Source: Alternative Consumer
Archive for October, 2011
17 Oct
Meatless Monday
I have a love-hate relationship with apples. I used to love them and now I hate them. I had a severe allergic reaction to an apple once and I haven’t had one since. But…..for the 99.999% of the population that are not allergic to apples they are a perfect snack on a Meatless Monday or any other day.
Here’s why……
Health benefits:
- Apples are filled with soluble fiber (5 grams). This fiber has been shown to reduce intestinal disorders, including diverticulitis, hemorrhoids and possibly some types of cancer. It helps control insulin levels by releasing sugar slowly into the bloodstream. It cleanses and detoxifies, which helps eliminate heavy metals, such as lead and mercury.
- Apple pectin helps reduce cholesterol levels by lowering insulin secretion.
- In two studies researchers found that eating five apples a week lowered the risk for respiratory diseases like asthma.
- According to Chinese Medicine: Apples strengthen the heart, quench thirst, lubricate the lungs, decrease mucous and increase body fluids.
- Apple cider vinegar can help prevent the formation of kidney stones.
- Studies indicate that eating apples daily can reduce skin diseases.
- According to a Brazilian study, eating an apple before a meal helped women lose 33 percent more weight than those who didn’t.
- An apple has only 50-80 calories and has no fat or sodium.
- Apples are packed with vitamins C, A, and flavonoids and with smaller amounts of phosphorus, iron and calcium.
- Apples provide a source of potassium which may promote heart health.
Interesting apple facts:
- There are more than 7,500 varieties of apples.
- The apple tree is a member of the rose family.
- When you eat an apple you are consuming a lot of air; 25 percent of their volume is air!
- Apples have 5 percent protein.
- Apple trees can live to be 100 years old!
- The largest apple weighed three pounds.
- In ancient Greece when a man proposed to a woman would he would toss her an apple and if she decided to catch it, it meant she accepted.
- The original proverb about eating an apple a day, which came about in 1866, was: “Eat an apple on going to bed, and you’ll keep the doctor from earning his bread.”
- It takes the energy from 50 leaves to produce one apple.
Source: Mother Nature Network
14 Oct
Are your plastics BPA-free?
Now that I’m a mom, this subject hits close to home. California has joined 10 other states (Vermont, Connecticut, Maryland, Minnesota, Wisconsin, New York, Massachusetts,Washington, Delaware and Maine) banning the chemical bisphenol A from baby bottles and sippy cups. Better known as BPA, this industrial chemical is used in the manufacturing of plastics. Humans are primarily exposed to BPA though their diet when it leaches into food and drink from plastic containers.
Children and pregnant woman are particularly susceptible to adverse effects from BPA exposure which include early puberty, childhood obesity, breast cancer and ADHD. So California’s ban is a big step in protecting the health of the countries youngest and most vulnerable citizens.
Canada and the EU already ban its use on baby bottles. I wonder when Georgia will enact legislation banning BPA? Until then I’ll continue to look carefully at my daughters plastic products to make sure they’re BPA-free! Do you check the BPA-free label before you purchase plastic products?
Source: Mother Nature Network
Photo: The Daily Green
14 Oct
Quote of the Day
When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world. – John Muir
11 Oct
The real price of gasoline
My loyal followers know that I love infographics. What a better way to display information than with pictures.
Source: Mother Nature Network
10 Oct
Meatless Monday Recap
It’s been a year since A Sustainable LIFE embraced Meatless Monday’s so lets recap….
Meatless Monday is an international campaign that encourages people not to eat meat on Mondays to improve their health and the health of the planet.
Why Monday? Well Monday is the beginning of the work week, the day when individuals settle back into a weekly routine. You also have a scheduled recurring reminder to start your week off on a nutritious note. In my case, I can do one day a week. You have to start somewhere, right?
When we started I had a hard time finding meatless meals but once I opened my mind and my palate to new options I began to look forward to Monday’s. Fast forward and couple of months and I became pregnant. Between cravings, heart burn and morning sickness, Meatless Mondays or any sort of pre-arranged meals was out of the question. Now that the baby is here…she continues to play a big role in what I eat (or when/if I eat). But with proper planning I think I can once again give Meatless Monday’s a try.
So each Monday A Sustainable Life will offer meat-free recipes, reviews, nutrition and health news. I’ll also chronicle my journey towards healthier eating habits. So please join me for Meatless Mondays. Send your comments and favorite recipes to help others in their quest towards wellness.
Source: Meatless Monday.com
7 Oct
The NFL comes to Los Angeles
Being that football season is in full swing…and I’m a football fan I thought this article was pretty interesting. Both the NBA Clippers and the MLB Dodgers call Los Angeles home but the city doesn’t have an NFL team to call its own. That will soon change as the city prepares to build Farmers Field, the NFL’s greenest stadium.
The field which is slated to open in 2015 will be the first NFL stadium to receive LEED certification. When the California State Assembly passed a bill allowing the stadium to be built they also added provisions which requires the facility to be carbon neutral; including the emissions generated by fans traveling to and from the stadium by car.
The company responsible for construction plans to have the lowest “cars per football game ticket holder” ratio of any NFL stadium and will seek on-site and regional alternative energy projects versus simply purchasing carbon credits.
I can’t wait to see how the stadium reaches their sustainability goals…..or who the lucky team may be. Football and sustainability, a perfect reason for me to visit LA. Stay tuned.
Photo: In The Pen
Source: Earth 911
5 Oct
Not Quite Wordless Wednesday
IM BACKKKKKKKKKK! I have returned from maternity leave and I hope that you missed reading my posts as much as I’ve missed writing them!
Source: ConservationBytes
