Well, it is about time!  A new site has launched that provides information and advice on finding the best organic supplements.  Guess what it is called?  Wait for it… Best Organic Supplements (BOS)!

Finding the Best Organic Supplements at Best Organic Supplements

Wow, that name is so easy to remember, even I will have a hard time forgetting it.  Best Organic Supplements has created a number of tests that they apply to any ingredient from any manufacturer.  By applying these quality test to supplements, BOS is able to certify supplements that pass the test as BOS Certified -

BOS Certified

What Does It Take to Become BOS Certified?

Basically, quality, purity and transparency.  Over on their site, you can read the exact method that BOS uses to select the Best Organic Supplements, but it is not rocket science.  They try to find organic supplements that have had very little processing and are completely transparent in how they process and make the supplement.  This means they provide full documentation to verify the claims on their site.

Learn More About BOS Certified Supplements

Head over to the BOS site and you will find some terrific information on great organic ingredients like Acai, Spirulina, Chlorella and Coconut Oil.

We spend a great deal of time hear talking about all the ugly things that go on in the supplement industry.  We have spent years trying  to expose all the acai berry scams and resveratrol scams.   We have exposed supplement companies for making supplements with unsafe fillers and flow agents.   After reading this blog for a while you could easily come away with the feeling that all supplement companies are evil!  Well, we finally have a story to report that will restore your faith in the supplement industry.

Perfect Aquatic Greens Gets, Well, More Perfect!

We have always been impressed by Perfect Aquatic Greens, a 100% Organic and Fair Trade Certified Spirulina and Chlorella supplement.  As far as we know this is the only supplement on the market that combines 100% Organic and Fair Trade Certified Spirulina and Chlorella in one supplement and uses absolutely no fillers, flow agents or other ingredients.  However, after noticing their listing on Filanthropists.Com we are no longer impressed by Perfect Aquatic Greens – WE ARE IN LOVE WITH PERFECT AQUATIC GREENS

Wait, What in the World is Filanthropists.Com ?

Filanthropists.Com is an incredible online mall where you buy things and a percentage of the money goes to support great causes.  If you have not already done so, you should check out the site.  A quick scan under health shows that the Perfect Aquatic Greens is giving 25% of the purchase price to the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF).   The EDF does some incredible and absolutely essential things – like making sure people have access to clear air and drinking water.

Yes, You Read That Right – 25% of The Purchase Price

I am about as cynical as you can get, so when I see supplement companies do things like “10% of the profits go to save the environment” I just roll my eyes.   Profits is very hard to define, they can claim their profit on a sale is only $5 and so then they just give 50 cents to the charity!

The way Perfect Aquatic Greens is giving money to the EDF is very real.  25% of the purchase price means if you buy 3 bottles (each bottle is $35.95 so total price on three is $107.85) they give $26.96 to the EDF on your purchase! Combine this with the fact that they already use Fair Trade Certified Spirulina and Chlorella and you see that Perfect Supplements is finally showing that supplement companies really can be incredibly positive!

Learn More:

Purchase the Perfect Aquatic Greens via Filanthropists.Com And Help a Great Charity

Spirulina

In the supplement and natural food industry, everyone is always trying to find the next big superfood.  Of course, there was the Acai Berry – a gem from the Amazon Rainforest.  Noni and Mangosteen are more tropical fruits that lay claim to being a super food.  However, not all superfoods are new and come from a tropical rainforest, in fact one of the healthiest superfoods has been growing in the water for 3.5 Billion Years!

Spirulina – The Oldest Superfood in the World

Spirulina is one of the world’s oldest plants.  The microalgae grows in both fresh and sea water and may be the most nutrient rich food in the world.

Here are some of the highlights on Spirulina:

• 65% Protein By Weight
  
• 97% Digestible Protein (beef is about 20%)
  
• A Complete Protein (contains all essential Amino Acids)
• 100x the Vitamin A of Carrots
• 50x the Iron of Spinach
• 10x the Beta Carotene of Carrots
• 7x the Calcium of Milk
• 6x the Protein of Eggs
• 3x More Iron Than Beef
• Excellent Source of GLA

If You Are Going To Space – Take Spirulina!

NASA has been studying Spirulina algae as a complete food source for astronauts.  In fact, NASA found that 1 kilogram of Spirulina contains about the same nutrients as 1,000 kilograms of ordinary vegetables! Are you starting to see why we are so excited about Spirulina?

When it Comes to Buying Spirulina – Buyer Beware!

We feel like a broken record on this one, but as with any other supplement – you really need to be careful when buying Spirulina.

Here are the 5 Questions to Ask Before Buying Any Spirulina:

1.  Is the Spirulina Certified Organic?

2. Is the Spirulina Tested and Certified Free of Heavy Metals?

3. Is the Spirulina Fair Trade Certified?

4. Is The Spirulina Grown in Pristine, Pesticide Free Water?

5. Do You Offer a 100% Money Back Guarantee?

If they can answer YES to all 5 questions – you have found a quality Spirulina product.

Perfect Aquatic Greens – The Best Spirulina We Could Find

As you know, we try to keep things non-commercial here, but it felt wrong not to share our research with you.  The Perfect Aquatic Greens product is the only supplement we found that could answer YES to all five questions above.  As a special bonus for Supplement Secrets Exposed readers – use Coupon Code “YearEnd10” to save 10% off your purchase.

Click Here to Order the Perfect Aquatic Greens

Learn the Health Benefits of Spirulina

We have a number of research articles on Spirulina on the PowerSupplements site:

Learn the Health Benefits of Spirulina

Nutritional Properties of Spirulina

Have Questions About Spirulina? Leave Us a Comment Below

Saturated fats are bad for you.  Food cooked in oil with saturated fat – also bad for you.  Don’t even get us started on Trans-Fat – that is simply evil incarnate.  If we all want to live long and healthy lives we simply need to switch to unsaturated fats – cook with Olive Oil and you are a shoe-in to see the 3rd Millennium roll in.

If Only the World Was Black and White

Life would be easy if all the above was true, unfortunately it is not.  As with most nutrition, figuring out the right fats to eat is complicated and filled with many shades of gray.  Sure, large amounts of saturated fats from animals is bad for your heart – no argument there.  However, saturated fats that are rich in medium-chain fatty acids have some positive health benefits. What oil is rich in medium-chain fatty acids? Coconut Oil.

Coconut Oil is Left for Dead By The Media and Medical Community

A few years ago the mainstream media made any oils that had saturated fat public enemy number 1.  We were told to replace all our Coconut and Palm oil with Olive oil.   In fact, at the time – the media was generally right!  Coconut oil was often processed by heating the coconuts and using chemicals to extract the oil.  The processing of the coconuts was killing off the positive nutrients in the coconut. Highly refined coconut oil was a saturated fat oil that no longer contained all the positives of medium chain fatty acids.

Coconut Oil Tries to Rise from the Dead

Over the last 6 months we have watched Coconut Oil try to rise from the dead and it is a pretty impressive zombie act.  The reason for the comeback of coconut oil has everything to do with new methods of processing coconut oil.  Today, companies are producing Extra Virgin, Unrefined, Cold Processed Organic Coconut Oil and guess what – it maintains the healthy nutrients of the coconut such as the medium chain fatty acids.

Extra Virgin, Unrefined Cold Processed Organic Coconut Oil

The above is certainly a mouthful to say, but it represents the gold standard of Coconut Oil.  Simply put, Mother Nature has created coconuts, which have some strong nutritional properties.  If you want to use coconut oil and have it still maintain all those nutrients that Mother Nature gave it – you need to find a coconut oil that has almost no processing done to it.

Products such as the new Perfect Coconut Oil are basically coconuts squeezed into a bottle.  They start with Organic Coconuts, cold press them to get the oil out and then put it in a bottle with nothing else added.  You could say that the coconut oil of today is not your Mother’s coconut oil!

Health is All About Moderation

We are not saying that people should start chugging down gallons of saturated fats.  There are still plenty of health issues from including a large amount of saturated fat in your diet.  What we are saying is that not all saturated fat is the same.  The saturated fat in Extra Virgin Unrefined Coconut oil has valuable nutrients like the medium-chain fatty acids (these are not found in high quantities in animal fats).  You can do your own research, but an argument can be made for including some medium-chain fatty acids in your diet.

Like Mark Twain – reports of the death of Coconut Oil may have been greatly exaggerated.

Additional Resources:

Learn More About Virgin Coconut Oil

When you think of whey protein you tend to think of body builders and people looking to “bulk up”.  The idea of drinking down 50 grams of protein shakes a day does not bring up images of people looking to lose weight.

New Study Shows Whey Protein May Help Overweight People

A new study done by Associate Professor Sebely Pal and colleagues from Curtin University and funded by Dairy Australia, evaluated the effects of whey protein supplementation on a number of health risk factors in a group of overweight or obese adults. What they found was that whey protein improved a number of health risk factors in overweight or obese adults.

“The subjects – 70 overweight or obese men and women – were randomly allocated to replace a portion of their normal diet with whey protein, casein or glucose for 12 weeks.

After the 12 weeks, the researchers found that the whey protein group showed improvements in their cholesterol levels, insulin levels, blood pressure and artery stiffness.”

- Dairy Australia Study – May 10, 2010

Is Dairy Australia Really An Objective Source?

We are with you – we had the same reaction when we read the story, however, the study looks like it is for real.  The study is set to be published in two peer-reviewed journals – Obesity and the British Journal of Nutrition.  Yes, it was only done with 70 subjects, but it does show that whey protein has more health benefits then we may have imagined.

Whey Protein – Not Just For Body Builders Any More

Is Whey Protein really some diet miracle  – no.  The study does not show people lost weight when using whey protein, but it did show that overweight and obese people who consume whey protein have less health issues.   It does seem that if you are looking to lose weight the idea of replacing a high calorie meal with a good whey protein shake can help you shed some pounds and reduce some of the health risks associated with being overweight.

It turns out Whole Foods must have a soft spot for whales, seals and penguins – as they have decided these animals deserve to eat their Krill!  Yes, seals and penguins are cute animals we can all connect with – those tiny, creepy shrimp like Krill – not so much.

Omega 3’s Good – Penguins and Seals Dying So We Can Eat Omega 3’s – Not Good

If you are reading this blog it is probably safe to assume you already know all about the positive health benefits from Omega 3 Fatty acids.  Omega 3’s can come from fish oils and they also come from Krill.  Krill are tiny little shrimp like animals that sit way down on the food chain.

Manufacturers in recent years have started to make Omega 3 supplements using Krill.  The advantage is that Krill does not have the mercury contamination issue that you can have when using fish for Omega 3 supplements.  In fact, Krill Supplements have become so popular that the krill population is being depleted.  As whales, penguins and seals basically survive by eating krill, there is a belief that Krill supplements are starting to hurt the whale, penguin and seal populations by drying up their food supply.

Whole Foods Bans Krill Oil Supplements

Whole Foods has decided to take action to protect the whales, penguins and seals of the world…

“Krill are an important source of food for marine animals including penguins, seals, and whales in the Antarctic. Declines of some predator populations in the areas where the krill fishery operates suggest that fishery management needs to better understand how to evaluate the prey requirements of other marine species in order to set sustainable catch levels for krill.

Consequently, at present we are choosing to discontinue the sale of krill supplements as we continue to evaluate this emerging research. Please consider alternatives to krill oil supplements such as fish oil or astaxanthin supplements.”

-Whole Foods Statement

In The Least Surprising Move of the Day – Krill Industry Denies There Is A Problem

Guess who disagrees with Whole Foods?  That’s right, companies that make Krill Supplements.  The industry points out that some Krill supplements are made with farmed Krill – so this has no impact on the food chain for other animals.  Others in the industry argue that Krill is harvested in a sustainable matter and is not having a negative impact.

We are not sure how this will play out,  perhaps Whole Foods is using its leverage to get more accountability for how Krill is harvested and to make sure it is done in a responsible and sustainable way.  If this is the case we say… way to  go Whole Foods!

Krill Say – “Looks Like a Lose Lose For Us.  We die either way!”

It must suck to be a Krill!  Whole Foods cares about penguins, seals and whales – but what about the Krill?  Let’s see, the supplement industry wants to kill Krill to make supplements.  Whole Foods says – don’t kill the Krill… let the penguins, seals and whales kill them!  I guess that is life (a very short life) on the bottom of the food chain.

We love fish oils.  Omega 3 fatty acids have some incredibly strong health benefits and we believe everyone can benefit from increasing their intake of Omega 3s.  So, it is very troubling to learn that a number of Omega 3 Fish Oil supplements have been found to have carcinogenic chemicals known as polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs.

PCBs, Fish Oil, California… Smells like a Lawsuit!

Yes, last week a lawsuit was filed in California Superior Court in San Francisco.  The lawsuit targets eight supplement manufacturers or distributors – CVS Pharmacy, Rite Aid, General Nutrition Corp., Solgar, Twinlab, Now Health, Omega Protein and Pharmavite – for alleged violations of California’s Proposition 65, which requires that consumers be warned about chemical exposures.

The plaintiffs claim that their initial testing found that levels of PCBs in supplements in popular fish oil products varied wildly, from about 12 nanograms per recommended dose in to more than 850 nanograms.   They claim that Proposition 65 requires disclosure of all non-zero PCB levels, so they are all in violation of the law.

Is this Really a Big Deal?

Yes – in a number of different ways!  First, Omega Protein – named in the lawsuit – is the world’s largest producer of fish oil, so this effects a huge amount of products.  Second, it really brings to the forefront one of the big secrets about the supplement industry – labels do not show exactly what is in the supplement!

You can make the argument that 12 nanograms of PCB is not harmful and the benefits of Omega 3s outweigh the dangers of 12 nanograms of PCB – but this misses the bigger point.  The issue is, should consumers know exactly what they are putting into their body. We firmly believe consumers should know exactly what is in their supplements and then they can make their own choices based on the facts.

Omega Protein Has Many Issues With the Lawsuit

Not surprisingly, Omega Protein disagrees with the allegations in the lawsuit.  You can read their Press Release -

Omega Protein Comments on Lawsuit

There are very valid points about how you test for PCB and exactly what Prop 65 requires.  In addition, a number of independent groups have stepped forward to say that their testing shows that fish oil supplements are completely safe and free of contaminants.

Fish Oil is too important of a supplement to see washed away with a lawsuit.  Our hope is that this lawsuit puts the spotlight on testing and labeling requirements more than on the safety of fish oil.    Anything that makes supplement labels more open and honest is a major step in the right direction.

Forget Resveratrol. Forget Acai Berries. No, if you want to turn back the clock on aging you need something new, something exotic, something like…. Whey Protein !?!? Yes this sounds crazy and maybe it is, but we recently read a piece that got us thinking there may actually be something to plain old whey protein helping with aging.

Telomere, DNA, Aging and Whey Protein – What is The Connection?

There are many theories of why we age. One popular theory is that as our cells age, we age. Cells are made up of chromosomes and DNA. At the end of the DNA is something called the Telomere. We start with a telomere that is about 15,000 bases long and by the time we die our telomere is 5,000 bases long. This is an amazing oversimplification, but the concept is – as our telomer shortens (less bases) we age and eventually die. So, if we could decrease the rate of telomere shortening we could slow the aging process.

The Whey Protein Connection

We think whey protein is a great way to increase protein intake and terrific for people looking to put on muscle mass. We never considered whey protein an anti-aging superfood until we read Dr. Mercola’s article (link at the bottom). It turns out that some studies have shown that increasing glutathione levels will actually slow telomere shortening.

As our cells need to produce glutathione, we can not just take a glutahione supplement. However, Whey Protein has the sulfur amino acids that your body needs to synthesis glutathione! The theory is, if you feed your body whey protein – you give your body what it needs to release an enzyme that stops the telomere from shortening.

1 Part Science and 1 Part Science Fiction

We want to be clear that this is just a theory, which while based on some sound science, could still turn out to be science fiction. There are a few to many “ifs” and “maybes” for us – but it is interesting. As whey protein is already considered a very strong supplement for many other health benefits, this would just be an incredible bonus to an already strong supplement.

Additional Resources:

Read the Entire Dr. Mercola Piece and Video Here. We have greatly simplified things here and he even has pretty pictures and a video! The end of the article is basically a commercial for his whey protein, but the rest of the article is very interesting reading.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/thejimmer/ / CC BY-ND 2.0

The Acai Berry is a beautiful little purple berry that grows in the Amazon Rain Forest. Resveratrol is a natural component of grapes that may help you live longer and healthier. Many people choose to use Acai and Resveratrol because they believe in natural foods over man made prescription medicines. This is why it is so sad to report that over 90% of the Acai and Resveratrol supplements on the market are probably made with genetically modified material!

One of the Darkest Supplement Industry Secrets – Magnesium Stearate!

As this blog is called Supplement Secrets Exposed, it seems only right that we are the ones to expose one the best kept secrets in the industry – the magnesium stearate secret! Go ahead and grab a bottle of any supplement you have in the house… don’t worry, we will wait….

Got it? Now take a look at the “Other Ingredients” listed toward the bottom of the label in tiny print. There is a 95% chance you are holding a supplement that uses magnesium stearate as a other ingredient.

What is Magnesium Stearate?

So what is this funny ingredient in almost every supplement on the market?

“Magnesium Stearate is the magnesium salt or stearic acid from plant or animal sources, which is a saturated fatty acid used as an anti-caking agent and as an emulsifier.”

-Don’t Eat Database

Wow, there are a few disturbing words in there – animal sources and saturated fatty acids. If you are a vegetarian and/or trying to limit saturated fatty acids – pretty disturbing to find out the magnesium stearate in your supplement may be made from animal fat! But it only gets worse…

Why Would Magnesium Stearate be Genetically Modified?

“This substance (magnesium stearate) is most likely made from genetically modified soy or corn. In the US over 80% of the soy and corn crops have been genetically modified.”

-Don’t Eat Database

Yikes! What this means is that while the Acai or Resveratrol in a supplement may be Non-GMO – the magnesium stearate can be genetically modified and therefore the whole supplement contains GMO.
Of course this is not limited to just Acai and Resveratrol supplements – any supplement that has magnesium stearate is going to have these same issues.

Avoid Magnesium Stearate – You Do Have a Choice!

The take away from all this – avoid supplements that have magnesium stearate. The only reason that supplement companies use magnesium stearate is that it makes it cheaper to encapsule the ingredients – there is absolutely no advantage for the consumer.

The good news is, if you look around you can find supplements that do NOT use magnesium stearate. One of the reasons we love the Perfect Acai and the Perfect ResGrape Resveratrol is that they have NO magnesium stearate.

Well, now you know the dirty little secret about Magnesium Stearate – let’s pass this along, let everyone know and let’s all say NO to Magnesium Stearate!

We have an Obesity issue in this country – so Weight Loss Supplements are sold as the solution to our weight problems.

We have an issue with drug addiction and crime associated with drug use, so the War on Drugs is our solution to our drug problem.

We have an issue with global warming and oil dependency, so Hybrid Cars are the solution to our energy problems.

Weight loss supplements, The War on Drugs and Hybrid Cars are all connected because they are presented as solutions to real problems, but they are actually flawed and failed solutions!

Why Our Solutions Don’t Address the Problems and Just Treat the Symptoms

We humans, we are a complicated bunch. We often do things that we know are not healthy (smoking, over eating, excessive drinking, drugs, driving too fast, etc) because there are deeper reasons why we are indulging in something we know is not healthy. I don’t think I am breaking any news here, we all know we sometimes act in a way that benefits us short term, but hurts us long term.

The problem is that when we come up with solutions to our problems, we only address that short term issue – and this misses the whole root of the problem. Let’s take a look at our examples again…

The War on Drugs

We have been waging a War on Drugs for over 30 years and addiction rates are still very high. The War on Drugs looks to address the short term issue – make it harder to buy drugs by reducing the supply of drugs on the street. The problem is, the real long term issues – why people turn to drugs, the issues in their lives that force them to want to do drugs (even when they know they are bad) and of course the chemical addiction – are not addressed by this War on Drugs Solution. In the end, the War on Drugs is a failed solution to drug abuse because it fails to address the deeper issues of why we use drugs in the first place.

Oil Dependency and Global Warming

If reducing our Oil Dependency was as simple as making hybrid cars, then we could cure obesity by making only small size clothes. Again, making Hybrid cars is great, but the solution has to lie in figuring out what it is in humans that makes us WANT to drive high powdered, gas guzzling cars. Short term – we know driving a gas guzzler is bad, but many of us still do even as hybrids enter the market. It is hard, but we need to dig deeper and figure out the root of our problems and not just treat the symptoms of our problems.

Weight Loss Supplements

This is a nutrition blog, so let’s look a little deeper at the whole weight loss supplements issue. Let’s assume that weight loss supplements actually were very effective and helped you lose some amount of weight. A major assumption, but let’s run with it. The problem is, dealing with getting our body to burn more calories is only a small part of the problem. The real problem is why we want to eat more than we should, or eat the wrong foods, or not exercise. It may be because we are depressed and food is a comfort to us. A weight loss supplement will not address the real problem – why we are depressed, why we are eating too much and why we are not exercising.

You might argue that it doesn’t matter why we are eating, if a weight loss supplement helps us lose weight, then we have a solution to obesity. I would argue at best we have a very short term solution to obesity. Once we realize we can pop a pill and lose weight, we will eat more – because we can and because we have done nothing to address the issue of why we are overeating. In addition, all the issues that come with overeating – diabetes, heart disease, etc – will still be present.

Obesity is a symptom of a larger problem – we need to address the larger problem.

2010 New Year’s Resolution – Figure Out Why You Eat

I get it – this sounds silly, but it really is more important than just saying you want to lose 10 pounds. We have sold weight loss supplements over the years and some really do help you lose weight – but strangely the results are very temporary. People lose their 10 pounds (treat the symptom), but the larger issue or why they are eating more than they should or why they don’t exercise is not addressed. Eventually their body adapts to the supplement, they don’t continue to see the same weight loss results and since they have not figured out why they eat, the weight goes right back on.

We really are not making light of this, it can be very hard to figure out why you eat more than you should or the “wrong” foods. In addition to mental aspects, there are real biological and chemical reactions at play in the body. However, once you can resolve the real reasons for your weight gain, you will have a much easier time solving the problem.

Let’s make 2010 the year we stop looking for quick fixes and start moving toward real long term solutions.