Green Living

Blueberry Cobbler, anyone?

FiberWise® Blueberry Cobbler Bar, that is

For me, a great-tasting bar is an easy, quick and favorite way to get my fiber. Made with full FiberWise goodness, FiberWise Bars are simply scrumptious. Each bar gives me 10 grams of fiber and is bursting with tasty whole grains, real fruit, and only natural flavors, colors and sweeteners.

Blueberry Cobbler FiberWise contains a unique blend of natural fiber sources along with vitamins, antioxidants, soothing herbs, and probiotics that give me a broad spectrum of full-body benefits, and it makes me feel fuller. I never realized that fiber has no calories, so filling up on high-fiber foods crowds out less-healthy foods. When I feel full it’s easier to say no to extra snacks, bigger portions and second helpings.

I find FiberWise Bars are enjoyable at breakfast or any time I want a healthy tasty snack. They are portable so they can go anywhere I go, and leave me feeling satisfied. There are four  varieties from which to choose, but since it’s blueberry month, I’m sticking with blueberry cobbler. blueberry cobbler.

Summer and sunscreen

Before you head out to the beach today, don’t forget your sunscreen. You want to keep yourself healthy and free of melanomas in the future.

Did you know a healthy sunscreen does more for just keeping you free of sun damage? By using the right kind of sunscreen you can help keeping our coral reefs healthy. Using reef safe sunscreen can help! Here is a cheat sheet on what to look for to determine if your sun screen is safe.

Blueberry power to attain my goals

This is a healthy snacking secret. When I want something delicious, filling and refreshing for my 3:00 p.m. snack, I reach for Blueberry Attain with revolutionary, natural CraveBlocker®. This simple shake helps stop cravings at both critical sources, putting me back in control. I have been able to manage and lose weight without feeling irritable or hungry all the time—and I don’t deprive myself of the nutrition I need. Controlling my cravings is an essential part of losingand keeping  weight off for good. Since it is blueberry month, I blended in a few fresh blueberrys for an added jolt of antioxidants.

Blueberry breakfast special

My Blueberry breakfast special is Blueberry Simply Fit Granola.

We like it because it is simply wholesome granola. There is no artificial flavoring, color or ingredients. It’s baked and every bite is filled with crisp, old-fashioned goodness. It has whole oats, fiber, protein, and ALA omega-3s from flax to create lasting satisfaction. We love it we even added a few fresh berries today to celebrate blueberry month!

up to 380mg ALA Omega-3 from flax, up to 34g whole grains, 5g fiber, 5g protein

My Daily Detox

I never give this tub of berry goodness enough credit. It’s basically my daily detox.
It’s fiber, you know, the body’s natural trash collector. Did you know that 85% of your immune system lives in your gut? Yep. That means both good bacteria and bad bacteria live within your digestive system. If that bacteria balance gets out of whack—like Goldilocks finding the “just right” porridge — an out of balance system can cause a whole slew of health issues. So much so, that researchers call the gut “our second brain.” 

Irregularity, constipation, bloating, autoimmune disorders, food allergies/intolerance, leaky gut syndrome, acid reflux, joint pain, skin sensitivities, fatigue, brain fog, weight gain, inflammation, depression, anxiety, etc.—all of these— can be linked back to your gut health. 

For me, Fiberwise helps with my weight loss journey and to keep my mental health in check too! When you physically feel better, your mental health follows!

WHAT’S YOUR FIBERWISE FLAVOR?!

Does Medicine Really Expire?

Since 1979, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has required that pharmaceutical companies put expiration dates on prescription and over-the-counter medicines.

The date printed on a pill bottle is the date until which the medicine’s manufacturer will guarantee the drug’s safety and full potency. How long a drug actually remains safe and effective can vary.

Some medicines like insulin, nitroglycerin and liquid antibiotics, contain active ingredients that are known to become unstable after a prolonged time period. Yet other drugs and medications may have a longer shelf life than their packaging states. The effectiveness of these medicines may degrade over time, but may still offer some benefits.

That said, several years ago, Lee Cantrell, director of the San Diego Division of the California Poison Control System, had a rare opportunity to examine an old stash of drugs — including antihistamines, pain relievers and diet pills — found in the back of a pharmacy.

He found that those found medications, some of them at least 40 years past their manufacture date, still retained full potency.  That study was published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine in 2012. Cantrell published another study in 2017 showing that EpiPens — the expensive auto-injectors used to treat life-threatening allergic reactions — retained 84 percent of their potency more than four years past their expiration dates, suggesting that in an emergency, an expired EpiPen would be better than nothing.

Although the federal government, the FDA and the U.S. Department of Defense started the Shelf-Life Extension Program (SLEP) in 1986, a SLEP study in 2006 tested 122 different drugs stored under ideal conditions, and the results showed, the expiration date of a majority of the drugs in the SLEP storage were extended by an average of four years. 

 Even so, the FDA still strongly warns consumers against taking expired medicine.

Because certain expired medications are at risk of bacterial growth and sub-potent antibiotics can fail to treat infections, leading to more serious illnesses and antibiotic resistance, the FDA strongly warns consumers against taking expired medicine.

The FDA also encourages people to bring their unused and expired meds to the National Prescription Drug Take-Back days, hosted by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

Soothing sore muscles

I love Pain-a-Trate for my sore muscles after my hard work out this morning! I got in an hour of rowing and swimming, a three-mile run/walk with my feisty dog and a half hour of weights. I know I will feel it a bit later. but I am so glad I found this great alternative to Icy Hot and BenGay!
Not only does it soothe the pain it works quickly to relieve it!

NATIONAL BIKINI DAY

National Bikini Day marks the anniversary of the invention of the revealing two-piece bathing suit.

Named after the Bikini Atoll where the United States conducted atomic tests, the two piece bathing suit made its debut in Paris. French designer Louis Reard wanted to name revealing bits of fabric “atom”.

Sunbathers were wearing modest two-piece suits by World War II in the United States, but they hardly revealed the amount of skin the bikini revealed on July 5, 1946. While Europe enthusiastically donned the bikini after a long and arduous world war, American’s sense of decency kept them from accepting the bikini until the 1960s.

June is National Safety Month

Injuries are the leading cause of death for Americans ages 1 to 44. The good news is there are many things people can do to stay safe and prevent injuries. During National Safety Month, everyone is encouraged to learn more about important safety issues like preventing poisonings, transportation safety, and slips, trips, and falls.

Did you know that nine out of 10 poisonings happen right at home? You can be poisoned by many things, like cleaning products or another person’s medicine.

Other causes of injury in the home are slips, trips, and falls. More than one in four older adults fall each year often resulting in broken bones or head injuries.

Doing other activities while driving – like texting or eating – distracts you and increases your chance of crashing. Almost one in six crashes where someone is injured involves distracted driving.

It’s National Blueberry Month

Since they are now in season, July is a great month to discuss the health benefits of blueberries. Did you know that blueberries are native to North America and are grown in 35 states? What’s more, they’re an ingredient in more than 4,000 products, from muffins to pet food to cosmetics—and to think it all started in New Jersey.

The popularity of blueberries can be credited directly to Elizabeth Coleman White and Frederick V. Coville, who, succeeded in hybridizing wild blueberry plants to create a new domestic blueberry industry. They began their work at the White family farm, Whitesbog, in Browns Mills, Burlington County an area known for cranberry bogs and the infamous Pine Barrens. 

Although Washington and Georgia lead the country in terms of blueberry production, New Jersey is currently the fifth highest blueberry producing state in the U.S. Despite our state’s small size, New Jersey growers often register yields topping 56.7 million pounds of blueberries each year. Amazingly, over 80% of New Jersey’s blueberries are grown in Atlantic County and most of the blueberry harvest comes from a mere 8,800 acres. 

Many of New Jersey’s  blueberries are packaged at the Atlantic Blueberry Company at Hammonton. 

Living in New Jersey, we are lucky enough to have picking areas nearby—fun for the whole family! They make a great snack all on their own or enhance a meal, make stellar desserts or sauces. Plus, these vibrant berries pack a punch in vitamins and health benefits.  

Here are a few things blueberries can do for you:

#1: Blueberries are the #1 fruit with the highest antioxidant capacity. It beats out any other berry! These powerful antioxidants have been known to improve the immune system and prevent infections in the body (especially urinary tract infections.) 

#2: Blueberries can help with weight loss. Blueberries have fewer than 100 calories in a cup, making it a healthy pick for snacking. There have also been numerous studies, linking blueberries to the loss of stomach fat.

#3: The deeper the color of a blueberry, the richer they are in antioxidants, vitamins and medicinal perks. Go for the darkest berries!

#4: Blueberries can reduce the risk of cancer. Anthocyanins (which give the fruit its hue) have been studied and known to attack cancer-causing free radicals in the body.

#5: Blueberries for the brain! Numerous studies have shown that blueberries can help reduce the risk of memory loss. Brain food at its finest