Stress is everywhere these days. We feel it when we wake up, when things happen during the day, and we even take it to bed with us.

It’s chronic. And it’s not awesome for your health.

When we’re stressed our body reacts in a couple of ways, one is by releasing the stress hormone cortisol.

And you can imagine that there are natural ways you can lower it.

So, check out my list of recommendations to reduce cortisol. Then indulge in my de-stressing dessert recipe.

If you’re trying to eat healthier, you already know you should be including lots of fruit, vegetables, lean protein, and whole grains.

But when you step into a grocery store, that’s when things get a bit more complicated.

The majority of store shelves are crammed with a tempting assortment of pre-packaged and convenience foods loaded with nutrition marketing buzzwords.

Maybe you’re thinking it’s not that hard to decipher which foods are healthiest. After all, if a product is labeled as “organic” or “low-fat” or “gluten-free”—it must be good for you, right? Well, not exactly!

You may also think you’re doing a noble thing by adding healthful-sounding foods to your cart—but in reality, you may end up taking in way more calories, sugar, and unhealthy ingredients than you intend!

This is because most product nutrition claims don’t cut it when it comes to the actual healthfulness of a food.

But yet, many shoppers are still crushing on this alluring food label lingo—i.e. “natural, organic, paleo, whole grain, low in [calories/fat/sodium]”—and believe these terms alone mean a food is healthier than it actually is.

This effect of perceived healthfulness of a food (or food-like) product based on a single claim is called a ‘health halo’.

Let’s talk about two of the most common labeling terms that contribute to this health halo effect, and what you can do to make truly healthy food choices for you and your family.