Brazen Plug: My LifeVantage Gig
January 10, 2016 By Pat Merrill
Cutting straight to the chase, I began taking a particular unique supplement many months ago—upon the advice of my niece and her husband who are health professionals—and I was soon so impressed that I decided to get involved with the company. In other words, I wanted to recommend the flagship product to others as I learned more and more about the impressive data. (Darn near everyone ought to be taking it, and I don’t make that comment lightly.) I have {Read More}
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Best (and Biggest) Organic Grocer: Costco!
July 12, 2015 By Pat Merrill
Costco Wholesale has become my new go-to store for so many organic foods that I often shop for, for my little family. Slowly but surely, I have been able to ditch some of the more expensive health food stores in favor of good ol’ Costco. I certainly wasn’t surprised to learn very recently that Costco, with its 670+ warehouse locations, has now surpassed Whole Foods as the biggest organic grocer. I had been witnessing the ever-expanding organic inventory over the {Read More}
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Getting Real About “Natural” Products
September 26, 2014 By Pat Merrill
I talk up a storm about “natural” foods and products. But that word is somewhat misused more than we’d like to think it is, so here’s the 411 on the word NATURAL as seen on the products we buy today…. When a food label states “100% Natural,” this is supposed to indicate that it does not contain synthetic ingredients, preservatives, artificial flavors and artificial colors. Sounds good, but keep in mind that many products throw the word natural around very {Read More}
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What the Heck is Carrageenan?
September 20, 2014 By Pat Merrill
If you are a label reader, then you’ve no doubt seen carrageenan on the line-up. It is a thickening and stabilizing agent put into many different foods, and it is derived from a particular seaweed. That sounds like it would be healthy, right? But, apparently, it is NOT. I became increasingly aware of this additive after seeing it in yogurts, cottage cheese, almond milk, ice cream, any many other items including organic versions. It is even found in deli meats {Read More}
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Why I Stay Open-Minded and Interested in What “Crazy Health Nuts” Have to Say
February 22, 2014 By Pat Merrill
A blog just isn’t sufficient to cover ALL the reasons I follow natural, alternative, and holistic health subjects; in fact, I do believe I could write a book on this. In short, I can see where—in too many cases—allopathic or traditional medicine has fallen very short of its intention to heal. While traditionally trained doctors have (thankfully) amazed us with their ever-increasing skills at caring for broken body parts and many urgent concerns, they have not always been as effective {Read More}
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Power to the Portobello! (Portobello Mushrooms Make Great Burger Patties)
December 11, 2013 By Pat Merrill
Have you tried the Grilled Portobello Mushroom Burgers at Cheesecake Factory restaurant? Yum! They taste awesome, and it would be tempting to think that such a choice would be a healthy choice, and maybe even downright low-calorie — at least compared to their other burgers and sandwiches. Think again. Taking a look at the Cheesecake Factory nutritional info chart, you’ll see that one of those delicious sandwiches are 1,130 calories! AND 19 grams of saturated fat comes with it! Tonight, {Read More}
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How to Decode That Tiny Label: Is Your Produce Really Organic?
November 11, 2013 By Pat Merrill
Have you ever wondered if that loose, single avocado or orange you just bought is actually organic? Did the supermarket mix up what they have in their display bins? What if someone dropped off their conventional produce into the pile of organic goods? Without a certified organic notice on the produce, it’s natural to wonder. The good news is, there IS a way to tell for certain. With this simple infographic we’ve prepared, showing an organic banana label, you’ll see {Read More}
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The Dope On Soap (Bubble Trouble!)
November 11, 2013 By Pat Merrill
One of the complaints concerning “natural” soaps, particularly shampoos, is that they do not lather up much. Unfortunately, all those suds that we have come to love comes with a cost—and they are not necessary for proper cleansing. Our love affair with sudsy, thick shampoos may have begun in 1950s or thereabouts, when bottled shampoo commercials boasted about the rich lather of their brand, implying that it was better for hair. (Let’s face it, it just plain feels good to {Read More}
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Talk About Inconvenient Truths: Food Industry Deception
November 7, 2013 By Pat Merrill
I recently posted the following on my Facebook page . . . . I was surprised to see the documentary FOOD, INC. available to view on Vimeo (free). If you haven’t seen it, I hope you will. It’s not a feel-good movie, but it’s important. How about this weekend? Things can’t change for the better without strong consumer demand for improvements. This isn’t just about treatment of farm animals or vegetarianism; its focus is much broader—a subject that is fraught {Read More}
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“Dirty Dozen” & “Clean 15” Makes It Easy to Choose Safe Produce
November 6, 2013 By Pat Merrill
Whenever I walk into a standard supermarket—which is not that often—I feel uneasy (and sad) seeing the huge piles of produce available that are not organic. In fact, I can no longer enter a mainstream restaurant and order a salad or fruit, etc., without a sinking sense that I am about to eat a touch of poison. I have tried to turn my head and look the other way, since it’s pretty hard to socialize and live a so-called “normal” {Read More}
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How A Dangerous Toxic Black Mold Issue Helped Me Find a Cool Product
November 5, 2013 By Pat Merrill
I like to think I’m a pretty fastidious housekeeper, but apparently the Mold Monster made his way into my home anyway. After seeing a big ol’ MUSHROOM suddenly growing out of the corner of a shower wall, through a crack in the grout (yes, you read that correctly), we learned the unpleasant truth that an undetected leak BEHIND the shower wall had caused irreparable damage . . . and further became food for the infamous “toxic black mold.” It was {Read More}
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Is it REALLY Natural?
November 4, 2013 By Pat Merrill
I talk up a storm about “natural” foods and products. But that word is somewhat misused more than we’d like to think it is, so here’s the 411 on the word NATURAL as seen on the products we buy today…. When a food label states “100% Natural,” this is supposed to indicate that it does not contain synthetic ingredients, preservatives, artificial flavors and artificial colors. Sounds good, but keep in mind that many products throw the word natural around very {Read More}
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An Easy Way to Make a BIG Difference
November 4, 2013 By Pat Merrill
Have you heard of Kiva? I think it’s pretty fantastic…. Here’s what Kiva says about who they are and what they do: We are a non-profit organization with a mission to connect people through lending to alleviate poverty. Leveraging the internet and a worldwide network of microfinance institutions, Kiva lets individuals lend as little as $25 to help create opportunity around the world. What an elegant and simple solution to such an enormous challenge. I hope you’ll look into it, {Read More}
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“An Open Apology . . .” Blog That Speaks to Me
November 3, 2013 By Pat Merrill
Having been on far more diets in my lifetime than I can count, including Jenny Craig and other such programs, I’ve learned some tough lessons. For the most part, I found many plans ridiculously temporary . . . and even harmful, on many levels. And with all apologies to Valerie Bertinelli, who obviously got her weight under control using the Jenny Craig program, I relate more to Kirstie Alley. Kirstie lost weight as their spokesperson, only to gain it {Read More}
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Why I’ll Never Write a Weight Loss Blog
November 2, 2013 By Pat Merrill
Not all that long ago, I did set up a weight loss blog. I thought it might be sort of fun to chronicle the journey I was taking, primarily in terms of the visible results I hoped to see. (I enjoy writing, what can I say?) I called it “As The Fat Burns,” and I provided a bit of history concerning my baby boomer body and all the less-than-helpful habits (food/activity/thoughts) that led up to creating health issues for me. {Read More}
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“I Shouldn’t Eat That.” (Sound familiar?)
November 1, 2013 By Pat Merrill
I’m fairly certain, without much exaggeration, that I would be a millionaire today if I had a nickel for every time I said that to myself. Between the heavy programming we all are bombarded with regarding watching our weight, and daily news about “good” vs. “bad” foods, it is far too easy to feel disheartened about eating. Being hyper-alert to news relating to nutrition, I may have an extra challenge in this department. Nonetheless, I am finally learning to be {Read More}
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