by guest blogger Maya Rodale. The other night I was trying to explain historical romance novels to someone who had never read one. Like Jane Austen—with sex! Like Downton Abbey—with sex! Like 50 Shades of Grey—with corsets and petticoats! I’ve found that many people are really curious about romance novels. There isn’t a sense of shame, but there are a lot of questions. Their knowledge is generally based on the following:
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This “Guilty Pleasure” Is Soooo
Good for You

How to Keep the Nutrients You Eat
by guest blogger Morley Robbins. If you learn nothing else from this series of essays on magnesium, this one fact will change your life, and if you take steps to reverse this metabolic truism, it will change your health. I guarantee it! Given that, it’s really important to understand what aspects of your daily stress can be reduced or possibly eliminated. Here are some important questions for you to answer:

For a Minute There, I Lost Myself
It’s so easy to lose yourself—in the wrong job, the wrong relationship, the wrong town, the wrong mindset, the wrong diet. Changing often involves changing your viewpoint more than your actual location, but it also takes the courage to dig deep into the pit of your soul and ask yourself, Who am I really? Who do I WANT to be? Am I living the life that best enables me to continue down the road to where I was meant to go? The hardest part is then getting up the courage to make the changes required.

What Your Gut Is Telling You
When I look back at all the biggest mistakes I’ve made in my life, I can clearly remember a moment when I consciously overrode what my gut was telling me. Our “gut” used in this respect seems more like a mystical, spiritual force that may or may not truly exist (although looking down I can see mine does!). But it should be remembered that our actual guts are filled with living organisms whose importance to the health of our entire body has been undervalued if not downright ignored

Casting Doubt on Organic Food
by guest blogger Maya Rodale. I don’t care about the nutritional differences between organic and conventional produce. I buy organic because I like supporting cleaner air, cleaner water, fewer toxins released into the environment, and the creation of an organic, sustainable food system that will feed future generations. Now, if only organic food could get some good PR, even with all this in its favor.

Why We Need to Save the Farm Bill
by guest blogger Helen Dombalis. Despite what may be implied by its name, the Farm Bill affects much more than farm country U.S.A. The massive piece of legislation, renewed roughly every five years, has a lot to do with our entire food system. The current Farm Bill, passed back in 2008, is set to expire on September 30. That leaves Congress with just 16 business days to act!

The Summer I Saw Bruce
Springsteen Four Times
You could say I began and ended the summer of 2012 with Bruce. I started with the two shows over the Easter weekend at Madison Square Garden (the beginning of my most happy season, summer). And I ended it with the shows this past Sunday and Monday of Labor Day weekend in Philadelphia. And those last two shows were amazing.

The Real Scoop on the Raw Food Diet
by guest blogger Isaac Eliaz, MD. What is the healthiest diet? This question is being asked over and over again, and is being answered in a variety of different ways. The truth is there is no single correct answer. One approach that is gaining popularity is the raw food diet, where dieters adhere to a regimen of strictly uncooked food. The raw food diet has proponents and critics, but it’s important to get the facts before adopting 100% raw food or any specialized diet over the long term.
Scratch
Raised on America’s first organic farm, Scratch author Maria Rodale learned how to make everyday favorites from, yes, scratch — the way you remember them; the way they turn out best.
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Organic Manifesto
Drawing on findings from leading health researchers as well as conversations with both chemical and organic farmers from coast to coast, Maria Rodale irrefutably outlines the unacceptably high cost of chemical farming on our health and our environment.
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