I wanted to share a fantastic giveaway by my friend Valerie at City Life Eats. She is offering up a free ticket to the Take Back Your Health Conference, to be held in the Washington, DC area on October 22-23, 2011. Several wellness experts will be speaking at the event, including Dr. Joel Fuhrman, Victoria Moran and Andrea Beaman. There will be two full days of informational lectures and healthy demos, plus some socializing time, naturally. You can enter the giveaway by commenting on her post.

This past year I’ve had the opportunity …

I used to be surprised when I heard the question “Where will I get protein?” from people going dairy-free. I could definitely understand this concern from newbie vegans (not that there aren’t plenty of protein sources for vegans, they just aren’t as commonly known or as protein-dense), but getting enough protein typically isn’t a major concern if you are only cutting out milk products.
Nonetheless, some people follow a high protein diet or don’t like to eat a lot of meat and seafood for protein. They may supplement with dairy products …

So I did it! Thank you to Katie for getting me to do a 10-day Sugar-Free Challenge and to those of you who joined in! If you joined in, comment and let us know how it went for you. If you are still sugar-free, give us an update, and if you have trialed sugar-free before (or are still doing it!), I would love to hear if it benefited you.
I have to say, the results were far and above what I expected. I am excited to share them with you today …

I frequently receive the question, “Which milk alternative is healthiest?” This is a very loaded question, as it varies based on the range of interpretations of the term “healthy.”
Many dieticians claim soymilk is the only milk alternative that compares to milk nutritionally. Others feel that soy is an unhealthy and potentially GMO product that shouldn’t be consumed at all (perhaps soy is a good topic for another day!). Some rave of almond milk and feel virtuous in choosing it, while others point to its lower protein and fat and say …

There is no question that deception is deep-rooted in media and marketing. Yet, it never ceases to amaze me when another dishonest campaign emerges. Today on Go Dairy Free I addressed the latest hot topic from the New York Times on the USDA’s conflicting actions on cheese. Here is the basic dilemma:

USDA funds and supports massive anti-obesity campaign urging Americans to cut saturated fat.
USDA funds and assists Dairy Management in increasing American consumption of cheese – our top dietary source of saturated fat.

I’m not here to argue if fat, or saturated …

How much calcium we really need is a topic for another day. The fact of the matter is, many people are in hot pursuit of calcium, and they fear that a milk-free diet will leave them void. A recent article from Care2Health proclaimed that in terms of calcium, “Collard Greens Have More than Milk.” So is this true? Could greens actually be a good bone-building source? Yes and no, and yes. Let me explain.
According to the Harvard School of Public Health, 1 cup of collard greens contains 357 mg of calcium versus …

When the natural food section at my local supermarket expanded from three shelves to three full aisles two years ago, I got the strong impression that I was no longer one of the “few” consumers scrutinizing labels for all-natural and special diet foods. Demand is thankfully growing, and my favorite coupon site, Mambo Sprouts, used their marketing research team to find out what drives natural and organic food consumers.

The results were surprising and intriguing … for me at least. Check out the stats and see what groups your shopping habits …

*This contest is closed, but feel free to read my review below*
I do consume probiotics each day, and recently became more diligent about it due to a round of antibiotics, so I was intrigued when I was contacted about Attune Foods. They make chocolate bars infused with probiotics. Hmm, eat chocolate – help tummy; that is a wonderful sounding relationship in theory. How was it in practice?

Attune places the following claim on their box: “Try 1 attune bar daily for 14 days – if you don’t feel a difference it’s FREE.” …

Haven’t you heard?
A few months ago I was clicking my way from blog to blog, following tantalizing recipes, when I stumbled upon a post that changed my entire path. I don’t think the blogger had any idea how her “kind” recipe post would spur someone to action, but it did.
She was sharing a recipe for what she called “antioxidant” cupcakes, and the story that led to their creation. She was going to an office party where one of her coworkers was dairy-free and another was gluten-free. She noted that “free-from …