Blog

JUNE 22, 2009

National Conference on Childhood Obesity

Representatives from VitaminSpice attended the the National Conference on Childhood Obesity on June 18 and 19 sponsored by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine and The Cancer Project.  The conference brought together an incredible group of thought leaders from across the country, including Dr. Neal Barnard (www.CancerProject.org), David Barker, MD, Dr. Katie Wilson, President of the School Nutrition Association, and many other phenomenal speakers.

VitaminSpice was well received by many of those in attendance at the Washington DC event. During breaks, attendees used VitaminSpice on their food and in their coffee.  Edward Bukstel, CEO VitaminSpice, met with several attendees and discussed matters concerning, health, wellness, and nutrition for our children.

The problem of childhood obesity is a well-documented and growing health issue in the US. VitaminSpice is committed to working with corporations, organizations, schools and families to help provide additional nutritional delivery systems to combat this epidemic.  For more information on the conference, visit The Cancer Project web site. 

MAY 16, 2009

VitaminSpice hosting the Green Fest & NRA After Party at the Crimson Lounge

For those of you lucky enough to be in Chicago this weekend at the National Restaurant Association show, be sure to get over to the Crimson Lounge (333 N. Dearborn) Saturday night from 7 to 10 pm. Along with well-known names like Glaceau Vitamin Water^TM, VitaminSpice is presenting a cool after party with no cover, food samples and a cash bar. Don't miss the opportunity!

MAY 15, 2009

VitaminSpice debuting at the National Restaurant Association Show

VitaminSpice debuts its innovative approach to nutritional seasoning May 16-19 at the National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago. Exhibiting at Booth #5830, VitaminSpice will be introducing several all-natural blends of herbs and spices with essential vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. The new line offers a convenient and flavor-driven way to boost the nutritional value of meals – and is a perfect fit for restaurants looking for healthy, but cost-effective menu options.

With Americans looking for simple solutions to improving health, sales have increased by 8% for nutritional supplements (IRI) and 11.7% for dried herbs and spices (Schwartz market research) over the last year. Sitting at the nexus of the $6.1 billion dollar nutritional supplements and the $2.9 billion dollar spice industries, VitaminSpice’s new spice blend line is the first of its kind to bring these two natural allies together.

Blended from premium herbs and spices and packed with essential vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants, VitaminSpice is all natural, 100% vegetarian and completely free of additives, preservatives, coloring, sugar, artificial sweeteners, calories and gluten. VitaminSpice can be sprinkled onto any food or beverage, and can be used at the end of the cooking process up to 200 °F. Available in a wide variety of traditional spices, including ground cinnamon, granulated garlic and ground black pepper, VitaminSpice’s new blends also come in several supplement formulas such as multivitamin, kids, joint and cardio.

VitaminSpice’s founder, Edward Bukstel, came up with the product idea while cooking with his daughters. At a recent regional US Food Service event for over 20 school districts, more than 70% of the participating school representatives expressed interest in VitaminSpice. Bukstel has been thrilled with the response to the product thus far, “As a father, I take some small satisfaction in knowing VItaminSpice could play a role in improving the nutritional value of meals not only in schools, but also in family restaurants and homes across the country.”

VItaminSpice has also caught the attention of health professionals.  Dr. Robert Streisfeld, (“Doc Rob”), doctor of naturopathic medicine, gourmet natural foods chef, and author of A Healthier Ever After, sees great potential for VItaminSpice. According to Doc Rob, “With today’s busy lifestyles, people of all ages can benefit from a product like VitaminSpice that adds great flavor to the natural foods we’re already eating and increases nutritional intake at the same time.” For more information on Doc Rob, visit www.DocRob.com.

MAY 8, 2009

VitaminSpice helps fill the daily nutrition gaps in kids meals

While energy intake has been increasing among children aged 5 to 18 over the last 20 years, intake of many essential vitamins and minerals has unfortunately decreased.[1]Even more troubling, research published in the last decade has shown that less than 1% of children and adolescents consume the minimum number of daily servings of all food groups recommended in the Food Pyramid.[2]  Even when kids are eating their vegetables, nearly 25% of all vegetable consumption comes from French fries![3]

While some of this research dates back nearly 13 years, more recent studies on school lunch programs also suggest that school-age children are not consuming ample amounts of certain vitamins and minerals, specifically vitamin C, phosphorous, vitamin A, magnesium, vitamin E, potassium and calcium (ages 8 and older). For teenage girls, there are also notable deficiencies in vitamin B₆, folate, zinc and iron.[4]

None of this data is terribly surprising when you consider that school lunch nutrition standards haven’t been updated in 30 years. Fortunately, things are starting to improve and the Child Nutrition Act needs to be reauthorized this year – and most likely will be done so with healthy amendments.  For more information, read this article on the Daily Green.

Even with positive change in school lunch standards and higher levels of nutritional awareness, schools still struggle to offer healthy lunches with small budgets and need help filling the gap. 

At a recent US Food Service event, representatives from 23 school districts in New Jersey, Delaware and Pennsylvania reviewed several new vendors for their school lunch program.  Not surprisingly, 70% of them expressed serious interest in using VitaminSpice for their breakfast and lunch programs.

For a few cents per serving, schools can provide a more nutritious meal with VitaminSpice, pleasing both parents and the budget managers. With just a half teaspoon of VitaminSpice, kids can get at least 50% of the daily allowance of many of the vitamins and minerals they need to nourish their bodies and minds properly. VitaminSpice adds amazing flavor to food without any of the tastes or smells kids associate with vitamins – what could be more perfect for boosting the nutritional density of school meals?