VitaBlog The Vitacost Blog: Views and News on Vitamins, Supplements and Herbs

Feeling Sluggish? Try an Energy Bar to Get You Going

Instead of reaching for another sugary soft drink or high-calorie candy bar next time you need a pick-me-up, try a nutritious, satisfying energy bar instead. No longer just for athletes, energy bars are available in a wide variety of flavors and geared toward many different needs (such as women's, low-carb dieters and more).

Although they're not a "magic" solution for fatigue, energy bars are often fortified with vitamins, minerals, protein and other nutrients that deliver a healthy boost to your body at a time when it needs it most. They're also convenient and inexpensive, especially when you buy them by the box.

Be sure to look for all-natural energy bars without artificial ingredients and additives. Vitacost has a great selection of bars and snacks at incredibly low prices, including Greens + Energy Bars with organically-grown soy, herbal extracts and more! We also carry popular brand names like Atkins, PowerBar and Clif.

Saw Palmetto Promotes Healthy Prostate Function

The extract of saw palmetto, a plant named for it razor-sharp, saw-like leaf stalks, is commonly used to promote healthy prostate function.

Benign Prostatic Hypertrophy (BPH), or enlarged prostate, affects more than 50 percent of men over age 60 and as many as 70 percent of men over age 70. The condition, which results in frustrating and painful difficulties with urination, may be caused by an excess of the hormone dihydrotestosterone (DHT).

Saw palmetto berries contain fatty acids and plant sterol believed to naturally support hormone metabolism. Studies suggest it may also help with symptoms such as urinary frequency, flow rates and volume. For prostate health, the recommended dose of saw palmetto is 160 mg, twice daily.

Choose from More than 350 Nature's Way Products at Vitacost.com

When you see the little green leaf on a vitamin bottle, you'll know the product is a high-quality formulation from Nature's Way®. Located in the mountain valley of Springville, Utah, Nature's Way® is one of the nation's leading manufacturers of all-natural vitamins, minerals, herbs and homeopathic remedies.

Offering more than 350 products, Nature's Way® stands behind its mission to "promote positive health care choices" by developing products of natural origin. The company also supports worldwide environmental programs, uses recycled packaging materials and sponsors alternative healthcare education.

Some of the best-selling Nature's Way® products available at Vitacost.com include Sambucol® Black Elderberry Syrup, Alive!™ Whole Food Energizer Multi-Vitamins, Fisol™ Fish Oil and more. To view our full selection, with amazing savings, please click here.

Enhanced Bioavailability Means You Get Supplement Benefits Faster

After you swallow a vitamin or supplement, it goes through your digestive system, where it's broken down, and eventually enters your bloodstream.

"Bioavailability" is the term used to describe how easily and effectively nutrients can be absorbed and used by the body. High bioavailability means a supplement is easily absorbed.

Sometimes ingredients are just naturally well-received; other times, manufacturers use special, high-quality ingredients to enhance bioavailbility. NSI® uses a black pepper extract, Bioperine®, known to significantly increase bioavailability of certain nutrients, in some of our new products. Look for Bioperine® in our new ToCoQ10™ formulations and our Turmeric Extract Curcumin C3 Complex.

Be Prepared! Have Freeze-Dried Food On-Hand for Emergencies

Better safe than sorry, the saying goes. With a pantry full of easy-to-prepare, freeze-dried foods, there will be no apologies next time you face an emergency!

Freeze-dried foods come in convenient, stand-up pouches and require only the addition of boiling water for delicious, hot, ready-to-eat meals in minutes. You might consider keeping a bunch on hand if you live in hurricane country, take camping trips, or just want to be prepared in case of any sort of emergency.

Vitacost.com carries Mountain House freeze-dried foods for breakfast, lunch, snacks, dinner and dessert, with options like Scrambled Eggs with Bacon, Macaroni and Cheese, Chicken Teriyaki with Rice, Spaghetti with Meat Sauce and Raspberry Crumble. An exclusive freeze-drying process removes only water from the food, reducing weight by up to 90 percent (making for easy storing and transport) and locking in great flavor.

Our freeze-dried food selection includes individual meals, or canisters with up to 10 servings, to feed the whole family. To view these products, please click here.

Calcium & Vitamin D May Help Reduce Risk of Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a bone-debilitating disease, more common among women than men, affecting an estimated 10 million individuals over age 50 in the U.S. It occurs when the body's breakdown of bone happens faster than new bone can be made. Fragility and frailness result, increasing risk for breaks, fractures and other dangerous injuries.

While there's no cure for osteoporosis, there are steps that can be taken to build bone health and reduce your chances of developing the disease. Calcium and vitamin D are both recognized for their beneficial effects on bone health. The Food and Drug Administration recommends adults up to age 50 consume 1,000 mg of calcium a day and that those over 50 consume 1,200 mg a day.

Other steps to help protect yourself from osteoporosis include regular exercise, which helps strengthen bones and muscles, quitting smoking and avoiding alcohol consumption over one drink per day.

Learn How to Sleep Better This May: It's "Better Sleep Month"

You have trouble falling asleep. You toss and turn. You can't seem to get a good night's rest no matter what you try - but wait a minute, what have you really tried to fix your sleep problems? Although a large percentage of Americans report difficulty sleeping, many may not actually be doing anything to remedy the situation.

That's part of the reason for Better Sleep Month this May. The Better Sleep Council found, through a survey, that quick-fix-solutions for sleep are commonly used, but more than half of people do very little to make lifestyle changes that help improve overall sleep quality.

Evaluating mattresses for comfort and purchasing replacements if needed, removing televisions from bedrooms and avoiding exercise and eating before bed are a few things the council recommends to help you get your zzzzz's. To learn more about Better Sleep Month, or sleep itself, please visit www.bettersleep.org.

Spotlight on Fibromyalgia: May 12th is National Awareness Day

Every day you may come across someone suffering with fibromyalgia, but you'd never know it. This condition, characterized by chronic, body-wide pain and fatigue, shows no outward, physical symptoms—no bruises, no discoloration, no deformities. Those affected must simply cope with excruciating daily pain, often without understanding from people in their lives.   

To better inform the public about fibromyalgia, May 12th has been designated as Awareness Day. This is the second year for the annual event, sponsored by the National Fibromyalgia Association and Citrucel®. The theme, "But You Don’t Look Sick! The Invisible Pain of Fibromyalgia" calls attention to the fact that the illness is often misunderstood.

To learn more about fibromyalgia, or the many different ways you can get involved with Awareness Day, including ordering a butterfly awareness pin, obtaining a poster to hang at your local library or community center or sharing your own personal story, please visit www.fmaware.org.

Love Your Face: Praventin™ Makes It Possible

Creams and gels for acne and blemishes can be messy, expensive and not always effective. For truly healthy skin, try addressing the problem from the inside with Praventin™, a clinically-tested supplement that helps you naturally achieve a better complexion.

Praventin™ contains a bioactive protein complex rich in lactoferrin, a milk-derivative that helps boost immune function. It works to control skin problems by:

• Enhancing the body's natural defenses to better fight bacteria that can lead to acne
• Reducing redness due to inflammation of the skin
• Helping to repair damaged cells caused by blemishes

One study demonstrated that Praventin™ produced a 71 percent decrease in blemishes in teenagers with poor complexions within a month, with a 95 percent decrease after two months. For best results, take Praventin™ continuously and eat a diet rich in fruits, vegetables and whole grains with limited sugar and caffeine.

Low-Cal, Low-Carb Stevia: Sweeter than Sugar, Safe for Diabetics!

Up to 30 times sweeter than sugar, stevia is an all-natural way to sweeten coffee, iced tea desserts or any food or beverage you like. Derived from the Stevia rebaudiana plant, this all-natural extract is available in powder or liquid form and is used exactly like sugar, only it's lower in calories and carbohydrates, and it's safe for diabetics.

Although fairly new as a healthy-sugar substitute in the U.S. market, stevia has been widely used as a sweetener in South America and other countries for hundreds of years. It's believed to provide a variety of health benefits, from helping to maintain healthy blood sugar and blood pressure levels to weight loss.

In addition to its sweet components, stevia also contains protein, fiber, carbohydrates, phosphorous, iron, calcium, postassium, zinc and vitamins A and C.  NSI® offers a unique stevia product, fortified with fiber, for added nutritive value: Stevia + with FrutaFit® Inulin Fiber.