The Sharon Kleyne Hour
Radio Talk Show –
www.workdtalkradio.com
Power of Water – Global Warming
Mind – Eyes – Skin
– Body
Show Summary
Date: April 16, 2007
Guest: Rob Pell, health
food and supplement store owner
Topic: Purchasing Nutritional Supplements
Sharon (paraphrased): Our
guest today, Rob Pell, is an authority on food supplements and vitamins. Like
many of our guests, he’s here to educate you about health choices to enable you
to take personal responsibility. Tell us about yourself, Rob.
Rob (paraphrased): Well,
I’m 51 and have owned Sunshine Natural Foods in Grants Pass, Oregon for 12
years. Before that, I owned an award winning natural food restaurant in Boston for 15 years. Our objective in Boston was to please both die-hard natural foods
people and first timers.
S: What have you learned
about people’s buying habits as far as nutritional supplements?
R: We get referrals from
Naturopaths and MD’s – much more than we did 10 years ago, but the majority of
our customers are self-medicating. They have a problem, they did a little
reading and they have something in mind that they want to try.
Since a lot of our
business is based on reputation and word of mouth, we try to provide a level of
expertise not available elsewhere. You have to know your customers, though.
Most of ours, for example, are over 40 and definitely not body builder types.
We always ask how they heard about the supplement and what they’re trying to
achieve. Often, we can suggest something better. For something like leg cramps,
we can save them a lot of money by simply
recommending that they drink more water.
S: How would you shop for
something like vitamin E?
R: Vitamin E is somewhat
controversial but no studies of natural vitamin E have yielded negative
results. It’s an excellent antioxidant but we usually recommend a blend of
antioxidants, not just vitamin E.
S: What is an
“antioxidant?”
R: Oxygen is essential to
the body but in some areas, too much oxygen can speed up the aging process.
Antioxidants keep the negative aspects of oxygen in check. They also keep free
radicals in check. Free radicals are “incomplete chemicals” looking to complete
themselves, often at the expense of your body’s health.
S: How would you start
your ideal day?
R: Everyone is different
but I’d start with water and supplements. I’d also wait at least 15 minutes
after drinking the water before eating anything. Water dilutes your stomach
acid, which can cause a problem with digestion that can result in acid reflux.
That’s why I’d keep water to a minimum at any meal. I also don’t understand why
ice water has become the norm. For maximum absorption, water should be served
at room temperature, or even at body temperature.
Caller: How do you know if
you are choosing the correct supplements?
R: Sometimes you can feel
the difference and sometimes you can’t. 30% of the time, customers can feel the
difference when they start taking the supplement. 30% of the time they can feel
it when they go off the supplement. But when they don’t feel anything, it
doesn’t mean the supplement isn’t working (or that it is working). Some
supplements, you can feel within minutes. You will feel water soluble
supplements more quickly and fat soluble ones much more slowly. Again, always
take the supplements with plenty of water.
S: Could you tell us about
your health food restaurants?
R: We served vegetarian,
(organic) chicken and seafood entrees. Most important, we were very careful
about the kind and quality of oils we used. It was usually olive or canola oil,
with no trans-fats, hydrogenation or chemical additives, all of which could
make you sick. And by the way, I suggest taking supplemental digestive enzymes
when you eat out.
S: And can you tell us
about your other expertise, Tai-Chi and Chi-Gung?
R: That’s a mental and
exercise discipline that allows you to release the energy you were born with.
You can’t eat too many vegetables and you can’t have too much healthy energy.
Some exercises energize, some relieve tension and some balance the two. After
water and sleep, breathing is our most important activity. We should breathe
slowly and from the belly, not the chest. Unfortunately, there are a lot of
marginally qualified Tai-Chi instructors around.
S: Thank you very much
Rob. Our next guest is Dr. Nick Aumen, an aquatic scientist with Everglades National Park, who will tell us about the Everglades ecosystem and the global crisis
of diminishing wetlands.