From The Publisher's Desk

Welcome to the Christmas edition of The Gazette Newsletter, in this issue I want to share with you our happiness; three years we’ve been providing valuable information with everybody. We’ve never missed an issue and this is our 36th edition and we would like to thank you, our dear reader because this newsletter and e-zine is dedicated to you so you can live a healthier live.

We still in shock when we think about the planning we had to do when this The Gazette Newsletter was a project and thanks to you, it is a reality. So many nights we were trying different software, information, graphic design, banners, etc but our goal was to have our newsletter. With this in mind we were gathering information on this matter and after trial and error, we were able to get our first edition on print-out version and The Gazette E-zine via yahoo. We’ve been modifying our newsletter to make it more attractive to you and more interactive (official page in Facebook)

In this edition, we want to share with you our best moments of the 2010 where we talked about Shaklee in our different booths, we have grown as people, as business owners thanks to you, our readers, our Shaklee customers, members, distributors and colleagues. We have created a video with these pictures and you can watch it at any time by going to our YouTube channel at: http://www.youtube.com/fdg690

All of us at Franfort Distributors Group are very grateful to you, our readers, for your collaboration and support. We hope you enjoy this edition and have wonderful holidays. We also love to hear from you. Join us in Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and please know that I am always available by email at shakleecenter@yahoo.com. We’re looking forward to seeing you soon. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Pass the word around, if you have friends or relatives and you want them to receive this free newsletter or if they need our products. Feel free to pass on these newsletters to others if you like, but please do not spam them. It is better to have them contact us directly, as others have done, to subscribe if they wish to do so.

Warmest wishes,

Love Pumpking Pie?

Try to stick to your Cinch plan over the holidays. This pumpkin spice shake recipe to add some variety to your shake. It tastes just like pumpkin pie!!

Pumpkin Spice Shake Recipe
2 scoops Cinch Vanilla Shake Mix
8 oz. non fat milk or low fat soy milk
2 tbsp canned pumpkin
½ tsp pumpkin spice
Dash of vanilla extract
Dash of cinnamon
4-6 ice cubes
Blend until creamy

Franfort Distributors's Last Presentation of 2010

The Real Dirt On Clean Water

The Real Dirt On Clean Water

Facts:

• An Environmental Working Group study found a total of more than 300 agricultural and industrial pollutants in the tap water of 45 states; more than half of those pollutants have no drinking-water safety standards
• Up to 20% of lead exposure comes from drinking water
• According to EPA, public water utilities have violated the Safe Drinking Water Act more than 700,00 times in the past seven years.

What’s in your water?
Disinfection By-products: Long-term exposure may cause increased risk of cancer, as well as liver, kidney, or central nervous system problems

Heavy Metals: Even at low levels, long-term exposure may cause behavioral problems and learning disabilities

Agricultural Pollutants: Long-term exposure may cause increased risk of cancer, as well as eye, liver, kidney, spleen,
blood, and nervous system problems

Industrial Pollutants: Long-term exposure may cause increased risk of cancer, as well as blood, nervous system, kidney, and liver problems

Public drinking-water disinfection by water utilities is crucial for controlling waterborne disease, but the chemicals used can form by-products in our treated water that increase the risk of cancer

Disinfection by-products detected in tap water include:

• Trihalomethanes
• Chloroform
• Bromodicholoromethane
• Dibromochloromethane
• Bromoform
• Lead: In infants and children, long-term lead exposure may cause reduced IQ, learning disabilities, and impaired growth. In adults, long-term lead exposure may cause kidney problems, nerve disorders, and high blood pressure
• Atrazine: Outlawed in Europe, 70 million pounds applied in the U.S. per year. Long term-exposure may cause cardiovascular and reproductive problems
• Benzene: Long-term exposure may cause anemia, decreased blood platelets, and increased risk of cancer

Bottle Water Isn’t The Answer

Bad Choice for Your Wallet (Bottled water is 100s to 1,000s X more expensive than tap water)

Bad Choice for the Environment (•1.5 million barrels of oil are used in the production of bottled water each year—enough to fuel 50,000 cars for one year, besides 1,640,000 tons of packaging waste come from bottled water and Only 34% of water bottles are recycled)

Take Action
Look for water filtration systems that are independently certified to reduce contaminants in your water that are hazardous to your health. Learn what’s in your water at: epa.gov/safewater/ccr

Introducing Get Clean® Water
New multipatented water-filtration system.

Beats Leading Brands!
Certified to reduce lead (Brita® and PUR® pitchers are not!)
Certified to filter 80 gallons— 2X Brita and PUR2
1st pitcher with refillable carbon-block filter system

The Smart Choice:
Costs only pennies a gallon
1st automatic pitcher meter that shows gallons filtered

Green Clean
1st refillable carbon-block pitcher filter
Less plastic to throw away
1st coconut shell carbon-block pitcher filter using a zero-emissions process
Sustainable and certified zero-emissions process

Franfort Distributors 2010

Cinch Success Story: Marcia

Marcia, from denial to success, a total of 23.5 pounds and 20 inches healthier

Marcia had always thought of herself as "solid," but not overweight. She exercised regularly and ate healthy foods. And Marcia certainly didn't believe in chasing after any diet fads. However, the weight crept up on her. Over a 14 year period, she gained 30 pounds, and she finally decided enough was enough.

"I have not been on any diet since the 1980s, because I figured most things didn't work. I was working out, so I felt like I could eat whatever I wanted. I ate healthy foods, for the most part: little sugar or white flour, no red meat or pork, very little dairy, etc. . . Still, I was never able to lose the 18 pounds I gained from having my second baby 14 years ago. Worse, I put on another 12 pounds in the last six years. That's a grand total of 30 extra pounds!"

I have always thought of myself as 'solid' and 'healthy' from working out and eating right. And even though I was carrying around an additional 30 pounds, I never considered myself overweight. Can you say 'denial?' I thought it was just age and I would have to accept it. I told myself 'this is a mature woman's lot in life.' That is, until I was introduced to the CinchTM Inch Loss Plan."

Even though Marcia was already pretty active, her fitness coach suggested a new workout regimen that could help her lose 10 pounds. Unfortunately, it didn't work.

"The fitness coach I've been working with told me he could help me lose 10 pounds in about six weeks. I diligently worked out for 2 1/2 to 3 hours every other day, and I didn't lose one ounce!"
In August 2006, Marcia traveled to the Shaklee 50th Anniversary Conference in San Francisco, where the CinchTM Inch Loss Plan was first introduced. She decided right away to give Cinch a try.

"I've been with Shaklee for 26 years and have used almost all of their products since1980. So when Cinch was introduced, I knew this was my answer. I could now lose some weight. Well, guess what? It's working."

Marcia began seeing results right away. And that motivated her to keep going. "The first five pounds came off so easy and they continued to do so. This really made me want to stick with it. After the first 12 weeks, I lost 12 pounds and 19 inches.* Now, after just 17 weeks, I've lost a total of 20 pounds and 23.5 inches." Marcia also felt more energetic, which helped her keep up her active lifestyle and feel great doing it.

"I feel so good on Cinch. I still workout 3 or 4 times a week, which I did prior to starting on Cinch. Plus, I get in an average of 8,850 steps each day. But I have more energy than I've ever had in my entire life!"

Marcia also seemed to get a nice little boost in confidence when she saw how people responded to the way she looked.

"I feel and look 20 years younger. I say this because I was recently described as a person in their early 30s with a good body! I am 50 years young and now have the best body of my entire life. Had I known how good I could look, I would have taken a better 'before' picture, which I would encourage everyone to do when they start this plan. It never even crossed my mind that my body could look as good as it does right now. I can finally see all those muscles I've been building for almost seven years.

Thank you Shaklee. Thank you Cinch. This plan works, and it really is a 'cinch!'"

New & Noteworthy: Shaklee Making Difference

Shaklee Making Difference Tori Minder ~

FastTRACK Director, IN

Tori Minder dreamed of a different life…a life where she could be present for the important moments in the lives of her children. And she wasn’t sure it was possible, until a friend told her about Shaklee.

I have always dreamed of being able to stay at home and raise my children. But when my husband Nic and I found out I was pregnant with our first child we knew that there was no other option for me but to continue working. I continued to teach after my daughter was born and all through my second pregnancy, but I cried most days. I was so afraid I was going to miss all her firsts—the first time she sat up, the first time she stood alone, the first time she walked.

And by the time I came home from work, meetings, late afternoons of grading/planning, or conferences, I was totally exhausted and had no energy for my daughter or my husband. I felt like I couldn’t be a good mom, wife, or teacher because my heart was at home. After my son was born, we decided I wouldn’t return to teaching. I thought my prayers had finally been answered.
But after a couple of months of worrying about finances and finding that our money was running out, my husband and I knew I had to go back to work. I sent in applications to different schools and daycares but I hadn’t heard anything yet. I would often call my friend Kara Sears (Senior Director, IN) to talk because I knew we had the same passion—to be at home with our children.

While I was in Tennessee on a family trip, Kara called me and told me she knew a way that I could live out my passion. As soon as I returned home, I called Kara and met with her and her mom. It was then she presented the Shaklee Dream Plan to me. I kept thinking, “This sounds way too good to be true. Is it?” I talked to Nic when I got home and we thought maybe this is the answer we’d been praying for. We continued to meet with Kara and her husband, Kyle to learn more and discovered that Shaklee could give us the life that we want for our family.

Quote of The Month

Franfort Upcoming Events

From The Publisher's Desk

Welcome to another edition of The Gazette Newsletter, in this issue I want to discuss different topics of nutrition, we will learn about Natural Magnesium and What’s different with Shaklee’s VitalMag.

Ms. Pastor shared an important article with us this month on A Steady Business on Tough Times, we can all learn from it. This article is a true story on a Shaklee distributor.

Shaklee’s newest additions to our vast line of products: Get Clean® Mini Kits; affordable for any budget for each specific need. Cleaning your house doesn’t mean dirtying the planet. Why using chemical products when you have the natural alternative with Get Clean® from Shaklee?
We also love to hear from you. Join us in Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and please know that I am always available by email at shakleecenter@yahoo.com. We’re looking forward to seeing you soon.

Pass the word around, if you have friends or relatives and you want them to receive this free newsletter or if they need our products. Feel free to pass on these newsletters to others if you like, but please do not spam them. It is better to have them contact us directly, as others have done, to subscribe if they wish to do so.

Warmest wishes,

Shaklee Presentation in Our Area

Special Product Feature: Natural Magnesium Supplement—VitalMag

Eight out of ten Americans get less than the recommended intake of magnesium in their diets. are you one of them? Processing food and softening water strip magnesium out of most food sources. This magnesium shortfall is compounded because many people aren’t aware of its importance and almost never give second thoughts to the amount of magnesium in their diets. But magnesium is necessary for more than 300 biochemical reactions in the body, according to the National Institutes of Health.Vital to heart health, magnesium helps to keep a steady heart rhythm and retain normal blood pressure. It’s also critical for helping maintain normal muscle and nerve function, supporting a healthy immune system, and keeping bones strong. What’s more, magnesium has also been linked to reducing symptoms of PMS.

So what can Shaklee VitalMag do for you?
VitalMag is a proprietary formula and gel-diffusion delivery system bring all of these benefits:

• Promotes cardiovascular health and steady heart rhythm
• Helps retain normal blood pressure and blood sugar
• Helps maintain normal muscle and nerve function
• Strengthens bones
• May provide relief from PMS symptoms, including water retention, breast tenderness,
  and bloating

What is Different About Shaklee VitalMag

• Easy on your digestive system Our special gel-diffusion delivery system gently releases nutrients into your body over four to six hours. This helps prevent the gastrointestinal upset that’s commonly associated with magnesium supplements.
• Proprietary formula In addition to a proprietary blend of magnesium from three sources,VitalMag’s formula includes potassium for proper nerve transmission, normal muscle contraction and heart health, as well as boron to aid in bone metabolism and magnesium utilization
• Incorporate into any health regimen
• Formulated to be taken on its own or together with other Shaklee products
  Designed to be incorporated into healthy lifestyles supporting bone health, heart health, women’s health, blood sugar regulation, stress and mood management, and joint health

Can You Benefit From VitalMag

• Eight out of ten Americans who don’t get the recommended amounts of magnesium,
  especially older people
• Those who take prescription drugs that inhibit magnesium absorption
• Those under physical or mental stress (Stress may lower the body’s magnesium stores, which can enhance the impact of stress on the body).
• Those who smoke or who consume high quantities of alcohol
• People who regularly eat processed and refined foods
• Those with diets low in green leafy vegetables, nuts, and whole grains
• Those who find other magnesium supplements upset their digestive system

How VitalMag should be used?
The recommended serving of VitalMag is one 200 mg tablet daily.VitalMag has been specifically designed to prevent the gastrointestinal upset associated with immediate release magnesium supplements for some sensitive individuals. However, for best results, spread your intake of products that contain magnesium throughout the day. Natural Magnesium Supplement – VitalMag

For the 80% of Us Who Don’t Get Enough Magnesium
VitalMag’s proprietary blend includes elemental magnesium from three different sources. Our blend has added potassium for proper nerve transmission, normal muscle contraction, and heart health, plus boron to aid in bone metabolism and magnesium utilization.

• Helps retain normal blood pressure and a steady heartbeat
• Helps retain normal blood sugar
• May provide relief from PMS symptoms including water retention, breast tenderness, and bloating
• Easy on your digestive system

Easy on your digestive system! The gel-diffusion delivery system in VitalMag® is designed to prevent gastrointestinal upset commonly associated with magnesium supplements by slowly releasing nutrients over four to six hours.

New & Noteworthy: New Get Clean® Starter Kits

New Get Clean® Starter Kits and
Mini Kits Available—Two Starter Kits Discontinued

New Get Clean® Starter Kits and Mini Kits Now Available - Two Starter Kits Discontinued
Great news! We are re-launching two of our Get Clean Starter Kits that contain all core Get Clean products, including the caddy, at the lowered price of $99.00 MN. And, we've got three new Get Clean Mini Kits that are more affordable and specific to everyone's needs, tailored for household, kitchen and laundry.

The intent was to bring down the price of the current Starter Kit while still offering a great value to the consumer and to make it easier to sell at under $100 MN. In order to do this, some products were removed from the Kits to make it more affordable and compact and two of our Get Clean Starter Kits (#50444 and #50426) were discontinued.

Please visit MyShaklee.com to view the product pages for the new Starter Kits (#50456 and #50457) for a list of the contents of the Kits. The new Kits and Mini Kits are also featured in the new 2011 Product Guide.

New Get Clean Starter Kits:
#50456 with Fresh Laundry HE Comp. Conc. liquid
#50457 with Fresh Laundry Fragrance Free HE Comp. Conc. liquid
SRP: $115.32 / MN: $99.00 / PV: 50.00

AND

Three NEW Get Clean Mini Kits are now available featuring our most popular products for household, kitchen and laundry:

Get Clean Household Mini Kit #89108
SRP: $46.95 / MN: $40.00 / PV: 16.52

Get Clean Kitchen Mini Kit #89109
SRP: $46.20 / MN: $39.30 / PV: 20.22

Get Clean Laundry Mini Kit #89110
SRP: $50.70 / MN: $43.10 / PV: 19.83

Quote of The Month

Weight Loss Success Story of The Month

Jeff loses 60 pounds and gains a healthy lifestyle

“Cinch took the mystery out of weight management and helped me solve the 'yo-yo diet' riddle. I love the vanilla shake mix because it is so versatile." Jeff says.

At the end of an especially caloric holiday season, I had ballooned up to an all-time high weight of 211 pounds on my 5-foot 6-inch frame. I couldn’t fit into my clothes comfortably anymore and actually had trouble tying my own shoes for the first time in my life. Without any special fanfare, drama, or concern, I ordered my Cinch® Starter Kit and simply followed the plan as best I could. I committed to the process by setting goals with specific objectives and by starting a monthly AutoShip order. I plugged in to the Cinch support network to get my questions answered and to connect with others on the same journey. I then began learning (and re-learning) how to eat correctly through Cinch University.

Here I am, nine months later, down 60 pounds and at my goal. I didn’t join any expensive gyms, pay for any personal trainers to overwork me, suffer feelings of unquenchable hunger cravings, nor did I even sacrifice the foods I love. In fact, I’ve discovered a whole new world of healthy food I never knew existed.

Dieting has always been a mystery to me; I was never able to figure out what was causing my weight to cycle up and down. In the game of Clue, there is always a victim—and in dieting, that victim was me.

I felt Clue-less. What caused me to gain weight in the first place? Was it Lady Carbohydrate in the convenience store with the empty-calorie snacks? Or was it Mr. Fat in the buffet with the all-you-can-eat plate? Perhaps the real culprit was Colonel Protein in the drive-thru with the greasy fast food?

Cinch took the mystery out of weight management and helped me solve the “yo-yo diet” riddle. I love the vanilla shake mix because it is so versatile. I can mix it with berries or freeze-dried decaf coffee and make two entirely different shakes that each taste great. Exercise is STILL my biggest challenge, but I found I could use the CinchWellness.com Web site to properly plan out a weight-management schedule to fit my lifestyle. Now I can choose more constructive New Year’s resolutions instead of the same old “lose weight” every time.

A Steady Business in Tough Times

Article by Ms. Pastor ~ Shaklee Florida

Margaret Trost to describe her life with an old Creole saying: “ Little by little, we all arrive.” She finds both comfort and truth in this motto that has successfully guided her through many challenges over the years.

“Small step by small step, you can make big things happen,” she says. “I’ve seen that in my Shaklee business and in life.” Now, the 15-year Shaklee veteran is using her financial and personal success to help impoverished families improve their lives one step at the time.

Originally working in public television for many years, Margaret was ready to leave TV production and sought an opportunity to work more closely with other people and to make a difference in their lives.

So when she discovered Shaklee’s health and wellness products soon after leaving the world of television, Margaret decided to give the business—and its products—a try. She was so impressed with the results that she became a part-time Distributor, transitioning into the business full-time when her son Luke was born in 1992. Margaret still uses the products to this day and credits them with her great health.
A believer in Shaklee product quality and integrity, Margaret is equally passionate about the people and the atmosphere of support, whether it’s sharing a technique with a colleague across the country or an encouraging word to a fellow Distributor.

However, the Shaklee support that meant the most to Margaret was the ability of her business to support her family when her husband unexpectedly died. Emotionally devastated, Margaret would have been too shaken to return to a traditional job, but her home business maintained itself while she sorted through the grieving process.

“I needed to pull back for a while, taking care of Luke and myself,” she says. But my business still grew. My customers reordered and the Distributors in my business kept building their own business. My income was solid and steady in a period in which I was not. For that, I’ll always be grateful.”

Much like that chance meeting with a Shaklee Distributor 15 years ago, Margaret stumbled upon a chance to help thousands. She accepted a last-minute invitation on a two-week volunteer project in Haiti. Knowing little about the country, she arrived and was devastated by the tremendous need.

Returning home, she shared her desire to make a difference much in the same way she grew her Shaklee business—conversation by conversation, contact by contact. Soon, checks began arriving. “Shaklee makes it possible for me to earn enough to support my family and also build my foundation,” Margaret says.

Today her What If? Foundation feeds children in Haiti five days a week, serving 800 to 1,000 people daily. Because she makes over $100,000 a year working just 15 hours a week, Margaret is able to devote half of her time to her personal mission, half to her Shaklee business and them many people who are part of it.

Franfort Upcoming Events

Welcome to the October edition of The Gazette Newsletter, in this issue I want to discuss different topics of nutrition, we will learn about chemicals in cosmetics and pharmaceuticals that we don’t they exist.

As I promised on previous editions, finally it is a reality: Franfort Distributors New York branch opened its doors last Friday. Mr. Esper is our sales rep in New York and his is in charge of training, sales distribution and management for the entire state. I would like to welcome Mr. Elias Esper to our Shaklee family.

At last but not least, Franfort Distributors Colorado branch opened its doors also, Mr. Victor Caceres is our sales rep in the Colorado area. Mr. Caceres is well capable of managing his Shaklee business based on his knowledge in accounting, previous business’s skills acquired over the time and he’s also my uncle. I want to give a big welcome to my uncle into our Shaklee family.

We also love to hear from you. Join us in Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and please know that I am always available by email at shakleecenter@yahoo.com. We’re looking forward to seeing you soon.

Pass the word around, if you have friends or relatives and you want them to receive this free newsletter or if they need our products. Feel free to pass on these newsletters to others if you like, but please do not spam them. It is better to have them contact us directly, as others have done, to subscribe if they wish to do so.

Warmest wishes,

Until next month!

Special Product Feature: Feeling Good About Your Skin?

Feeling good about your skin?

As the body's largest organ, do you really want to put chemicals on your face with names you can't even pronounce? They will, after all, absorb into your skin and your bloodstream. But Shaklee products deliver effective results naturally, and without the use of abrasive chemicals and irritants.

Whether you're concerned with fine lines and wrinkles, finding an all natural skin care product to cleanse and hydrate your skin, sunscreen to protect your skin from the sun's harmful rays, or all of the above, Shaklee's got you covered. Great looking skin means you can feel confident about putting your best face forward, and Shaklee has just the products you need to accomplish that.

Healthy skin is beautiful skin, and Shaklee products can help you feel great about the skin you're in. Shaklee understands that good nutrition isn't just limited to the foods you eat and drink... good nutrition also extends to your skin care regime. Take Nutrition Therapy Skincare, for example. Available in both normal/dry and normal/oily to accommodate all skin types, it's been formulated after 50 years of research to deliver the perfect combination of nutrients to produce clean, radiant skin. After just 28 days of using the skincare system for three minutes, twice a day your skin will be noticeably smoother, firmer, and lines and wrinkles will be less visible as your skin smoothes out. You won't believe how great your skin will look- and feel- in just 28 days with very minimal effort.

Regardless of the Shaklee skin care product or system you choose, you can feel good about nourishing your most visible- and arguably one of the most important- organs in your body with all natural products that beautify, protect, and nourish your skin.

The same nutrients that help keep you healthy on the inside also play a huge role in how you look on the outside. So it only makes sense that your skin and hair care comes not only from a cosmetic company, but from a natural nutrition company.

With Shaklee, you can be sure you’re getting the best products:

• Nutrient based
• 7 patents
• Ph balanced
• Always hypoallergenic
• Never animal tested

Formulated Without:

• Parabens
• SLS/SLES
• Propylene glycol
• Animal products or by-products
• Mineral oils or petrolatum
• FD&C or D&C dyes
• 1,4-dioxane

We believe healthy isn’t just a feeling. It’s something that shows.
Enfuselle® offers all the vitamins your skin craves… With Enfuselle® Skin Care System, be ahead off your time. Look 10 years behind it. Guaranteed. These products work day and night to make skin look younger with a five-in-one anti-aging treatment.

Say goodbye to lines and wrinkles and recapture firmess and luminosity with high levels of antioxidant vitmains.

Understanding Paraben

What's a Paraben? Paraben is one of a group of chemicals used as a preservative in various pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. These synthetically produced chemicals can cause dermatitis, rosacea, and other types of skin irritation in those with paraben allergies. Parabens were also found in human breast tumor tissue in a recent study conducted at the University of Reading, leading some to wonder if parabens applied topically around the arm (deodorant, lotion, etc.) could have migrated to breast tissue. Parabens are sometimes used as a food additive, but is most often found in the following common household products:

• Shampoo
• Toothpaste
• Spray tanning solution
• Personal lubricant
• Lotion and other commercial moisturizer
• Shaving gel

Most people do absorb, metabolize, and excrete paraben quickly out of their systems, but when it comes to your health, can you afford take chances?

Reducing Your Carbon Footprint
A person's carbon footprint is the effect their day-to-day activities have upon the environment. The smaller your footprint, the less of a negative impact your lifestyle has upon the environment, and vice-versa. Here are some steps that will have you shrinking your carbon footprint in no time:

Transportation: Drive less, carpool, take public transportation, or- to help yourself and the environment- dust off that bike and start pedaling it around to places you normally would drive.

Waste management: Recycle as many items as you can, and don't use disposable plates, cups, or utensils in your kitchen. When copying and printing, print on both sides of the paper. Avoid printing out emails and other documents unless you absolutely need them. And after you've used both sides of a page, don't forget to put it in the recycle bin!


Energy: Set your thermostat a few degrees higher in the summer and a few degrees lower in the winter... you'll quickly adjust to it. Replace your standard light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs, and unplug appliances and other gadgets when you're not using them... even when they're in the "off" position they're still drawing electricity.

Whether you use all of the steps above, just a few of them, or research and act on some of your own ways to reduce your carbon footprint, do something! Every little bit helps...

Calculate your carbon footprint.

Dangerous Ingredients in Diet Products
Quick fixes like diet pills can be tempting, and sometimes even effective, but many products on the market today haven't yet been evaluated by the FDA. Some diet products containing "completely safe" ingredients are on the market for years before the FDA evaluates the products and finds they're harmful. The product ephedra, for example, was banned by the FDA in 2003 after a series of consumer health complaints and even a few deaths. Here is a list of common ingredients in diet pills and other products you should look out for so you can stay away from them:

Country Mallow or Heartleaf contains ephedrine, the same active ingredient in Ephedra. The fact that it's an Ayurvedic herb has lulled some into a false sense of security, but it has the same potentially dangerous side effects as ephedra, including elevated blood pressure, heart rhythm problems, heart attacks, and, in some cases, even death.

Guarana can have much the same effects as consuming too much caffeine. Side effects can include difficulty sleeping, elevated blood pressure, rapid heart rate, and anxiety.

Bitter Orange contains an ingredient called synephrine that is very similar to ephedra. Bitter Orange can cause elevation in blood pressure and heart rhythm abnormalities, which makes it particularly dangerous for people with high blood pressure or heart disease. It can also harmfully interact with some types of antidepressants.

Cinch Success Stoies

“Just being able to keep up, and have the energy to run around with a 1-year-old—having that energy and being in a good state of mind is wonderful. I'm feeling healthier than I've ever been,” Kirsten says.

Kirsten had never struggled with weight before. As a teenager, she recalls, a demanding schedule kept her so busy that she often missed meals. And at just 5 feet 1 inch tall, Kirsten says her weight had not exceeded 115 pounds—until she got pregnant.

Last year, following the birth of her first daughter, Esmé, Kirsten's weight jumped. For five months she struggled with an unconventional diet program—which offered meal choices that she found questionable and often undesirable—before she turned to the Cinch™ Inch Loss Plan.

“When I first started,” Kirsten says, “I was new to the whole company; I had just started using the Get Clean™ products, which I loved. At 159 pounds I had extra weight to lose so I thought, 'Why not try this Cinch thing?'”

After only four months on the Cinch Plan, Kirsten was 49 pounds and 14 inches healthier.

"At first I didn't think it would do much of anything, she says. "But in the first week alone I lost more than I thought I would. That was the difference: I was really slimming with the Cinch™ Inch Loss Plan. None of the other diets that I had tried had made me slim.”

In addition to slimming, Kristen was getting something more from the program: She was learning. "As a younger teen, I would skip meals all the time, I was just too busy. But the Cinch Plan has helped me learn what a portion is, what it feels like to be full but not over-full... and I've learned that nutrition is so important.

To get all your vegetables and your nutrients—these are the things your body needs to work the way it's supposed to.
The best Cinch results take a commitment to physical activity, nutritional balance and healthy lifestyle decisions.

"After exercise in the morning, I look forward to having my shake! she says. And for Kirsten, practicing a healthy and active lifestyle is part of being a responsible parent.

"With the birth of my daughter, losing the weight and continuing to be healthy was important, I had to show her how to eat. You can't just tell her, that doesn't work. You have to be the example.

Esmé, Kirsten's daughter, is now a year old, and has plenty of energy.

“Just being able to keep up, and have the energy to run around with a 1-year-old—having that energy and being in a good state of mind is wonderful. I'm feeling healthier than I've ever been,” she says.

Congratulations, Kirsten, on your outstanding success!

New & Noteworthy: Get Clean Mini Kits

New & Noteworthy: Get Clean Mini Kits

When you use Get Clean™, you're never simply cleaning. While you make your home cleaner, you make your family healthier. You also make the planet healthier for other families as well. And if you think Get Clean works so great you tell others about it, imagine the ripples of change you can generate. If that doesn't give you a whopping feeling of clean, we don't know what will. And you got it by scouring the sink.

Smart for Your Wallet
The Get Clean Starter Kit replaces 830 bottles or boxes of conventional ready-to-use cleaning products you use in your house, kitchen and laundry - over $3400 of equivalent cleaning power.

Smart for You
Includes all the products and cleaning tools you need to start cleaning your way to a healthier home for you and your family.

Smart for the Planet
When you purchase the Get Clean Starter Kit instead of ready-to-use products, you're helping reduce over 100 pounds of packaging waste from landfills and eliminating 248 pounds of greenhouse gases – this is the environmental equivalent of planting 10 trees.

Franfort Upcoming Event

From the Executive Director

Welcome to the September edition of The Gazette Newsletter, in this issue I want to share with you, our dear readers, the newest additions to the Shaklee family: Vita-D3, Cholesterol Reduction, Fiber Advantage and Get Clean Water.  

We’ve devoted practically the entire issue of The Gazette Newsletter to back to school—to guarantee you and your whole gang a healthier lives. 

Back to school is an official season that signifies a fresh start for families—a time to get super-organized, plan healthy meals, shop for clothes and supplies, gear up for sports and other after-school activities, and, well, become crazy-busy again.

We’ll talk about children’s health; the right nutrients for an adequate development, guidelines to keep your children as healthy as possible and Do you know what your children eat? We have studies that will open your eyes about your children’s health.

Healthier you column, will discuss a very important article, for parents specially, about chemicals some parents use around their kids. Parents: get educated and take action!

Green goes with Everything ~ Simple steps to a healthier life and a cleaner planet by Sloan Barnett, Sloan exposes the toxic truth behind the household products we use every day -- from laundry detergent to toothpaste to lipstick. She explains how these and other seemingly benign stuff can harm us and our children.

Also in this edition, we want to share with you our happiness; we’ve opened another branch of Shaklee: Florida. Pass the word around, if you have friends or relatives and you want them to receive this free newsletter or if they need our products.

Feel free to pass on these newsletters to others if you like, but please do not spam them. It is better to have them contact us directly, as others have done, to subscribe if they wish to do so.

Until next month

Children’s Health: Back to school

Did you know that 75% of a person’s brain capacity is developed between birth and age three? By age 5 a person brains is 90% developed. On average, babies grow ten inches in length and triples their weight in their first year of birth.   

It is important that infants and children receive special care for their health and development. A lack of attention to a child’s health can lead to serious problems in adolescence and adulthood. A report from the USDA show that 85% of children eat fewer than recommended servings of fruits and vegetables per day. That means that only 15% of American children are receiving all the vitamins and minerals they need for proper development. Also the CDC supports that 76% of children don’t exercise at all during the day, some studies support that 41% of children are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.  Parents have the responsibility to help their children receive proper health and nutrition so that they can grow and develop correctly. Another study found that 25% of toddlers eat French Fries on any given day, while nearly one-third skip vegetables all together. On top of that, cookies, hotdogs, and sugar-laden fruit juices rank among the Top 10 foods eaten by infants and toddlers in the United States.  Inadequate nutrient intakes can compromise bone growth, immune function, and overall physical and cognitive development. 

• Parents can follow a few simple guidelines to ensure that their infant and children are as healthy as possible.
• Make sure your child has adequate sleep. Children require 10-12 hours of sleep per day.
• Make sure your child is receiving adequate exercise. Childhood obesity is an increasing epidemic in the United States. Regular exercise and proper nutrition are essential to avoid obesity in childhood and adulthood.
• Make sure your child is receiving proper nutrition. A balanced diet full of vitamins and minerals will aid in your child’s proper growth and development. During childhood, vitamin D is essential for development of bones and teeth. Without it, dietary calcium and phosphorous—two key bone-building minerals—can’t be properly assimilated. 
• With vitamin D present, calcium and phosphorous absorption is increased by up to 40% and 80%, respectively.

Kids today are becoming more sedentary and not observing healthy nutrition practices. According to the AAP (American Association of Pediatrics), the average child spends 3 or more hours per day in front of the TV, and an additional 2.5 hours in front of other screens (computer or video games) that’s a total of 5.5 hours in front of screens rather than living active.

• Regular exercise help children:
• Build healthy bones, joints and muscles
• Sleep better
• Decrease the risks of type 2 diabetes
• Have a positive self image
• Feel less stressed

Parents can help their children by setting an example and being active themselves. Families can be active together such as family walks, biking, and outdoor activities.