One misconception that the food industry would like us to believe is that ALL yogurt is healthy because of the beneficial bacteria (probiotics) that the product contains.

However, many of the largest food corporations have turned yogurt into quasi-junk food by adding ingredients such as artificial colors, chemical defoamers, milk from cows who have been raised on genetically-engineered feed, synthetic preservatives, carrageenan, high fructose corn syrup, aspartame, and excessive levels of sugar.

Some “fruit yogurts” don’t even contain fruit!

Other yogurts may be afoul of the FDA’s official definition of yogurt and may not even be legally qualified to market themselves as “yogurt”.

All of this is detailed in The Cornucopia Institute’s groundbreaking report on yogurt called Culture Wars: How the Food Giants Turned Yogurt, a Health Food, into Junk Food.

In its exhaustive research piece, Cornucopia breaks the report down into five main sections: Read more »

There may be other brands of superfoods on the market that are more well-known and have wider distribution, but when it comes to quality, Essential Living Foods holds its own with anyone.

I have had long discussions with CEO Kipp Stroden about how and from where he sources his products, and I can assure you that he has done his homework. I trust him completely.

Two products that I believe are extremely well-formulated and have great taste are Essential Living Foods’ Coco Mojo and Maca Blend. Read more »

After attending each Expo East and Expo West trade show, I name my Top 5 Organic Food Products. And for the last two shows, I have had my friend Vani Hari of Food Babe give her critique of my picks as well.

Below is a quick recap of my Top 5 Organic Food Products from Natural Products Expo East 2014 but please watch the video above to get my full assessment of all of the products. Read more »

When you start delving into the world of health, one thing becomes very apparent.

There are a ton of labels.

Usually described as a way to eat or what to avoid, some of the most popular ones are vegan, vegetarian, dairy-free, gluten-free, wheat-free, paleo, raw, and pescatarian.

Needless to say, there is a lot to figure out, and many people treat these labels as if they were absolute, with no room for flexibility.

And that is exactly why I think Holli Thompson’s approach in her new book – Discover Your Nutritional Style: Your Seasonal Plan to a Healthy, Happy and Delicious Life – works so well.

Her philosophy rests on the importance of figuring out what works for you, regardless of what the label says. Read more »

As a result of living in NYC but having grown up in Boston, I am quite aware of the difference between the two cities, in terms of the organic food and pressed juice offerings.

NYC has a ton and Boston has very little.

But with the recent opening of Cocobeet, ironically located between a Subway and Dunkin’ Donuts, it is an understatement to say that Bostonians are thrilled to have them there.

“On our second day of business, we sold 270 bottles of juice and had to close our doors because there was nothing left to sell,” Co-Founder Onur Ozkoc told me. Read more »

Recently, I spent time in Nantucket, an island off of Cape Cod in Massachusetts, and was thrilled to have access to plenty of great organic food and juice.

Below is a recap of Nantucket’s offerings for organic restaurants, pressed organic juice, organic farms, and organic markets.

THE GREEN

As the only organic restaurant on Nantucket, I had lunch at The Green quite a bit. They sell great burritos, bowls, smoothies, juices, and breakfast items. Read more »

Unless you live in the New York area and are immersed in the health and wellness world, there is a decent chance that you’ve never heard of Rawpothecary or LuliTonix.

But that won’t be the case for long, as I expect both of these brands to become very recognizable, national players within a matter of time.

Having closely watched Rawpothecary and LuliTonix over the past year, I not only love what they’re putting on the shelves, but the women behind each of these NYC-based companies are two of the hardest-working entrepreneurs I’ve come across.

RAWPOTHECARY

A few years ago, founder Stephanie Walczak had a close friend that was poisoned so badly from pesticides that he was literally on his death bed.  With conventional medicine completely failing him and few alternatives left, Stephanie, a graduate of the Institute of Integrative Nutrition and The Natural Gourmet Institute, got into the kitchen and worked her magic with the Vitamix, making sure he got fed super-nutritious blended drinks. Read more »