Of course so many of us love our Emergen-C, but others like to go for a stir-in solution with even more immune-boosting, energizing power. Green Vibrance - a powder that you can add to your juice, rice beverage, or water - contains a near-mind-blowing mix of superfoods: There’s wheatgrass, alfalfa sprout, spinach, chlorella, and bee pollen for nutrition and healing; vitamin E for cell membrane and nerve support; flaxseed and brown rice bran for fiber; ginkgo biloba and green tea for circulatory support and antioxidants; astralagus for immune support; a slew of probiotics; and so much more. The effects? “I started putting this stuff in 6 or 7 ounces of apple juice every day, along with a shot of liquid vit. B and some liquid chlorophyll,” says ThisNexter Jason. “BANG! I’m like a superhero now…I’m like 5x as alert as I was just drinking coffee in the AM, and I’m a full for the first four or five hours of the day.” And since starting to down a second six-ounce shot later in the day, Jason’s found that Green Vibrance “really fills me up and makes me feel more alert. I’m also sleeping better.”

Gordon, meanwhile, considers Green Vibrance “a good and healthy alternative to junk food.” But just how appetizing is it? “It’s a little gritty, and the color is evergreen - a bit hard to convince yourself that it’s okay to drink something the color of mold,” says blogger Luna at Stars for Eyes, who mixes her Green Vibrance with cider. But, she concedes, “it’s not bad tasting at all.” What’s more, Luna adds, “[t]his stuff knocked that cold demon on its ass. Not only was I not getting sick, I found I had plenty of energy when I really needed it.”

For a long time my top cold-fighting strategy was to grab a bottle of Fresh Samantha’s Desperately Seeking C to chug down right when I first started sniffling. Now Fresh Samantha is no longer, which makes me sad, and not just because that was some of the cutest juice-bottle packaging to ever grace the grocery store fridge. So, like Erik at Escopalooza.com and ThisNexter Jerry G., I’ve taken to relying on Odwalla’s C Monster to get 1,000 percent of my daily value of immune-boosting vitamin C. Says Jerry: “Besides the great taste, C-Monster is my favorite way to fight back at the first sign of a cold…Next time you want a citrus snack or just want to kick some influenza butt, get some C-Monster.”

...continued: Superjuice to the rescue!

In a new study from Barcelona’s Municipal Institute for Medical Research, researchers found that virgin olive oil may contain higher levels of heart-protecting antioxidants than other, more refined varieties of olive oil. Which should come as happy news to the many ThisNext foodies who list virgin olive oil among their favorite gastronomic indulgences. That includes several shopcasters who’ve selected McEvoy Ranch’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil, a California delicacy that Lisa Bagg calls “simply the best olive oil I’ve ever tried. Hands down.” Not only does McEvoy Ranch’s have a “a peppery flavor and nice fruitiness,” as our Sean Timberlake points out, it’s also “certified organic and has a complex flavor profile of that starts with a sharp and almost spicy flavor with a delicate and mild finish,” according to Julie Tucker. Among ThisNext’s other EVOO enthusiasts: Vahe Alaverdian (who, of Ciaccio extra virgin olive oil, notes “it’s expensive but it’s the best”), Nate Appleman (a fan of the “heavy, full-bodied, peppery, super floral” Corona Extra Virgin Olive Oil), and Alex Jamieson (“High quality fat tastes good, satiates you and is necessary to almost every body function,” says Alex of Bionature’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil).

...continued: Get oiled up

One of the plus sides to chocolate’s highly addictive quality is that some of the best cocoa-based treasures out there are also the richest in antioxidants and other good-for-you stuff (unlike, say, potato chips, where only those fried to the most divine degree of salty crispness really ever achieve perfection). Hardcore chocoholics often go for the dark variety, which is loaded with flavonoids that may help protect against heart disease and lower your blood pressure. In fact, notes Jessica Harlan in a Lime.com post titled “Rx: Chocolate,” one researcher claims that “dark chocolate contains more flavonoids than any other food, including blueberries, red wine and green and black tea.” Jessica spotlights various forms of chocolate therapy, such as the low-carb, low-glycemic, fiber-fortified Vere. Recommended by ThisNexters H.M. and Colin R., Vere “claims its chocolate has twice the antioxidants of standard dark chocolate, thanks to the shorter fermentation cycle required by the type of bean used, an heirloom cocoa bean from Ecuador,” notes Jessica.

...continued: Healthy indulgence

Inspired by Kristopher’s recent call to “think pink” and turn our attention to Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I’ve been trolling my favorite health sites to find some natural and easy-to-incorporate solutions for breast cancer prevention. In my scouring I’ve discovered a number of cancer-fighting foods and herbs, many of which turn up in various forms around ThisNext. And while many shopcasters give a nod to the health-boosting properties of their picks, others simply spout their love for some primo products that just might possess secret anti-cancer superpowers.

One of the most oft-recommended consumables for breast cancer prevention, green tea is packed with free-radical-battling antioxidants. Yumi Chen likes her green tea nice and chilled, as in Ito En’s line of bottled teas. Brandon W., Gordon, and Fanny the Fairy all prefer Mariage Frères Matcha Tea, which Fanny uses in her green tea tiramisu and creme brulée (and we’re pretty sure that either dish must be sort of like how heaven would taste). My personal fave of the earthy-green stuff is Republic of Tea’s Sip for the Cure Pink Rose Green Tea, a very delicate, rose-infused blend that helps benefit the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.

...continued: Naturally cancer-fighting

I can’t be trusted with a jar of peanut butter. If there’s ever some Skippy or Peter Pan or Smuckers left around the apartment, I somehow end up spooning the stuff straight from the jar once crazy deadlines start hitting. (A while back I even went through a phase of keeping a jar of Jif inside my desk – baaaaaaad idea.) Luckily I’ve discovered the next best thing for when I’m craving peanut buttery goodness: Nature Valley Peanut Butter Crunchy Granola Bars, which are much harder to O.D. on, given their convenient little 180-calorie-per-serving packages.

In fact, practically all the products in the Nature Valley line appear to be the perfect solution for when you need a snacky little pick-me-up but don’t want to resort to junk food. ThisNext member Yumi Chen goes for Nature Valley Healthy Heart Granola Bars, which “have just the right amount of crunch and gooeyness.” Daily Mogs’ blogger, meanwhile, loves Nature Valley’s Sweet and Salty Nut Bars because they’re “more like a candy bar to me which tricks my mind and delights my palate.”

...continued: ThisNext's guide to healthy snackage

Anyone who’s even remotely health-conscious knows the importance of upping your intake of antioxidants: The free-radical-fighting substances are linked to everything from cancer prevention and heart protection to better eyesight and enhanced longevity. And – unless your daily diet is very much of the meat-and-potatoes variety – antioxidants are anything but elusive. You can slurp on a watermelon slice to soak up lots of lycopene, down a glass of OJ for the vitamin C power, or crunch through a carrot to get your beta-carotene.

For some of most antioxidant-rich foods and supplements around, just take a peek at all the very phytonutrient-friendly picks popping up on ThisNext. From the indulgent to the hardcore healthy, our shopcasters know all about the stuff you need to turn back the clock and fight off disease like some kind of superhero.

...continued: ThisNext: Your #1 antioxidant source

Having consumed so much avocado over the last few days - how else to get through those Trader Joe’s four-packs before the stuff turns all brown and bad? - I’m psyched by low-carb blogger Carol Bardelli’s recent discovery that adding fat to veggies may make them more nutritious. According to a Wall Street Journal article highlighted in Carol’s post, the body requires the presence of fat in order to absorb some of the vitamins and anti-cancer compounds found in fruits and veggies. The article points to an Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center study finding that adding avocado to fat-free salsa - which boosted the fat content to about 37 percent of calories - resulted in test subjects absorbing an average of 4.4 times as much lycopene and 2.6 times as much beta carotene.

Acai’s one of those health-nut must-haves I’ve long been slightly curious about but never got around to learning what it is or why it’s so special. Enter Edith Gaylord at Be Well - Naturally!, a blog about “alternative medicine, supplements, herbs, diet, exercise - everything you need to maintain good health!” She says that acai, a native Brazilian berry, is high in antioxidants and that a recent University of Florida study found that acai extract could lower leukemia cell proliferation by up to 86 percent. Among the acai products that Edith recommends: Sambazon’s Acai PowerScoop, a “food drink powder” that delivers antioxidants, omega-3 fatty acids, amino acids, and dietary fiber when mixed into your smoothie, juice, or milk.

On a hot summer’s day, there’s nothing quite like sinking your teeth into a big juicy slice of ice-cold watermelon. But turns out you’re better off serving the fruit at warm temperature, says health news blog Fresh. Healthy. Useful. That’s because, according to a new study from the US Department of Agriculture, water stored at 70 degrees can gain “up to 40% more lycopene and 50% to 139% more beta-carotene over a 2-week period.” Which means better cancer protection - and just as much slurpy goodness - for all you watermelon lovers out there.

There’s been lots of buzz about goji berries, a Tibetan-grown fruit that some are touting as one of the most nutritionally rich foods on the planet. Loaded with B vitamins, all the essential amino acids, 21 trace minerals, iron, and a superhigh dose of vitamin C, the little red berries have a flavor that’s a little bit cranberry, a little bit cherry, and a little bit raspberry. Jan at Be*mused is digging Trader Joe’s Goji Berry Antioxidant Blend - a mix of dried goji berries, cherries, apricots, and cranberries - which she recommends tossing into your morning granola.

For every fancy balm or cream purported to “turn back the clock” and restore youth to your body, there’s a naturally anti-aging food available right in your grocery store. One of the latest to nab our attention: spirulina, recently raved about by RealSelf. Loaded with antioxidants, the blue-green algae has been found to reverse aging in the brain (the same study found that spinach has a similar effect). Spirulina comes in supplement form, but you can also get a shot of the superfood with Naked’s Green Machine “food-juice.”

At Healthy Recipe Doctor, dietitian Elaine Magee lists two of her favorite antioxidant-packed teas: Peet’s Mango Iced Tea, and Republic of Tea’s Man Kind Tea. Helping to fight prostate cancer in two inspired ways, Man Kind Tea blends anti-cancer ingredients like blueberries and green tea, plus helps benefit the Prostate Cancer Foundation (75 cents from each tin goes toward the PCF).