Green Republican

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Being green doesn't mean buying into Global Warming
2007-02-20 17:19:00
This is the first post of many on Global War ming . :) Which I believe is an enormous joke... Just because I'm "green" doesn't mean my brain has fallen out - *wink* - no matter what my wonderful, very arrogant, outspoken, sarcastic, republican brother thinks. I actually love his opinions on things, but when it comes to being green... well, he thinks I'm turning into a liberal hippie...Anyway, today I'm heading to Barnes and Noble to buy the book, "Unstoppable Global Warming Every 1500 Years" by Dennis T. Avery and S. Fred Singer. Michael Medved had one of the authors on his show not long ago and it sounds like a fantastic book.At the same time, I really want to rent Al Gore's movie, "An Inconvenient Truth." Obviously, I already have an opinion on this issue, but I still want to see his movie. It's always good to learn about both sides of the issue and this movie seems like a popular, interesting place to start.From what I've heard (since I haven't read much on Global Warming y...
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Green Republican: Nutrition and Sunburns
2007-02-17 16:07:00
Green Republican : Nutrition and SunburnsI finally found it! Back in 2006, I posted about sunscreen, nutrition and sunburns and couldn't find my source. This isn't the original article I read, but it's very similar. Mercola is saying if your body is high in certain vitamins, and with NORMAL sun exposure, you won't burn. Those certain vitamins can be supplemented or obtained from a whole foods, healthy, natural diet. But during the summer, if your diet isn't perfect, definitely supplement. However... it is BETTER to get your vitamin D naturally from the sun than from an oral source.I'm not a huge fan of supplements because I think most of what we need can be obtained from a proper diet.Anyway, sunscreens are loaded with nasty ingredients so going sunscreen free is a much better choice if possible. :) GET OUTSIDE!Mercola has quite a few articles on this topic, but here is the newest one. Even funnier, he recommends tanning beds during the winter months for people who don't get e...
More About: Public , Green , Burns

Green Solutions
2007-02-12 18:27:00
I was reading my new Real Simple magazine this morning and am LOVING their latest website recommendation. It's a website called Solution s and they have TONS of "green" products! I could just get lost in a website like this.I mean, how cool is this? Magnetic sustainable bamboo file boxes??? CUUUUUUTE! This is one of those horrible websites where you go and say to yourself... "Oooooh, I could use that... and that... and that... and that..." EEEEEEK!
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Zero Grams Trans Fat
2007-01-30 17:06:00
There are several loopholes in the law regarding trans fats. My favorite is the "what's" considered trans fat. Companies are now trying to disguise the trans fat as best as they can. They know many people are clueing in to reading labels and will be on the lookout for hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils. Just remember that BOTH are artificial and BOTH harden arteries. Hydrogenated OR Partially Hydrogenated. Saturated fat is NATURAL. Hydrogenated fat is UNNATURAL. Shortening is another word for trans fats, even if it says vegetable shortening. *wink*Now, Todd's favorite argument is the latest loophole in the law regarding the AMOUNT of trans fats in the food. A large number of companies were able to get legislation passed saying that if a SERVING has less than 0.5 grams of trans fats, the WHOLE PRODUCT can be labeled zero trans fats. Sadly, most people read the Nutritional Label rather than the Ingredients list and on the Nutritional Label, it says 0g trans fats. So of c...
More About: Trans , Zero , Grams , Gram , Tran

Scary! Obama IS hot! LOL
2007-01-27 06:47:00
A fellow blog that I read (United States of Motherhood *waving hi*) pointed out yesterday that Obama is hot. Which is funny because I've obviously seen him before on tv, but it never dawned on me that he was attractive... because he's a democrat... Until now! And she's right, he is hot! LOLThat's scary though because unfortunately people will vote for hotties. Especially if they don't pay attention to politics! I can just see it now. Some chick is standing there filling out her ballot, wondering who to vote for (hmm, republican? democrat?)... *very dim lightbulb moment* "Oh, that democrat dude is pretty hot!" PUNCH (quite possibly a hanging chad punch, too)*sigh*You KNOW that would happen...
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Crummy Organic Chickens
2007-01-17 07:09:00
I was just reading one of my weekly health newsletters and came across a startling fact. Consumer Reports reported that organic, antibiotic-free chickens sold at supermarkets are MORE likely to contain campylobacter and salmonella! This includes the O-Organ ic s brand at Safeway and other more expensive, organic birds sold at most grocery stores. Unless you know exactly where your chicken comes from, most organic, antibiotic-free, free range chickens are barely a step above regular chickens. The farmers squeak by making the bare minimum changes to meet USDA Organic standards, but not much else changes. The animals are still beat up, mistreated, debeaked, stacked on top of each other and housed in the same filthy environments as all the rest. In environments like this, antibiotics are NECESSARY so the antibiotic-free birds actually get sicker than the rest. But hey... They meet USDA standards, right? *sigh* Sad, huh?Luckily the brand that I buy was very clean. Ranger. :) I ...
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What on earth does Shade Grown coffee mean?
2007-01-13 07:15:00
So for a while I've been wondering what shade grown coffee means. I see it everywhere and assumed it had something to do with worker conditions - like maybe workers were being forced to work in the hot sun. I didn't know, don't laugh at me! :) It was just my best guess since most shade grown products are also labelled fair trade. I research soooooo many things online and this just wasn't at the top of my list. Well, I finally got around to researching it so I thought I'd share my findings here.Traditionally, coffee was always shade grown. It grows best that way and naturally doesn't need any fertilizers, pesticides or herbicides. The large rainforest trees protect the plants from direct sunlight and also mulch the ground with fallen leaves to retain moisture and nutrients. Since rainforests are home to tons of animals, they act as a natural pesticide. This process also keeps the soil full of nutrients so the coffee beans are much healthier and produce a healthier product. Sadl...
More About: Earth , Coffee , What , Hat , Grown

People Against Dirty - Method
2007-01-05 07:19:00
For those of you not aware of this product line, it's awesome!!! I have been using so many of their products, all over my house for the past year. Why do I like their products? All natural, environmentally-friendly, biodegradable ingredients VERY safe around children Older children can safely help clean! The're extremely affordable (most items are typically $5 or less) They're the same price online and shipping is cheap! You can actually BREATHE while cleaning your bathroom with their bathroom cleanser. I usually clean mine while I'm showering because I know their spray isn't toxic. Target carries them! Fred Meyer carries some of their products, but not many and I've found a lot of them at my local Bartel Drugstore. The store manager is really into green living so they stock a lot of the products. On the Method website you can click "where to buy" on their bottom navbar to find stores that carry their products near you.My favorite product is their lavender all-purpose cleaner....
More About: People , Dirty , Again , Dirt

??? Free-range, organic, hormone-free, antibiotic-free, pasture-fed, vegeta
2006-12-31 07:28:00
What is one to buy???So I was a little enlightened last night while re-reading one of my nutrition books until midnight. I thought buying organic, free-range, hormone & antibiotic-free, vegetarian-fed eggs was the best thing to buy. After all, we all know healthy chickens produce healthy eggs. In other words, when it comes to eggs, you get what you pay for. WRONG.Although it's pretty obvious, I hadn't given it much thought. Chickens aren't vegetarians! They're omnivores, so being fed a strict vegetarian diet isn't natural and causes the eggs to be deficient in many natural nutrients and vitamins. But the USDA Organic label requires farmers to use vegetarian feed. It's done with good intentions becauses the disgusting, cheap alternative that factory-farms use is animal bi-products (unwanted baby roosters, beaks from debeaked birds and other parts are tossed in with the typical bird feed). So there was a reason that rule is there and is a much better alternative. O...
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Be Food Conscious! Real Labels!
2006-12-22 07:30:00
My biggest tip to anyone wanting to watch what they eat is to read labels and especially the ingredients list section. Not just the flashy starburst on the front of the package that screams "No Trans Fats" or "No Sugar Added" because many are misleading and actually DO contain trans fats and sugar. Skittles has "A fat free food" written right on their packages! LOL "Well, OK... If it's fat free then it must be healthy." LOL LOL LOL What a joke! LOL And also, not just the nutrition label. Read the INGREDIENTS. That's the only way to really know what's in the food.So here's my list of the top worst ingredients. If you want to know WHY something is on the list, you'll have to wait for my subsequent blogs going into more nitty-gritty detail!Sugar & High Fructose Corn Syrup: These are two of the worst offenders on the market. There are lots of products disguised as sugar too. Raw sugar (the brown packet), brown sugar, sucanat, Florida crystals, and others. Sugar a...
More About: Food , Labels , Real , Label , Cons

Trans Fats ban in New York
2006-12-13 07:43:00
Since I am quite the nutrition freak, you'd think New York banning trans fats would be a good thing, right? Wrong... As much as I think trans fats are one of the most grotesque, artificial products on the planet, I still think this decision was wrong. It takes away your freedom of choice. If someone WANTS to eat trans fats, they should be allowed to do so. And it gives the restaurant the freedom to serve what they choose. If diners don't want trans fats in their food, they'll stop visiting that restaurant. Denny's is changing their menu already without government stepping in.On the rare occasion, I am in the mood for an instant powdered hot chocolate... which contains small amounts of trans fats, but it's ooooh, so yummy. Way yummier than the healthier versions. Ditto for microwave popcorn. I should have the RIGHT to consume these products. It's my choice. I would much rather see all restaurants put nutritional info somewhere easily accessible. And rather than jus...
More About: Trans , New-York , Tran

Interesting Organic Study - Response to Comments
2006-08-22 08:08:00
This blog is in response to my last blog titled Inter esting Organic Study if you'd like to read that first. What I wanted to say was too long and needed too much formatting to be displayed in the little comment window. So here goes...Yay! Kurt wrote a comment!!! I disagree with what you wrote, but it's great to hear from you! :) Please don't take anything I write below negatively, it's just my opinion. It's all written with a huge grin on my face! :) And try to remember most of my "viewpoint" comes from the NEUROLOGICAL side of it. Todd thinks my new title should be the Neurodevelopmental Nutritionalist.The organic vs non-organic issue is frustrating because one article says there is a huge nutritional difference (the one I sent you) and another will say there's not much difference. That drives me nuts. Ya just have to pick a side and I'd rather pick the more natural side because the fewer chemicals put in, the less impact on the brain. Chemicals that enter the body tend to g...
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Interesting Organic Study
2006-08-20 23:28:00
Just thought I'd share this with everyone since it's frustrating to know if eating organic food is worth it or not. This is a small study reported by the Danish Institute of Agricultural Sciences in Feb of 2005.Rats fed organic food were significantly healthier than their peers given conventionally-grown produce, shows research reported by the Danish Institute of Agricultural Sciences, February 2005.During the experiment, 36 rats were divided into three groups. All were given potatoes, carrots, peas, green kale, apples, rapeseed oil, and the same vitamin supplements. One group was fed organic food, another conventionally grown food with high levels of fertilizer and some pesticide, and the third group received minimally fertilized conventionally grown food.Although pesticide residue was measured and found to be below detection levels in all groups, the scientists found that the rats fed organically-grown produce were measurably healthier, slept better, had stronger immune systems ...
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Organic Manufacturers: Who's Your Daddy?
2006-08-20 05:06:00
Even more reason to buy from local farms... I had no idea these companies were owned by huge corporations. I totally thought a lot of these were small organic business that became successful. Kinda sucks to know this...We have our produce delivered weekly from Pioneer Organic s - it's less expensive AND it supports local farmers. :) Local organic farmers care WAY more about the quality of their product whereas most big businesses just care about the profit (which is fine! profit is a good thing, but I prefer local quality). These businesses below are lobbying to allow "USDA Organic" to contain hormones and antibiotics in dairy cattle, pesticides on produce and contaminated fishmeal as feed for livestock. :-( They won't win, but they're trying and that's just disgusting. Makes me sick to think that we're going out of our way to eat healthier and all they're trying to do is cheapen and ruin the organic market to make it easier for them to produce it. General Mills owns Muir Glen ...
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Sea Salt vs Table Salt
2006-08-15 23:24:00
Because table salt comes from the same batch as vacuum-refined industrial salt, it is treated with caustic soda or lime to remove all traces of magnesium salts. These vital magnesium salts are NOT taken out because they keep the salt from flowing out of the dispenser spout (a common myth)... Magnesium salts are removed because they bring in more profits on the chemical market. Yet these magnesium salts are a very necessary part of the food salt and fill important biological and therapeutic roles. Further, to prevent any moisture from being reabsorbed, salt refiners now add alumino-silicate of sodium or yellow prussiate of soda as desiccants plus different bleaches to the final salt formula.But since table salt, chemically treated in this way, will no longer combine with human body fluid, it invariably causes severe problems of edema (water retention) and several other health disturbances. The fear of salt that we witness today and the virtual ban on consuming products with a hig...
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Nutrition and Sunburns
2006-08-13 23:21:00
A while back I read an article online about eating whole, natural foods and its skin protecting factors. It was such a great article because it made so much sense. It wasn’t saying to stand out in the sun for hours TRYING to get burned, but it was saying that you don’t need sunblock or sunscreen if you eat only whole foods - absolutely nothing processed. Something about the fact that these foods alone are powerful enough to naturally protect your skin from the sun.I am just beating my head because I cannot find the article online. I’ve tried every Google search I can think of!Regardless, I have been carefully testing this theory all summer and it IS WORKING. I’ve been out in the sun a lot this summer doing yard work, with the kids, etc. My little ones have NOT BURNED and I have only burned once. The one time I burned, I had drank a powdered hot cocoa right before going out for 2 hours. STUUUUUUUUUUUPID I know, but I paid for it. My back was so burned. But otherwise...
More About: Nutrition , Burns , Burn , Sunburn