Archive for January, 2009
A New Year, a New Diet, a New Outlook
Tuesday, January 20th, 2009A lot of people make the popular New Year’s resolution to lose weight. This can be a pretty big undertaking for some people. By this time of the year some folks have already given up.
Try taking small steps to attain this goal. For example, try consuming at least one serving of green vegetables a day. Vegetables like kale, chard, collard greens, spinach, broccoli and Brussels sprouts offer a lot of nutrients and fiber. Prepare these foods steamed or raw. Fresh organic is best, but plain frozen veggies are good too. These vegetables may be topped with a teaspoon or two of olive oil. This monounsaturated fat is good for one’s heart and helps the body absorb the vitamins and minerals offered by these greens.
Each time you attain this goal make a note of it-in a journal, or on a calendar. It takes about three weeks for your mind and body to make a change. After that time it should come more naturally. Then, make another small dietary change while maintaining the first. For example, you might want to make at least half of your grains in your diet whole, as suggested by the government’s food pyramid. Whole grain foods include, whole-wheat pasta, quinoa and steal cut oatmeal. Also, consider eliminating things from your diet like sweetened beverages.
Continue making small positive changes to your diet and before you know it you will be on the right path towards your goal. Live long and healthy Earthlings.
“The journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.” - Lao Tzu
Demand bio-based plastic
Monday, January 19th, 2009Billions of plastic bottles end up in landfills every year and do not degrade. These bottles make their way into streams and oceans and pose a threat to all of Earth’s creatures.
One might react with the response, “Doesn’t plastic get recycled?”. Well, recycling rates have remained steady while production of plastic has greatly increased. Try to remember the last time you were in a supermarket and heard “glass clean-up in aisle four.” Think about all the products that are encapsulated in plastic. Sadly, our unbreakable plastic world is contributing to a broken planet.
It is time to start demanding an alternative to plastic. Companies are now finding ways to make plastics from plants such as corn and wheat. Products are already on the market such as the corn-based BioBag. Corn-based plastic bottles are even less prevalent though and have not been utilized by larger corporations.