Water is vital to life and necessary for health. And, goodness, are we told to drink up! Getting a cold? Drink some water. Want clearer skin? Drink some water. Trying to lose weight? Drink some water. Stub your toe? Drink some water (OK, so that one is more of a distraction technique). But while water is inherently healthy, it is…

Goodness gracious am I confused… confused about canola oil. I’m assuming that as you’re reading this, you’re falling into one of two camps, the 1) “Why is she even talking about canola oil? That stuff is toxic!” camp, or the 2) “Oh, canola oil! I use it all the time!” camp. I’ve been stuck somewhere in between and couldn’t find…

I like to think of green smoothies as the lazy person’s salad. They are easy to make, help me get my day’s helping of fruits and veggies, and, most importantly, they make it easier for my body to digest the nutrients from the produce in the smoothie. There are an absolute ton of green smoothie recipes out there, and I…

Mmm… is there anything more refreshing than a cold glass of orange juice in the morning? Luckily, modern technology allows us to have fresh squeezed orange juice conveniently packaged in lovely, bright-colored cartons and stocked year-round at a grocery-store-near-you. Oh, did I say “fresh squeezed”? I meant “pure squeezed.” Silly me. “Pure squeezed” is the term manufacturers and marketers commonly…

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I’m a multitasker. Now as a multitasker, I appreciate products that are multipurpose: the large coffee mug that also makes for the perfect soup bowl; the just-right wrap dress that can be worn for both work and play; the healthy cooking oil that makes for a wonderful all-natural, great-smelling skin moisturizer to…

For some of you this will be old news, but it always surprises me how few people know this oh so important fact about one of their favorite cooking oils (if this is you, not to fret – you’re in good company!). Olive oil is widely popular for its numerous health benefits. It is rich in the healthy Omega-9 monounsaturated…

Meet kombucha, your new fermented and fizzy best friend. Now kombucha is a selfless friend, providing you with an abundance of health benefits without requiring much in return, just a few minutes once a week. What is kombucha? Kombucha is a fermented sweet tea that is widely consumed for its health benefits. The fermentation process requires a SCOBY, a “symbiotic culture…

Soft-boiled eggs are my personal version of “fast food.” I throw a couple in my purse every morning, put them in the fridge when I get to work, and later pull them out when I need a nutritious and satiating snack. They’ve only cracked once while in transit; that was an awkward subway ride. But at least I had more…

When I was younger, my mom would make me a warm cup of tea whenever things seemed a little rough: when I couldn’t fall asleep, when I was feeling under the weather, when my best friend was being a big you-know-what. Ever since, I have always associated drinking tea with a general-nice-kind-of-feeling, and drank it primarily for this reason. Only a…

When I think of soy and its so-called “health benefits,” I immediately see a 15-year-old version of myself eating breakfast at the kitchen table in the house where I grew up. It is a pleasant memory… until I get back around to the whole soy part. You see, when I was a teenager, I was health-conscious yet lacked any real…

What is a GMO? Are GMOs safe or unhealthy? What sets non-GMO foods apart from organic foods? These are all GREAT questions! There’s definitely been quite a bit of debate and confusion surrounding the production and consumption of genetically modified foods in recent years. Let’s take a look at some of the facts to better understand the issue at hand….

Your child eats a bag of brightly colored candy and within an hour is bouncing off the walls (literally). Naturally, you assume the sugar is to blame. But is it just the sugar? According to the US Center for Disease Control, the national rate of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder or ADHD (which now encompasses attention deficit disorder or ADD) diagnosis increased an average…

Does the USDA organic label mean anything anymore? Last year, in May 2012, the Cornucopia Institute released a 75-page White Paper titled “Organic Watergate,” as well as an accompanying 20-minute video of the organization’s cofounder and Senior Farm Analyst Mark Kastel discussing this issue. Beware, both are frightening and infuriating, but necessary for all consumers to understand. “Although not a constitutional crisis…

You know what they say: great things come in small packages. And, oh, is this the case when it comes to seeds. These little guys are chock-full of nutritional goodness, and are quite scrumptious to boot. Hemp seeds Hemp seeds are a complete protein—meaning they provide all 9 essential amino acids. They contain the essential fatty acids omega 6 and omega 3,…