Living Healthier

Hello! I'm Kerry.

I am a thirty-something mother to a two year old with a farmer for a husband. I whole heartedly believe that supplements have their place in a person's lifestyle.  The trick is, figuring out what your body needs and making sure you get the right amount.  (What works for one may not work for another.) And of course, finding a natural supplement company you can trust to supply a quality product is a must.  (I recommend Swanson Health Products.  Perhaps you've heard of it?)

Post baby, I am a certain amount of pounds overweight and I'm ready to lose it. Also, post baby, I've become much more aware of what my family is eating. I'm trying to buy organic products that aren't stripped of their nutrient goodness, but as life happens, I don't always do as well as I could. I'll try to keep you up to date with new ways to keep the whole family healthy as I continue to discover them myself.  Stay tuned!

My Top 5 Favorite Products (Kerry's Employee Order Giveaway) [CLOSED]

Thursday, October 27, 2011 by Kerry A.

My Favorite ProductsEver wanted to know what vitamins, supplements and healthy foods the employees at Swanson Health Products use? Here’s your chance to peek inside an employee order and find out (and win it all)!

I recently placed an order for Alba Botanica TerraTint Lipbalm. Some natural lip balms are rough and hard to apply.  This lip balm went on smooth and creamy, has just the right amount of sheen to it, and moisturizes my lips as well. It also contains sunscreen!  (Ranging from SPF8 to 18).  One other thing...

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How I Discovered Supplements Are NOT All Hype (After Months of Being Sick)

Wednesday, October 27, 2010 by Kerry A.

I can't believe there are people out there that still think vitamins and supplements are all hype! It's true, before I started working at Swanson Health Products, I barely managed to take a multi-vitamin, let alone the specific women's health vitamins I knew I should be taking.  But as happens to everyone who works here, you slowly start gathering knowledge on the subject and it's hard to remain ignorant.  Obviously, what works for one person may not work for another, but in today's day and age...

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How to Eat Smart at a Party

Tuesday, October 26, 2010 by Kerry A.
Is eating smart at a party even possible?  Well, there are many books out there that say yes.  My cousin is having a party at his lake place this weekend, so I'm going to have to go to this party thinking strategically.  But seriously, if you like to eat, how do you really avoid overindulging on all those tasty party foods and ruining all the healthy weight watching you've been working so hard on? Here are some tips I've picked up over the years that seem to work for me:
  • Choose guacamole over...
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What's Your Vitamin and Supplement Regimen?

Friday, October 22, 2010 by Kerry A.
Because I work at Swanson Health Products, I get a lot of natural health questions thrown my way.  I'm also asked tons of questions about what sort of vitamins and supplements I take and what I take them for?  So here's what I'm taking and why.  (Note:  the why has to be regulated by the FDA, so it's not going to be as specific as I'd like to be.  My apologies in advance.)
  • Swanson Ultra Eyes Alive  This is probably my favorite out of all the supplements I've tried or suggested to friends.  I take...
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Lose Weight by Rearranging Your Fridge

Monday, October 4, 2010 by Kerry A.
I got this great article in my inbox from iVillage and I just had to share it. The concept is simple: If you make the healthy foods easier to both see and grab, you're more likely to consume them rather than all that junk food. Here are a few of the things that I found most interesting and helpful from this article, focusing on rearranging your fridge for easy, natural weight loss help.

Top shelf:
Stock it with healthy and low-cal beverages: skim milk, almond milk, 100% fruit and veggie juices (no...Read More »

Why is Saffron So Expensive?

Tuesday, September 28, 2010 by Kerry A.

I found a recipe that called for Saffron.  Boy was I shocked when a couple little fibers were going to cost me $15.00!  Holy Cow!  Saffron is known as the most expensive spice in the world. But why is Saffron so expensive?

Purple Crocus Flower Safron consists of the dried stigmas of the purple crocus.  The expense comes from the extraordinary labor involved in harvesting and preparing it for storage. There are only 3 stigmas (referred to as saffron threads) per flower.  Also adding to the expense is the fact that...

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What Is Burdock Root? Will It Help My Oily Skin?

Tuesday, September 21, 2010 by Kerry A.
SW531 Swanson Premium Burdock RootI had never heard of burdock root until I discovered this super awesome matifying lotion at a beauty store years ago.  Thanks to my dad's side of the family, I have oily skin.  Basically, around the noon hour, I would apply some of the matifying lotion and poof! just like magic, my oily forehead and nose would go back to being inconspicuously matte.  Unfortunately, the product was discontinued and ever since I've been hunting for a comparable product.

Since I've been unsuccessful with finding a...Read More »

Have You Checked Out the Swanson Health Foods Section Lately?

Sunday, September 19, 2010 by Kerry A.
If you haven't checked out the Health Foods section in the Swanson store lately, you're probably going to want to.  We've been adding products to the website like mad and many of those products are food items! My last employee order contained a bunch of natural food products.

Udon Noodles, Organic Gluten-Free Pancake Mix, Quinoa, Organic Honey and real maple syrup!  Kashi products, pasta products, and even organic coffee are just a few of the natural and organic foods that I've purchased in the...Read More »

Good Skin Health: Is Your Sunscreen Healthy?

Wednesday, June 30, 2010 by Kerry A.

My previous post about FDA regulations on sunscreen had me wondering, how do I know if the sunscreen I'm using for my family is good enough? Of course, I have my trusted brands, but how do I really know they are living up to the promise that is stated on the bottle?

Luckily, there are groups out there dedicated to researching this very topic.  The Environmental Working Group (EWG) has recently published their fourth annual Sunscreen Guide, and in it they recommend only 39 of the 500 sunscreens...

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