, cure, mitigate, or treat medically defined “disease.”  We hope that changes to food and lifestyle will improve dis-ease you may experience before it becomes a medical condition and seek to point out the information available.)

On Dandelion

Shared by Jovial at Urban Moonshine

You may see them as weeds, but I invite you to take a second look at dandelions from an herbalist point of view. In fact, this common weed is a welcome sign of spring for locavores and herbalists alike.  First the green leaves poke through the dark wet earth, then the cheerful yellow flowers spring forward to the sunshine.  The whole plant is a prized springtime edible as well as a bitter medicinal tonic.  Dandelion and other bitter tasting herbs are excellent for the digestive system.

Tasting the bitter flavor sparks the digestive system and encourages the release of bile, digestive enzymes and other gastric secretions. Why is that so?  Well, think about it- since the beginning of time up to around 150 years ago we foraged for much of our food, ate off the land or out of a garden.  Prepackaged sweet and salty supermarket food? Not so much. That is basically a radical experiment being undertaken by our generation.  What grows in the garden, wild in the woods and fields?  Bitters tasting plants-bitter greens, bitter barks, bitter berries, bitter roots — our traditional diet was full of bitter foods and we have evolved accordingly. In a way human beings are built on bitters! The flavor of bitter to the taste buds equals FOOD!  Time to eat! Time to digest!  Bitter is literally “sexy” to our digestive system, it turns it on, juices it up and gets it ready to rock. By eating bitters around or with a meal we keep our digestive system in a state of engagement, excited and challenged. Try a bitter green salad, or chomp down on a fresh dandelion green from your yard as you walk up to the house after work or check our Urban moonshines organic digestive bitters.  There are many ways to get bitter taste into our everyday diets.

The root of good health is great digestion. The stronger and healthier your digestive system, the more nutrients you will receive from your food and the less digestive drama occurs around mealtime.

Dandelion root is also known as an effective liver tonic with the ability to help the body in its detoxification process.  Dandelion has a strong will and feisty spirit and will grow in the toughest conditions from a city sidewalk crack to a chemical-laden yard.  That strong will to survive is telling of the role it plays in its environment. Dandelion does a spectacular job of cleaning up toxicity in both the environment it dwells in and the human body.  Not to mention the joy it gives to children when they blow the white globe of seeds into the wind.  How smart of the plant to make it fun for people to spread its seeds!  Happy Spring.