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AI 101: AI Explained
Do you struggle with AI? Have parents, friends, and others who struggle with terminology and understanding what AI is good for?
The guide defines basics terms that are often mentioned in numerous online videos and definitely can be confusing to a new user.
Check out my guide, free to use, no data collected.
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Which supplement should I take? #Supplement Explorer
Are you always on your phone looking at which supplements you should take? Do you look at reviews? How do you decide what to buy?
As someone who has been in the nutraceutical industry for over 10 years, I’ve worked with many suppliers and companies to understand why an ingredient is chosen, what research is behind it, and how to sell it to a consumer, so if you are looking for some answers to questions you may have, drop a comment, or even better check out the Supplement Explorer on the site. It is free to use, 3 questions, and a simple output. No info is stored.I made the Supplement Explorer purely for my use and then thought, well, if it is useful for me, maybe it is useful for others. The tool is not affiliated with any company or brand, but was just a way for me to showcase what I find useful. If you use it, do give me feedback as to what you’d like to see it on too.
Stay well and remember, before taking any supplements, check with your doctor if it is a good fit for you or not!
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DragonFruit
Have you been to Whole foods or Trader Joe’s lately? There is a section there of exotic fruits and you can find dragonfruit there. Dragonfruit is part of the cactus family and has a distinct color. It has a red or yellow skin (typically you’ll find red) with spikes similar to a pineapple and small black seeds inside with texture similar to a pear and kiwi.
At stores, it is sold as either a fruit or pink paste for smoothies or you can find it as a vibrant pink powder. Dragonfruits are rich in antioxidants like Vitamin C and also B vitamins, carotenes, calcium, iron, protein, fiber and phosphorus. The seeds are high in polyunsaturated fats (omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids). Like turmeric, it can also be used as a food colorant. Applications for it include beverages, salads, salsas, ice cream, tablets, capsules, sports nutrition products, desserts, and dietary supplements.
Why should you eat it or take it? Well, it can be used for blood sugar maintenance, blood pressure maintenance as well as to promote healthy blood and tissue formation, immune strength support, GI and cardiovascular support.
A tip: Pitaya Plus is one of my favorite online stores to get it from and they also have tons of recipes you can use their dragonfruit pack in.
Disclaimer: this is an opinion post and should not be taken as an endorsement or lack of for any product by me or my employer.
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Turmeric
Have you had turmeric latte recently? Or how about a turmeric supplement? Perhaps you cook with it?
Turmeric is prevalent in many products today and can be used for many and various applications. Turmeric is part of the ginger family and is used for its polyphenol curcumin. Curcumin is what gives turmeric the vibrant yellow hue that you see. You can use turmeric for various reasons but it is used in the formulations for mental, joint, and prostate health. Some products use turmeric as a way to help with gastrointestinal issues as well as blood sugar maintenance. Turmeric’s properties allow it to be used for its antioxidant properties and as a food colorant. Turmeric can be a good source for not only manganese and iron but also for fiber, vitamin B6, magnesium, and of course vitamin C.
Applications can include desserts, margarines, protein bars, beverages, and cosmetic creams and cleansers. It might even show up in your toothpaste someday just like charcoal toothpaste which is slowly catching on in the Western world!
A tip: Definitely look at the curcumin content as that will indicate the strength of the product in the formula.
Disclaimer: this is an opinion post and should not be taken as an endorsement or lack of for any product by me or my employer.
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Buttered Coffee?
Have you heard of butter in your coffee? Why are people adding this? A few years back before the Paleo diet took off, buttered coffee aka bulletproof coffee was the big rage for Paleo dieters. To make buttered coffee, you would add 1-2 Tbsp unsalted grass fed butter or ghee, 1 tsp-2 Tbsp MCT oil to your high quality coffee and use a handheld immersion blender to make this amazing frothy drink. Paleo dieters took this drink because it allowed for sustained energy release as the butter slowed down the absorption of caffeine and the MCT oil allowed for some of that brain boosting power along with appetite suppression and improved athletic performance too. Plus, you are still drinking coffee and reaping coffee’s antioxidant benefits! Does the choice of MCT oil matter? It could depending on the ratio of C8 and C10 fats in the oil but in taste you won’t see much of an impact. It is just that the higher the C8s (caprylic acid) tend to convert to ketones more efficiently than the C10s and C12s so definitely look for those MCT oils that have higher caprylic acids in them. If you happen to be going through Whole Foods lately, you might see on their shelves a brand called BulletProof Coffee (BPC). This brand sells many items including ground coffee, collagen protein bars, MCT oil, and more. Like BPC, Nestle too is jumping into selling a version of buttered coffee so this trend is here to stay right?
Well, as consumers became more picky about what they eat and drink, bulletproof coffee definitely provides a healthier option as you are able to take in healthy fats and hopefully in turn reduce your carbohydrate intake so my guess is this trend is here to stay for now. Doing the ketogenic aka keto diet? This coffee is a great way to get in your fats and still keep carbs low.
By the way, if you’d like to try a cup of bulletproof coffee, just go to the WholeFoods coffee café and ask for a cup, they sell it. Currently, the most popular way to make this coffee is with ghee or unsalted grass fed butter, if you are adventurous, do try eggs instead as not only are eggs a good emulsifier but they extremely nutrient rich. You can add a teaspoon of sugar and pinch of salt as well and voila you have another amazing coffee drink! Or you could also add a scoop of collagen protein to this drink (grass fed butter way) and gain some of its benefits too but that’s a discussion for another time!
Disclaimer: this is an opinion post and should not be taken as an endorsement or lack of for any product by me or my employer.
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Ace-K: What is it?
Sometimes when I have that rare soda craving I go towards Coke Zero or on the other end of the spectrum Zevia. Both are zero calorie sodas with Coke Zero containing aspartame and acesulfame K (aka Ace-K) and Zevia containing stevia. No matter your thoughts on which sweetener is best for you, one of these is creeping into your food/beverage source somehow. Curious by nature, I decided to Google acesulfame K and the amount of information out there about it is disconcerting. I get why both Stevia and Ace-K are part of beverages because everyone wants something clean label and sweet — very few would prefer salty soda but maybe that’s a possibility in the near future too, who knows? — but are these ingredients the best way to get the sweetness profile one is looking for? There is very little research showing the safety of Ace-K long term so how much of this should you consume? Since it is bitter by itself, Ace-K is usually blended with sucralose or aspartame to give you that sweetness and that way your Coke Zero can taste a little more like regular Coke. Just like aspartame and its negative press, what happens when Ace-K breaks down in the body? Yup, you’re right it! It could be linked to cancer and altered brain functioning but remember there isn’t enough research on the long term effects of Ace-K. Interesting tidbit is that just like Coke Zero, Ace-K is now going to be in the 4 new Diet Coke flavors. Out of curiosity, I probably will try them just to see what they taste like but it probably won’t be my go to when I crave that soda. So what should I do as a consumer? Satisfy my craving with Coke Zero, one can can’t harm me right? Or should I take Zevia which also has a clean label but has stevia instead? Most likely, I’ll stick with Zevia — plus, they have some great flavors. For the larger consumer base, if you don’t know what an ingredient, you could Google it and then decide for yourself if you should be consuming a controversial ingredient or not. It all comes down to what is good for your body and how much of this ingredient you’ll be consuming on a daily basis.
Disclaimer: this is an opinion post and should not be taken as an endorsement or lack of for any product by me or my employer.
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