While we were all busy keeping up with New Year resolutions and kids back to school, the USDA announced they will retire the Grassfed Labeling Standard. The reason was unclear. What does this mean? This means confusion for consumers and an eroding of trust for the grassfed label. The USDA created the grassfed standard in 2006 after a lengthy …
3 Ways to Support Pesticide Free School Lunches
There's lots things to think about to prepare the kids for school each day. And maybe with the new year in motion you're asking: what can I do to keep kids healthy, strong and ready to learn? Read on for some tips on what we can do to ensure school kids across the country have access to nutritious, tasty pesticide free food. 1 - Informed Choices …
10 Not So Healthy Baby Food
It's been a while since I've bought baby food. Come to think of it, I don't think I ever bought baby food for my child. I used to bring jarred baby food (the fruity ones) in my packed lunches to school or work, so it's been a long time. By the time I had my son I decided baby food wasn't for us and opted for baby led weaning or making our own baby …
Why A McTeacher Night Does More Harm Than Good
McDonald's has been heavily criticized for not only it's unhealthy food choices, but also it's questionable marketing tactics. So, it shouldn't come as a surprise that they're at it again with a nationwide event called McTeacher's Night. What is a McTeacher Night? On McTeacher’s Nights, McDonald’s brings the schools into their restaurants for a …
Family Leave: 6 Months For All Employees At Stonyfield
Stonyfield, as part of a coalition of employers led by its parent company, Danone, is pleased to announce that beginning in July of 2016, it will offer 6 months of paid maternity leave to mothers, or the primary caregiver in the case of same sex couples. As a progressive company with a focus on healthy families, Stonyfield already offers a …
Are You Worried about GMOs in Your Olive Oil? Here’s What To Look Out For When You’re Shopping
Olive oil is one of the must-have ingredients in your kitchen for cooking and sautéing, providing excellent flavor and good health for your family. The problem is that not all olive oils are created equal, and those health benefits can be outweighed by poor quality processing or even GMOs in your olive oil. Let’s take a look at why it is good for …
School Chicken Nuggets: A Closer Look
What's in school chicken nuggets? Apparently that can be a hard question to answer. It took a Freedom of Information Act to get a Chicago school district to answer "chicken nuggets." After some more pressing, the school district came back with an incomplete 28 ingredient list. It took some serious work, but our Mamavation founder was able to get …
12 Inflammatory Foods
There are a number of ways in which food can affect our bodies. It can give us energy, impact how we feel, and change our health. Foods can have both positive and adverse affects, so it's important that we look at what we're eating. One of those adverse affects can be an inflammatory response. Inflammation is the body's attempt to remove something …
Real Food Lunchbox Recipes: How to Survive School Lunch
It's back to school season and everywhere kids are likely dreading it. They don't want to leave carefree summers behind for homework and a scheduled daily routine. Meanwhile, parents are secretly rejoicing that they have a bit more time to themselves after carpool duty. But, perhaps parents and children are dreading one of the same things– school …
Marketing To Children: 9 Ways Junk Food Giants Target Children
Hooking your kids on junk food is a billion dollar business. According to a recent study by the Federal Trade Commission, the food and beverage industry spends nearly $2 billion a year on targeted marketing to children and teens. That’s some serious dough—and it’s not just going toward Sponge Bob TV ads. In fact, the many ways the food industry …
Iced Tea Culprits: These Brands Can Sour Your Summer
This time of year often means refreshing iced tea to cool your child’s thirst as she plays hard in the summer heat. But not all iced tea brands are equal! While common sense dictates that brewed tea, sugar and water should be all you need in a glass, many brands do much more than just add a little natural preservative to make the shelf. And far too …
Saving Money on Organic Groceries: The Ultimate Guide
As more consumers are discovering the benefits of eating organic, the demand is growing. As a result, organic foods are becoming readily available in grocery stores, big box stores, and almost anywhere you can buy food. Sales of organic food are showing double digits increases annually. It's more available and more affordable than it's ever been. …