Last week the Goddard Park farmer's market officially opened for the season, and if you've never been to a farmer's market, this is a great one to start out with. It's not overwhelming, it's relatively close to Coventry and you can get some great loot for not a lot of cash. Produce at the farmer's market is a great choice for a healthy family because the food you're buying is grown locally, which means it hasn't lost nutrients travelling for days in a truck. Most local produce is also grown organically and sold at much lower prices than supermarkets. If you're not sure how to shop a farmer's …

It doesn't happen to everyone, but enough people suffer from seasonal allergies this time of year that people start stocking up on medications. But for some, those medicines cause adverse side effects like drowsiness. What are some natural ways to beat seasonal allergies? Eat local honey. You can find a list of resources here. Local honey is said to alleviate allergies because it's created by bees that are picking up the same pollen that may be causing your allergies. Eating a spoonful a day for a few months should boost your immunity to those local allergies. Find a chiropractor. While it …

Spring break is a great opportunity for kids to catch up on schoolwork, relax, and have some fun. If your family isn't heading out of town on vacation, you might be wondering how you can keep the kids healthy and active without hearing "I'm bored!" every ten minutes. Our solution? Dub next week a staycation! Here are some ideas for having fun and sneaking in some healthy activity on your staycation. Camp out. If the weather warms up enough and you own a tent, pitch it in the backyard and let your kids camp out! They'll feel like they're a world away from Coventry. If the weather doesn't quite…

One of the biggest spring cleaning tasks tends to be cleaning out closets in your house. This is usually the time of year when we want to purge the old things that we won't wear ever again and make space for new clothes that will be great when summer rolls around. Here are some helpful tips to get your family involved in cleaning out their own closets so you don't have to do it alone. And to make it even better, you'll learn how to throw a clothes swap to get new things absolutely for free. Pick a day. Your family might be more receptive to cleaning out the closets if they know about it ahead…

You've probably heard the buzz about organic foods, and maybe you've even tried some yourself. But why is it so important to go organic, at least with a portion of your diet? This week we'll talk about organic foods, especially fruits and vegetables, and how they can keep your family healthy. Why organic?  As you probably already know, produce is widely grown using pesticides. Some of the chemicals that these foods come in contact with are questionable and can possibly have a negative impact on your health. While this is still widely debated, many people would rather not take the chance with …

Most people expect a bath or shower to leave them clean and refreshed. And while that may be true in some cases, for the most part, many of the products we use every day in the bathroom leave behind nasty chemicals that are easily absorbed through our skin. The recent book No More Dirty Looks details the most common chemicals found in personal care products and the effects they can have on our bodies. In many cases, common chemicals such as parabens and phthalates disrupt hormones and can cause a host of problems, depending on individual reactions. Most products include fragrance, a broad …

We're all looking for ways to keep our families healthy, but when we're wiping down counters and scrubbing bathtubs with store bought cleaning products, we may actually be causing more harm than good. With the push towards greener living happening in Rhode Island and all over the country right now, it's no surprise people are starting to question the safety of chemicals in everything from glass cleaners to laundry detergent, and even products like shampoo and soap. There certainly are chemicals in most of the cleaning products we use on a regular basis and they can cause problems from …

It's becoming increasingly difficult for parents to get kids active as the internet, television and video games become more widely used by children. It's easier to get the family moving in the summer when there's no school and the weather is nice enough to be outside. But what about in the winter when snow days and bad weather abound? We have some ideas that will get your family active and loving it this winter. 1. Get outside. This may be an obvious one, but it's especially important in the winter months since most people don't get enough daily vitamin D from the sun. A 15-minute walk around…