As we enjoy the last weeks of summer (or “freedom,” as kids may call them), it’s time to prepare for the new school year. For organic families, the emphasis is on healthful lunches.

Sound challenging? Not if you follow these four kid-pleasing tips.

1. Protein in Perspective

Years ago, our moms sent us to school with protein-heavy meat sandwiches and coins to buy whole milk. These days, it’s easy to lighten up with your kids’ favorite organic vegetables, low-fat cheese or tofu—each of which proves wholesome with whole-grain bread. Beans are another terrific source of protein and fiber, with negligible saturated fat.

The school year is in full swing. So what does that mean for your child’s diet? Hopefully not a strict diet of fast food five days a week as you run to football practices and dance lessons. The start of the school year can indeed be a busy time for families, but it is possible to make healthy meals even with time constraints. It just takes a little know-how.

Traditional Farming’s reliance on pesticide is a deadly choice for consumers. Scientists say, first and foremost, to seek out organic foods, fruits and vegetables.

One of the nation’s hottest public debates has its origin in the food industry. The issue of human side effects from pesticide residue on conventionally grown produce is being debated from congressional committees in Washington to family dinner tables across America. A beneficial side effect of this issue is the science of the health benefits of organic agriculture to environmental health, that is, to soil, water, air and ecosystems has been extensively studied, documented and compiled. However, science-based knowledge regarding the benefits of organic agriculture and organically grown products to human health is in its embryonic stages

Back pain is pervasive throughout the adult population.  It is one of the most common reasons to visit a doctor.  Young children are suffering from back pain much earlier than previously reported, and the use of overweight backpacks is a major contributing factor.  In addition to overloaded backpacks, improper wearing of them may predispose a child to various health problems.  Back pain usually results from repetitive loading as well as improper mechanics, not to mention kids are getting weaker and less physically active, leading to the child’s inability to handle the load of the backpack.

I love breakfast foods, and I’ll sometimes prepare them for dinner. But like many on-the-go professionals, I rise early and have a hard time cooking at 6 a.m. Short of a blast of coffee, I may forego breakfast until mid-morning and, I must confess, occasionally skip this meal altogether—a bad nutritional move.

I’m not alone. Many Americans fail to eat what Mom repeatedly—and correctly—called the most important meal of the day. Some of us play the “I don’t have time; I’m rushing out the door” card, while others believe skipping breakfast will help them lose weight. Both approaches are rife with dietary pitfalls.

This additive is a good reason to go organic and fresh.

Msg is something many Americans might think of when searching for Chinese food restaurants. The form of the word used in this case is Msg - free. Msg is short for monosodium glutamate. It’s a food additive that is used globally in abundance. In recent decades, msg was found by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to be a nutrition-less but non-harmful food additive. Yet hundreds of scientists have published studies on the harmful effects of msg.  One study describes msg as a neuron disrupting excito-toxin with the potential to cause harm to human health. The scientific studies corroborating the multitude of negative effects of msg are published and available to the public. (See links provided below.) Yet despite the controversy, msg is an economic growth industry worldwide with millions of tons alone distributed to the United States annually.

Babies are little bundles of energy! They don’t want to lie still to have their diapers changed. They cry, fuss, or even crawl away. A simple issue can turn into a major tug-of-war between parent and baby.

Diaper changing as a ritual

The position of parent and baby during a diaper change is perfect for creating a bonding experience between you. You are leaning over your baby, and your face is at the perfect arms-length distance for engaging eye contact and communication. What’s more, this golden opportunity presents itself many times during each day; no matter how busy you both get, you have a few moments of quiet connection. It’s too valuable a ritual to treat it as simply maintenance.

Owner, Green Bliss Eco Spa

Did you know the average woman who wears lipstick on a regular basis will end up swallowing about 10 pounds of petroleum by-product (in the form of common lipstick ingredients mineral oil and petroleum jelly) during her lifetime?

That’s because the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not regulate what goes into our beauty products.  So it’s up to you, as an informed consumer, to read the labels on EVERY skin care and cosmetic product that you purchase – just as you do with food labels.

A college friend, now a newspaper photographer, recently visited from Boston. When we first met, she smoked several packs of cigarettes a day and thrived on fast food. Today, as mom to a 7-year-old, she’s a role model for organic living, and the family dines strictly on organic vegetarian cuisine.

When we set a lunch date, she chose her favorite restaurant on Los Angeles’ trendy “Restaurant Row”: Real Food Daily, an organic, vegan haven in West Hollywood, where celebrity sightings are de rigueur and the wait staff goes out of its way to ensure customers leave happy and replenished.

Pass by any magazine rack this month, and the hard-to-miss cover lines will seem all too familiar: “Lose 10 Pounds in 10 Days,” “Amazing Summer Wonder Workouts” and “Are You Ready for Bikini Season?” Consider it a seasonal publishing rite, when thoughts of bathing suits and waistlines dance in our heads.

But healthful organic eating and regular physical exercise are a year-round commitment, not a brief summer whim. That said, because we like to look and feel fit, I’d like to share some sane and effective summer shape-up tips that mesh well with the basics of organic living. No fad diets. No outrageously over-the-top exercise extravaganzas. Just some simple, commonsense strategies for taking care of your body and nurturing your organic spirit as temperatures soar and you decide to get physical.