I always like to say that nature paints in watercolor, but she’s been splashing the canvass around here like an angry artist.

My herd of bison graze in a part of eastern Colorado that generally receives about 15 inches of moisture each year. Four weeks ago, the rangeland was a tawny shade of brown.

Then the rains came. And came. The countryside is being transformed. Green grass is pushing up through the soil, red-colored calves are bounding along beside their mothers, and songbirds are flitting among bright prairie flowers.

But I am starting to wish that Nature would switch to another canvass…perhaps one in northern California where tawny brown is still the dominant color. Many farmers and ranchers across the Midwest share that same feeling.

Rains though much of the Midwest have been unrelenting over the past three weeks. The creek that normally trickles across the ranch has become a raging torrent twice in the past 30 days. Fences repaired two weeks ago may require a second fix-up in the coming days.

Farmers strive to be sustainable, but they recognize that they are also very fragile. Mother Nature is still the boss.

I am a survey junkie. I love when pollsters probe public opinions about this and that.

One recent survey particularly caught my attention because it revealed what people think about organic food.

More than half of the people surveyed said that the organic label provided companies with an excuse to charge more, and nearly four out of ten people said the organic label had no real value.

Ouch.

Let me tackle the “no real value” argument first. Hardly a week passes without some news story emerging on the damaging impact of synthetic pesticides, antibiotics and growth hormones in agriculture. Just last week, the White House formed a task force to address the alarming collapse of honeybees in the United States. That collapse is being directly linked to synthetic pesticides. At the same time, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is proposing new rules to monitor the use of antibiotics in agriculture because of the growing evidence that this widespread use is contributing to the rise in antibiotic resistant bacteria impacting our personal health.

Troubling stuff, to be sure. And, the best way to know that we are protecting honeybees, and Monarch Butterflies, and to know that we are reducing the exposure to antibiotics and growth hormones, is to buy organic food.

Now, for the higher prices part of the story.

Organic food has traditionally been more expensive because of a number of factors. In farming, growing organic crops and livestock takes more time and management. But the farmer only receives 18 cents of a shopper’s food dollar. The major causes of higher priced organic food occurs after the products left the farmers’ fields.

Fortunately,   companies like Wild Oats are developing processing and distribution systems to keep those costs low. And, initiatives to increase the amount of organic land, and the number of organic farmers, will help bring more affordable organic food to the marketplace.

I just hope that soon, a survey will find that most people know that organic food is affordable for their families.

Did you know that May is Mediterranean Diet Month?  The “MedDiet” is one of the healthiest eating styles in the world!  It’s not even a diet, it’s a way of eating!

I’ll tell you more about it in a minute, but first, here’s the “new news”  –  a study just published found that switching to a 10-day Mediterranean Diet improves mood and memory and cardiovascular health in 10 days.  Wow!!

This study included 24 healthy young women.  After initial blood tests and measurements of arterial blood flow and stiffness were obtained, they were divided into 2 groups:
●  Group A ate their “normal” diet for 10 days, had lab tests repeated on day 11 and then were switched to a Mediterranean-style diet for 10 days with the lab tests repeated on the 22^nd day
●  Group B ate the Mediterranean-style diet for 10 days first, had blood tests repeated on day 11 and then were switched to their “normal” diet for 10 days  with the lab tests done again on day 22.
(This is known as a “cross-over study design”.  It gives very clean information for scientific validation.)

Here are the results:
● Compared to “normal”, the  MedDiet showed significantly elevated contentment and alertness, and significantly reduced confusion
●  Compared to “normal”, the MedDiet also showed significant improvement in cognition, such as memory recall
●  Compared to “normal”, the MedDiet showed improvement in arterial stiffness measurements
●  Compared to “normal”, there was no difference in blood flow with the MedDiet
●  The results were the same in both group A and Group B!

Well, if 10 days of a Mediterranean Style Diet can do that …. and with its list of other health benefits … maybe it’s worth adopting, at least some of the time!

I have spoken about the MedDiet before.  In my first blog on it we looked at the MedDiet itself and its beneficial effect on Metabolic Syndrome .  In my second blog on it we looked at the MedDiet’s beneficial effect on aging (really).

So, what is the MedDiet?  It is a way of eating that is common in the part of the world that borders the Mediterranean Sea.  The MedDiet has nothing to do with calorie restriction, it has to do with food choices.  The MedDiet Food Pyramid has 4 basic food groups:
# 1  –  Every meal:  fruits, vegetables, grains (mostly whole), olive oil, beans, nuts, legumes, seeds, herbs and spices –
#2   –  Eaten often, at least two times per week: fish and seafood  –
#3   –  Eaten in moderate portions daily or less often but at least weekly: poultry, eggs, cheese and yogurt  –
#4   –  Eaten on occasion: meats and sweets.

It really isn’t hard to eat the Mediterranean way! Mediterranean Diet Month is a good time to start.

If you’d like to be in a better mood and think more clearly too, the MedDiet just may be for you! Gosh, I feel better already …

We chose to go organic over 20 years ago when we first started Wild Oats. It was our goal to provide families with natural and organic food options, at an affordable price, and that’s something we continue to do today. We believe in living better, and that starts with eating well.

What are some of the reasons why you choose organic foods? Share why you made the switch for a chance to win a Wild Oats prize pack. Just comment with your suggestions on our Twitter or Facebook page and you’re automatically entered!

To share your reasons on Facebook, simply comment on our Mission Monday post by 8:59pm PT/11:59pm ET tonight to be entered to win!

To share on Twitter, tweet your reasons to us including #WildOatsMission and #sweeps by 8:59pm PT/11:59pm ET tonight to be entered to win!

Full Sweepstakes rules and details can be found here: bit.ly/1DoNN9U

The two most important words to a kid may sometimes be the two scariest words for a Mom. They bring joy to boys and girls across the world as they daydream during the rough Winter months. They bring smiles to their faces as the Spring time turns warmer. And they give Mom’s a sense of trepidation when they are uttered. Those two words are, of course…Summer vacation!

Summer vacation can be stressful for parents when they realize they now have to feed their kids (and often times, a few that aren’t their own) three meals a deal. Coming up with healthy lunch ideas for kids during the Summer may seem like a daunting task now but with these 3 ideas, you’ll find it’s nothing to worry about.

1. Keep them active – I have always found that my kids eat a lot better after we’ve been outside and active. Whether we have gone on a hike, a bike ride or swimming at the pool, they always devour the healthy foods I’ve packed them. Give your kids a wholesome sandwich made with Wild Oats Organic Bread, natural peanut butter and fruit spread. Pair this with some fresh fruit and veggies and a treat like Wild Oats Organic Cookies.

2. Freeze it – Kids love smoothies! Moms should, too! They are a great place to sneak healthy ingredients in without the kids knowing. Start with Wild Oats Frozen Fruit (we like the Berry Medley). Add in a banana, spinach, protein powder or soft silken tofu. We like to boost the smoothies in my house with some ground flax seed and chia seeds! Bonus tip – if you have leftover smoothie, freeze them in popsicle molds for a frozen treat later on.

3. Individualize – There is something about eating out of individualized containers that kids love. Whether you use compartmentalized containers, muffin tins or even small bowls, kids seem to eat better. Take your muffin tins and put pieces of cut up fruit, veggies, pieces of cheese, small bites of granola bars or even healthy snacks in each muffin well. Serve them buffet style with toothpicks for picking up. The kids will love it and forget it’s all healthy!

For healthy snacks when you are on-the-go, pack individual applesauce containers, bags of fresh fruit and veggies, hummus and peanut butter for dipping, granola bars and popcorn in individual bags.

All of these ideas are budget friendly, there’s no need to blow your grocery budget by creating elaborate lunches now that the kids are home. Moms, there is no need to stress. Feeding your kids healthy foods this Summer is as easy as 1, 2, 3!