Category: Wellness

7 Tips for A Restful Night and a Productive Tomorrow

Anyone who has young children realizes the importance of a bedtime routine. My kids, in particular, require a warm bath, cozy pajamas, story time, a lullabye and a prayer. If I get lazy and skip the lullabye, my younger child will get out of bed and remind me to sing. The ritual is ingrained and promotes feelings of being settled. These feelings of comfort then lead to a peaceful slumber. I’m not sure why so many adults have abandoned the idea of a bedtime routine when it’s obvious that it works so well for children! Today, I am encouraging you to bring back the bedtime routine. I am a big believer that my actions each night are essential for me to sleep well and to perform at my highest level the next day.

So…here are my suggestions to promote a restful night of sleep and a productive day tomorrow.

1. Lay out tomorrow’s exercise clothing. You have enough to do each morning without having the added task of selecting your exercise outfit. Besides—your brain may not be working quickly in the early morning hours, so take care of this task now. If you are packing a gym bag, fill it with everything you need, and put it by the door. If you are practicing yoga at home, roll out your mat and place your strap and blocks nearby. Setting out your clothes and yoga mat doesn’t guarantee that you will exercise, but it facilitates the possibility. By removing obstacles and by picking out your clothes, you are setting a much stronger intention to move your body than if you just make a soft commitment by saying “I will exercise tomorrow”.

2. Plan your breakfast. Start tomorrow on the right foot by knowing exactly how you will be fueling your body when you wake up. If you leave it all to fate, you may find yourself skipping breakfast altogether or gulping down a huge bucket of coffee with a handful of cereal. A few minutes of planning at night can make all the difference in how you start your day. Start thinking. Are you going to make a smoothie? Great! Maybe you want to wash and chop the fruits and vegetables that you plan on putting into that smoothie. If you’re really ambitious, you may even want to pre-load your blender, and refrigerate it. You can prepare as little or as much as you would like. The idea is to have a plan.

3. Count your blessings. It’s so easy to get caught up in the stress of the day and to be overwhelmed with responsibilities and thoughts of everything that went wrong. Go to bed on a positive note by setting aside a few moments to be grateful. A gratitude journal or even just a mental list of everything good in your life is a wonderful practice to begin.

4. Remove Physical Clutter. Particularly in the kitchen! No one wants to wake up in the morning and face a sink full of dishes or a breakfast table cluttered with mail and crumbs from yesterday’s dinner. Set aside 10-15 minutes to straighten up. No, I’m not asking you to pull out the vacuum or de-grease your stovetop. I’m talking about going to bed with the dishes put away, the toys off the floor, and the table/counters clear! Physical clutter weighs on the mind and the soul. Trust me, you will sleep better knowing that your house is tidy, and you will wake up feeling motivated to prepare breakfast on uncluttered, clean counters in your kitchen.

5. Remove Mental Clutter. The goal here is to clear your mind by setting tomorrow’s intentions on paper. Make a list of everything you want to accomplish tomorrow. If your mind is racing with all of the items on your to-do list, it will be difficult to fall asleep. Feel free to make your list as detailed or as simple as you would like. Personally, I love the feeling of satisfaction that I get from crossing completed items off of my to-do list, so I am happy to include very obvious tasks, such as “floss teeth” or “exercise”. Make sure to include all of your personal errands that need to be done the next day, as well as all of your work-related responsibilities/projects that need to be tackled.

6. Create a short ritual that is soothing. Everyone will have a different idea of what feels soothing, so see what works for you! My personal ritual is to brew a cup of herbal tea, rub lavender oil onto my chest, listen to soft music and get into bed with a book. Your own ritual may include journaling, meditating and a warm cup of cashew milk. Think about what makes you feel at peace, and do that.

7. Stop checking Instagram. Now you KNOW how much I love Instagram. BUT (and this is a BIG but), you can waste hours of your day and night. It’s such a wonderful escape to scroll through your feed and see beautiful photos of people you’ve never met and places you’ve never seen, but your phone and these images are stimulating. Trust me—I’ve kept myself up way past my bedtime by checking Instagram one last time. Don’t do it. It will be there tomorrow. Just go to bed. You have an empire to build in the morning.

August 24, 2014
10 Things I Would Say to My 20-Year Old Self

When I was 20-years old, I was finishing up my Sophomore year of college. I had strong opinions, a will of steel, and nobody could tell me anything about the world. Sometimes, I wonder if I would even listen to my own advice if I had the chance to go back in time and talk to my 20-year old self. I guess I will never know, but if I DID have the opportunity, here are the ten things I would say.

1. You CAN have it all. You just can’t have it all at the same time. You want to have a big career. You want to travel the world. You want to have a social life. You want to sleep eight hours every night. You want to volunteer your time. You want to hit the gym every morning. Go ahead and think big and dream big! Just remember that all of your wishes and dreams cannot and will not come true simultaneously. Decide what you want most now, and work on prioritizing those items.

2. Go ahead and wear that bikini. There is nothing wrong with your body. The problem is with your warped perception. You are fit and healthy, and nobody else sees all of the flaws that you think you have. When you look back in 20 years, you will not criticize the young woman in the photo. Instead, you will be in awe at how young you looked, and how happy and carefree you seemed.

3. Life is not fair. Bad things will happen. You will experience your share of difficult times, but you are strong and resilient and can handle anything that comes your way. No matter what, you will be just fine.

4. Stop baking in the sun. Your tan is not what makes you beautiful. It won’t actually make you look leaner. You have no flaws that need to be hidden. I assure you that there are healthier and more productive ways to spend your time than lying in the sun for hours.

5. Keep working hard. You may not fully see the purpose now, but it is shaping your character, making you stronger, and honing all sorts of skills that will come in handy later in life. There is no time like your 20s to work like a dog, start saving for the future, and absorb knowledge like a sponge.

6. Stop weighing yourself. You do not need the scale to confirm what you already know. You know when you are eating well. You know when you are not eating well. You know when your clothes feel comfortable, and you know when they feel too tight. Small day-to-day fluctuations in your weight should not determine your mood for the day. Your self worth is not measured in pounds. Stay off the scale.

7. Get your sugar addiction under control. I know you think you are healthy because you eat so many vegetables and exercise like a beast, but you have no idea how destructive your sugar addiction is. Stay away from the muffins, pastries, cookies and white flour treats. Perhaps you will be able to avoid all sorts of illnesses and ailments in the coming years. If you want sugar, have some fruit.

8. Don’t be afraid to fail. It’s tempting to avoid challenges because there is no guarantee of success. I know that failure is embarrassing. Embrace the opportunity anyway. If you succeed, there will be no better feeling than knowing you overcame difficult circumstances to reach that success. If you fail, you will learn and grow.

9. Listen to your body. Some days, you will feel the intense need to go outside and run. Go run. Other days, you will feel a strange sense of exhaustion and not want to exercise at all. Don’t exercise. Your body is an efficient machine. It knows what it needs to stay healthy, and it will speak to you, if you are willing to listen. You will want to override that internal voice, but it will truly serve you well if you just tune in, listen, and obey.

10. Be generous with your compliments. Your words have the power to uplift and to heal. Be genuine, and don’t hold back. It costs you nothing and bestows the gift of happiness and confidence upon someone who might need it.

August 13, 2014
4 Poses for Stress Relief

We all have days, weeks or even longer stretches of time when the stress of life is overwhelming and suffocating. The shoulders and neck muscles tighten, the jaw clenches, and the back may even round with grief. Stress causes a wound-up emotional state, and our insides feel twisted and tight. In these difficult periods, be kind to yourself, and try to find even a few minutes to unwind and decompress. Counteract the tightening, gripping power of stress with a few expansive, heart-opening, shoulder-stretching poses. Trust me, you will feel much better.

Here are four of my favorite stretches for stress relief. Breathe and sink into each of these postures for a minimum of five breaths, and be sure to practice the relevant poses on both sides of the body.

Puppy Pose
Start out on hands and knees (tabletop position). Make sure your shoulders are stacked directly over your wrists, and your hips are stacked over your knees. Keep your hips stacked over your knees, and begin to walk your hands forward, sinking your chest toward the floor. Depending on your flexibility, you may rest your forehead, chin or chest on the mat.

Twisted Monkey Pose
From downward facing dog, step your right foot forward between your hands. Lower your back knee, and untuck the toes on your back foot. Lift your back foot from the mat. Sweep your right arm back (palm facing up), and grab the pinky-side edge of your left foot. Begin to kick your back foot into your hand. Puff your chest, and roll your shoulders down. Roll onto the outer edge of your right foot, and allow your right knee to fall away from the body. Enjoy this full-body stretch for 30-60 seconds before repeating on the opposite side.

Prasarita Padottanasana
Step your feet about a leg’s distance apart, and position your feet so that they are parallel to one another. Interlace all ten fingers behind your back, and squeeze your palms together. Roll your shoulders down and away from your ears, and engage your thighs by pulling your quadriceps up and into the body. Inhale deeply, and exhale as you hinge forward from the waist, allowing your clasped hands to fall forward. If possible, allow the crown of your head to rest on the mat.

Supine Pigeon Pose
Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the mat. Cross your right ankle over your left thigh, so that you create a triangle of space between your two legs. Bring your legs toward your chest, and then hook your arms through the triangle of space and cradle your right shin. Pull your shin toward your body as you extend your left leg to hover a few inches above the ground. Hold this hip-opening stretch for 30-60 seconds, and repeat on the other side.

Will these four stretches solve your problems and remove the stress from your life? Of course not. Stress is often caused by circumstances that are beyond our control. The goal here is to focus on what we CAN control—our breath, our body, and our response to difficult situations. Good luck in all that you are facing. You are stronger and more resilient than you think!

July 22, 2014
Falling off the Wellness Wagon

Running a health and wellness website like this one has its unique challenges. We want to post as many articles as we can to keep you motivated and on the path to wellness, but in the process, we don’t want to paint an unrealistic picture of our lives. We are busy mothers, and sometimes, that means skipping a workout to care for a sick child or ordering a pizza on a particularly busy night. Our diets aren’t perfect, our exercise schedules aren’t perfect, and our willpower isn’t perfect. Our goal is to inspire you and to encourage you, NOT to overwhelm you and make you believe that we live perfect lives that you should try to emulate.

Yes, we want you to join us in our daily quest for wellness, but when life gets in the way, and it will, we want you to know that it’s okay. You are normal. You can recover. Don’t throw in the towel. Just acknowledge that life isn’t perfect, and get right back on track the next day. “Healthy” does not mean perfect.

We are ALL human, and falling off the wagon is just part of life. Yes, it would be wonderful if all of our meals were organic, all of our snacks were unprocessed, and all of our cravings were for cauliflower rather than cake. The fact of the matter is, life just doesn’t work that way, and we all slip up.

Everyone has an “off” day. You know the kind of day that I’m talking about. You bolt out of bed and race through your morning routine after realizing that you slept through your alarm. No time for a healthy, home-cooked breakfast. No time for a morning workout either. You start your day with a cup of coffee and large muffin that you buy at the convenience store on your way to work. You end up feeling annoyed and defeated because you ate the muffin and skipped your workout. You decide that you’ve ruined your clean eating plan for the day anyway, so you say yes to the piece of cake being offered at work. You then choose the sweetened chai tea latte instead of the chamomile tea during your break. You eat multiple pieces of bread out of the breadbasket at dinner, order Fettuccine Alfredo instead of grilled fish, and finish off your meal with ice cream for dessert. At this point, you are defeated and disappointed and the self-loathing begins. Maybe you’ll even head home to binge on cookies and chocolate later.

Why will the hypothetical scenario described above resonate with so many readers? It will resonate because it is truly that common. You are not alone. Whether you fall off the wagon for a few hours or a few days, there is no need to feel defeated and angry. Remember that you are in this for the long haul. What you do over the course of a few hours or a few days or a few weeks has no significance in the long run. What matters is the trajectory of your life over months and years. Long-term habits matter, not short-term slip ups. Allow yourself to have an “off” day from time to time. It cannot break you if you maintain a long-term perspective. Forgive yourself for not being perfect, and move on.

July 8, 2014
Pushing Past Fear

One day, you will be given an incredible opportunity. It may be a new job, or an acceptance into a great school, or an invitation to perform or speak in front of an audience. Your friends will cheer, your family will feel great pride to hear about this new opportunity, and you will smile and thank everyone for the encouragement, but deep down inside, you will have a feeling of dread. You will be afraid.

Let me remind you now that with any great opportunity come feelings of unease…a fear of failure, a fear of success, fear of the unknown and feelings of inadequacy. You may feel that you are being pushed so far past your comfort zone that you cannot succeed, but this is when you must remind yourself that you wouldn’t have been chosen for this great opportunity if others didn’t see your potential. You CAN rise to meet this challenge, and you WILL thrive, if you just believe.

This past week, Laura and I traveled to Boulder, Colorado to film five instructional yoga videos for Gaiam. It was overwhelming to know that a company like Gaiam, with its vast wellness empire, would be interested in being affiliated with two yoga moms from New Jersey. It all felt surreal, and it stirred up all sorts of doubt in our minds. What if we didn’t sound good on camera? What if no one liked the videos? What if we are unable to project our true personalities because we are so nervous? The insecurities were abundant, but we pushed forward anyway. We planned our sequences, filmed test videos, chose our clothing, and boarded the flight to Boulder.

What we found when we arrived at Gaiam just a few short hours later was comforting. The air was fresh, the surrounding mountains were picturesque, and the familiar stress of New York City was thousands of miles away. We were greeted by friendly faces that felt more like a big family than a big company. This certainly was not the fearful, intimidating environment that I had pictured in my head. Imagine if our fears stopped us from pursuing this opportunity? We would have missed out on this amazing experience.

Yes, the filming of the videos was still nerve-wracking. And yes, it was hard work, but in the end, we tolerated the fears and feelings of discomfort, and we overcame them all. The feelings of inadequacy were just that—feelings. We were prepared, and what we brought to the table was enough.

Sometimes, you just need to muster up the courage to move forward. Push right through that comfort zone and into the unknown. Take risks, overcome your fears, and you will see that you are much stronger and much more capable than you ever thought you could be.

“Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.

June 16, 2014
Building a Healthy Pantry

A well-stocked pantry can help you stay on track with your healthy eating plan. With the right ingredients on hand, meal planning can become an intuitive and simple part of your life. Quick meals will come together with just a few fresh ingredients from the supermarket, and healthy snacks will always be available. As with any endeavor, preparation is key. Stock your pantry with healthy staples, and you are bound to make healthy choices in the kitchen.

Because the pantry is home to all of your long-shelf-life items, it has the potential to hold lots of unhealthy food choices that are chock full of preservatives and processed with unrecognizable ingredients. This week, start out by making room for healthy pantry staples.

Get rid of the junk food, the highly processed canned goods, the refined flour and sugar, anything with artificial sweeteners, hydrogenated oils, artificial dyes, or ingredients that you can’t pronounce. Once you purge all of the obvious items that will not serve you in your wellness journey, move on to re-stocking.

Be economical. Build your pantry slowly.
Before you get started, keep in mind that re-stocking a pantry takes time and money. Rather than spending a small fortune on your first trip to the market, plan on buying a few new items each time you shop. Don’t try to buy every type of organic bean that you find. Pick one or two varieties for now. Likewise, pick one or two grains to purchase. You can always add to your pantry staples over time.

Here are my suggestions to build a solid, healthy foundation for your pantry.

Whole grains
I like to keep several different types of whole grains in my pantry, but steel-cut oats and brown rice are two examples to get you started. Oats are a great way to start the day, and brown rice provides a great base for a quick vegetable stir fry.

Quinoa
It cooks like a whole grain, it looks like a whole grain, but technically speaking, it’s a seed. I always have quinoa on hand. It is packed with nutrition, and it cooks very quickly (15 minutes or less) in comparison to other whole grains like brown rice, which can take nearly an hour.

Beans
Beans are the perfect addition for soups, stews or salads. You can also puree beans to create hummus or a tasty spread for sandwiches. Keep a variety on hand—canned chickpeas, kidney beans and black beans are my favorites. Also, make sure to buy some dried beans, too. Dried lentils or split-peas have a long shelf life and are quick to cook.

Cold pressed oil
When shopping for oil, look for cold pressed oils like olive oil, or if you prefer oil without a distinctive flavor, try safflower oil. The goal is to avoid oils (such as canola) that are refined through solvent extraction, neutralization and bleaching.

Nut butter
Almond butter, cashew butter or peanut butter…take your pick! Nut butters are a great addition to smoothies (see our Apple Pie Smoothie recipe), and they make a quick snack or lunch for you and the kids. This is one pantry staple that you will not regret buying!

Vinegar
If you love making salads of any kind—vegetable salad, noodle salad, potato salad, rice salad, etc, you will want to have a variety of vinegars on hand. Vinegar adds lots of flavor, and it is a picnic-safe alternative to mayonnaise.

Liquid for your smoothies
Keep your pantry stocked with organic non-GMO soy milk, almond milk, rice milk or coconut water so that you have liquid to blend your smoothies. Smoothies make a great breakfast or snack. Yes, you can buy soy milk in the refrigerated section of your supermarket, but if you don’t use it regularly, pick up a box of shelf-stable soy milk, and leave it in your pantry until the urge for a smoothie arises.

Nuts
I know that I already listed nut butter on the pantry essentials list here, but nuts are also great to have on hand. This is a great portable snack to keep in your bag or desk drawer at work. Throw a handful of crushed nuts onto your oatmeal in the morning or into a salad for lunch to make your meal heartier.

Vegetable broth
In an ideal world, we would all have time to simmer our own big pot of vegetable stock. Fortunately for us, there are a few excellent, organic vegetable broth options right on the shelves of your supermarket. I like to always keep a minimum of two cartons of broth in my pantry. Use vegetable broth instead of water to cook couscous or to make soup, simmer vegetables, add flavor to sauces or stews, etc. The possibilities for vegetable broth are endless.

Canned tomatoes
Canned tomatoes can be used in soups, stews, bean salads, or marinara sauce. I like to keep a variety of tomatoes in my pantry: crushed, diced, pureed and whole. For a quick meal idea using canned tomatoes, see this week’s recipe for Weeknight Marinara.

May 16, 2014
20 Ways to a Perfect Mother’s Day

As mothers, we rarely think about ourselves. Taking care of everyone else always seems to come first!

But, there is one day out of the year that should be all about YOU — and that’s Mother’s Day!

Here are our suggestions for making it a perfect day this year!

1. Start your day by setting a daily intention. Declare peace and joy for the day ahead.

2. Exercise. Don’t you feel better fitting this into your day?

3. Make yourself pretty. Get dressed up. Put makeup on.

4. Spend some time by yourself. Go for a walk. Read a book or magazine. Enjoy a cup of coffee or tea, but do it by yourself.

5. Pamper yourself. Get your nails done, go for a massage.

6. Turn off your phone, step away from the iPad and computer. No working and no social distractions. Devote your attention to yourself and your family.

7. Take a nap.

8. Let your family pamper you and serve you — preferably, breakfast, lunch and dinner!

9. No housework. No cooking, cleaning or worrying about an upside down house.

10. Let your husband and kids fend for themselves. Let the kids pick out their clothes, let your husband do the laundry. They will survive.

11. Enjoy a real meal, sitting down at the table (not at the kitchen counter or with kids hanging off of your body).

12. Indulge in dessert or wine, or both.

13. Take a picture of yourself with your kids — it’s funny how few of these we actually have.

14. Surround yourself with people you love.

15. Celebrate the other moms in your life: your mom, your sister, your best friend . . .

16. Spend time with your children. Read them a book, fit in a trip to the park, go on a bike ride. They are the reason you are being celebrated today!

17. Smile, a lot.

18. Kiss and hug your children.

19. Take a long, hot bath.

20. Recognize you are loved.

Happy Mother’s Day!

xoxo

Laura, Masumi & Kate

May 9, 2014
Set a Daily Intention

How do you start your morning? What is the first thing you do? Do you groggily open your eyes, roll over in bed to reach for your phone, check your Facebook, Instagram and weather apps, stumble into the bathroom to wash up and then find yourself in the kitchen where you begin to pour yourself a large mug of caffeine?

If this is your typical morning, I am here to tell you that it can be SO much more. You can change the frenetic pace of your day and start off feeling organized and peaceful. Each morning does not have to be a sudden jolt out of Sleepyland into Caffeineville.

I’m going to avoid the word “meditation”, because that word has the tendency to freak people out. No, I’m not asking you to meditate. I’m asking you to take 5 minutes each morning to sit quietly, breathe, give thanks, and set a daily intention.

Start out by finding a peaceful, clean place to sit.
I recommend setting a 5-minute timer (especially if you prefer lying down during this exercise) so you don’t drift off and miss your train to work. You can either sit on the floor on your yoga mat, on a pillow or in a comfortable chair. Just find a place that is away from the daily noise of your life. No catalogs, bills, permission slips for school, chapstick, tissue boxes or other visual clutter. I prefer sitting near a window because I love how I feel when natural light is pouring into my house.

Express gratitude
Next, close your eyes and say a simple prayer of gratitude. Whether or not you believe in a higher power, it is an important exercise to acknowledge and give thanks for everything in your life. Does it really matter if it’s a blessing from above or a matter of good circumstance? No. You are fortunate, and by actively recognizing that each morning, you will start the day on the right foot.

Breathe deeply
Once you’ve expressed gratitude, move on to an easy breathing exercise. Here is my favorite breathing technique that I learned during my yoga teacher training: Inhale deeply through the nose for a count of eight, hold the breath in the lungs for a count of four, and then exhale through the nose for a count of eight. In my mind, I count like this: Inhale, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. Hold, 2, 3, 4. Exhale, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. Repeat this count over and over in your mind until you are breathing in this manner without having to count in your head at all.

When your 5-minute timer buzzes, slowly open your eyes, and set an intention for the day. It doesn’t have to be an elaborate plan—it can be as basic as, “Today, I will welcome each challenge as an opportunity to grow.”

Starting each morning with peace, gratitude and a positive statement can make all the difference in the trajectory of your day. Give it a try, and let us know how it goes.

May 6, 2014
Demystifying Produce Codes

One day not so long ago, I was shopping for produce in my local supermarket. I looked down at the apple that I was holding, and I noticed a label stuck onto the skin. The label had a 5-digit code on it. I looked around and noticed that just about all of the loose fruits and vegetables had these stickers. I started wondering about the significance of the numbers on the labels, and after going home to do a little Internet research, I decided to turn my findings into an article, just for you!

It turns out that the numbers on the labels attached to individual vegetables or pieces of fruit are called Price Look-up (PLU) codes. PLU codes are four and five digit numbers that have been used in supermarkets since 1990 to make check-out and inventory control easier and more accurate. For example, by using these codes, cashiers can quickly determine if they are looking at conventional apples or organic apples in your shopping basket and charge you accordingly. Although the International Federation for Produce Standards (IFPS) created these codes for use by retailers, perhaps we can glean a bit of information from these numbers to help us become more informed consumers.

Here is what I have been able to gather from the IFPS Users’ Guide. If you would like to read directly from the primary source, please CLICK HERE. If you would rather read my summary and thoughts, please continue to read below:

All four-digit produce codes are assigned to conventionally grown produce. Therefore, when you see a red bell pepper with a sticker that reads “4688,” you know immediately that this vegetable has been grown conventionally, and most likely has been treated with synthetic pesticides.

All four-digit produce codes will be numbers in the 3000s or 4000s. These numbers are randomly assigned and have no significance. All that matters for your shopping purposes is the fact that the number is four digits, indicating conventional growing standards.

A five digit produce code beginning with the number “9” indicates that the produce has been grown organically. This means that the produce was grown without conventional pesticides, fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge. Genetic engineering or growth from genetically modified seeds is also prohibited for organic produce.

A five digit produce code beginning with the number “8” indicates that the produce has been genetically modified. HOWEVER, and this is a BIG however—this seems to be a completely theoretical concept. From my own personal experience of looking through bulk produce bins at various supermarkets, I have yet to find a single fruit or vegetable marked with a sticker beginning with the number “8”. This makes sense, as the use of PLU codes is not mandatory. If the use of such labels is not required, why would a grower/retailer ever stick a label identifying its fruits or vegetables as genetically modified? Would anyone ever buy such produce if genetically modified fruits and vegetables were readily recognizable? I know I certainly wouldn’t.

If genetically modified fresh produce is not labeled as such, what can we as consumers do? In my opinion, the best we can do is to be well aware of the most commonly genetically modified produce, and specifically seek out the organic versions of these fruits and vegetables. Fortunately, the list of commercially available genetically modified produce is short.

The three major genetically engineered crops in the United States are corn, soybeans, and cotton. More than 90% of all corn, soybeans and cotton grown in the US in 2013 was genetically engineered, and these three GMO crops account for HALF of the total land used to grow crops in the US.

Knowing that you will most likely never see a PLU code starting with the number 8 on each of your ears of corn, just go ahead and make the assumption that it is genetically modified. As you shop, just be sure to look for corn that is labeled as organic, if you would like to stay away from genetically modified produce. Likewise, make sure that you always buy organic soybeans and tofu.

Other genetically engineered crops in the US include canola, sugarbeets, alfalfa, papaya and squash. GMO crops such as cotton and canola are not classified as “produce”, but it is good to be aware, as cottonseed and canola are typically used in the production of shelf-stable products, such as oils and margarine.

April 22, 2014
An Announcement…

Hello everyone!

Just a quick note to thank you all for the tremendous support. In the two months that we’ve been up and running with the Two Fit Moms website, we’ve been working hard to create an online space where we can expand upon all of the yoga, fitness and nutrition love that we express so briefly in captions on Instagram. We hope you are enjoying all of our tutorials, tips, recipes, and weekly giveaways.

In an effort to provide more content, and in order to manage the Two Fit Moms website more effectively, we have added a new member to our team. We are excited to introduce you to Kate Alexander, who has been in our lives since high school!

Kate will take on the role of creative and editorial director for Two Fit Moms. With more than 15 years of experience in public relations, she will also be responsible for all things related to marketing and branding of the website. Kate will be a great addition to our team, as she shares her tips on how she balances her life as a professional consultant, a wife, and a mother to three young children. Please look out for her future posts on nutrition and wellness.

Much love to you all—

Masumi & Laura

March 27, 2014