My Mother's Death Was My Wake Up Call. Here's How I Live A Regret-Free Life Now

My mother suffered from kidney disease my entire life. The only extended memory I have of her not being sick is from the three months her disease went into remission when I was 13, because my brother...

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4 Vegan Bean Recipes for a ‘Magical’ Meatless Monday

We’re sure you remember that little ditty about beans being a “magical fruit.” But aside from having certain audible superpowers, beans are actually a fantastic protein source, making them the perfect star of your Meatless Monday meals. This week, we’re showing off our favorite vegan bean recipes.

Start things off with a lighter play on a British classic: these cannellini beans on toast are like nothing you’ve seen before. And if we love this recipe so much, it’s probably because of how incredibly simple it is. All it takes are a few simple ingredients: creamy cannellini beans, fresh Swiss chard, and a bit of specialty truffle oil to make this recipe special. Place it all on your favorite artisanal or homemade bread, and you’re ready to go.

Image: Emily Monaco

As we approach fall, evenings get cooler, and there’s nothing like a quick bowl of soup to make a special yet easy Meatless Monday meal. Our Mexican-flavored black bean soup is so easy to make ahead of time; all you have to do when you’re ready to serve it is dice up some avocado and halve some limes. We love setting out bowls of the soup, plain, and letting everyone at the table doctor up their own portion with hot pepper, avocado, lime juice, vegan sour cream, or cilantro.

Bean salad image via Shutterstock

Bean salads are an easy, delicious treat that also make for fantastic leftovers. This one stands out from the crowd thanks to its bright lemon and parsley dressing. Unlike many other bean salads, it also includes other vegetables to add some sweetness to the earthiness of the beans.

Homemade Barbecue Baked Beans from Shutterstock

There’s no need for vegans to be left out of the barbecue sweetness of a pot of slow-cooked baked beans. Our vegan baked bean recipe has all the rich flavor of the classic without the bacon. The tangy sauce is made by combining molasses, tomato, maple, and vinegar. Two different kinds of beans are stewed together until they are soft and tender. And perhaps the best part: they’re so easy to make in the slow-cooker. How much better can you get for a Meatless Monday meal?

Related on Organic Authority

Meatless Monday Roundup: 4 White Bean Recipes

4 Heirloom Baked Bean Recipes to Relish Right Now

Bored with Hummus? 5 Bean Spread Recipes to Try

Cannellini bean toast image via Shutterstock

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10 Quotes From Wayne Dyer That Will Inspire You To Live Your Best Life Now

The news came yesterday that Dr. Wayne W. Dyer passed away in his sleep. The world was forever changed by this dedicated, loving man who to many was known as the "father of motivation." Dyer changed the...

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Reading, Writing, and Healthier School Lunches Welcome Students Back to School

Kids heading back to school can expect much of the same: math, spelling, science, and history lessons. But they can also expect something rather new to the nation’s schools: healthier school lunch options.

According to a recently released federal report, the nutrition profile of school lunch options has improved since the standards were implemented in 2012.

“Nearly 80 percent of schools offered two or more vegetables per meal in 2014, the data showed, up from 62 percent in 2000,” reports the New York Times. “Two or more fruits were offered in about 78 percent of schools, up from 68 percent in 2000. About a third of schools now have salad bars.”

Most students consume nearly half of their daily calories while at school. And with the nation battling a widespread obesity crisis that children are particularly vulnerable to, the dietary changes are being leveraged against the epidemic. Turns out, it might actually be working. “Obesity has decreased among the youngest children,” reports the Times, “as well as among children of low-income families participating in federal food programs.” That’s good news for children, as obesity rates have skyrocketed, more than triple what they were in the 1970s.

With obesity comes an increased risk for other health conditions, namely type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular problems.

Now, through the updated school lunch program, more than half of the nation’s schools are preparing lunches with fresh, often locally sourced, ingredients. And while canned foods are still being served in a number of schools, the Times reports that 52 percent of schools are using low-sodium options. Even hot dogs have less fat, and there are more beans, lentils, and whole grains on the menus too.

“Literally, the way the school lunch line looks is different,” Deb Bentzel, senior associate at the Food Trust in Philadelphia, a nonprofit that works to increase access to nutritious food in schools and communities, told the Times. “It’s brighter, it’s healthier-looking, it’s fresher.”

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Do You Need Supplements If You Eat A Healthy Diet? A Doctor Explains

The question of supplements if very confusing for most people. After all, shouldn’t eating a whole, fresh, unprocessed foods diet provide all the necessary vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and other nutrients...

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I Built Myself A 196-Square Foot Tiny Home To Live In. Here's Why

Everyone has their own reason to minimize and downsize. Mine had to do with creating a lifestyle free of debt and full of the flexibility to do what I want with my day, everyday. After designing, building...

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5 Words That Will Change Your Life

In my early 20s, I went through a devastating health crisis, which turned out to be a totally life-changing experience. After years of trying to please other people and not taking care of myself, I awoke...

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This Man Didn't Use Electricity Or Make Trash For A Year. Here's What His Life Is Like Now

The last time millions of people saw Colin Beavan, he was switching on his apartment lights after a year of living in the dark. It was the last scene in his documentary , No Impact Man , which chronicled...

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A Relaxing Yoga Sequence You Can Do In Bed

I love to sleep. My life encourages me to burn bright most of the time, so I fully embrace rest whenever I can take it. Though sleep isn't the only good thing your bed is for — you can do yoga in bed,...

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11 Healthy Foods Nutritionists Stock In The Freezer

Sticking to a healthy meal plan can be as simple as stocking your kitchen with the right foods. On busy weeknights, instead of resorting to ordering takeout, wouldn't it be awesome if you could whip up...

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How To Give Your Hair Shine + Bounce This Fall

You've spent all summer outside, and while you've no doubt enjoyed yourself, your hair may tell a different story. Sun exposure, excessive heat and pool water are not your hair's best friends. As we transition...

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Are You Addicted To Sugar?

Mounting evidence suggests that sugar is wreaking all kinds of havoc on our bodies. We've heard about the dangers of having too much sugar and the benefits out cutting it out entirely. But what about...

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The Only Thing You Need to Spiritually Cleanse Your Home

Many years ago, in Puerto Rico, I discovered a wonderful bark that has been used for centuries in South America for its energy cleansing qualities and healing properties. Now it’s becoming more popular...

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What I Know For Sure About Living A Regret-Free, Happy Life

My mother suffered from kidney disease my entire life. The only extended memory I have of her not being sick is from the three months her disease went into remission when I was 13, because my brother...

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10 Things Only ClassPassers Understand

When I moved to New York City in January, I was impressed with everything the city had to offer. Particularly, how easy it made my life — Venmo? Seamless? Spotify? Yet my most recent discovery is undoubtedly...

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Listening to Music That’s Loud and Angry Might Actually Calm You Down

Feeling frustrated, frazzled, or just downright miserable after a long and hard day? Listening to music could help lift your spirits, and it turns out that some of the loudest, angriest, head-banging violent songs might be just what you need (if you’re into that kind of music already, that is).

Anyone who needs to wind down and relax a little might typically turn to classical, ambient, or jazz as their music genre of choice. As counterintuitive as it might seem, researchers from the University of Queensland School of Psychology found evidence that listening to heavy metal, hardcore, scream, punk, or any other kind of “extreme” music genre can be just as effective in calming people’s emotions.

You’d think that these extreme music genres would make a person angrier, or possibly even violent, but the researchers hypothesized that the music can actually help people process their anger rather than inflate it. To help prove it, a study was conducted that involved 39 participants between the ages 18 to 34 who were already fans of extreme music and listened to it regularly.

To kick of the study, all participants were subjected to 16 minutes of “anger induction,” which involved chatting about frustrating situations surrounding their personal lives — career, personal relationships, and finances. Participants’ heart rates were tracked and they were asked to describe their emotions during the process.

Once they were emotionally stirred up enough, some of them were asked to sit in silence for 10 minutes while others were asked listen to their own playlist of extreme music. By the end of the 10-minute period, the researchers found that the participants who listened to extreme music experienced calmer emotional states that were comparable to those who sat in silence for the same period of time.

According to Leah Sharman, a psychology student at the university and co-author of the study, the extreme music helped regulate participants’ sadness and reinforced more positive emotions. They were able to use the music to get fully in touch with all the emotions they felt, and ended up more active and inspired after listening.

Now let’s talk about the big obvious problem with this type of study. Every participant involved in the study was already an avid listener of extreme music. If they already enjoy listening to it, then it would make sense that it might help them manage their emotions. That could be a very different story for people who never listen to extreme genres of music, or dislike it all together — no matter what mood they’re in.

The researchers concluded:

“The results refute the notion that extreme music causes anger but further research is required to replicate these findings in naturalistic social contexts, and to investigate the potential contributions of individual listener variables on this relationship between extreme music listening and anger processing.”

In a related experiment, researchers from Brunel University observed how music can be used in the operating room to benefit patients. Out of 73 rigorous, randomized clinical trials, they discovered that music can help ease the pain and anxiety before surgery, during the procedure, and throughout the recovery process.

Surgical patients were allowed to choose the music they wanted to listen to during their participation in the trials. From Spanish guitar to Chinese classical music, there were no limits to music genre choice.

The patients who listened to the music they liked ended up using much mess medication to soothe their pain, and the music helped them drop down the 10-point pain scale by an average of two levels. That’s about the equivalent amount of relief a patient would get from one dose of medication.

Moral of the story? Don’t assume you need to start loading up your iTunes library or other favorite music streaming app with angry-sounding band names you’ve never heard of before next time you’re having a bad day. You can’t force yourself to enjoy something you genuinely don’t like, regardless of what some studies might suggest.

If heavy metal is your thing, and if it helps you manage your emotions, then you should definitely go ahead and listen to it if it does make you feel calmer. Just bear in mind that musical taste is a very personal thing, and you’re probably better off listening to the genres you know you really love to listen to already.

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Image of woman listening to loud music via Shutterstock

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Matcha Protein Bars

Before I became a nutritionist, I had a pretty serious love affair going on with protein bars, which turned out to be rather one-sided. Instead of feeling nourished and energized, I often felt depleted...

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15 Tricks To Be Smart About The Carbs You Eat

Carbs have gotten a bad rep recently. And that's too bad, because nutrient-rich carbs such as whole grains, fruit, starchy vegetables, and even the occasional piece of pie can (and should!) be part of...

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The Genius Ways Some Cities are Eradicating Food Deserts

According to the USDA, food deserts can either be found in urban neighborhoods or rural towns where residents don’t have adequate access to supermarkets and affordable fresh and healthy foods, but instead are left with limited choices like mini markets and fast food restaurants. While the term has been around since the 1990s, unfortunately food deserts have been around for much longer.

It’s also been a difficult problem to tackle judging from the USDA’s food deserts locator, which shows a shocking number of communities plagued by food insecurity.

There have been some successes though in the battle against food deserts. And as with many things, it seems as if there hasn’t been just one solution, but instead a multi-pronged, community-based approach may be the key. Here are just a few remarkable programs going on in some U.S. cities to help solve the food desert crisis.

Fare & Square: A Nonprofit Grocery Store in Philadelphia

Philabundance, the non-profit food bank that serves the greater Philadelphia area opened the country’s first nonprofit grocery store in the Chester, PA, in 2013. The city had been without a grocery store of any kind since 2001. The store isn’t obligated to make a profit, meaning it can devote more of its resources to offering fresh, healthy food to the residents of Chester.

Gather Baltimore Food Rescue Operation

Started from the back of a pickup truck, Gather Baltimore has grown into a city-wide volunteer-based program that collects unsold produce and bread from farmers market and other sources for redistribution. They operate farm stands in several communities as well as donate food to local meal programs, faith communities, and others in need.

California Freshworks Financing Fresh Food

The California FreshWorks fund is a private-public partnership program that has raised over $270 million since its inception towards an investment pool to provide loans and grants for healthy food retailers wanting to build or expand in under-served neighborhoods.

City Harvest Recognizes That Education is Part of the Solution

The New York City nonprofit, City Harvest, operates a food rescue and distribution program along with an educational component aimed at residents. Recognizing the need to provide nutrition education along with access to nutritious food, City Harvest developed the Healthy Neighborhoods program. They partner with residents, community organizations, after school programs, and local businesses to engage residents in making healthy choices and enhancing the local food landscape.

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Produce market image via Shutterstock

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7 Things You Need To Know (August 31)

1. L.A.'s cancer mystery: rates higher in some zip codes but falling in others. Rates are up in Beverly Hills and Pacific Palisades but down in the beach cities like Manhattan, Redondo, and Hermosa. (...

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RIP Wayne Dyer: Self-Help Pioneer Passes Away At 75

Self-help pioneer, Dr. Wayne Dyer has passed away at age 75. His family posted the following status on Twitter shortly after 5pm ET on Sunday night: Wayne has left his body, passing away through the night....

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Live Your Calling & Other Lessons We Can Learn From Jane Goodall

When people turn to me for individual counseling and coaching, most often it’s because they want my help to identify and embrace their life’s passion, at work and in love. We live in a world filled with...

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This Teacher Created A Harry Potter-Themed Classroom (And Other Stories That Will Make Your Day)

1. An Oklahoma middle-school teacher decorated her classroom with items inspired by Harry Potter And The Sorcerer's Stone. Math teacher Stephanie Stephens decided to use the magic of Harry Potter to get...

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5 Myths That Make Being Healthy So Much Harder Than It Has To Be

While exercising regularly and eating nutritious food are certainly great habits, being healthy isn’t just about squats and veggies. As a recovered health nut and now a life and happiness coach, I know...

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4 Simple Tips That Will Change The Way You Apply A Face Mask

Face masks come in all different colors, consistencies and smells (anyone who's ever used one with apple cider vinegar knows what I'm talking about!). And though every formulation is different, there...

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38 Ways To Really Show Up In Your Relationship

Do you show up in your relationships? Are you really, truly there for your partner, with full presence and commitment? Or do you show up simply by being physically available? If so, you may think you...

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How To Grow Vegetables In Your Apartment (With Minimal Effort!)

I’ve lived in over a dozen places in London. And while I was lucky enough to have access to the occasional small patio or balcony, growing space was usually nonexistent. Yet I never let this deter me...

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Next-Level Overnight Oats With Strawberry Chia Jam (Just 6 Ingredients!)

I love to get creative with my overnight oats and my newest creation involves my homemade strawberry chia jam — and it tastes like absolute heaven. It's not only healthy, but it’s easy to prepare, and...

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A Dreamy Cinnamon Pecan Coffee Cake (That's Also Gluten-Free & Paleo)

If you're a believer that cake isn’t just for birthdays, mark this recipe. Because we Southerners believe cake is for all occasions — including breakfast! Celebrating before 9 a.m.? Do it up y’all! This...

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3 Renowned Yoga Teachers On Why They're Wearing White For Yoga

Editor's note: On September 2, 2015 in NYC, Central Park's Great Lawn will be adorned by 10,000 yogis dressed in white. The Lolë White Tour is a free yoga event open to the public, with a inspiring class...

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Back to School Storage Organizing Tips (Whether They’re Pre-K or Pre-Med!)

Get ready for back to school with these room by room back to school storage organizing tips to keep you clutter-free this school year!

Back to School Organizing Tips for the Entryway

One of the more challenging places to organize is the entryway. It doesn’t matter whether you have a small landing or a larger foyer, backpacks, coats, and shoes all seem to end up in a pile by the door.

• Apply some organization by adding shelves, bins and hooks to an existing closet to catch all that clutter. If you don’t have a closet, consider buying or making storage cubbies.
• You can also repurpose a yard sale wardrobe to use as cubbie storage. Painting the doors with chalkboard paint for reminders and to-do lists can also add another layer of organization.
• Finally, here’s an IKEA hack for repurposing Billy bookcases into entryway cubbies.

Back to School Organizing Tips for the Family Room

Even though you try to keep school stuff out of the family room, it happens anyway. But the minute you move someone’s school project, they come looking for it and can’t find it. Create a dedicated space in the family room for storing those wayward homework assignments.

• One practical solution is to make a DIY modular coffee table with storage.
• Another idea is to label individual baskets with each child’s name that can act as receptacle for those left behind school papers.

Back to School Organizing Tips for the Kitchen

It seems like the kitchen table is where everyone always ends up doing their homework. While it’s a great place to work, dealing with the clutter can be a problem. Nip it in the bud, by providing alternative storage in the kitchen for homework.

• One idea is to create a home file box with color-coded tabbed dividers for each kid. This gives them a place to unload weekly papers and store work in progress.
• Another tip is to create a school supply station in a cabinet, door, sideboard or other storage spot in the kitchen. Keep whatever school supplies kids might need there to complete their homework to eliminate time wasted hunting for index cards, stick glue, or an extra ipad cord.

Back to School Organizing Tips for the Home Office

Having a dedicated work space comes with its challenges too–home offices often become a catchall for everything paper related. Whether used for school-aged or grownup students, get organized in the home office by creating separate work and school stations.

• One way to maximize space is to utilize height. Add shelves above workstations to free up desktops for spreading work out.
• Peg or cork board bulletin boards are useful to store ready at hand tools like scissor and rulers, clipboards and more.
• Keep track of assignments, field trips, doctor’s appointments, and more with a family calendar. Buy a big desk blotter calendar to mount to the wall or make your own DIY version, like this wall-mounted magnetic, erasable version.

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Image of office supplies via Shutterstock

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Cheesy Vegetable Pie Recipe With Corn and Zucchini

Before you move on from zucchinis and start to embrace fall vegetables, consider taking one last, cheesy, bite of these highly versatile veggies. The vegetable pie recipe is creamy and delicious, full of summer vegetables, eggs, cheese, and warming spices. It makes for the perfect summer meal.

What’s wonderful about this corn and zucchini vegetable pie recipe is that while it does feature butter and cheese, it is actually quite light. The zucchini, corn and mushrooms help each slice to go down easy and to make it alright for you to reach for one or two more servings. Meanwhile, the pie does not have a crust, which cuts out any extra heaviness and empty calories. Enjoy!

Cheesy Vegetable Pie Recipe

Serves 8-10

Ingredients

• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 2 large zucchinis, thinly sliced
• 1 cup sliced crimini mushrooms
• 2 ears sweet corn, cut off the cob
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1.5 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese
• 3 eggs, beaten

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. In a large pan over medium-high heat, add the butter, onion, zucchini, and mushrooms. Stir and sauté for a few minutes. Nest, add in the corn kernels. Sauté for about 10 more minutes. Remove from heat.

Add the basil, rosemary, oregano and salt and stir.

Spray a 9-inch pan with non-stick spray. Add the zucchini and corn mixture to the pan and arrange enough of the zucchini slices so that they lie flat atop the pie in an orderly manner. Top with the cheese and cover the pan with aluminum foil. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Remove the foil and cook for another 5 minutes, or until the cheese has lightly browned. Remove from the oven and let chill before eating. Serve warm or re-heated.

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Casserole with zucchini and cheese in a baking dish for Shutterstock

 

 

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Undercover Animal Farm Investigator Turns the Camera on Himself, and You’ll be Glad He Did

An undercover animal farm investigator turns the camera on himself. And his story just might change your life forever.

Find Jill on Twitter and Instagram

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It’s Definitely the Pesticides: Study Confirms Honeybee Deaths Linked to Agrochemicals

It’s been talked about quite a bit in recent years: The EU has banned neonicotinoid-based pesticides over concerns that they’re causing widespread honeybee deaths, but research has been inconclusive—until now. Researchers say there’s a conclusive link between at least one class of neonics and honeybee deaths.

Called imidacloprid, the neonic pesticide is believed to be the cause of increased mortality rates among bees, cites new research by the Food and Environment Research Agency in the U.K.

The study looked at imidacloprid use over an 11-year period. The chemical pesticide is applied directly to seeds during planting, and stays present in the crop as it grows. Bees who were exposed to the crops treated with imidacloprid had mortality rates 10 percent higher than those with low or no exposure to the pesticide.

“This is one of the most compelling cases yet for the fact that neonics are harming bees,” Paul Towers, a spokesperson for Pesticide Action Network, wrote in an email to TakePart. “Researchers in this study looked in particular at canola grown in the U.K., but the same lessons can be applied to the millions of acres of corn and soy planted in [the U.S.] that are also coated with this bee-harming pesticide.”

Previous studies have linked neonics with bee deaths, but they were criticized, reports TakePart, because “they didn’t reflect what bees would encounter in real-life scenarios.”

Manufacturers of neonics, including Syngenta, have said that their chemicals are not responsible for colony collapse disorder, the name for the mysterious death of honeybee colonies. Other culprits include the Varroa destructor, a mite that infects bee colonies, particularly those already destabilized by malnourished bees. While chemical companies point to the mites as one of the leading causes of bee deaths, Towers told TakePart that mites have existed for a long time, and may only be preying on the bees after pesticide exposure weakens their immunity.

“No doubt [mites] play a role in overall declines, but the evidence suggests pesticides are the driving factor, and declines are consistent with their wide-scale introduction in the mid-2000s,” he said.

To date, bee colony populations have declined by one-third. They pollinate about $15 billion worth of crops annually, contributing about one out of every three bites of food.

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Honeybee colony image via Shutterstock

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