Zone Living Articles
8 Healthy Salad Dressing Recipes
There’s nothing better on a fresh salad than a flavorful dressing. Homemade dressings enhance any dish you add them to and can be made in minimal time. The best part is that by controlling the ingredients you use, they are much healthier too. Store bought dressings tend to be high in sugar, artificial colors and flavors, and preservatives. Since these are also produced in bulk, the use of cheaper oils makes them higher in saturated fats and omega-6 fatty acids known to be inflammatory. Elevate the health benefits of your dressings with these 8 simple recipe ideas. Instructions:1. Mash the garlic cloves on a cutting board with a couple pinches salt, with the side of your knife to a paste.2. In a small bowl mix garlic paste with mustard, lemon juice, and vinegar. Whisk together, drizzle in olive oil whisking to emulsify. Sprinkle in a little salt and pepper and whisk again. Nutritional facts per serving (daily value): Calories 132; Protein 0g (0%); Total Fat 13.5g (21%)(Sat. 2g (9%)); Chol. 0mg (0%); Carb. 1g (0%); Fiber 0g (0%); Sugars 0g Instructions:1. In a small bowl, whisk the minced shallot, ginger root, orange juice, sherry vinegar, white wine vinegar, water, and soy sauce to combine. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil, whisking until emulsified.2. Switch up the orange with lime or lemon for a different flavor. Nutritional facts per serving (daily value): Calories 127; Protein 0g (1%); Total Fat 13.5g (21%)(Sat. 2g (9%)); Chol. 0mg (0%); Carb. 1g (0%); Fiber 0g (0%); Sugars 0g Instructions:Whisk together the mustard, vinegar, salt, and stevia. Gradually add the olive oil, whisking to emulsify. Nutritional facts per serving (daily value): Calories 129kcal; Protein 0g (0%); Total Fat 13.5g (21%)(Sat. 2g (9%)); Chol. 0mg (0%); Carb. 0g (0%); Fiber 0g (0%); Sugars 0g Try These Dressings with Zone Extra Virgin Olive Oil Since Zone Extra Virgin Olive Oil is rich in heart healthy fats and polyphenols, we recommend using it as a base to your salad dressings to boost their health benefits.{{cta('82acc023-83e3-4f7e-89be-48441b27537c')}} Instructions: Blend all ingredients together. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed. Add more liquid if you want a thinner consistency. Nutritional facts per serving (daily value): Calories 84kcal; Protein 1g (2%); Total Fat 7.5g (11%)(Sat. 1g (5%)); Chol. 0mg (0%); Carb. 5g (2%); Fiber 4g (14%); Sugars 0g Instructions:1. Whisk all the ingredients together and pour onto your salad. Nutritional facts per serving (daily value): Calories 30kcal; Protein 0g (0%); Total Fat 0g (0%)(Sat. 0g (0%)); Chol. 0mg (0%); Carb. 5g (2%); Fiber 1g (3%); Sugars 4g Instructions:1. Whisk all of the ingredients except salt and pepper. Taste, then season with salt and pepper. Nutritional facts per serving (daily value): Calories 15 kcal; Protein 2g (4%); Total Fat 0g (0%)(Sat. 0g (0%)); Chol. 0mg (0%); Carb. 2g (1%); Fiber 0g (0%); Sugars 1g Instructions: 1. Mix stock and almond meal together in a small saucepan.2. Cook, stirring constantly, over high heat until thickened. Set aside to cool. Squeeze the grapefruit into a bowl. Whisk in the vinegar and mustard. When well incorporated whisk in the thickener that has been set aside. Nutritional facts per serving (daily value): Calories 16kcal; Protein 0g (0%); Total Fat 0g (0%)(Sat. 0g (0%)); Chol. 0mg (0%); Carb. 3g (1%); Fiber 0g (0%); Sugars 3g Instructions: Blend all ingredients until smooth. Nutritional facts per serving (daily value): Calories 93kcal; Protein 2g (4%); Total Fat 9g (14%)(Sat. 1g (6%)); Chol. 0mg (0%); Carb. 3g (1%); Fiber 1g (4%); Sugars 0g There’s more to our olive oil than great taste. Dr. Sears’ Zone Extra Virgin Olive Oil is incredibly rich in hydrophobic antioxidants and polyphenols.
Olive Oil Q&A with Dr. Sears
Today Dr. Sears is answering your questions about oils and which ones to use. Q: With so many oils in the consumer marketplace, why do you consider olive oil the best of the best? A: Olive oil has been used for almost 4000 years and has the most clinical studies to validate its benefits. Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), not refined olive oil, is the richest of all oils in terms of polyphenols. Most oils come from seeds, but olive oil comes from fruit. This gives olive oil a higher polyphenol content than most other oils. Also, the polyphenols in extra virgin olive are unique as they are very powerful anti-inflammatory agents that can’t be found fruits and vegetables. Q: What are your thoughts on some of the newer oils that have hit the market over the past few years like coconut oil, avocado oil, and nut oils? A: Only avocado oil has any polyphenols since it comes from a fruit. That said, the amount of polyphenols are significantly less than EVOO and lack the unique structure which gives olive oil its anti-inflammatory properties. Q: How does someone know what to look for in an olive oil product? A: It should taste like melted butter on the tip of your tongue but generate a very bitter taste when you flip the oil to the back of your tongue. Clarity and color are important too. If there is very little color it means the oil is refined and many of the polyphenols have been removed. Q: Are all olive oils the same? A: No. Authentic olive oil is very expensive to produce. What you’ll find is that some manufacturers will take olive oil and blend them with cheaper vegetable oils to dilute the olive oil and then label it as olive oil. This is why it is estimated that 70% of all olive oil in the U.S. is considered adulterated. Q: How do you know if olive oil is adulterated? A: It’s not always easy to tell. You have color and clarity, but this is where choosing a high-quality brand is your best guarantee of quality. When I set out to create Zone Extra Virgin Olive Oil, I sought out a few organic cooperatives in Italy known for their high quality extra-virgin olive oil. The olives were harvested in late fall, followed by processing over the winter. Then the various processed lots were tested for polyphenol content. Those lots that met our polyphenol requirements were bottled and brought to the U.S. under the Zone brand. Q: Is there a benefit to using organic olive oil? A: It takes a lot of energy for plants to produce polyphenols. Once you start using pesticides to increase the production of olives, the plants generally decrease the amount of polyphenols they produce as they don't have to work as hard. This effect is more profound in fruits than vegetables. This is one benefit of using an organic oil because the polyphenol content and benefits are generally higher. Q: What makes Zone Extra Virgin Olive Oil unique? A: We use an organic olive oil cooperative in Umbria, Italy where the oil is bottled on site and sent directly to us. It’s my guarantee that you are getting the best quality oil that Italy can produce that year. Q: You mention cooking with olive oil destroys the polyphenols. Are there other oils you recommend cooking with instead since olive oil has a low smoke point? A: Since heat destroys polyphenols the best oil to use for cooking is high-oleic safflower oil which is rich in monounsaturated fat and has a high smoke point. You could also use refined olive oil which has minimal polyphenols but good temperature characteristics. If you want to use EVOO and maximize the polyphenols it contains I recommend drizzling on top of food after its been cooked. Q: If EVOO has polyphenols do I still need to take my polys? A: Yes. I recommend consuming 1000-1500mg of polyphenols per day. The polyphenols in EVOO are unique anti-inflammatory agents which can be one source, but it’s almost impossible to get that many polyphenols in olive oil alone. This is why I recommend consuming about 10 servings of fruits and vegetables per day in addition to getting polyphenols from sources like cocoa, which is good for gut health, and berries such as maqui, which activate key enzymes (AMPK) important for health.
From Cacao to CacaoRx
Just like you, we think its important that you know what you’re putting in your body. That’s why at Zone Labs purity and potency rank at the top of our list when creating products along with transparency to our customers. Here's a little infographic to show you how our new CacaoRx gets from tree to capsule and the steps we take to get the purest and most potent product available. You may also like - Chocolate: What You Need to Know
Cocoa Benefits Q and A
Dr. Sears answers some of the top questions we receive about our new Cocoa Polyphenols. Q: What are the health benefits of cocoa? A: The health benefits of cocoa come from the polyphenols it contains. Studies link cocoa consumption to improved cardiovascular health, increased cognition, enhanced blood flow, reduced insulin resistance, anti-aging benefits, and a healthy gut. Q: What is the difference between cacao, cocoa, and chocolate? A: In short, the level of processing defines the difference between cacao, cocoa and chocolate in addition to the amount of polyphenols. Cacao is the name of the tree that chocolate comes from. The cacao tree produces pods which contain cacao beans that can be turned into cocoa and further processed into chocolate. Steps During Processing Cacao beans are sorted, cleaned and dried. The shells are then removed (winnowed) to produce cacao nibs which are roasted to further enhance flavor and aroma. Cacao nibs are then ground into a liquid mass called chocolate liquor (no alcohol here). Chocolate liquor can be made directly into chocolate or further refined through a pressing process to extract the cocoa butter from the cocoa solids. The cocoa solids can be pulverized into cocoa powder, which retain the remaining polyphenol content in dry form. The cocoa butter can then be added back in defined amounts to the chocolate liquor to make various grades of chocolate. The amounts of chocolate liquor, cocoa butter and cocoa solids differentiates the type of chocolate to be made (white, milk, dark). *Note: Before being processed into chocolate, cacao beans go through a fermentation process. This can greatly reduce the polyphenol content in the cacao beans. This is why Zone Labs uses unfermented cacao beans when making our cocoa extract. Q: What is cocoa extract? A: We developed a proprietary cocoa extract using a purification process that allowed us to retain the maximum polyphenol content while minimizing the amount of cadmium, a heavy metal found in all cocoa products. Q: Is there a benefit of using cocoa extract over consuming cacao nibs which are considered the purest form of chocolate? A: In order to gain all the health benefits that come with cocoa polyphenols you need to eat large amounts of cocoa. What most people don’t know is that all cocoa products are contaminated with heavy metals. One of the major considerations when consuming cacao nibs and cocoa powders is that they naturally contain cadmium, a heavy metal associated with kidney toxicity. This means higher intakes of cocoa polyphenols could come with high intakes of cadmium. This is what makes using cocoa extracts like CacaoRx desirable because they’ve been purified to minimize the intake of heavy metals while retaining the maximum amount levels of polyphenols. Q: Does the level of cocoa polyphenols differ with the type of chocolate? A: Yes, generally cacao nibs have the highest levels of polyphenols followed by cocoa powder, dark chocolate, and milk chocolate (very few). White chocolate has no polyphenols. Q: What is CacaoRx? A: CacaoRx is a high purity, high-potency cocoa polyphenol extract. I developed CacaoRx using a process to reduce heavy metals such as cadmium that are commonly found in cocoa products. Q: What is CacaoRx Plus? A: CacaoRx Plus is high purity, high-potency cocoa polyphenol extract combined with our purified maqui extract (MaquiRx). The addition of maqui helps maximize the absorbable amount of polyphenols that enter the bloodstream to bring out the health benefits associated with cocoa. Q: Do CacaoRx and CacaoRx Plus use cacao powder or cocoa powder? A: The starting material for CacaoRx and CacaoRx Plus is our proprietary cocoa powder. Q: Do you test the heavy metal content of your products? A: Yes, all of our products using cocoa are 3rd party tested for purity and potency. Q: Can you bake with CacaoRx or CacoaRx Plus? A: While you could bake with our cacao products, we don’t recommend it because exposing cocoa polyphenols to high heat will destroy some of the polyphenols in the product. Q: Do CacaoRx and CacaoRx Plus contain caffeine? A: The cocoa used in these products is highly purified to remove heavy metals while retaining polyphenol content. There is some caffeine and theobromine but in very low concentrations. Q: Are CacaoRx and CacaoRx Plus safe for children in supplement form? A: We always recommend that prior to starting supplementation individuals consult their physician. All of our cocoa polyphenol products have Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) status which means they have undergone an extensive external review of their production and safety so that they can be incorporated into food products. Q: Are CacaoRx and CacaoRx Plus Non-GMO? A: Yes, these are non-GMO. Q: If you use CacaoRx or CacaoRx Plus, do you still need to supplement with polyphenols? A: I recommend individuals consume at least 1,000 mg of polyphenols per day for wellness and about 1,500 mg per day for anti-aging to help with stimulation of AMP kinase*. To get those levels, one would need to eat about 10 servings of non-starchy vegetables and fruits. Reaching those levels with food alone is difficult. Furthermore, many of the sources rich in polyphenols either have pesticide contamination or heavy metal contamination. For example, strawberries and spinach are good sources of polyphenols, but each is often rich in pesticides. Cocoa powder which is the basic component of chocolate products is often rich in the heavy metal cadmium. The cocoa extract we use in CacaoRx and CacaoRx Plus is highly purified and has GRAS status meaning it has passed strict testing to be able to be used in food products. It is the type of polyphenols you consume that makes the most difference. I feel that polyphenol extracts such as those found in CacaoRx and MaquiRx have the most benefits. Maqui berry extract is considered the best of the best as it’s rich in delphinidins and helps support improved blood sugar control, and cocoa extracts like those in CacaoRx help support improved blood flow and the reduction of insulin resistance. Both of these polyphenol extracts have been supported by clinical studies. Q: How many polyphenols come from maqui vs. cocoa in the CacaoRx Plus? A: Each capsule of CacaoRx Plus contains 150 mg of total polyphenols. The majority of the polyphenols come from cocoa and the rest from maqui. The exact amounts we use are proprietary. Cocoa is not highly absorbed which helps to promote the good bacteria in our guts while maqui is a polyphenol known to be more absorbable in the blood. The combination of the two helps to support the hormones in both the gut and the blood. The polyphenols in CacaoRx Plus are 3 times more absorbable compared to CacaoRx.