Spring healthy trends with Andrea Donsky

Spring brings a new group of healthy trends. Andrea Donsky, the editor-in-chief of naturallysavvy.com, visited WCL to talk about the latest and greatest.

A huge trend is non-toxic personal care products including feminine hygiene products. We often think of making better food choices but we may not think about what we're putting in or on our bodies. Natracare has a line of organic and non-toxic tampons, pads, panty liners and wipes (including baby wipes) that are plastic-free, biodegradable, certified organic, and certified Made Safe-meaning they won't contain any harsh chemicals that could be potentially harmful to us ladies.

Another trend is "convenience foods." Made Good has a line of granola bars, minis, and crispy squares that are delicious and nutritious because each bar has one full serving of vegetables including spinach, broccoli, and carrots. All of their products are made in a dedicated facility that's free from the top eight allergens like peanut, tree nuts, and soy. They are also gluten-free, organic, and Non-GMO project verified.

A food trend that continues to gain momentum year-after-year is "plant-based." So if you're trying to eat less animal protein and more plant-based foods, Daiya has a line of plant based foods that are dairy, gluten and soy-free. They recently launched a Meatless Meat Lover's Pizza. Its toppings include meatless sausage crumbles and meatless pepperoni slices, Daiya's signature shredded cheese all on a gluten-free crust.

There are a few trends when it comes to supplements. The first one is "whole food supplements," meaning they're made with real food, and not synthetic ingredients. MegaFood, a company known for their whole food supplements, just launched a line of plant-based gummies that come in 4 different flavors including: B12 Energy Cranberry, B12 Energy Ginger, D3 Wellness Mixed Fruit and C Defense Tangy Citrus. They're Organic and Non-GMO, and they're available in natural foods stores and online.

The second supplement trend falls into the anti-aging category. Are you familiar with "collagen?" Collagen is a protein found in abundance in our body. We're born 90% collagen, but as we age our levels decline leading to fine lines and wrinkles. Collagen is also important for bone health so if you have osteopenia, osteoporosis or if you're trying to prevent both, taking collagen is a must. There are two different type of collagen: Type 1 & 3 for Hair, Skin, Nails and type 2 for joint health. Neocell has a great line of products.

And the last supplement trend is "probiotics." Probiotics are super important for our gut health and since 70-80% of our immune system is found in the gut, we want to make sure there is always a proper balance of good to bad bacteria (for most of us that balance is out of whack and there is more bad bacteria than good!). Just Thrive is a unique probiotic plus antioxidant. It contains 3 important strains, but it also has an antioxidant-producing strain called HU36 that survives in the gut and performs many critical functions, including strengthening the immune system; reducing inflammation; and increasing digestion and absorption of nutrients from food. Just Thrive Probiotic is shelf stable so you don't need to refrigerate it. It's dairy-free, and safe for kids and vegans.

For more about healthy food and products, visit Andrea's website: http://naturallysavvy.com/