Children are Eating their Weight in Sugar Each Year

By Dr. Scott Olson

Research shows children are eating their weight in sugar each year!

That bag of candy your child lugs home after a long night out trick-or-treating is certainly heavy, but, if your child is typical, that amount of sugar is only a small portion of what they are going to eat throughout the year.

Children, it appears, are eating their body weight in sugar every year.Recent research looking into what children are eating has found that they are eating more sugar than ever before and that the major source of all that sugar is exactly what you might guess: fruit juice and soda.

Flu Shots: Pros and Cons of Employee Vaccination Programs

By Dr. Nicole Sundene

“Do I need a flu shot?” This question always comes up repeatedly this time of year, and I will attempt to present an unbiased review of the pro and con opinons of being vaccinated against influenza.

In the second part of this article we will examine the ethics behind employee mandated flu vaccination programs, and the questionable ulterior motives of flu vaccine manufacturers promoting these mandatory programs.

First of all, I would NOT like my honest critical eye on the cons of the flu vaccine to stop anyone from getting a flu shot. If you feel you need a flu shot—then by all means please go get one right now.

Why Buy Organic Coffee?

By Jennifer Abbott

What is organic coffee? Why would you buy organic coffee? Does it really matter? Is coffee good for you or bad for you? These are some of the things we will take a look at in this post.

Often we only hear about how coffee is bad for us, regardless of whether it is organic or not. Some might even say, “If coffee is bad for me anyway, why would I even bother to buy organic? While I’m certainly no doctor, there’s a principle that generally holds true: Too much of a good thing can be bad. Certainly research suggests that there are many health benefits of coffee. We will take a look at just a few of those before moving on to the subject of organic coffee.

Fitness: How to Get Motivated!

Do you ever fall off the wagon with your exercise routine?

Do you feel like you should be exercising but just don’t have the motivation to get started? If so–this post is for you. I chose one of the most MOTIVATING people in fitness to interview, Kelly Olexa the author of “Aim High”.

The following are Kelly’s best tips on starting a new fitness program, staying motivated with your current fitness program, as well as her best exercise tips and tricks!

The Raw Foods Diet

Ever wonder what is going on with this new “Raw Food’s Diet” everyone is talking about?

Well actually the diet isn’t all that “new” it is simply a snapshot of the way our ancestors ate before the advent of factory refined foods.

Don’t worry you don’t have to be a vegetarian to benefit from raw foods eating, raw foods can and SHOULD be enjoyed by EVERYONE! And…no this is not about gnawing on a nasty raw piece of chicken or steak. I do NOT recommend the consumption of raw meats. Instead enjoy more raw fruits and vegetables fresh picked and full of nature’s abundant energy. A raw foods diet can also be done as a quick detox if you are feeling sluggish and need an easy “pick me up”.

Editorial Note: The Kitchen Table is Popping!

Just wanted to “pop” in and give everyone an update about the latest with Kitchen Table Medicine.

We are now officially an online magazine, so please stop by the home page and check out the beautiful new magazine theme courtesy of my dear friend Chris Ruddlesen. Also visit the newly updated authors page to see all the fresh holistic perspectives that will be leading future mind/body/spirit discussions at the kitchen table.

Fueling for Fitness

By Bonnie Pfiester, Fitness Trainer

Fueling up for fitness is the key to success.

Choosing the right fuel for a workout depends on the workout you’re fueling up for. It’s like fueling up a car. The fuel used for drag racing is totally different than fuel used for Nascar. Dragsters just need to get to the finish line as fast as possible, which is only about a thousand feet away. Nascar fuel needs to help you go fast, steady and strong so you can go the distance. In many ways the same principles apply to fitness.

Squash: Autumn’s Cheapest Super Food

By Dr. Nicole Sundene

Right now squash is the HIT super food of the season.

Squash is not only a CHEAP food, it is also a highly nutritious lower glycemic complex source of carbohydrates that can be enjoyed by dieters and diabetics when paired with a lean protein source.

Whether you are growing pumpkins, butternut squash, or acorn squash in your garden you can easily turn any squash in to a nutritious soup to boost your immune system during the cold and flu months.

Because of the beautiful orange and yellow pigments, squash is a rich source of beta carotene and other important carotenoids that prevent cancer.

Organic vs Commercially Farmed Food

By Stephen Cox

A while back here in Australia there was a sudden storm of information in the media regarding studies into the differences, if any, between organic food and “regular” commercially farmed food.

At the time I was unaware, but later I was informed by my mother, who is a manager in a major supermarket chain here in Australia, that the release of the research findings and the media interest coincided with the major supermarkets testing consumers response to new organic products in their stores.

My Favorite Health Bloggers

The following are all of my favorite websites and people that I have stumbled upon while navigating the “blogosphere”.

I am officially stamping them with the Dr. Nicole “Seal of Approval” for being 100% healthy and health promoting!!!

Kitchen Table Medicine is still under construction while we are working to handle the dramatic increase in traffic we have been experiencing since early summer.

For those of you that still want to be working on your health and wellness and can’t stand waiting for me any longer—I have compiled this list of all my favorite personal development and health bloggers. Please grab a cup of green tea and enjoy perusing these WONDERFUL sites full of fabulous and FREE information!

How to Quit Smoking

By Life Coach, Tim Brownson

As a certified hypnotherapist people sometimes call me for help with quitting smoking. The first question I ask them is why they want to stop? That usually generates a look of horror akin to if I’d asked them if they could marry their 13-year-old daughter have a goat as the Maid of Honor and Michael Jackson as my best man.

However, there is a positive intention behind every action you commit even if sometimes it isn’t immediately apparent. That applies to smoking too.

21 Free Preventative Medicine Habits!

#1 Laugh- When we laugh we release endorphins that make us feel good. These endorphins reduce pain and stress. Stress is a common cause of chronic disease.

Maybe you just lost a ton of money in the stock market and don’t feel like laughing a whole lot about it, but can’t you just muster up a deep dark cynical laugh about it? Good. Now that is a start!

Remember, things can always be worse, and we may not have a whole lot of control over them. But, we can always control our attitudes.

The Secret Pleasures of Menopause

Oprah’s favorite OB/Gyn is at it again! Dr. Christiane Northrup’s latest book on menopause will be available on October 15th. I was excited to receive an early copy of the book, and think that its only flaw really is that it is directed JUST towards menopausal women.

Dr. Northrup’s self help tips are truly beneficial to women of all age groups, so why wait until menopause to find out these secrets?

Honestly, I wish I would have read this book ten years ago. “The Secret Pleasures of Menopause” is rich with advice that helps women embrace their femininity from a mind/body/spirit perspective.