Each month, we bring our readers tools and information to assist them on their path to personal wellness and healthy living...naturally! We feature articles by national authors as well as from local leaders in the fields of natural, integrative and complementary health, nutrition, fitness, organics, personal growth, nature, sustainability and natural pet. Have something you'd like to read about? Contact us directly!
Nature Speaks
Storytelling Connects Kids to the Natural World
Children are natural storytellers with imaginations that shape their play and learning. In outdoor settings, everything from puddles to pine cones can engage children and draw them closer to the natural world, opening up a...
Expiration Dates
When to Eat or Toss Food
Americans waste about 40 percent of the food supply every year, which translates to billions of pounds of edible food rotting in landfills and generating dangerous greenhouse gases, along with...
Plant-Based Foods Go Mainstream
Healthy Eating Gets Easier with Innovations
Plant-based eating has seen an explosion in the past few years as consumers become increasingly aware of how their food choices impact their health and the environment and align with their ethics. According to market research firm SPINS, plant-based eating is now...
Easing into a Vegan Lifestyle
Clever Meat Substitutes that Please the Palate
Today’s wide availability of vegan meat substitutes in the grocer’s freezer helps break the ice for people that want to experiment with plant-based foods. The taste, convenience and quality of these products has improved greatly over the past decade, but like many convenience foods, some packaged faux meat products can be high in...
A Weekend Warrior Survival Guide
Prevention, First-Aid and Recovery
At first glance, it seems harmless to sit at a desk all week and then dive into gardening, hiking, shooting some hoops or playing softball with the kids. We think nothing of it until that pulled hamstring, stiff shoulder or painful knee makes...
Burnout Recovery
Ways to Reset and Find Balance
“I’ll sleep when I die,” Kristina Shea used to joke about her three hours of nightly shut-eye. In retrospect, she says ruefully, “It almost became a reality.” Her hectic life as a...
Beyond Picky Eating
Help for Pediatric Eating Disorders
Most kids go through food phases and bouts of fussiness during mealtime, but more serious problems can lurk beneath the surface of such all-too-common behaviors. Eating disorders are often associated with...
Journaling to Access Inner Wisdom
On a summer afternoon in 2015, I sat in my favorite coffee shop waiting on life-changing news. With each minute, my anxiety mounted, so I turned to the only thing that calms me in a stressful situation—my journal. As my pen...
Ann Armbrecht
on the Business of Ethical Botanicals
Writer and anthropologist Ann Armbrecht explores the relationship between humans and the planet, notably through her work with plants and plant medicine. Her book The Business of Botanicals: Exploring the Healing Promise of Plant Medicines in a Global Industry tells the stories of the people...
The 411 on Styrofoam
Why We Should Just Say No
Because it is heat-resistant, extremely lightweight and relatively sturdy, Styrofoam is commonly used for takeout food and beverage containers, egg cartons, craft materials, home insulation and product packaging. The harm it causes to...
Beyond Kibble
How to Shop for the Healthiest Pet Food
People are always striving to improve the quality of life for their pets. For some, this means making homemade dog and cat food or buying meat directly from a local butcher, but not all pet parents have the necessary time, space or finances. While there are better...
The Heart-Mind Connection
How Thoughts and Emotions Affect Our Heart Health
“Does your wife show you her love?” In a study of 10,000 married men, this question turned out to be revelatory. Among men with high levels of anxiety, a whopping 93 percent that answered “No” developed angina-related chest pains within five years—nearly twice the rate of those answering “Yes”...
Fermenting for Foodies
Preserving Food and Traditions
If fermented food is a trend, it’s the oldest one on the planet. More and more people are rediscovering the time-honored foodways of fermentation to promote health, boost flavor and preserve the...
Power Up Your Workouts
A Guide to Protein Powders and Shakes
Protein, from the Greek proteios, means “primary,” which sums up its vital role in the human body. Its structure of amino acids enables myriad bodily functions, from repairing and building tissues to creating...
David Perlmutter
on the Role of Uric Acid in Metabolic Health
Board-certified neurologist David Perlmutter, M.D., has written five New York Times bestsellers, including Brain Wash, Grain Brain and Brain Maker. His latest book is Drop Acid: The Surprising New Science of Uric Acid—The Key to Losing Weight, Controlling Blood Sugar, and Achieving Extraordinary Health. ...
Living in the Frequency of Love
Most of us refer to love as an emotion, but in essence, love is a verb, a powerful call to action. When we remember its true nature, we can answer its call with our...
Secondhand Fashion
Online Used Clothing Stores Good for the Wallet and Planet
The online commerce of used clothing is booming. According to ThredUp.com, a prominent virtual consignment and thrift store, the secondhand market is projected to double in the next five years, reaching a whopping...