Studies show that preservatives and chemicals are a source of serious health issues, including undue stress, accelerated aging, and weight gain. You'll find these 'bad guy' ingredients in:

• Diet soda, juices, drink mixes, processed tea drinks
• Prepackaged dinners or frozen meals.
• Conventional cookies (non-organic)
• Chips
• Diet foods

Hey Everyone,

There's a lot happening in the consumer product world these days. There's the tomato salmonella outbreak that has sickened hundreds of consumers and, U.S. marshals seized pet-food products stored in unsanitary conditions at the PETCO Animal Supplies Distribution Center in Joliet, Illinois. These pet foods were susceptible to rodent, bird and pest contamination, a violation of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.

I don't know about you, but with all these food scares, I am even more inspired to stick to my strict organic diet (I just recently lost another 5 pounds without even trying). With food and oil prices on the rise I know this can be a tough decision economically, but what most people don't understand is that certified organic farmers have to abide by stricter rules and regulations then conventional farmers imposed on them by our government.

The other day in Yoga practice while resting in downward dog (is this really a resting position?) and doing my best to breathe through my fingers and toes (can one really do this?), my mind began to wander. I began thinking about organic foodie treats. You see I had just come off of the master cleanse, eight days of drinking nothing but organic lemonade with cayenne pepper. I was ready for a tasty organic dinner.

With my energy at a level 12 (out of 10) I felt like I was on top of the world. As a person who usually requires eight hours of sleep I was now going on six and operating at a highly focused pace and felt great. Because it was so freaking hot in my yoga class I decided to keep my first organic dinner after the cleanse simple and on the grill.

The holiday season is fast approaching. For organic foodies, dining out and attending dinner parties with nonorganic fare can pose potentially embarrassing etiquette problems. In Organic Dining Dilemmas, learn how you can minimize the damage, without offending your hosts.

When choosing cosmetics and personal-care products for party season, become an educated organic consumer—especially if you are pregnant or have children. Two beauty experts are blazing new trails in the natural beauty industry. Santa Monica hair color expert Frederic States reveals in Recreating Natural Beauty in a Land of Illusion why he’s chosen nontoxic, vegetable-based products for his clients. In Real Beauty 101 , Randi Reagan, owner of Green Bliss Eco Spa, exposes the top 10 ingredients to avoid in beauty products.

And speaking of eco-entrepreneurs, if you haven’t yet had a Mod Mix cocktail from Gretchen Nix, read her inspired story in Modmix Anyone? She has created a luxe line of organic cocktail mixers.