Blog Archive
Vitamin Cottage
We are privileged to be added to the Vitamin Cottage family of stores.
Vitamin Cottage was established in 1955 by Margaret and Philip Isely when they borrowed $200 from Margaret's mother. They started by going door-to-door in Golden, Colorado, selling whole-grain bread and lending nutrition education books to people they met. The Isely's knew that after reading the books, those same people would be open to ordering vitamins and bulk foods. So a week later, they would return to take additional orders for those items, which they sold on consignment from a local health food distributor.
Their door-to-door business was so successful that, within six months, they were able to open their first retail outlet called The Builder's Foundation. In 1963, they purchased a building that looked like a country cottage in Lakewood, Colorado and since they were primarily selling vitamin supplements they renamed their new store Vitamin Cottage.
In the 1960's living a healthy lifestyle wasn't very fashionable and the Iselys struggled to make a living selling vitamins, natural foods, and related products. During this time, their eldest son joined the business and began investigating ways of buying products at better prices. He was very successful at this and developed a structured group buying philosophy, which is still in practice today. Buying products at better prices has allowed Vitamin Cottage to always offer everyday affordable prices to their customers' needs.
Margaret passed away in 1997, but the business is still family-owned and operated by her children and grandchildren. They strive to carry on her legacy, an important part of which is treating employees with respect and paying them a decent wage. Over the years, Vitamin Cottage has grown from a "mom and pop" business to a 31-store chain with over 1200 employees in Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas.
Eat Just 1/4 Ounce of Chocolate (daily) to Lower your Blood Pressure
According to a study published in the European Heart Journal, researchers said that they found that those who ate the most amount of chocolate – an average of 7.5 grams a day – had lower blood pressure and a 39 per cent lower risk of having a heart attack or stroke compared to those who ate the least amount – an average of 1.7 grams a day.
Read more here.
Our New Packaging Emerges in Berkeley
At the Whole Foods in Berkeley, our new packaging emerges from the freezer in all its glory (well, at least its COLD).
Employee Pick
A picture can convey a thousand words. Here's a picture with 23 words and we like each one!
VegNews Taste Test
As a taste test in VegNews magazine reveals, our product's "creamy goodness" would ideally be served "piled high in a crisp waffle cone". OK, but what might not be obvious is that we're the least expensive dairy-free ice cream in the list, and with this coupon, we're a bargain!
What a Typical American Eats Annually
From Visual Economics: Unraveling Complexities in Financial Data.
Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010
According to the Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, "Currently, Americans consume less than 20 percent of the recommended intakes for whole grains, less than 60 percent for vegetables, less than 50 percent for fruits, and less than 60 percent for milk and milk products (Figure B2.2). Inadequate intakes of nutrient-dense foods from these basic food groups place individuals at risk for lower than recommended levels of specific nutrients, namely vitamin D, calcium, potassium, and dietary fiber."
Read the entire report here.
Which Naturals Are Backed By Serious Science?
Do pure, topical ingredients from nature have any science behind them? According to Siobhan O'Connor and her co-author Alexandra Spunt, it turns out, yes, many of them do. They've compiled a list of eleven heavy hitters:
Argan oil: Nicknamed “liquid gold,” Morrocan women swear by this stuff to treat everything from wrinkles and psoriasis to burns and acne. Science is still catching up but argan is extremely rich in linoleic acid, which applied topically is proven to reduce acne, and vitamin E, an antiager that may reduce scarring as well.
Aloe vera: Even if your mom wasn’t a hippie you know that aloe vera gel has calming and restorative properties straight from the plant. Science says that it’s antibacterial and has been proven to speed wound healing in rats. In humans who’d undergone dermabrasion treatment, damaged skin healed 72 hours faster when aloe was applied.
Baking soda: It will wash your sink, but it will also whiten your teeth, banish your bad breath, and deodorize bad smells—including your own.
Coconut oil: With a molecular structure that allows it to penetrate skin and hair, both preventing water loss and replacing lipids that deplete with aging, it’s a double winner. Science says it also accelerates wound healing, can help treat eczema, and has shown to be therapeutic in the treatment of acne.
Green tea: We should all be drinking it, but topical application of green tea has lots of science on its side, too. Several studies have shown it to reduce the effects of UV damage, enhance wound healing, and treat acne. Green tea is also anti-inflammatory and can help reduce the redness associated with rosacea.
Honey: Before we had antibiotics we had honey, which was frequently used in wound dressing to accelerate healing. It’s no surprise then that science says it does, in fact, do just that. Its topical application also demonstrates antibacterial action, and helps prevent scarring. (It's good on toast, too.)
Olive oil: Just when you thought you’d heard everything there is to know about the powers of olive oil: A 2000 study done on mice indicated that topical application of olive oil after UVB exposure effectively reduced the rodents’ chances of developing skin tumors. Already proven to be a powerful antioxidant in food, olive oil may play an exciting role in reducing DNA damage in skin, too.
Propolis: Bees use propolis, an antimicrobial resin, to sterilize their hives, and a variety of studies have shown its properties to benefit human health—from reducing the duration of common colds to slowing the proliferation of cancer cells. Topically, propolis functions as an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory proven to protect skin against photodamage, it’s more antibacterial than honey, and is even effective against cold sores.
Shea butter: West African women (and grandmas) have been using this stuff forever. Not only does its application exhibit powerful anti-inflammatory properties but recent studies are indicating that cinnamic acid (found in shea) reduces the effects of UV damage. Just make sure to choose a brand that’s sourced fairly, like Alaffia.
Vitamin C: You can’t soak your face in orange juice to get the topical benefits of this powerful antioxidant, but a good natural cream or serum containing L-ascorbic acid (vitamin C), which in its stable form helps the skin fight free-radical damage, reduces redness, stimulates wound healing, and helps minimize fine wrinkles.
Tea tree oil: When it comes to acne, this is your friendly alternative to that beast benzoyl peroxide, which has been linked to cancer and is banned in Europe. A comparative study found tea tree oil to be just as effective as BP for treating pimples, if a little bit slower on the draw. On the plus side? It exhibited fewer side effects.
Read the article here.
The Truth about Dairy
According to Dr. Willett, who has done many studies and reviewed the research on this topic, there are many reasons to pass up milk, including:
1. Milk doesn't reduce fractures. Contrary to popular belief, eating dairy products has never been shown to reduce fracture risk. In fact, according to the Nurses' Health Study dairy may increase risk of fractures by 50 percent!
2. Less dairy, better bones. Countries with lowest rates of dairy and calcium consumption (like those in Africa and Asia) have the lowest rates of osteoporosis.
3. Calcium isn't as bone-protective as we thought. Studies of calcium supplementation have shown no benefit in reducing fracture risk. Vitamin D appears to be much more important than calcium in preventing fractures.
4. Calcium may raise cancer risk. Research shows that higher intakes of both calcium and dairy products may increase a man's risk of prostate cancer by 30 to 50 percent.(iii) Plus, dairy consumption increases the body's level of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) -- a known cancer promoter.
5. Calcium has benefits that dairy doesn't. Calcium supplements, but not dairy products, may reduce the risk of colon cancer.(iv) 6. Not everyone can stomach dairy.(v) About 75 percent of the world's population is genetically unable to properly digest milk and other dairy products -- a problem called lactose intolerance.
Read more here.
United Nations urges global move to meat-free and dairy-free diets
Agriculture, particularly meat and dairy products, accounts for 70% of global freshwater consumption, 38% of the total land use and 19% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions, according to a United nations report.
Professor Edgar Hertwich, the lead author of the report, said: "Animal products cause more damage than [producing] construction minerals such as sand or cement, plastics or metals. Biomass and crops for animals are as damaging as [burning] fossil fuels."
The recommendation follows advice last year that a vegetarian diet was better for the planet from Lord Nicholas Stern, former adviser to the Labour government on the economics of climate change. Dr Rajendra Pachauri, chair of the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), has also urged people to observe one meat-free day a week to curb carbon emissions.
Read more here.
10 steps toward a longer healthier life (from Harvard Medical School)
1. Don’t smoke.
2. Build physical and mental activities into every day.
3. Eat a healthy diet rich in whole grains, vegetables, and fruits, and substitute healthier monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats for unhealthy saturated fats and trans fats.
4. Take a daily multivitamin, and be sure to get enough calcium and vitamin D.
5. Maintain a healthy weight and body shape.
6. Challenge your mind.
7. Build a strong social network.
8. Protect your sight, hearing, and general health by following preventive care guidelines.
9. Floss, brush, and see a dentist regularly. Poor oral health may have many repercussions, including poor nutrition, unnecessary pain, and possibly even a higher risk of heart disease and stroke.
10. Discuss with your doctor whether you need any medication—perhaps to control high blood pressure, treat osteoporosis, or lower cholesterol—to help you stay healthy.
For more info, click here.
Investing in Company Bonds, getting Chocolate Dividends
From the always resourceful folks at Springwise: British high-end chocolate maker and retailer Hotel Chocolat wants to expand. But rather than turning to banks or big investors for money, they're inviting customer to buy bonds. Bonds that will pay chocolate returns. Two values of Chocolate Bond will be issued: both with the return paid in monthly Tasting Boxes. Holders of a GBP 2,000 Chocolate Bond will receive six free tasting boxes a year worth GBP 107.70 per year, and those holding a GBP 4,000 bond will receive thirteen boxes, worth GBP 233.35 per year. Which comes down to a 5.38% return. After an initial term of three years, and on every anniversary thereafter, bond holders can redeem their bond for a full return of their investment. If they decide to continue to hold the bond, the monthly boxes will keep on coming. Hotel Chocolat explains that the money will be used to expand their factory in Britain, to build out their plantation in Saint Lucia, and to open new stores in various parts of the world.
Is this a great idea? Would you consider investing in Alkemie, getting paid in pints? Let us know.
Ice Cream Trucks from Around the World
Found over at the aesthetics of joy blog, these photos might bring a bit of happiness into your lives. Enjoy.
Save $1.50 when you Buy 2 Pints
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USA: How We Spend on Food & Drink
Of note:
• Austin, TX, residents spend almost twice ($6,301) the US annual average for dining out.
• In fact, five average Detroit households (the nation’s lowest spenders) can eat on one Austinite’s food budget.
• If Manhattan were its own city, it would be No. 1 for food spending ($13,079) and No. 1 for share of food budget spent on restaurants (59%).
• In Atlanta, dining out accounts for 57% percent of the city’s average total food and drink spending annually, the highest in the US and 28% higher than the US average.
• Denver residents allocate 22 percent of their daily spending to food, more than any other big city in the country.
Click on the image to see the entire graphic.
Read more here.
Three Ounces a Day makes the Heart Disease Go Away
Well perhaps not entirely, but "eating nuts on a daily basis improves blood cholesterol levels and reduces the risk of coronary heart disease," a new study says.
“Increasing consumption of nuts as part of an otherwise prudent diet can be expected to favorably affect blood lipid levels (at least in the short term), and have the potential to lower coronary heart disease risk,” the authors write.
Read the entire WebMD article here.
You Love Vanilla? What does that say about You?
To help find out -- and to promote three new ice cream flavors -- Starbucks brought in StrategyOne and Food-ology researcher and behavioral food expert Juliet A. Boghossian, who authored the "What Flavor Are You?" survey.
"The seemingly simple preference for vanilla, chocolate or strawberry ice cream says a lot more about us than you might think," Boghossian says.
Vanilla lovers say they're risk takers. Chocolate and strawberry eaters, on the other hand, are more likely to describe themselves as shy.
Men are more likely than women to go for strawberry, and strawberry lovers are more likely be free-spirited and hip-hop fans. Chocolate lovers read more. And most Americans -- 58 percent -- say the best place for eating ice cream is on the couch.
A full 77 percent of Americans agreed with the statement: "Amidst all the trendy flavors, I always come back to the classics."
Read more here.
Getty Images
Our First Video Shoot
They say that all companies today are media companies - social media companies. Well then if that is true, we've got to start making videos!
So what is our first video about? Come back in a couple of weeks and find out!
Later,
The Alkemie Crew
Refined Carbohydrates, not Fats, Threaten the Heart
As previously mentioned, in March 2010 the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published a meta-analysis—which combines data from several studies—that compared the reported daily food intake of nearly 350,000 people against their risk of developing cardiovascular disease over a period of five to 23 years. The analysis, overseen by Ronald M. Krauss, director of atherosclerosis research at the Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute, found no association between the amount of saturated fat consumed and the risk of heart disease.
So if we don't have to worry about modest amounts of saturated fats, what do we have to be concerned about? Processed carbohydrates. Foods that are high on the glycemic index.
As reported by Scientific American, a 1997 study he co-authored in the Journal of the American Medical Association evaluated 65,000 women and found that the quintile of women who ate the most easily digestible and readily absorbed carbohydrates—that is, those with the highest glycemic index—were 47 percent more likely to acquire type 2 diabetes than those in the quintile with the lowest average glycemic-index score. (The amount of fat the women ate did not affect diabetes risk.) And a 2007 Dutch study of 15,000 women published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology found that women who were overweight and in the quartile that consumed meals with the highest average glycemic load, a metric that incorporates portion size, were 79 percent more likely to develop coronary vascular disease than overweight women in the lowest quartile. These trends may be explained in part by the yo-yo effects that high glycemic-index carbohydrates have on blood glucose, which can stimulate fat production and inflammation, increase overall caloric intake and lower insulin sensitivity, says David Ludwig, director of the obesity program at Children’s Hospital Boston.
What is glycemia?
Glycemia refers to blood sugar levels, namely, the amount of sugar (glucose) in one’s blood. In the case of a person fasting, for example, blood sugar levels are approximately 1 g of glucose per liter of blood.
Digestion transforms carbohydrates into glucose and by so doing raises blood sugar levels. Blood sugar levels are critical to losing or gaining weight. Once we’ve digested our food, the blood sugar that is produced makes our bodies secrete insulin. Insulin is a hormone which, depending on the amount secreted, might or might not cause us to gain weight.
The glycemic index (GI) is based on setting the value of glucose to 100. The 100 figure also corresponds to when our bodies totally (100%) assimilate the sugar consumed.
The numbers in the glycemic index measure how a carb affects our blood sugar levels - its potential for releasing a certain amount of sugar into our blood after each meal. In other words the index value measures a carb’s intestinal absorption rate.
If a carb’s sugar level index is high (as in the case of potatoes), the corresponding carb’s absorption rate will provoke high blood sugar levels. Comparatively, carbs low on the glycemic index (for example lentils) are digested at rates that generate low, or practically meaningless, glycemic response. For example, when measured by the 100 glucose value standard, the GI for fries is 95 whereas green lentils have a 25 GI.
For reference, our dairy-free ice cream "base" consists of coconut cream: GI 45, cashews GI 15, and agave nectar GI 15. Low numbers for a sweet treat!
For more info on glycemic indexes, click here.
Interview with Daniel Clary: following your passion and changing the health of the world one scoop at a time
The folks at the blog we like it Raw has a great interview with Alkemie founder Daniel Clary.
32 minutes Download the MP3
Topics Covered
Following Your Path:
- How the company name and vision came to Daniel on a trip to South East Asia
- Transitioning from being a vegan personal chef to starting a raw ice cream business
Creating a Raw Food Business:
- How synchronicity played a role in growing his business
- The story of how his future business partner found his ice cream on Yelp
- Sychronicities that lead to his ice cream being available at Whole Foods
- Finding the right people who could produce his ice cream on a larger scale and maintain the integrity of his recipe
The Science of Ice Cream
- What Daniel learned about how traditional dairy ice cream is formulated and how he applied this to his raw ice cream
- Learning about how ice cream factories work and how to make them raw ice cream friendly
Daniel's lessons for entrepreneurs
- Make sure you are passionate about whatever you choose to do
- Reach out to similar companies for advice
- Do your due diligence and never give up
"THE CHURCH OF ORGANIC FOOD AND CALI VIBES!"
Alkemie is here! In fantastical Mendocino, California!
"Corners of the Mouth is the quintessential organic / holistic / natural foods store. The building is an old church and it stands out beautifully on Ukiah Street. Upstairs houses the teas and spices / herbs (I believe this was once the choir loft). Downstairs has the refrigerated section, fresh produce, dry goods, and a very good selection of green living gadgets, etc. I checked the prices on the organic produce and it seemed in line with what one would pay at Whole Foods or similar markets. The staff is very friendly and I hear the trail mix is great." - from Sparkely K. on Yelp
And from another Yelper:
"Here's a little local's tip:
if you pay in exact change, someone will ring a pleasant sounding "good karma" bell. This is so they don't have to give out change/can just put the money in the drawer and forget about it." - from Michael M.
Try "Like"-ing Facebook's LIKE Button
Facebook just added a number of features to their platform. Included is a LIKE button that appears on web sites that includes Facebook's Connect code, as well as fan pages within Facebook.
Please "like" Facebook's "like" button by clicking on it.
Screaming about Ice Cream over at the A to B Blog
Amanda at the A to B Blog writes:
"My only complaint with ice cream is I want the yum without all the animal ingredients or preservatives it contains. I have tried countless no-dairy ice creams in search of a worthy vegan alternative but sadly none of them have been 'the one'. I was starting to worry that I might not be able to enjoy one of my favorite summer treats until I stumbled upon Alkemie Dairy-Free Ice Cream (found at Whole Foods of course). This non-dairy ice cream is creamy like it's dairy counterpart and doesn't have any weird after tastes like the other brands do. I had the Vanilla Bean flavor on top of the brownies I made and I thought I was having real ice cream. Not only is it finger lickin' good but it's also a considerably healthier option than the other stuff. It's made with all natural ingredients of cashews, coconuts and agave nectar and will blow your mind at how yummy it is. I recently tried the Dark Chocolate flavor and I almost cried with happiness, it was that good."
Introducing: our new package for Mint Chocolate Chip
So, what do you think? (Click on the image to see the full view)
Introducing: our new package for Dark Chocolate
So, what do you think? (Click on the image to see the full view)
Introducing: our new package for Vanilla Bean
So, what do you think? (Click on the image to see the full view)
Worried about chewing on a Nut? Chill-lax!
A study published in this month’s issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that women who consume nuts twice per week not only avoided gaining weight, they actually had less chance of becoming overweight or obese than those who avoided nuts entirely.
And in 2008 a review published in the Journal of Nutrition found that populations that consume nuts regularly actually have lower average weights than those that do not, and clinical trials have confirmed this observation.
Why is this? First of all, nuts contain compounds that are natural appetite suppressants, so even though you might consume extra calories, you make up for it by naturally eating a little less later on. They also might cause a slight increase in resting metabolic rate (a.k.a. your metabolism), though that is still a point of debate.
The bottom line is... as long as you don’t turn your affection for a handful of nuts into a daily bucket, you can enjoy them as part of your regular diet.
Read more here.
An excited customer who sent us a zen-like photo
This customer not only bought 4 pints from New Leaf Market in Half Moon Bay, she sold 4 others to the ladies in line with them!
And then we received this lovely photo:
Our classic ice cream flavors deserve a classic ice cream look
We're changing our packaging to reflect our emphasis on creating classic dairy-free ice cream. We still will think outside the box and eventually deliver modern classics such as Chai Chip and Pumpkin Spice, so please don't think we're not creative!
Do you make grocery lists?
Of course if you do we'd like to remind you to think about placing a certain company's dairy-free ice cream on it (hint, hint). But if you like to find lists of what other people create then this is the site for you. There are over 2,000 found grocery lists as well as top 10 lists and the very useful Ultimatest Grocery List (free PDF) for omnivores and vegetarians. Enjoy.
