YOSA supplement edition and the new “it” ingredient

We’re loving the #YOSA questions you’ve tweeted and emailed to us.

#YOSA is a feature we launched last week that stands for “yay or step away”. Carolyn is going to tackle a couple of supplements we were asked about.

We are not shy about our supplement obsessions. Eboost, probiotics, safslim. vitamin D, Sibu, evening primrose oil… you name it we’ll typically try it. But we have our limits of course. Since we’ve started YOSA-ing, my cousin asked me about a supplement making the rounds at her school. Actually, her friends were referring to it as a FRUIT and not a supplement, which allegedly helps with quick weight loss.

It’s called Garcinia Cambogia.. yay or step away?

Garcinia is derived from tamarind, an Indonesian fruit commonly used in Asian cuisine. The active compound in it is hydroxycitric acid (HCA), and some evidence (we’re talking petri dish-evidence) shows it decreases appetite and prevents your body from storing food as fat. Sounds fabulous but  when you look at the research, results are totally inconsistent. In some studies the group taking garcinia lost less weight. But most importantly, high doses of Garcinia extract caused toxicity and TESTICULAR ATROPHY in mice. Um, whether you have testicles or not, OW. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone. Okay, maybe a few people, but anyway...

Garcinia was  an ingredient in the infamous speedy supplement Hydroxycut that landed many people in the hospital with liver issues. So my conclusion on this yay or step away is STEP AWAY!

**side note, this doesn’t mean avoid tamarind, which actually has lots of nutrition benefits and does not have HCA in crazy high doses.

YOSA #2: We received this query from a client… “For some reason I get “backed up” during the summer…  What do you think of this Intestinal Movement supplement? #YOSA?

First things first, the ingredient list:

Proprietary Blend: Rhubarb Root, Peppermint Leaf, Wildcrafted Nopal Cactus, Ginger Root, Wasabi, Thyme Leaf, Oregano Leaf, Whole Leaf Aloe Ferox (Cape Aloe), Enzymes (Protease, Amylase, Cellulase, Lipase)

We were especially intrigued by rhubarb and cactus.  Rhubarb is one of the most widely used herbs in Chinese medicine and can act as a mild  or “gentle” laxative. Sounds lovely, right? So this (plus aloe, another little helper) should help you go without leaving you racing for the bathroom like violent laxatives. (As our snack queen says, VOM).

Another ingredient is nopal cactus aka prickly pear.  We spotted  in many forms (juice, chews etc.) all over the Fancy Food Show a few weeks ago. Nopal has many benefits it’s used to balance blood sugar, reduce inflammation and it has slight laxative properties. When were extra intrigued because of a particular study done at Tulane University (we’re proud alumni, what can we say) on its hangover prevention benefits.

So in this Health Force Intestinal Movement edition of yay or step away… a supplement that helps you “go” and prevents hangovers? we vote a resounding YAY…. For 1-2 weeks max then take a break!

Any #YOSA questions for us? Any supplements you've been hearing a lot about? Do you feel digestion is any different in the summer? And have you been hearing about nopal?