Reading Room
Fruit-sweetened chocolate, bone broth protein insight, Botox toxicity, & a reading list.
WILD WEST CHOCOLATE
I recently discovered Wild West Chocolate at my local Sprouts, and it checks all the boxes. Their Dark Horse flavor is 70% cacao and sweetened only with organic fruit: powdered date, mulberry, peach, and mango. In addition to skipping processed sugar, their products also don’t contain GMOs, emulsifiers, or soy lecithin.
The company sources regeneratively grown cacao and partners with the River Management Society. Bonus: They’re based in Missoula, Montana.
Purchase directly or find a local store here.
BONE BROTH PROTEIN
In a previous newsletter, I broke down clean protein powders. Paleovalley made the list, but I was curious about the organic flavors listed in their Chocolate, Vanilla, and Salted Caramel options.
Protein Powder List:
I reached out for insight, as “flavors” can sometimes be deceptive, but I found their detailed reply (outlined below) reassuring.
Paleovalley Response:
“While our blends remain proprietary information we can share organic flavors are derived from various organic and non-GMO plant materials including fruits, spices, and vegetables grown without the use of pesticides. The starting material for organic flavors cannot utilize synthetic extraction solvents, synthetic carriers, or artificial preservatives. Organic flavors are different from natural flavors.
Natural flavors can contain up to 100 ingredients including incidental additives like polysorbate 80, BHA, and BHT which are used to stabilize and preserve and are not required to be labeled. They can also be derived from starting materials grown with pesticides and genetically modified ingredients (GMOs), often utilizing a GMO corn-based carrier, and are far less regulated. Organic flavors allow us to optimize our products’ flavor without utilizing synthetic, genetically modified, or pesticide-containing ingredients.” - Paleovalley Support
The bone broth protein is crafted from 100% grass-fed and finished beef bones and extracted through slow simmering — no chemicals or solvents. While I feel comfortable with their explanation, Unflavored, Savory Original, and Turmeric Ginger are alternatives without organic flavors.
The Dark Side of Beauty Documentary
Absolutely no shame around past or present decisions, but this topic feels important given how ubiquitous and normalized neuromodulators (Botox, Dysport, Xeomin, Daxxify, Jeuveau, and Letybo) have become. Most women (and increasingly men) don’t second-guess their decision to get botulinum toxin injections, likely because adverse effects aren’t often discussed — or even connected.
The documentary explores the risks, noting that “the statistics are that 1 in 100 women are likely harmed or injured by these injections.” Here’s an introduction to the film by the creator, Aaron Everitt.
A critical health topic, presented in a digestible, hour-long video.
RECOMMENDED READING
I’ve spent less time crafting this newsletter over the past few weeks and more time reading others. Here are some of my top reads, spanning quite a range of topics.
Barbara O’Neill: Ginger poultice for joint inflammation & Potato poultice for tissue inflammation
Children’s Health: Rinsing and gargling away respiratory viruses & keeping kids from getting sick
“What they do not contain is any investigation into the effects of these drugs on a woman’s psychological development, cognitive function, partner selection, relationship satisfaction, or the experience of discontinuation after years of use. The people who made the drugs did not ask these questions. The people who approved them did not require it. The people who prescribe them do not raise it.”
IG: Follow along @welleditednewsletter.
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