Clarks Nutrition and Natural Foods Markets

Gluten Free

What does following a gluten-free diet mean? That you're embarking on an easy diet with a wide range of health-promoting effects. Instead of dwelling on what you’re giving up, consider that you’re going to enjoy a whole new world of delicious food options to meet your special dietary needs. You’ll be eating seasonally, choosing more fresh fruits and vegetables, focusing on meats, seafood, poultry, legumes, lentils, corn, and rice, and discovering fascinating ancient grains such as quinoa, amaranth, and millet. You’ll be able to eat potatoes, eggs, most cheeses, even chocolate (!)—and enjoy them without guilt because you’ll be taking good care of your body. In fact, you’ll probably end up eating—and feeling—better than ever!

Visit this page for more information about living Gluten Free

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We carry a large variety of gluten free items, the brands listed below represent just some of the offerings we carry

Raw Foods

“Raw” is all the rage these days, but what does it mean to eat raw? And is it possible to get enough protein and other nutrients while following a raw diet?

Raw foods are those that have not been heated above 108°F to 118°F

Raw, defined

Most raw foodists eat only plant-based (vegan) foods, including vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, legumes, and seaweed. Raw foods are those that have not been heated above 108°F to 118°F, depending on who you talk to. The logic behind this is that many of the nutrients in foods are extremely sensitive to heat. This is especially true of the water-soluble vitamins, like the B-vitamins, folate, and vitamin C. As Katie McDonald, a raw food chef and certified Holistic Health Coach in Rhode Island puts it, “The more you do to a food, the less it does for you.”

Raw food advocates also look to the enzyme content of raw foods, saying that cooking destroys delicate enzymes that could otherwise go toward improving the digestion of the foods you’re eating.

Read up on Raw here

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In addition to our always fresh produce, we carry many more raw foods throughout our stores. Look for these brands and our Raw Foods section for more.

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Chromium Supplements May Help Control Blood Sugar

Chromium, an essential mineral, has already shown some promise as a supplement in helping to stabilize blood sugar levels. Now, another study adds to chromium’s résumé, finding a link between chromium supplementation and lower blood sugar levels in people with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes. Published in the Journal of Trace Elements in Medicine and Biology, the study randomly divided 71 people with type 2 diabetes who had elevated markers for long-term, poorly managed blood sugar into two groups: the first group received 600 micrograms of supplemental chromium picolinate per day, and the second group received a placebo. All patients were given nutritional guidance in accordance with the American Diabetes Association and were directed to continue using any prescribed medications. Researchers looked for changes in the participants’ blood sugar by testing after-meal and fasting blood sugar levels at the beginning of the study and after four months. They also monitored changes in cholesterol levels. Here is what they found:

The chromium group experienced statistically significant reductions in fasting blood sugar levels (which dropped by 31.0 mg/dL) and in after-meal blood sugar levels (which dropped by 37.0 mg/dL) compared with the placebo group (which dropped by 14.0 mg/dL and 11.5 mg/dL, respectively).
There were no changes in cholesterol levels in the chromium group; however, cholesterol levels were reduced in the placebo group.
While chromium levels increased in the chromium-supplemented group, ferritin, a marker of iron status, decreased. The researchers explained that chromium might affect iron status, but the clinical importance of this is still uncertain.

This study is intriguing because it shows that chromium supplementation could aid in blood sugar management without affecting cholesterol levels in people with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes. More research is needed to investigate the long-term effects of chromium supplementation in people with type 2 diabetes, as well as the ramifications, if any, on iron status.

Source: Journal of Trace Elements in Medicine and Biology

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