This post is sort of a vent post. Against my better judgment I decided to interview a candidate who I strongly suspected would NOT be a good fit for the job. Interactions on the phone as well as over email flashed glaringly bright red lights that the candidate would be a disaster!

For those Twenty-somethings looking for a job. Here’s a list of what not to do to land a job!

And, just to give you some background, I’m cognizant of how the economy has been tough for those seeking work, especially twenty-somethings. It’s my nature to give everyone a chance as well as the benefit of the doubt. Finally, I want to emphasize that I don’t blame the interviewee. I blame myself for letting it go as far as it did. In the end, the buck stops with me. I don’t blame anyone for my problems or misfortune.

Anyhow, this is how the unmitigated disaster of an interviewee unfolded:

The interview lasted for 15 minutes. This was an utter waste of time.


The lesson I learned here simply reinforces the old adage “If it quacks like a duck, walks like duck, it is a duck!” But, in this scenario, I would substitute the pejorative of my choosing for the word “duck”.

In the final analysis, I take full responsibility for what occurred. There were fourteen red flags which transpired before the interview started. Each gave me an opportunity to cancel. However, I remained overly accommodative. With all these red flags, Ms. Diva-Debutant glaringly warned me that she would be a disaster. Nevertheless, in my desire to give a young twenty-something a chance, I ended up getting scorched. In the worst case, my colleague and I wasted a combined 5 hours in trying to work with this potential freelancer.

We live in learn. Perhaps some over-confident twenty-something will read this and learn what not to do on an interview!

It is said that the Lord performs many of His works through us. Blessings come to us, so that they will flow through us, to benefit others.

I often wonder why I’m not always friendly towards the “new guy”. We have all met him. The new person who doesn’t fit neatly into our stereotypes. Perhaps he looks slightly out of place.

I know being unwelcoming to strangers is unchristian. It’s written that we should be hospitable to strangers, because unbeknownst to us, some of these strangers will be angels.

But, I can hear myself now. I sheepishly retort, “But he didn’t show up as a handsome gentleman in dazzling clothes. Just a lowly soul.” Truth is I refused to let his gentle voice, his glistening eyes, and his humility penetrate my battled-worn heart. My excuses were just proxies for fear, mistrust, and caution. After all I’m a New Yorker. My trust has been abused too many times. We all watch the news. It’s a cruel world out there. I need to protect myself.

Are Missed Opportunities Missed Blessings?

Perhaps I’m just overly cautious? I know my life is littered with a long, languishing litany of missed opportunities. Those sorry souls I looked down upon at work, at the gym, while waiting in line, etc may have been God’s way of testing me. Perhaps He wanted to see if I would accept a blessing wrapped in a tawdry paper bag… as opposed to a baby blue Tiffany box.

Hebrews 13:2
Sirach 19:26
Genesis 18: 1-5

Unfortunately, reality is often more devastating than any fictional tale we can imagine. Equecat, a firm that specializes in developing catastrophe models, estimates the cost of Sandy’s damage may be as high as $50 billion!

November 4, 2012 from the New York Times: Rockaway Beach in Queens, New York. “…residents are increasingly cold, scared and without heat, water and electricity days after Hurricane Sandy devastated the community.”

Ironically, today we learned that the American Society of Civil Engineers warned New York Mayor Bloomberg and his administration in 2009 about the possibility of “a Big one”. They urged that the city install surge barriers and tide gates. According to the New York Times, the cost of such measures would cost about $10 billion. This is a pittance compared to the lives lost and estimated $50 billion tab from Hurricane Sandy.

In the chart below we graph the cost in 2012 dollars of the last 4 major hurricanes in the US. Since 2004 there has been an estimated $200 billion in economic cost caused by storms. The below data was compiled by CBS News Interactive.

Finally, below is the 2004 Theatrical trailer from the movie The Day After Tomorrow. Once more, the line between fiction and reality has become blurred.

Overview and Recap

Before we delve into the “nitty-gritty”, we ahould emphasize that no multivitamin will supplant the benefits of a healthy, well-balanced diet with a variety of organic fruits and vegetables. Moreover, your selection of vegetables should mimic that of a rainbow. Typically, the more colorful your fruits and vegetables, the more nutritional value they have!

1. A one-a-day multi-vitamin with vitamins A,B,C,D, and E
2. Vitamin D-3 supplement (preferably with Calcium-Magnesium) 1000 to 1200 IU
3. Omega-3s (with DHA): Either Algae or Fish Oil based

What you should know about Multivitamins

Multivitamins attempt to be a one-size fits all solution to America’s growing problem of poor diet loaded with overly processed foods. Consequently, we should realize that no multivitamin will fully address our individual nutritional gaps. In truth, our nutritional needs are based on a variety of factors including our age, gender, weight, lifestyle as well as environment factors such as air pollution and diet.

Needless to say, multivitamin manufacturers have realized this and have optimized their formulations to target ad hoc groups such as seniors, men, women, and children. Within these demographics there are often sub-groups of targeted multivitamins. These may include “Senior Women’s”, “Prenatals” and “Athletes & Active Lifestyle” groups. But given the need for brevity we’ll just highlight ConsumerLab.com’s (CL’s) recommendations for Women’s, Prenatal, and Men’s multis.

The recommendations below are based on CL’s June 2011 multivitamin tests (the latest date which testing was done). In 2011 CL tested 38 multis. The majority of these received passed CL’s tests, however cost per tablet varied greatly. The table below highlights CL’s best picks in term’s of cost, purity, and potency:

Editor’s Note: Interestingly in 2011 the Wall Street Journal’s Health and Wellness columnist Melinda Beck did a review of multivitamins and some of the pitfalls consumers face given the plethora of health claims and varieties!  Here is a video clip:

In Part II of this series we discuss the best Vitamin D brands.

As with Part I, we have leveraged ConsumerLab.com’s hands-on research and testing. They’re a New York based lab testing company that specializes in evaluating vitamin supplements. Results of their Vitamin D tests were last updated on January 21, 2012. And rest assured, periodically update this post as ConsumerLab.com updates its findings.

Finally, note that Living Wholesome published a comprehensive white paper on Vitamin D in 2010. We’ll continue to update this whtepaper as new scientific research is published.

ConsumerLab.com’s Findings: Some Brands Were Contaminated With Lead

ConsumerLab.com tested 41 different Vitamin D supplement products. These included Vitamin D only supplements as well as various permutations of Vitamin D with Vitamins K and Calcium. However, eight (i.e., 21%) of the brands tested failed to meet quality criteria due to either not containing the stated amount of vitamin D as indicated on their labels (i.e., incorrect potency) or being contaminated with lead.

Given ConsumerLab.com’s findings, it’s important that you as a consumer remain knowledgeable as to which manufacturers have the best track record in terms of overall quality. And as Dr. Oz asserts, smaller, lesser known brands tend to be very unscrupulous and may even cut corners on their supplement preparation processes.

Do you doubt Dr. Oz’s claims on how unethical some companies can be? Scroll down to the bottom of ConsumerLab.com’s Vitamin D review page and read the following quote:

ConsumerLab.com has been informed that a company which distributes one of the products that failed this Review due to lead contamination is providing misleading information about the safety of the lead discovered…

The Best Vitamin D Supplements In Terms of Cost, Purity, and Potency

Ultimately, ConsumerLab.com called-out 5 vitamin D brands as being standouts due to their low cost, purity, and potency. The lowest cost brand at $0.002 per 400 IU of Vitamin D was actually a liquid form of Vitamin D that comes with a dropper:

1. NSI (Vitacost) Vitamin D Drops 2,000 IU (1 drop liquid [0.03 mL], 1 per day)*

*February 7, 2012 Editor’s Note: We recently contacted NSI and inquired why we couldn’t find their Vitamin D drops online. NSI confirmed that they are a wholly owned subsidiary of the online supplement retailer Vitacost.com. As such their NSI Vitamin D Drops have been re-branded as “Vitacost Vitamin D Drops”.

ConsumerLab.com also highlighted and approved the following products due to their quality and low cost (i.e., less than $0.01) per 400 IU of vitamin D:

2. GNC Vitamin D-3 1000 (1 tablet, 1 per day)
3. Kirkland Signature Vitamin D3 2000 IU (1 softgel, 1 per day)
4. Swanson High-Potency Dry Vitamin D3 (1 capsule, 1 per day)
5. Vitamin Shoppe Liquid Vitamin D3 5000 IU (5 drops liquid [0.16 mL], 1 per day)

Before You Take Your Vitamin D Keep This in Mind!

A small 2010 study conducted by the Cleveland Clinic found that subjects who had taken Vitamin D with their largest meal for a period of 2+ months were able to achieve higher Vitamin D blood serum levels compared to a control. The study’s authors conclude that since Vitamin D is fat soluble, it’s better metabolized by the body when taken with a meal high in fat (J Bone and Min Res 2010).

Our take? It’s that it’s always better to take supplements after a meal or a snack instead of an empty stomach.

Best Omega-3 Supplement Based on Cost, Purity, and Potency

As as savvy consumer you should never take a company at its word. It is an imperative to do your own research (or leverage that of others) and verify any claims manufacturers make with regards to purity, safety, and concentration. As such, our own manufacturer recommendations are based on the meticulous research from ConsumerLab.com. They’re a White Plains, New York lab testing firm. They specialize in evaluating vitamin supplements and consumer products relating to health and wellness.

Based on an analysis of ConsumerLab’s findings, we recommend Swanson EFAs Super EPA Fish Oil. Our staff started using Swanson EFAs Super EPA in Spring 2011 upon reading ConsumerLab’s Omega-3 Supplement Reviews. Of the 24 Omega-3 supplements reviewed, Swanson EFAs Super EPA rated best for overall purity and freshness as well as for containing its stated amount of EPA and DHA (500 mg per softgel).

Super EPA is a 1,000 mg softgel supplying 500 mg of EPA+DHA (i.e., 300 mg of EPA and 200 mg of DHA) per softgel. It’s is also one of the most economically priced.

Quick Cheat Sheet on Omega-3 Supplements

We’ll be writing a detailed report on Omega-3 in the coming months. But in the meantime here’s what you need to know:

1. Look for Omega-3 supplements with as much DHA as possible.

DHA is the “golden goose” of Omega-3s. And of course, it’s also the most scarce in supplements. You will rarely find any fish oil derived supplements with more DHA than EPA (although Salmon oil naturally contains more DHA than EPA).

2. Avoid supplements in a soybean oil base.

Soybean oil is essentially an Omega-6 surrogate (just like the other cheap processed food oils such as corn, palm, sunflower, cottonseed, and sunflower oils). On average, these oils contain 7-plus grams of Omega-6 per tablespoon.

Why is Omega-6 bad? It’s bad because we get too much of it. Omega-6 competes with and depletes Omega-3 in your body. Those of us who live in non-Asian societies basically get way more Omega-6 than we need. Again, we will follow-up on the particulars in a forthcoming whitepaper. But remember, cheap oils (i.e., soy, corn, palm, sunflower, cottonseed, and sunflower) used in industrial food processing are bad. Omega-6 = cheap oil = bad.

3. More important than increasing your Omega-3 intake is reducing your Omega-6 intake.

You decrease your intake by avoiding foods processed with soy, corn, palm, sunflower, cottonseed, and sunflower oils.

Benefits of Omega-3 on Psychiatric and Mental Disorders

An increasing number Americans adults and children are on some type of medication to control psychiatric problems ranging from Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) to schizophrenia. In fact, the US is facing a national epidemic of psychiatric illness. Many professionals assert that this is a result of a diet low in Omega-3s and high in Omega-6 fatty acids.

Omega-3s improve one’s mental state by regulating dopamine and serotonin levels in the brain. These are mood neurotransmitters. To illustrate, low-levels of serotonin are associated with depression and aggressive tendencies. And high levels of dopamine (the “reward chemical”), are released in response to pleasurable experiences such as eating, sex, winning, or taking mood altering drugs.

Below we summarize findings from a number of double-blind clinical trials. These studies decisively demonstrate that Omega-3 substantially reduces the incidences of anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia.

1. Anxiety

A study of U.S. medical students showed, over 12 weeks, that those who received high-dose omega-3 fatty acids (2,496 mg once daily providing 2,085 mg EPA and 348 mg DHA), had a 20% reduction in anxiety symptoms compared to those receiving placebo treatment (Kiecolt-Glaser, Brain Behav Immun 2011).

2. Depression

A study of depressed older women in a nursing home setting showed that after taking high-dose Omega-3 fatty acids for eight weeks (2,500 mg once daily consisting of 1,670 mg EPA and 830 mg DHA), 40.9% had a remission of depression compared to 16.7% of those taking placebo (Rondanelli, J Am Col Nutr 2010).

3. Learning Disabilities, Autism, Aggression, ADD, Cognitive Impairment

In double-blind, randomized, controlled trials, DHA and EPA combinations have been shown to benefit Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD), autism, dyspraxia, dyslexia, and aggression (Kidd PM, Altern Med Rev 2007).

Additionally, one study of children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) found minor benefits for academic achievement (Richardson AJ, Int Rev Psychiatry 2006). Although Omega-3 is not supported by current evidence as a primary treatment for ADHD or related conditions, given its relative safety and general health benefits, Omega-3 supplementation does enhance the efficacy of existing treatment protocols.

4. Suicidal Thoughts

An analysis of blood samples from 1,600 military personnel showed those who committed suicide had, prior to suicide, significantly lower blood levels of DHA than personnel who did not commit suicide (Lewis, J Clin Psychiatry 2011).

The researchers note that omega-3 fatty acid levels were generally low across the military personnel in the study, much lower than in the general population, and suggested that even greater risk reductions could be possible with higher serum levels of DHA.

1. A one-a-day multi-vitamin with vitamins A,B,C,D, and E
2. Vitamin D-3 supplement (preferably with Calcium-Magnesium) 1000 to 1200 IU
3. Omega-3s (with DHA): Either Algae or Fish Oil based

But his advice does fall short. As he mentions clearly in the video, he does not endorse any particular brand or manufacturer. And we can’t blame him. Given his line of work, it would not be good business sense for him to willy-nilly endorse vitamin manufacturers. However, we at Living Wholesome have decided to close this information gap. In a series of three articles will go into detail on the best brands and manufacturers for multi-vitamin, Omega-3, and Vitamin D-3 supplements.

Our manufacturer recommendations are based on meticulous research from ConsumerLab.com. They’re a New York based lab testing firm that specializes in evaluating vitamin supplements and consumer products relating to health and wellness.

Leveraging these insights, we’ll evaluate which manufacturers and brands offer the highest quality in terms of: potency and dosage, purity and safety, and absorption/disintegration ability. In addition, we have personally used each of the brands we’ve recommended. This ensures you, that we are willing to “eat our own cooking”.

Without further ado, here are our vitamin and supplement reviews:

Omega 3 Fish Oils: http://livingwholesome.com/omega-3-brand-recommendation-and-psychiatric-benefits
Vitamin D-3: http://livingwholesome.com/vitamin-d-brand-recommendations
One-A-Day Multi-vitamin: http://livingwholesome.com/multivitamins

The Income and Obesity Link: What’s Driving the Correlation?

Dr. Adam Drewnowski, Director of the Nutritional Sciences Program at the University of Washington, has authored numerous studies analyzing the link between income level and obesity. New York Times health columnist and blogger Tara Parker-Pope, makes the following insights from Dr. Drewnowski’s research:[2]

2. It’s so much easier to overeat with junk food… it’s manufactured to taste good. Also, junk food eaters often must consume a greater volume in order to feel satisfied. Still, even those who consume twice as much in junk food calories are still spending far less than healthy eaters.

3. “If you have $3 to feed yourself, your choices gravitate toward foods which give you the most calories per dollar,’’ notes Dr. Drewnowski. “Not only are the empty calories cheaper, but the healthy foods are becoming more and more expensive. Vegetables and fruits are rapidly becoming luxury goods.”

Academic Research: The Income-Obesity Correlation is Quantifiable

In Drewnowski’s research paper published in May 2010, he and his team show that higher income, more educated people patronized Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s, while lower income, lower educated shoppers were more likely to shop at Albertsons and Safeway.[3]

Supermarket Patrons vs. Obesity Percentage. Source: Adam Drewnowski (May 2010)

Aside from the problem influencing meals in the home, meals in schools are affected as well. Although the government offers schools more healthful food options, they are more costly, so many schools are unable to purchase them. The school budget is the predominating factor driving the food selection process rather than nutrition. As habits that start in childhood can continue throughout adulthood, the meals students eat in school lunches can significantly impact their future health. Any measures taken to address the obesity-economics correlation will need to include the school-cafeteria food issue.

Solutions: What Can We Do About This?

What can be done to remedy the problem? Drewnowski recommends assisting the public in making smarter food choices through nutrient-profiling. This entails identifying nutrient-rich foods that are a part of the American diet. In a report published in the April 2010 issue of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, he cites a list of foods with the highest nutrient to cost ratio: citrus juices, milk, fortified ready-to-eat cereals, potatoes and beans.

Finally, Drewnowski points out a deficiency in the current rating system that focuses on individual foods without considering meals, menus and overall diet. He contends more research is needed in this area to help us improve the quality of our diets.

[1] Over the long term, the cost of junk food clearly outweighs the cost of organic produce. Reason being that the health of an individual consuming organic veggies every day would be order of magnitudes better than if that same person had opted instead for fast food, Coca-Cola, and Doritos.

[2] A High Price for Healthy Food by Tara Parker-Pope

[3] The Supermarket Gap by Dr. Adam Drewnowski

[4] Food Culture: Impact of Cafeteria Food by “Karisa”

[5] The Nutrient Rich Foods Index Helps to Identify Healthy, Affordable Food by Dr. Adam Drewnowski

Photo Credit: PeopleOfWalmart.com

Yes, I’m oversimplifying things, but I’m sure you get the point. It’s a cognitive short-cut problem (i.e., a bias). More importantly, it is human nature. Robert Cialdini of Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion fame would call this the “Click-Whirr” of fixed action patterns.

TechCrunch commenter Marianne Belloti holds no punches and skillfully takes this analysis 2 levels deeper:

That’s the real issue here, most people struggle to find minorities and women “of merit” in tech because the[y] have no objective criteria for judging merit in the first place. At best they use indicators that are much more likely to signal social class than actual ability: what school did the candidate go to? Have they worked at other startups? Have they founded something before?

Okay that all sounds nice, but the reality is it’s much easier to start your first company at 19 and go to Stanford when you’re white and upper middle class than it is from any other background. It’s much easier to score that internship at Google or Facebook when you’re enrolled at the top schools.

The idea that we could somehow have tech talent ‘play behind a screen’ is a nice one, but completely impractical since most of the VCs and incubator managers do not know enough about hacking and code to put up the screen in the first place. It works for musicians because the focus in hiring is actual musical ability and you’re being evaluated by people who are themselves lifelong musicians.

I remember seeing a conceptual game during a systems theory class. It had a 100 cell x 100 cell grid, filled equally with red and blue squares. Each red square preferred to be adjacent to another red square by 51:49, in other words, very marginally. Blues were the opposite – they very slightly preferred to be next to blues. Then the cells were randomly mixed, with only those individual cell preferences factoring in. And then mixed again. And again.

The result was surprising: after a few mixes the grid was almost completely segregated, even though each individual square bias was minute. This exercise shed light onto systems that can have a huge system bias, based only on slight individual biases (in this case maybe reflecting our choice of neighbourhoods in a city).

The important part here is that after many turns these small biases are compound to produce large gaps. Hence, the current way of vetting entrepreneurs does indeed promote gender and racial bias.

I think it’s commendable that the Silicon Valley elites are taking an honest look in the mirror and doing some constructive navel gazing. However, more kudos to Soledad O’Brien for rocking the “valley boat” and bringing this issue to the forefront. And let’s not forget Michael Arrington. It’s unfortunate that he was unwittingly forced to become the fall-guy sacrificial offering VC poster-child in all of this.

[1] hat tip to Gordon Mohr who pointed out that this study was originally conducted by Thomas Schelling. It modeled “how residential segregation can emerge from only slight, non-segregationist preferences for a few ‘like-type’ neighbors.”

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Although he’s gone into hiding (a self-imposed purgatory from the media?), here’s some stuff I found in Nassim Taleb’s secret notebook:

At the Harvard Symposium for Hard Problems in Social Science, Emily Oster presented a very simple, elementary problem: almost all people with type-2 diabetes can be cured by losing a little bit of weight. They are made aware of it, yet they usually gain weight after diagnosis (she mentioned “Atkins” among the options, so it was not just AMA low-fat.).

Engineers, usabilty experts, and most notably Apple realize that the best technology is useless if we the people can’t use or benefit from it. Hence, here is my multi-billion dollar theory: There is an untapped industry in helping us side-step such psychological stumbling blocks to better health. How much is it worth to you and me to pay someone to enable us to follow better dietary habits? What ‘s preventing us from tossing out “the quarter-pounder and bag of Doritos”?

Then again, perhaps gurus such as Tonny Robbins already have this market segment cornered?