Did you know that eating a small handful of almonds a day may actually decrease your total cholesterol levels and increase the good cholesterol?

Anyone out there feeling a bit of stress this time of year? 

Now that Christmas has past and a new year has begun, this is the time of year that alot of people find that they are stressed!

Some of you have made New Year’s Resolutions that you are trying so hard to keep. Some of you have lost family members this past year and are greiving. Others are in financial strain due to job loss, and because this year the weather has gone crazy on us and been quite gloomy with not alot of sunshine  happening, this has contributed to stress for many people and some may be feeling a bit down in the dumps too. 

Perhaps you miss your family or your holidays didn’t go as planned, or you are dealing with sick children or taking care of someone else who needs your help. No matter what, it is called “stress”! And if it’s not dealt with, stress can actually make you sick and worse it can actually kill!

I don't usually go crazy over a product but today I am. This past week I've been trying out a shampoo bar. I was so amazed by it that I have to share my experience with you all here today. 

Upfront Cosmetics is a small company in New Brunswick, Canada that makes shampoo bars, conditioning bars and moisturizing body bars as well. They are made without parabens, harmful chemicals that disrupt your endocrine system, no animal testing and best of all, they are amazing.

If you are like me, you probably grab a bottle of liquid shampoo and conditioner and off you go to shampoo your hair. Pretty typical for most people. But, what if I told you that there is a company that makes a shampoo bar that actually replaces about 3 bottles of your shampoo! And best of all, it leaves your hair feeling soft and shiny and squeaky clean the very first time you use it. Yes! It's true!

I have to admit that I was a bit skeptical when I first tried the  "Refreshing" Shampoo Bar from Upfront Cosmetics. I've used it a few times this week alone and I love it. Best of all, it's small, but don't be fooled by it's size, as it

Our skin is our largest organ in the body. We sometimes take it for granted and complain when it gets irritated in some way or another. Some people experience breakouts in the form of pimples, acne or skin rashes and don’t understand why. Many times when we are experiencing itchy or dry skin, it can be that we are reacting to some kind of irritation which can be from many different causes. Possibly something we ingested (pesticides and herbacides are common skin and hormone disrupters), something we put on our skin (perhaps a lotion, or cleaning agent, or perfume), something we touched (poison ivy or other irritating plant), or even something we have inhaled. You see, the skin is also one of our bodies pathways for detoxification and sometimes people have small breakouts when detoxifying. Yes, we actually detoxify through our skin as well.

But how do we know what is causing a rash, eczema or psoriasis or redness?

Fall is finally here! For some it means the end to a busy summer. Kids are back in school. Holidays are over and it's time to finish up harvesting the gardens and finish up preserving those special pickles and jams or chutneys that we savour over the cold winter months.

Fall is a time to enjoy "warming meals" like soups and stews, biscuits, casseroles, baked ham, and turkey dinners with family and friends. Don't forget the fresh apple pie or pumpkin muffins or cinnamon buns that fill your home with beautiful aromas, that warm you through and through on a cool rainy day. 

Sipping on apple cider while heading out to a pumpkin patch or running through

Are You Getting Enough Sleep? 

I don't know where the time went but school is back in for many kids and parents are scrambling to get them back into a routine. This all takes it's toll on everyone in the family and while there seems to be a bit of chaos at the beginning soon everyone will settle down and get back into a nice routine.

Trying to relax before bedtime is hard for many people but it is really important to try to let your mind wind down at the end of the day rather than worrying about all the things you are going to have to do the next day. Worrying doesn't help anything but planning ahead can help.

Here's a few quick tips to get a good nights rest: