Feel Your Best

Keeping your gut happy can improve quality of life and aid in disease prevention.

Mocktails − the perfect solution to enjoy a refreshing and flavorful drink without the buzz of alcohol.

Backyard barbecues, pool parties, picnics in the park, and trips to the ice cream shop — ahh, the signs of summer! Between a calendar full of festive occasions and the whirlwind of summertime travel, it’s easy to let your healthy habits slide.

Americans are consuming nearly 150 pounds of added sugar per year —  that’s approximately 42 teaspoons per day! The American Heart Association recommends limiting added sugar consumption to no more than 6 teaspoons for women and children, and 9 teaspoons for men —  quite a lot less than most are consuming.

Imagine a table filled with freshly caught fish topped with bright green herbs, platters of vibrantly colored vegetables, and a simple bulgur salad lightly tossed in a fragrant citrus and olive oil dressing. Sitting around that table are your closest family and friends, breathing in the sea air and lingering over the meal with great conversation and lots of laughter. Sounds like vacation, right? For those living near the Mediterranean Sea, this is just a typical evening.

Gone are the days of boring steamed broccoli or boiled Brussels sprouts as the (let’s admit, somewhat punishing!) way to eat your vegetables.

When talking about heart disease prevention, often the focus is on what you shouldn’t eat: red meat, cheese, salt, too much alcohol. While removing these foods from your diet can reduce your risk of heart disease, emphasizing what you can add to your plate to better your heart is just as important – and a lot more fun.

Americans put a lot of emphasis on what we should or should not be eating, or what diet plan is going to miraculously shed that unwanted weight forever. Yet, many of us never think about how we are eating.

It’s that time of year again, when the pressure mounts to stockpile gifts, plan holiday meals and treats, and attend office and friends’ parties. If just reading that sentence makes you anxious, you’re not alone: this is the most stressful time of year, according to psychologists.

Most of us experience a host of challenges to our wellness goals during the holidays. We’re crunched for time, with social gatherings, volunteer service, shopping excursions, family activities, and faith events all crowding the calendar and making it even harder to fit in exercise and healthy meals.

Probiotics have gotten a lot of attention in recent years as helping lay a foundation for a healthy gut. They’ve infiltrated their way into our grocery stores, and supplement makers may have you wondering if a little probiotic pill is the secret to feeling great.

That 2 o’clock slump — raise your hand if you know what we’re talking about. You’re listless and distracted. Focus? Ha! If there were only a way to power through this feeling…(cue the sound of candy wrappers rustling).