When I was contacted to review Mix1 I was a bit confused.  You see, I had no idea what Mix1 was, so I began to do my research.

The first place I visited was their site .  What I found was very impressive.  As a vegetarian and one that is lactose intolerant, I am always searching for products that will provide the nutrients without comprising my lifestyle.

Mix1 is a beverage company that found the solution to many individual’s challenges.  It is very difficult to find beverages that are high in protein, as well as antioxidants, without dairy or processes ingredients.

Mix1 combines all natural ingredients such as purified water, whey protein isolate, organic cane sugar, extra light olive oil and so much more.  I was still a bit skeptical even after reading all about their ingredients.  I did not want a sugar loaded drink that was also loaded with caffeine.  My entire purpose of living a healthy lifestyle would be completely compromised if I did.  But I decided to keep and open mind and agree to the review.

When I received the Mix1 products I was very pleased.  Not only was I able to drink the products because they were lactose-free but they also contain all natural sugars.  Many of the energy drinks on the market are loaded with sugar and caffeine which is very unhealthy.

The drinks have the consistency of a yogurt drink or a smoothie.  I honestly enjoyed all the flavors, which included blueberry vanilla, lime, mango, mixberry and tangerine.  The drinks that contained the antioxidant fibers were delicious as well and those flavors are dark-berry and orange-carrot.

I decided to put the products to the test and ask my children to taste them; they are my best critics and will always give me an honest opinion.  They were very pleased and really enjoyed them, so much that I had to limit them from drinking all of them:)

These products are sold nationally at Kroger and Whole Foods Market and regionally at King Soopers, Albertson’s, Fred Meyer, Costco, Ralphs as well as independent grocery retailers across the United States.

However, you will not have to go far to taste these delicious drinks.  The company has graciously donated 1 case of these wonderful drinks for a giveaway to one of readers.

One lucky reader will enjoy a case of 12 Mix1 drinks and I am sure you will enjoy them.

So the rules are easy:

1. Visit Mix1’s site and tell me something unique that you learned about the company
2. Sign up for the RSS feed to this blog
3. Follow me on twitter: http://twitter.com/drmommy
4. Tweet about this giveaway

Those are pretty simple rules.  Be sure to let me know which one you did because each one will earn you an extra entry. Good Luck!

*The contest will end on June 7th and will winner will be announced on June 8th*

**The winner is: Billy – Congratulations** (picked with Random.org)

There are many individuals that are unable to eat certain types of foods because of the ingredients that are used.  Gluten seems to be a big culprit in meals that will enhance gastric issues in a large group of people.

There was also a time that the meals had to be prepared at home and finding the correct ingredients to use to make the food enticing to the palate made it quite difficult.  Sure, there are prepared foods for many, but for the folks that must refrain from gluten enriched products the choices are slim to none.  With that in mind the folks at GF Meals, began their quest in January of 2007.  They found that necessity for these types of foods and began a company to cater to such individuals.

Now with the growing trend of individuals interested in organic products and all natural meats, GF Meals has expanded to attract those people as well.

GF Meals has a variety of meals to choose from which include entrees, side dishes, and baked goods.  They also have packages available for Children with Autism, People who suffer from Celiac disease and those are simply interested in leading healthier lives.

Well, with that said, my family was chosen to put them to the test.  We eat fresh home-meals everyday and my children have acquired a taste for certain spices as well, so what better people to critic the quality of GF Meals than my family.

The first item put to the test were the Turkey Burgers.  My husband was quite impressed with the quality of the meat and when they were grilled maintained their shape and integrity.  More importantly the taste was incredible.  My children devoured the burgers and what was the most impressive was the fact that no extra spices were necessary.

The burgers were delicious and juicy and a winner in our home.  The turkey burgers are made from all-natural turkey, and contain organic brown basmatic rice and sweet pureed roasted yellow bell peppers along with mild seasonings.

The next item we chose to review was the macaroni and cheese.  Now we were unsure about this side dish, because my children are accustomed to eating the home-made type, but we were willing to give it a try.  The appearance after cooking the noodles were fine, but unfortunately my children did not have the same reaction as they did when they ate the burgers.  They thought the noodles were bland and sticky.

It is difficult to please some children, but they were good to taste and share their honest opinions.  The noodles contain mozarella and cheddar flavors, but still did not pass the test from the scrupulous judges.

The final product we sampled was dessert, which were vanilla cupcakes with white frosting.  Of course their eyes lit up at the sight of the delectable little treats and were anxious to eat them.  The cake was very moist and one would never tell that they were gluten-free cupcakes.

The frosting was delicious and for my taste were a bit sweet but for the true judges, my children, they were perfect.  These will definitely be a hit in your house and you will need not worry about your children eating unhealthy treats.

I want to thank the folks at Gluten Free Meals for allowing my family to review your wonderful products.  I also invite you my readers, to visit their site and order some wonderful and healthy food items.  Much effort is put into all of their products and it shows in the appearance and taste.  We were very happy and not disappointed at all, and I’m sure you will feel the same.

By now everyone has heard the ever trendy word – ‘antioxidants’.  We have also heard all the benefits that antioxidants have.  Mainly antioxidants combat the free radicals that deteriorate our bodies.

Antioxidants are essential to build the immune system which is the main system in our body that fights disease.  You will find antioxidants in the infamous ‘acai berry’ as well as blueberries, broccoli, spinach, tomatoes, strawberries, and the list goes on.

However, Enlyten has developed quite a unique method of inducing the powerful antioxidants that will fit in your pocket.  The product I am speaking about are Enlyten strips.  There are several products, but the one I will be focusing on here is the antioxidant strips.

The main reason this concept is very interesting is because of the delivery of the product.  The Enlyten strips dissolve on your tongue, the ingredients are absorbed through the buccal mucosa (between the cheek and gum) and the GI tract.  The absorption of this product is very rapid mainly because of the mucosa’s involvement.  There are many products on the market today but all are ingested and must be absorbed by the GI tract alone.

I was very curious when I received this product.  My family eats very healthy and nutritious food, but we are always open to interesting yet nutritious products.  As a parent, I was interested in getting the reaction of my children after they tried the strips for the first time.

The antioxidant are berry flavored and actually have a tartness to them.  The best way I can describe them are to a ’sweet tart’ candy, only more nutritious, of course.  The strips contain zero carbohydrates, zero sugar and zero calories.  The strips were very well received in my household which is a plus in our home.  My children like many out there are very picky and of course will not take any type of medication, so ingesting this product was a welcoming treat.

I was very impressed with this product.  No juices to ingest or berries to eat, one to three strips is all that is needed to ingest antioxidants into your system.

The only thing I would have liked to know was the amount of antioxidant we were ingesting with each strip.  I am sure Enlyten will add those values soon and if not they should consider doing so.

Besides that minor element I enjoyed the product and appreciate the opportunity to review.  You can visit the following site to view the other products available.

Until next time,

You’re probably a bit skeptical when reading the title of this post but when I was approached by the representatives of this new product called Sustainable Youth, I must admit I was a bit curious.

I then proceeded to visit the website to get more information and this is what I found:

• Products are 100% natural and organic
• ‘Green Friendly’
• Clinically proven to work
• Can be used topically
• Can be induced in tablet form
• They claim you can see a difference in 4 to 8 weeks

Well, I decided to try the products first because they are all natural and organic and because I had an option of taking tablet form or topical lotions.

I must admit, I am not one to take tablets and I’m sure I would have seen results sooner.  I have only been using the topical form for 4 weeks and quite honestly can feel the difference in my skin.  I have had facials in the past and have been told that my skin is very thin and that I needed to be careful.  Because I wore contact lenses for many, many years the skin around my eyes was very weak and fragile.  I have not worn lenses in about 8 years and that has helped since I no longer have to move the skin that surrounds my eye to remove a lens.

I began using the Immune Performance Revitalizing Serum with Alasta and the Immune Performance Elasticity Cream with Alasta every morning and evening and love the way my skin feels and the odor is pleasing and not offensive.  I will continue to use the products until they are gone and will come back with an update.  For now I am very pleased.

The best part is that one of you can win The Total Immune Performance Regimen, which consists of both topical products and the tablets. A value of $225.  By simply leaving a comment below.

First I would like you to visit the Sustainable Youth Site and tell me one thing you learned, for your chance to win.
**The winner will be picked Friday 4/17/09.
Good Luck and share this post with your friends.

Until next time,

***Winner has been chosen using Random.org – the winner was #4 Latara Ham-Ying!

Congratulations Latara!! Thanks to all who entered.

I was very excited when approached to review The Healthy Woman: A Complete Guide for All Ages.  Why? Well, basically because I am a woman and as well as the fact that there aren’t many books available that have information about women’s health.

This book, The Healthy Woman was extremely informative.  The format used for this book is perfect in explaining in words that are comprehensible as well as photographs.  The book is broken down into several categories from diseases such as Heart Disease and Autoimmune Diseases to Pregnancy and Mental Health.  The information contained is well researched and easy to read.

This is a complete guide that every woman should own.  It is one that can be used everyday from tips to staying fit and healthy to answers in managing conditions that are common to women.

There are many times that we, as women will experience health issues or will have questions about our health.  I, for one do not want to go to the medical doctor with all my questions and concerns and this book is a great resource.   It is great for all ages from infant to the golden years.

Pros:  I was very impressed with the information contained in this book and would definitely recommend it to others.

Cons:  Although this book was very thorough, I do believe it was written from a medical view.  There are many medical alternative methods now available and although it was slightly touched upon it would have been a pleasant surprise to see more research on those methods.

I greatly appreciate the opportunity to review this book and as mentioned above it is one that every woman should have.  This book is available at Amazon books and Barnes and Noble.

Until next time,