The weather is warming up, which is my favorite time to eat a big yummy salad. Even though I could get them year-round, there's something better about salad in the summer! (more…)

A body butter recipe that is creamy and feels so good when you put it on!

All of the ingredients are very beneficial for the skin. No nasty preservatives or additives that can harm your health.

It'll also save you money and can be made in less than 30 minutes! (more…)

Composting is when organic matter like food scraps and leaves are recycled back into the ecosystem. It helps to enrich soil which provides plants with much more nutrients. (more…)

Pregnancy is a time to really focus on our health not only for growing a healthy baby but also the wellbeing of the mother!

I'm currently in my third trimester with my second child so I wanted to give some ways to have a healthy pregnancy. (more…)

 

Smoothies or juices? What's the difference between them? Which one is better for you? Let's talk about it. (more…)

It's officially spring and this Lemon and Thyme Asparagus Pasta is perfect for it. It's not only a delicious spring time recipe, but it's also budget-friendly. (more…)

 

The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that indoor air pollution is 2 to 5 times higher than outdoor. The EPA also estimates the average person receives 72% of their chemical exposure at home. (more…)

Now that I've actually been through labor, I know it's like a marathon, and you don't sign up for a marathon and not prepare for it. I'm looking at this second pregnancy as marathon and I'm doing things to “train” for labor that I didn't do with my first. (more…)

It's the time of year again where the Shamrock Shake starts popping up mostly at fast food restaurants, but before you go out and get one let me tell you what's in it. (more…)

More and more research has come out over the past decade or so about how important it is to have good gut health. Not only does 70% of our immune system live in our gut but it's also connected to our mental health, sleep, skin issues, autoimmune diseases and even cancer.

If you're pregnant like me, gut health is especially important because the mother passes her microbiome on to the baby during labor.

Here's 4 simple ways to improve your gut health.

Eat a Variety of Plants

By eating a wide range of different fruits, vegetables and other plant foods we are getting a wide range of good bacterias and other key nutrients that help promote good gut health. If you've heard the saying “eat the rainbow” that's because each color of food holds different phytonutrients and antioxidants we need for good health. This study shows a healthy gut is dependent on dietary diversity.

Eat More Prebiotic Food

Prebiotic foods actually help feed the good bacteria that lives in our gut, so we definitely should eat more of these foods. This consists of foods like:

• garlic
• onions
• bananas
• apples
• lentils/beans
• oats

Stay Away From Refined Sugar and Artificial Sweeteners

Staying away or limiting refined sugars and especially artificial sweeteners is important for good gut health. This study shows that artificial sweeteners induce glucose intolerance by altering our gut bacteria.

Using things like fruit as your sweetener is a much better choice. I like to use date sugars or even just dates to sweeten desserts. Bananas are also a great choice as you can mash those up and stir them in things like oatmeal.

Eat More Probiotic Foods

Probiotic foods are also very beneficial for the good bacteria. They also help to prevent bad bacteria from spreading in our guts. Fermented foods are examples of probiotic foods, so things like:

• tempeh
• sauerkraut
• Kimchi
• Miso

Many people have the misconception that you cannot get enough protein on a plant-based diet. That's simply untrue. (more…)

Shampoo is a product that we use a few times a week, some even use it everyday so it should be a product that has better ingredients. (more…)