Many of us interested in natural wellness are already well familiar with the idea that natural fats are healthy and actually essential for one's health, even though the mainstream message for several decades has been to avoid fat as something that leads to heart disease.

Meanwhile, those in natural wellness have pointed repeatedly to the dangers of added sugar (which is finally going to become a line item on food labels), with well over 100 health problems related to sugar. And recently, it became mainstream news that the sugar industry skewed studies from the 1960s about its role in heart disease, trying to put the blame on fat.

Well, all things in moderation. We believe the right fats should be consumed (and certainly not artificial fats like hydrogenated oils) in the right amounts, so it's not about indulgence. And avoiding sugar by consuming artificial sweeteners may be an even worse choice than consuming sugar. The more we get honest science about this type of thing, the more we can have educated conversations and make educated decisions as consumers.

The dangers of added sugar are exactly why we encourage people to look at alternatives to dessert. Anything from reducing portions to finding healthier options. And it's why we like the trend of healthy chocolates that do not include dairy or refined sugar; often have other superfoods added; and in some cases they choose low-glycemic sweeteners like xylitol. This means they have little to no effect on blood sugar levels while still providing a sweet experience.

This is why we carry Tru Chocolate (organic, no dairy, no sugar, gluten free, and loaded with superfood ingredients). It's not your only choice for healthy chocolate, but if it is your choice, we offer excellent pricing in bulk so you can have your sweet fix at the best possible price.

:( Sadly, Tru Chocolate is not currently available on Amazon. Here is a link to the Premium Dark Chocolate page. 

We came across a recently updated article on essential oils that promote hair growth and thickness. We're usually happy to link to outside articles, but in this case the heavy advertising creates such a slow and bad experience, we'll show you the link here (for reference); you can choose to copy and paste if you so choose. You've been warned.

http://www.boldsky.com/beauty/hair-care/2016/7-best-essential-oils-for-hair-growth-and-thickness/4-peppermint-oil-pf132258-105562.html

Many of the oils they talk about our carrier oils like jojoba oil and coconut oil. But a couple are what most people think of when hearing "essential oils," and we carry both. Not only do we carry them, but of course we carry the only line of essential oils we're aware of that have undergone clinical testing to verify their health benefits. This is with an alternate health technology, but one we love for its progressive understanding of how the heart works. (Read more about this on our essential oils page.)

The two that fall into the traditional category of essential oils are lavender oil, which is possibly the most flexible and the most widely of all essential oils. They point out that it promotes hair growth and improves the "overall quality of the strands."

They also point to peppermint essential oil, which can stimulate the hair and scalp. They recommend massaging it into the scalp at least once a week. We like the idea (and personally find that a couple drops of peppermint oil rubbed directly onto the belly is tremendous in addressing stomach aches), but caution you to use a carrier oil, as peppermint oil is very powerful and may provide a burning sensation. Always patch test any oil you want to use on your skin.

We're big fans of essential oils, as we are any natural products that carry so many benefits. And with essential oils, you get the benefit of amazing smells. In fact, these smells are a big part of the power, and as with all our essential oils inhalers, these oils can be used strictly on a scent basis to provide a positive impact as shown by the science of olfaction (smell) and how smells trigger different responses in the brain.

An article posted earlier this month confirms much of what we've pointed out on this site about using an ozone laundry system.

While the article talks about a commercial system for large laundry operations, it points out that ozone kills bacteria far more quickly than bleach; that laundry comes out fresh; and that there are real cost savings along with a reduction in chemical usage.

The latter is something we personally love about our home ozone laundry system. We love that it will pay for itself in a year or two through cost savings, but we love even more that we're not wearing clothes and sleeping on sheets with residual laundry detergent every day. We're so swamped with chemicals in our world already, no wonder so many people struggle with allergies and skin problems.

Besides, not having to figure out whether to run hot or warm or cold laundry loads (you never pay to heat your water with ozone) and never figuring out how much detergent to add ... these just make it easy to do laundry. And each to his own, but we prefer not having to put much energy into something like laundry!