As mid-term elections take place across the country, with a variety of issues that directly impact the food supply on the ballot (including GMO labeling, environmental issues ranging from drought preparedness to conservationism, hydrofracking and others), the power and responsibility of the citizen is in the air. Beyond the ballot box, however, the impact of the citizen-as-consumer continues to hold great power.

Voting with your fork has, as a concept, been in play since the early 1990’s, and describes the power that each of us has to impact the food supply with our purchase decisions. Popularized by Michael Pollan and Marion Nestle (among others), the phrase serves as a reminder that seemingly small decisions can make a significant statement about what matters to us. Local, organic, sustainable, fair trade; carbon footprints, wages and working conditions, soil health, water purity- all of these issues are impacted by the choices we make each time we buy food. These choices add up to statements about our collective values- and the food chain responds.

For those in doubt, look at the growth of the organic movement and industry over the past decade, with sales growing from $13 billion in 2005 to nearly $40 billion in 2014. Consumer demand drives market growth- Wild Oats, for example, would not exist without your demand, and could not exist without your participation. While change may occur more slowly than one might hope, we cannot deny that it does occur- and that our choices add up, bite by bite.

For more on GMO labeling ballots (both pro and con perspectives), click here, here and here; for more ways to vote with your fork, click here, here and here.

Sure, we’ve heard all the amazing benefits of daily exercise. Considering we know how awesome exercise is for us, why are we not moving our bodies everyday?

I came across this funny article in the hilarious spoof newspaper, The Onion, in which the headline reads, “Majority Of Americans Never Use Physical Education After High School”. It’s so funny because it’s so true. And, so very, very sad at the same time.

Granted, even though The Onion is a satirical publication at pokes fun at the way we choose to live our daily lives, there is definitely some truth to this article because, more often than not, we do not apply what we know is good for us when it comes to our health and well-being. We have great intentions, yet it’s in the “application” process of living an active lifestyle and maintaining it, where we Americans seem to have a major disconnect.

So, how should we solve the problem of an inactive life? Should we put on our gym clothes and exercise an hour or so everyday? The reality is that for most Americans, it is nearly impossible to do this. We don’t have a built environment to set ourselves up for success. And, it doesn’t feel good when set expectations that are out of our reach and then as a result, we can’t achieve them.

My solution to maintaining an active lifestyle to “just do it.” And, Nike is not even paying me to say this! I just know that I feel better if I carve out at least fifteen minutes here and there through out the day to get up and move. And, usually once I hit fifteen minutes, I want to keep on moving because it feels so good.

Be proactive by giving yourself a mental prep talk about the benefits of exercise, so that when an opportunity for you to take a break and exercise arrives, you take the time to do so.

It is work to work out a workout schedule. Life is a whole bunch of work- and that’s why it is always important to be positive and proactive about working. And “working out.”

And, if you don’t know of an activity that you enjoy doing, experiment with a whole bunch and find one that will make your heart beat faster than it would when you are sitting at your desk or driving in your car, or watching television- otherwise, when you are being inactive.

Take the stairs whenever you can. Bike if possible. Play with your kid in the playground or at the park. Just get up and move! You’ll be a bit happier, and a bit healthier, and so will your loved ones. It works for me, I hope it works for you.

Do you have a workout “tip” or “trick”? Please share it with us.

Tonight at 7 pm EST, Wild Oats Voices bloggers will be participating in a cool Twitter chat to connect with people who want to interact, win great prizes and find out simple wellness strategies! Head here to RSVP and join #Wildoatsvoices Twitter Chat tonight! 

Happy Mission Monday! The weather is turning colder which means comfort food time is here! What food do you turn to, to get through the chiller months of the year? Our favorite is a nice big bowl of macaroni and cheese—you’re never too old to enjoy a classic!  Share with us what is your go-to comfort food is, is it a nice big bowl of soup after a long day outside raking leaves or some warm apple pie to cap off a perfect family dinner? We hope you take a moment to play along on Twitter or Facebook.

Today’s challenge: Share with us your favorite spice for this time of year for a chance to win a spice prize pack.

If you’re playing along on Facebook, simply comment in our Mission Monday post before 11:59 p.m. ET tonight to be entered to win!

If you’d like to play along on Twitter, simply tweet us your answer with #wildoatsmission #sweeps by 11:59 p.m. ET today to be entered to win!

Good luck! Full Sweepstakes rules and details can be found here Twitter and Facebook.

One of the big problems in trying to improve something – anything — be it our job, where we go to school, where we live or even what we eat, is that somewhere along the line it starts to get stressful.

And then we often give up.

Now while bettering ourselves in other aspects of life can have all sorts of “what if” questions that go along with it – eating better shouldn’t.

Because you can improve your diet and your family’s in such easy and painless increments that you won’t even know what happened. And the best way to do that is to start thinking about what super-nutritious foods you can add to your meals by hiding them in plain sight.

Here are four easy ideas to show you what I mean.

• The goji berry and peanut butter sandwich: What I do is take the usual PB&J but I reduce the amount of jelly and sprinkle a liberal amount of goji berries on top of the peanut butter (they usually stick there quite well!)

Here’s what you’re getting: Goji berries aren’t called “super foods” for nothing. They are nutrient dense with high amounts of vitamins A and C, an excellent source of protein and potassium.

• The cocoa sprinkle: Where can you sprinkle some natural, unsweetened cocoa powder today? Unlike the calories and sugar in your typical chocolate bar, unsweetened cocoa powder can add a lot of very tasty nutrition to lots of things with almost no calories (just 10 per tablespoon). How about a tablespoon in your oatmeal, or over some banana slices. Add cocoa to your yogurt, smoothie or even one of those veggie super-blender drinks. (Here’s my recipe for the amazing dairy-free, egg-free chocolate mousse).

Here’s what you’re getting: So many good things have been discovered about cocoa that it may end up being called one of the most amazing foods in the world. It can lower your blood pressure and “bad” LDL cholesterol while upping the good HDL kind. It’s good for your heart, can protect against diabetes and has an incredibly high amount of antioxidants in it.

New research is now showing that it can also help your good, or “friendly” gut bacteria (see Dr. Daria’s post telling all about that).

It’s so good for you don’t ever look at a dish again without thinking: “Hmmm, can I add some cocoa powder to this?”

• Mango madness: Now the mango is one of those delicious fruits that we tend not to have very often. That could be due to the fact that it’s a pain to peel, you’re never quite sure if one is ready to eat, and fresh mangos have a lot of fiber in them, making it difficult to slice. So here’s the solution, go with frozen mangos. They are easy to use and just as tasty and nutritious.

And here’s how you want to use them: Mangos go great with fish and chicken dishes, rice bowls and even pasta. Yes, pasta! Add some frozen cubes while cooking your dish and it will dethaw perfectly. Soy sauce, coconut and pineapple are great flavors to pair with mangos, but even without spicing them up, they are quite delicious!

Here’s what you’re getting: Mangos can lower your risk of eye diseases, including macular degeneration, as well as reducing your risk of colon cancer, improving digestion, and helping improve bone health. See Dr. Daria’s post on how mangos can also help lower your blood sugar (which may come as a surprise since they’re really sweet!)

• Taking ‘flax to the max’: For a tiny seed, flax sure packs a big punch. And it has a lot of history behind it too, which isn’t surprising since it was being cultivated in Babylon sometime around 3000 BC. (So this isn’t just another health- food “trend” we’re talking about). And getting flax in your diet is really easy.

It can be sprinkled on most anything you’re baking, in yogurt, smoothies, in chili dishes and spaghetti sauce and even in salads, soups and sandwiches. It adds a nutty flavor that goes well with just about any recipe.

Here’s what you’re getting: Flax is high on Omega 3 fatty acids (a great brain food), is anti-inflammatory and high in antioxidants, which is probably why it’s said to help prevent certain cancers. Try to add several tablespoons a day to your meals. Also, see Karen’s post on flax here, and Chelsea’s post here.

Flax can be purchased either as a whole seed or in ground form. If you get the whole seeds you must grind them before use. And keep your flax in the fridge, whatever kind you are using.

Why not do just one of these to improve how you eat today? And by tomorrow I’ll bet you’ll be doing two!