The Importance of Probiotics in Kids’ Diets

Fall is the perfect time to focus on supporting our immune system and lifestyle so we can adjust to the new season with ease and feel our best. It’s also a great time to take stock of children’s diets to ensure that health-supporting foods are included in their meals and snacks each day to support […]


Have a Healthy Breakfast for National School Breakfast Week!

It’s National School Breakfast Week, a campaign to increase student participation in school breakfast programs! Here at Lifeway, we can’t think of a better way to start the day than with a healthy and hearty breakfast. We’ve all heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day – and it truly is. Eating breakfast is linked to increased energy, improved concentration, a healthier weight, and better grades. Unfortunately, 8-12% of school age students skip breakfast, increasing to as much as 30% once they reach adolescence.


How Does Your School Garden Grow?

Rachel Kraus is an AmeriCorps service member with FoodCorps, a nationwide team of leaders who connect kids to real food in school. You can find out more about it at www.foodcorps.org. Lifeway is a member of the FoodCorps Corporate Council and its support helps make Rachel’s position possible. You can read more about our partnership […]


FoodCorps: Notes from the Field

When FoodCorps service member Rachel Kraus looked up at the high tunnel in the garden courtyard of Bayyari Elementary School on a brisk January day, she could not believe it was finally near completion. She had been tasked with the project when she first set foot in the garden in September 2014. Now, 13 months later, the tunnel was nearly ready to shelter the fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs she and her students would soon be growing together.


Lifeway + Pilot Light: Feeding Minds and Fueling Appetites

The Pilot Light Chefs were back in the classroom earlier this week, bringing their unique nutrition education program and approach to Chicago-area elementary school students at Disney Magnet II. As proud and enthusiastic sponsor of Pilot Light, members of the Lifeway team were on hand to help with chef-led lessons, serve a tasty and nutritious lunch, and […]


Celebrate #GivingTuesday with Lifeway and FoodCorps

Next Tuesday, December 1, is #GivingTuesday – a day globally dedicated to giving back and celebrating generosity.  To celebrate this year, Lifeway is giving a gift to help kids live healthier lives – and you can help! At Lifeway, we are committed to a naturally healthy and delicious future for all, and we also know that […]


Parent-Approved Kid-Friendly Snacks

One of our biggest passions at Lifeway is childhood nutrition and education. We believe that the keys to good health include what you eat as much as how you eat. We believe that giving children access to quality, nutrient-dense foods (that actually taste good) is crucial to developing healthy habits, which lead to healthy lives. […]


How to Give Baby’s Immune System a Head Start

We’ve known for a long time that kefir and probiotics are beneficial to health, and we continue to be excited when we learn of more and more research that supports our knowledge. From studies recommending our favorite bugs for management of digestive disorders, including Ulcerative Colitis, to papers that illustrate the gut-mind connection, probiotics are in the health spotlight more than […]


Lifeway Kefir: Good for Childhood Nutrition

At Lifeway, we know that one of the greatest impacts an organization can make on the world is to do work that is good for the present and will positively affect the future. When we talk about the future, we specifically mean our environment and those who will inhabit the planet. We’ve discussed our commitment to global sustainability and […]


“This strange drink called kefir had changed us so dramatically”

Donna Schwenk’s youngest daughter Holly, was born seven-and-a-half weeks premature via emergency C-section. Her family was overjoyed, but because Holly was born so early, her immune system wasn’t fully developed. “She got colds, the flu, she wasn’t gaining weight,” Schwenk remembers. “I knew I had to do something to help our preemie.” After conducting some […]