Keeping a well-stocked pantry is a great way to ensure there is plenty of good food ready to cook.

Toss out any refined, presweetened foods made with white flour, recommends Andrew Weil, MD, and replace them with high-fiber cereal and whole-grain breads.

Instead of instant mixes and soups (high in sodium), choose dried adzuki beans and lentils that cook up quickly, plus low-sodium chicken and vegetable stock.

Replace instant drink mixes with a variety of healing teas and juice concentrates.

Foods That Keep Well in The Pantry

Even if the power goes out, the following will keep for months in a cool, dry pantry:

• Boxed nut or rice milk, soymilk, or dried nonfat milk, preferably organic
• Canned salmon, sardines, tuna
• Crackers (whole grain), which keep longer than bread
• Dried egg powder, mushrooms, and fruits
• Freeze-dried fruits and veggies
• Long-storage produce: apples, garlic, lemons, nuts in the shell, onions, potatoes, sweet potatoes, turnips
• Nut butters, preferably organic
• Olive oil (extra-virgin, preferably organic)
• Pasta, preferably rice or whole grain
• Water (two gallons per day per person)
• Whole grains: oats, quinoa, rice, and wheat

Slowly build up the nonperishable food in your house, suggests Kathleen Johnson, MS, RD.

To save money, shop the specials at your favorite natural products store. “Mark the date of purchase on containers and use the oldest items first,” Johnson adds.

Food Safety

Foods stored in plastic tend to have a shorter shelf life than those in glass. “This occurs partly because plastic is permeable to gases and allows oxygen to seep through over time,” says Betty Kamen, PhD.

Certain spices help preserve foods, so check herbs and spices for freshness and restock at least annually. The natural antioxidants in turmeric keep dill pickles fresh, while cinnamon, garlic, oregano, and thyme help fight harmful bacteria in food

If you’re in the market for a new facial mask or want to try a potent rejuvenating cream, look for natural products containing the following key ingredients.

Antioxidants for Your Face

Both masks and repair creams should contain antioxidants for antiaging benefits.

Green tea helps prevent oxidative stress and eliminates free radicals. Look for products containing vitamins A, C, and E, all of which protect collagen (the protein in connective tissue that keeps skin firm and youthful). Topical vitamin C not only helps boost collagen production, it also regenerates oxidized vitamin E, so look for these vitamins in combination.

Pycnogenol, taken from the bark of the French Maritime pine tree, contains more antioxidant power than vitamins E and C. Likewise, astaxanthin, a marine-based ingredient harvested from micro algae is “500 times more powerful than vitamin E,” says Linda Miles, LAc, DOM.

Alpha lipoic acid, another powerful antioxidant that protects collagen from free radicals, also appears to make other antioxidants work more effectively, says Miles. Certain antioxidant fruit extracts—including acai berry, mangosteen, and pomegranate—work to prevent fine lines and firm skin.

Natural Skin Soothers

Nature’s restorative plants can work overnight to leave skin feeling soft, smooth, and refreshed by morning. Both primrose and borage oils diminish the dryness common to aging skin. Cranberry and grape seed oils offer moisturizing effects along with antioxidant protection.

Calendula flower extract works as both an anti-inflammatory and an antioxidant and is good for problem skin.

Products containing soy help keep skin firm and stimulate the production of collagen and elastin, which naturally decline with age. Research involving soy extracts indicates that this ingredient decreases skin roughness and minimizes the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

There has always been a love-hate relationship with exercise: We know it’s good for us but have trouble sticking to it. To make your relationship with working out a long-lasting one, it is important to develop a routine that can turn into an everyday habit. Make your visit to the gym or yoga studio as easy as possible by packing your gym bag with everything you’ll need.

Fuel and Recovery

Start with the right snacks. The best snack is one that combines carbohydrates and protein, eaten 30 minutes before your workout. Fresh fruits will give you an energy boost, and a cup of plain, low-fat yogurt offers protein. Staying hydrated will help you avoid consuming more calories than you burn. Steer clear of caffeine and warm fluids, though. Also consider supplements designed to optimize nutrition before, during, and after exercise.

Know you will be pushing yourself at the gym? Add magnesium and trace minerals to your water to help prevent painful cramps. And homeopathic remedies can help reduce muscle fatigue and aches. Arnica is the leading remedy to fend off symptoms of overexertion ahead of time, and can also reduce the pain of sprains. This homeopathic medicine is available in pills and topical creams and gels.

Freshening Up

After a workout, hit the showers with natural body-care products. Look for plant-based shampoos with mild sudsing agents instead of sodium lauryl sulfate. Avoid shampoos and conditioners that contain parabens, chemical preservatives, fragrance, and additives.

As with choosing shampoos, you want to find a gentle facial cleanser. Olive or coconut oil-based soaps will do the trick without irritating your skin or compromising its natural balance.

Nobody wants to be sweaty and messy, but sweating is the body’s way of cooling down and detoxifying. Using a natural deodorant lets you control odor without disrupting the body’s healthy processes.

When choosing moisturizers look for products that contain argan, coconut, jojoba, or olive oils. They make exceptional moisturizers, equipped as they are with their own anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.

Professor Masquelier's unique discovery – French Pine Bark extract – has changed the way we think about aging.

His specific extract, developed more than 40 years ago, can help protect the quality of our lives now while preparing for the future, so we can look forward to aging well.

Facing the Realities of Aging Well

Remember turning 30? 40? 50? Remember looking at your parents and seeing your future reflected in them? Remember thinking, really thinking about what it was going to be like for you when you got to their age?

The Signs of Aging Go Beyond Face Value

When we look in the mirror we can all see the wrinkles and lines that appear over time, but the reality is that our bodies and minds change too. As time passes our eyesight, skin, muscles, flexibility, movement ... even our ability to think clearly changes! It would be nice to think that it won’t.

Numerous scientific studies, research and common sense tell us to not just eat well and be active, but to keep the system that delivers the nutrients we eat to all the cells and organs in our body healthy, so that they can stay well. This is one of the major keys to healthy aging.

Professor Masquelier – The French Pine Bark pioneer

More than 40 years ago, Professor Jack Masquelier – ground-breaking scientist in the field of nutrition and health – was the first to discover how to produce an extract from the bark of the French pine tree to release its potent health benefits. 

Professor Masquelier’s specific French Pine Bark extract provided powerful antioxidant protection and support to the vascular system to enhance nutrient delivery to all parts of the body. Combined with strong collagen support, these are vital ways of supporting the body ongoing health:

• supports healthy circulation*
• maintains the integrity of blood vessel walls*
• supports blood vessels for efficient delivery of oxygen*
• helps keep vascular pathways strong and supple*
• maintains vein elasticity*
• supports nutrient delivery*

The Unique 3-way action of Professor Masquelier’s OPCs

1. Powerful Antioxidant Protection

   The powerful antioxidants found in Professor Masquelier’s French Pine Bark extract – OPCs – help neutralize excess free radicals throughout the body, providing a powerful source of protection.

2. Strong Nutritional Support

   Every organ, muscle and tissue in the body is fed and powered by nutrients from blood. Veins, arteries and capillaries (blood vessels) ensure that these vital nutrients are delivered to where they are needed. Blood vessels are responsible for the continuing health of every organ in the body; eyes, heart, brain, even the largest organ – skin!

3. Potent Collagen Support

   Collagen is a group of extra cellular proteins that form strong, insoluble fibers and serve as connective tissue between cells, helping to hold cells and blood vessels together. Healthy collagen keeps the body supple and firm. Collagen levels normally diminish over time as we age and through free radical damage.

The powerful antioxidant protection of Professor Masquelier’s French Pine Bark Extract helps protect the body from free radical damage.  It inhibits enzymes that break down collagen and stabilizes vitamin C (the building block of collagen), which maintains collagen levels. By maintaining collagen levels, the blood vessel system is also well supported. *

Health Benefits of French Pine Bark Extract

• Healthy Circulation

  Helps support blood vessels, keeping them supple and flexible. 

• Heart, Organs and Body Health

  Healthy veins assist circulation and nutrient delivery throughout the body, providing support for the heart, eyes and all vital organs.

  Powerful antioxidant protection to help protect the body from free radical damage.

• Skin Health

  Healthy circulation means well-nourished skin – helping protect skin and cells from the inside.

• Nutritional Support and Vitality

  Healthy veins aid in optimum cellular nutrition – helping to promote vitality and well-being.

Even in the middle of the next hard frost, north wind, ice storm, or blizzard, you can turn up the heat with warming culinary herbs.

Four Warming Herbs

• Ginger

  “Ginger is my all-time favorite warming herb,” says New Jersey herbalist Cathy Lauer. “I love ginger because it is readily available either fresh or powdered, and it is powerfully effective while tasting delicious! I turn to ginger every winter to warm an upset stomach, ward off the flu, or just to enjoy an invigorating tea. I simply chop or grate a thumb’s length of fresh ginger into a pot of water, boil it on the stove for 20 minutes, then let it steep. If you care to add lemon or honey, that’s an option, but I drink it straight. When I have a stomachache or think I am coming down with a cold or the flu, I sip the tea all day long, keeping it on the stove, adding water and reheating it as needed. It really does the trick.”

  Ginger is both a digestive herb and a carminative that alleviates gas or flatulence. This herb is also said to improve liver function, relax muscle spasms, and relieve the nausea or vomiting associated with morning sickness, motion sickness, surgery, or chemotherapy. In addition to ginger’s many culinary and medicinal uses, this herb is an anti-inflammatory that can be applied externally in massage oils and poultices to relieve muscle strains and rheumatic pain and to stimulate circulation in painful joints.

• Cinnamon

  Cinnamon, one of the world’s favorite spices, offers far more than a wonderful aroma. Ancient Egyptians used cinnamon as an embalming spice, and in medieval Europe, powdered cinnamon was both a flavoring agent and an item for religious ceremonies. Traditionally a cold and flu remedy, cinnamon gently stimulates the circulation to help warm cold hands and feet, and it treats digestive problems much the way ginger does. Cinnamon oil has antispasmodic, antifungal, antibacterial, and carminative properties.

  “I love this tasty, warming circulatory herb,” says Rosemary Gladstar, founder of Sage Mountain Herbal Retreat Center “It brightens the soul and is my favorite winter spice. Did you know it helps sell houses? That’s what real-estate people say. They recommend having a cinnamon-laced apple pie in the oven when prospects come. There is new research showing that this spice lowers blood sugar, which is exciting news for diabetics. In fact, cinnamon capsules are becoming a popular supplement. I believe cinnamon is good for all of us.”

• Clove

  Clove, another sweet spice, has long been used as a dental analgesic and local anesthetic. Cloves also have antiseptic, antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, and antispasmodic properties. In addition to being a popular culinary spice, cloves help improve digestion.

  A potent phytochemical in cloves, eugenol acts as an anesthetic, kills bacteria and fungi, fights free radicals, and helps thin blood. Clove oil is virtually pure eugenol, and a U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory panel has endorsed it as the safest and most effective active ingredient for toothache. But use it sparingly, as this oil may irritate the mouth. Take care to never swallow clove oil.

• Cayenne

  Switch from sweet to hot with Cayenne, the spice that gives Texas chili and Thai cuisine their fiery bite. “I can’t help but love this one,” says Gladstar. “It warms the body from head to toe, improves circulation, gets the intestines going, and improves bowel function. A few grains go a long way, so if you’re not used to cayenne, start with tiny amounts. This is another spice that’s sold in capsules, which does make it easier to take.

This time of year, for many kids, coming down with a sore throat is a matter of “when” and not “if.”

But prepared parents can use natural methods to help reduce the length and severity of the symptoms—which means everyone will be less miserable.

Most sore throats resolve on their own with rest and TLC. But if you suspect a bacterial infection such as strep throat, ask your child’s healthcare practitioner to perform a throat culture. Wait for the results before starting your child on antibiotics to help prevent antibiotic resistance.

Natural Remedies

Fortunately, there are many natural ways to soothe most childhood sore throats.

Start with the basics: Be sure your child gets plenty of rest and hydration. Serve comforting foods, like warm broth, herbal tea with honey, or cooling fruit juice pops. Then consider trying one or more of these remedies.

Go for the Throat

Deliver zinc and vitamin C directly to the scene of the inflammation via sugar-free lozenges that can be chewed or allowed to dissolve in the mouth.

A recent review of research on zinc, an essential mineral, found that—if taken within 24 hours of the first symptoms—it can shorten colds by a day or more in addition to lessening the severity of symptoms. Research shows that regular intake of vitamin C can also help shorten the duration of symptoms.

Because they can be a choking hazard for very young children, give lozenges only to kids age five and older.

Make sure that your child is getting enough vitamin D. A recent study shows that people with the lowest levels of this vitamin were 40 percent more likely to contract a cold or come down with the flu.

Dry air can irritate a scratchy throat. Use a humidifier to keep the air in your house moist and breathable.

For children who are able, gargling with a salt water solution (mix one teaspoon of salt in a glass of warm water) will soothe a raw throat and reduce inflammation.

A spoonful of elderberry syrup soothes on the way down and then works to restore health. The syrup, which is high in quercetin and vitamin C, boosts the immune system, inhibits viruses, reduces mucous secretions, and may reduce swelling in the throat.

Watch What Your Kids Eat

Children with sore throats should avoid foods that produce phlegm: citrus, dairy, and fried foods.

Have kids sip hot water mixed with cinnamon, honey, and lemon juice to help decrease mucous.

Herbal teas that may help relieve a sore throat include echinacea, eucalyptus, licorice, osha root, slippery elm bark, and thyme. Look for these herbs alone or blended with other botanicals in children’s teas.

Echinacea works best when taken at the first sign of a cold. It should not be used as an everyday herb.

For a sore throat remedy that’s tasty as well as healing, incorporate garlic into your child’s meals. Garlic contains a healing compound called allicin—considered one of nature’s most potent antibiotics. The herb’s antibacterial and antiviral qualities will help fight off sore throats as well as related colds and influenza. Add garlic toward the end of your cooking process so the herb’s antimicrobial compounds don’t get destroyed by the heat.

Over-the Counter Homeopathy

Homeopathic cold and cough syrups, which are safe for children, may help relieve sore throats. Look for ingredients such as Hydrastis, Natrum Muriaticum, and Allium Cepa to ease a dry, raw sore throat.

Make afternoons more nutritious for your children by offering them healthy snacks in the appropriate portion size.

Whether school is in session or the summer vacation routine has landed, hungry children are always looking for afternoon snacks. Wholesome snacking can play an important role in your child’s healthy-for-life diet. Two simple factors will ensure good snacking: kinds of foods and portion sizes.  

Go for Whole Foods

When kids charge into the house, they can’t wait to eat, so have healthy snacks ready. Avoid overly processed foods. They’re more likely to contain trans fats, salt, sugar, and preservatives. Plant-based snacks are best—veggies, fruits, whole grains, and beans provide  important phytochemicals, vitamins, and minerals.

Single-serving yogurt cups, small boxes of raisins, and easy-peel citrus are good choices. Use snack-size plastic bags to make single servings of homemade trail mix or fresh veggies. Serve baby carrots and precut broccoli, celery, and cucumbers with salsa, hummus, or low-fat ranch dressing. To control portion sizes, store large packages of snack foods out of the way.

Kids’ll be thirsty, too. Skip the soda and offer ice water with a wedge of lemon or lime on warm afternoons. Lowfat chocolate milk or 100 percent fruit juice diluted with water are also good choices. Smoothies will quench thirst and can add fiber, vitamins, and minerals to your child’s diet.

More Info Online

For a downloadable Parent Handbook and more information on children’s nutrition, visit the National Institutes of Health We Can! web site.