Sometimes it can be difficult to
move beyond a colorful package label or a clever advertising slogan to select
what is really the very best product to meet your family's needs. Have
you ever wondered about the brands that we stock on our Tao of Herbs shelves
here?
• What makes a natural product better than
others?
• What is the emphasis of the manufacturer in
terms of quality today?
• How and why did a reputable brand come into
being?
These are the products that we
buy for our own families ... and we truly consider each Tao of Herbs customer
to be an extension of our family.
Susan, our customer support
manager here at Tao of Herbs, is here to contribute to her pick MegaFood®, manufacturer of
superior whole-food supplements.
When asked
what brand I wanted to highlight for our "Staff Picks", I did not
have to think very long before coming up with my choice. Even though I have
many favorite products, MegaFood is my personal favorite and the brand I
am most likely to suggest to my friends and family.
Why is MegaFood my
choice? The reasons are many; to start MegaFood uses whole-food ingredients,
with real food sourced from farm-fresh partners.
MegaFood is deeply
committed to regenerative farming and their long-term relationships with their
organic grower partners and helping to support the local communities of the
farms.
An interesting
fact I found out is that MegaFood sources over 500,000 pounds of real,
farm-fresh vegetable, fruits, whole grains and herbs directly from farms every
year, all for use in their supplements. Their farm partners are located from
Hawaii to Wisconsin and Oregon to Florida, they are family-owned and
eco-conscious.
Along with the
farmer partnerships, Megafood has partnered with experts such as Dr. Andrew
Weil and Dr. Tierona Low Dog for guidance to create the best products. The
collaboration between MegaFood and the experts helps MegaFood identify which
fresh foods are the best to deliver consistent quality and potency to the
customer.
Yet another reason
to love MegaFood is their dedication to transparency. With the Big T
Transparency initiative, MegaFood shares an insider's view of the entire
operation using facility cams focused on activities involving everything from
manufacturing processes and new product pipelines to company culture. MegaFood
raises the bar for the entire industry by being open and totally transparent.
MegaFood is able
to control the entire product process from farmer's field to retail store
shelf.
MegaFood owns and
operated all of their production facilities in New Hampshire to guarantee the
highest level of quality control, safety and potency.
Finally, the
simplest reason that MegaFood is my favorite brand, is that MegaFood makes it
easy for those of us with dietary restrictions know if the product is right for
us. Each bottle is clearly labeled to identify the certifications and
verification that apply to each product. The symbols are clearly displayed on
the front of the label, making it quite easy to know if it works for me.
I have let you
know why I am an fan MegaFood, as a brand and I also want to share a few of my
favorite products with you.
- The first
product I would like to mention is the Blood Builder, a product that has
helped me to increase my blood iron levels. Being a vegetarian, my doctor
suggested that I start taking an iron supplement a couple of years ago. I
tried a few different iron supplements and did not really feel or see much
of a change. I decided to try the Blood Builder about a year ago
and I started to see measurable results after a few months. My
energy levels have increased and I no longer experience the nausea and
constipation that I have experienced with other iron supplements. I
believe the reason for my positive experience is because MegaFood uses
whole foods such as beets, organic oranges and broccoli,
plus folic acid (for healthy red blood cell production) and B12 and
vitamin C (to support iron absorption) to enhance the effects of the
26 mg of iron contained in each tablet.
- Another MegaFood
product that I do not want to be without is the Turmeric Strength for
Whole Body. I began taking various turmeric supplements several years
ago to promote healing and to relieve discomfort from inflammation
resulting from an old knee injury. Our MegaFood sales representative
provided me with a few samples of the product a little over a year ago and
I can say that I was sold on this formula almost immediately.
MegaFood uses
farm-fresh turmeric root and pure turmeric extract for their Turmeric Strength
line of products. What I think really made the difference for me is the added
deeply-pigmented cherries and berries and the patented black pepper extract.
The fruit provides me with added antioxidants and the black pepper aids in
absorption."
As Susan mentioned above, MegaFood
management is deeply committed to regenerative agriculture and also to
long-term relationships with their grower partners and the local communities
where those farms are located. Because of the special relationship we feel the
grower partners deserve a little added attention. You may recognize a few of
the names from your local produce department. If you are not familiar with the
names you may want to seek them out on your next shopping trip.
Among the trusted Farm Fresh Farm Partners
affiliated with MegaFood are the following well-known growers: https://megafood.com/friends-of-megafood
•
Foxy Organic (kale and other organic produce): https://megafood.com/friends-of-megafood/foxy-organic/
Chances are that you may have already come across their California, Nevada and
Arizona fruits and vegetables marketed at your favorite grocery under the Foxy
and Foxy Organic brand labels.
•
Uncle Matt® Farm (organic navel and Hamlin oranges): https://megafood.com/friends-of-megafood/uncle-matts-farm/
Uncle Matt is the nation's original organic juice company, and it's also the
orchard in Florida where MegaFood gets all the oranges used for their vitamin C
products.
•
Kauai Organic Farms (organic turmeric and ginger): https://megafood.com/friends-of-megafood/kauai-organic-farms/
This is a family-owned farm in the Hawaiian Islands that shares in the MegaFood
mission of sustainable farming. International Certification Services, Inc.
certifies all their produce as organic. In addition they are also Food Safety
Certified through the Hawaii Department of Agriculture and Primus Labs.
•
Stahlbush® Island Farms (farm-fresh, real, whole beets): https://megafood.com/friends-of-megafood/stahlbush-island/
Located in the heart of Oregon Willamette Valley, Stahlbush Island Farms is
an environmentally friendly farm and food processor. Like Susan, you may
recognize this grower as the first ever to introduce sustainably-grown,
individually quick-frozen fruits and vegetables to the retail market. They also
developed the Farmer's Market line of canned, organic gourmet purees and Nummy
Tum Tum pet food supplements.
•
James Lake Farms (antioxidant-rich, organic cranberries): https://megafood.com/friends-of-megafood/james-lake-farms/
The James Lake Farms cranberry marsh is part of a family-owned farm enterprise
located in northern Wisconsin. Workers there grow five different fruit
varieties across 189 acres of marsh beds, including 65 organic acres.
•
Lundberg Family Farms (wholesome, organic brown rice): https://megafood.com/friends-of-megafood/lundberg-family-farms/
Managed by third and fourth generation Lundbergs, this organic grower will
harvest 80,000 pounds of California rice for MegaFood this year alone.
MegaFood Awards and Honors
MegaFood is well respected
industry-wide and we wanted to share a few of their most recent achievements:
• 2018 - New Hope Network 2018 Expo West NEXTY
Award (Best New Supplement Delivery Format: B12 Energy Ginger Gummies)
• 2018 - Clean Eating Magazine's Clean Choice
Award (HEALTH INSURANCE: One Daily Multivitamin)
• 2017 - Alive Award (Retailers' Choice
for Women's Products: Baby & Me)
• 2016 - Taste for Life (Supplement Essentials
Award Winner: Turmeric Strength for Joint)
• 2015 - Better Nutrition (Best of
Supplements for Women's Health: Blood Builder)
• 2015 - Whole Foods Magazine Natural Choice
Award (Top Honor: supplements - full line)
The entire MegaFood team strives
to make healthy living easier for customers so that the right choices can
become a lifestyle instead of just a temporary fix -- exactly as the founders
intended way back in 1973.
