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A woman looking at canned food on the grocery store shelf

Can Processed Foods be Good for You?

As Heart Health month comes to an end, let’s talk about processed foods. We often hear that processed foods are bad for us. So, are there any benefits to processed foods?

woman reading food labels at the grocery store

Reading Your Way to a Healthy Heart

With February focusing on heart health, it’s a great time to take a closer look at the foods we enjoy and how they support our personal health goals. As Justine shared last week, the choices we make each day play an important role in caring for our bodies and hearts.

February is American Heart Month

Show Your Heart Some Love

February is American Heart Month. As you may expect, at Spend Smart. Eat Smart. we usually focus in on our diet and physical activity during heart month. But did you know there are many other ways to show your heart some love? Here are a few:

woman online shopping for Holiday gifts

Be Mindful of Holiday Debt This Season and Beyond

Holiday spending can sneak up on us—gifts, travel, meals, and more. If you followed Barb Wollan’s recent 4-step plan to map out your holiday budget, you are already ahead. Now, take it a step further by using resources from Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, and Utah State Extension, to stay mindful and in control of your personal finances this holiday season and beyond!

woman sitting down and calculating a holiday budget

Spend Smart for the Holidays

When there is not enough money for everything we want (and there never is!), we can get the most value for our dollar by carefully planning how we’ll use the money we have. As the holiday season approaches, it is a great time to think through what your spending will look like to avoid starting the new year with money stress.

probiotic rich foods

Prebiotics and Probiotics

Prebiotics and probiotics – I cannot always remember which is which and I usually have to look it up when someone asks me a question about them. What I do know for sure is that they are important for a healthy gut microbiome. The gut microbiome is made up of the bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites that live in our digestive tract, mainly the colon. Having a healthy gut microbiome may have positive impacts on the rest of our body such as a stronger immune system, better absorption of some nutrients, and cardiovascular health.