One of my favorite brands out on the shelves right now is a Marin (yeah local!) based company called EO (stands for Essential Oils).   Family owned and operated, they pride themselves on creating all-organic, all-natural and sustainable personal care products.   What I love most about this brand is their true commitment to pushing the personal care industry forward.  They have developed innovative ways in delivering certified, natural organic ingredients to their consumers and are extremely responsible along the way.  Their bottles are all made from post-consumer resin, all ingredients are tested and traceable to their exact source, and are now growing some of their own ingredients on site!  They even work closely with organizations like Amma and Teens for Safe Cosmetics.   Talk about setting the bar.

Most importantly, their product rocks.  I religiously use their shower gel, body lotion, hand sanitizer, hand soap, and have a mini set of their shampoo and conditioner to grab and go when traveling.  The smell is divine…and thats without ANY chemicals or artificial fragrances.  Look for this brand when shopping the personal care shelves at Whole Foods, Real Foods, etc…..and SUPPORT THEM.  The more $$$ we give to companies like these, the more pressure we put on cosmetics manufacturers and personal care brands to get their shit together.

Read more about them and their story: http://www.eoproducts.com/

My salmon dinners are such a treat during the work week, and the leftovers make for a perfect little lunch to bring the next day.  I try and include fish in my meals at least once a week.  Tonight I dressed my wild Alaskan Salmon with an organic basil almond pesto, and served it with roasted garlic organic green beans and quinoa…it was DELICIOUS.  

Its SO incredibly important to choose the fish you put into your body wisely.  While it drastically ups the price, buying wild and sustainable seafood will protect you from tons heavy metals, polychlorinated biphenyls (PBCs), and other harmful toxins.  Plus, the fish is guaranteed to taste SO much fresher and cleaner.  Here is a great list provided by fitsugar.com.  If you cannot always find local/wild caught seafood, the below are really great guidelines to follow as a rule of thumb:

BEST CHOICES:

• Artic Char (farmed)
• Clams (farmed)
• Crawfish (US)
• Halibut (Pacific- Alaska)
• Herring (Atlantic - U.S., Canada)
• Mahimahi (US Atlantic)
• Mussels (farmed)
• Salmon (wild- Alaska)
• Scallops (bay, farmed)
• Striped Bass (farmed)
• Tilapia (U.S.)
• Mackerel (Atlantic)
• Black Cod (Alaska)

AVOID

• Cod (Atlantic)
• Marlin
• Caviar (wild and farmed)
• Halibut (Atlantic)
• Chilean Seabass
• Lobster (spiny, Brazil)
• Mahi Mahi (imported longline)
• Salmon (farmed, including Atlantic)
• Shrimp (imported)
• Tuna (Albacore, Bigeye, Skipjack, Tongol, Yellowfib, Bluefin, canned)

Another ongoing resource for sustainable and smart seafood choices for you here.  Has a great buyers guide and seafood database to check the ‘stories behind your seafood’ as you’re shopping, meal planning, or ordering at a restaurant and are unsure of what is best: http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/cr_seafoodwatch/sfw_recommendations.aspx?c=ln.