Peter Wolff - Smoothie King and Long-time Co-op Member                                                                

This kat curled up and had a cozy conversation with long-time Co-op member Peter Wolff the other day. Peter had tails (oops, I mean tales!) to tell about the early Co-op days, thoughts to share on health and healing, and a few elephant stories to boot.

Kat: You and the Co-op go way back.

PW: That’s right. I was getting newsletters from the late, great Stewart (Cindy and Stephen’s dad) back before the Co-op was the Co-op. He was innovative, unique, irreverent, and down right funny. I became very interested in what he had to say. I started buying vitamins and minerals from him and was probably one of the Co-op’s very first customers. Today, you’re my one stop favorite website. Where else can you get quality products, great prices, and a little levity?

Kat: Flattery will get you everywhere. You are purr-fectly welcome to keep going!

PW: Oh, I sing your praises all the time. Why, the other day we had a few folks over—all in their 50s and early 60s—and, as will often happen when baby boomers gather together, the conversation turned to our various aliments and health concerns. Each guest had an issue they wanted my advice on. I, of course, directed them to the Co-op! One lady wanted to be healthy internally because she was getting ready to donate a kidney to her niece. I bought her Constant Health and she’s been taking it in preparation for the transplant. Nothing like getting immune, intestinal, and detox support all in one tasty concoction!

Kat: Speaking of taste, Teri tells me you’ve got a secret recipe for Constant Health. Care to share?

PW: Sure, I’ll share. My wife and I add our scoops of Constant Health to orange juice and then fold in four tablespoons of either ground flax seeds or chia seeds ground to a fine powder in a small electric grinder. Yes, these are the same seeds you see growing out of the heads of the Chia Pets advertised on late night TV. Few people are aware that chia seeds have the highest nutritional value of any seed on the planet, with lots of omega 3 fatty acids. But I digress! Back to the recipe. I add a tablespoon of flax oil, throw in some berries and a banana, hit the blender button and presto! We’re vanilla people, so I’m not quite sure how it would taste with the chocolate.

Kat: I understand you and Bill Henderson go way back, too.

PW: Yes, I’ve been a friend and fan of Bill’s for a long time. Last time I called him though I got his machine. I left him a message saying, “Now that you’re a celebrity, I guess I’ll have to settle for talking to the machine instead of you!”

In all seriousness though, my wife and I owe Bill a huge debt of gratitude. On our 25th wedding anniversary, my wife Mary Pat was diagnosed with brain cancer. We’re fortunate to live in a city that is one of the country’s best kept secrets: Pittsburgh, Pa. Not only have we been frequently voted one of America’s most livable cities, we’ve also got world-class doctors and hospitals. We got Mary Pat to the hospital and they removed a large tumor that thankfully had not metastasized. While the chemo whacked her, I’m convinced it was the advice in Bill Henderson’s book, Cancer-Free: Your Guide to Gentle, Non-toxic Healing, that significantly helped in the healing and getting healthy process following her treatments. She followed his advice—changing her diet and taking supplements including Green Tea Extract, Green Plus, and Heart Plus—and has been cancer-free ever since. I’ve since ordered dozens of copies of Bill’s book and foist them on anyone I meet who’s been diagnosed with cancer.

Kat: What about you? What’s your number one health tip?

PW: Fiber, fiber, and more fiber! My father was a gastroenterologist and he always used to say, “If your gut’s not healthy, you’re not healthy.” In fact, it was my gut that got me going on the fiber. I saw a picture of myself in a bathing suit and I did not like what I saw. I vowed to myself that I was not going to be 60 and fat! I changed my diet and lost 30 pounds. I’m a real fiber advocate and believe anyone can loose weight if they increase the fiber in their diet. Going back to the gut, few people realize the intestine has nearly as many neurotransmitters as the brain. You’ve got to take care of your gut. As part of my regime, I take the Co-op’s Probiotics to keep the healthy bacteria alive and kicking in there.

Kat: Let’s play Fave 5. What are your Fave 5 Co-op products?

PW: Wow, that’s a hard one. My cabinet is chock-full of lots of your products. Just like with food, I believe you need variety in your nutritionals and supplements. But if I had to pick my top 5 products, I’d say Constant Health, of course. Acetly L-Carnitine, Neuro-PS, Coenzyme Q-10, and Alpha Lipoic Acid. That last is a form of yeast which reminds me of a funny story.

When we were growing up in western Pennsylvania we found out beer was made from barley. From then on, whenever we wanted a can of beer we’d say, “I think I’ll have a can of cold barley soup.” One evening years later I was having dinner with some artsy friends at a new avant garde restaurant. When the waitress came over to take our drinks order, I said, “I think I’ll have a can of cold barley soup.” That cracked the whole table up.

Kat: Speaking of Pennsylvania, I understand you’ve got some interesting new neighbors.

PW: Yes, we do! We’ve got a hunting lodge up in the Allegheny woodlands. The Pittsburgh Zoo recently bought a large tract adjacent to our property where they’ll be building the only elephant breeding ground in the country! They’ve assured us the elephants will be secured and won’t show up on our doorstep. Imagine that! Rumor has it they may also be breeding one of your relatives, the Cheetah. You’re welcome to come visit!

Kat: Okay, one last question. What do you think of the cat?

PW: I love the cat! When I open your newsletter up, it makes me happy. I sincerely hope you haven’t used up too many of your nine lives so you’ll be around a long, long time.