Busy moms know the importance of making time to workout, but stretching is just as important. Taking the time to stretch can improve your health in many ways. Stretching can improve your flexibility, which can improve your athletic performance and decrease your risk of injury. It is important to understand how stretching helps and how to stretch correctly.

Stretching increases blood flow to your muscles and is great for warming up and/or cooling down. However, stretching is often considered a supplement to a good workout. “Yoga is one of the only exercises to really give stretching its proper due, respecting the anti-gravity, anti-stress properties of stretching as front and center in our daily routines. We can lengthen, undo knots in our muscles, smooth out hurts, aches, and pains. We feel freer in our skin, more relaxed,” says EmpowHER.com. Read more →

The American food industry has been playing games of semantics when it comes to labeling genetically engineered foods for far too long. Products are labeled and marketed as “natural” or containing “natural flavors,” but consumers still don’t know whether or not the food they’re eating has been genetically engineered. This year’s election is giving Californians a chance to let their voice be heard on this issue. According to an article from LATimes.com, Proposition 37 would require “food manufacturers and retailers to label fresh produce and processed foods that contain genetically engineered ingredients.”

According to Dr. Mercola, “the greatest opportunity to give people the right to know if their food is genetically engineered will occur with the California ballot initiative – officially known as Proposition 37 – which is coming up for vote on November 6. Proposition 37 will require labeling of genetically engineered foods, and end the routine industry practice of labeling and marketing such foods as ‘natural.’” Read more →

Lactose intolerance is extremely common in people of all ages. According to MedlinePlus, approximately 30 million Americans have some degree of lactose intolerance by the time they reach 20. People with lactose intolerance do not produce enough lactase, a natural enzyme that helps the body digest lactose. The only way to prevent the symptoms of lactose intolerance is to live a dairy-free lifestyle. This means avoiding traditional pizza, ice cream and more, and for most teens this can be incredibly difficult. It’s very important to find foods that lactose intolerant teens will love to eat.

The symptoms of lactose intolerance, while not life-threatening, are very uncomfortable and easily preventable. “The most common symptoms of lactose intolerance include diarrhea, nausea, abdominal cramps, bloating and gas,” according to Livestrong.com. “The severity of symptoms may differ among individuals, based on sensitivity to lactose.” These symptoms usually begin within 30 minutes of consuming lactose. Luckily, substituting products containing dairy with lactose-free products easily prevents these symptoms. Read more →

It can be hard enough to encourage your kids to choose healthy food, and when they have a food allergy or intolerance, it can be even more difficult to find nutritious items that they’ll eat. Gluten-free eating is becoming a necessity for many because of Celiac disease and gluten sensitivity. It’s very important to find foods that kids with gluten sensitivity will love to eat.

Gluten sensitivity can be due to Celiac disease or a wheat allergy. Celiac disease is an autoimmune condition that damages the lining of the small intestine and prevents it from absorbing parts of food that are important for staying healthy. Children with Celiac disease are more sensitive to gluten exposure than those with wheat allergies, but regardless of what you child’s diagnosis is, it’s important for those with gluten sensitivity to eliminate exposure to gluten. Read more →