So You Think the FDA Knows or Cares What’s On Labels

What’s a busy mom supposed to do? 

She’s becoming aware that all is not right in the world. She’s connecting the dots between the health of her family and the products she buys and uses. She wants to make more informed choices, but her days are filled to overflowing with all the jobs she is responsible for getting done? She would like to be able to sit down with a cup of coffee and do her own research, find her own answers…

But the baby’s crying.The toddler is feeding his lunch to the dog. The laundry she washed yesterday is still in the washer, because the load she did the day before is still in the dryer. All the hampers are overflowing. And now the teenager is sulking

Labels are created to grab your attention and convince you to choose that box/bottle/product setting on the shelf or pictured in an online ad. Manufacturers are VERY good at covering up anything that would make us not want to buy the product.

Would you choose a product with a label that openly said it has these ingredients?

  • arsenic?

  • hormone disrupters?

  • triclosan?

  • artificial flavorings?

  • diacetyl

  • coal tar?

  • phthalates

  • PFAS?

  • formaldehyd?

  • Mercury?

  • PEGs?

  • aluminum?

  • petroleum byproducts?

  • carcinogens?

  • synthetic fragrance?

  • artificial color?

  • PFAS?


No! You wouldn’t. But if you’re not paying close attention, you probably are.

Manufacturers know this, so they omit those words (and others) instead choosing misleading words to make us THINK we’re buying a clean product. It’s called “greenwashing.” And it is becoming more and more prevalent.

“But that’s why we have the FDA, right?”

I used to think so. But the FDA doesn’t know or care about a product or its label until consumers report damage in large numbers. And then it may take a decade or more before they actually take any action. Many American companies make two versions of their products: one for Americans with the yucky stuff, and one for Europe because the yucky stuff has been banned. Say Whuuut?

SIDENOTE: Have you watched Dopesick? It has strong language and isn’t appropriate for children, but if you can stomach profanity, watch it! It’s the sick saga of how Purdue Pharma was able to hoodwink America into thinking OxyContin was a good thing. The role the FDA played in that fiasco is just one instance of how corrupt and duplicitous big business and big government are. (FYI - the woman that approved the “black box label” is the SAME woman responsible for blocking a specific treatment protocol that practicing physicians were using successfully with their patients during the scourge of 2021 and beyond. Grrrrrr!)

I used to be that busy momma. I made some really bad buying choices when my four children were still at home. It wasn’t until I had grandchildren that I began to take a good look at labels. I began to read and research reasons why my joints hurt, why my skin was sallow, why my hair was dull and lifeless.

A teacher at heart, though no longer in a public school classroom, I now teach what I’ve learned to mommas and grandmoms who want to do better for their families. I moderate a private Facebook group where we learn together.

Nine Reasons to Drink More Water

Nine Reasons to Drink More Water

To understand the importance of drinking enough water, let's look at some statistics. (I know...yawn.)


  • At least 60% of the human body is composed of water.
  • Our blood is 90% water!
  • Cartilage, found in our joints and in the disks of the spine, contains around 80 percent water.

Here are the nine reasons to drink more water:

  • aids efficient removal of toxins via sweat, urine, and feces
  • efficient regulation of body temperature
  • improved mood
  • promotes collagen – skin stays brighter
  • healthier joints, spinal cord, and tissues
  • better absorption of vitamins, minerals, and nutrients
  • protection of the kidneys
  • improved immunity
  • activates your metabolism – boosts energy

What are the risks of inadequate water (dehydration)?

  • constipation and an overly acidic stomach, leading to heartburn and stomach ulcers
  • blood becomes thicker, increasing blood pressure
  • asthma and allergies worsen
  • kidney stones
  • chronic kidney disease
  • Urinary Tract Infections
  • seizures and loss of consciousness caused by imbalance of electrolytes
  • impaired mood, memory, and brain performance
  • headaches and migraines

So... are you drinking enough water?

How much is enough? The experts can't seem to agree, but 2 thoughts are mentioned many times in the research:

  1.    Women should drink nine 8 ounce cups per day, men twelve 8 ounce cups.
  2.   Calculate your recommended intake: Body Weight divided by 2 = number of ounces you should drink.

Take a good, honest look at your water intake. Are you dehydrated? Have headaches, constipation, brain fog, or any of the other things in the list above?


Do you need help getting in the habit of drinking adequate water? Need an accountability partner to stay on track? Want some tips and strategies that will help you be successful? 


Get a Water Intake Tracker and join my 30 Day Water Challenge



How to Start Journaling When the Blank Page Holds You Back

How to Start Journaling When the Blank Page Holds You Back


Maggie, my 8 year old granddaughter, is wise beyond her years! (That's her holding a baby shark!) Her teacher recently gave her class an assignment: write about a favorite hobby. (Can I just say how much I appreciate teachers that incorporate writing in their practice?!) Part of what she wrote was this: 

I like to write. I like to write because it calms my brain down when I am sad mad or even when I am frustrated.

Isn't that fabulous!

Scientific data confirms what she says is true.  It's been found that within the first few seconds of experiencing a negative emotion, people automatically tense the muscles in their jaw and around the eyes and mouth. And with repeated stress, over time stressed out people have shorter and shorter neck and shoulder muscles. If you want an interesting rabbit hole to go down, ask Ms. Google to tell you about how emotions can make us sick! We actually change our bodies by our emotions! Woah! That is reason enough to pull out a pencil and start writing, because like Maggie says, writing DOES make our days better. 

But...

If you're new to journaling, you may be intimidated by a blank journal page. It's a common stumbling block, especially if you incorporate art into journaling. Thankfully, if we just get still and commune with God, He will guide us.

Today, while thinking about how wonderfully we have been created in God's own image, I thought about fingerprints. Of all the millions and millions of people on Earth, each fingerprint is unique and different.

And just like that, I knew what to put in my journal! I would start with a modified thumbprint and use it as the guideline for one of my favorite chapters in Psalms, Chapter 101. It contains a verse that I use as an affirmation before going online: I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes.

Affirmations help to set the intention we want and need. Stating them as a positive makes them more powerful. But as we're trying to purge our minds of wicked things, we can't just purge without replacing. No one want a vacuous mind! It would be fertile ground for the devil to plant wickedness. So if we fill our minds with is scripture, we root out Satan: Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee. Psalm 119:11

Here's the whole text of Psalm 101 in case you're encouraged to try the technique I shared in the video above.

1 . I will sing of mercy and judgment: unto thee, O Lord, will I sing.
2. I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way. O when wilt thou come unto me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart.
3. I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me.
4. A froward heart shall depart from me: I will not know a wicked person.
5. Whoso privily slandereth his neighbour, him will I cut off: him that hath an high look and a proud heart will not I suffer.
6. Mine eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me: he that walketh in a perfect way, he shall serve me.
7. He that worketh deceit shall not dwell within my house: he that telleth lies shall not tarry in my sight.
8. I will early destroy all the wicked of the land; that I may cut off all wicked doers from the city of the Lord.

I pray this blesses you. For more Live Well - Be Well content, join our private Facebook community.

4 Ways to Better Health

4 Ways to Better Health

How can we build our Immunity?

First, consider these 4 things that deplete our immunity:

  1.  Lack of Sleep. That's a biggie, I know. Especially today! Social isolation and worries about all the things that empact us is a big reason for wakeful nights. But even during good times, parental duties, job duties, normal anxiety, etc., can cause interruptions in our sleep. I have some strategies that work for me, perhaps they will work for you.

  2. Processed Food. Fast food. Takeout food. Real food harvested not for optimal nutrition, but for optimal transportation to your grocery store. Real food grown in soil poisioned by pesticides and depleted of essential nutrient building minerals. Our bodies can't function optimally when we consume fake food or food devoid of nutrients. Again, I have recommendations for you to help with nutrition.

  3. Sugar. Refined white sugar. Fake sugar like High Fructose Corn Syrup. Synthetic sugars like aspartame, splenda, etc. Consuming sugar will immediately decrease your immunity! As a reformed sugar addict, I know first hand how hard it is to ditch it! The stuggle is REAL and UGLY!  Have you looked into all the health problems caused by sweet, innocent little Sugar? We have to kick its little butt out of our lives! Again, I can help you with that.

  4. Stress. Anxiety. Your Fight or Flight response is in place to protect you. But if you are in a perpetual state of F or F, you are undoubtably damaging your adrenals. Stress is known to cause many illnesses and disorders. I'm not a medical professional, but I have found things that help us manage stress. 

Any list of negatives needs a corresponding list of positives, right?

  Here you go:

  1. Sunshine. There are dozens and dozens of studies published about the benefits of getting outside on a sunny day: improved circulation, balanced sleep/wake cycle, Vitamin D, etc.
  2. Exercise. It doesn't have to involve a gym or specialized equipment. A simple 20 minute brisk walk is enough. Can't walk briskly yet? Then start where you are and just walk. Movement gets your lymphatic system moving. That's reason enough to move, but there are hundreds of other benefits.
  3. Fresh Foods. When you shop for groceries, make most of your purchases from the fresh and fresh-frozen sections. Read labels on EVERYTHING. Avoid processed, fortified, sugar-free and fat-free foods. (Usually this means it is WORSE for you than the one it replaces.)
  4. Sleep. How can sleep be on both lists? Just like not enough of it is bad for us, adequate sleep is good for us! Our bodies rejuvenate while we sleep. Our brains solve problems for us while we sleep! (I'm an artsy, word-sy gal. Math isn't my thing. While in college there were many nights I'd work on a trig problem until I could no longer hold my head up. After a good night's sleep, I'd go back to the problem and be able to solve it quickly.) Sleep - the lack of it - can be an easy fix OR may require many lifestyle changes. Are you willing to try?