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Three Crucial Companions for Heart Health

Posted on February 18, 2015 by Beeyoutiful Mary One comment

3 Crucial Companions for Heart Health from Beeyoutiful.com

My husband’s family history of heart disease used to scare me. Honestly, with my background as a nurse, I felt that aside from some basic dietary precautions there was very little we could do to ensure he did not journey down the same path that his grandparents were walking. I frankly worried that I would eventually be the one in the recliner by the hospital bed, hoping to hear that he didn’t need bypass surgery.

Thankfully, the more I studied and learned, the more delighted I was to realize that we could walk a different path and that heart disease might not be our story’s end.

In the past few decades, fat-soluble vitamins have increasingly taken their place and been recognized as major actors in heart health. Traditional lifestyles and diets were examined and concluded to be rich in fat-soluble vitamins from nutrient-dense whole foods, whereas conventional modern diets tend to be poor in fat-soluble vitamins and heavy in processed foods. Incidentally, cultures that have abandoned their traditional diets are documented to have a much higher rate of heart disease than their ancestors.

When Beeyoutiful began a few years ago to offer products like Cod Liver Oil, Butter Oil, and Katalyst, I thought it was a great thing to make Vitamin K available, since it does so much with the blood and its ability to clot. But there’s so much more to that vitamin that I had yet to discover!

Vitamin K: Just For Clotting?

I really did not understand Vitamin K at all, specifically K2 (the form present in Katalyst and Butter Oil). The modern American diet is very low in K2 because we typically consume very little in the way of grassfed dairy (made from milk from cows that graze on pasture rather than eating grain) or eggs from truly free-range chickens, two primary sources of K2.

What I have learned about Vitamin K2 recently has caused me to prioritize these traditional foods in my family’s diet, and to decide to never leave off supplementing fat-soluble vitamins when I cannot get them from food sources.

There is a gentle dance in our bodies that involves many nutrients. Most need another nutrient to help them do their jobs properly. The complexity of these interactions is fascinating, and it explains how easily we can get out of balance when an important companion nutrient is deficient.

When Calcium Acts Alone

We are all well aware of the vital role that calcium plays in our bodies. It’s known for nourishing our bones and teeth, supporting heart health, helping nerves communicate, causing muscles to contract, and even supporting healthy blood clotting factors. In order for calcium to move around the body, it depends on other nutrients, and without them it simply takes the path of least resistance.

The ugly fact about calcium without its companion nutrients is that the path of least resistance leads straight to the soft tissues such as arteries and muscles. Those aren’t exactly the places where we’d like for our minerals to lodge, and these calcium deposits can cause plaque buildup in the blood vessels and pain in the joints and muscles.

The Vital Companions: Vitamins D and K

One of calcium’s companions is Vitamin D3, helping to increase absorption of calcium through the intestines, directly helping bone health. But unfortunately Vitamin D can only get calcium as far as the blood stream; it cannot get it into the bones. Actually, if you stopped the process here, it’s possible that taking Vitamin D alone could lead to even more calcium buildup in the blood vessels.

While D cannot move the calcium into the bones and out of the blood vessels, its other companion can! Vitamin K2 is a little-known supplement that functions as a cofactor that’s necessary to activate the two proteins that are responsible for moving calcium around the body. Without these two proteins (known as Osteocalcin and MGP), calcium simply remains in the blood vessels, creating buildup and contributing to a lack of calcium in the bones.

By simply adding K2 to your diet, you are benefitting both your heart and circulatory system, and your skeletal system. All three of these nutrients– calcium, D3 and K2– play vital roles in blood clotting as well, so you’re not only helping to ensure that blood vessels stay open and free, you are also helping to ensure the balance of clotting stays correct.

A Little Note About Vitamin A

While Vitamin A does not play a direct role in this cascade, what we do know is that A, D and K work synergistically together to regulate each other and protect the body. We highly suggest when supplementing with fat-soluble vitamins that you take Cod Liver Oil along with a Butter Oil to get a balance of all three.

Getting Adequate A, D, & K

The most superior way to take in fat-soluble vitamins is through grassfed butters, whole grassfed and raw dairy, cod liver oil, and fish. When these are not optimal in the diet, we highly recommend Cod Liver Oil and Butter Oil as a secondary option, or the pairing of Dynamic Duo and Katalyst as a budget-friendly backup plan.

It amazes me that the body is built to work with such intricate balance that when fed the correct nutrients it actually has the power to strengthen itself against future disease. Don’t shy away from the butter and enjoy those delicious farm-fresh eggs! Have another helping and call it a tasty contribution to your heart health.

For more reading on this topic, I highly recommend the following resources:

The Skinny on Fats
On the Trail of the Elusive X-Factor: A Sixty-Two-Year-Old Mystery Finally Solved
Diet & Heart Disease: It’s NOT What You Might Think by Stephen Byrnes, PhD, RNCP
Vitamin K2 and the Calcium Paradox: How a Little Known Vitamin Could Save Your Life by Kate Rheaume-Bleu

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Got Fat (-Soluble Vitamins)?

Posted on December 22, 2013 by Beeyoutiful Toni One comment

This post originally appeared in a slightly different form in our Fall 2013 catalog.

Are you struggling with prematurely-aging skin, poor vision in dim light, or decreased immunity?

What about muscle aches, joint pain, lowered resistance to infection, depression, difficulty managing your weight, or susceptibility to respiratory conditions such as asthma?

Do you bruise easily, have poor gut health, or suffer from any of a number of blood disorders?

While that might sound like an advertisement for the side-effects of a prescription drug, you can tell it’s not, because there is no mention of “and in rare cases, death.” For many of us, these are symptoms of an easily reversible problem: a deficiency of fat-soluble vitamins.

One of the most widely accepted dietary travesties in our civilization is the “low-fat diet”. Fats in all shapes and sizes, good fats and bad fats, have been vilified for causing obesity. Meanwhile, the real problem grows as junk food, sugars, and simple carbs are consumed in ever greater quantities. Not coincidentally, obesity rates are skyrocketing. Plus, all of the nutrients that are found in good fats are missed including vitamins A, D, and K.

FAT-SOLUBLE and WATER-SOLUBLE

Vitamins are either fat-soluble or water-soluble. Most of us are more familiar with water-soluble vitamins, like vitamin C and the B vitamins. Water-soluble vitamins are found mostly in foods from plants, they dissolve easily in water, and are not stored in the body in any great quantity. We need to ingest these vitamins daily because the body cannot manufacture them and when the body burns what it needs, the excess is expelled through the urine. Most of us are also familiar with pro vitamin A, otherwise known as Beta Carotene, another water soluble nutrient. Some people think that taking Beta Carotene is the same as supplementing or eating Vitamin A. It is not. Beta Carotene must be converted in the presence of fats in order to become Vitamin A. This conversion is inefficient at best and in some individuals it just doesn’t happen at all.

But the fat-soluble vitamins are either made by the body or come from animal products (traditionally-raised, that is!). The body stores these nutrients in the fatty tissues for later use. Because the excess of these vitamins is stored, there is a possibility of toxicity from overdose which has led to a lot of misinformed fear-mongering. That is why most of us have never heard of the importance of these vitamins, why there is little or none of them in multivitamins (in their most bio-available, fat-soluble form), and why many people are deficient. Prepare to be informed!

VITAMIN A

Vitamin A plays two roles in the health of cells: it protects existing cells from damage as an antioxidant, and lends crucial assistance to the growth of new cells. This can be especially evident in the skin, bringing the youthful, resilient qualities we so desire. It also boosts the immune system, guarding against infection and disease.

Vitamin A, and the other fat-soluble vitamins, enhance the mineral absorption of the digestive system. It makes the minerals in your food more bio-available to the body, unlocking them for efficient use. On a plant-based diet without sufficient fats, the body may be literally starving for minerals despite the high dietary levels, simply because they are not partnered with the appropriate nutrients to assist in processing.

VITAMIN D

Calcium deficiency, responsible for porous and weakened bones, can often be blamed on insufficient vitamin D3. Vitamin D3 increases the absorption of calcium and works in concert with vitamin A to process minerals into useful forms that contribute to healthy bones and teeth. D3 is also incredibly important for the immune system and is especially good for combatting viruses!

VITAMIN K2

After vitamins A and D have overseen the process of protein production, a near-magical substance activates the proteins, turning them on for use in the body. The renowned Dr. Weston A. Price noticed its powers in his studies, but its actual identity remained a mystery and he referred to it as “Activator X.” It was later identified as vitamin K2.

Vitamin K2 is probably best known for its essential role in blood clotting. The liver needs it in order to produce prothrombin, a substance that helps the coagulation of blood. Without K2, even a small cut could result in major blood loss.

While vitamin D helps increase calcium absorbtion, vitamin K2 tells it where to go. We don’t want calcium to contribute to plaque deposits in our arteries or any other soft tissue, and K2 helps direct it to bones and teeth where it’s really needed.

Synergy!

The relationship between A, D, and K2 is important. When fat-soluble vitamins are taken together rather than as isolated supplements, they form a synergy, a cooperation that works better than when the parts are alone. For example, large doses of vitamin D or vitamin A taken alone without its partners may have little benefit and could even prove toxic. However, massive doses of A, D and K2 have been given to animals without toxicity, when they were in proper proportions. It appears that a unique buffering and protection happens to prevent toxicity when all three are consumed together. This is why it’s always best to get vitamins from a nourishing diet built around nutrient-dense foods and high-quality, food-based supplements.

How do I get enough?

Back in the 1930’s, Dr. Weston A. Price discovered that cultures with traditional lifestyles took in ten times more of the vitamins A and D than Americans did. Note that back then, the average American diet was still fairly nutritious, with a lot of whole, locally-grown, home-prepared foods. In the years since Dr. Price’s research, there was an explosion of factory farming and processed convenience foods, so now, eighty years later, it isn’t much of a stretch to presume our deficiency is even worse. How can we reverse this trend?

Vitamins A, D3, and K2 are found only in animal products (and in the case of D, through sunlight synthesis); a plant-based diet or a processed-food diet won’t have enough of these crucial nutrients. Seafood, especially fish eggs, fish livers, fish oil, and certain fish and mammals, provide high amounts of this trio. Wild-caught seafood that is fresh, frozen, or dried are higher-quality sources of fat-soluble vitamins than canned or farm-raised seafood.

Regular sunshine, about twenty minutes daily, can help raise your body’s vitamin D reserves. It is best if the sun is directly overhead, especially midday in the summer; the skin is not as efficient at D-production with the slanted rays of morning or evening sunshine. Darker skin is slower at absorbing sunlight and often requires longer exposure to the sun to raise vitamin D levels. Because many of are unable or unwilling to get out enough in the heat of the day, sunshine alone is often inadequate and most of the world (unless you live along the equator!) will need to include a dietary source of vitamin D3. If we can’t get enough sunlight ourselves, we can get it from grass-fed animals raised in sunlight.

You can find high concentrations of the fat-soluble vitamins in the meat and organs of traditionally-raised animals as well as in butter, cream, egg yolks, and animal fats such as lard and duck fat. Industrially-raised animals that are not pastured have only negligible levels of vitamins A and K2, and without sunlight, D as well. To optimize your grocery investments, target the highest quality possible for eggs and butter. Look for foods from pastured animals instead of grain-fed. Nutrient-dense sources pack a mighty punch in a small package. Don’t waste valuable space filling your grocery basket with high-calorie but low-nutrient foods!

Add cream or butter to soups to provide more nutrients and to enhance the absorption of the nutrients present in the vegetables. Top cooked vegetables with high-quality butter or coconut oil. Eat salads with rich homemade dressings made from fresh, healthy fats such as olive oil.

Cod liver oil and butter oil are some of the best sources of fat-soluble vitamins. Paired together they offer an incredible health boost. We believe this to be the highest quality whole food supplement available for this vital trilogy of fat soluble nutrients. For a more affordable option, Beeyoutiful’s Dynamic Duo provides vitamins A and D3 in good proportions to each other and is sourced from fish oils. D3 is available in a liquid and gel-cap form as well.

A diet rich in leafy greens will provide adequate amounts vitamin K1, but vitamin K2 is still needed. K2 is found in grass-fed animal products, especially cheese, meat, liver, and egg yolks. Supplementing your diet with one capsule of Beeyoutiful’s Katalyst every day could help increase vitamin K2 reserves and prevent a deficiency of this crucial nutrient.

KatalystStephWebsite For supplementation we recommend a ratio of 4-10:1 A to D3, and 10:1 D3 to K2. As always, for full utilization of nutrients extracted from their food form, take with a meal, as the body is designed to process nutrients from a food source rather than from an isolated supplement taken on an empty stomach. You’ll get more from both your supplements and your food.

Fat-soluble vitamins are crucial for health and a long life and are only available to the body through traditionally-raised animal products or careful supplementation. Don’t allow your health to stay permanently compromised due to a lack of these crucial, health supporting vitamins. Buy high quality whole food sources as life logistics and personal budgets allow. If life constraints are such that food sources are not an option the supplemental form of these nutrients will do exactly what they are designed to do, bridge the gap.

Products Mentioned in this Article:

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Activating Activator X in Your Diet – Spring 2010 Catalog

Posted on June 10, 2010 by stevetallent

Activating Activator X in Your Diet

By Christy Stouffer

Desperate situations can inspire us to think outside the box. Not long ago, a family member reacted adversely to a bout with chemotherapy, so we looked for help beyond conventional medicine.

Deteriorating quickly, Joan* was hospitalized. To make matters worse, she broke her hip and struggled to recover. Because she had no appetite, Joan quickly lost weight and had little energy or stamina.

A friend recommended that we look into giving Joan something called high vitamin butter oil. We scrambled to learn about it and at every turn were amazed at what we read!

X-actly What the Doctor Ordered

This golden butter was “discovered” more than 50 years ago by Weston A. Price. Dr. Price studied people groups from around the globe and learned that those who were healthy and thriving had something in common: they consumed high levels of vitamins A and D, and these vitamins were activated by vitamin K₂. Sometimes called the X-Factor, K₂ is found in high vitamin butter oil.

High vitamin butter oil is extracted from deep yellow butter fat using no heat. It is derived from the milk of cows that feed solely on 100% rapidly growing grass. Research shows that K₂ “instructs” the body on how to utilize vitamins A and D. Yet this crucial nutrient is almost nonexistent in today’s Western diet.

Vitamin K₂ is the most biologically active form of the K vitamin. This marvelous product of nature contains the power to strengthen bones and protect against tooth decay. It supports growth, helps the body rebuild tissue, repairs teeth and bones, and is a key component in reproductive health. The wonder of K₂ is its ability to serve as a catalyst to move inactive or passive vitamins into their most efficient state.

I was thrilled to learn that Beeyoutiful now offers K₂ as a dietary supplement. Adding this to your diet can ensure that you get maximum benefits from vitamins A and D. This product, appropriately named Katalyst, also includes alfalfa, a rich source of vitamin K. In addition, Beeyoutiful carries the Dynamic Duo (vitamins A and D₃) and when used in conjunction with Katalyst, you’ll boost and build a healthy immune system.

Oil Recovery

When we compiled our facts, it was obvious Joan could benefit from high vitamin butter oil. We gave her a small dose twice each day and within a week, her appetite revived, cognitive skills sharpened, and she gained weight. Her strength increased daily and where she had previously been completely bedridden, she began to walk the halls of the hospital with the help of her physical therapist.

We continued to give Joan butter oil, and her progress persisted. At one point, the doctor pulled her chart, surveyed her blood tests, and admitted that he couldn’t explain the turnaround in Joan, but we believe the high vitamin butter oil stimulated and strengthened her immune system. The doctors had given no hope for Joan’s recovery-and in fact, advised us to call hospice-but today she is back at home, has a good appetite, and takes her butter oil daily.

High vitamin butter oil boasts numerous benefits, and it’s no surprise that the people groups Dr. Price studied were sturdy, healthy folks. Take a look at what’s in this remarkable food:

– Butyric Acid – Reduces inflammation in intestines, has antifungal and antitumor effects;

– Stearic Acid – Works to steady blood pressure and stimulates heart muscles to contract, helps lower total blood cholesterol and LDL cholesterol;

– Caproic Acid – Contains anti-viral effects;

– Lauric Acid – Has ability to kill many strains of fungi and yeast;

– Glycosphingolipids – Protects against gastrointestinal infections, particularly in those most susceptible (young children and the elderly);

– Oleic Acid – Reduces plasma cholesterol and LDL cholesterol;

– CLA Isomer 9, 11 – A naturally-occurring trans fat that may inhibit tumor growth, prevent heart disease, and reduce body fat;

– Myristic Acid – A significant factor that increases the good cholesterol, HDL;

– Quinones – A group of organic compounds that includes K and E vitamins as well as CoQ enzyme families.

Who would have thought butter could provide such a variety of benefits? When our family learned about such a beneficial food product that occurs naturally, is derived without chemical intervention, and doesn’t involve a restructure of molecular design, we were hooked. We all now regularly use high vitamin butter oil to ensure that the above ingredients aren’t left out of our diets.

Butter Days Are Here Again

Additional research by Dr. Price revealed that when butter and cod liver oils are taken together, they complement one another. High-vitamin butter oil contains an omega-6 fatty acid, while cod liver oil is rich in omega-3. The saturated fatty acids in the butter oil launch and efficiently use the unsaturated fatty acids in the cod liver oil.

The crew at Beeyoutiful now offers Organic 3 Extra Virgin Butter Oil – Available in butter-gel which can be taken by spoon with honey or syrup, can be used on toast, or taken straight (delivers a creamy, rich taste).

This delectable golden butter offers benefits for any person-young, old, or in between! Our modern diets (even those without processed foods) lack the dense vitamins that butterfat delivers. A dose of high vitamin butter oil offers a powerful boost to anyone who wants to better utilize the minerals in his or her diet. So I say, bring on the butter!

_____________________

*Not her real name

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Spring 2010 Letter from Stephanie

Posted on June 10, 2010 by stevetallent

Hello on a balmy spring day here in Middle Tennessee!

For those of you still caught in winter’s grip, I encourage you to be patient. Warm weather is truly on the way! The rest of you have already welcomed spring in its sunshiny glory and are soaking in the warmth. I’m relieved to have this winter behind us. The 2009-10 season has brought with it some of the toughest illnesses we’ve seen in years. Several people I know struggled with sickness in one form or another for most of the season. Steve and I have been more grateful than ever for the diversity and effectiveness of our health-supporting products.

Warm weather means I’m now out in the garden and excited about how luxurious our soil is looking after three years of effort! Snow peas are poking their vibrant green heads out of the dirt and already looking for something to climb. Lettuce and other seedlings are sprouting, looking healthy and robust. I keep close tabs because Noelle runs out to check on their progress several times a day. At least now that they’ve emerged from the ground I don’t have to worry about her digging them up to see if they are “Gwowing Mommy? Plants gwowing?” I love how involved she is in the process—even as a 3 year-old—and the joy it brings her.

For the past few months, we’ve been on an exciting journey of pursuing a Home Study for Adoption, done through a non-profit organization. We hope to adopt an infant from here in the States—either a boy or a girl—later this year. The home study is almost complete and we’re excited to see what happens. Although the process has been more challenging than expected, we’ve come to appreciate the thoroughness of the agency’s measures and know it is for the protection of the children.We would appreciate prayers as our family will no doubt experience hope and excitement and, very possibly, disappointments as we await the outcome.

One requirement of the home study has been that our whole family has had medical check-ups. Between that and Steve having a tooth pulled, we’ve been in and out of doctors’ offices quite a bit more than usual. As a result, we’re more motivated than ever to take good care of our teeth and general health. Steve says, in particular, he wishes he’d been more careful with his teeth in his younger years. On pages 6 and 8 of this catalog we feature two great articles about dental care. One is written by my dear friend and regular catalog contributor, Nancy Webster, and discusses how to prevent tooth decay from the inside out. The other is written by my mother-in-law, Sharon Tallent, and the products she has discovered in her quest for oral health. Both are full of great resources and information.

We have several new products that I’m excited about. Our essential oil collection continues to grow. Every time a new oil is added to our collection, a whole new realm of possibilities opens for which to better care for our bodies and the environment.What I’m most excited about is that we now offer two carrier oils. Sweet Almond Oil—known for its ability to increase absorption through the skin to maximize the benefits of the essential oils—is a personal favorite of mine. Another great carrier is Jojoba, which is a light super-beneficial oil. I love Jojoba because it has the longest shelf life of all the most popular carrier oils. These two carriers make it easier to mix up and dilute blends of essential oils with an appropriate base. On page 10, we have a fantastic article by Mary Ewing. She shares her journey in learning to appreciate and use essential oils as well as some of her favorite recipes and usage ideas.

I always feel a very personal connection with the products we supply because so much care and attention to detail goes into each and every one. Like a mother with children, I know I’m not supposed to have favorites among our product line—because they all have their own unique benefits—but I can’t help myself. I do have favorites. And every so often a new product has me bursting with maternal pride and joy.My “newest favorite” is Katalyst, otherwise known as Vitamin K2. It joins the team with Dynamic Duo (Vitamin A and D3), announced in our last catalog. Research suggests that there is a beneficial synergy when vitamins A, D3, and K2 work together in the body. Ideally, people would obtain this uniquely beneficial triad of fat-soluble vitamins by eating nutrient-dense foods. A whole-food source is the most effective way to utilize and absorb these fantastic nutrients. However, many of us cannot afford the time or money to obtain and prepare the foods that possess these amazing nutrients. That’s why there’s Beeyoutiful.

We recently began carrying what we believe are high quality, food-based sources of this life-supporting trinity of vitamins, manufactured by the company called Green Pasture. The article on page 12 is about these vitamins and the innumerable ways they benefit the body. So with this in mind, We’ve also found lower cost alternative sources, in Katalyst and Dynamic Duo. They do a great job of filling the gap for families with a need for these nutrients but without the means to afford High Vitamin Butter Oil and Fermented Cod Liver Oil in the quantities required. If Dynamic Duo and Katalyst are taken with meals high in good animal fats, we believe they are enormously beneficial. We plan to offer even more articles about these products in the future and share any additional research we come across as we learn more about them.

Before I close I need to add a housekeeping note. I’m always delighted to hear from our customers, yet a frustrating—but manageable—technological glitch occasionally gets in the way. Several of our customers who wrote recently had to send a second note to say they had never received a reply (although I had responded). I sent another e-mail and got even more frustrated e-mails back because they still didn’t receive my note. The problem, we discovered, is usually a customer’s spam protection. Every now and then we even have the same problem with our customer service e-mails. So: A way to troubleshoot when you think you haven’t received a response from Beeyoutiful is to check your spam box and spam settings. Many e-mail services automatically put e-mails originating from a company into a spam folder, assuming it is unwanted marketing information.My one disclaimer about our responding, though, is that sometimes it takes a couple of business days to catch up on our e-mails, so don’t go “dumpster diving” through your spam box if you haven’t heard back within a couple of hours.We do love communicating with our customers and will write back as soon as we’re able.

Thank you, as always, for supporting Beeyoutiful. We value our customers and deeply appreciate the opportunity to share products and resources that have so greatly impacted our lives. As always, if there’s anything I can do to help or encourage you and your family, feel free to write. And if, by chance, you don’t hear back within a week, dig through the spam box to see if my response is sitting there along with enhancement ads and notifications that a wealthy foreigner wants to bestow his copious life savings upon you.

I’m off to water the seedlings and start supper. Take a few minutes to enjoy the sun—and even the pollen-laden spring air. A swig of Berry Well and a couple capsules of Bee Strong or local bee pollen taken internally can help if you suffer from seasonal allergies. So throw open the windows and let the beautiful spring weather in for a few hours! Every house can benefit from a good airing-out.

Grace and Peace,

Stephanie Walker Tallent

steph@beeyoutiful.com