I know that exercise—especially hard exercise, like running or mountain biking—helps me cope with all of the little spilled-milk moments (literally, figuratively) and even with more stressful everyday situations, such as work projects taking unexpected and disappointing turns. It’s as if exercise creates a buffer zone. Now scientists have some evidence that exercise really does buffer us at the neurological level, changing and enabling cells to function better under stress. more

Most mornings lately, I’ve been tired. Not just sleepy—bone-weary tired. There are a million things I could blame, from a hectic family/work schedule to chronically interrupted sleep (2- and 5-year-olds do not sleep very soundly). In the haze, it’s hard to know what it is I really need. More vitamins? Better exercise? It occurred to me this morning, as I turned up the hot water in the shower for an extra “blast,” that I am simply out of step with the season. Despite the fact that we don’t burrow in mud- and leaf-lined caves and sleep all winter, humans are meant to slow down and rest more in the colder/darker months. And lately I have been expecting myself to do everything as if it were still mid summer with bountiful sunlight and tons of social energy. So when Michael Finkelstein, M.D., got in touch to offer these simple tips for staving off the winter blues, I took note. more

I know that I do. In fact, lately I have been spending hundreds of dollars out of pocket to address persistent back pain. (Rolfing and chiropractic are scarcely covered by my insurance, and the physical therapy that WAS covered didn’t do much to solve the issue.) This NYTimes article today underscores the problem, particularly for those with more serious health issues, such as cancer.

Do you struggle with the cost of (or lack of insurance coverage for) integrative or alternative therapies that you or your family members need?

Check out this color-coded world map, showing typical calorie intake by country. Wow. Looks like we’re underestimating the number of calories on our plates. Big time. Too bad, because studies show that calorie restriction may hold the key to longevity. (Get the lowdown on calorie restriction and other natural ways to boost longevity.)

For healthy body weight, nonfat and low-fat milk is the obvious choice for kids, right? Not so fast. New evidence suggests that children who drink whole milk actually weigh less and have lower BMIs compared to kids who don’t drink milk or who regularly consume nonfat or low-fat milk. Like other studies, this seems to suggest that some dietary fat may actually have a positive effect on overall health and weight.

In the release from the University of Gothenburg, dietician Susanne Eriksson, author of the thesis notes: “This is an interesting observation, but we don’t know why it is so. It may be the case that children who drink full-fat milk tend also to eat other things that affect their weight.” The scientists also discovered a difference between overweight children who drink full-fat milk every day and those who do not. Children who often drink milk with a fat content of 3% are less overweight. The thesis shows also that the children eat more saturated fat than recommended, but those children who have a high intake of fat have a lower BMI than the children with a lower intake of fat.

Children’s food allergies have been on the rise for quite some time, with no clear explanation as to why. Some experts blame GMOs, others the timing of introducing foods to kids or the frequency with which we consume certain staples—such as wheat, dairy, soy, and corn. Evidence shows that most kids acquire food allergies within their first couple years of life, which may explain why researchers recently found that kids who started multivitamin supplements earlier (in this case, before age 4) showed a 39 percent reduction in food allergy risk, while older children saw little or no change to allergy risk when taking the same multivitamins. Take away? Multivitamins can in fact help reduce allergy risk, but only if they’re started early.

Green tea is an acquired taste, but one that you may want to cultivate if you (like me) suffer from mental and emotional overload from time to time (insert picture of frazzled parent here). In a recent study conducted in Japan, people drinking five cups of green tea per day lowered the likelihood of experiencing mental distress by 20 percent. Although green tea contains caffeine (at smaller amounts than in black tea or regular coffee) green tea also contains compounds like L-theanine, a naturally occurring amino acid that has a calming, focusing effect on the mind.

If you shun green tea because of its strong, grassy taste, you might prefer a flavored variety, such as Mighty Leaf’s jasmine green or the kiwi pear green tea from Republic of Tea. Celestial Seasonings has also recently come out with a line of green teas blended with white tea for a smoother taste. A small amount of honey or agave nectar never hurts the taste, either, though it does add calories to an otherwise zero-calorie beverage.

If you are what you eat, then my husband is at least one-third burrito (I might be more like one-eighth). For years he has scarfed down egg, potato, and chili burritos from Phil’s Fresh, a Colorado company that uses wholesome ingredients and brings awesome taste to what could need a whopping dollop of salsa to make it palatable (it doesn’t). Now Phil Anson of Phil’s Fresh has teamed up with former founding partners of Bear Naked Granola, Tom Spier and Brendan Synnott; they’ve boosted their flavor profiles and are taking the burritos national with a cool new frozen burrito line, Evol Burritos, now available in natural product stores such as Whole Foods.

Brendan, who yes by-the-way was a cast member of Survivor: Tocantins, dropped by the Delicious Living offices the other day—Panini press and a box of the 11 flavors in hand—to give us a taste for ourselves. All we can say is … YUM. “Who wants to eat something with gross cheese and no taste?” Brendan asked in reply to our question, “Why Evol burritos?” The freezer section lacks burritos with real taste, he said, and Evol’s here to change that.

Key to taste is quality ingredients. Check out this cool interactive tool that tells you a little bit about key ingredients, like antibiotic-free beef. What I love? That the burritos come in 6-oz and 8-oz (his and her?) versions. Though come to think of it, my husband may not like that so much since he usually happily cleans up on anything I don’t eat. (Stay tuned for Evol mini-burritos, great finger food for parties and kids.)

Favorite flavor? Hands down the Egg & Green Chile. But the Tofu & Spinach is also tasty, and I hear the Chorizo Sausage & Egg is pretty killer too. I may not be on Survivor, but watch for me on the Vail web-cam this winter, scarfing down an Evol burrito en route to the slopes.

The Omnivore’s Dilemma: The Secrets Behind What You Eat (Young Readers Edition) hits shelves next week. With it, Pollan hopes to reach a whole new generation of eaters with the same compelling naratives and statistics in the original book—only in a more kid-friendly format. “I think that if were are going to change this food system and get right with our eating in this country it’s going to involve kids eating in a different way, learning more about their food choices, exercising personal responsibility from a position of knowledge rather than all the marketing illusion that’s around,” he said recently in my interview with him about the book. more

Yes, according to experts, chemicals in plastics and other everyday items do make us fat. Recently, we reported on BPA’s link to obesity, but BPA isn’t the only synthetic chemical thought to possibly increase fat storage. PCBs, phthalates, PBDEs, and PFOA—all common household chemicals in everything from carpet to toothbrushes—are also suspect. To find out more about where these lurk, check out Children’s Health Magazine’s breakdown (via this Grist roundup of commentary and evidence on this issue). Have you done anything to avoid these chemicals? Where do you concentrate your efforts? Food, cleaning products, household items? As a parent, I easily become overwhelmed and guilt-ridden at the fact that I haven’t replaced ALL of the plastic cups, toys, and bedding in our home.