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Tips & More

Natural Deodorizers

Before you tackle an offensive odor, try opening a door or window. Fresh air can often eradicate the offensive smell eliminating the need for further action. If the problem persists, or weather keeps you from opening doors and windows, try finding the source of the odor, and eliminate it. This is better than masking the smells with a commercial air freshener, which often contain toxic chemicals.

Most household odors can be separated into two groups, based on their pH level: acidic odors and alkaline odors. Acidic odors such as smoke can often be reduced with an open box of baking soda, while alkaline odors, such as cooked vegetables, are better neutralized by vinegar, baking soda, and lemon juice. Other options would include orange oil, eucalyptus, and cloves.

Read more for a guide on how to use these natural elements to combat lingering odors in your home.

Celiac Disease

Celiac disease is an auto-immune condition that affects an estimated 1 in 133 Americans, or about 1% of the population. And it can occur at any time in a person's life.

When people with celiac disease eat products containing even a trace of gluten - a protein found in wheat, barley, rye, spelt, kamut, and oats that helps dough keep its shape when it rises - their small intestines become inflamed and unable to absorb nutrients. The only real treatment is to remove gluten from the diet completely.

Many people have gluten sensitivities, yet don't test positive for Celiac disease. These individuals can have a myriad of health issues ranging from bloating, to headaches, to fatigue.

To find out if you have sensitivity to gluten ask yourself the following questions:

Preserve Your Produce

You pay good money for your fruits and vegetables, and yet they often get mushy and brown before you have a chance to enjoy them

Tossing a sheet of Fenugreen FreshPaper into your bowl or crisper will help keep your produce fresh 2 to 4 times longer.

"Our customers say it's like a dryer sheet for your fruit," says inventor Kavita Shukla, who created FreshPaper with spices from a home remedy her grandmother in India made for her as a child.

Mood Lifter

Winter, spring, summer, or fall; no matter what time of year, it's important to find ways to keep yourself motivated and your mood lifted. There are several things you can do to help enhance and elevate your mood, like getting enough rest, eating properly, and exercising regularly. And there are herbs that can help as well. One in particular, that seems to be getting a lot of attention is Rhodiola. (Pronounced: road-ee-oh-la)

Rhodiola is native to the arctic regions of Europe, Asia, and Alaska. It has been credited with decreasing fatigue, reducing pain, improving sleep, and easing depression. (We like it already!) For those who are affected by fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue, Rhodiola has been found to help dramatically. (Prevention magazine: 10/2012)

11 Foods For Radiant Skin

What you eat shows in your complexion. When you consume healthy foods, your skin benefits as much as the rest of your body. Research shows eating the right foods gives you smooth, clear skin and a youthful glow.

Here are the top 11 foods to give you a more radiant, youthful complexion.

Almonds: Almonds have vitamin E which neutralize free radicals; those pesky molecules that dull your skin. They also contain fatty acids which can help to brighten your skin, giving it a youthful glow.

Apricots: Not only are they delicious, they are also full of vitamin A in which our body converts to retinol, a compound that helps produce new cells. The production of new cells helps minimize wrinkles.

Udder Alternatives

There are so many alternatives to consuming animal milk that choosing one might feel a little overwhelming. But it really just comes down to the flavor and consistency you prefer.

When you think about it, cow's milk is designed by nature to grow a baby calf or bull calf from its birth weight of around 65 pounds, to a full sized cow or bull which will end up weighing somewhere between1600 and 2400 pounds! Is it any wonder that dairy milk drinkers often find themselves struggling with their weight? And while the dairy industry does offer non-fat versions as well as 1%, 2% and so on, they have to replace the fat they remove with something to enhance the flavor and unfortunately, it's often sugar! (Don't even get us started!)

Read more for a breakdown, cup for cup, in calories, total fat, protein, and calcium based on the % daily value:

The Dirty Dozen Plus

Trying to decide whether to buy organic? Are you familiar with the Dirty Dozen? It's the Environmental Working Group's high-profile list of fruits and vegetables that are the most toxic when grown conventionally (non-organically).

This list will help you determine which fruits and vegetables have the most pesticide residues and are the most important to buy organic. You can lower your pesticide intake substantially by avoiding the 12 most contaminated fruits and vegetables and eating the least contaminated produce.

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