By Dennis Flynn

During the holidays, there’s no sweeter gift for your loved ones (and yourself!) than a luscious tin of home-baked cookies. But these days, who has the time to fold fresh flour, real butter, whole eggs and all their favorite treats (think white chocolate chips, macadamia nuts and dried cranberries) into delectable Custom Cookies?

So, we here at You Bar have pioneered a way to give you all the fun and personalized perfection of baking your own cookies without the time or mess! You Cookie, the fully customizable cookie bakery, allows you to craft your very own cookies from scratch… online!

You can now create your very own cookies - choosing from over 70 ingredients including half a dozen chocolate chip varieties, numerous nuts, seeds, dried fruits, cereals and infusions. Then, once you’ve finished lovingly combining all your ideal ingredients on our website, our team of passionate bakers will hand-make your cookies and send them out to you fresh in a personalized tin with the name of your choosing on it. And we won’t make you come to our bakery to help sweep up the flour on the floor!

You Cookie customers choose every ingredient of their cookie from sweeteners to flour so that every taste preference and nutritional need is met. This makes You Cookies perfect for everyone – from vegans, diabetics and people with allergies to health-conscious but time-strapped cookie connoisseurs. It also makes the ideal unique gift for this holiday season (tins are all personalized with the name of your choosing).

As always with all of You Bar’s offerings, You Cookie only uses high quality ingredients with no chemical preservatives. The nutrition facts instantly appear on the Craft-a-Cookie page as ingredients are selected so that customers can achieve the perfect nutritional makeup to fit their life. Made-to-order Popular Cookies that can be given a custom name are also available for those who want a delicious cookie that’s tried and true.

You Cookies are sold by the dozen and packaged in classic cookie tins. And, because they’re shipped out the same day they’re baked they always arrive piping fresh. Pop them in your oven before guests arrive to bring out their warmth and aroma, and no one will be the wiser that you didn’t spend the whole morning slaving away.

What’s more: each tin of You Cookies are backed by our “Guaranteed Delicious” policy. If a customer doesn’t think their cookie creation is delicious, You Cookie will bake and send out another dozen cookies (of a new recipe) free of charge.

You Cookie is the latest custom product from the pioneering folks at You Bar who have been offering custom nutrition bars, protein shakes and trail mixes since 2006.

By Katie Newton
Katie@YouBars.com

The recession is making it hard to afford pricey health foods. Here are five ways to spend less while still eating healthy:

1. Drink Water. The cheapest and most healthy source of hydration for your body is water.  Plus, tap water’s free! (And, think of all the plastic bottles you won’t be throwing into landfills.)

2. Buy Extra Peak Season Veggies to Freeze (or buy ones that are already frozen). This allows you to take advantage of peak season discounts on everything from apples to zucchinis. Enjoy luscious blueberries in the dead of winter without breaking the bank.

3. Take Bag Lunches To Work.  Cook extra for dinner every night and then just pack up your leftovers the following day for a cheap – and delicious – midday meal.

4.  Eat Vegetarian. Protein-rich foods like beans and tofu (think Indian curries and Chinese stirfries) cost a fraction of the price of beef and chicken — and are just as tasty.

5. Go to Farmers Markets. You’ll get the freshest produce, and help your local farmers through the recession too! Another bonus: by ditching the candy-laden checkout lines, you’ll pick up less bags of pricey junk food on impulse.

By Katie Newton
Katie@YouBars.com

In the latter 20th century, Americans have come to associate certain vitamins with certain foods.  We have been taught to associate calcium with milk, Vitamin C with oranges, and potassium with bananas.  But there are loads of other colorful, exotic, exciting foods that have just as much – if not more – of these fabulous qualities.

So, next time you go to the grocery store, consider the following:

• Kale has more calcium than a glass of milk.  It is rich in calcium, lutein, iron, and Vitamins A, C, and K.
• One raw red bell pepper has more vitamin C than an 8-ounce glass of orange juice.
• Baked potatoes and kiwi fruit have more potassium than bananas – great for before and after exercise!
• Instead of buying fruit juice, buy the fruit itself. Whole fruits have less sugar, more fiber and a lower glycemic index.

After all, variety is the spice of life — and the best way to a long one!

Calculate your BMI, Ideal Body Weight, and Basal Metabolic Rate with this calculator.  Remember that everyone’s body is different and this is just a mathematical estimate of your body’s health.

If you score high on the BMI index remember you are in good company.  Below is the BMI of male celebrities.  As you can see, the BMI index can sometimes be extremely wrong.

Name                   Height     Weight     BMI
George Clooney     5′11″     211 lbs     29
Tom Brady            6′4″    225 lbs     27
Kobe Bryant          6′6″     200 lbs     25
Matt Damon         5′11″     187 lbs     26
Johnny Depp        5′7″     190 lbs     27
Vin Diesel            6′2″     200 lbs     26
Lebron James      6′8″     240 lbs     26
Michael Jordan    6′6″     216 lbs     25
Nick Lachey        5′10″     180 lbs     26
Yao Ming            7′6″     310 lbs     27
Brad Pitt            6′0″     203 lbs     28
Keanu Reeves    6′1″      223 lbs     29
Andy Roddick    6′2″     197 lbs     25
Nykesha Sales   6′0″     184 lbs     25
Will Smith          6′2″     210 lbs     27

And now without further ado a health calculator brought to you by Diets In Review:

Between 1990 and 2007 U.S. sales of organic food and beverages have grown from $1 billion a year industry to a $20 billion a year.  This growth has given us the ability to buy almost any type of produce organically grown.  While eating organic food is always a good decision, some food is better to eat organic than others.  When faced with a tight budget choosing organic wisely will save you money.

The Environmental Working Group has come out with a list of the most and least important foods to eat organic.  The 12 foods most commonly found with a high level of pesticides, also known as the “dirty dozen,” should always be eaten organic if possible.  They are:

1 (worst) Peach
2 Apple
3 Sweet Bell Pepper
4 Celery
5 Nectarine
6 Strawberries
7 Cherries
8 Kale
9 Lettuce
10 Grapes - Imported
11 Carrot
12 Pear

Eating organic for these 12 items could reduce your pesticide intake by 90%.

On the flip side the 10 foods that retain the lowest levels of pesticides and are therefore safer to eat non-organic are:

10 Eggplant
9 Cabbage
8 Kiwi
7 Sweet Peas - Frozen
6 Asparagus
5 Mango
4 Pineapple
3 Sweet Corn - Frozen
2 Avocado
1 (lowest pesticide load) Onion

While these 10 foods still contain pesticides, the levels are significantly lower and are relatively safer to eat in their non-organic form.  So the next time you are looking to save money at the supermarket consider buying organic only for the fruits and vegetables that need it the most.

By Katie Newton
Katie@youbars.com

What should we consider a “healthy weight”?  To find out your proper weight, calculate out your Body Mass Index (BMI) either at your doctor’s office or online.  A good BMI for adults is as follows:

    * Underweight = less than 18.5
    * Normal weight = 18.5-24.9
    * Overweight = 25-29.9
    * Obese = BMI of 30 or greater

According to the New York Times, when your B.M.I. is greater than 25, the National Heart, Lung & Blood Institute recommends losing weight, especially if you have risk factors for disease such as high blood pressure.  To better prepare for and maintain  a healthy weight, even a small weight loss (only 10 percent of your current weight) will help to lower the risk of heart disease and other risks.  There are a few things you can do, little things, each day to keep on track:

    *  Eat more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains
    * Cut back on fattening meat (like burgers and hot dogs), greasy foods, and refined sugars
    * Drink more water (at least eight 8oz. glasses per day) instead of sugary drinks like sodas
    * And most of all, be more physically active!!!

For more serious questions on this subject, be sure to talk with your doctor and find a diet and health routine that suits you.  It will make your body perform better, increasing energy while caring for your heart.

YouBar is proud to introduce its newest member to the family, You Trail Mix - the first customized trail mix in individual serving sizes, with your personalized name and nutrition facts printed on each package. There are over 40 ingredients to choose from, and the possible combinations are limitless.

You Trail Mix comes in individual serving packets for maximum freshness, portion control, and portability. Each bag of trail mix is only $1.99, and with our ‘guaranteed delicious’ policy you are bound to get the perfect trail mix just for you. You Trail Mix comes in boxes of 13 single-serving packages. Our easy to use interface makes ordering online at www.youbars.com/mixatrailmix simple and fun. Try it out today!

By Katie Newton
Katie@youbars.com

Spring has arrived!  The flowers are blooming, the birds are chirping, and our homes are ready to shed their old parts in exchange for fresh, clean, new ones.  If you find yourself collecting too many clothes, shoes, linens, and furniture in winter that leave your home feeling cramped and stuffy, this message is for you.

As spring warms the air this year, it’s time to take a fresh approach to cleaning your home.  The most important step for spring cleaning is making sure your cleaning products are non-toxic and eco-friendly. Throw away brightly-colored artificial cleaners, and then go out and buy plant-based products.  They clean just as well without the harmful fumes or residue.

Next, go through your closet and pull out all the clothes you have never worn or have not been worn in the last two years.  If they have not been worn in the past, chances are they will never be worn in the future.  Donate all unused clothing to your local thrift store.  For your nicer pieces of clothing, take them to a consignment shop.  This allows you to get some money back from your purchases.  The same can be said for shoes, purses, and other clothing accessories.

Now on to furniture—what better way to welcome spring than with brightening up your living room, dining room and kitchen with colorful spring accents.  If you want to dress up your couches but cannot afford new ones, simply buy a set of sheets in a colorful print and cover the couches with them.  Adding new pillows or lamps can also provide a tasteful amount of color.  To brighten your kitchen on a budget, go buy some multi-colored dish towels, or a new set of coffee cups.  The simplest change can yield big decorating results.  Have Grandma’s outdated and unwanted furniture piling in dark corners of your home, needing to go?  Take the step to finally waving goodbye to it all.  Sell it online or have a garage sale.  With that open space in your home you can finally choose a better item for or way to use the space.

If you are feeling overwhelmed by the task, know this:  taking it step by step is best.  These projects do not have to be done all in one weekend.  They can occur over several weeks until your house feels more like a fresh, clean home.  So, what are you waiting for?!

Bringing fresh, clean, and color to your everyday, makes you feel a world away!

By Katie Newton
Katie@youbars.com

Stress is a fact of life.  IronMan triathlete Brendan Brazier says that, “Stress is like fire: when controlled and used for a purpose, it serves us well.”

When used correctly stress helps with important issues that you need to deal with right away. If you need to stay up all night for a project or need to run the last leg of a race and are already exhausted then a little bit of stress can serve you well.

Unfortunately we are stressed too often and for too long. People are usually in a perpetual state of stress for the following reasons:

1. Unhealthy lifestyle/Poor Diet
2. Not having enough time/Taking on too much
3. Conflicts in the workplace or at home
4. Inability to accept things as they are
5. Failure to take time out and relax

Constant high levels of stress cause obesity, fatigue, anxiety, sleep disturbances, digestive issues, premature wrinkled skin, and depression.

To de-stress in these moments, it is important to grasp that the largest source of stress we endure is entirely within our control. It is estimated that as much as 40% of all stress can be attributed to a poor diet. A properly implemented raw, whole food, plant-based diet is a great way to alleviate stress and hinder other problems.

If you are not sure how to “eat well”, here are a few easy tips:

1) Hone in on the foods that make your body feel good. (Not comfort foods like ice cream or fast-food, but green veggies, fruits, lean protein, and whole grains.)

2) Give it the vitamins, protein and minerals it needs, before indulging in your favorite comfort foods.

3) Always eat like you are intending to do physical exercise an hour later. If you were planning on playing soccer would you really eat pizza and soda or would you go for water and a sandwich.

Improving your diet will keep your stress levels low and give you a healthier, happier and longer life.