Better Water Without Paying Bottled Prices Every dollar counts — yet many families spend thousands each year on bottled water. Concerns about water quality are understandable. Municipal systems vary by region, and bottled water quality can also differ significantly depending on the source and storage conditions. But there is a more economical and sustainable option: home filtration. The Cost of Bottled Water Adds Up Consider a family of four. If each person drinks about half a gallon of water per day and uses additional water for cooking, that household could easily consume around 1,000 gallons per year. Depending on the brand and packaging, bottled water can cost several dollars per gallon — meaning annual costs may run into the thousands. Even the least expensive gallon-sized bottled options can approach $800–$1,000 per year for regular use. That’s a recurring expense for something that flows from your tap. A Smarter Alternative: Reverse Osmosis (RO) A prope…

The Secret to Green Drinks That Taste Amazing (Without Sugar Overload) Green drinks are one of the most powerful tools for supporting detoxification, energy, and cellular health. But there’s one problem most people run into: They taste terrible unless you add fruit. And fruit can spike blood sugar. The solution isn’t abandoning green drinks.It’s learning how to make them delicious without sugar. Why Green Drinks Matter for Cellular Health Green vegetables provide: alkalizing minerals chlorophyll compounds detox-supporting phytonutrients fiber for gut health antioxidants for cellular protection Consuming them in liquid form allows rapid absorption and efficient nutrient delivery — especially when digestion is compromised or nutrient demands are high. How to Improve Flavor Without Raising Blood Sugar You don’t need apples, bananas, or pineapple to make green drinks taste good. Instead, use low-glycemic flavor boosters: Flavor Enhancers lemon…

Polyphenols: Nature’s Master Defenders for Cellular Health Polyphenols are powerful antioxidant compounds found in plant foods, and their benefits for human health are remarkably broad. As potent antioxidants and anti-inflammatories, polyphenols help protect against virtually every chronic disease by addressing its root drivers: oxidative stress, inflammation, immune imbalance, and cellular damage. Because modern diets are consistently low in polyphenols, we recommend strategic supplementation with one of our quercetin formulas—Quercetin Pro or Cell Repair Formula—to ensure adequate intake of these essential compounds. Tea: A Simple, Powerful Polyphenol Habit Another excellent way to increase your polyphenol intake is by making green or white tea a daily habit. Both green and white tea come from the same plant leaves, but white tea undergoes less processing, allowing it to retain: Higher polyphenol content Lower caffeine levels More calming L-theanine This ma…

The Tiny Seed With Massive Biological Impact If you could choose one simple food upgrade that supports digestion, metabolism, hormones, and cardiovascular health at the same time, flaxseed would be near the top of the list. Why? Because few foods deliver both major types of fiber + omega-3 fats + hormone-balancing compounds in one natural package. Fiber Power Comparison: Flaxseed vs Other Nuts & Seeds Flaxseed supplies about 9 grams of fiber per ounce nearly three times more than almonds, which provide about 3.3 grams. That alone makes flax one of the most efficient fiber sources available. Soluble vs Insoluble Fiber Why You Need Both There are two categories of fiber, and flaxseed provides generous amounts of each. Insoluble Fiber Benefits adds bulk to stool supports elimination reduces toxin reabsorption promotes digestive regularity Soluble Fiber Benefits feeds beneficial gut bacteria supports immune function helps regulate cholesterol promotes anti-infl…

Gourmet Flavor Doesn’t Require Complicated Recipes The most powerful healing foods are often the simplest. When high-quality ingredients meet intentional preparation, even a humble bowl of soup can become a cell-nourishing, metabolism-supporting, detox-friendly meal. These two recipes are designed around a foundational Beyond Health principle: Remove what harms. Provide what the body needs. Why Soups Are One of the Most Powerful Healing Meals Well-constructed soups deliver: concentrated nutrients easy digestion hydration support mineral availability metabolic stability Unlike heavy meals, soups allow your body to absorb nutrients efficiently without digestive overload. Recipe #1 — Fiber-Rich Split Pea Cellular Support Soup Why This Soup Matters Split peas provide over 16 grams of fiber per cup cooked, making them one of the most effective plant foods for: digestive health toxin binding and elimination blood sugar stability satiety Soaking reduces phyta…

. . . a Valentine’s gift for your loved ones, including yourself Every February we put L’huile de grace on sale so our customers can buy it for their loved ones. But apparently people use it as a good opportunity to stock up on it for themselves! That’s fine with us.  We encourage you to love yourself, and L’huile de grace is one way to pamper and indulge yourself without a trace of guilt. For when you massage this magical lotion into your facial tissues, you are doing yourself nothing but good.  L’huile de grace (“the oil of grace”) is pure, raw nutrition for your skin, devoid of any harmful chemicals – a truly unique skin care product unlike anything you’ve ever used, designed to make you feel and look your radiant best. This rich facial oil uses herbs and essential oils renowned for healing and nourishing the skin while uplifting the spirit. Frankincense, for example, considered the holy anointing oil in the Middle East, was valued more than gold in ancient times for all-pu…

. . . making the case for using clean water in preparing food for consumption Most water is unfit for human consumption. You may recall the EPA coming down hard on the Marine Corps base at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. Or, how the U.S. Council of Environmental Quality reported that cancer risks of people drinking chlorinated water are 93% higher than those who don’t. Plus, toxins from landfill and agricultural runoff, sewage, industrial chemicals—even radiation from Japan’s 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster—continue to show up in our water supply. Role of water in food health Thus, it’s no surprise that water plays a big role in the quality of the foods we eat. In fact, whether you grow your own produce or buy from a local farmers’ market or grocery store, your food comes into direct contact with numerous water sources. Crops are irrigated…animals are hydrated…and some foods are grown entirely in water (aquaponics). Plus, foods are washed, rinsed, canned, cooked, and…

By now you’ve heard eating certain foods can be essential for creating beautiful, healthy-looking skin. Foods like avocados, green tea, broccoli, olive oil, tomatoes, walnuts, and beans all contain important skin nutrients—like polyphenols, vitamin E, carotenes, omega-3s, proteins, and more—that help firm up skin, slow down cellular aging, break the cycle of oxidation and inflammation, and speed up the healing process. Skin health becomes even more critical as you age.In fact, we’ve shown how your skin is a window to your overall health and we offered some timeless tips to start implementing an effective daily skincare regimen, but skin health goes much deeper than physical wellness. Consider the emotional impact of skin health in your life Let’s “face” it. The first thing other’s see—and what you see in the mirror each day—is the complexion of your skin. When your skin looks dull and wrinkly, you get discouraged. When it looks smooth, youthful and radiant, you become elated w…

How to Measure Your Omega-3 Status — And Why It Matters We’ve written extensively about the importance of a special family of fats known as omega-3 fatty acids—and for good reason. Omega-3s are found in: Flaxseeds and flax oil Green leafy vegetables Wild (non-farmed) fatty fish such as salmon, anchovies, herring, and sardines Decades of research show that adequate omega-3 levels are associated with better cardiovascular, metabolic, cognitive, immune, and inflammatory balance. Omega-3s play structural and regulatory roles in cell membranes, brain tissue, and immune signaling—making them foundational nutrients, not optional extras. Why Omega-3 Levels Matter More Than Intake Alone Many people assume that eating fish or taking fish oil automatically means they have sufficient omega-3s. In reality, intake does not always equal absorption or tissue incorporation. Genetics, digestion, inflammation, oxidative stress, omega-6 intake, and supplement quality all i…

We each have a mighty force of trillions of tiny microorganisms—helpful bacteria and other microbes—living on our skin, in our digestive system, and in tissues throughout the body, that is constantly on guard to defend us against potentially invasive infectious disease-causing pathogens like viruses, yeasts, parasites and harmful bacteria. Discounted for many years by the medical establishment, scientists are now beginning to discover how much we depend on these “good bugs.” Not only do they synthesize vitamins and amino acids and help us to digest and absorb our food, they are also an indispensable part of our immune system. Before a pathogen—bacterial, viral, or fungal—can get into your bloodstream, where it can replicate and become increasingly virulent, it must first get past the formidable fortress created by your skin and mucus membranes. The skin isn’t just a physical barrier; it is an immune system organ, where immune cells and good bugs work together to conquer pot…

The road to health is paved with good intestines. – Unknown Living a long and healthy life depends on good digestion and a strong immune system. Both of these rely on helpful bacteria living in our intestines.  But various factors in modern life, including poor diet, toxins, stress, various medications and especially antibiotics, have diminished our good bug population. As a result, people living today are more vulnerable to infectious disease than ever before. While modern medicine seeks frantically for more and better vaccines and antibiotics to combat infectious disease epidemics, at Beyond Health we take a different approach: We combine the healthy lifestyle described in any of Raymond Francis’s books, a basic supplement program, and probiotics in food and supplements to rebuild and maintain strong immune systems capable of withstanding pathogenic assaults. Probiotics are special microbes that maintain and restore the body’s beneficial bacteria. All traditional soc…

Pneumonia is an infection in the air sacs of the lungs. For anyone with a weakened immune system, it can be life-threatening.  This would include very young children, people with compromised immunity, and those older than 65 whose immune systems are in decline. For the elderly, pneumonia is the leading cause of death due to infectious disease. But here’s some great news for those on the far side of middle age.  A 2015 study found supplementing with vitamin E may give you the same resistance to pneumonia enjoyed by youngsters! As we age, our immune systems not only become less responsive, they make more mistakes. This overall decline is called “immunosenescence,” and it occurs in older animals as well as in older humans. The study compared young with old mice infected with the most common cause of pneumonia, the bacteria S. pneumoniae.  In both, immune cells were rushed to the lungs to address the infection. But in the older mice, this response was “overly exube…

Quercetin (pronounced kwer՚-sa-tin) is one of Mother Nature’s most wonderful nutrients. Found naturally in many colorful fruits and vegetables, quercetin supports healthy cell function, providing myriad benefits to the body. Beyond Health considers quercetin foundational in building optimal health, and together with recommending a diet high in fruits and vegetables, we carry two quercetin products: Quercetin Pro and Cell Repair Formula.  Quercetin Pro is for maintaining health, while Cell Repair Formula is a more concentrated form for those who seek to restore compromised health or just want the extra support. Quercetin works synergistically with vitamin C to build collagen, the basic protein building block for constructing body tissues from the skin to bones, and may even prevent and reverse bone loss.  Both are powerful antioxidants that regenerate each other. As anti-inflammatories, studies show this dynamic duo is especially good at alleviating pain, acting as an ant…

Would you believe there was a time when human beings didn’t get constipated?  That’s what Dr. Denis Burkitt found in the 1970s when he studied healthy Africans eating traditional high-fiber diets. Nor did they get conditions associated with constipation like diverticulitis, gallstones, hemorrhoids, polyps, colon cancer, diabetes, obesity, varicose veins, high cholesterol, blood clots, and other cardiovascular issues.    While these Africans got 40-100 grams of fiber daily, the average American gets about 15. Could this explain why so many of us are constipated?  Absolutely! Fiber deficiency is a major factor in our constipation epidemic!  Transit time is the time it takes for food to go from mouth to anus and out. An ideal transit time is 12-18 hours.  Faster isn’t good because time is needed to absorb nutrients from food.  But most people have the opposite problem: a sluggish bowel. This means toxic wastes don’t get eliminated fast eno…

If you’re reading this, you probably care about your health and try to eat a good diet. But more than 95 percent of the US population isn’t getting enough of this often neglected nutrient: fiber, and that very likely includes you! The indigestible portion of plant foods, fiber goes far beyond improving digestion and elimination. Fiber is responsible for creating a healthy environment in your gut so that healthy bacteria (probiotics) can flourish and pathogenic bacteria and other bad guys like yeasts and parasites are held in check.  The conglomeration of good and bad bugs in your gut is called your microbiome. Without enough fiber, you get a sick microbiome; without a healthy microbiome, you get a sick body. It’s that simple. Without adequate fiber all types of disease thrive, including constipation, diverticulitis, gallstones, hemorrhoids, polyps, cancer, diabetes, obesity, metabolic syndrome, varicose veins, high cholesterol, heart disease, obesity, depression and…

Over the past weeks, we’ve told you why you’ve got to have adequate fiber if you want to achieve and maintain optimal health. Fiber is sorely lacking in the American diet, and even if you eat an exemplary diet it’s easy to fall short of the 40-100 grams per day recommended for a healthy colon.  To help fill the gap, we offer Beyond Health’s Dietary Fiber Formula , one of the most advanced combinations of health-promoting fibers on the market today. These fibers help propel the stool through the intestines by softening it and adding bulk, but that’s just the beginning. These same fibers are fermented by friendly colonic bacteria (probiotics) to create food for themselves AND food for the important cells lining the intestines. Thus, healthy probiotic populations are encouraged to thrive, and intestinal linings are strengthened and renewed. IT’S NOT ENOUGH TO TAKE PROBIOTICS BY THEMSELVES!  You must have fiber to feed these friendly bacteria or they w…

About one in 23 men and one in 25 women in the US will develop colon cancer during their lifetimes.  Although using colonoscopies to find and remove cancerous polyps has reduced the overall death rate from colon cancer, among people younger than age 55, deaths from colon cancer have increased 2 percent per year from 2007 and 2016. Could there be a relationship between colon cancer and the observation that almost all Americans are deficient in fiber?  We think so. So did a group of researchers from the University of Pittsburgh, who joined forces with the University of KwaZulu in rural Africa to compare the diets of African Americans and rural Africans.  African Americans have especially high rates of colon cancer, 13 times higher than rural Africans; and the researchers hypothesized that the rural Africans’ high-fiber, low-fat diets had something to do with this. To test their ideas, the researchers compared the diets and also the microbiota (gut bugs) of a…

The Real Problem Isn’t One Toxin It’s the Total Load Most people worry about a single exposure: a chemical in food, something in tap water, or an ingredient in toothpaste. But the real issue is cumulative toxic load. Small exposures add up. And when they exceed your body’s detox capacity, the excess must be stored somewhere usually in tissues and fat cells. Over time, this buildup can affect: energy levels resilience to stress immune efficiency metabolic balance long-term health outcomes Why Toxins Accumulate in the Body Your body is designed to detoxify. The liver processes compounds so they can be eliminated through urine, stool, sweat, and breath. However, detox systems can become overwhelmed when: exposure is constant nutrition is insufficient stress is high sleep is poor physical activity is low When detox pathways are overloaded, toxins are temporarily stored instead of eliminated. The Liver: Your Primary Detox Organ The liver is the body…