Navitas Organics Blog

In Part 1 of my blog, I shared a glimpse into how we got started as a superfoods company and all the incredible people that contributed to our exponential growth. In this final installment, you'll learn about the inevitable challenges that tested our thriving business and how they only drove us to reach for new heights as we look toward the future.   

If your day-to-day grind could use a wellness upgrade (and really, whose couldn’t?), then forming a self-care ritual may be just the answer you've been looking for. Unlike spur-of-the-moment healthy surges like creating that perfectly swirly rainbow smoothie bowl that's destined to get allll the Instagram likes, rituals are the healthy habits that become part of your real, everyday lifestyle. Practiced over time, these small acts of self-love can boost everything from your daily mood to your productivity and even enhance your state of biological well-being on a cellular level. Here's how to map out your own self-care strategy:

“Set Up” in the Morning
Mornings are incredibly important, as they're a clean slate to set the tone for the day. While the wee hours can be quite busy (and potentially sleepy), it takes just a few minutes to set your mind right. Many people benefit from keeping a gratitude journal to jot down something they're grateful for every day, while others prefer to simply ruminate on positive thoughts for several minutes before even getting out of bed. Make it your mission to start the day on a mental note of love and kindness – you'll be amazed at how much brighter your entire day feels.

Make Your First Meal Count
Whether you wake up hungry or choose not to eat until noon, make sure your first meal is a solid one – maybe even your best one. That “first food” is another way to prime your body with the nutrients it craves right from the get-go. Depending on your diet preferences, this could look like many different things – from a skillet scramble with broccoli and avocado to a superfood smoothie with seasonal fruit. Regardless, get in the habit of consuming a few “routine” superfoods, such as a brain-boosting Matcha latte, a heaping scoop of Daily Superfood Immunity Boost in your favorite beverage to keep your immune system at its peak or maybe a skin-friendly spoonful of Chia Seeds sprinkled on your bowl of granola. Practice giving to your body through the foods you eat – aka self-care at its finest!

Set Aside Mini “Me Time”
In today's busy world, mega-doses of “me time” can be hard to come by, save for maybe the occasional vacation. But scheduling mini “me-time” can act like a daily reminder of your real intentions and help you get in touch (and stay in touch!) with the beauty of the present. For some, this may look like 10 minutes of mediation. For others, this may be lighting some sage or lavender to cleanse the air and mind. Still, others may find it useful to simply pause and spend a few moments goal-setting in a notebook. The important part is that you schedule this time to step off the day-to-day treadmill and re-center yourself. You always can find at least 10 minutes!

Value Winding Down
Most of us are stoking our cortisol until the moment we close our eyes, checking that one last work email, scrolling through social media, drinking too much alcohol in the evening or simply putting off going to bed. But getting quality sleep can genuinely change your entire reality, although it doesn't come all by itself. Ensure you're getting the deep sleep you need to fully recharge by giving yourself at least 30 minutes before your bedtime to wind down and relax without stimulation. Keep away from technology and “blue light” and try other relaxing rituals like an Epsom salt bath, calming music or nature sounds. You can even just pick up a good book to allow your mind to wander into an alternative universe – just be sure to avoid reading about heavy subjects like business or politics. You'll be amazed at the mental and mindful advantages you gain through ensuring your sleep is the best it can be.

Remember, no one can give you the self-care you really need except for you and the small rituals you create now can carve the path for a brighter future tomorrow and for years to come.

When I think back to the summer of 2003, I remember the exciting, yet apprehensive feeling that settled in to permanently live with us when the idea of Navitas first came to life. Our friends Paul and Lisa had been importing Maca for sale in Australia and knowing we were in transition with work, thought it might be a good fit for us, too. Zach and Paul had a long history of traveling together in their twenties, sharing a profound curiosity about different cultures and traditional foods abroad. It was through these early experiences that Paul was introduced to the miracle plant Maca from Peru. As is typical of an entrepreneur, Zach saw infinite possibilities for a business beyond Maca and comfort with the risk, while I stared at my pregnant belly of six months with a mix of hope, trepidation and a fair amount of skepticism. After all, we had only been married for a little over two years, not yet ready to be parents, much less for the enormous responsibility of the “other baby” we were about to raise. But, we both came of age embedded within the Grateful Dead community and therefore the idea of starting a health food company fit squarely within our personal ideologies. Convinced that traditional superfoods would help Westerners be healthier, we forged ahead with nothing more than the vision of what could be and a nominal personal investment. We had no idea then that Navitas would evolve to become a wellness lifestyle brand supporting health seekers like us and helping to advance organic agriculture in the process.

As Navitas celebrates 15 years in business, I am amazed at how far we’ve come. So much has changed since the beginning, both within the industry and personally throughout these years. Several pivotal moments and instrumental people have helped to create a confluence of success for the company. As we celebrate this milestone, it seems fitting to honor each of those crossroads and the amazing people that share our story because without them, we wouldn’t be here today.

Timing is Everything

What does ‘verdure’ mean and am I saying it right? This is a question I get asked a lot, having a blog called All The Verdure. Verdure is used to describe lush green vegetation, freshness and vigorous experiences, which are all important components of living the balanced lifestyle that I share through my work. Being healthy is not just about what we eat, but where it comes from and how we live our lives.

If you've ever wondered how to better read a nutrition label or why certain formulas were created, we're here to explain. We believe you should know and understand what's in your food! So, here’s a behind-the-scenes look at one of our newest and most popular superfood formulas: our Protein & Greens Essential Superfood Blend, and the real deal on what makes it so good for you.

Not All Protein is Created Equal
You may know this product as a flexible way to incorporate more protein into your diet, thanks to its neutral flavor and low calorie count, but there's so much more to this easy-breezy powder than its 20 grams of plant protein! To begin with, not all protein is created equal, which is why you'll see five different types of proteins listed on the label of the organic protein blend: pea, pumpkin seed, sunflower, golden flax and Hemp. This compilation is used to give you an easily digestible, plant-based protein approach, while offering you a balanced array of all the essential amino acids you need at the same time.

Superfood Support Ups the Ante
What's more, the ingredients in Protein & Greens Essential Superfood Blend are way more than just protein! As superfoods, they each contain valuable minerals and fiber that count toward your daily quota and are a big part of the reason why you'll find minerals like iron and calcium listed on the package without synthetic nutrients added. Ah, the symbiotic power of nature! To further balance out the nutrition, we've added a powerful superfood blend made from some of our favorite ingredients. You'll find Goji, which naturally bumps up the Vitamin C content dramatically while keeping your immune system at its peak; Pomegranate for a slew of protective antioxidants and Maca to promote overall homeostasis in your body and provide natural energy.

Clean(sing) Greens Make it Clean
As far as the product's namesake “greens,” you'll enjoy a best-in-class inclusion of Wheatgrass, kale, spinach and spirulina. Using this blend of grass, land and water vegetables (technically, spirulina is an algae) ensures you're getting a wide spectrum of micronutrients along with a rich source of cleansing chlorophyll. And thanks to the powdered form of these power ingredients, you won't even taste them! Additions of acerola cherry and cinnamon help keep your immune system and blood sugar regulated, respectively, without being an influence on flavor.

Gut Health: Achieved
Lastly, you may notice on the package a long list of strange-sounding ingredients at the end – this is our probiotic and enzyme blend. Adding probiotics to a whole food powder like this has a twofold benefit: First, it helps your body digest, break down and make use of all the other gold-star ingredients found within. Second, regularly consuming probiotics is a good way to keep your microbiome in peak condition – an aspect of wellness which is connected to almost every aspect of your body's health that you can imagine – from immunity to cognitive function.

So, the next time you scoop out a serving of Navitas Organics Protein & Greens Essential Superfood Blend, feel great knowing there's a whole lot more inside than meets the eye. And thanks to its neutral flavor, you can add all these ingredients – and their benefits – to virtually any kind of recipe you can imagine, more conveniently than ever.

Click here for a super-easy (and super-delicious!) recipe to get you started.