Welcome to Green Diva Mom, your home for living green, inside and out. More than just a community of moms, Green Diva Mom is for moms, dads, aunts, uncles, grandparents and siblings—anyone who cares about raising healthy children and healthy living on all levels, from what we put into the environment down to what we put in our own bodies. Check back daily for information, news, tips product reviews and recipes for leading a healthy life without sacrificing style.

ⓒ iStockPhoto - ktaylorg

The barometer is showing fluctuations. The days may be hotter than the evenings and nights. At this particular time it is very likely that you catch cold and flu viruses. The cold and flu season typically begins as early as October and usually continues until April. Here are few self- care tips to help you and your family members prevent cold and flu, and recover from them sooner. Note: It is always a good idea to consult your physician in case you exhibit any of the symptoms of cold or flu.

Check symptoms for common cold like runny nose, sneezing, nasal congestion, sore throat, cough and/or mild fatigue. It is usually caused by a virus. (continue reading…)

ELAVA Botanik believes that what goes on the body should be as pure as what goes in the body. With that thought in mind they created the the first 100% natural, certified organic fruit pulp hair care products. Each product is marked with a “fresh until” date just like grocery products.

“ELAVA” is Finnish for “living.” Their ingredients demonstrate their standards of purity with non-allergenic, non-toxic, paraben-free, sulfate-free formulas completely without glutens, silicones, or synthetic fragrance. They are set apart from other brands even further by the use of whole organic foods and not botanical extracts. (continue reading…)

©iStockphoto.com - marcelmooij

Many of us spend a lot of time sitting in our chair at a desk or near the computer table. People say that they have a 9 hours job and spend a lot of time in commuting so they don’t find enough time to do exercise or stretch their body. But finding a break in between your work and doing some stretching can be a very good and easy way to remain fit and away from many health issues. You body gets stiff and starts aching if you remain in the same position for a long time. If your work requires you to remain in the same posture all the time, you might develop some orthopedic problems over the time. Thus, getting a couple of breaks and doing some stretching at work place is a good idea. The stretching exercises will give your joints mobility and make them more stable. At times you may find it difficult to bend and tie up shoes or zip up a dress. These stretching exercising can help you in maintaining the simple range of motion of your body and tasks easier.

Always keep in mind not to over stretch beyond the point of pain. For more tips on stretching read: Exercise mistakes (continue reading…)

My husband I were recently discussing the fact that food has become boring, that we’re both sick of the same old stuff.

Perfect timing for me to receive a new cookbook.

Now my husband isn’t much for eating healthy, I have to trick him to get him to try new food- the last I tell him is that it’s healthy. But he loves seafood and coconut and wouldn’t you know it The Best of Clean Eating is full of recipes featuring one or the other. I’m not much for fish but I do love shrimp so there’s even recipes that both of us can enjoy. Especially the desserts.

The desserts are something hubby and I can both whole heartedly agree on - like on page 152, you get the healthy sweet snacks Power Yogurt for One and Coconut Balls- both recipes sound delicious. But it’s the real desserts that will make you crave healthy decadence. On page 232 I am seriously drooling over the Molten Lava Cakes made with cocoa powder. On page 230 I see a cake I am going to make for my chocolate and coconut loving husband- Coconut Chai Chocolate Cake. Wow it sounds so yummy my stomach is grumbling in sweet anticipation.

For those of you who love carrot cake you have to check out page 226 the recipe for Slow Cooker Carrot Cake and Cream Cheese Honey Drizzle will make non carrot cake lovers drool. Then there’s Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies and Orange Chocolate Ricotta Cheesecake…On page 214 I spy the ultimate apple pie recipe- it’s a pairing of two of my favorite things- vanilla and apples. The Vanilla Bean Spiked Autumn Apple Pie is going on my Thanksgiving menu.

After going through this cookbook you’ll never ever again think that eating healthy is eating bland.

The full color photos are enough to inspire you into exploring new culinary delights then you read through the ingredients and your mouth will start to water.

So far I’ve only spoken of sweet delights but there’s so much more in The Best of Clean Eating, for both die hard foodies and those who simply love food or are looking to try something new.

Throughout the book you’ll find a huge assortment of recipes- gingery roasted squash, roasted cauliflower leek and garlic soup, golden mashed potatoes, apple grilled cheese, yummy hummus, clean eating tortilla chips, sweet potato spread, garlic bruschetta…is your stomach growling yet? Because mine is.

Breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, desserts…you’ll find clean eating recipes for it in this book.

My husband and I are currently marking pages and making a shopping list for all the amazing recipes we are going to try. I can’t wait- I’m actually excited about food again.

ⓒ iStockPhoto - belterz

Have you ever gotten a feeling that your resources are just going to end and there is nothing left you can use for going on further in life? Stress has become an essential part of our lives just like eating, drinking and breathing. Our body’s energy bank needs to do intensive rebuilding when it is in a situation of stress. Rest and relaxation comes into play at that time. Our bodies have the parasympathetic nervous system which works during the day and stimulates the activities associated with “fight or flight” reaction when we work. It is in “rest and digest” mode that we renew our energy stores during sleep or relaxation. But if you are continuously under stress at home and in workplace, you may develop tension and frustration. (continue reading…)

©iStockphoto.com - Kate_sept2004

You must have noticed the influence of food advertisement playing in TV on your kids. Interestingly the food advertisement budgets for children have grown staggeringly. In the year 1983, the food and beverage industries in USA spent $1 million targeting kids. In 2006, more than $10 billion was spent on the marketing of food and beverage for kids in America alone. Today, most of the food advertisements focus on kids. Why? These companies know exactly what your kids want to eat and drink. They are skilled in persuading the kids to eat their food. Food companies are going to gain a lot if they can influence the eating habit of the kids or control the decision regarding what do they want to eat. According to the estimates, 83% of the commercials played during the most popular shows for elementary kids were for fast food, snack, sweets or drinks.

A study carried out at Stanford University measured the effect of real-world marketing and brand exposure on young kids 3-5 years of age. The kids were presented with five pairs identical foods, one item of each pair in simple McDonald’s packaging and the identical items in the similar packaging without McDonald’s logo. The kids were asked to taste the food and were asked which one tasted better or if the food items tasted same. Despite absolutely no difference in the food items, children preferred the food coming with the McDonald’s logo. This was true for the fast food, milk and even for the baby carrots, which are not sold by McDonald’s!! (continue reading…)

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Here are some staggering statistics.  Americans spend approximately $13 billion a year on chocolate.  Moreover, Americans will purchase 58 million pounds of chocolate candy during the days leading up to Valentines Day.  This translates into $345 million dollars in sales.

Chocolate is the hallmark candy of Valentines Day.  It is revered for its wonderful rich taste along with its heart healthy benefits; however, not all chocolate is the same.  The chocolate candies that come in a red, heart-shaped box are usually full of sugar and fat and really have no nutritional value at all.  If you want to benefit from chocolate, then look for dark chocolate, with a 65% or higher cocoa content.  Studies indicate that the antioxidant flavonoids in dark chocolate have been linked to decrease of stroke and cardiovascular disease and may  also have anti-cancer benefits, as they help reduce cell damage that spur tumor growth. (continue reading…)