Top New Products of 2016

My top food source for probiotics is fermented vegetables, especially if you prepare them yourself using a high-quality starter culture.

Other good sources for probiotics include unpasteurized, fermented milk products like unsweetened yogurt and kefir, as well as sauerkraut, kimchi, miso and natto (made with organic soybeans or chickpeas).

If you're not eating these foods regularly, a probiotic supplement can be beneficial. Your intestines are home to over 1,000 different species of bacteria, so it's important your probiotic contains a variety of strains, not just one or two.

My Complete Probiotics contains 10 different beneficial bacteria strains along with beneficial prebiotics in the form of Fructooligosaccharide (FOS). If you're familiar with my Complete Probiotics, you know we already have a top-notch product. But I wanted to provide an even HIGHER potency probiotic choice for those who want greater microbiome support.

My 100 Billion CFU (colony-forming unit) Complete Probiotics is our highest potency yet. My 100 Billion CFU Complete Probiotics is ideal not just for special occasions, but for everyday use. In my opinion, you can't have too many beneficial bacteria in your gut. It also contains prebiotics, plant-based, digestive-resistant fiber carbohydrates, that help the probiotic bacteria grow and flourish.

These fibers are not fully digested by your body, so they stay behind in your GI tract, and make a perfect "food" for your gut bacteria. Many of them are converted to short-chain fatty acids that also nourish your gut cells. This goes hand in hand with eating plenty of fermented vegetables as they have a wide range of beneficial effects. Fermenting your own vegetables is easy and inexpensive as demonstrated in the video below.

You can use these certified organic oils for aromatherapy to promote both physical and emotional well-being. Choose from nine oil varieties, including lavender, orange, rosemary, peppermint, eucalyptus and more. Always check to make sure your essential oils don't contain these hidden surprises:

• Synthetic ingredients — If you see the word "fragrance," this almost always means "hidden chemicals." The fragrance industry uses over 3,100 chemical ingredients!
• GMOs — Beware of genetically modified ingredients. Eucalyptus is one essential oil that is sometimes genetically engineered.
• Chemicals — Harsh chemical solvents used in the extraction process can be potential neurotoxins and can cause skin irritation.
• Pesticides and herbicides — If they are used during growth or processing, they will most likely remain in the oil after steam distillation.

Here's your best bet for a quality product … In addition to all these criteria, look for the USDA Certified Organic seal! You'll get a higher standard of product when you go with an organic essential oil.

It's not an easy task to find essential oils that meet all these demanding criteria. But my team and I were relentless in our quest, and found ones that we believe meet our high-quality standards. In addition, all of my essential oils are safe for use on your skin when mixed with a carrier oil or another carrier such as water so you can enjoy the best of what high-quality essential oils offer.

Mercola Liposomal Vitamin D contains phospholipids from sunflower lecithin that create liposomes in your gastrointestinal tract. The liposomes deliver the nutrients directly into your bloodstream, ensuring better absorption of the vitamin D to its target organs and cells.

Liposomal vitamin D also utilizes innovative Licaps capsules. Licaps feature "Fusion Technology" to seal the capsule without bands, making oxidation and leakage virtually impossible — ensuring an extremely fresh product.

Calcium with vitamins D and K is a daily supplement that provides balanced ratios of calcium, vitamin D3 and vitamin K2. The calcium is from a whole-food source (natural eggshells) and is included at a lower level, which may be safer for your heart health.

An advanced patented form of vitamin K2, MenaQ7®, is also included, sourced from fermented chickpeas instead of soybeans. To complete the perfect ratios, we've added 4,000 IUs of vitamin D3 as cholecalciferol. Taken together, this is useful for supporting bone density and strength, optimum calcium absorption and healthy, flexible arteries for heart health.

Those of you looking for the vital health benefits of vitamins D and K2 without added calcium will appreciate this new formulation. While I recommend getting vitamin D from sun exposure, if you take it in supplement form it's important to take it along with vitamin K2.

This is because vitamin D3 is needed for the creation of something called Matrix-Gla Protein (MGP), which plays a large role in preventing calcium from building up in your arterial walls (which signifies poor cardiovascular health). Whereas MGP is dependent on vitamin D3 to do its job, it also needs vitamin K2 to activate it. When you have sufficient amounts of both of these nutrients, your body can work to maintain healthy arteries and blood vessels.

When we combined our top-quality organic coconut oil with premium medium-chain triglycerides from coconuts, we discovered it created the perfect consistency for oil pulling. In addition to oil pulling, you can use Coconut Oil Oral Rinse for a quick, refreshing mouth cleansing when you're short on time.

Swish for 10 to 30 seconds like you would with ordinary mouthwash, and then spit it out for a clean, fresh mouth and breath. Its mechanical cleansing action gets your mouth as clean as mouthwash would.

Astaxanthin is a powerful antioxidant that can cross the blood-brain and blood-retina barriers, which means it travels to parts of your pet's body that other antioxidants don't.

Astaxanthin may help support brain, eye and central nervous system health while helping to reduce DNA damage and support cardiovascular health and normal immune response. Our astaxanthin for pets uses airless pump technology, which is easy to administer to pets and keeps the product fresher, too.

BioCharged Kitty Litter outperforms other pine-based litters, clay, wheat, and nut-based litters for absorbency, odor control and dust factors. It's made from environmentally friendly ingredients and, with its organic biochar and recycled pine, is perfect for composting or adding to your garden after use in your cat's box. Just make sure you remove all of the solids first.

You can lower your risk of chronic disease and increase your life expectancy by sitting for less than three hours a day. This can pose a challenge if you work in an office environment, but it's one that's easy to overcome with a standing desk. The Mercola Adjustable Standing Desk automatically adjusts from 28 to 45 inches in height, so it fits people as tall as 6 feet 3 inches. This desk offers flexibility and customization, allowing you to sit or stand when you need to.