While agave is touted as a natural fructose sweetener, it actually undergoes fairly rigid processing and manufacturing. After the Westin A Price Foundation research stated that agave must be processed through the liver in the same way as high fructose corn syrup, we don’t actively promote or support it any longer. We recommend raw honey and organic maple syrup over agave these days but still use it in some of our recipes. Aunt Patty's agave is farmed in a sustainable manner where the agave plant is harvested but left in the ground to regenerate for next season. Aunt Patty's Certified Organic Agave Syrup is also certified Kosher and is available in retail and industrial quantities.  Agave nectar is 1.4x sweeter than sugar. It is an amber nectar that is certified organic and GMO-Free. It is stable, non-crystallizing and quick dissolving.

Our research tells us that Barlean's flaxseed oil is the highest quality around. They get their flaxseeds from Saskatchewan Canada and pride themselves on being 48 hour from seed to shelf. This means that only 48 hours goes by from the time the flaxseeds are harvest, pressed, bottled and brought to your health food store shelves. We are really impressed with that. Flaxseed oil is one of the richest source of vegetable-based vital Omega-3 fatty acids.  Barlean's is the freshest, best-tasting flax oil available. Barlean's flaxseed oil is pure, unfiltered and unrefined. Their proprietary cold pressing results in clean, delicious oil that doesn't need to be filtered to achieve its fresh flavor. Barlean's Fresh Flax Oil is ideal for those who aspire to nutritionally support: * Heart Health * Healthy Cholesterol Levels * Joint Mobility & Bone Density * Energy & Endurance * Healthy Blood Glucose Skin, Hair & Nail Health* Note: Never cook with flax oil. Use it on salads and store in the refrigerator. Head over to the recipes section of our site and search for Christa's Healthy Salad Dressing if you're ready to make a flax oil based dressing. 

White peppercorns have been known to improve digestive function and intestinal health. In the hills behind the village of Muntok, on the Indonesian island of Bangka, pepper farmers climb traditional bamboo tripods and hand-pick fruit spikes of red ripe pepper berries. The fruit spikes are packed into rice sacks and soaked in slow running streams of water that come down off the mountains above. 7 days later the outermost skin of the pepper has disintegrated and the peppercorns are piled together for a traditional trampling called “nari mereca” or the Pepper Dance. The dancing separates the peppercorns from the fruit spike and after a final washing the berries are left to dry in the sun where they will bleach to a whitish-cream.

Grapefruit seed extract is a great substance. It contains good amounts of disease-fighting, free-radical eliminating antioxidants and phytonutrients called bioflavonoids. One of these powerful bioflavanoids (plant antioxidants) include the chemical component hesperidin, a well-known natural immune-system stimulator and booster. Chemical analysis of grapefruit seed extract shows additional antioxidant constituents including Vitamin C, sterols, tocopherols, citric acid, liminoids, and other trace minerals. We recommend Solaray because it's easy to find and honestly one of the only companies that makes it in pill form and not a tincture, which is easy for our clients to take. It does wonders to remove fungus from the body/intestinal tract. We also like the tincture to help with melsasma or darkened skin, mixed with water and used as a tincture. Another use for the tincture is to add a few drops to grains when soaking to eliminate more phytic acid, which grains contain. 

Niman Ranch works with small U.S. family farmers who are committed to raising the highest quality breeds and are dedicated to caring for their livestock traditionally. These guiding philosophies, from the genetics they source, to the feeds they use, to the humane animal raising standards contribute to the consistently, best tasting, all-natural beef, pork, lamb and smoked and prepared meats. We love their commitment to the land, the animals and to smaller family farmers. Niman Ranch network has grown to include over 676 independent American farmers and ranchers. Whether they’re raising hogs, cattle or lamb, they all share Niman Ranch's dedication to the strictest protocols and the belief that all-natural, humane and sustainable methods produce the best possible flavor.