Cherry juice-- is it really a sweet deal?

Tomato juice, grapefruit juice, even the familiar orange: it's no secret that several natural juices can boost your immune system and nourish your body in other ways. Here at True Nature, we carry another juice that several people are less familiar with, yet it never fails to amaze us how many people DO know about cherry juice.

That's right, cherry juice. To most people, cherries are something tasty in pies or jams, not in a juice. We've been carrying "Northern Natural" cherry juice for years, because as a natural remedy, it works to reduce inflammation in joints. Well, earlier this year, the National Institute of Health published the results of a study concerning cherry juice. What they've found is what we've known all along! Drinking "tart cherry juice containing high levels of anthocyanins" helps adults fend off the stress of "acute trauma, infections, and the susceptibility to diseases such as atherosclerosis, cancer, diabetes, and Alzheimer's disease."

Anthocyananins are the pigments that give fruits like cherries, strawberries and blueberries their luscious color. This pigment has also being studied for its value as a powerful antioxidant at many universities in the United States.

Forget an apple a day (well, no, keep eating those too!), stop in and ask us about our 100% organic cherry juice today!

Want to sleep better? Eat lighter

Every gone to bed after stuffing yourself silly (maybe during the holidays), thinking that the food coma will put you to sleep, only to find yourself still awake hours later, and then sleeping through the best part of the next day?

Scientists at Harvard Medical School in Boston have linked the body's sleeping/waking times to the same sort of biological rhythms that affect us when we are jet lagged. Basically, what this bodily function means for us, in terms of eating and sleeping, is that our bodies will wake naturally when they need more food--something we all know. But going a step further, this means that if you take your last bite 12 or so hours before the time you want to wake up, your body will begin to reprogram itself to wake at that new time.
In other words, the scientists say that during this season of house-hopping and airplane travel, you should try skipping a meal based on the time you want to wake up in your new city. If skipping a meal or fending off hunger pangs doesn't sound all that appealing to you, sip an organic fasting tea and reap the benefits of a quieted tummy and a nice, warm bedtime drink. Stop by True Nature and see the variety of brands we carry!

New Meat Coop at True Nature

New product launch at True Nature!

Beginning today, November 23rd, True Nature is proud to add a healthy new coop option to our store. If you're familiar with the Country Cottage Farms eggs, whole chickens, turkey or lamb cuts offered here in our store, you already know about the quality products from this farm. From today on, we're inviting people to become members of our meat coop, which offers the same great meats at lower prices to our members. Much like the produce boxes from Farmer Tom, the meat coop will allow members to manage accounts online, with a pickup date every other week.

Country Cottage Farms is a family owned operation located in Fisher, Illinois. The farm incorporates crop rotation and animal/vegetable integration into all of its sustainable practices, making it a wholesome choice for your free-range meats.

Please check out the website (linked on our homepage) or visit us at True Nature to learn more about this new cooperative!

Happy Thanksgiving!

True Nature wishes everyone a Happy Thanksgiving and reminds our friends and neighbors that we're open from 10 am to 3 pm on Thursday. On the 27th we'll be open from 9 am to 8 pm.

Healthy for the Holidays

As the season for family get-togethers approaches, chances are, you'll have at least one out-of-town adventure, and it's possible that you'll have a variety of guests coming through your home. One of the things about traveling and welcoming the frenzy of the winter season is that colds and flu can get you down. Don't let that wear on you-- stop by True Nature and pick up some of the Wellness Formula or Oil of Oregano supplements we carry today!

Our Source Naturals contains vitamins A, D, C, Zinc and other essential minerals and vitamins to help you maintain the right balance within your body. The immune booster carvacrol has been shown to support overall health and digestion--something we here at True Nature can attest to in our Oil of Oregano formula.

There's nothing like eating a healthy diet, getting proper nutrition and staying hydrated to keep you on your feet, so don't forget that your health begins with you. Add lots of rest to your schedule and you'll be active throughout the winter! Boost your immunity with our healthy juices and stop in today to see what else we can recommend to keep you in tip-top shape throughout the winter.

Food Labels and You

As the importance of eating organic moves beyond being just a fad, and people become aware of the fine print on their food labels, more and more companies are now required to list all of the things in their items. For example, the soda can or box of mac and cheese in your cupboard should list, in order of weight (and therefore, amount) the ingredients, good, bad and ugly.
We all know this about our food labels, but what else do they do, really?

As part of their "Food Mondays" special programming, Chicago Public Radio WBEZ recently ran a great segment on food labels, and we encourage you to check it out and see what's in store for the future of food.

For one thing, many companies are going forward with labeling their items as GMOs now, because that is what the public wants. While this might cost a bit more for some small-scale producers, it is great news for the public who should rightfully know what's in their food.

By shopping local and organic, you'll hopefully always be able to know that the source of your food is not only as fresh as it can be, but also as natural as possible!

Fall into season with local produce options

As the warm weather begins to cool down and the sun sets earlier, the growing season begins to cool off also. Here in the Chicagoland area we have a variety of options still available to us, but things like cherries, peaches and sweet corn are now past their season. Part of a healthy, natural lifestyle is eating what's in season in your home area, so it's time to dig in and enjoy lots of the root vegetables like sweet potatoes and turnips that have come into fullness.

It's also squash season, and these veggies deliver more than a dozen vital nutrients per serving!

To see what else is in season now, check out this Produce Calendar.