A sprig of holy basil. Traditional herbs such as holy basil are a natural source of quercetin, a phytonutrient with antioxidant properties and other beneficial effects.
When you think of nutrients for immune health, you probably think about letter vitamins like A, C and D. But I encourage you to also think of the trace mineral zinc. Why? Zinc is another powerful tool in your nutrition toolbox for immune health. In fact, your immune cells must rely on a steady supply to be ready for action.
What’s more, the immune benefits of zinc may get some help from one of my favorite plant polyphenols: Quercetin. I think this potential link between zinc and quercetin is fascinating. I think you’ll agree when you read the brief summary below.
My daughter Koral and I stand in a field of echinacea in full bloom as we take in the majesty of snow-capped Mount Adams in the background. Our sustainable farming practices and modern farming technology keep these fields productive and fertile, season after season. Trout Lake Farm West, July 22, 2015. Photo: Darwin Hintz.
Nutrilite™ Immunity Echinacea has long been one of our most popular products. The team works hard to ensure there’s no need to worry about running out of echinacea plants. From the field workers to the equipment operators to the manufacturing and processing teams, all hands are on deck to make sure the echinacea crop grown for the product thrives. And, it all starts with something that may surprise you: Precision weeding.
Let no weed go to seed
“Never let a weed go to seed.” You’ll hear this catchy phrase often when you visit Trout Lake Farm. If you ask Phil Hintz, Trout Lake Farm East Farm Manger, you can’t hear it enough. Why? Although it may sound simple, it’s actually a process that has a profound effect.
In fact, precision weeding is a key reason why we are able to meet the always high demand for Nutrilite™ Immunity Echinacea.
Darwin Hintz, Technology Manager for Trout Lake Farm and Nutrilite Global Agribusiness, explains it best. If the weeds take over, you can lose your entire crop. But, unlike conventional farmers, organic farmers are unable to rely on conventional herbicides and pesticides. We need another way to save crops, yet keep costs down. For this, the team turns to the precision of GPS tractors.
Cutting time, labor and cost
The Trout Lake Farm team has been steadily adding GPS tractors to their fleet of equipment. In this way, they have the most sophisticated satellite-driven technology at their disposal so they can consistently plant, grow and harvest crops with the precision needed to meet global demands for Nutrilite™ products.
These high-tech tractors are so precise that they weed within one-half inch on either side of a plant , even when the operator is not looking. With this precision, the hand-weeding crews only need to focus on the last inch.
Think about it, that’s barely the width of two fingers!
Hand weeding is a critical step, but it’s time-consuming, labor-intensive and is a big cost of organic farming. GPS tractors help overcome all these challenges. Plus, this weed control process is so efficient, explains Darwin, that a quality crop can be harvested in one year rather than waiting two to three years.
GPS tractor planting echinacea at the end of a long day. Echinacea is a crop destined for Nutrilite™ Immunity Echinacea. Trout Lake Farm East, Wash., March 26, 2020. Photo: Darwin Hintz.
Taking precision weeding to the extreme
Close up of echinacea flower in bloom. Trout Lake Farm West, 2019.
Trout Lake Farm has recently added four advanced GPS tractors. To me, these tractors are the trifecta of modern farming excellence: precision, economy and eco-friendly.
“Our latest GPS-equipped planter tractor adds new features that enable extreme precision and performance beyond our previous capabilities,” says Darwin. Like the cockpit of a jet, the cab is command central where the operator manages the entire process from multiple monitors.
“And don’t underestimate the value of the economy mode in our newest tractor purchases,” continues Darwin. With this feature, a tractor can maintain proper lubrication and better control engine speed and fuel use. Even the tire sizes are selected for optimum traction and minimal soil compaction.
Of course, this is all part of our Best of Nature promise behind the product.
Prepared to meet the needs of today’s – and tomorrow’s – consumers
The Trout Lake Farm team continues to be on the leading edge of creative discovery and innovative farming practices. What’s more, they eagerly share what works – and what doesn’t – with other Nutrilite farms and farming partners around the world so they too can apply best practices for eco-friendly, organic farming that’s both productive and cost efficient.
Phil (left) and Darwin Hintz (right) join Francesca and me in a growing Echinacea purpurea field. Their modern farming and technology leadership play a key role in many crops destined for Nutrilite™ products. Trout Lake East Farm, Wash, 2019.
So, the next time you reach for the product, I encourage you to think of the Trout Lake Farm team. Their commitment to precision weeding – and the thousands of other good decisions they make throughout the year – is a key reason people around the world can continue to benefit from Nutrilite™ Immunity Echinacea.
Cheers,
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Reference
Randolph RK, Gellenbeck K, Stonebrook K, et al. Regulation of human immune gene expression as influenced by a commercial blended Echinacea product: preliminary studies. Exp Biol Med. 2003;228(9):1051-6. PMID: 14530514.
Getting ready to take a brisk walk with Francesca. Being outdoors surrounded by nature is one of our favorite ways to maintain a positive outlook.
I find it heartwarming to see so many examples of resilience and compassion making headline news. Glass walls may separate the most vulnerable from their loved ones, but care and love are still on full display. Older folks may need to shelter in place, but neighbors are stepping up to help shop for supplies or lend a helping hand.
It’s important to realize just how connected we all are. If we focus on staying healthy and positive, we’ll have an easier time navigating the uncertainty ahead. Plus, the better we take care of ourselves, the better we are able to help those around us.
Videoconferencing from home. Many employees are moving to remote work to help maintain social distancing.
Putting it all into perspective
Staying informed can go a long way to helping you feel calmer. But be careful not to overdo it. Even the experts suggest that we take breaks from watching and listening to the news, including social media, to avoid becoming too anxious.
Staying positive can help too. In fact, a positive attitude is directly linked to a healthy immune system. What’s more, researchers recently found that optimism is a trait associated with living longer. For this study, the researchers compared results from two large, independent, long-term surveys. One survey was the decades-long Nurses’ Health Study with more than 69,000 women, 70 years of age on average, followed for 10 years. The other was the Veterans Affairs Normative Aging Study, with about 1,400 men, 62 years of age on average, followed for 30 years.
Both groups reported how optimistic they were, whether they felt in control of important situations in their life, and if they expected good or bad things to happen to them in the future. Findings are published in the September 2019 issues of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Not only did the more optimistic and positive participants live longer, they lived up to 15 percent longer. To me, that’s an impressive difference just by looking on the bright side of things.
“Optimistic individuals tend to have goals and the confidence to reach them; thus, optimism may foster health-promoting habits and bolster resistance of unhealthy impulses through greater engagement with one’s goals, more efficacious problem-solving, and adjustment of goals when they become unattainable,” explain the researchers.
Interestingly, the researchers say your outlook is about 25 percent inherited, but the rest is learned and influenced by your social connections.
Time to choose more foods that support your immune defenses
It’s always a good time to let your positivity and optimism shine. What better way to start than by focusing on a healthy diet to fortifying your body’s immune defenses?
Whether you’re heading to the kitchen to prepare more home-cooked meals or ordering food delivered, I encourage you to keep healthy food choices top of mind. Of course, before preparing or eating any food, it’s important to wash your hands with clean water and soap for at least 20 seconds. And, as you think about each meal and snack, ask yourself, “What is the best choice I can make to fortify my immune defense?”
For inspiration, here are five essential immune-boosting nutrients and ideas for foods you can add to your menu now and all year long:
1. Vitamin C
Slices of orange and lemon. All citrus fruits—oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruits and more—are a rich source of vitamin C.
For all its body benefits, vitamin C is most recognized for its role in immune health. Without it, you would be hard-pressed to maintain the protective membranes that line your nose, mouth, throat and intestinal tract. Your body would also have a hard time producing and activating key immune cells and maintaining a healthy inflammatory response.
Fresh fruits and vegetables, especially oranges, lemons and other citrus fruits, are your best food sources. Although, don’t overlook frozen options as freezing helps retain the vitamin. In fact, commercially frozen foods are often higher in vitamin C than their fresh counterparts shipped across long distances and stored on supermarket shelves.
2. Zinc
A meal featuring garbanzo beans (chickpeas). Garbanzo beans are a good source of zinc.
Zinc is critical for healthy immunity in large part because it is required for the optimal function of neutrophils, natural killer cells and other immune cells. Plus, zinc helps maintain the integrity of skin and the protective membranes that line the nose, mouth, throat and intestinal tract.
You’ll find zinc in meat, fish, poultry, milk and milk products, but don’t overlook plant sources such as nuts, enriched cereals, garbanzo beans and other legumes, and whole grains.
3. Vitamin A
Vitamin A helps maintain the integrity of your skin. In this way, it fortifies your body’s first line of defense against foreign invaders. Plus, vitamin A plays a central role in the ability of white blood cells to develop and differentiate. All good stuff for immune health.
Animal foods are a source of pre-formed vitamin A (retinol), but don’t overlook plant foods that contain carotenoids like beta-carotene that easily convert to vitamin A in the body. For this reason, one of the easiest ways to boost your intake of this protective vitamin is to add more fruits and vegetables to your daily plate, especially orange, yellow and green varieties.
4. Vitamin E
Nuts and seeds. A good source of powerful vitamin E.
While most people recognize vitamin E as a powerful antioxidant, it also helps fortify the body’s immune defenses. Why? Molecules and enzymes in immune cells use vitamin E to help maintain optimal function.
Just about any meal or snack is an opportunity to boost your intake of vitamin E. You’ll find it in a wide variety of foods like fortified cereals, vegetable oils, seeds, nuts and nut butters. Fruits, vegetables and fish are also good sources.
Toss a few sunflower seeds on top of scrambled eggs at breakfast. Grab a handful of almonds as a mid-day snack, or serve up a spinach salad with a drizzle of olive oil at dinner. It all adds up to more support for your hard-working immune cells.
5. Vitamin D
In the body, the major circulating form of vitamin D (1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D) is a potent immune modulator. Nutrition experts attribute this action to an intracellular vitamin D receptor and key enzymes expressed by immune cells that metabolize vitamin D. So, it’s important not to skimp on this immune defender.
Yes, you can produce vitamin D in your skin from sunlight, but it may not be enough. So be sure to add food sources to your daily plate. Fatty fish, egg yolks and cheese are natural sources and other foods may be fortified with vitamin D.
Of course, you can fill any nutrient gaps between what your diet provides and what your body needs when you include Double X multivitamin in your daily routine.
The real value of prevention
There’s no debate that healthful habits practiced throughout a lifetime go a long way to helping people of every age stay healthy in good times and bad. All without spiraling healthcare costs out of control or putting an undue strain on the healthcare system and healthcare personnel.
While it may feel like we have little control over the environment or the economy these days, remember we do have control over how we react and adapt.
Stay positive and take good care of yourself and those around you.
Sending lots of love,
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Welcome to my blog on healthy living with the Nutrilite™ brand.
