Tag Archives: Health

How to Read Personal Care Product Labels

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I’ve got an honest question for you today. I know, I know, but sometimes, for the sake of our health, these questions have to be asked.

Do you read the labels on your shampoos, moisturizers and cosmetics? Do you know what chemicals you’re putting on your body?

If you are like most Americans, you use about ten personal care products a day. And you probably assume that the government regulates these products and makes sure they are safe.

But the scary truth is, they don’t. Wrong, I know; I’ll spare you my full soap box (pun intended!). Taking control of our own health means not only exercising and reading food labels, but also reading the labels on your personal care products. Continue reading →

Making Time for Exercise

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This will be me in just 5 days, running on the beach in Riviera Maya. I’m so ready for some sunshine and sand. In anticipation, I’ve upped my workouts a notch over the past few weeks and have been faithfully drinking green smoothies for breakfast and snacks.

If beach runs and a week-long bikini fest don’t motivate me, nothing will!

This time a year, folks everywhere are pushing forward with their New Year’s resolutions to eat healthier and exercise more. Truth be told, January is the month I find myself annoyed amused by a crowded gym full of new faces.

While I am joyful at seeing the spur of good intentions, the reality – recognized after watching this cycle for many years – is that come February, the gym will slowly empty out, leaving just me and the familiar faces of my fellow regulars. Continue reading →

Toxic Couches Sit Not-so-Pretty

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Today, as I scramble to put the finishing touches on the Soulicious Gift Guide – featuring unique and affordable, eco-friendly, fair trade or handmade items (Hooray!) – I am happy to welcome my friend, Lindsay Dahl with this guest post. Lindsay is the Executive Director of Safer Chemical Healthy Families, and she’s here to explain the results of a new study that show toxic chemicals in 85% of couches. Yikes! Makes you think twice the next time you sit to watch that Parenthood marathon! Welcome, Lindsay.

For most people, the only dangerous thing about your couch is the risk of spending money on a nice piece of furniture, only to have your cat shred it to pieces. But today a startling new peer-reviewed study came out in Environmental Science and Technology, showing that couches across America contain high levels of toxic chemicals. Great coverage of the study can be read on the front page of the Chicago Tribune. Continue reading →

Dive Right In: The Benefits of Water

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Water. It takes up 71% of our earth’s surface. Of that, 96.5% is found in oceans, 1.7% in groundwater, and 1.7% in glaciers and the ice caps of Antarctica and Greenland. Water makes up 55% of an adult woman and 60% of an adult man. It is vital for all known forms of life.

If you’re like me, water is your primary beverage.  But how much of it do each of us really need to drink? And more importantly, with so little percentage of fresh water available and the rise of pollution in the world, how safe is that municipal water from your tap? Continue reading →

Top 25 Health & Wellness Moms – Thank You!

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Remember that silly little contest for which I kept begging asking you to cast a vote for me? Well, clearly all of my pestering reminders worked. Thanks to you – my awesome family, friends and readers – I made it - at #16 to be exact. 

WOW! Seriously! SoulMomma is smiling big and full of gratitude. Continue reading →

How to Avoid Arsenic in Rice

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Sadly, two new reports from Consumer Reports and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) show worrisome levels of arsenic in rice and rice product including breakfast cereals, rice flour, rice pasta, rice cakes and crackers.

Yes, this is the same arsenic people have used for centuries to commit murder. Continue reading →

The SAD Truth about Childcare Diets

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Bear with me here. I don’t often rant, but a child’s diet is so important to me, and never has the truth about diet and childcare ever been more sad to me than now.

I chose to work four days per week - declaring Fridays special Mommy/Kiera days – which means that four days per week, K-Bear is in daycare. Which she loves. The problem: I don’t love the Standard American Diet (SAD). Continue reading →

The Not So Sweet Truth about Honey

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                           Source

This article is re-posted from Natural Knowledge 24/7.

There are few things as sweet and delicious as honey, a product which is used to improve the taste of a number of foods and drinks. Unlike sugar, honey also has a good reputation for being beneficial to your health. Unfortunately, this conventional wisdom may now have to be called into question. New research conducted by Vaughn Bryant, one of the nation’s top pollen experts, casts doubt on the quality and safety of most honey available in the United States. Consequentially, consumers may now have to think twice and conduct research of their own before purchasing their favorite brand of this savory treat. Continue reading →

Sunscreen 101

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I grew up in the Ocean State (that’s RI for all you non-New Englanders) with more beach days than I could ever dream of now. And when I wasn’t by the beach, I was by the pool. I wish I could say I used enough sunscreen back then, but especially as I grew into my teen years, tan was “in.” With my olive skin tone, it was easy to skip the sunscreen and not worry about burning. Unfortunately, I’m paying the price now with visible sun damage and I hate myself for it. Ugh.

Needless to say, sunscreen has become a top priority for me, especially since I moved to Colorado 15 years ago where, at one mile above sea level and over 300 days a year of sunshine, it’s lather up or burn. Suddenly, it didn’t matter what my skin tone was. Continue reading →