What is a ‘Food Synergy’ concentrate?

By taking essential 8 organics® will I be getting all of my nutritional needs?

Why the greater focus on ‘vegetables’ and not so much on ‘fruit’?

Why organic?

How can you offer these products made of vegetables and fruit all year round, if they are organic & seasonal?

What does essential 8 organics® taste like?

I’ve noticed you now have more than one product in the essential 8 organics® range. Can you tell me what the difference is between essential 8 organics® super concentrate & essential 8 organics® with prebiotic inulin?

Can you tell me more about ‘prebiotic inulin’?

Are essential 8 organics® products expensive?

Should I consult my health practitioner before taking essential 8 organics®?

You have a smaller recommended serve for children ( 1 teaspoon instead of 1 tablespoon). Is there a particular reason for this? 

Does the green tea in Phyoxidase® contain caffeine? Should children be taking essential 8 organics® if it contains green tea?

Can pregnant woman take essential 8 organics®? What about breastfeeding mums?

Can essential 8 organics® only be mixed with drinks?

Is it best to have essential 8 organics® in water, soy, milk or juice?

How many different pack sizes does the essential 8 organics® range come in?

Is it possible to get essential 8 organics® in capsule form?

How does essential 8 organics® compare to other 'Food Synergy’ concentrates? 

How does essential 8 organics® compare to ‘Super Food’ concentrates?

Has essential 8 organics® been measured for its ORAC value?

What is 'Food Synergy'?

‘Food Synergy’ simply means eating whole foods or drinking juices that complement each other nutritionally. As an example of this, the body will absorb more iron from spinach if it is consumed with the vitamin C of pomegranate or kale. By consuming a diverse range of vegetables and fruit you are getting an equally diverse range of antioxidants, phyto-nutrients and phyto-chemicals which all have different health benefits for the body and can assist in the fight against disease-causing agents.

What is a ‘Food Synergy’ concentrate?

This is a process of concentrating vegetables and fruit into powders while still retaining all of the phyto-nutrients (vitamins, minerals, enzymes) and phyto-chemicals (polyphenols, lutein, sulphoraphane, etc). In theory, the only thing that should be discarded during the concentration process is the water. (NB if it is a juice that is being concentrated, then the fibrous matter may have already been removed as well)

By taking essential 8 organics® will I be getting all of my nutritional needs?

essential 8 organics® products have been designed to ‘top up’ your nutritional requirements if you feel you are not getting the recommended servings of five vegetables and two fruits per day or if you feel your digestive system is in any way compromised which may then affect the level of nutrition you are absorbing from your regular diet. essential 8 organics® may also be of nutritional benefit in times when the immune system is challenged, such as with illness for example or at times of high growth for children. Often there are just times when a regular healthy diet can become more of a challenge such as while travelling or extended hours at work & sometimes all it takes is just a busy active ‘normal’ day… essential 8 organics® is certainly not meant to replace the fresh fruits & veg in your diet but by having it at least once daily you are ensuring the best possible nutrition is available to you, not much different from taking a multi vitamin tablet but much more effective…

Why the greater focus on ‘vegetables’ and not so much on ‘fruit’?

Fruits as we know, often just taste better than vegetables, especially for children. Fruits store better, often require very little preparation and almost always travel well due to nature’s own ‘ready-to-go’ packaging. All of this leads to it being easier for most people to achieve the recommended intake of 2 serves of fruit a day. Vegetables on the other hand, in particular the green leafy ones, provide many people with more of a challenge in getting the recommended 5 serves a day. Some of the figures available in Australia indicate that as many as 90% of the population are getting less than the recommended intake per day. While the essential 8 organics® products are not meant to replace fresh vegetables completely in your diet, they sure can help with servings 4 & 5, especially on those busy days!

Why organic?

Aside of the ethical and long-term sustainability issues that recommend choosing ‘organic’ as a lifestyle decision, continuing research is now available to confirm that not only is organic food free from the ‘nasties’ of pesticides, artificial additives and genetic modification, it is often more nutritious than conventionally-farmed food. Organic food has been found to contain higher levels of nutrients gram for gram, which means for every 5 serves needed of conventionally-farmed food, only 4 serves or less of organic-farmed food is needed to provide the same level of nutrition. Organic for many people seems unaffordable, but it actually provides better value in the long run when looking for your nutrition to come from food. Oh, and of course, organic tastes better, too! It is important to look for ‘certified’ organic wherever possible to ensure that the highest possible organic standards have been applied.

How can you offer these products made of vegetables and fruit all year round, if they are organic & seasonal?

What does essential 8 organics® taste like?

essential 8 organics® has a pleasant, slightly sweet, natural taste. We have tried to ensure that the taste is neutral so that it blends well with a variety of different drink flavours. We’ve also tried to ensure that essential 8 organics® products are not overly sweet. Hard to believe, but research shows that products that are over-sweet are harder to take everyday over longer periods of time than the less sweet ones.

Our original blend essential 8 organics® super concentrate has been researched & developed over several years with the ultimate goal being to provide optimal nutrition in the most natural and synergistic way possible. It was also important, especially with our own families in mind, that this product should be of high quality and as convenient, accessible and affordable as possible. essential 8 organics® has been designed to be a continued source of natural nutrition and to be particularly beneficial in times when the overall immune system is challenged (both periods of illness and growth are examples of this) or even simply if fruit & vegetable intake is less than what is recommended for general good health.

Continued research led us to discover that many people, even when paying attention to their body’s nutritional needs, have unavoidably developed a compromised digestive system, due simply to life in a modern world. This could ultimately result in the body being less able to absorb and utilise the actual nutrients provided by food.  essential 8 organics® with prebiotic inulin was developed with this in mind. By combining the original concentrate with a ninth ingredient, jerusalem artichoke, we were able to add a soluble fibre that has been shown to improve and maintain a healthy digestive system & assist increased nutrient absorption.

Most plants store carbohydrates as ‘starches’. The best known example of this is with the root vegetables. When we consume these vegetables, digestion of the starches begins in the mouth and the complex sugars are quickly absorbed into the bloodstream. Starches generally are completely digested before or just inside the small intestine. A few plants, however, store carbohydrates as ‘inulin’. Inulin, unlike starch, is not so easily digestible and actually moves intact through the digestive system, where in the colon (also known as the ‘large intestine’) it provides invaluable nutrition to the micro flora that live here. Micro flora, the ‘good’ bacteria, are vital for the maintenance of good health and well-being. Research has shown that higher levels of ‘good’ bacteria in the body can directly result in lower levels of the ‘bad’ bacteria that can often challenge the immune system. A regular intake of inulin can provide an ideal environment for optimal nutrient absorption. Studies have shown inulin to increase the absorption of calcium and other minerals.

The inulin in essential 8 organics® with prebiotic inulin comes from jerusalem artichoke, a vegetable tuber from the sunflower family. As this is a very high source of inulin (>90%) it may take the body a couple of weeks to adjust to this new source of nutrition and some bloating or wind may occur. This initial symptom is usually a very good indication that the inulin is in the right place and working!

The entire range of essential 8 organics® represents very good value for money when you compare it to an equivalent amount of fresh produce. With our essential 8 organics® super concentrate drinking powder, each 9gm serve costs $2.60 while the equivalent in fresh organic produce would cost approximately $4.00 per serve. Our essential 8 organics® with prebiotic inulin represents even better value at only $1.40 per 9.5g serve.  Consider also that essential 8 organics® products are not limited by seasonal availability, there is little or no waste and any deterioration of nutrients is negligible over time.

We don’t think that should be necessary. We're sure your doctor, your naturopath and your nutritionist will all heartily approve of increasing your daily consumption of vegetables and fruits with well-recognised benefits for health and wellbeing. In particular, the cruciferous vegetables which are hardest to get into your diet are also the ones that can prolong your life and strengthen your immune system against preventable diseases. They are ‘just what the doctor ordered’. By all means, if you feel at all unsure, please consult with your health practitioner.

There is no reason why a child cannot have an ‘adult’ sized serving and in times of illness or growth spurts or other times when a healthy immune system may be challenged, this ‘adult serve’ might be just the tonic needed. The reason we recommend 1 teaspoon is more of an economical one, as this is all that is needed for a child to receive the same ‘top up’ benefits as an adult having a tablespoon. Have you ever heard of anyone being harmed by ‘too many’ fruits & vegetables? Neither have we….

One of the ingredients in essential 8 organics®, Phyoxidase®, does contain green tea, well known for its high antioxidant properties and yes it does contain caffeine in trace amounts. We’ve calculated the amount of caffeine in a single adult serve of essential 8 organics® super concentrate is less than 10mg. In a child’s recommended serve, it is less than half of this amount and in essential 8 organics® with prebiotic inulin less again by 50%. By comparison, a cup of coffee contains 100mg of caffeine; soft drinks range from 35 - 80mg per serve and even an average chocolate bar contains 15mg. The good news about green tea is that it also contains an amino acid known as l-theanine which, among other health benefits, naturally negates the effects of the caffeine. Essentially, the caffeine content is too small to be of any concern ….for children or adults.

As a means of increasing consumption of vegetables and fruits, which provide such an important foundation for a healthy pregnancy and successful breast-feeding, essential 8 organics® comes in an easy and convenient daily serving form. While as always, we would never suggest that it can take the place of an organic, wholefood diet, it's especially useful if you're having difficulty preparing optimally nutritious meals due to lack of time, energy or issues such as morning sickness.

We are always discovering new ways to have our essential 8 organics®. We have it in our yoghurt, on breakfast cereal and it can be sprinkled on any food just before serving, particularly for the more finicky eaters in your family. If you have a favourite or novel way to have your essential 8 organics®, please let us know and we’ll pass the information on to others to enjoy, via our website.

How many different pack sizes does the essential 8 organics® range come in?

Is it possible to get essential 8 organics® in capsule form?

essential 8 organics® super concentrate will soon be available in capsules to help make good nutrition even easier. These will be ideal for travel or to keep in your desk at work to get that extra ‘antioxidant’ hit.

We are yet to find a comparable product to essential 8 organics®. To create a product which is certified organic, with no cheap fillers to 'bulk it up' and also that can provide you with a true portion of your fruit & vegetable requirements - this hasn't been done before to the best of our knowledge.

Many products claim to be equivalent to a serving of fruit or vegetables. This claim is often based on a measurement of antioxidant value known as ORAC. The ORAC ‘score’ or value of the ‘food synergy’ product is then compared and equated to the ORAC value of fresh fruit or vegetables. The essential 8 organics® range can do this as well (see below) but as concentrated real food products made from real fruit & veg, we can truthfully say that each spoonful of essential 8 organics® actually does contain, in a concentrated form, a significant amount of your daily recommended fruit & vegetable serves.

‘Super Food’ concentrates tend to be products that include many ingredients in very small amounts & claim that the total sum of these ingredients has a ‘synergistic’ effect. Unfortunately the more ingredients in the product, the more likely it will contain doses too low to have any nutritional significance. Often with this type of product, the bulk of the ingredients tend to be ‘fillers’ such as ‘protein isolates’. These low-cost ingredients keep the product prices down & tend to make the consumer believe they are getting better value for money.