There are basically three situations that in which I will get asked that question. Roughly once a month my husband will ask me that when he tries something new in the kitchen, his wood shop or the bedroom.  The second situation where I get asked that is when one of my girls “makes” me a present. These can range from Picasso-esque artwork, a decorated rock, a peanut (still in the shells) sandwich, or in one case a fresh paint job for my bearded collie. Who knew how hard it was to get paint out of dog hair?

The third situation is what we are here to talk about today.

Back when I was a hybrid girl

For six years I leased hybrid vehicles because I was too scared to go all electric. Yes, while not a perfect solution I believe that an electric vehicle is a giant eco-friendly step in the right direction, but I was terrified about all the what ifs.

• What if I ran out of juice?
• What if there’s no place to charge?
• What if my electric bill goes through my solar panel-covered roof?

Last year when the lease on my Hybrid was up, I asked the universe for a sign. Was it time to Pass the Gas and do the Electric Slide?  I decided to go for a test drive and see how I felt. Aside from a golf cart I had never driven an electric vehicle (EV) so figured I need to check it out before pulling the trigger.

this is the actual penny at the dealership. this is not a re-enactment

Here’s what I can tell you, the ride was super smooth, the acceleration was positively absurd (the fastest vehicle I had ever been in) and the sleek interior were all positives. I wasn’t convinced, but I was starting to feel pretty good about it. After my test drive I decided to sit in the back seat. I have no idea what compelled me as I’m always the driver or, worst-case scenario, I’m the passenger when hubby takes over (I like falling asleep in the car – not while driving of course) so why did I care about the backseat? The last time I was in a back seat was “date night” years ago with my husband in the driveway while my kids were up late watching a movie. Back seats are usually pretty standard, how different could this one be?

As I slid into the faux leather backseat (this time with panties) something on the floor caught my eye. There sat a shiny penny looking up at me. That was my sign. It was my dad telling me to get the car I’ve always wanted (just for reference he passed away years ago, but I believe in “messages from beyond” so  stay tuned for my article about meeting with a psychic). The car made me feel like I was part of a community who was trying to do the right thing and it felt good going even greener than I already was.  It was the right time, the right car and the right sign. The something funny happened…somehow I became the unofficial (unpaid of course) spokesperson for electric vehicles, specifically Tesla. I really should get a marketing job with them because I get stopped everywhere. Parking lots, waiting in the car line at school and my favorite was the old guy at the red light honking at me to put my window down to ask the same question, “Do you like it?”.

Read on for my answer as well as the other four questions (not the Passover kind) I always get asked.

1. Is it WAY more expensive than a gas car?

It depends. Are you driving a Maserati or a Mazda? My Tesla definitely is the most luxurious car I ever owned and feels it. So no – if I bought a similar type gas-powered car it would have been roughly the same amount. Now they’re coming out with more EV models so you have more choice and different prices.

2. How low do you let your battery go?

It depends. I charge at home (usually I plug in 2-3 times per week at night so I get a rebate back from my electric company and cheaper rates – thanks T.O.U.) so if I’m driving local I really don’t like going below 30%. My dad used to always ask if I had enough gas in my car and I was taught under ½ tank to fill up. If I go below 30% I can almost hear my dad yelling at me.

3. What does it do to your electric bill?

Honestly…it goes up. But you do have some control over how much. I charge it after 11pm so I get a rebate and cheaper rates. Another super important factor in the overall cost is I no longer pay for oil changes, tune ups or new brake pads (read the next question and you’ll understand why) so although you’re electric bill will go up, you’re still saving money.

4. What’s one thing no one told you about owning an EV?

Two words…regenerative braking. That’s ok, I had no idea what it was either. This is how Tesla describes it, “In a battery-powered electric vehicle, regenerative braking (also called regen) is the conversion of the vehicle’s kinetic energy into chemical energy stored in the battery, where it can be used later to drive the vehicle. It is braking because it also serves to slow the vehicle. It is regenerative because the energy is recaptured in the battery where it can be used again.” In plain English, it’s like a golf cart. When you take your foot off the gas pedal it stops the car. This would have been fabulous to know before getting on the highway at rush hour. Who knew so many people would honk their horns at an abruptly stopped Tesla in the middle lane?

BONUS QUESTION:

1. Any regrets?

HELL no, I only wish I had done it sooner, but timing is truly everything. I needed those hybrid years to prepare me for the EV plunge. It’s definitely different than driving a gas-powered car, but like anything else you get used to it.

And speaking of my taller half, when he’s ready for a new truck it’s gonna be electric (boogie, woogie, woogie).

So “Do I like it?” You bet your “gas” I do. I love it so much that I entered and WON a “I Love My EV” contest a few months ago. Check out the video below. (It’s only 4 minutes long and the woman singing is a hoot!)

So if you’re ready to dump the pump and hug the plug, know that not only do you have more options than ever before but also a growing community of eco-warriors like me who are leading the charge and leaving the gas stations in their rear view mirror.

And all it took was one penny in the right place.

The post A Penny for your thoughts…about Electric Vehicles appeared first on Living Clean and Dirty.

One of my husband’s favorites is “Shaft” which by the name alone is funny enough and should be on one of those Facebook lists “movie names that sound like porn”. There’s a line in the movie where Jackson’s character John Shaft is putting the moves on a lady and delivers the line “You know me…it’s my duty to please that booty”. I know, not exactly Shakespeare in the Park but still pretty good.  Why am I talking about this movie? Obviously this falls under the Dirty category but what does this have to do with Living Clean? Well, “hold on to your butts”. (that’s a Jackson quote from Jurassic Park)

Let’s talk about butts. My husband’s famous line to our girls is “opinions are like butts, everyone has them and no one wants to hear yours”. We use expressions like “being the butt of a joke”, “butt naked”, “butt-ugly” “work your butt off” or my favorite “butt-munch”. There are a myriad of songs dedicated to our moneymakers.  We like dropping off our older daughter at her friend’s house with the windows and top down and “I Like Big Butts” cranked up on the stereo, she thinks it’s hilarious (no, she doesn’t…not even a little and I think she hates us). The point is…as a society, we seem to have a rump-obsession, but I think we are “behind” the times in truly taking care of them.

Me? I absolutely love my Tushy.

My husband has become a huge fan of my Tushy too. My younger daughter thinks my Tushy is pretty great. My teenager is…well…a teenager, so enthusiasm isn’t really her thing.

Before this gets any weirder, I’m not talking about my actual rear end.

I’m talking about my Tushy, a bidet attachment that mounts under your toilet seat and washes your backside after you do your business.

Everyone poops…it’s not just a child’s bedtime story, it’s a fact of life. As Americans we have become accustomed to a roll of toilet paper being our chief caboose cleaner, but if you travel anywhere outside of the US you’re likely to come across a bidet and you know why… because they’re not as gross as we are. “Are you ready for the truth?” (Jackson quote – Unbreakable)…

Picture if you will…you and I walking down the street probably to or from a bar and out of nowhere I flung shit at you (mine or someone else’s, let it be your choice) and it landed on your arm, would you calmly ask for a napkin and gently wipe it off? Hell no! “Who the fuck is this asshole?” (Jackson – Coming to America) You’d freak the fuck out that I soiled you and immediately start scrubbing your arm Silkwood-style. I’m picturing water, soap, bleach and probably a flame thrower. There would be crying, vomiting, a lot of explaining and quite possibly a Facebook post. I of course would find this hilarious.

Yet in the privacy of our own home or god forbid a poorly ventilated bathroom stall at work, we pinch a loaf and then ball up a wad of toilet paper like a catcher’s mitt, give our crack a couple of swipes and call it a day. Well…”God put you in my path and I aim to cure you of your wicked ways.” (Jackson – Black Snake Moan)

Toilet paper still has a place. Think of it as the finishing touch. But it’s no longer my primary weapon in the war against dingleberries and skid marks. “Come on! Toilets are always funny!” (Jackson – The Spirit)

When I first started researching bidets, I pictured one of those carnival games where you shoot a stream of water into the clown’s mouth. The thought of blasting my poor unsuspecting backside with a jet of water wasn’t exactly appealing. Fortunately, today’s bidet attachments are nothing like that.

The Tushy installs right between your toilet seat and the bowl. There are several companies that make bidet attachments, but this was the one that checked all my boxes. I splurged for the warm-water model because cold water aimed in that general direction sounded less like a spa treatment and more like an emergency evacuation.

Installation was surprisingly easy.  Well…it was surprisingly easy for my husband.  I supervised.

Once everything was hooked up, I politely kicked him out of the bathroom because I’m a lady, sat down and prepared for what can only be described as the strangest leap of faith of my adult life.

I started cautiously.

Tiny bit of water.

Tiny adjustment.

A little warmer.

A little stronger.

A few seconds later…

“Only God should have this power.” (Jackson – Jumper)

I had found the sweet spot.

I’m not saying a bidet changed my life.

I’m just saying I feel cleaner, I use a lot less toilet paper and I honestly don’t know why I waited so long to get one.

In fact, I liked it so much that I’m planning to put one in every bathroom in the house.

Once you bidet…you’ll never go away.

The post I’m Not Being Pushy, I Just Love my Tushy appeared first on Living Clean and Dirty.

Whenever I start talking about my open hips, hubby loves to chime in with  few off color jokes, but this story is actually about Yoga.  Not the little green guy from Star Wars and not the bear who was filthy for picnic baskets, I’m talking about the ancient art of health and relaxation with such wholesome poses as “downward dog”, “camel pose” (I said pose) and the “easy plow pose”.

When I first started yoga I learned that I have very wide, open hips (ugh, I can already hear him laughing).Before you let your imagination run wild, I don’t mean that in a slutty way. I was born this way and can literally sit in a butterfly position, with the soles of my feet together and my knees touching the floor, then lean all the way forward until I’m lying flat. Go ahead…try it. Most people are lucky if they get halfway there. You’ll be lucky if you can lean forward enough to decide if it’s a “Summer’s Eve” kind of day, much less fold yourself like you’re being shipped out by Amazon.

Freshness aside, let’s get back to my open hips.  Last week I was in yoga class doing Pigeon Pose and was literally lying face down on the floor. This is something that usually amazes my instructors, and I even had one announce to the class not to use me as an example because it’s just not normal. So there I was, one leg straight, one tucked underneath me, staring at the floor while doing my deep breathing.

Naturally my mind wandered.  Not to enlightenment.  To Subway sandwiches.  To be fair, this isn’t even close to the weirdest place my brain has gone during yoga.

• Was Snow White having sex with any of those dwarfs? Is there hidden meaning to them singing “Hi Ho”?
• If a smurf couldn’t breathe, what color would he turn?
• Every hand I’ve shaken has held a penis.
• Why is W called double U, shouldn’t it be called double V?
• If I fart in the shower before I turn the water on will it still smell as bad?
• Is a hotdog technically a sandwich?

…and speaking of sandwiches, I’ve loved the veggie sandwich at Subway long before I became a vegetarian. I’ve tried desperately to recreate it at home, but it never tastes the same.  As PR nightmares go, it’s hard to top Jared. But I think we all remember the “yoga mat” controversy about what was being put into Subway’s bread. The word on the street is those ingredients have since been removed, which is obviously great news. But for this health-conscious, open-hipped mama, it got me thinking…

What exactly was I rolling around on three to five days a week?

I spend a lot of time on my yoga mat. I’m face down on it, breathing into it and occasionally drooling on it after a particularly relaxing class. If I was making an effort to eat cleaner and live healthier, it only made sense that my yoga mat should be as “clean” as everything else I was bringing into my life.

After way too much research (you’re welcome), these are my top three picks.

(1) Jade Harmony Yoga Mat: Made in the USA with natural rubber in a sustainable manner. Contain no PVC, EVA or other synthetic rubber and BONUS…for every mat sold they plant a tree. This was one of the more expensive mats I bought but I reasoned that I can use it for a long time and it was so highly recommended that I splurged on myself.

(2) Manduka Welcome Yoga Mat: Eco-friendly manufacturing, free of solvents and toxic glues. Made with energy efficient manufacturing as the company strives to minimize environmental waste and make products that last. This is the mat I bought my pre-teen daughter and it was perfect. She was starting to go to yoga and I wasn’t sure if she’d like it so I didn’t want to buy her a more expensive Jade YET I wanted her to have a safe and “clean” yoga mat too. This was a perfect choice for her. After we started going together we got confused on whose mat belonged to whom and would switch off. I found myself using this one more than my Jade.

(3) Gaiam Yoga Mat: This one I don’t personally own…yet but tons of yogis in my studio use it. Both my mats are a plain-Jane blue color but these come in all sorts of fun colors and designs on them so you can be eco-friendly, safe and stylish all at the same time. These are made without the six most harmful phthalates (DEHP, DBP, BBP, DINP, DIDP and DNOP – it’s like the alphabet soup of toxins), latex free and they even sell mats just for kids. They’re reasonably priced and this is definitely going to be my next birthday gift to myself.

So there you have it. Three yoga mats that let me focus on my breathing instead of wondering what mystery chemicals I’m lying on.  Hubby still isn’t convinced about yoga, he thinks it’s more like if Twister was a one player game.  After showing him some of the latest poses I’ve been working on I’m pretty sure I hear him upstairs shopping online for “2-person yoga mat, washable”.

The post All Yoga Mats are Created Equal is A Bit of a Stretch appeared first on Living Clean and Dirty.

My daughter’s new obsession…mascara. The good news is now the worst she can look like is Tammy Faye where before she put on all my mom’s makeup and looked like Madam the puppet. To make matters worse, both my daughters have been blessed by the eye lash fairy and have long, luxurious lashes that extend naturally. True story, when both my girls were infants, one day they went to sleep and the next day they woke up and BAM they had the longest, most beautiful lashes I have ever seen. I was shocked that they acquired them overnight. My hubby has them (TOTALLY wasted on a guy) and he constantly complains about water on them and blah blah blah, it’s so uncomfortable, blah blah blah. I don’t have these problems so I need to wear mascara and one that really works. I used to buy the uber expensive mascara at a fancy department store that worked amazing but was filled with chemicals and tested on animals. Also, I hate when they try to spray you with that crap that makes you smell like an old lady, or as we call them in my house, female village elders. You know that smell.

Problem…I still want great mascara coverage – long defined lashes but not one that’s tested on animals, filled with chemicals and one that won’t flake, clump, or smudge a lot so I look like a raccoon or a bad listener (black eye). This is not so easy. If you’re like me, here’s some help. These are my top 5 mascaras I like and let my 10 year old daughter “borrow”:

♥ 100% Pure Fruit Pigmented: This was the first natural mascara I tried and loved it. Been using it for years and what I love is that it comes in many flavors…I mean colors. You can use the standard black (which is what I use) or try blackberry, blueberry, or chocolate. The company makes products completely free of all harmful toxins and their staff is amazing. I called their store in California for help to choose the right color makeup and the woman was so nice.

♥Lush Eyes Right: This is my new love. My daughter really loves it because it’s a small bottle with a short brush so it’s easy for her to use. Great for my 10 year old but bad for me because the wand is too short and hard to use. This was a complaint many people have when they review this mascara but I love Lush products so much that I’ve learned to deal with the wand. Seriously, I went into that store with my daughters and finally after 2 hours my hubby had to beg us to leave. They make all their own products in small batches, no preservatives, 100% vegetarian and they not only never test on animals, but they’re fighting for other cosmetic companies to stop testing too.

♥Jane Iredale: They make a few different kinds of mascaras but the one I used was PurLash mascara in black. I like this one because it leaves my lashes looking natural but at the same time they’re thicker and longer. Jane Iredale’s products are all paraben, talc and phthalate free.

♥Rejuva Minerals Pur Lash: This is another great mascara and since I live by the Environmental Working Group cosmetic list I love that this one is EWG verified which meets their strict criteria for transparency, good manufacturing practices and avoids chemicals. This mascara is free of parabens, titanium dioxide, mica, soy, gluten and GMO’s. It’s vegan too.

♥Josie Maran Argan Black Oil: In consumer studies a large percentage of people saw an increase in lash length and their lashes appeared conditioned and healthier after continued use. I’ve read a ton of reviews where people wrote of these results. I didn’t see it with me but I do know that my lashes looked great. It’s free of parabens, sulfates and phthalates.

Ok, so I know I told you my Top 5 but since I began writing this article and finishing it I found another mascara I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE. ♥Juice Beauty Phyto-Pigments Ultra-Natural Mascara. I have to agree with Gwyneth Paltrow you put it on, let it dry, put another coat and I get the same results as my old conventional mascara. The wand is perfect, it’s formulated without parabens, petroleum, propylene or butylene glycol, sodium lauryl sulfates, pesticides, phthalates, artificial dyes or synthetic fragrances AND it’s never tested on animals.

My review of these products is based solely on my opinion. Others may have a different opinion or experience. I did not receive any compensation – I bought all these mascaras with my own cold, hard cash.

The post The Top 5…How’s my mascara? – Unsponsored Review appeared first on Living Clean and Dirty.

Ellen: “My colors are blush and bashful. I have chosen two shades of pink, one is much deeper than the other.”

Mark: “I like pink! Pink is my signature color.”

As I’m sure some of you will guess, that quote is from Steel Magnolias.  I’m no Southern Shelby but I do have 2 signature colors, they are Casper white and Fuck that hurts Red.  Let me explain…

“Am I tan yet?” -Ellen, Age 10

For most of the year my skin is white, not albino white mind you but to put it mildly my friends used to love to play the “put your arm next to Ellen’s and laugh” game. After a few times at the beach, they’d squeal how tan they are and some of them even added on tanning oil to really get that deep-fried chicken tone.  Flash forward 20 years later and my skin looks pretty much the same and some of these sun worshippers look like a Kenny Rogers Roaster who’s been sitting under the heat lamp for too long.  That’s right you Oompa Loompas, no one is going to mistake me for a wax sculpture left too close to the heater…but no, I’m not bitter.

Now, to be fair I’ve tried to tan but the results were…well, let’s just refer to my description of color Red earlier in this article. I go from zero to burn in nothing flat!  For me, sunscreen isn’t just a precaution against skin cancer, it’s a necessity to keep me pain and blister free. According to the American Academy of Dermatology  (www.aad.org) there are three things you need to watch for when selecting sunscreen.

• SPF of at least 30
• Water resistant
• Provides broad-spectrum coverage

You should apply generously before going (it takes at least 15 minutes to absorb) into direct sun exposure and you should use at least one ounce. Now, you don’t need to carry around a shot glass (I prefer their original use), this is about the amount you can hold in the palm of your hand.  Don’t forget (everyone does, including me) to reapply sunscreen every 2 hours, after sweating profusely or after you’ve gone swimming.

Anyone who has spent more than 10 minutes with me knows that “conventional” sunscreens are not an option for me and my family. Most of them are crap and full of toxins (the sunscreens, not my family) and they don’t always work as promised. As I’ve said before, your skin is your largest organ (contrary to my hubby’s claim) so what you put on it goes right into your body and these days we should be super-selective about what goes in your body.

So now down to business, here’s my top 5 list of chemical free sunscreens that I love (in no particular order). All these recommendations are top rated in Environmental Working Group’s Guide to Sunscreens (www.ewg.org) so you’re not just taking my word for it and all the sunscreens listed are cruelty free.  It’s a little extra work finding some of these but like Truvy from Steel Magnolias says “It takes some effort to look like this”.

All Terrain KidSport SPF 30

Oxybenzone and paraben-free
Broad spectrum
Water and sweat resistant
Non-Nano

Badger Unscented SPF 30

Broad spectrum
Water and sweat resistant
BPA and phthalate free tubes
Biodegradable and safe for coral reefs
PABA Free
Made in the USA

Raw Elements Eco Stick 30

Oxy-Benzone Free
Non-GMO
Titanium Dioxide Free
Non-Nano
Reef Safe
Water Resistant
Made in the USA

Goddess Garden Everyday SPF 30

Reef Safe
Biodegradable
Non-Nano
Non-GMO
Made with plant-based ingredients and natural minerals
Organic
Water Resistant
PABA Free
Made in the USA

Thinksport Sunscreen SPF 50+

No Avobenzone, oxybenzone or UV chemical absorbers
Non-Nano
Paraben, phthalates, PABA and 1,4 dioxane free
Gluten Free
Water Resistant

Whether you’re naturally tan or part of Team Casper like me, protecting your skin is one of those things that’s easy to ignore until it’s too late. Find a sunscreen you’ll actually wear and use it. Future You will be grateful.

My review of these products is based solely on my opinion. Others may have a different opinion or experience. I did not receive any compensation – I bought all these sunscreens with my own cold, hard cash.

The post Sunburnt Magnolias – Unsponsored Review appeared first on Living Clean and Dirty.

I read a lot of books.  It’s not unusual for my hubby to find me passed out in bed (empty wine glass next to me like a loyal soldier) with a book still open in my lap.  Some of my guilty pleasures have been “Nature’s Nether Regions”, “Safe Haven”, “Does the Soul Survive?”, “Everyone Poops” or once for some international flavor,  the Scottish tale of romance “A Wee Bit Lower, Lassy”.

Reading is my escape; it’s my happy place (if I don’t have the opportunity for a nap). As a busy mom I spend more than a few afternoons sitting in my car waiting to pick up one of my kids from some place or another and I always have a book with me.  If you were to peek into my passenger side window right now (along with getting a faceful of mace, you creeper) you’d see my copy of Lilly Cadoch’s Busy Mom’s Cheat Sheet: Raising Happy Healthy Kids.

Obviously the title is an eye-catcher, but you can’t always judge a book by its cover. Take “Still Stripping After 25 Years” which is a book about a woman’s lifelong love of quilting (I shit you not, look it up). Well, faithful readers let me tell you that Lilly Cadoch’s book definitely delivers the goods.

“Cheat Sheets” have gotten a bad reputation over the years, or so my 11^th grade English Literature teacher would have us believe, but I’m a huge fan.  I don’t always need all the fanfare and the romance and the flowers and the gifts, sometimes I want to just get down to the dirty and the gritty.  The Busy Mom’s Cheat Sheet: Raising Happy Healthy Kids is an easy to follow and understand handbook to help energize parents in their ongoing quest to raise healthier kids.  The book is broken down into three vital life categories: Body, Mind and Spirit. I couldn’t agree more with advice like “This trifecta makes up our entire being and if any of them get out of balance, it can throw everything out of whack…When we have a healthy body, we can more clearly tackle our mind and spiritual needs.”

My kids are pretty open-minded when it comes to trying new foods, but they aren’t afraid to tell me when one of my experiments taste like a cardboard box left out in the rain.  So when one of my daughters loved the recipe for the cheesy veggie omelet I grabbed on to that one and held tight.  I also used a few of her snack ideas for my kids’ backpacks and I myself practically live on the zucchini spaghetti pasta dish.  And by the way, feel free to skip to page 127 for an awesome take on Tofu.

Not only does this book offer real-life mommy advice, it helps you make smarter food choices for your family and to provide your children with valuable life-long skills. Here are just a few great ideas that resonated with me…

• Teaching your kids how to read food and ingredient labels in order to make healthier choices
• 18 tips for foods to avoid
• Ways to get more exercise into your child’s schedule
• Tactics on how to get your kids to sleep (without the battle)
• Teaching empathy
• The power of gratitude
• 45 bonus recipes that are quick, easy, delicious and kid-friendly

Seem simple?  Of course

Do we always do it? Of course not

Having kids literally jump started my holistic journey into eating and living cleaner because I wanted to set a good example and teach my kids to live a healthy lifestyle.  My girls are 9 & 12, I love the idea of them being more involved with the grocery shopping and our ingredient choices, they are after all, my target audience (sorry, hubby).  I enjoy sharing my sense of spirituality with my family and every night before bed we talk about “Grateful Universe” and the large and small things in our life we are thankful for.  I think in a lot of ways Lily Cadoch and I may have been separated at birth (or at the very least are kindred spirits) because every page I read from her book makes me want to shout out “Yes, that’s what I do” or “Thank goodness I’m not the only one who feels that way.”

This book is a fantastic guide to help any parent trying to raise healthier kids and needing real world practical guidance.  I like to think that when we know better, we do better. So any book that can give a fresh and positive perspective to eating smart, getting my kids a better night’s sleep, improving their sense of self and dipping their toes into the benefits of spirituality, that’s a little bit of “cheating” we can all benefit from.

I was sent a copy of this book for free to review; however, no other compensation was received and the opinions I expressed were entirely my own.

The post The Most Valuable Cheat Sheet You Never Knew About – Unsponsored Review appeared first on Living Clean and Dirty.

“One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well” – Virginia Woolf 

“Sex is good, but not as good as fresh sweet corn.” – Dr. Ruth Westheimer (who I’m guessing is speaking of organic corn)

“The doctor of the future will no longer treat the human frame with drugs, but rather will cure and prevent disease with nutrition.” – Thomas Edison

“It’s bizarre that the produce manager is more important to my children’s health than the pediatrician.” – Meryl Streep

“I cook with wine.  Sometimes I even add it to the food” –  W.C. Fields

“Food is the fuel that will keep us on the go.  You got to eat right if you want to grow.” – Slim Goodbody

Food has always fascinated me. The more I learned about living a healthier, greener life, the more I realized how little I actually knew about what I was eating.

Around that time I picked up a copy of The Food Babe Way by Vani Hari.

Now let me start by saying opinions are like taints (look it up). Everybody has one, and it’s rare anyone actually wants yours. You can find people on the internet who think Vani Hari is changing the world, and you can find people who think she’s completely wrong. My advice is the same advice I always give: read with an open mind, ask questions, and make your own decisions. If you disagree with me, feel free to email me for a full refund for this free article.

What I appreciated most about the book wasn’t that it gave me all the answers.

It made me ask better questions.

I already considered myself a healthy eater. I bought organic whenever I could. I was paying attention to labels. Or at least I thought I was.

After reading the book, I realized I had been looking for a handful of buzzwords instead of really understanding what was in my food. I started slowing down in the grocery store. I read ingredient lists instead of just the front of the package. I became more curious about where my food came from and how it was made.

Did I agree with every single thing in the book?  Probably not.  But I didn’t have to.

A good book doesn’t always have to convince you. Sometimes it just gets you thinking in a different way, and that’s exactly what this one did for me.

One of my favorite parts was that it didn’t simply tell readers what to avoid. It also offered recipes, substitutions, and practical ideas that made healthier eating feel possible instead of overwhelming. My younger daughter became a huge fan of the homemade ginger dressing recipe because it tasted just like the one from our favorite Japanese restaurant. The difference was I knew exactly what had gone into it because I’d made it myself.

Like I tell my family all the time, getting healthier starts with getting educated. Read labels. Ask questions. Learn where your food comes from. You don’t have to overhaul your entire kitchen overnight. Just make one better choice today than you made yesterday.

Living healthier isn’t about being perfect.  It’s about paying attention.

I’ll leave you with one final quote from someone who was never afraid to put in the work.

“Number one, like yourself. Number two, you have to eat healthy. And number three, you’ve got to squeeze your buns. That’s my formula.” — Richard Simmons.

Words to live by, Richard. Words to live by.

I received a complimentary review copy of this book. No other compensation was provided, and all opinions are my own.

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