Magnesium is an essential mineral, critical to the function of over 300 biological processes in the body. An estimated 80 percent of people in the US do not get their minimum daily requirement of magnesium, due both to poor dietary habits and to industrial chemical-based farming having depleted the soil of much of its mineral content.

“This award is a validation of the importance of magnesium in overall health, and also of Natural Calm as an efficient and effective delivery system,” commented Natural Vitality president Ken Whitman. “We are proud that Natural Calm has been recognized by retailers for the second year in a row.”

Carolyn Dean, MD, ND, a leading expert on magnesium and author of the bestselling book The Magnesium Miracle, points out that 100 years ago Americans received 500 mg of magnesium daily from food cultivated in rich soil, yet this has declined to approximately 150 mg today. Her research connects the dots between magnesium deficiency and many health problems, and clearly illustrates the dramatic improvements produced with magnesium supplementation.

“Consumers are telling retailers that Natural Calm is very helpful to them,” Dean said. “I love the fact that people receive a wonderful source of magnesium when they take Natural Calm, and it makes my job easier, since I recommend it to everyone.”

Natural Calm is available at all leading natural product retailers and e-tailers in original (unflavored) and organic raspberry-lemon, organic orange, and organic sweet lemon flavors.

Natural Vitality is committed to the highest standards in its premium line of vitamins, minerals, and nutrient-dense food-based supplements promoting heart and bone health, performance, endurance and anti-aging. The company’s commitment is also reflected in its Natural Revitalization environmental action initiative, which actively supports organizations that improve personal, societal and environmental conditions across the planet.

For more information about Natural Calm, visit http://www.petergillham.com/wp/2009/11/natural-calm/.

To find out more about Natural Vitality’s Natural Revitalization program, visit http://www.petergillham.com/wp/natural-revitalization/.

“We are pleased to receive this recognition in the category of Green Marketing Website for our Organic Connections magazine site,” said Organic Connections publisher Ken Whitman. “This is truly a labor of love for us born of our core values at Natural Vitality. While Organic Connections has existed as a magazine for years, the website is only a year old and it’s gratifying that it has become so popular as a destination.”

“Those involved in today’s emerging media technologies are the leaders who are establishing tomorrow’s avenues of advertising communications,” said Jocelyn Luciano, executive director for the Summit International Awards (SIA). “Developing, applying, and combining emerging media with creative messaging and market awareness is challenging. Achieving this synthesis is what makes earning a Summit EMA a significant achievement.”

The Summit International Awards (SIA) organization is dedicated to furthering excellence in the communications industry. This SIA organization stands apart by offering a true competitive environment where entries are judged alongside those of their peers. Companies and individuals from more than fifty countries and across five continents participate in its award.

Natural Vitality views its social responsibility very seriously. The company is dedicated to the highest standards in its supplement formulations and devotes a percentage of its profits to its Natural Revitalization environmental action initiative (http://organicconnectmag.com/wp/about/natural-revitalization/). Nonprofit organizations that receive financial as well as active support from Natural Vitality include the Center for Food Safety, Remineralize the Earth, Frontera Farmer Foundation, Farm Forward, Real Food Campaign, American Forests, and Marathon Kids.

According to Morris, the nonprofit program depends upon corporate sponsors, foundations, individual donors and fundraisers who believe in its mission to develop in each child the love and habit of moving through space. “Marathon Kids is honored to be sponsored by Natural Vitality. This year we have almost 200,000 registered Marathon Kids in our evidence-based program. We are exceedingly careful about our sponsorships and how we keep this six-month running/walking, nutrition and schoolyard gardening program free for our children. It is heartening and encouraging to be able to partner with Natural Vitality,” she stated.

Established in 2007 by Natural Vitality president Ken Whitman, the company’s environmental action initiatives have evolved from a long corporate history of championing nutrition and fitness awareness, and working to correct unhealthy eating habits, toxic practices in agriculture, and genetic modification of fish, livestock and produce. When Whitman discovered Marathon Kids in Austin—where he recently relocated the company headquarters from Southern California—he moved quickly to offer support.

“The health of our children is of vital concern and we are proud to be a sponsor of Marathon Kids. Exercise and good nutrition are the foundation of a healthy and happy life and this successful program is an excellent example of how these elements can be incorporated in a fun and motivating way,” Whitman said.

Marathon Kids joins Center for Food Safety (centerforfoodsafety.org), Remineralize the Earth (remineralize.org), Frontera Farmer Foundation (rickbayless.com/foundation), Farm Forward (farmforward.com), Real Food Campaign (realfoodcampaign.org) and American Forests (americanforests.org) as the newest recipient of Natural Vitality’s Natural Revitalization program funds.

For more information about Marathon Kids, visit http://www.marathonkids.org.

Sugar, sugar everywhere…

The facts Dr. Dean presents are hard to swallow. She relates that a staggering 1,000% more children today are diagnosed with diabetes compared to 1990, and that “…over 80% of type 2 diabetes is related to being overweight.” According to Dr. Dean, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommendations sanction up to 25% of calories in one’s daily diet from added sugar, amounting to approximately 33 teaspoons of sugar in a daily diet of 2,000 calories. However, the USDA states that the average annual sugar consumption per person has increased from 123.3 pounds in 1970 to 170.5 pounds in 2008, amounting to 50.5 teaspoons of sugar a day, exceeding the IOM limits by over 17 teaspoons every day.

Health risks associated with sugar consumption are legendary: hypoglycemia, adrenal stress, insulin resistance leading to diabetes, tooth decay, candida (yeast) and behavior disorders; sugar can also precipitate hypertension and high cholesterol in later life. So who gains from this dwindling spiral? As Dr. Dean points out in Kids’ Health, the refined sugar industry cultivates millions of acres of corn, sugarcane and beets annually. Companies that produce artificial sweeteners and additives also have a big stake in the game, as does the fast food industry, as do the advertising media, as do the pharmaceutical companies that manufacture insulin, drugs to treat ADHD, Prozac and other psychiatric drugs and medicines, as do the hospitals that treat those who have become too frail as a result of this vicious cycle.

The role of diet in ADHD…

How do children behave when certain foods are eliminated from their diets? In Kids’ Health Dr. Dean cites several studies that found striking improvements in mood, learning ability and social skills among public school students, children diagnosed with hyperactivity, ADD and other behavioral problems, and even juvenile delinquents. In these studies, children were taken off sugar, high-carbohydrate junk foods, foods with additives and common foods such as milk, eggs, wheat and citrus. Dr. Dean’s own patients, including children with ADHD and autism, have improved when they stopped consuming sugar, gluten, casein, soy, MSG and artificial sweeteners.

The booklet steps mightily into a current arena of controversy, challenging the medical and pharmaceutical establishment’s penchant for medicating children with powerful psychiatric drugs. Dr. Dean writes: “It has been said of conventional medicine that ‘when all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.’ When doctors are allowed to treat ADHD with drugs without looking at the greater picture of diet and supplements, our children become the nails. But hammering them with medication doesn’t address the root problem. It just makes matters worse.”

Sensible nutrition…

Kids’ Health presents practical guidance for parents. Dean stresses the importance of including vegetables and fruits grown without pesticides and herbicides (organic), meats without added hormones or antibiotics, and nutrient-dense, high-fiber whole grains. She admits that orchestrating such a diet may not be easy for busy parents, but it is critical to the health, development and well-being of their children.

Dr. Dean is an outspoken advocate for magnesium, a mineral essential for muscles and nerves to relax. She quotes from her book, The Magnesium Miracle: “It’s not just adults who get anxious because they are on magnesium-deficient diets…ADHD, autism, juvenile delinquency and childhood depression are associated with magnesium deficiency, and some say these conditions can be caused by it.” In a market flooded with supplements, there is only one that she endorses for children, meeting all of her criteria for magnesium, zinc, essential fatty acids (EPA and DHA), B vitamins, vitamin C and trace minerals: Kids Natural Calm Multi from Peter Gillham’s Natural Vitality. As Dr. Dean writes in Kids’ Health, “…[it] provides a good tasting liquid supplement using organic flavors and organic non-sugar sweeteners…plus they’ve added a blend of 24 organic vegetables and fruits most kids don’t get in their current diet.”

Real changes…

Kids’ Health steers parents away from accepted norms that favor big-dollar, low-nutrient consumption, healthcare and drugs. Dr. Dean writes: “You may be relieved to discover that there are environmental and dietary reasons that explain your child’s health or behavior…Awareness is certainly the first step toward change. Once we become aware, we can begin educating ourselves toward a better future for all of our children.”

To order copies of Kids’ Health—A Doctor’s Guide for Parents ($4.95), visit Amazon.com

For information about Kids Natural Calm Multi see http://www.naturalvitalitykids.com

Magnesium is essential to healthy cells, organs, bones and the metabolism of energy. It is necessary for muscles to relax. It helps to keep the blood flowing freely. Without magnesium the nervous system cannot function properly. As indispensable as magnesium is in overall health, the shocking estimate is that less than 20% of adults get sufficient magnesium to meet their daily needs.

“We are pleased that Natural Calm received this recognition once again,” said Ken Whitman, President of Peter Gillham’s Natural Vitality. “Natural Calm is such an effective way to supplement magnesium, it has achieved great popularity not only in the US but in Canada, the UK, Italy, Russia and many other countries. The fact that magnesium is a key component of over 300 biological processes in the body means that with low magnesium levels you’re going to feel energy-depleted or stressed. This is one of the great things about Natural Calm—when you start restoring your magnesium levels and balancing your calcium intake you start feeling better and more relaxed very quickly.”

The 2010 Better Nutrition winning products were selected by an advisory board including medical doctors, naturopaths, and other expert natural health practitioners.

Natural Calm also received Vitamin Retailer Magazine’s Vity Award in 2009, and has been officially approved by Mommy MD Guides and celebrity dietitian Ashley Koff, RD (http://www.ashleykoffapproved.com).

As Jordan described, “From the base-camp elevation of 17,000 feet above sea level, everything is working against you, and we had another 12,035 feet of climbing to go. You have to read your body and understand food and nutrition to keep yourself together, to keep your body functioning properly. Every morning as a team, we would take a shot of Natural Vitality’s sports product Energy 28™, and it really gave us that extra endurance that we needed.”

Jordan’s dad, Paul, added, “When the human body is exposed to hypoxia (a condition that can occur in oxygen-reduced environments), it struggles to produce required amounts of energy with less available oxygen, and it taxes your immune system and your digestive tract. Although we had trained for and acclimated to the high elevations, Energy 28 absolutely nailed it for that added boost of energy and endurance needed to keep going and to keep morale up.”

The highly potent, organic, non-GMO and natural food energizer was a logical choice for Jordan and his team. Energy 28 contains a unique blend of vegan, gluten-free ingredients that are readily assimilated by the body to increase stamina:

• Golden Chlorella Omega – a complete functional food containing 50 percent heart-healthy omega-3, -6 and -9 oils by weight, and 20 percent daily fiber.
• Bioenergy Ribose – a premium, patented, clinically proven form of D-ribose essential to all the body’s cells for energy metabolism.
• Organic maca – an ancient root vegetable grown in South America’s Andes Mountains at elevations up to 15,000 feet. Maca is a high-energy food rich in nutritional content, including amino acids, natural vitamins, calcium, magnesium, potassium and other minerals.
• Rhodiola – used for centuries in Russia and Scandinavian countries to stimulate the nervous system, enhance work performance and eliminate fatigue.
• 24 organic fruits and vegetables – fundamental for nutrition and energy in a healthy diet: 13 organic superfruits and fruits (pomegranate, acai, goji and noni; tart cherry, raspberry, strawberry, cranberry, banana, blueberry, apple, aronia berry and sweet cherry), plus 11 vegetables and sprouts (carrot, pumpkin, pea, spinach, tomato, broccoli, broccoli sprouts, onion sprouts, daikon radish, kale and alfalfa).

Celebrity dietician Ashley Koff, RD, a frequent guest on ABC’s Good Morning America, understands the relationship between nutrient-dense foods and endurance:

“When it comes to getting energy for optimal performance and recovery, athletes get efficient and effective results from whole food sources, the reason being that whole food sources, ideally organic, provide the nutrients in balance and in complement to each other as our bodies need them. For example, magnesium complements calcium for optimal muscle function. Most of my athlete clients—professional or hard-core enthusiasts—would never rely on nutrition from a processed, synthetic ‘energy’ bar or ‘energy’ drink.”

Koff endorses Energy 28 and the entire line of Natural Vitality organic supplements on her website: http://www.ashleykoffapproved.com

With 40 pounds of gear on his back, crampons, rope, ice pick, oxygen mask and a boatload of spirit and willpower, Jordan would push on and reach the top of Everest by the morning of May 22, 2010, and set a world record as the youngest person to summit the highest mountain above sea level on Earth.

“To look up at the peak of Everest from base camp, and then, on a crystal-clear day, to be at the top with family, looking down at that same base camp, is the most exhilarating feeling imaginable,” Jordan said.

Team Jordan achieved two world records that morning in May. World record number one: becoming the first family to stand together at the summit of the “Mother Goddess of Earth” or “Holy Mother,” as Everest is called by Tibetans; and world record number two: the youngest climber to reach its peak.

Energy 28 and other Natural Vitality supplements are available at Whole Foods Market, The Vitamin Shoppe, Vitacost and other fine stores and online retailers.

Read more about Jordan Romero and the 7 Summits Project at http://www.NaturalVitalitySports.com.

Kid’s Natural Calm Multi was included along with the new caffeine-free Energy28™ whole food energizer. Energy28 includes Golden Chlorella Omega (nutrient-dense green food from ultra-pure microalgae), 24 organic superfruits, fruits and veggies, organic maca, D-ribose and rhodiola.

The company’s president, Ken Whitman, credits this to Natural Calm’s bioavailability. “Because of its high level of solubility, Natural Calm is an excellent way to replenish magnesium daily,” said Whitman. “We constantly hear from our customers how well the product works for them. They naturally tell their family and friends, and this results in more retail sales. Due to the fact that magnesium is involved in more than 300 biochemical reactions in the body, it’s hard to find any one supplement that can improve how you feel in such a variety of ways as magnesium. It’s truly the super mineral.”

In 2009, Natural Vitality introduced organic flavors (raspberry-lemon, orange and sweet lemon) to the Natural Calm line. “We did this as a product upgrade at no cost to the consumer,” said Whitman, “because we believe, when possible, organic is the best way to go.” Natural Calm flavors also include organic stevia.