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Andrea Olson

21 posts

Andrea Olson is a Registered Dietitian with a deep interest in ancestral food wisdom, traditional foodways, organic agriculture, and the relationship between food quality and gut health. Her work explores organic and regenerative farming, soil and plant biodiversity, pesticides and glyphosate, the modern fiber gap, and traditional foods missing from contemporary diets. Andrea is also passionate about traditional fermentation and cultured foods. She writes about herbal teas, functional and mineral waters, coconut and aloe vera water, and other traditional food and beverage practices, bringing a nutrition-focused perspective to their place in a healthy diet and a thriving gut microbiome.

Foods Traditional Cultures Ate That Modern Diets Don’t

Traditional diets regularly supplied 100 or more distinct plant, animal, and fungal species annually, compared to modern grocery patterns that draw roughly 75% of calories from just a dozen crops.…

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Sugar’s Arrival in the Americas: A Food History

White cane sugar did not become cheap and universally accessible to all Americans until after World War II rationing ended – so most of what we call “traditional American cooking”…

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The Fiber Gap: How Much the American Diet Is Actually Missing

Only five percent of Americans hit the USDA fiber target. The other ninety-five percent are not slightly below; they are missing roughly half their daily requirement on average. The most…

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Why Native Communities Had No Diabetes 200 Years Ago: A Food History

Indigenous life expectancy in the United States averages around 65 years, against a national average closer to 76. That eleven-year gap is a documented food-history story as much as a…

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Functional Waters

Birch Water & Chlorophyll Water: Two Trending Functional Waters Explained

I don’t recommend taking liquid chlorophyll internally if you have a sensitive stomach, because the first two weeks of use often produce surprisingly foul-smelling bowel movements before the deodorizing effects…

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Functional Waters

Aloe Vera Water and the Gut Lining: Traditional Use, Modern Science

I recommend using Inner fillet only. Whole-leaf aloe preparations contain aloin, a bitter latex compound that triggers harsh laxative effects and irritates rather than soothes. Start with 30 ml, not…

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Functional Waters

Coconut Water for Hydration and Gut Health: What It Actually Does

Real coconut water from the core of a young green coconut is tan and slightly cloudy, not clear white. If yours looks like coconut-flavored water, it’s been over-processed and stripped…

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Functional Waters

The Case for Mineral Water: Minerals, Electrolytes, and the Gut

Mineral water benefits gut health most when it replaces demineralized purified water, not when it’s treated as a supplement on top of an already adequate diet. Carbonation is the hidden…

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Functional Waters

Functional Waters 101: Coconut, Aloe, Mineral, Birch & Chlorophyll Water Compared

Human cells hold roughly 0.9% dissolved salts, while fresh water is closer to 0.1%. That gap is the entire reason plain water alone doesn’t always hydrate you as well as…

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Herbal Tonics & Traditional Drinks

Herbal Infusions vs. Supplements: What’s the Gut-Health Difference?

When clients ask me about herbal tea vs supplements, I start with the label on the back of the box, because “Supplement Facts” means a product is regulated and sold…

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