Thursday, April 03, 2008
Newsletter Archive
HFL April 2007
Spring is upon us and we have been working really hard to bring our customers a comprehensive health and wellness site. We really appreciate your support and feedback. Here is the latest HFL news:
New Product Launches
We have added a Pet Care line to our site that we are really thrilled about: HealthFitPets. We feature pet supplements, natural pet treats, and organic pet food through a couple of key vendors. Treat Fluffy or Fido to some natural goodness now!
We are also really excited to feature Pangea Organics on our site. Pangea Organics was recently named the "Best Skin Care Company" at the Natural Products Expo West 2007 trade show in Anaheim, California. Pangea goes way beyond the norm in creating eco-conscious, fair trade, health-friendly soaps and personal care products ranging from soap and shower products to skin cleansers, toners and creams. They never contain artificial fragrance chemicals, and 100% of what goes into these products is plant-based, cruelty-free, and honest. No hidden ingredients, no playing games with the labels to trick consumers. Just honest, healthful products.
Promotions
Customers that shop at HealthFitLabs.com for the first time get a 20% one-time discount! Just enter FIRST as the coupon code at checkout to redeem your coupon.
Returning Customers get 10% off their reorders. Any returning customer can use this 10% discount every time they shop on our site. Enter REORDER to redeem this coupon at checkout every time you shop at HealthFitLabs.com.
Free shipping on orders over $75. No coupon needed, just fill up those shopping carts. Order larger sizes to gain an even larger savings.
Our Mission: At HealthFitLabs we sell only the highest-quality natural vitamins and nutritional supplements, as well as bath and personal care products. We're passionate about customer service and dedicated to helping our customers and affiliates meet their personal health goals.
As always, please forward this on to your friends and family (they can subscribe at the bottom of the newsletter). Thank you for your support!
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Hot Headlines: Pangea Organics now at HFL
What Is Skin and Why Does It Matter?
courtesy of Pangea Organics Ecocentric Skincare
Skin as an organ: Skin is the largest organ of our bodies. It is the first line of defense of our immune system and our last organ of elimination. Skin is permeable and can absorb many things, but if it is healthy and we're doing a good job of deterring things that are unhealthy then skin can actually help in preventing us from becoming diseased. On the other end of the body's process, anything that has gone in (by consumption, inhalation and absorption) eventually comes out through the skin. Skin is a clear indicator of general health, which is why it is crucial to use skincare products that are, at the very least, not harmful to us -- and, at best, actually good for us.
The skin has five layers in the outermost part known as the epidermis, as well as two parts beneath the epidermis: the dermis and the subcutaneous. Skincare products are generally meant to affect only the epidermis, and most affect only the outermost layer of the epidermis, the stratum corneum.
Facial skin: Facial skin is very different than that of the rest of the body. First, facial skin is thinner and more delicate than the skin on the rest of the body, and therefore needs to be treated more gently. Second, the pH of facial skin is more acidic than the body. It ranges from about 4.5 - 6.2 on the pH scale, with about 5.2 - 5.5 as optimal pH. The reason for the special acidity of the face is that most of the body's orifices are located on the face. These openings to the body require a special defense against pathogens such as harmful bacteria, viruses and parasites. This extra acidity, called the acid mantle, provides just such defense. Please note: When we refer to facial skin we really mean an area slightly wider than the face. The term face extends down to the neck and includes the region of décolleté. When we treat our skin with products, the area from the décolleté up through the neck and face are what require facial or skin care products and not body care.
Natural protection: Our skin creates its own natural protection. In the world of biology it's called sebum, which we more commonly know as oil. We all need sebum in our skin because it is nature's protection from environmental damage and aging, and it helps to fend off disease. As with anything in life, too much or too little sebum is not a good thing.
Additional protection: Although we may not think of it in such a positive light at first, the T-Zone is an area of additional protection on the face. T-Zone refers to the area of the face from the chin up through the nose between the brows and into the center of/across the forehead,forming a T. Because the facial orifices are located in this region, more sebum is necessary here to provide extra protection.
Skin typing: Skin types are pre-determined by genetics and are based on the amount of sebum produced by the sebaceous glands in the skin. Sebum resides mostly in our pores, but is also present (and necessarily so) along with other lipids in between the cells of the epidermis. Additional factors in skin typing are: the amount of water present in the skin, the proclivity towards infection and the proclivity to react to, or produce, irritation and inflammation. All skin types, except for the naturally balanced, have an imbalance that can be due to a combination of factors, including: oil production within the skin, hydration from within and/or from without, as well as overall predisposition to infection or irritation. In addition to the inherent tendencies our skin has, we must also deal with environmental stressors. These internal and external factors (stress, diet, exercise, medications, alcohol, harsh weather, pollution, UV radiation, chemicals, products we use, allergens, etc.) all compound the proclivities of our skin and sometimes make it seem impossible to achieve balance.
However, help is on the way. Through enjoying a healthy lifestyle and taking good care of your skin, you should be able to achieve and maintain beautiful balance of the skin. If you find that you have consistent challenges that are not addressed by healthy lifestyle and a good, healthy skincare routine, you may want to see a doctor to address any possible underlying causes.
*Visit our Bath and Personal Care section for all your skin care needs*
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Cooking Healthy: Chicken Dish Offers a Caribbean Trifecta of Flavor
By Jim Romanoff
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Chicken with mango barbecue sauce makes use of the unrefined sugar in the mango, which is also an excellent source of fiber and vitamins C and A.
The most important thing to remember about healthful cooking - if it doesn't taste great, it doesn't get eaten.
Of course, sweetening up a recipe is a surefire way to make it more appealing, but this tactic all too often gets a suspicious glance from healthy cooks, especially as studies increasingly link refined sugars to obesity.
But that doesn't mean that healthy recipes can't have a sweet touch.
Ellie Krieger, the host of the Food Network's Healthy Appetite, manages that by adding sweetness to many of her recipes using the unrefined sugars found in such ingredients as fruit, which offer other nutritional benefits in addition to taste.
For example, her recipe for chicken with mango barbecue sauce gets its character from the sweet combination of mango and molasses. Mango not only is sweet, but also is an excellent source of fiber and vitamins C and A.
The molasses also adds a distinct flavor to the dish, offering hints of warm gingerbread and baked beans. And the thick syrup - the most popular sweetener in the United States until the 1920s - is a good source of copper, magnesium and iron.
And talk about flavor appeal. The sauce has the Caribbean trifecta of sweet, tangy and peppery.
Chicken With Mango Barbecue Sauce
Recipe from Ellie Krieger
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, diced (about 1 cup)
1 red bell pepper, diced (about 1 cup)
3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
½ teaspoon ground allspice
1/3 cup red-wine vinegar
3 tablespoons molasses
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons lime juice
¼ cup low-sodium tomato sauce
1 mango, diced (about 1½ cups)
2 to 3 jalapeno peppers, minced (for a less intense version, discard seeds first)
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about ¾ pound each)
1. In a medium skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the bell pepper, garlic, salt, black pepper and allspice, then cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes more.
2. Stir in the vinegar, molasses, Worcestershire sauce, lime juice and tomato sauce and cook for another minute. Transfer the mixture into a blender and add the mango and jalapenos. Blend until smooth. (Use caution when blending hot liquids.)
3. Let the sauce cool several minutes, then transfer 1 cup of it to a zip-close plastic bag. Add the chicken and let marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
4. Preheat the broiler. Put the chicken on a broiler pan and discard the marinade in the bag. Broil the chicken on high for about 12 minutes, turning once.
5. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and let the meat rest for 5 minutes before slicing. Spoon about ½ cup of barbecue sauce over the chicken slices and serve. (Use the 1½ cups leftover sauce as a dip for chicken nuggets or other food, if desired).
Makes 4 servings.
Nutrition information per serving: 250 calories, 8 g total fat (1 g saturated), 15 g protein, 31 g carbohydrates, 3 g fiber, 720 mg sodium.
*Find other tasty recipes in our Healthy Library*
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Healthy Humor
One night, the Potato family sat down to dinner--Mother Potato and her three daughters. Midway through the meal, the eldest daughter spoke up. "Mother Potato?" she said. "I have an announcement to make." "And what might that be?" said Mother, seeing the obvious excitement in her eldest daughter's eyes. "Well," replied the daughter, with a proud but sheepish grin, "I'm getting married!" The other daughters squealed with surprise as Mother Potato exclaimed, "Married! That's wonderful! And who are you marrying, Eldest daughter?" "I'm marrying a Russet!" "A Russet!" replied Mother Potato with pride. "Oh, a Russet is a fine tater, a fine tater indeed!" As the family shared in the eldest daughter's joy, the middle daughter spoke up. "Mother? I, too, have an announcement." "And what might that be?" encouraged Mother Potato. Not knowing quite how to begin, the middle daughter paused, then said with conviction, "I, too, am getting married!" "You, too!" Mother Potato said with joy. "That's wonderful! Twice the good news in one evening! And who are you marrying, Middle Daughter?" "I'm marrying an Idaho!" beamed the middle daughter. "An Idaho!" said Mother Potato with joy. "Oh, an Idaho is a fine tater, a fine tater indeed!" Once again, the room came alive with laughter and excited plan for the future, when the youngest Potato daughter interrupted. "Mother? Mother Potato? Um, I, too, have an announcement to make." "Yes?" said Mother Potato with great anticipation. "Well," began the youngest Potato daughter with the same sheepish grin as her eldest sister before her, "I hope this doesn't come as a shock to you, but I am getting married, as well!" "Really?" said Mother Potato with sincere excitement. "All of my lovely daughters married! What wonderful news! And who, pray tell, are you marrying, Youngest Daughter?" "I'm marrying Dan Rather!" "DAN RATHER?!" Mother Potato scowled suddenly. "But he's just a common tater!"
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Ask the Expert
What is Sciatica?
by Dr. Daniel Gerwig
Sciatica occurs when the nerves that run down from your back, through your butt and down the back of your legs to your toes, become irritated. This irritation creates a significant amount of pain to be felt through your back, butt, and into your toes. In my experience the best solution to the problem is to find out what is causing the nerve irritation. Is it being pinched? Is it being pulled? Is there a disc bulge? Is there a chemical reaction? All of these questions need to be answered before you can figure out how to get rid of it, and more importantly how to stop it from coming back. At Absolute Healthcare Chiropractic you can get a thorough examination, get to the root of the problem, and be on the road to recovery in no time! Call the office at (630) 790-1422 to get out of pain.