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Are Fermented Foods the Key to Happiness?

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Whether it is with a salad or any other dish that I am making at home, organic fermented foods – usually sauerkraut (above) or kimchee – can almost always be found on my plate. Why is this?

I have come to understand that if we want to have a strong immune system, we must take care of our gut and provide it with beneficial bacteria.

And that is exactly what fermented foods give us – beneficial bacteria.

Dr. Natascha Campbell-McBride, a Russian neurologist and founder of the GAPS Diet, says that:

“about 85% of our immune system is located in the gut wall. This fact has been established by basic physiology research in the 1930s and the 1940s. Your gut, your digestive wall, is the biggest and the most important immune organ in your body. There is a very tight conversation and a relationship going on between the gut flora that lives inside your digestive system and your immune system.

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My Organic Lunch Yesterday at Liquid Earth

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I am in Baltimore attending Natural Products Expo East, one of the biggest organic trade shows of the year.

During the first day of the show yesterday, I dashed out and grabbed lunch at Liquid Earth, an organic restaurant and juice bar near my hotel. Here is what I had.

DOUBLE SHOT OF WHEATGRASS

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Top 5 Organic Products from Natural Products Expo East 2013

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Last night, I got back from Natural Products Expo East in Baltimore and had a fantastic time. As I always do during the show in Baltimore, I stay at my absolute favorite hotel, The Inn at the Black Olive, the most green/organic hotel I’ve ever seen.

I’ll be doing several posts this week recapping my time in Baltimore, so please enjoy the first one – My Top 5 Organic Products from Natural Products Expo East 2013.

YELLOW BARN ROASTED EGGPLANT PASTA SAUCE

When I sampled the roasted eggplant pasta sauce from Yellow Barn, I immediately said to myself “Who needs pasta to eat this? I could this right out of the jar.” It was that delicious.

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Just Arrived in Baltimore for Natural Products Expo East 2011

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I just got into Baltimore to attend Natural Products Expo East, one of the two biggest trade shows in the organic industry, and I am incredibly excited about this year’s show for several reasons.

One, I am speaking on a panel tomorrow at 4PM called “Allergens, Additives and Special Diets” – the first time that I have been asked to speak at either Expo East or Expo West.

I’ll be covering various topics including: organic vs. natural, the relationship of GMOs and allergies, the different organic labels, and how retailers can better educate consumers about organic.

Ever since I started livingmaxwell less than two years ago I had always been hoping that one day I would get to take part in a panel. Now it is happening.

Two, I am staying at the most organic hotel I have ever come across in my life called the Inn at the Black Olive. This place is AMAZING!  I checked in a little while ago and am so over-the-top impressed.

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VIDEO: Gwyneth Paltrow Demonstrates Why QR Codes are an Unacceptable Alternative to GMO-Labels

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With Vermont’s GMO-labeling bill set to go into effect on July 1st, federal efforts to kill this bill — via the DARK Act — have still not died.

The DARK Act, a federal bill which would make it illegal for states to label GMOs, was passed in the House last year but was narrowly defeated in the Senate several weeks ago.

We know that Republicans absolutely do not want Vermont’s bill to go into effect and are still trying to push the DARK Act through the Senate. What is making more news as of late is that Senator Debbie Stabenow, an influential Democrat from Michigan who has taken $500,000 in donations from Monsanto, Dow, and Coca-Cola, wants the DARK Act to pass as well.

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Is Whole Foods “Brandwashing” Us?

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Recently, I received a copy of Martin Lindstrom’s Brandwashed: Tricks Companies Use to Manipulate Our Minds and Persuade Us to Buy.

The reason that I wanted to read it was because Whole Foods was discussed in the book and I was curious to know what he had to say about the company.

As Martin Lindstrom correctly points out, Whole Foods is very strategic in how it merchandises its products. A few examples that he mentioned were:

– Putting flowers by the entrance. These are called “symbolics”,  and they evoke freshness and “prime” us as we begin our shopping.

– All of the signs in the produce and fruit section are written on black slate with chalk, a tradition of European marketplaces. Apparently, marketers refers to this tactic as “farmgate”, so that consumers think a farmer just drove up and dropped off the vegetables.

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My Analysis of Starbucks’ $30M Acquisition of Evolution Fresh, Getting into the Organic Juice Business

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Yesterday, Starbucks announced that it had purchased Evolution Fresh for $30 million in cash and held a conference call formally disclosing its plans to enter the $50 billion health and wellness industry.

Started by Jimmy Rosenberg, the original founder of Naked Juice, Evolution Fresh is a California-based company that sells a line of organic and non-organic pressed juices in retail locations on the West Coast.

This acquisition by Starbucks is just the first step of a large strategic initiative to tap into the growing health and wellness sector.

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livingmaxwell: a guide to organic food & drink