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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Vitamin D May Help Repair Cardiovascular Damage

Chronic hypertension can have detrimental effects throughout the body, in part by damaging endothelial cells (the cells that line the inner blood vessels) and disrupting healthy vascular function. Luckily, other factors protect endothelial cells and preserve normal vascular function. According to findings from an in-vitro study in the International Journal of Nanomedicine, vitamin D may be one of those factors. To explore this possibility, researchers simulated the effect of hypertension on endothelial cells donated by Black and White subjects by exposing these cells to a biochemical that raises blood pressure: angiotensin II. Angiotensin II affects endothelial cells by decreasing their production of nitric oxide—a vascular relaxant that helps blood flow—and increasing their production of peroxynitrite—a vascular constrictor that restricts blood flow. When researchers added vitamin D into the environment surrounding the hypertensive endothelial cells, they found it reversed the effects of angiotensin II: nitric oxide concentrations increased and peroxynitrite levels decreased.

Poor vascular function is a major concern not only in people with hypertension but also in people with other cardiovascular risk factors, including obesity, diabetes, and high cholesterol. This study’s findings begin to shed light on the ways in which vitamin D may contribute to blood vessel health. To raise your vitamin D levels, spend time in the sun, which stimulates your body to synthesize the vitamin—just be sure to practice sun safety. If you have limited sun exposure, consult with your healthcare practitioner to see if a vitamin D supplement is a good option.

Source: International Journal of Nanomedicine

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