Have you ever been on Facebook looking through some of your friends’ pages and noticed you share many common friends? Some friends of whom you would have never guessed they could’ve possibly known? Well the University of Milan recently conducted a study and came to the conclusion that the average number of acquaintances separating any two people in the entire world is 4.74 people!

The researchers developed a set of algorithms to calculate the average distance between any two people by computing a large number of sample paths between Facebook users. The results found the average number of links from one selected person to another was no more than 4.74.

In just the United States, the number fell to 4.37! Turns out we really do have connections to the celebrity world, in one way or another at least! I find this study to be very eye opening! If you think about it though, in reality (take Facebook out of the equation) we are all connected, although that number is much higher than 4.74, in a way, each person knows at least one person you know!

This time of year is a favorite among children, and even adults! Halloween is known for fun, creative costumes, and of course candy! Trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle for not only yourself, but also your family can be hard at this time of the year. Try to steer away from all the candy by offering these options:

• Caramel apples
• Roasted pumpkin seeds
• Organic dark chocolate
• Halloween themed organic granola bars
• Orange organic jello

When the time comes tomorrow to hand out your treats to the neighbor children, remember their parents may live a healthy lifestyle as well. Try to give out non-food related items that are fun to play with rather than candy.

• Temporary tattoos
• Stickers
• Pencils
• Erasers
• Bubbles
• Play vampire teeth

I hope everyone has a fun and safe holiday and a Happy Halloween!

Lately it seems like fast-food companies are gearing their marketing to relate with the growing popularity of eating healthy. Their descriptive keywords like “fresh” or “natural” give it some sort of credibility as being healthier than other items they may have.

Wendy’s, for instance, has recently introduced their “ Natural Cut French fries with Sea Salt.” What makes them natural though? Deep frying them in oil and seasoning them with salt is definitely not natural. A recent study had compared the nutritional information from Wendy’s old French fries with the new ones and the difference is very minor. They both contain 19 grams of fat, 55 carbohydrates and 400 calories. The difference with the “natural” fries is the increase in sodium! So much for eating healthier!

Although eating fast food should never be an option, don’t let the marketing of an unhealthy product make you think otherwise due to the company’s sly marketing tactics.

Eat organic, fresh and healthy meals, and you will never have to worry!

The world is such a busy place, and often times we find ourselves caught right in the middle of it! It’s important to make sure through out your busy day you are giving your body the nutrients it needs. Check out these organic snack ideas for you to try when you find yourself crunching for time!

1. Fruit & Nuts- Spread organic peanut butter on organic celery sticks and sliced apples, top with organic sunflower seeds.

2. Soybeans- Enjoy ½ cup of these delicious beans, you can heat them up or eat them cold, your preference!

3. Pita & Hummus- Take organic wheat pita bread and dip it into your favorite organic hummus.

Even when you are busy, your body will thank you for making healthy choices.

Share your organic snack recipes by tweeting the hashtag #iorganic

I came across this very interesting story the other day and really felt the need to share it! I think this is such a clever way of delivering an important and true message. The author is unknown, but I would like to give them credit for this very inspirational story…

Pencil: I’m sorry….
Eraser: For what? You didn’t do anything wrong.

Pencil: I’m sorry because you get hurt because of me. Whenever I made a mistake, you’re always there to erase it. But as you make my mistakes vanish, you lose a part of yourself. You get smaller and smaller each time.

Eraser: That’s true. But I don’t really mind. You see, I was made to do this. I was made to help you whenever you do something wrong. Even though one day, I know I’ll be gone and you’ll replace me with a new one, I’m actually happy with my job. So please, stop worrying. I hate seeing you sad.

I found this conversation between the pencil and the eraser very inspirational. Parents are like the eraser whereas their children are the pencil. They’re always there for their children, cleaning up their mistakes. Sometimes along the way… they get hurt, and become smaller (older, and eventually pass on). Though their children will eventually find someone new (spouse), but parents are still happy with what they do for their children, and will always hate seeing their precious ones worrying, or sad.

This is for all parents out there…..