Source: http://www.foodpolitics.com/2016/05/snap-politics-strange-bedfellows/

Wouldn’t it be useful if stores that accept SNAP benefits stocked some other real—as opposed to packaged—foods in addition to the apples, oranges, and bananas most of them now seem to carry (witness Walgreens)?

Congress thought so when it passed the 2014 farm bill.  This intended

to expand or preserve the availability of staple foods in underserved areas with moderate- and low income populations by maintaining or increasing the number of retail outlets that offer an assortment of perishable food and staple food items, as determined by the Secretary, in those areas.

In response, USDA proposed new regulations to improve what SNAP retailers had in stock.

The 2014 Farm Bill required USDA to develop regulations to ensure that stores that accept SNAP offer a broader variety of healthy food choices. The stocking provisions in the proposed rule would require SNAP-authorized retail establishments to offer a larger inventory and variety of healthy food options so that recipients have access to more healthy food choices. SNAP retailers would be required to offer seven varieties of qualifying foods in four staple food groups for sale on a continuous basis, along with perishable foods in at least three of the four staple food groups. The staple foods groups are dairy products; breads and cereals; meats, poultry and fish; and fruits and vegetables. In addition, the proposal calls for retailers to stock at least six units within each variety, le…

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/tinybuddha/~3/-GCaKnGRk7M/

“Oh, my friend, it’s not what they take away from you that counts—it’s what you do with what you have left.” ~Hubert Humphrey

Last year I was diagnosed with breast cancer three weeks after my wedding, at twenty-seven years old. After months of grueling chemotherapy treatments, I am now recovering from surgery and can look back with tremendous appreciation at what my body has accomplished.

One question I get, after the gasps and looks of incredulity have faded, is how I got through it all.

Now, for a long time, my toughest challenges in life were those brought on by my own anxiety and societal expectations.

Driving home in bumper to bumper traffic, growling and snarling all the way while turning up the music on my radio, hoping to blast out the perceived injuries to my life: clients with severe meltdowns, working long into the night, a crippling fear that I was somehow not good enough at my job despite being awarded employee of the month. I didn’t like my life much.

I suspect you may be a lot like me. Drained, stressed, overworked, underpaid, dreaming of breaking the cycle but sighing in the knowledge that life simply isn’t that simple. Angry that you have been sold on the possibility of happily ever after and betrayed by the realization that, despite knowing b…

Source: http://www.sonima.com/food/grain-pesto-bowl/

The scent of brown rice cooking will forever mean warmth and comfort to me—it’s the dish my preschool teacher would make just before nap time, the dish whose scent sang me a daily lullaby. Today, I still find warm grains deeply restorative—they’re the quick food I turn to when I have minimal time and want maximal flavor and nutrition. There are few things more nourishing than a meal built on a foundation of truly whole foods. ShareTweetPlusPin

Though my grain dressings often run wildly simple (tahini, olive oil, Bragg’s apple cider vinegar, and spirulina is a favorite), I take every opportunity I can to gussy up a bowl. And, given a few extra minutes, the luxury of toasting grains before cooking them elevates the dish to an entirely new flavor profile. This toasted grain bowl uses the power of toasting to expand and enliven the inherent nuttiness of whole grains, and pairs that depth with the bright flavors of a nut-free pesto. 

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Topped with gently massaged kale, feta, and generous hands of lemon and b…

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/tinybuddha/~3/yfhJw7FjD5g/

“The ability to be in the present moment is a major component of mental wellness.” ~Abraham Maslow

It was 4:00am, but I was wide awake. I wanted to be a great achiever, a great partner, and a great parent. Instead, I had turned into an irritable insomniac who no longer knew how to relax.

I was trying to do everything perfectly and be everything to everyone. Demands kept piling up. This made it tough to focus on the present moment.

A wandering mind is less happy than a mind focused on what it is doing, according to scientific research. For most people, a wandering mind dominates about half of the time spent awake. That encourages over-thinking, anxiety, and other emotional distress, while limiting the quality of work and play.

At the time, I didn’t realize how focusing on many different things at once limited my ability to be fully present in my relationships. I also didn’t realize just how crucial relationships are to happiness.

The Harvard Study of Adult Development tracked people for seventy-five years. People who thrived weren’t those who gained wealth and fame, but those who nurtured great relationships with family, friends, and community.

What’s the key to nurturing great relationships? Presence. Love flourishes in an atmosphere of kindness, patience, forgiv…

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/tinybuddha/~3/HUChhSNiZjA/

“Unnecessary fear of a bad decision is a major stumbling block to good decisions.” ~Jim Camp

Twenty years ago, my wife and I decided to move from Montréal, where we had lived for the first 35 years of our lives, to Nova Scotia, 800 miles away, where we had no connections whatsoever. Neither a small decision, nor undertaking, since this involved our four kids and the entire contents of our house (not to mention a dog and two cats!)

Why were we moving? We were not moving because of a job opportunity; we enjoyed the life we had in Montréal. And there was nothing—as far as we knew—waiting for us in Nova Scotia. Nothing, except our future, the next stage of our lives.

But we both had a strong, clear feeling—a felt sense—that it was time to leave. And we both had a strong, clear feeling that Nova Scotia was the right place to move to. Simple as that.

There were lots of reasons to think that we shouldn’t make this move and take all the risks involved. In the year before we moved, every attempt I made at getting work there fell through. Every attempt I made at finding a house to rent fell through. It was literally only three weeks before we moved that we finally had a place to move to!

There was plenty of worry, stress, and anxiety, plenty …

Source: http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/05/18/478408570/can-a-tiny-wasp-save-the-citrus-industry?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=thesalt

Guy Davies, an inspector of the Florida Division of Plant Industry, shows an orange that is showing signs of “citrus greening.” The disease is caused by a bacterium carried by the Asian citrus psyllid.

Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Researchers in Arizona are fighting fire with fire. They’re collecting new data on a wasp that may help slow the spread of citrus greening, a plant disease that has devastated millions of acres of citrus crops, particularly in Florida.

The disease is spread by the Asian citrus psyllid, which is no bigger than the head of a pin. The psyllid feeds on citrus trees and carries in its gut the bacteria that cause greening. Leaves become twisted and fruit becomes withered and unusable. Once a tree is infected, there is no cure. Eventually, it dies.

The parasitic wasp, Tamarixia Radiata, is a predator of the Asian citrus psyllid. The wasps are so tiny that scientists can ship 200 of them in a vial about the size of a photo film canister.

<img src="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2016/05/17/bobby-baker_edited_custom-421d4b91269e4c25ee4ead866a16669b85aedd59-s300.jpg" title="Bobby Baker, a technician with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, looks for the Asi…

Source: http://clubindustry.com/profits/new-flsa-overtime-pay-rule-could-affect-some-managers-health-clubs

A new rule from the Department of Labor will implement a higher salary threshold at which certain employees are exempt from overtime pay.

read more

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/tinybuddha/~3/PNma9R0wIVk/

“The most exquisite paradox: as soon as you give it all up, you can have it all. As long as you want power, you can’t have it. The minute you don’t want power, you’ll have more than you ever dreamed possible.” ~Ram Dass

The first time I felt this paradox was in the middle of savasana after a challenging yoga class. I always say that yoga is a metaphor for life, and this is exactly why.

Savasana is the final resting pose in which you lay flat on your back, close your eyes, and do nothing. A super yummy savasana is just so due after your work throughout the class.

The more you are challenged throughout the yoga flow, the more likely you are to be pushed to a place of brokenness. You gave your all, and now you are spent. Dizzy and exhausted, you settle into savasana and release your entire body into the earth.

Lying on the cold, hard ground never felt so good. You lie in silence, let your thoughts and breath go, and completely release. You feel deliciously blissful. And you might actually be feeling emotions for the first time all day, or maybe even all week.

A slight smile spreads across your face as the sweat beads drip from your forehead. Or tears quietly stream from your eyes as you feel absolute joy and gratefulness. By the end of that savasana, you f…

Source: http://summertomato.com/bonnie-transforms-from-a-junk-food-speed-eater-to-a-mindful-vegetable-lover-and-loses-40-lbs

“I always wanted to be that person who went to the gym regularly and ate whatever they wanted, I just didn’t know this was how you got there. That person was in me all along.”

Bonnie grew up loving all kinds of foods, especially junk food. She never liked dieting and had come to accept that she would probably always be a size 12.

Fear of developing diabetes like her father eventually prompted her to create a New Year’s resolution to try to be healthier. She slowly added exercise and changed her eating habits, and the weight began to come off until she hit a summertime plateau.

Stuck at the same weight for five months, Bonnie eventually found Summer Tomato and decided to give mindful eating a try. To her surprise she learned she was eating more than double the amount of food her body actually wanted, and that she had a true love for vegetables.

Bonnie is now comfortably a size 8, though she’s not sure what her final size will be. Although she still occasionally treats herself to fast food or sweets, her preferences have changed substantially. She’s happy where she is, but feels like her journey is just starting.

When I asked her if making all these changes was difficult she said, “It was the opposite of ha…

Source: http://greatist.com/live/naked-yoga-illustrations-prove-that-every-body-is-a-yoga-body?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=feed_http–greatistcom-

Child’s pose feels pretty damn awesome for everyone—no matter your body type. But when Danish illustrator Marie Jørgensen tried to buy a poster of yoga poses, she found only ones with the stereotypical yoga body (long, lean, and likely white).

So Jørgensen set out to create her own yoga prints that show naked yogis (with #nofilter for body hair or stomach rolls) of all different shapes and sizes. These adorable illustrations are a fun way to celebrate yoga, while also serving as a reminder that every body is a yoga body.

Here are some of our favorites:

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