Nutrex-Hawaii Nutrition Summit [Recap Part One]

October 30, 2013 -
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hey all! It’s finally that time- to start sharing with you all about my trip to the Nurtrex-Hawaii nutrition summit!

Obviously going to Hawaii is such an amazing experience in itself and I am so thankful for this opportunity from Nutrex-Hawaii, but I also learned to much about Spirulina & Astaxanthin, got to really get hands on with the products, & I’ve become so passionate about this company & all that it stands for. I have SO much information to share with you that my brain is on over-load because you can truly all benefit from learning about these products & this company!

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To travel from the east coast meant that I would have a few layovers to get to the island, but I didn’t complain! I left right from my Under Armour event to jump onto a plane for a whole day of traveling. Check out that sunrise right out of my plane window in the above picture.

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It was about 5am Hawaii time whenever I arrived from Vegas. Starbucks is basically everywhere nowadays so I got some oats, seeds, a coff with 1 pump of pumpkin spice, & brought along some chia seeds & Vega One All In One Mix to mix into my oats! Whenever I’m on the go – these are some of my “go-to” products to bring along. You can find the Vega on iherb.com – coupon code XUG228.

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I also was a huge fan of how pretty the hawaiian water bottles were! It’s the little things that really spark my interest Winking smile

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I hopped on a plane for about a 30 minute plane ride into Kona & then took a taxi to the hotel. As we cruised down the long road into Kona, I couldn’t believe I was surrounded by one of my favorite things on this earth – PALM TREES!

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This was the entrance to the road to the hotel – if the blue skies & palm trees don’t speak for themselves, let me tell you, it was beautiful!

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Traci from Nutrex-Hawaii met me at the front door to give me a beautiful fresh leis & greeted me with an Aloha! I couldn’t resist an “I’m so happy to finally be here #selfie!”

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I ran upstairs to quickly change, wash my face (you know that feeling after you fly & you just want to clean off) and as I walked into my room, I was greeted with the most beautiful view out of my window.

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After I picked my chin up off the floor, I grabbed a few snacks from my Nutrex-Hawaii swag bag to take down to the presentations with me.  I was a bit late due to some plane delays from Honolulu to Kona, but made it just in time for the 2nd presentation to start!

Now, I have been using spirulina in recipes & taking it almost daily. I was aware of the amazing benefits but sitting in a room full of such credible doctors, researches, & medical professionals from their Advisory board, I learned so much more in this intimate setting of less than 20 people.

For those who don’t know, here is some information about the Spirulina & BioAstin (Astaxanthin):

Nutrex-Hawaii Bio

  • Nutrex Hawaii was founded in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii in 1990 by Dr. Gerald Cysewski, a world-renowned expert in microalgae and carotenoids. 
  • Our mission is to utilize the benefits of microalgae to improve health and extend lives in the world wide community.    
  • Carved out of land that was once a barren lava flow, Nutrex Hawaii is located on the pristine Kona coast on the Big Island of Hawaii.

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[We got to take a tour of this beautiful farm
& that will be on my 2nd part of my recap!]

  • The farm draws on the natural resources that surround us – abundant warm sunlight, pure deep ocean water and 100% fresh water drawn from

Hawaiian aquifers to cultivate:
Hawaiian Spirulina Pacifica® – a superior strain of Spirulina, with the highest known nutritional content of any Spirulina. 

  • Spirulina – is a blue-green algae found in high alkaline lakes in Africa and Central America. It is approximately 60% complete, highly digestible protein with the highest levels of beta-carotene found naturally.
  • It has high levels of Omega 3 Fatty Acids, B Vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals.
  • **3 Grams of Spirulina have the same amount of antioxidants, enzymes, & phytonutrients as FIVE servings of vegetables!

Pretty awesome for a food, right?

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Gerald Cysewski, PH. D & Chief Science Officer of the company say that Spirulina is a great addition to your diet to fill in the gaps throughout your day. Meaning that not to just take 3 capsules & call it a day with your veggies, but to still take in antioxidant rich food with the added (many) benefits of spirulina.

Spirulina is a green algae, which may sound unappealing at first. You also may recall seeing it before & not really understanding why it’s so important for our bodies.  Spirulina is a FOOD, not a supplement. That’s what makes it so amazing for our bodies –our bodies know how to utilize it! You can also feel good knowing that it’s not created by man…it’s created by nature!

So, what is the other product that I’m not sure how to pronounce? Astaaaa, what?

This was my first thought to whenever I received Astaxanthin in the mail a few months ago from the company. Pronounced (Asta-ZAN-thin).

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•BioAstin® – 100% pure, natural Hawaiian Astaxanthin™, the world’s strongest natural antioxidant with benefits for joint health, skin health, eye and brain health and for athletes and active people.

 

Let me just repeat that again…The worlds strongest natural antioxidant.

This isn’t a sales pitch people – the research that I learned while in Hawaii about these two products completely opened my eyes. I was so fascinated by the facts surrounding these super nutrients..

  • Astaxanthin – is a red carotenoid and a potent antioxidant that is over 500 times more powerful than Vitamin E and 10 – 20 times stronger than other carotenoids such as zeaxanthin, lutein, lycopene and beta-carotene.
  • While found in plants and animals, it is most prevalent in the marine environment and in algae and phytoplankton.

Where is Astaxanthin found?

  • Astaxanthin is found in its highest natural concentration in Wild Pacific sockeye salmon.
  • It is also found in krill, algae, red trout, shrimp, crab, lobster, and other resources.
  • Its vibrant red pigmentation is what helps give these marine animals and plants their intense coloring.

What I learned was that salmon get their red pigment from astaxanthin. If you think about it, salmon load up on algae in the sea before taking off on their voyages to leave the ocean and return to their birth river to spawn, as if guided by some internal GPS.

They stop feeing during their vigorous journey upstream and live on their rich stores of fat and other nutrients accumulated for their race. Before their final sprint, the salmon’s flesh turns a deeper pink because it stores Astaxanthin from their diet.

Researches studied why salmon were so strong to be able to go against current for that long of time. They found that the astaxanthin they were ingesting from the algae helped.

This powerful pink nutrient acts like an internal bodyguard to protect their flesh and keep it strong during the marathon.

Astaxanthin is consumed by many different types of aquatic life, and its intense red pigmentation results in these animals having red or pink flesh, or outer shells. Hence WILD salmon being so pink/red, right?

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Farm raised salmon doesn’t get to experience the algae as much as the wild salmon who gets the truest form of the pigment, micro-algae. Therefore the farm-raised fish get their astaxanthin resources through commercially made food additives. So it’s suggested to ingest WILD salmon opposed to farm raised to really get the benefits of natural astaxanthin sources.

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The astaxanthin that is used to make Nutrex-Hawaii’s BioAstin is grown in controlled fresh water ponds, in a BioSecure Zone that’s free from pesticides and other genetically modified organisms.

I highly suggest reading Dr. Sears book on Astaxanthin. It really opened up my eyes to this wonderful nutrient!

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You may be asking, why should I take Astaxanthin?

  • Astaxanthin is an antioxidant, so it naturally reduces free radicals in the body.
  • As Dr. Sears would say, it helps remove the “Stick Stuff” from our bodies.
  • It is also known for eye health, skin health, heart heath, cellular health, and helping the body’s immune system.

The best part is that it is from NATURE! Again, you can feel good knowing that your body knows what to do with this powerful antioxidant.

We also learned why it is so important for athletes (aka “The salmon”, since we work hard during the days too, we can also benefit as the fish do by ingesting this powerful antioxidant.)

Here is an awesome video by miss Suzy Cohenwho I had the pleasure of meeting & spending time with on the trip, explaining the benefits of Astaxanthin. 

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After listening to the Advisory Board, Suzy Cohen, Dr. Sears, & Paula Bickford present their informational research all about the products, we then moved into a cooking demo as we ate lunch.

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We were introduced to so many recipes featuring Spirulina!

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The provided huge salad bars with multiple toppings to make a #powerplate of a lunch! I got greens, veggies, edamame, hard boiled eggs, shrimp, & a delish dressing.

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We got to sample true cinnamon bark right off the leaf (the largest leaf in the picture). They had us nibble the end and guess what it was. It was a from a local garden!

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We sampled 4 different dips made with spirulina. Guac, hummus, sour cream, & ranch! I’ve made some recipes that appear on their site as well such as Hummus, Guac, & Kale Chips!

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These nuts were SO good! They were mixed with pure maple syrup & spirulina. You could also add cinnamon for an added boost!

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They even showed how spirulina can be made into a face cream. Traci is such a good sport Winking smile isn’t she?

This mask was made out of

1/3 teaspoon spirulina

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 tea of choice

1/4 cup plain yogurt

*This would become a paste & you can apply to your fact & neck.

Leave on for about 10-20 minutes & rinse off with warm water then with a cold rinse.

They also did one with Bananas & Avocado! Just mash one banana, 1/2 ripe avocado, & 1/2 teaspoon spirulina powder then apply to face for the same amount of time as the above mask.

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As you can see, this powerful super food can be transformed into so many benefitting recipes, face masks, & also taken in capsule form! I raely wanted to showcase everything we learned so that these products don’t seem overwhelming & how you can use them in your everyday life.

After the morning of presentations, we met some Pro Athletes from Hawaii who are advocates for the Nutrex-Hawaii products & have used them for years. My next recap will be all about their stories & the second part of my first day in Hawaii!

Again, a special thank you to Nutrex-Hawaii & FItFluential for being such great supports for this trip!

COUPON CODE ALERT! For anyone interested in purchasing spirulina, which I think after you see my recap you will really want to partake in the amazing benefits, but Nutrex-Hawaii is offering a 25% discount with coupon code PCNOV25!

be true to you,

Red heart Kasey

 

Have you ever been to Hawaii? I’d love to hear about it!