In our Behind the Green Bottle series we highlight members of the Swanson community—customers, readers, employees—and what health means to them. Kicking off our first issue is Fargo native and Swanson President, Corey Bergstrom, on everyday life, finding his healthier, and balancing health for mind, body and home.
Raising Wellness in the Red River Valley
As a North Dakota boy, Corey first realized the importance of health and nutrition in everyday life while growing up on the family farm. Now a retired collegiate athlete (and still a farm boy at heart), Corey has a family of his own—a wife, two teenagers, three horses—and a wellness routine that focuses on physical activity, a balanced diet, and supplementation to fill gaps and target health concerns.
Everyday Life
For Corey, raising a family, caring for horses and growing a career means juggling a lot of priorities. He wears many hats on any given day: dad, spouse, son, brother, president, Mason, Shriner—“even ‘Barn Boy’,” he laughs, “as my wife so lovingly calls me.” At a young age, he understood the fundamental importance of being healthy. “Now as I get into my 40s, more health concerns (and aches!) pop up, and I’ve realized I need to take a more proactive approach to health.”
In warmer months, you’ll find Corey biking, walking or horseback riding with his wife on the beautiful Red River Valley trails, or enjoying a St. Louis Cardinals game.“My grandfather played in the minors for the Cardinals before World War II. The family still has the authentic Cardinals jersey hanging in our 100-year-old bakery in Mayville, North Dakota.”
Corey’s weekly work routine though, is a lot of indoor time—meetings, flights and lots of time on a laptop and smartphone. “It was a big moment for me when I realized how eye strain was impacting how my eyes felt at the end of the day. Then I discovered the difference nutrients like lutein and zeaxanthin could help.”
In addition to taking Swanson’s Vision Defense to help fight eye fatigue, Corey follows a few more tips for staying healthy despite the necessary screen time. He takes frequent breaks when working on his computer by glancing at something in the distance every 20 minutes. He also keeps electronic device usage to a minimum at night to avoid disrupting sleep-wake cycles, since blue light exposure can affect your body’s melatonin production.
Read Important Facts about Blue Light and Eye Health to learn more about how blue light can affect your health and what you can do to protect yourself.
Finding His Healthier
While growing up on the farm, Corey became a firm believer in the philosophy of reaping what you sow, and he realizes that also applies to health—with things you can control like diet, exercise and daily nutrition. Nutrition has always been a focus on the farm because of the importance of making sure their horses get what they need every day in terms of optimal nutrition and care to stay healthy. And just like people, their daily health regimens are specific to their individual needs.
Everyone’s ‘healthier’ is unique to their own health journey, and Corey is no exception, with his soft spot for the crisp, salty crunch of potato chips. “I love biking, but I also love chips. Sometimes I’ll calculate how many calories I need to burn so I can have a bag of chips later. And in case you were wondering, a 1.5-ounce snack bag is about another 20 minutes of pedaling!”
Balancing Mind, Body & Home
As Corey nears 50, he’s focusing more on prioritizing what balance means for his body and mind. And finding balance across his life comes down to one simple thing: family first. “I’m a big believer in family first, balancing out what needs to happen and having the right priorities in place so I can be successful each day. If I know what I value, I can focus on the things I can control, and the rest usually falls into place.”
Corey is also aware of the role genetics should play in his wellness routine, saying family gatherings are a great opportunity to talk to relatives and understand his family health heritage. Since heart health concerns run in his family, he focuses on ways to promote healthy cholesterol levels. “I love a combo of CoQ10 plus vitamin K2 for energy production, stamina and cardiovascular strength to help get me through my desk work, and my barn work.”
Want some tips on exploring your own health heritage? Read Know Your Health Heritage: How to Discover Your Family Health History for where to start and the right questions to ask.
Balance for Corey also means community and leadership. He strives to be a role model for his kids and the local youth through community events, sharing his passion for good nutrition and outdoor activities. “In college, I had a favorite shirt that said, ‘Education is preparation for life.’ Knowledge is the most powerful way to grow.” Through his efforts, he tries to help kids understand the importance of nutrition and self-care routines, to help them build strong minds and bodies and gain a solid grasp of what it takes to be healthy.
Corey's Wellness Heroes
- Swanson Ultra CoQ10 + Vitamin K2
“My family has a history of heart health concerns, so I love that this is a 2-in-1 formula, but also that it is delivered in clinically-studied doses.” - Swanson Ultra Vision Defense
“I’ve noticed a big difference in eye fatigue since I started taking this lutein & zeaxanthin combo.” - Real Food Multi Men’s Daily
“Supplements made from real food sources like quinoa sprouts make me feel good about getting my daily essentials.” - Real Food Bone Broth Collagen
“I add this real food collagen to my morning smoothie for a convenient way to give my joints some extra support. It also boosts my daily protein intake.”
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About Lindsey Toth, MS, RD
Registered Dietitian, Swanson Health Products
Lindsey is a nationally recognized registered dietitian and nutritionist with a soft spot for pie. She empowers people to take charge of their health by finding the balance between the pleasure and nourishment in food.
Her philosophy is that you should take care of your body because it’s the only permanent home you have. It’s what inspired her to pursue a career in nutrition and, ultimately, led her to Swanson Health.
