In my interview with Dr. Alan Logan, Board-Certified Naturopathic Physician and faculty member of Harvard’s School of Continuing Medical Education, he agreed.  When it comes to getting nutrients, vitamins and minerals, he really believes that the priority should be in getting them from your diet, especially plant-based foods and whole grains.  However, when asked if there are any supplements worth taking, he conceded that given the typical American Diet, we could benefit from taking the following:

1. Multivitamin/mineral: A daily multivitamin/mineral supplement ensures you are getting all of the vitamins and minerals you need.  However, when certain vitamins are taken individually, they can actually be detrimental.  Multivitamins on the other hand work in a way that all the vitamins and minerals work together to deliver the most healthful benefits.  Taking isolated Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E and any other antioxidant vitamins are considered detrimental and can have a pro-oxidative effect (something you don’t want).  As a result, it is recommended to take these together…as they act “like a symphony orchestra”…and are most beneficial.  Recommended Dosage: 1 multivitamin.  Look for those that don’t exceed the UL of Daily Dosages.  For a guide, look here for vitamins and here for minerals.
   A Brand to Try: One-A-Day Multivitamins
2. Vitamin D: Although a very limited amount of summer sun exposure on your skin can give you enough Vitamin D for as long as a few weeks, those of us who live in the north miss out a good portion of the year.  Further, sunscreen can block our ability to absorb vitamin D, as well.  Dr. Logan assures us that Vitamin D taken independently isn’t detrimental.  As a result, if you don’t live in a warm, sunny climate, it could be beneficial to supplement your diet with Vitamin D.  Recommended Dosage: 1,000 IU a day
   A Brand to Try: Nature Made Vitamin D 1,000 IU
3. Fish Oil: Omega3s are especially healthy and are found in fish and some plants.   Fish, however, are a better source than plants because the Omega3s found in plants are called “alpha linolenic” acids…which need to be converted by the liver into DHA to get the most benefit.  Our conversion rate to DHA is about 5 – 15 percent…not very high.  Most of the Omega3s found in fish, however, have already been converted by the fish themselves.  As a result, if you aren’t consuming fatty fish 3x a week minimum, you should consider supplementation.   If you are a vegan or vegetarian, you should look for plant based varieties (flax, walnut and others) and ensure you are getting enough Vitamin B6 and Vitamin B3, Folic Acid, Zinc and Selenium to maximize your conversion rate.  Recommended Dosage: 1 gram of EPA/DHA fish oil.
   A Brand to Try: Nordic Naturals Ultimate Omega-D3 1000 mg Soft Gels
4. Probiotics: If you are not consuming fermented foods, such as yogurt, on a regular basis, you may not be getting enough healthy bacteria into your system for proper digestion and health.  As a result, you may want to consider taking probiotics.  Now, it is important to mention that yogurt can be of low-quality…especially those that are North American varieties.  They are “like pudding” instead of yogurt, claims Dr. Logan.  Look for those yogurts that are pure and more natural.  Kephir is a beverage from Europe that is great, and Greek yogurt is also a much higher quality product.
   A brand to try: Nature’s Way – Primadophilus Optima

Remember, these are not substitutions for a healthy diet, but rather, SUPPLEMENTS.

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Cards
There are many products out in the market made with recycled material. These are a great alternative to buying newly made greeting cards. However, take an extra step and create your own card out of recycled materials. Many things we use on a daily basis can be converted into cards with a little ingenuity, like FedEx envelopes and food boxes. Be creative with your Valentine’s greeting. Your special someone will appreciate the thoughtfulness and time you spend on handmade creation.  Also, e-Cards are always a good option to consider.

Candy
Instead of traditional boxes of candy, choose fair trade and organic varieties of your favorite confections. Consider creating your own Valentine’s confections. There are many heart-shaped cake or bread pans and candy molds available to help you make something for your special one. Homemade red velvet cupcakes decorated with vanilla icing will be more appreciated by your special one than an impersonal box of candy.

Gifts
Reusable items are the gifts that keep on giving. A wonderfully unusual idea is to give your loved one a set of reusable dinnerware with the promise of more home cooked dinners to come. Noritake Colorwave stoneware is a good choice in dinnerware. They come in a variety of hues to match anyone’s dining room décor and are microwave, oven and dishwasher safe. Present your loved one with a romantic dinner basket containing the Raspberry Colorwave dishes and a bottle or organic locally made wine, if available, with dinner waiting in the kitchen for a gift your sweetheart won’t soon forget.

Flowers
If you have a backyard garden of your own, a handpicked flower in a simple glass vase would be a lovely sentiment to present to your Valentine. If you don’t have your own garden, instead of bouquets of dying flowers, consider giving a living plant, a small herb garden or seeds to begin one themselves. When choosing a plant, avoid those that are poisonous to pets if your recipient has some furry friends. The American Humane Society’s website has a downloadable list of all possible hazardous plants to household animals. A small bamboo or cactus plant are great options. They need little care and provide a lasting reminder of your consideration for the planet as well as for your Valentine.

The recommendations above show that with some creativity and planning, you can observe Valentines’ Day without unnecessary harm to the earth. You and your beloved can share a special and romantic day knowing that you have done your part this holiday to keep the planet a greener place.

The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals.

In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto

In Defense of Food)

Let me preface this review with the fact that I am wholeheartedly a meat lover.  I am never going to be a vegetarian, a vegan or any other type of food eater that abstains from it.  Yet, at the same time, I’ve always pretended to not know where my meat comes from.  Why?  I ALSO am an animal lover.  Hence, my denial.  After reading The Omnivore’s Dilemma, however, I have become acutely aware that where my meat comes from is more important than I ever wanted to admit.

The Omnivore’s Dilemma isn’t so much a nutrition book as an investigation into our food supply: where it comes from, what it really is and why we need to be so darn aware of it all.   Half-way through the first chapter of the book, I found myself underlining passages, jotting notes and ear-marking pages…all with the hope of providing my readers with some “cliff-notes” of the thought provoking information shared. Before I knew it, I had almost every page underlined or folded over.  You could say there is a LOT of fascinating information.

Admittedly, the book is a long read (400 pages), but if you can get through the first part (the book is 3 parts), you’ll be too curious not to finish.

Pollan’s book is centered around three journeys to create a meal: the industrial way, the organic way and the hunter-gatherer way.

1. The Industrial Way: In short, this part of the book demonstrates how our food supply has become predominantly corn.  Yes, corn.  When we eat packaged foods…we are eating corn.   When we eat fast foods…we are eating corn.   And, maybe most surprisingly, when we eat beef…we are indeed…eating corn.  Although most familiar to us, this way of producing food is by far the most eye-opening and disturbing.  Pollan follows a bushel of corn from a a field in Iowa to its “ultimate destination in a fast-food meal.”  This is where we learn that the majority of beef we eat, is in actuality, corn.  And, at the end of the chapter, we learn that a simple meal at McDonald’s is once again, corn.  So much so, that “78% of a milkshake, 56% of a chicken nugget, 52% of a cheeseburger and 23% of french fries” is corn.
2. The Organic Way: In the second part of the book, Pollan takes us on two organic journeys:  First, the Whole Foods way and the second, a “beyond organic” way.   In this part of the book, you learn that the industrial/commercialization revolution of the food industry has caused us to take a step backwards in how we feed ourselves.  It will make you think long and hard about what organic really means and how the USDA has evolved the term “organic” into one that is  diluted and somewhat meaningless.
3. The Hunter-Gatherer Way: In part three, Pollan creates a meal on his own, through hunting and gathering the ingredients himself.  The point of this part of the book is to understand how we have lost “consciousness” of everything in feeding ourselves.  This part of the book, in particular, has me now questioning “where does my beef come from?”

I can’t recommend this book enough.  Although a longer read than I would normally opt for, it was intensely captivating.  And, if you are at all interested in your health and the food you put in your body, this book is a must.

Have you read The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals? What did you like or dislike most?

The sense of smell is the strongest of senses, and the least understood. What’s clear is that we thrive on good smells and it seems to me like we have been subtly strong-armed into thinking that synthetic “fresh” smells are better than the natural smells of living. Maybe it would be more acceptable if synthetic scent wasn’t proven to be so flippin’ toxic.

A study performed by the EPA found that numerous potentially hazardous chemicals are commonly used in fragrance, including acetone, benzaldehyde, benzyl acetate, benzyl alcohol, camphor, ethanol, ethyl acetate, limonene, linalool, and methylene chloride. According to Material Data Safety Sheets, when inhaled, these chemicals can cause central nervous system disorders, dizziness, nausea, slurred speech, drowsiness, irritation to the mouth, throat, eyes, skin, and lungs, kidney damage, headache, respiratory failure, ataxia, and fatigue, among other things.

With scented candles, we have the extra harm caused by the soot emitted from many of these aromatherapy products. Breathing soot is a big no-no. Soot particles can travel deep into the lungs and are a particular health nuisance for those with asthma and lung or heart disease. To make matters worse, many scented and aromatherapy candles are made with paraffin, a byproduct of oil refining. The soot from these materials can contain carcinogens, neurotoxins, and reproductive toxins.

The American Lung Association of Minnesota says that burning candles can emit small amounts of toxins such as acetone, benzene, lead, and mercury into the air. Although they say that normal use of candles should not pose a health hazard, large quantities of these toxins may prove to be harmful. I’d say I’m a little more pessimistic than that.

Unscented, 100 percent beeswax candles with a cotton wick are the safest option—but aren’t suitable for vegan candle lovers who should opt for unscented soy candles.

The American Lung Association of Minnesota recommends the following tips to minimize candle soot pollution in your home:

• Core: Because many scented and slow burning candles may contain metals, consumers should look to see if the core of the wick is shiny metal. If you see metal, do not burn, or check with the manufacturer.
• Wick: When you do burn candles, keep the wicks cut short to one-quarter of an inch.  The longer the wick, the larger the flame, the brighter the candle, the more the soot.
• Draft: Keep candles away from drafty places. Wind will blow soot and toxins into the air and cause inefficient burning, a cause of smoking or sooting.
• Position: Don’t shake or tip candles because the candle can smoke and send soot into the air to land on walls, carpets and furniture.
• Placement: Keep candles in places away from children and pets. Besides being a fire hazard, small children and animals may accidentally disturb a candle, causing it to smoke and release soot.  Further, avoid putting candles directly on carpet. Lead and other pollutants from candles are attracted to synthetic fibers often used in upholstery and carpeting.
• Additives: Refrain from burning scented or slow-burning candles that have additives. Look for candles, such as beeswax, that do not contain high levels of pollutants.
• Housekeeping: Vacuuming may just re-circulate particles unless you use high-performance vacuum bags that catch micro particles.  Also, use a good filtration system on your furnace that attracts micro particles. High performance furnace filters minimize the level of pollutants that circulate throughout your home. Changing filters more frequently will help reduce the amount of micro particles in the home.
• Recalls: Be aware of candles that have been recalled by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Fitness enthusiasts are especially prone to such skin conditions. Not only do we spend time braving skin-aggravating elements, but our activities cause heat and friction. Plus, close contact with other individuals increases our likelihood of picking up infections, says Charles E. Crutchfield III, MD, clinical associate professor of dermatology at the University of Minnesota Medical School in Minneapolis.

When skin conditions strike, they often have significant impact on fitness programs. “They can cause enough embarrassment that people refuse to go to the gym,” Crutchfield says, adding that the stress related to visible skin conditions can also trigger unhealthy coping mechanisms, such as overeating. In other cases, fitness enthusiasts persist in their health routines but endure significant discomfort as a result. Still, it’s crucial to seek help if a skin condition is causing itching, pain, discomfort or emotional stress, or if you suspect it might be infectious. Here’s some advice from Crutchfield and Christina G. Steil, MD, a dermatologist in Hinsdale, Illinois on how to battle eight common skin conditions.

An Integrated Approach
Proper nutrition and regular exercise aren’t just good for maintaining general health and fitness—they’re also crucial for your skin.  Take, for instance, eczema, acne, and rosacea, all of which can be exacerbated by inflammatory reactions to dairy, gluten, or sugar. Even if you don’t have a full-blown allergy or intolerance, consider minimizing your intake of trans fats and refined sugars and flours (all of which are known to increase inflammation in the body) and load up on antioxidant-rich, alkaline-forming foods like fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes, and healthy omega-3 fatty acids, all of which help to reduce inflammation and rev up the body’s self-healing capacities.

You might also consider taking a daily probiotic supplement—especially if you’re treating your skin woes with antibiotic medications. Getting 30 to 50 billion organisms a day through probiotic supplements or foods like yogurt can maintain skin health by keeping the immune system in balance.

Invitations: Evite.com has an easy to use website that allows you to create invitations that are then sent by email. It offers online RSVP options and other party management features.

Menu: Create your menu with seasonal and locally grown foods. Your eco-conscious guests will appreciate seasonal selections that were grown close to home and not transported thousands of miles to the market. Purchasing organic foods is also important to the environment, but some family farms can’t afford the huge fee to get organic certification. So be sure to ask the farmer if their products are pesticide, hormone, and antibiotic-free.

Decorations: Nature is one of your best resources for decorating in an eco-friendly way. Scour your backyard for fallen branches, sticks and leaves. Arrange the branches in an old water pitcher or other decorative container and spread the leaves on your holiday table. Potted herbs like rosemary or mint make fragrant decorations that look good and can be used in food as well. An arrangement of winter fruit is another beautiful non-wasteful way to decorate. Consider arranging organic lemons with other citrus in a clear bowl, then using the lemons the next day for fresh lemonade. If you have a backyard flower garden, you can also use some fresh cuts in a simple vase for a festive holiday centerpiece . Be sure to compost flowers and leftovers from used fruit.

Dinnerware: One of the easiest way to keep your party green is to use reusable dinnerware. Your holiday table can be green and sustainable by using dishes like these from Noritake. Choose from one of their holiday patterns or something from their stylish everyday collection. Also check their options for reusable glassware that would also make a lovely way to serve holidays drinks to your guests.

Lighting: Candles do create a certain celebratory atmosphere during this time, but opt for healthier versions of candles. Regular candles made from paraffin can emit dangerous toxins into the air while they are burning. Soy, beeswax and LED candles are a more earth-friendly and sustainable choice for your lighting options. If your party will be in the evening outdoors, solar lights are another inexpensive and greener way to brighten up your party. They charge during the day when it’s sunny and glow at night when it’s dark.

Gifts: If you exchange gifts at your holiday party, there are many options for going green. Minimize holiday wrapping or use reusable gift covers . Many cloth options are available for your gift-giving this season. Choose gifts that lessen your environmental impact by shopping locally for handmade items. Local artisans appreciate the support and your recipient will appreciate the artistry of the work.

It is possible to share in the spirit of the holiday season with friends and family and also lesson your impact on the earth. Implementing some greener habits will make all your celebrations more positive for you, your guests, and the planet we all share.

1. Choose water without artificial sweeteners or added sugars. Terms like Aspartame (brand name Nutrasweet), Sucralose (brand name Splenda), are artificial and have no place lurking in your water! Add natural sweeteners like lemon, lime, a slice of orange or even cucumber to your beverage for refreshment.  Or choose a bottled water like Metromint (www.metromint.com) that uses mint essence and natural flavorings. Create a splash of flavor by freezing blueberries and raspberries in ice cube trays. Add the frozen berries to sparkling water and serve in fancy glasses for a special occasion!

Did you know?

You may think that diet drinks help you lose weight. No such luck. Get this: A study from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio found that, overall, for each diet drink consumed per day, the prevalence of becoming overweight or obese rose by a whopping 37%! The thought is that artificial sweeteners heighten cravings for sugary items.

2. Become Ingredient Savvy. Just as an embellished “beverage” at your local coffee joint can set you back more calories than a hamburger, flavored waters can have calorie and sugar levels that rival soda. Check the ingredients and look for the term “water” without a list of lots of other ingredients.
3. Beverages aren’t Real Food. With the exception of soups and smoothies, beverages do not provide us with a feeling of fullness or satiety, the way a meal does. For example, an ounce of almonds contains 160 calories, 3 gm fiber and 6 gm protein, and can help tide us over between meals. But sip a 160 calorie sugar-infused water and you’re likely to be just as hungry as you were before, if not more. The sugar causes your body to secrete insulin and you may find yourself on a high/low blood sugar rollercoaster, ready to raid the vending machine.
4. Steer clear of terms that belong in your science textbook. In other words, many waters use coloring, flavors and preservatives that are anything but natural. If you can’t decipher the terminology on the bottle, cruise on to clearer waters. It may surprise you, but preservatives such as sodium benzoate (known to be carcinogenic, or cancer-causing) are still used in beverages you find on the grocery store shelf. Scary, huh?
5. Bottled isn’t always Better. Interestingly, bottled water is not necessarily any healthier than tap water, despite what water companies would have you believe. “20/20″ took five bottles of bottled water plus a sample of tap water from and sent them to a microbiologist to test for bacteria. Surprisingly, there was no difference between the tap water and the bottled waters.  To help the environment, you might also think about investing in a permanent water bottle such as Nalgene. This way, you can refill your bottle at home or work with tap water or with filtered water, such as Brita. You will save plastic (both the bottle AND credit card plastic…bottled water is hundreds of times pricier than tap)!
6. Sail past the waters with hyped up health claims. Because it is difficult for one water company to distinguish itself from another, companies use clever packaging and fancy words to compete for consumers’ attention. They convince you that you will feel younger, more invigorated, soothed, energized, beautiful, etc. if you drink their water. Now, let’s be realistic, here. If there exists a fountain of youth, it is simply this: Eat Well, Get Adequate Rest and Exercise and Take Care of Your Spirit.

Sometimes less is more, and with water, this is the case, plain and simple.  How do you enjoy water?

The only place mercury seems to continue showing up is in fillings. Is that such a good thing?

The Problem with Mercury Fillings
Sweden, Switzerland, Norway, and Japan have all banned or regulated the use of amalgams in dental fillings due to public health concerns. In the U.S., amalgam use is unrestricted. While most dentist offices have switched to modern practices using resin composites or porcelain, “assembly line” dentists generally located in lower-income areas, Appalachia, and Native American reservations still opt to treat their patients’ cavities with the lower-cost mercury or amalgam fillings. The upside to continuing amalgam use: The silver fillings are less expensive because they are easy and quick to insert, making it possible to fill more cavities daily.

The American Dental Association (ADA) maintains that there are no controlled studies that demonstrate systematic adverse effects from amalgam restorations. The Center for Disease Control and Federal Drug Association (FDA) report that the decline in amalgam use is due to the decrease in popularity for the material and stronger substitutes. But Charles Brown, a DC-based lawyer for the Coalition for Mercury-Free Dentistry, points out that mercury is actually more toxic than arsenic and lead, and argues that having it in our mouths is risky. “It kills you in enough quantity. It’s in your mouth for years. Its vapors are coming off much more rapidly than other metals because it’s already liquid,” he explains. Mercury accumulates and does not leave the body quickly. “Most things you sweat out. Mercury clumps. It’s a neural toxin. It harms the brain permanently.”

The Fight to Ban Mercury Fillings
Completely nixing oral mercury use hasn’t been so easy. Currently, California, Connecticut, and Maine have issued mandates that require dentists to give patients a risk sheet, and in April 2006, the FDA announced it would hold public hearings about “potential mercury toxicity,” but amalgams remain legal.

People have extolled the benefits of red wine for centuries, but since the 1990s, it has been shown to be a “superfood” many times over, protecting the body from heart disease, stroke, cancer, and countless other chronic maladies. A diet that includes moderate amounts of red wine can reduce mortality from these afflictions by 30 to 50 percent, according to some studies. But one group of people isn’t so thrilled by the good news about red wine—people who prefer white wine and feel that their beverage of choice has been unfairly maligned.

It’s in the Skin
The reason red wine gets so much credit is that it’s full of a potent blend of some of the strongest antioxidant chemicals found in nature—even more potent than vitamins C and E, which are considered some of the most powerful. Besides polyphenols, flavonoids, phenolic acids, and other bioactive compounds, red wine contains resveratrol, a chemical that has shown remarkable promise in protecting the heart and brain from damage, reducing inflammation, and reversing harmful health conditions. These helpful compounds, found in the skins of grapes, appear more abundantly in red wine than in white, because red wine grapes stay in contact with their skins for much longer in the winemaking process, while white wine grapes are separated from their skins early on. So naturally, much of the published research shows that when it comes to preventing colon cancer, stroke, diabetes, and heart disease, red wine should be people’s beverage of choice.

White or Red … or Both?
Not all researchers believe in the power of cabernet over chardonnay, however. Some studies have found no discernible difference between the health benefits of drinking white wine versus red. Besides the chemicals that are unique to wine, alcohol itself can be a powerful and beneficial compound (in moderation, of course); it increases the absorption of other antioxidants, boosts the level of good (LDL) cholesterol, thins the blood to prevent heart clots, and promotes relaxation, which can help avert stress-induced illnesses. Since white and red wines contain similar levels of alcohol, in this respect, they have the same positive effects on the body.

Have you ever had olive oil that was really flavorful and tasty…and then, had olive oil somewhere else that seemed light and especially bland?  Beyond the fact that there is a difference between “Extra-Virgin Olive Oil” (EVOO) and plain olive oil, (EVOO  is more pure than ordinary olive oil) there is another reason for that.   Just as we should avoid foods that are highly processed or refined, it is best to avoid oils that are as well.   Many oils are extracted from seeds, nuts, plants and vegetables by using a heating process or a chemical process, using the chemical hexane.  Heat can degrade the flavor, change the nutritional value and affect the color of oils.   While hexane, a petrochemical also used as a paint diluent and solvent may be dangerous to our health.  Is a matter of fact, the EPA declared hexane a Hazardous Air Pollutant in 1993, as a result of the fact that it can lead to serious health complications if inhaled.

As a result, it is best to look for oils that are unrefined.  They are richer in nutrients, and are more robust and true to their natural flavors.

• Expeller Pressed Oil: Expeller pressed oil is a process that extracts oil from nuts or seeds by crushing them.  Depending on the hardness of the seed or nut, various temperatures are required (the harder the nut, the higher the pressure, which directly causes higher temperatures during processing).  However, no external heat is applied.
• Cold Expeller Pressed Oil: As its name implies, CEPO uses a chemical-free process to extract oils from nuts or seeds by crushing them at very low heat…no higher than 120° Fahrenheit.

Unfortunately, some manufacturers trick their consumers by first using one of the above processes and then using hexane AFTER the expeller pressing process.  When you shop for oils, purchase those that are unrefined, cold-expeller pressed to ensure you are getting the highest quality oil.  Natural and Health Food Stores may even carry oils that have a “No Hexane” label on their product, as they know that consumers are becoming more aware.

Excerpted from "GET REAL" and STOP Dieting! Copyright 2009 - Brett Blumenthal

GET REAL TODAY!!! Learn the most simple, straightforward, no-nonsense way to lose excess weight, and keep it off for life...without dieting! BUY IT NOW!

Be warned! The options you want may not be at your grocery store. You can always look to the Internet to find them. I personally love the Natural Candy Store, Living Nutz and VeganEssentials. You can get organic, vegan, gluten-free and allergen free candies that taste just as good as the commercial brands.

Sunspire Fair Trade Earth Balls:

These balls of fair trade chocolate are wrapped in Earth foil – each looks like a little globe. What is more perfect than chocolate shaped like the Earth? A 5 oz. bag of Earth Balls can be ordered on their website for $4.99. Visit Sunspire Fair Trade Earth Balls.

Equal Exchange Mini Chocolates:

55% Dark Chocolate Bites – Organic & Fair-Trade $13.49 for ½ lb. These organic chocolates are made with ingredients from farmers’ cooperatives in South America. You might find yourself sneaking a few yourself before putting them into your kids’ reusable Halloween bag. Visit Equal Exchange.

Fair Trade Gold Coins:

These are classic! Give the kids a lesson in humanity and fair trade with these chocolate treats. These traditional gold coin milk chocolate pieces say Farmer Owned and Fair Trade on each side. $5.99 per bundle. Visit Global Exchange Store.

Divine Chocolate Spooky Milk Chocolate Balls – Fair Trade

I love these delicious fair trade milk chocolate balls. They’re wrapped in fun Halloween-themed foils with jack o’ lanterns, bloody eyeballs, and scary skulls. They come in this fun Halloween package. Each package contains 3.5 oz. or approximately 22 balls. $4.99 per pack or $25.50 for a 6-pack. Visit the Natural Candy Store.

Vegan Candy Bars by Go Max Go Foods

Even if you are not vegan or dairy-free, you’ll love that this decadent bar contains no trans fats, no hydrogenated oils, no cholesterol, and nothing artificial. A natural alternative to the Almond Joy Bar.  $2.49 each. Visit GoMaxGoFoods.

Organic Fruit Pinwheel Candies by Pure Fun
These delicious hard candies are made with organic ingredients and real fruit juice. Flavors include Tangerine, Lemon, Raspberry and Pomegranate. Each bag contains around 18 pieces. $3.99 per 3.5 oz. (100g) bag. Visit VeganEssentials.com

Rawzins Organic Raw Chocolate Covered Raisins by Living Nutz

These raw chocolate covered raisins are great even if you are not into raw food snacks. Sweet, sun-dried organic raisins are drenched in raw organic cacao, balancing the perfect blend of chocolate and chewy goodness. Each 2 oz. package is $3.99. Visit Living Nutz.

Yummy Earth Organic Lollipops:

Yummy Earth makes these lollipops and other candies (gummy bears made with fruit syrup and endangered species bug bites) that are gluten-free, peanut-free, tree nut-free, and contain no type of corn syrup. They cost $25 for 150 lollipops plus free shipping on orders $25 and above. Visit Yummy Earth.

This, however, doesn’t mean you should stop drinking water.  After all, drinking water is very important to our health.  So, what can you do to ensure your water is safe?

1. Check Online: Use this interactive map to find out how your local area is doing in regards to its water supply.
2. Municipal Report Card: You can get a municipal water report or consumer confidence report from your local city.  Your town or city is required by law to provide consumers with this information.   In these reports, you will see what harmful toxins and chemical exist in your water and how much.
3. Filter, Filter, Filter: Use a filter for your drinking water, at a minimum.  If your water is contaminated, bathing in the water can be harmful as well.  So, you should also consider filtering your bath water.  All of the filters discussed below can be bought on Amazon.com.
   • Pitchers: Because they require refilling, pitchers are good for a single person or a couple.  I’m a fan of Brita. But Pur is also a good product.
   • Faucet Filters: If you have a family, tap filters are better because you don’t have to constantly refill your water pitchers.  You can often just attach them to the faucet.
   • Shower Filters: Shower filters act similarly to your faucet filters.
4. At Home Water Test: Test your own water with an at home water test.  WaterSafe Test is a good product and can be purchased on Amazon.
5. Flush Your System: Debris and elements like lead can dissolve into your water, the longer the water sits in pipes.  If water hasn’t been run for more than six hours, run your faucet/shower for at least a minute or so to help flush the water out until it gets cold.  To help conserve the unused water, reuse the water for washing dishes, clothes or watering plants.
6. Always Use Cold Water for Drinking/Cooking: Hot water tends to dissolve unwanted toxins more quickly than cold water.  As a result, only use cold water for drinking, making coffee, cooking or even making juice from concentrate or baby formula.  If you want hot water to drink, heat cold water on the stove or microwave.
7. Take Yours With You: If you are exercising outdoors, make sure that you take your own water in a safe water bottle to ensure that you are drinking filtered water.  Many park or public water fountains are not filtered.

Sources: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/13/us/13water.html

Stop Dieting in 2010! Start the New Year off right with #1 Bestseller "GET REAL" and STOP Dieting! - the most simple, straightforward, no-nonsense plan that reveals how to eat healthy today, tomorrow and always...without dieting! BUY IT NOW!

1. Have HER Do It
Most of these jobs are dummy-proof, but if your idea of a screwdriver comes in a glass, hook up with a pro. Find a home energy rater (HER), about $250-$600 per visit, or call your local utility company (sometimes free) to pinpoint where your home’s wasting energy and how to fix it (or who can fix it). You’ll likely make your money back in savings during the first year, postrepairs. Find a HER here.

2. Switches of Eastwick
Cheap and easy: Use AM Foam Outlet and Switch Gaskets (just $0.10 each) to block drafts around your outlets and light switches. Just take off the cover plates using a flathead screwdriver (or our version of one: a butter knife), place the precut foam seal over the outlet or switch, then put the cover plates back on and done. Get ‘em here.

3. Look Who’s Caulking
Again, no hard hat needed. Close up small cracks (half-inch wide or less) around windows, doors, vents, anywhere air can filter through (esp. where two different building materials meet) with caulk like nontoxic Chemlink Mean Green Universal Constructive Adhesive ($5/10 ounces). To find a draft, slowly move an incense stick along floors, walls, and windows and notice where the flame flutters or smoke drifts. To seal: First, make sure the area’s clean and dry, then squeeze the tube of caulk along the crack (kinda like decorating a cake). Smooth it with a wet finger or just let it dry. Seal as many as you can to boost your home’s heat efficiency by 5%-30% a year. Get it here.

4. Weather Striptease
Even if you’re already lining the bottom of your doors with a homey draft snake (see SF’s DIY version here), you can take things up a notch by lining the top and sides of your entry door with weather stripping. The strips come in different sizes and styles, depending on your door size and climate. For cold climates, nail-in strips such as the ones in ACE Weatherstrip Spring Metal-Kit ($12/one 1/8-inch-by-17-inch strip) work best, since they don’t expand and last longer than self-adhesive rubber ones. Just measure the edge of your door (where it meets the frame) to find the right size strip and nail the strip along the edge. Find Ace’s here or talk to your hardware person about what’ll work for you.

5. Regularly Scheduled Programming
Forget to turn off your heater before heading to work? Let a programmable thermostat remember for you – just install one like the Hunter Set and Save ($22), and program it around your schedule so it turns off when you’re out and turns on when you’re in. It can save you up to $150 and chip away at about 1,800 pounds of CO2 each year. It’s pretty easy to install too (30 minutes tops) – if you’re up for DIY, grab a hammer, screwdriver, and drill (or someone who knows how to use ‘em better), and follow the instructions here (PDF) after you get one here.

6. Blanket Statement
Try wrapping your gas, oil, or electric water heater in a giant tea cozy, like the Water Heater Blanket R5 ($19). It’ll keep your water hot longer so your heater doesn’t need to work as hard (hot water accounts for 12% of your utility bill so every bit helps). Fits up to a 60-gallon tank (most are about 40-50 gallons), and will usually pay for itself in energy savings within a year. Get it here.

7. Dr. Fil-ter
Dirty or blocked furnace filters prevent airflow and force your furnace to use more energy – they also trap in air pollutants like bacteria, mold, and pollen. Better: Instead of replacing yours every 1-2 months, go for a permanent filter, like the Permatron DustEater Electrostatic Furnace Filter ($62), and just rinse it every month or so. It’ll trap about 91% of pollutants and reduce waste because it never needs replacing. Get it here.

8. Pipe Dream
Another easy one for the handy-handicapped: Insulate your water pipes with pipe foam, such as MD Tube Pipe Insulation ($4/12 feet). It sort of looks like a foam straw with a slit on the side – just wrap it around pipes attached to your water heater, under your sink, in crawl spaces, anywhere they’re exposed and feel warmish (that means heat’s escaping). If you live in an area where pipes can freeze and burst (early Christmas for your plumber, not so great for you), wrap all pipes, including outdoor ones. Get some here.

9. Win-Win(dow) Situation
If you’ve got single-pane windows in single-digit temps, install EnergySavr Window Inserts ($45-$99/insert) – clear, lightweight window insulators. They’re way cheaper than replacing windows with new Energy Star windows (tho’ if you can swing it, that’s a better long-term option and you can score a tax credit), plus they can lower your heating costs by 50% and require no tools to install in most cases. Just pop ‘em inside the window frame (they’re custom made) and the foam strip around it expands to seal it in place. You’ll need to push in and out to open windows, but you’ll get better coverage than just caulking. Get ‘em here.

10. Better Insulate Than Never
If you really wanna go all out (way out), install eco-friendly insulation, like Bonded Logic UltraTouch Recycled Cotton Insulation (prices vary), to unfinished attics and basements and crawl spaces (grab a bug catcher first, or better: hand it over to your installer). You can DIY tho’ (here’s a demo). The stuff’s made with 85% recycled textiles like jeans instead of itchy, cough-inducing fiberglass and you can save $245 a year. Get it here.

Formed in 2004 by founders Tim O’Shea and Dale Sims, the company connects small-scale fish suppliers with distributors to get sustainable seafood to restaurant kitchens and supermarkets, in an effort build a market for sustainable aquaculture and wild fishing that doesn’t damage the environment. But praises from chefs and the culinary world are not all.

CleanFish has also gotten a nod from the business world, as well. In May 2009, BusinessWeek named listed them as one of the “Most Promising Social Entrepreneurs”. And TIME magazine called them “Responsibility Pioneer” and one of 25 companies “big and small old and new…changing the world”. It is a company that is doing well by doing good.

How Clean Fish Operates

Clean Fish co-founder and CEO Tim O’Shea describes large-scale commercial fishing as “Hoovering up ecosystems.” I take this as a commentary on our over-fished and over-harvested oceans. O’Shea’s operation has four full-time “Clean Fish evangelists” among his 30-strong staff, separate from his sales force, who work to educate chefs and consumers about how they source their fish. The company’s suppliers—24 artisan fish producers they call the Clean Fish Alliance—have already been able to expand because Clean Fish increased the market for their seafood. The company’s revenue has been doubling each year for three years, and CleanFish expects to top $20 million in 2009.

It’s Not Just Restaurants, It’s The Environment

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), humans are responsible for:

• Removing about 8% of the total primary production of the aquatic ecosystem each year.
• Harvesting and consuming more than one fourth of the annual fish production of ocean upwelling regions and tropical marine shelves.
• Removing about 35% of temperate shelf region productivity.
• Over harvesting to this extent can greatly affect the biodiversity of many important aquatic ecosystems and local industry and the economy.

Overharvesting to this extent can greatly affect the biodiversity of many important aquatic ecosystems and local industry and the economy.

Clean Fish’s ethos is based on the ideal of a marketplace that rewards human-scale fisheries where wild fish are harvested responsibly. They believe this demands conscious restraint appropriate from fishermen who know over-harvesting for this year’s market will only hurt the viability of fish stocks in the future. And their belief system is being embraced by top chefs and the business world alike.

The next time you are going out to dinner or getting fish from your local grocery store, check to see if it is Clean Fish.

For more information, visit CleanFish.

What convinced me, however, was one simple thing: It was touted as being a great makeup remover.  For years, I found that unless I washed my face with a washcloth, I didn’t get all of the make-up residue off my face…and that was frustrating.  So, I made the $200 investment and brought home my new shiny brush eager to find out if it worked.  Here is the scoop:

What it is…

Developed by the same people who developed Sonic Care Toothbrushes, the Clarisonic Cleansing System uses a patented sonic frequency of more than 300 movements per second to clean your skin.

Specifics

The Clarisonic system comes in four types – Mia, Classic, Plus and Pro.  Here is a comparison:

Additionally, there are four types of brushes you can use:

• Normal: For normal skin, shaving prep and use on body.
• Sensitive: For sensitive to normal skin types.
• Delicate: Ultra-soft brush for delicate or extra-sensitive skin.
• Spot Therapy: For cleansing areas of the body needing extra care and attention, including the décolleté, hands, arms, elbows and feet. Works with Clarisonic PLUS and PRO models.

And lastly, they sell cleansers and skin-care products that you can use with the Clarisonic.

Benefits

Here are the benefits that Clarisonic claims it provides and how I thought it stacked up against its claims:

• Removes 6x more makeup than manual cleansing: TRUE.  Although I can’t measure “6x,” I definitely get all of the makeup off of my skin, without the need for rough and irritating wash-clothes.
• Leaves skin feeling and looking smoother: TRUE.  Be sure to use the right brush for your type of skin so you don’t overdry!
• Products absorb better: TRUE.  Because dry patches are diminished, I find that my products smooth on more easily.
• Gentle for use 2x daily: TRUE.  If you have sensitive or delicate skin, however, you MUST use the right brushes.  Using Clarisonic twice a day with the wrong brush may irritate your skin.
• Helps reduce oily areas, dry skin patches and blemishes: PARTIALLY TRUE.  I have combination skin, and although  I have found that my skin is smoother and that dry patches have diminished, I would not say that my oily areas have reduced.
• Helps reduce appearance of visible pores: PARTIALLY TRUE.  Again, texture is improved, but in certain areas (chin), I have not seen diminished pores.  In other areas (nose), I have.
• Reduces appearance of fine lines and wrinkles: PARTIALLY TRUE.  I would argue that Clarisonic makes a difference with fine lines, but not with deep wrinkles.

Overall Review

I HIGHLY recommend using the Clarisonic as part of your beauty and skin care regimen.  A few points, however:

• Make sure you purchase the right brushes for your skin type.  This is very important in ensuring you don’t irritate your skin.
• Don’t buy their cleansers.  Frankly, you can use your own cleanser and their products contain ingredients that I recommend you avoid.
• Purchase the model you think you will most benefit.  There is no need to buy the most expensive model.  The technology is the same…and if you are a simple person (like me), you most likely won’t use the extra bells and whistles of the Plus or Pro models.

Where Can you Buy?

Clarisonic at Beauty.com
Clarisonic at Amazon
CLARISONIC Skin Care Brush Limited Edition Pink, Breast Cancer Awareness + 2 oz Cleanser

GMOs were first grown in the United States in 1996. They work by inserting an additional protein into the genetic code of the original seed. This allows the crops to withstand repeated bouts of pesticide without destroying the crop. In such a short amount of time, GMOs have become a ubiquitous part of our food supply, found in nearly 75% of processed foods lining the supermarket shelves. How has it infiltrated such a large portion of our food supply? A large majority of our farmland the past few decades has transitioned to grow three major crops: corn, soy, and canola. The same agrochemical businesses that created GMOs also sell the seeds that grow these crops. For example, 92 percent of all soy grown worldwide is genetically modified, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. If you think you do not consume any of these soybeans because you avoid edamame, tofu, and soymilk- think again! Soybean oil, soy protein isolate, soy lecithin, etc, are common ingredients in processed foods. Even products you think of as healthy contain these harmful ingredients, such as protein bars, dark chocolate, and multigrain crackers. Since these crops are also fed to our animals, even meat is not free of them.

All of Europe, England, Australia, Japan and Russia require food containing GMOs to be labeled accordingly. In response to consumer outcries in these countries, large companies such as Kraft, Walmart, and Coca Cola have redesigned their products to either remove GMOs from them or label them appropriately. Consumers can then make their own decisions about whether to include these new substances into their family’s diet or now. For a myriad of political reasons, we are not given that choice in this country. Instead, you must be extremely pro-active if you would like to minimize GMOs in your diet.

So what’s the big deal with GMOs and why should you avoid them? Most of the objection about GMOs is that they are an uncontrolled human experiment. Only one study has been conducted on humans rather than animals. The results showed that parts of the altered gene in GMO soy had been transferred into the DNA of the bacteria in the digestive system (U.S. National Academy of Sciences 2004). Results from animal studies are even less promising. Until U.S. consumers get more vocal about GMOs, what can you do?

Tips for minimizing GMOs in your diet:

• Stick to organic food as much as possible; even fresh foods such as fruits and vegetables can be coated in a corn-based wax to make them look prettier and withstand long travel distances
• Look for corn, soy, and canola listed in the ingredient list; assume they are genetically modified
• Start small. What do you or your family consumer a lot of? Cereal? Crackers? Milk? Look for a non-GMO alternative of your favorite brand by shopping organic.
• Most importantly, speak up! Does your grocery store have slim pickings when it comes to organics? Make a request for specific products you would like to see. Does your store already offer plenty of options? Let them know you appreciate the selection. Do it for your children and your children’s children!

The New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden in Brooklyn, for instance, run programs where children can plant, tend and harvest their own fruits, herbs and vegetables.  To appeal to the “ripe” ages of the NYBG’s audience, the garden focuses on teaching children around their favorite dishes.  For instance, in the Breakfast Bowl Bed, they plant and harvest cereals and grains such as corn, barley, oats, rice and wheat.  While the Pizza Garden is where they can grow and cultivate various ingredients such as oregano, basil, and tomatoes.

It turns out that these types of programs not only educate children, but also impact their taste buds to appreciate the very foods they would turn their noses up to previously.  Here’s why:

1. Dirty Zone: What kid doesn’t like to get a little dirty?  In programs like the ones at the NYBG and BBG, children are encouraged to dig for worms, plant seeds and get a little dirty.  Putting bad weeds in ‘Jail’ and learning how to play in the dirt is what these programs are all about!
2. Ownership and Responsibility: Through cultivating their own plot, children plant vegetables, watch them grow and pick them with their very own hands.  It gives them a sense of pride and accomplishment…and if you will…attachment to what they grow.
3. Learning While Playing: The children in these programs aren’t being told what they “should be eating”, but instead learn while doing.  The staff teaches them good nutrition through the food they grow, why foods are healthy and how to make them grow the best.  They even learn about the benefits of growing organic.

Unfortunately, programs like the NYBG’s aren’t everywhere.  If you don’t have a program local to you, you can create your own programs right at home.  Here are a few ideas:

1. Garden at Home: If you have a backyard, start your own garden at home and involve your children.  Ask them what they would like to grow and give them their own “crop” to take care of.  If you don’t have a backyard, look for plants you can grow in a window box or herbs you can grow in your kitchen.
2. Farmers’ Markets: Bring your children to your local farmers’ markets and let them explore the good being sold.  Let them choose a fruit or vegetable that they would like to try on their own.
3. Cooking: Let your children pick a new ingredient each week and have them help you come up with a recipe that they can cook and enjoy.  You can even have their friends over and host a Children’s “Iron Chef” cook-off.
4. Educate: Each week, pick a vegetable, fruit or herb that you can research together.  Learn where the ingredient originates from, during what time of year it grows, ways to prepare it, and of course, its nutritional benefits.

Do you grow your own vegetables at home?  Do you involve your children in the process?  Have you enrolled your kids in any of these programs?

Requirements for Radiant Skin

• Antioxidants. These protect your skin from the damaging effects of UV radiation and may help prevent skin cancer. Foods high in antioxidants include green tea, citrus fruits, cacao, blueberries, prunes, and leafy green vegetables like kale and spinach.
• Hydration. If you’re thirsty, so is your skin! It’s essential to drink plenty of water (filtered or spring water) every day, but juicy fruits and vegetables (like apples, strawberries, watermelons and celery) help with your hydration needs.
• Selenium. This mineral is used by your body to create a protein with antioxidant properties. The absolute best source for selenium is a handful of Brazil nuts. If you can’t find those, other nuts will do. Fish, turkey, whole wheat pasta, and brown rice will also help, but nothing compares to nuts!
• Omega-3 Fatty Acids. Omega-3’s maintain healthy cell membranes to keep your cells hydrated and free of toxins. Hemp, flax, and Chia seeds are excellent sources of Omega-3’s. Wild salmon, walnuts, and sardines can also give your skin cells a boost.

Handbook for Healthy Hair

• Vitamins A and C. These vitamins help your body produce sebum, the oil secreted by hair follicles that serves as a natural conditioner. (Beware shampoos that strip away too much oil and leave your hair dry!) Spinach, broccoli, kale, and Swiss chard are great sources for both of these vitamins.
• Protein. Your hair needs plenty of protein to grow. Beans, lentils, and other legumes are great sources of protein, iron, and zinc.

Snacks for a Super Smile

• Avoid Processed and Refined Carbs. Chewy carbohydrates like bread and crackers tend to get stuck under the gums and promote bacterial growth. Drink plenty of water with meals and snacks to wash all those little food particles away.

• Polyphenols. Found in black and green teas, polyphenols prevent plaque and reduce the chance of developing cavities.
• Cranberries. These tart berries have a compound that prevents bacteria from sticking to teeth and gums, but make sure your cranberry juice isn’t loaded with extra sugar or else, what’s the point?

It makes sense that balance in your body shows up as beauty on the outside, and whole, healthy foods will keep you looking and feeling fantastic. The emphasis here is on whole foods, not supplements. Although supplements can be good for people who have a particular deficiency, it’s always better to get your nutrition from the best foods you can find. Eat well and be beautiful!

I was recently stocking up on supplies for the office when I came across these great looking eco products for you or your favorite student.  They are smart in design and durable. Why not start the school year right with the right eco supplies?

Here are some of Green Scout Report’s favorite eco-supplies:

Eco and super-cute notebooks (prices vary)

This is a cute notebook that is environmentally safe.  Ecojot notebooks are made from 100% post-consumer recycled paper and come in a variety of graphic designs and sizes. Their new site will launch in September, but in the meantime, check out a retailer near you.  Visit Ecojot.com or Buy EcoJot at Amazon

Solar Style Charger ($29.99)
Perfect for your on-the-run students on the go. They will love this pocket-size solar solution by Solar Style. It offers an easy and affordable way to charge cell phones, PDAs, mp3 players and other gadgets. Available at SolarStyleMiami http://www.solarstylemiami.com

Terracycle Eco Binders ($4.99)
I got in the habbit of organizing my classes and projects into binders. Here’s a greener and smart-looking option from Terracycle – these recycled binders are not only eco-friendly, but sturdy and cheap. Available at OfficeMax.

NOON SOLAR Cortland Bag – Charge on the go ($418)
On the go or travel much? The Cortland is a great everyday tote and easily transfers from day to night. It’s big enough to hold files, but small enough to carry all the time. Has 2 interior zipper pockets – 1 for lithium-ion storage battery and electronic accessories, 1 exterior zipper pocket, and magnetic snap closure. The leather is a Bavarian sourced, chrome-free, naturally tanned and dyed, full-grain cowhide.  Visit Noon Solar

Staples 100% Recycled Paper ($9.70 / ream of 500 pages)
It looks as white as non-recycled printer paper and works with all laser and ink jet printers. Better than that, it’s 100% recycled, acid-free, chlorine-free, FSC-certified and endorsed by the Rainforest Alliance. Visit Staples.

Voltaic Solar Backpacks ($199 – 250)
I am not a backpack person, but people I know who carry these are true devotees. The must-have for the ecogeeky student, Voltaic backpacks can charge your cell phone, PDA’s, and other gadgets while also lugging around your books.  Voltaic bags are also made from 100% recycled PET from water bottles.Visit Voltaic.

PilotBeGreen Eco-Friendly Pens

If you’re more a pen person, there are a bunch of green pen options as well, including Pilot’s recycled BeGreen Pens. Available at Amazon. Visit PilotBeGreen.

KOR Hydration Vessel:

This really is my best eco-style secret as of late.

Its sleek design is incredible and the bottles are BPA & PBA free. What this means is that the plastic will not leach to your system when you drink out of it. I love the fact that you can actually see the water in the bottle that comes in four colors. Its hinge cap lets you drink with one hand instead of fumbling with those incredibly annoying screw on tops. And the rubber bottom keeps it from slipping.

KOR has a company value system called S.E.T. (Sustainable, Ethical, Transparent) in all their business practices. They firmly believe that in the “importance of clean water to human health and to the health of our planet, and in the power of design to inspire and motivate”. That is music to our ears. Green Scout Report could not have said it better ourselves.

Each water bottle holds 25-ounces of liquid and has a hinged cap and perfect spout. And for every product purchased, KOR will donate funds to various water-related non-profits depending on the color you purchase. Choose from Ocean Protection (blue), Watershed Protection (green), Container Recycling (orange) and Global Water Crisis (purple).

For more information or to purchase, visit KOR. You can also get them on Amazon.

Klean Kanteen: The Original Stainless Steel Bottle

Launched in 2004 Klean Kanteen™ introduced the first personal hydration bottle made from stainless steel to give health and environmentally conscious people an alternative to plastic. These are high quality, handcrafted bottles committed to strong environmental and labor standards.

Klean Kanteen has recently launched their new WIDE version of their best selling Kanteen. Here at Green Scout Report, we are thrilled about this new version! The Klean Kanteen is BPA free, as well. All Wide bottles have a cap with stainless steel on the inside so drinks never touch plastic.

This family-owned business also practices the eco it preaches! The company uses office paper is 100% post-consumer content, providing all soaps that are fair trade and eco-friendly, using Energy Star-certified office equipment. They have increased third-party audits of factories making its products in China to ensure they’re meeting Klean Kanteen’s high environmental and fair labor standards.

For more information or to order a bottle, visit Klean Kanteen or Amazon.

1. Taste: The fresher the produce, the better it will taste.  If a fruit or vegetable isn’t in season, it is shipped from across the country, or even worse, across the world.  To do so, farmers harvest their crops early and refrigerate them so that they don’t go bad during shipping.  As a result, they aren’t ripe when picked and don’t always ripen to their full flavor as they would in their natural growing environment.  During chilling and shipping, produce loses freshness and flavor with each step of the process: when chilled, when transported and when held in warehouses prior to distribution.
2. Nutrition: Vanishing flavor from fruits and vegetables also means vanishing nutrition.  As mentioned, when farmers ship to far off areas, they harvest early.  In doing so, the fruit or vegetable doesn’t have as many nutrients as it would have if it was picked when it was fully grown and fully ripe.  Further, because of the transportation process, produce is irradiated to kill germs and layered with preservatives, such as wax on cucumbers.
3. Variety: Eating produce that is in-season means that you eat a wide variety of foods throughout the year.
4. Cost: Buying locally grown, in-season produce means that the cost for that produce is lower.  Why?  Because in season produce is abundant, making supply high.
5. Environment: Eating locally grown, in-season produce means that you are supporting the health of the environment.  Shipping from great distances requires using tons of resources and expelling tons of pollution.

A great resource for finding in-season produce, local to your area is the Seasonal Ingredient Map at Epicurious.com.

Do you buy local, in-season produce?  Do you grow your own veggies or fruit? Can you taste the difference in quality and taste?

B.A. W

Is there a Dr. in the house? M.A.ybe so – help your kid, friend, or sibling hit the books with a degree of eco-style, by sending them off with supplies like recycled bulletin boards and reusable laundry gear – or bundle smaller stuff into a PVC-free backpack or storage bin as a care package. No PhD required.

(For pre-college kiddos, check out A Biter’s Guide to Hitting the Books next month.)

1. Sheet smarts.

All-nighter pulled. Paper slipped under the Prof’s door five minutes before it was due. Time to crash…on soft, 100% organic-cotton sheets – no pesticides involved. PBteen’s Organic Sheet Sets ($89) come in twin size, with cheery graphic prints like flowers and turntables. Also: organic towels. Give it.

2. Board games.

Great for keeping class schedules and phone numbers handy, Envi Combo Magnetic Dry-Erase/Cork Bulletin Boards ($38) are Cradle-to-Cradle certified – made from recycled materials and designed to be recycled. Pair with nontoxic pens, and emblazon it with a bon voyage message (or a reminder about your birthday – oh, whoops, was that permanent ink?). Give it.

3. Electric bookaloo.

One thing’s for sure – they’re going to read. A lot. Give ‘em an electronic book reader like the new bigger-format, 9.7-inch Kindle DX ($489) – no trees necessary. They can download 300K books (lighter and cheaper than paper = less shoulder pain, more beer money), plus magazines and newspapers; highlight and make notes as they read; and download books anywhere. Give it.

4. Shower power.

Prep their feet for shared showers with a pair of germ-deflecting Splaff Flops ($40), made from recycled materials like race-car tires and easily renewable materials like hemp. Consider packaging with an eco scrubber or soap; they come in both guy and girl sizes. Give it.

5. It’s in the bag.

Between advanced calculus and Proust is another subject: the Laundromat. Make it easy for them to haul their dirty socks cross-campus with a Rice and Feed Laundry Bag ($39), one-of-a-kind heavy-duty laundry bags (big enough for two loads) made from old…wait for it…rice and feed bags that’d otherwise get tossed. (Throw in a bottle of eco stain remover or laundry detergent for the works.) Give it.

6. The incredible drinking woman (or guy).

School should quench their thirst for knowledge, but not for water. Help them stay hydrated (and away from nasty chems like BPA) with an aluminum Greensender SIGG Bottle ($25-$28) that they can fill up and take anywhere. It’ll help cut back on disposable plastic water bottles, which require 1.5 million barrels of oil each year to make. Give it.

7. Sa-wing battery!

Can one set of batteries last till graduation? Yep – if they’re rechargeable. Americans buy three billion batteries per year, tons of which get trashed; rechargeables cut way down on that waste. Pack some USBCell AA Batteries ($18/2), which juice up when you plug them into any computer’s USB port (so even if they get nowhere on their paper, at least they accomplish something). Give it.

8. Balls out.

Your gift: if you’re a mom, less laundry to do each week. Their gift: 2+ years of soft, static-free clothes…if you set them up with some reusable Wool Dryer Balls ($24/4). Unlike disposable sheets, they’ll last for years, contain no animal byproducts, and create zero waste. Nice with a couple rolls of quarters. Give it.

9. Bin there, done that.

Load ‘em up with a few Eco-Fabric Open Bins ($13) for extra storage of shoes, toiletries, whatever there isn’t room for in their 2-by-2-foot closet – you can even use it to package other things they’ll need. Simple, stylish, and easy to move around, they’re also made mostly out of recycled bottles. Give it.

10. Pure energy.

Even if they get stuck rooming with a knuckle-cracking Religious Studies major who’s light on showers, you can make sure dorm life’s a little comfier with an Energy-Star-rated, energy-saving coffeemaker (great paired with a reusable mug and organic coffee). Other bigger-ticket options: an ES-rated mini fridge, computer, monitor, or printer. Give it.

For care-package ideas, check out the Daily Tip.

DEET, or diethyl-meta-toluamide, as its known in chemistry circles, has recently been linked to brain cell damage. Duke University research shows that regular use of chemical repellents like DEET may damage brain cells and interact with medications. The pharmacologist conducting the study observed brain cell death and behavioral changes in animals exposed to DEET after frequent and prolonged use. Another study showed that up to fifteen percent of DEET is absorbed by the skin into the bloodstream.

After more than 30 years of research on the effects of chemicals on the brains of rats, Mohamed Abou-Donia, Ph.D, discovered, in two separate studies, that the frequent and prolonged applications of DEET cause neurons to die in regions of the brain that control muscle movement, learning, memory and concentration. Moreover, rats treated

with a comparable human dose of DEET (40 mg/kg body weight) performed far worse than control rats when challenged with physical tasks requiring muscle control, strength and coordination. Such effects are consistent with physical symptoms in humans reported in medical literature, especially by Persian Gulf War veterans, claims Abou-Donia.

Even U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) toxicologist Michael Watson noted an instance “where exposure to DEET caused six cases of brain damage in girls aged one through six – and three of them died.”

So what do you do if you wish to avoid the potentially dangerous effects of DEET while still keeping the mosquitoes at bay? While Mother Nature offers dozens of different options, here are some of my top natural mosquito repellents:

1. Citronella: The old standby—use only pure essential oil of citronella—not fragrance oil. Oils purchased in bulk for burning are not adequate for applying topically to your skin. For your skin it is best to get a high quality citronella essential oil from a natural food store.
2. Soy oil: The New England Journal of Medicine reported that natural repellents made of soybean oil are just as effective as DEET-containing repellents. Soy oil is inexpensive and easy to find, making it an excellent choice. Plus, it is an excellent body moisturizer. As an aside, research shows that an ingredient in soy can slow the growth of body hair when applied topically.
3. Catnip: An Iowa State University research group showed that the essential oil found in the herb catnip is about 10 times more effective than DEET in repelling mosquitoes in the laboratory.
4. NEEM seed oil, or “neem oil”: It is extracted from a plant that grows in India. An ingredient in Neem seed oil has also been found to be more effective than DEET by researchers at the Malaria Institute in India. Both the US National Research Council and the Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association have confirmed this finding.
5. Lavender essential oil: It smells great and is a commonly used and effective mosquito repellent.
6. Garlic: Eat lots of fresh garlic—mosquitoes can’t stand the stuff.

Choose a natural mosquito repellent to ward off both mosquitoes and the nasty effects of DEET.

When I picked up a bottle of the Kitchen Cleaner “Kitchen Plus,” I was a bit skeptical of its power. After all, they DO list their ingredients, and they include: non-chlorinated water, corn, tree sap, grass, potatoes, and sugarcane.  Sounds more like a funky farmer concoction than a cleaner to me!

In all honesty, however, it was a breath of fresh air (pardon the pun) to find such non-toxic ingredients: safe enough to eat, but supposedly strong enough to clean. Is a matter of fact, to date, “all of Eco Mist Solutions’ ingredients have been recognized as being ‘Food’ surface safe.” Sure, safety comes first, but how does Eco Mist Solutions stack up against other kitchen cleaners? All in all, pretty well. Here are some details:

Cleaning Power: Kitchen Plus does a decent job (worthy of Clorox’s 409) of getting up the typical food and muck from kitchen counters and cabinets. Granted, a little elbow grease or a sponge with a scrub side doesn’t hurt for the tougher jobs.

VOCs (Volatile Organic Chemicals): Whether you know what VOCs are or not, you don’t want them in your home.  VOCs off-gas the smells that often come with household cleaners that are toxic to breathe.  Bleach is one common household cleaner that is infamous for its smell.  That smell, although we are trained to think it means ‘clean’, isn’t good for you or your lungs.  Eco Mist Solutions Kitchen Plus has no odor, no toxic chemicals and hence, no VOCs.

Wide Variety: The company is dedicated to making highly effective cleaners, all from 100% non-toxic and natural ingredients.  To do so, they have come up with multiple formulations to address every household need.   Everything from BBQ Cleaners, Deck Wash and Patio Furniture Cleaners to highly specialized surface cleaners for the home, including those formulated for granite and counter tops, stainless steel, hardwood, carpet, tile and glass.

The Drawback: Unfortunately, Eco Mist Solutions is based in Canada…and as a result, their products are not widely distributed throughout the US or the rest of the world.  You can purchase their products, however, online at Home Depot Canada.  All their cleaners are reasonably priced from $5.99 – $7.99 (Canadian Dollars).

Have you tried these cleaners?  Would you recommend any of them?

Related topics:

• 5 Ways to Keep Your Personal Environment Healthy
• Goodbye Carpet, Hello FLOR
• Safe Water Bottles
• 10 Easy Ways to Get Your Green on at Home
• Asthma and the Healthy Home
  

The message driven home for millions of Americans each day via TV and internet commercials is this: No need to scrub or scour. With just one squeeze of the spray bottle, you can wipe away dirt, grime, and bacteria.

Alas, there’s that dark alley again. Air fresheners, disinfectants, and cleaners found under your sink are more dangerous than you think. Mix bleach with ammonia, for example, and you’ve got a toxic fume cloud used by the military in WWI. And they weren’t cleaning kitchens.

Here is a list of the ten products you should ban from your home forever, along with suggested alternatives.

1. Non-Stick Cookware
When non-stick pans were first introduced into American households in the 1960s, they were thought to be a godsend. Gone were the days of soaking pans for hours and scouring pots with steel wool. In the forty years since then, however, we’ve learned that the ease of cleaning comes at a steep price: the coating that makes Teflon pans non-stick is polytetrafluoroethylene, or PTFE for short. When PTFE heats up, it releases toxic gasses that have been linked to cancer, organ failure, reproductive damage, and other harmful health effects.

The problems with PTFE-coated pans seem to occur at high temperatures, so if you must use Teflon, cook foods on medium heat or less. Avoiding non-stick pans altogether is the safest option. If you’re able to do so, try anodized aluminum, stainless steel, or cast iron pans with a little cooking oil. SustainLane reviewers like LeCreuset cast iron pans and more cost-effective ones like Lodge Logic. Using a lower setting on the stove will reduce the chances that your food will burn, which is how it usually gets stuck to pans the first place. If you’re worried about the extra calories cooking oil adds, try baking or steaming your food.

2. Plastic Bottles
By now you’ve heard of dangers of BPA in those ubiquitous neon water bottles. BPA mimics the effects of hormones that harm your endocrine system. While the company at the heart of the controversy has switched to BPA-free plastic, those aren’t the only toxic bottles. Single-use plastic bottles are even worse for leaching chemicals, especially when you add the heat of the sun (think about bottles left in your trunk) or the microwave. Aside from the fact that bottled water sold across state lines is not as regulated as tap water, the bottles themselves are spawning grounds for bacteria and are a source of needless waste. Each year, more than one million barrels of oil are used to manufacture the more than 25 billion single-use plastic water bottles sold in the U.S. Choose a reusable, stainless steel or glass bottle instead. SustainLane users have reviewed several water bottle alternatives.

3. Conventional Cleaning Supplies
These routinely make the top ten lists of worst household offenders. They contain toxic chemicals that negatively affect every system in your body. All purpose cleaners often contain ammonia, a strong irritant that has been linked to liver and kidney damage. Bleach is a powerful oxidizer, which can burn the skin and eyes. Another danger lies in oven cleaners, which can cause chemical burns and emit toxic fumes that harm the respiratory system. The American Association of Poison Control Centers reports that more than 120,000 children under the age of five were involved in incidents involving household cleaners in 2006, the most recent year for which data is available.

To protect you and your family from the hazards conventional cleaners pose, choose non-toxic, or natural cleaners. SustainLane reviewers have particularly enjoyed Method and Seventh Generation, which are commonly found on supermarket shelves. Bon Ami is a safe alternative to Comet and Ajax. If you have the time and want to go the extra mile, you can even mix your own using common household items like vinegar and baking soda. Check out these easy-to-make recipes household cleaners.

4. Chemical Insecticides and Herbicides
Since the purpose of these products is to kill pests, you can bet that many of them have ingredients in them that are also harmful to humans. For example, the active ingredient in Round-Up – a weed-killer popular with gardeners – is known to cause kidney damage and reproductive harm in mice. And cypermethrin, one of the active ingredients in the popular ant and roach-killer Raid, is a known eye, skin and respiratory irritant and has negative effects on the central nervous system.

There are several companies that sell natural and organic weed- and pest-control products. Buhach makes a natural insecticide from ground chrysanthemum flowers that controls ants, flies, fleas, lice, gnats, mosquitoes, spiders, and deer ticks, among other pests. Boric acid is an effective, natural solution for cockroaches as well; sprinkle it around baseboards, cracks and other places likely to harbor roaches. You can use this boric acid recipe to control ants. For weeds, check out E.B. Stone Weed-N-Grass or try spot-spraying with household vinegar.

5. Antibacterial Products
The widespread use of antibacterials has been shown to contribute to new strains of antibiotic-resistant “super-bugs.” The Center for Disease Control says that antibacterials may also interfere with immune system development in children. Triclosan – the most common antibacterial additive found in more than 100 household products ranging from soaps and toothpaste to children’s toys and even undergarments, accumulates in the body. In a study conducted by the Environmental Working Group, 97 percent of breast feeding mothers had triclosan in their milk, and 75 percent had trace amounts of the chemical in their urine.

Make it your goal to be to be clean, not germ-free. People who are exposed to household germs typically develop strong immune systems and are healthier overall. Avoid buying antibacterial products or soaps containing triclosan. Soap and water is really all you need to clean most things. There are plenty of eco-friendly hand washes and other cleansers that are safe for you and easy on the planet.

6. Chemical Fertilizers
These are notorious for causing damage to our water supply and are a known major contributor to algal blooms. Whenever it rains or a lawn is watered, the runoff goes straight into storm-drains, and untreated water is dumped into rivers, streams, and the ocean. This causes an imbalance in delicate water ecosystems, killing fish and degrading water quality.

If you have a lawn, choose organic fertilizers rather than chemical ones.

As another alternative to harsh chemicals, consider starting a compost pile to create nutrient-rich soil for your flower beds and vegetable gardens. You’ll be creating your own inexpensive fertilizer just by letting food scraps and yard trimmings sit. An added benefit: it’ll also help divert waste from landfills. SustainLane users have reviewed several compost bins here.

7. More Bulb for Your Buck
A Compact Fluorescent (CFL) bulb uses just a fraction of the energy regular light bulb uses. When your current bulbs burn out, swap them with CFLs, and start calculating your savings. General Electric has an online calculator that shows you just how much money you can save by making the switch.

One caveat of the low-energy bulb is that it contains mercury. Even so, CFLs are still your best bet, according to EPA Energy Star program director Wendy Reed. Coal-fired plants are the biggest emitters of mercury. Using CFL bulbs means you draw less power from the grid, which means less coal is burned for electricity. Because of the mercury, take precautions when disposing of these CFL bulbs. Rather than throwing them in your household trash or curbside recycling bin, take them to a hazardous waste collection or other special facility. This story from National Public Radio has a more through discussion of this topic.

8. Air fresheners
Just like cleaning supplies, these are incredibly toxic and can aggravate respiratory problems like asthma. Even those labeled “pure” and “natural” have been found to contain phthalates, chemicals that cause hormonal abnormalities, reproductive problems and birth defects. Try simmering cinnamon and cloves to give your home an “I’ve-spent-the-whole-day-baking” scent, and leave a few windows open to let in fresh air. You might also boil a pot of water on the stove with a few drops of your favorite essential oil, or use an essential oil burner.

9. Flame Retardants
A common flame retardant that was used in mattresses, polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE), is known to accumulate in blood, breast milk and fatty tissues. This chemical is linked to liver, thyroid, and neuro-developmental toxicity. According to the Environmental Working Group, new foam items often do not contain PBDEs, but foam items purchased before 2005 (like mattresses, mattress pads, couches, easy chairs, pillows, carpet padding), are likely to contain them. Household furniture often contains flame retardants and stain repellents that use PBDE’s as well as formaldehyde and PFOA (the same chemical used in non-stick cookware).

If you are in the market for a new mattress or sofa, ask manufacturers what type of flame retardants they use. Look for products that don’t use brominated fire retardants. Organic Abode sells natural and organic furniture. If you’re looking to keep your existing mattress, but make it safer, use a cover made of organic wool to reduce PBDE exposure. You can find organic furniture and interior decor here.

10. Plastic Shopping Bags
Remember: Like diamonds, plastics are forever. Ever heard of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch? It’ a giant mass of plastic twice the size of Texas that’s floating 1,000 miles off the coast of California. In the United States, only two percent of plastic bags are recycled, which means that the remaining 98 percent is dumped into landfills or blown out to sea. According to Californians Against Waste, the City of San Francisco, which recently banned plastic shopping bags, spends 8.5 million dollars annually on plastic bag litter.

The good news is, we can easily decrease our plastic bags use. Bring in your own reusable cloth bags when you go shopping. If you have kids, ask them to remind you to bring them. Or keep them in a place by the door where you’re most likely to remember them on your way out.

Truth be told, the FDA doesn’t approve beauty products.  And, many beauty products contain ingredients that are less than healthy for you.  Many ingredients used by the beauty industry are manufactured, are synthesized in a laboratory or are toxic…none of which are great for your skin.

Here is a chart of ingredients worth avoiding:

Your skin, just like your heart, is an organ…it is your largest organ, as a matter of fact.  It is living, it is breathing and its primary function is to protect your body against infection and excessive water loss.  Your skin is also instrumental in insulating your body, as well as synthesizing and protecting the vitamins you  absorb.  So, just like you wouldn’t want to put chemicals or preservatives directly into your heart, you don’t want to put them on your skin.

When in doubt, if you can’t pronounce the ingredient or if it looks ‘chemically’ or manufactured, there is a good chance it might not be the best.  Although the FDA does not regulate these companies and their products, do look for labels that state that they don’t contain these chemicals and opt for those that claim that they are ‘all-natural‘.  You can also use EWG’s Cosmetic Database to check up on the products you buy to be sure.

Have you found products containing these chemicals bother you?  Do you have any stories of bad reactions to these ingredients?

Related Topics:

• When All Natural Products Aren’t: Kiss My Face
• Skin Care Products:  Worth the Price?
• All Natural, Organic and Toxic?
• Sheer Balance Beauty Guide

Sources: Environmental Working Group, Care2.com

Yet, many still opt for simpler skincare and go homemade. While this is an easy and cost-effective route, there are certain products that need to be created, manufactured and packaged by professionals to provide the results and safety we all want and need. Whipping up an exfoliant or cleanser is do-able and even fun. Hair products and makeup are a completely different ballgame.

While I have never been much of a DIYer when it comes to skin and hair care, I have come up with a few home brewed concoctions that are very useful and enjoyable. The following list comes from my trials (and errors) in the kitchen while whipping up homemade beauty products. All ingredients are organic where available.

Top Three Beauty Products to Make Yourself

1. Face and Body Scrub: You can make a wonderful scrub for face and body with just a few ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen cupboard. Sugar is an excellent exfoliate, just mix with olive or grape seed oil to your desired consistency and there you have it. Your skin will be fresh, glowing, and moisturized. Just remember to be gentle.
2. Facial Mask: Plain yogurt is another great exfoliate, and though not abrasive like sugar, is still pretty potent. Mix 1/4-cup yogurt with two tablespoons grape seed oil and a teaspoon of honey. Apply to skin and allow to dry somewhat, around 10 to 15 minutes. Rinse off with warm water. This plumps and firms the skin. Even my sensitive skin loves this treatment.
3. Grape Seed Oil Cleanser: Using oil as a cleanser may seem counter productive, but it works like a charm in dry winter months. Oil binds to dirt and makeup, cleansing the skin of impurities without stripping away moisture. Simply massage oil into skin and rinse with a warm wash cloth. You may follow with toner if you like.

Top Three Beauty Products Best Left to the Pros

1. Shampoo: Creating a product yourself that is fit for cleansing the hair and leaving it soft and shiny is difficult at best. In my experience with homemade products, the one area I did not find pleasant or worthwhile was hair care. A raw egg mask may provide shine but I found the feel
2. Deodorant: You actually can make your own deodorant using baking soda, alum or cornstarch. While some folks are happy with its effects, I find these to be irritating to skin and hard on clothing. Most nontoxic deodorant manufacturers carry an unscented product, if no scent is what you are after.
3. Make Up: Obviously, producing your own mineral foundation and blush, mascara and eyeliner would require tools, materials, and skills beyond most of our means. But, there is nothing wrong with mixing a bit of pure mineral blusher with your favorite lip balm for a hit of color.

So, don’t be afraid to mix it up in the kitchen. A combination of professionally manufactured and homemade beauty products result in a well balanced beauty regimen.

I admit, over the last five to ten years or so, I’ve slowly become a bit obsessive about resource conservation.  I have always cared about the environment, but recently, I have proactively made changes in my life to help save resources…and in turn, save money.

Caring for the environment may seem like a major task, but little things can add up.  More importantly, however, as you do your part to help conserve energy and resources you are actually helping yourself save money.  The less energy you use, the less money you spend.  The less gas you use, the less money you spend.  The less water you use, you guessed it, the less money you spend.  Whether you believe in global warming or not, you have to admit that saving money is definitely a good reason to care about resource management.

And there is no better time than the present to save money.  Here are three simple ways to do so on water:

1. The Bathroom Sink: As suggested in my story above, any time you use water from a faucet, there is most likely an opportunity to cut costs.  If you are doing something, and you literally don’t have your hands or something under the water, turn the water off.

• In the Bathroom: For instance, when you brush your teeth, turn the water on to wet your tooth brush and then turn it off.  Once you are done brushing your teeth, turn the water on and rinse your tooth brush.  Point: There is no need to run the water as you are brushing.  Your money is literally going down the drain.  This can apply to washing your face, as well:  Wet your face and hands.  Turn the water off and then lather up.  Once you are done lathering, turn the water back on to rinse.
• In the Kitchen: It is very easy to let the water run endlessly in the kitchen.  However, there are a couple of ways to save money on water here as well.
  • On-Off System: When you do the dishes or are cleaning the kitchen, turn the water on to get the sponge wet and soapy.  Once the sponge is ready to scrub, turn the water off until you need to rinse.
  • Soaking System: Often, we rinse our dishes before we actually put them in the dishwasher.  Keep a small bucket or side sink filled with water and let the dirty dishes sit for an hour.  This will loosen up the worst of the dirt and will require less water than if you were to rinse each dish separately.  Further, when you use your dishwasher, you can run a lighter cycle, once again, using less water.

2. The Toilet: Today, there are low-flow toilet fixtures that use a lot less water when you flush.  These fixtures reduce the gallons per flush from 6 gallons for a regular toilet to 1.6 gallons for a low-flow fixture.  And, in Europe, they have #1 and #2 flushers.  Basically, if you pee, you use the smaller flusher and if you poop, you use the bigger flusher.  Unfortunately, we don’t see this system so often in the States.  However, at home, you can save money by either installing low-flow fixtures or implementing a simple system of, “Unless you poop, don’t flush.”  You may think this is gross, but let’s face it…pee is not very smelly and will not crud up your toilet.  However, once you do poop… definitely flush!

3. The Garden:

• Pick Plants Wisely: If you have a garden, make sure that you plant indigenous (native to your climate) plant life.  Using plants that are native to your local climate means that they shouldn’t need to be additionally irrigated and should thrive naturally without the extra cost of watering them.
• Sprinkle Strategically: If you use a sprinkler system for your lawn, don’t put it on an automatic schedule.  Instead, track the weather so that you run your sprinklers on hot, dry days.  Otherwise, you very well may be sprinkling when you don’t need to and over-watering your lawn.

Do you try to conserve water?  What tricks do you use to cut-back on water use?  Have you seen a decrease in your water bills?

Related Topics:

• 10 Easy Ways to Get Your Green on at Home
• 5 Ways to Keep Your Personal Environment Healthy
• What Makes a Green Home Green?
• How Safe are Your Water Bottles?
• Is Your Water Aging You?

Although I’m not going to over-elaborate on each of these points, here is a quantitative look at this.  Let’s say you brush your teeth for a minute, two times a day.  If you calculate this by 365 days a year, you will have saved 730 minutes of running water.  A typical faucet releases approximately 3 gallons per minute (low-flow fixtures release 1.5 gallons a minute).  Meaning, you could save 2,190 gallons a year just while brushing your teeth.  Not to mention if you add that to all of the other water uses, you could be saving a lot!

Whether or not you believe that it is our role to ’save the planet’ and that global climate change is a reality, thinking about how your personal environment is impacting YOU is something that you should take an interest in.  Our personal environments and the choices we make for ourselves has a tremendous impact on our health and on our wellbeing.

Here are 5 things you can do to make your personal environment healthier:

1. Keep Your Air Clean: Keeping your air as clean as possible at home is important.  After all, you spend at least half of your life at home!

• Air Filters: A good rule of thumb is to switch out your air filters in heating and cooling units twice a year.  This will ensure that your units function efficiently and that the air is being effectively cleaned.
• Mud Rooms: Have a designated area at your entry for taking shoes off.  Taking off your shoes will prevent you from tracking in dirt, dust and pollutants into your home.
• Smoking: This goes without saying…don’t allow people to smoke in your home.  If you live with a smoker, make sure they smoke outdoors, and if possible, urge them to stay outdoors for five minutes after they are done smoking.  When smokers reenter a building, they continue to exhale after they put the cigarette out.  An extra 5 minutes outdoors should help to minimize this.

2. Choose Personal Care Products Wisely: What products we use on our bodies can play an important part in our health.  Chemicals, preservatives and additives can interfere with hormones and our wellbeing.  Unfortunately, there aren’t very many authorities on what personal products are healthy and a lot of product companies make claims that aren’t necessarily true.  That said, you can be wise about the products you choose to use.  Aim for those that are high in natural ingredients and avoid chemicals, fragrances and preservatives. Here are some ingredients worth avoiding:

• Parabens (butyl, methyl and propylparaben)
• triethanolamine
• Sodium Lauryl/Laureth Sulfate (SLS)
• Disodium Laureth sulfoscuuinate (DLS)
• Phenoxyethanol

3. Choose Home Products Wisely: Products that you use in and around your home, such as cleaners, pesticides and detergents can emit toxins into your air, clothes and home fabrics.  There are some great brands out there that aim to eliminate these.  Some to try:

• Nature’s Source
• Seventh Generation
• Simple Green
• Mrs. Meyer’s

4. Eat Organic: Although organic foods tend to be more expensive than non-organic foods, there are some foods that are really worth the extra money.  Produce, meats, eggs and dairy in particular are worth the extra dough. Organic meat and dairy are free of antibiotics, GMO Feed, Drugs and added hormones.  While organic produce is free of pesticides and chemicals that can be detrimental to your health.

5. Renovate Wisely: If you are doing some home renovating projects, try to find materials that are sustainable, earth friendly and non-toxic.  For instance, use low or non-VOC (volatile organic compounds) paint to ensure that toxic gases aren’t emitted into the air.  Further, you can use products such as FLOR Carpet Tiles and other surfaces to keep emissions low.

Related Topics:

• Kiss My Face Products: All Natural or Not?
• Should You Buy Organic for Your Kids?
• 7 Places They should Ban Smoking
• Goodbye Carpet, Hello FLOR
• 10 Easy Ways to Get Your Green on at Home
• Asthma and the Healthy Home
  

Walking home, I met two women in their late 40s who are identical twins.  Although they technically looked alike, one twin looked significantly older…I’d guesstimate about 10 years older.  I came to find out that the older looking twin smoked.  Huh.  Remarkably similar genes…similar environment (they live minutes away from one another)…but very different lifestyles.

These twins were living proof…this was as close as you could get to seeing the impact of lifestyle on the aging process.  Intrigued, I did some research to find out if there were any studies done to document this phenomenon.  Surely enough, there have been.

In a study called Factors Contributing to the Facial Aging of Identical Twins, a team of doctors from the Department of Plastic Surgery at Case Western Reserve University studied the effects of lifestyle and environment on the facial aging process of 186 sets of twins.  Although the study looked at multiple factors in lifestyle and environment, smoking and sun exposure were extremely significant to the aging process.  Specifically, here are the results:

1. Smoking: For those pairs of twins where one twin smoked and one didn’t, the minimum perceived age difference among the twins were 5 years.  For every ten years of smoking, the twin who smoked looked approximately 2 ½ years older in appearance.  Why is this so? Smoking causes blood vessels to constrict, resulting in decreased blood flow to skin.  Further, it depletes the body of Vitamin C, which is key for keeping skin plump and moist. This in turn causes capillaries to become permanently damaged, increased dryness and skin dehydration due to a diuretic effect, a grayish complexion and lastly, an increase in wrinkles, including crows feet.
2. Sun Exposure: Increased sun exposure was associated with an older appearance, especially as the twins got older. Those twins with outdoor hobbies such as golf and tennis had a perceived older appearance, while those who used skin protection (sunscreen) led to a younger appearance.  Why is this so? High amounts of sun exposure breaks down skin’s structural tissues (collagen and elastin).  As a result, skin looks mottled, freckles become more permanent, and skin becomes dried out, leathery, wrinkled and saggy.

Ok, great.  So now we have living proof of these bad boys and their effects on your skin.  But guess what, there are other lifestyle choices that can affect the aging process.  Here are eight more enemies of your skin:

3. Alcohol: Alcohol dilates small blood vessels, increasing blood flow near the skin’s surface. This can cause the skin to look wrinkled, red and flushed.  What you can do: Try to limit yourself to one alcoholic beverage per day.
4. Caffeine: Caffeine can cause water loss from your body and skin, resulting in a lack of plumpness.  What you can do: Make sure you drink plenty of water and limit intake to 300 mg a day.
5. Extreme Weather: Exposure to cold winds and low temperatures or extreme dry heat can dehydrate your skin, leading to wrinkles and roughness.  What you can do: Use a good moisturizer and a humidifier if you are in an especially dry climate.
6. Eating Disorders: Depriving your body of important nutrients, vitamins and minerals required for proper cell turnover and growth can cause skin to become dry and thin.  Further, hair and nails can become brittle and thin.  What you can do: Make sure you are eating enough calories so that your metabolism stays high and your body is properly nourished.
7. Lack of Sleep: Not enough sleep deprives your body of needed rest and doesn’t allow skin to regenerate.  You’ll look and feel tired, develop dark circles and bags under your eyes and your skin will become saggy.  What you can do: Get at least 7 1/2 hours of sleep a night, if not more.
8. Stress: Stress and worry cause frowning, and over time muscles in the face actually conform to that movement, developing lines and wrinkles.  What you can do: Monitor your stress levels throughout the day and find healthy ways to release the stress you feel through breathing and relaxation techniques.
9. Refined Sugars and Low-Protein in Your Diet: Refined sugar and carbohydrates can disturb collagen production, resulting in wrinkles and sagging skin.  Further, spikes in your insulin levels can cause excess amounts of secreted oils, resulting in acne and breakouts.  What you can do: Focus on whole grains, fruits and vegetables for your carbohydrates and a minimum of 20% of your calories from lean proteins.
10. Saturated Fats or VERY Low-Fat Diets: Saturated fats (butter, cream and high-fat dairy) can cause skin to age and become more wrinkled.  However, not having enough healthy fats can harm the oil barrier of your skin, which protects from fluid loss and infection. Too little fat can result in Eczema, Dermatitis (inflammation of skin) and Acne. What you can do: Make sure you eat a well balanced diet that incorporates healthy fats, lean proteins and complex carbohydrates.

As we get older, our lifestyle choices become even more important…especially when it comes to the aging process and looking and feeling our best.  Have you witnessed anything like the twin phenomenon?  Have you made a lifestyle change that has helped you to ‘reverse’ or slow the signs of aging?

Study cited: Factors Contributing to the Facial Aging of Identical Twins

At heart, I consider myself a naturalist.  For instance, when I choose foods to eat, I tend to opt for those that are minimally processed and have no additives, artificial preservatives, artificial ingredients and chemicals.  And when possible, I will buy organic.  This also holds true for personal care products, such as make-up and skin care.  In the last year or so, I’ve made a significant effort to avoid buying products that have fillers, preservatives and parabens.  Unlike food products, however, there really aren’t any industry standards around labeling products as organic or all-natural in the personal care market.  So, for the most part, you have to do your research.

In my quest for keeping personal care products as natural as possible, I’ve discovered certain brands and product companies that I like and as a result, stick with.  A few include: Cosmedix, Burt’s Bees and Kiss My Face.  Cosmedix is great for skin care, Burt’s Bees is great for moisturizing my hands and body and Kiss My Face has been the shower products ‘go to brand’ for the last few months.

In researching products, I read the list of ingredients and if I find anything that I don’t know, are animal based, are artificial scents or colors, or are parabens, I take a pass.  Parabens, in particular, I avoid, as they tend to be very drying and irritating to my skin.  When I first found Kiss My Face, I was attracted to their slogan ‘Obsessively Organic’.  I bought their shampoo and conditioner products and was pleased to see that their products contain ‘no sls or parabens,’ as stated on the bottles. They also smell great and don’t over-dry my hair.  A couple of months later, I discovered that Kiss My Face also made Body Wash.  Without thinking twice, I grabbed a bottle and was glad to have found another product by a company I trusted.

Yesterday, however, as I was loading up my loofah with the Body Wash, I noticed the slogan didn’t say ‘Obsessively Organic’, but rather ‘Obsessively Natural’.  My interest piqued, I looked at the ingredient list and to my dismay, noticed, as big as life, ‘Methylparaben and Propylparaben’ listed.  Not more than two inches below this, was the following statement ‘This product contains no animal ingredients, no PARABENS or artificial colors and was not tested on animals.’  Huh?  Ummm…not sure I quite understand this one: As clear as day, they list two parabens in the list of ingredients and then outright contradict themselves by saying the product doesn’t contain parabens!  Wow. Call me crazy, but that sounds like really bad editing.

I’m not a chemical or bio-chemical engineer, but this sounds pretty misleading to me.  Yes, methylparaben can be found naturally in blueberries and propylparaben can be found naturally in plants and insects, but when they are used in products, more often than not, they are synthetically derived.  Regardless, the label blatantly states the product doesn’t contain ‘parabens,’ yet, it does – regardless of where they came from.

So what is my point?  Read your labels. Product companies are very quick to make claims that don’t really hold true.  Be careful and read the fine print.

Have you had any disappointing label discoveries?

• Program your thermals stat!
  Take a big bite out of your energy bill and pollutants by installing a programmable thermostat. You can set it to use less A/C or heat while you’re sleeping or at work. Once it’s installed, it will save about 1,800 lbs of air-polluting CO2 per year AND up to $150 per year on your energy bill. Plus, it’s lazy-proof, so you have no excuses!
• Express or excess?
  Rachel Ray have you jazzed about Express Lane Meals? Express Lane no more! Make fewer overall trips by filling your cart and fridge in one fell swoop, you’ll save on energy, gas and actually, time. If just 10,000 of us cut their number of grocery shopping trips in half, in a year we’ll save enough gas to drive a car roundtrip from San Fran to Bozeman 1,365 times! Oh, and remember to BYOB (bring your own bag!).
• Soak your stains.
  Nix your habit of running the washer for just one stained shirt. Give your spills a sponge bath with a pre-soak of natural stain remover. It’s a double dip – you’ll save the average 40 gallons of water a typical washer eats up and save yourself the exposure to toxins in traditional stain removers. If 10,000 people ran a mini-washer instead of a top-loader to get out a stain on a single article of clothing, the collective water they’d save could run the top-loader 9,000 times.
• Get frugal with your flushes.
  Toilets guzzle more water than anything in your home, and it’s not just because you’re full of it. Americans flush 4.8 billion gallons every day partly due to older toilets using excess H20. You can conserve up to 6 gallon every time you flush by replacing your john with a low-flow version. Love your john? Fill a empty milk carton with rocks and put it in your tank to save about a gallon per flush.
• Bag the bagging of lawn leftovers.
  Stop cleaning up after your lawn maintenance efforts and start rejoicing about your homemade fertilizer. Leave your lawn clippings right where they fall – they’ll release nitrogen into your lawn so you can use about 25 percent less fertilizer. Less fertilizer means less nitrogen runoff into our waterways. Less bagged clippings means less yard waste in our landfills and more time for you to enjoy a mid-summer cocktail or two.
• Ditch your dish drying.
  Give your dishwasher something to steam about by ditching the drying cycle. Just by flipping this last cycle off you can save 15 percent to 50 percent of your dishwasher’s energy usage AND about $25 a year on your energy bill. Your dishes will still dry, and if you stick your face above the warm dishes, you’ll get a free mini-facial, too!
• Zap! Your phantom energy loads.
  Take one extra step and unplug appliances and electronics when you’re not using them – you’ll avert ‘phantom’ electricity loads caused by the energy used when these items are off, but plugged in (creepy). On average, 40 percent of the energy used in homes are used to power phantom loads of turned-off home appliances. If that’s not enough to convince you, listen to this: if all phantom loads in the US were stopped, we could shut down 17 power plants!
• It’s curtains for your shower curtain.
  Shower curtain mildew making you mental? Change up your shower routine to include some QT with a hemp or organic cotton version with a nylon liner, instead of the same-old PVC type. Beyond doing some good for your bod (PVC curtains offgas plasticizers), you’ll love the easy clean up of throwing these newbies in the wash. Plus, they’ll last forever. Really.
• Fancy your fancy napkins.
  Forget the notion that cloth napkins are for fancy occasions. By using cloth napkins everyday not only will you save a few trees, you’re friends will be impressed with your class and elegance (well, maybe just for a second or two). Heads up: if we all used just one less paper napkin per day, in a year we’d conserve the annual paper usage of 58 Americans.
• Painting: Spruce or noose?
  Feeling a little woozy while you work on your home improvements? It’s because many paints release volatile organic compounds (VOCs) even after they are dry and contain other not-so-healthy harsh ingredients. Go for an eco-wall covering next time you spruce – one made with renewables or at least low-VOCs. Decorate this: If 10,000 people went natural next time they painted their bedroom, we’d keep 32,500 gallons of nasty chems out of circulation.

But the road from old to green can be paved with hazards, demanding great care and often the intervention of professionals who can help keep renovations on track, avoiding hazards associated with the presence of toxic materials such as asbestos. Asbestos, a naturally-mined substance once known for its durability and heat- and fire-resistance, was used extensively in homes, factories, offices, and schools throughout much of the twentieth century until the government issued severe restrictions on its use in 1977. Inside homes built prior to that time, asbestos can be found in attic insulation, wrapped around pipes or electrical wires, or may be present in drywall, floor tiles, or popcorn-type ceilings. Outside, roof shingles and siding may contain asbestos.

If you’re doing a green renovation on your own and your home was built prior to 1980, it’s best to have an inspector go through your house and check for asbestos before beginning any demolition or dismantling. The smallest trace of asbestos that becomes airborne when the mineral is damaged or cut can be easily inhaled by the do-it-yourselfer or anyone else inside the home. Asbestos inhalation can eventually cause a number of serious and fatal diseases including asbestosis and the cancer known as mesothelioma. A professional building inspector knows where to search for the hazardous mineral and can help avoid a disaster before it happens. If asbestos is found, it should either be encapsulated or removed, depending on the specifics of the renovation.

If you find you have asbestos insulation that needs to come out, it can be replaced with a number of more suitable products that have proven to be quite environmentally-friendly. Some green construction companies lean towards cotton fiber insulation, which is made from recycled materials such as denim. This insulation is completely non-toxic and carries no warning labels of any sort. Others prefer spray polyurethane foam, but be sure to pick the type that doesn’t contain any PBDEs (polybrominated dephenyl ethers), which are particularly toxic to the developing brains of animals and may cause nervous system disorders in humans. Another option is cellulose – finely shredded newsprint – made up of 85 percent recycled content. All these choices have been shown to be extremely energy efficient.

In addition to the alternatives listed above, there are a number of other products that make excellent substitutes for asbestos. Wheat flour, cotton and rayon are often used as fillers in lieu of asbestos, and PTFE coated fiberglass tape, which is heat-resistant and contains no dangerous chemicals, is a safe alternative to asbestos-containing construction tape that may be found in older structures and will need to be replaced. The possible asbestos alternatives are vast, and many are available at your local hardware store.

The Culprits

Mold, household products, pets, dust mites and nitrogen dioxide (used in gas stoves) are common household asthma triggers than can be easily addressed. Other triggers, such as cockroaches, tobacco smoke, radon, carbon monoxide, asbestos, formaldehyde and lead, are also indoor-air pollutants that worsen asthma symptoms. Here is how you can help reduce their effects:

• Mold: Open windows after bathing or install an exhaust fan, make sure fabrics dry completely before use, fix leaking pipes.
• Chemicals: Use cleaning products, paints, and solvents as directed and be sure there is
  ample ventilation.
• Pets: Keep pets outside if possible or do not allow them on furniture of other fabrics that can collect hair and dander.
• Tobacco Smoke: Do not smoke indoors or near entryways or open windows
• Dust Mites: Clean bedding and other fabrics once a week making sure they dry completely; use plastic coverings over mattresses, hard surfaces, such as tile and stone. Dust mites need something to feed on, according to WebMD.com, and hard surfaces don’t offer that.
• Nitrogen Dioxide: Comes from appliances that burn fuels so make sure there is ample ventilation when using such appliances. Also be sure to choose direct vent combustion appliances, where both the combustion air and exhaust are vented to the outside.
• Cockroaches: Keep all food in sealed containers, make sure crumbs are cleaned up and dishes washed, cover trash cans.
• Radon , carbon monoxide , asbestos , formaldehyde and lead: Avoid these triggers altogether, install CO2 detectors in your home. Radon, asbestos, formaldehyde, and lead should be removed from your home.

Reducing indoor-air pollutants is an important step in improving the air-quality of our homes, especially for those living with asthma. A good air exchange system will also help ensure a fresh supply of air throughout the home. Since healthy materials and good indoor air quality are typically standard in green building, it is no wonder that green and energy efficient homes are considered healthier for asthma sufferers. To find out more, visit The National Center for Healthy Housing.

Don’t forget to consult your allergist. Doctor’s can help pinpoint specific allergies you might have, making it much easier to generate solutions to improve your breathing….

What kind of water is best for you?

Below is a list of the most popular water options available and explanations of how they benefit your health.

Ionized Water -What is it?

Water treated with electrolysis to remove acidic particles, such as sodium, calcium, iron, copper, chloride and bromide. The water has been purified from most impurities except organic compounds.

Benefits:

• Acts as a natural antioxidant
• Helps with the body’s natural oxygen production
• Stabilizes body’s acid/alkaline balance – balancing the body’s pH
• The molecular structure of ionized water is smaller, which allows for easier passage into the cells and tissues
• Used externally, ionized water is beneficial for healthy skin, hair and scalp

Distilled water – What is it?

Water that has been heated to a boiling point eliminating impurities from the water as it vaporizes. Through a distiller, the vapor water is then cooled to become pure liquid water while the impurities such as the metals, ions, minerals, and contaminants are disposed of.

Benefits:

• Helps to flush out impurities from the body
• Allows the proper ‘flushing’ of the blood through the kidneys, not having to have to deal with other impurities found in un-distilled water.
• No impurities, just pure H2O
• Acts as a solvent in the body by dissolving nutrients so they can be assimilated by the cell
• Collects ‘rejected’ minerals and flushes them out as waste

Filtered water – What is it?

Water that has been filtered through a carbon based filter to remove chemical agents such as chlorine.

Benefits:

• Ensures that only organic minerals are retained in the water
• Helps to remove synthetic compounds, which turn into vapor at relatively low temperatures leading to toxins in the body if not removed

Top 5 Acne Don’ts

1. Don’t overcleanse. Most people strip their skin by overcleansing their acned areas. When this happens, the body works harder and produces more sebum (oil), clogging pores and causing more acne.
2. Don’t touch your face. Touching your face, especially with dirty hands and fingers, could cause or further aggravate an acne problem. This also means don’t pick, squeeze, or rub acne. Doing so traumatizes the skin and slows the healing process, adding more breakouts. It could also lead to unwanted acne scars and blemishes. Don’t just be conscious of your hands. We’re on our phones all the time, and they can be dirty culprits against our skin. Be sure to clean your cell phone, work phones, and home phones often.
3. Don’t consume too many sugary foods or drinks. Stay away from cakes, cookies, chocolates (I am not saying chocolate causes acne, consuming refined sugars are not good for any type of skin) , candies, sodas, and anything that has refined sugar as a main ingredient. Sugar clogs pores, dries out skin, and ages skin. Also food allergies can contribute to acne (E.g., dairy products may aggravate acne), as can certain medications, in particular, iodine-containing foods and steroid inhalers.
4. Don’t use comedogenic products. Skin with acne is already battling an overproduction of oil (sebum), so don’t exacerbate the problem by using certain oil-based products. Watch out for typically oily products such as moisturizers, facial creams, and hair gels. Hair often gets in the face, and hair products definitely affect the skin on the face. However, skin with acne can be stripped leading to dry, oily skin especially in adults. If you have this problem, try to rebalance the epidermis with products like Talulah Oma Face Serum No.1. It is an antiacne base of good oils like olive, grapeseed and rosehip, all which help to rebalance the skin’s oil production.
5. Don’t dry out acne in the sun. Excessive sun exposure can aggravate acne. UV rays destroy cells and chronic exposure can cause your pores to enlarge because it causes the sebaceous glands, oil-producing glands in your skin, to increase in size.

Acne Dos: Your Fighting Strategy

1. Increase your intake of fruits and vegetables. Many natural foods are loaded with vitamins and minerals, some of the best acne fighters around. For example: green, leafy vegetables and orange or yellow-colored fruits are rich in vitamin A. Vitamin A prevents overproduction of sebum. Oranges, strawberries, broccoli, and lemon juice are some vitamin C rich foods that are also great acne treatments. Eating these types of foods fortifies the body’s defense system against acne-causing microbes and aids in faster healing of acne. Furthermore, vitamin C helps your body restore its sources of vitamin E, which is essential in revitalizing the skin and repairing damaged skin. Also lowering your glycemic intake may help fight acne.
2. H2O – drink lots of water. Make sure you get the recommended eight glasses of water a day. Drinking lots of water not only replenishes the body’s water supply but also flushes out toxins from the body that may cause acne.
3. Relax. Stress, worry, and pressure can disrupt your body’s natural balance and lead to health problems such as acne. Avoid acne and skin problems by relaxing. Getting a massage, going to the spa, taking a long bath, getting enough sleep, or simply managing your time and schedule better, all are considered acne treatments because they reduce acne-inducing stress.
4. Clean your gut. Detoxing can improve acne tremendously. Be sure to us a probiotic whenever you undertake any type of physical detoxification program.
5. Azelaic acid. This has been shown to be a natural acne treatment comparable to benzoil peroxide and other acne products. Azelaic acid (not for gluten intolerant) is derived from wheat, barley, and rye. Its antimicrobial action slows the growth of skin bacteria and appears to reduce skin redness, papules, and pustules. In addition, tea tree oil is a great bacterial fighter, comparable to a 5-percent benzoyl peroxide. Oils such as neem and neroli also are beneficial for oily skin.
6. Spot Control. Use products, such as MIEssence Purifying Blemish Gel by Miorganics or Burt’s Bees blemish stick to help with inflamed bumps.
7. Proper cleansing. Clean your face at least twice a day but not more than three times to avoid overcleansing. You may also want to incorporate exfoliating here- but don’t overdo it, one to two times a week is enough.

Recently, we have seen a lot of articles and posts on different types of sweeteners, but it can all get a little overwhelming…or at the very least, confusing.  I personally believe that the more natural (meaning less processed) the sweetener is, the better it is. The term ’processed’ tends to create some controversy.  So let me explain: Some people believe that if the food isn’t found in nature, and isn’t untouched or derived by humans, it is processed.  Others believe if the product has been slightly cooked, it isn’t completely raw and as a result, it is processed.  Others believe that a small amount of processing to create the food is ‘okay.’  Personally, I believe the less processed the food is, the better, but I am also realistic that a lot of the foods we eat, to some degree, have been processed (E.g., frozen berries are picked, flash frozen and then packaged, ultimately, being lightly processed).

When it comes to sweeteners, I prefer to stay clear of anything that is chemically derived in a lab (E.g., aspartame, splenda, saccharin, etc.) . I avoid using table sugar when possible and avoid any foods containing high fructose corn syrup.  I get most of my ’sugar’ from whole fruit and milk products.  Although I indulge in organic dark chocolate to curb my sweet tooth cravings, I tend not to have a lot of sugar in my diet.  That said, we are human, and sweet foods do make up part of our life.  As a result, I’ve put together a brief list of some natural sweeteners to consider as substitutes for plain old sugar.

Have you used any of the above?  Can you add any other natural sweeteners to the list?

Related Topics:

• Dark Chocolate and its Benefits
• Stevia and its Benefits
• Your Solution Guide to Foods with HFCS
• 5 Ingredients to Avoid
• Reading Nutrition Labels

Let’s face it, smoking is a controversial topic.  If you smoke, you probably feel that it is your personal right to smoke and that you should be able to do so anywhere you want to.  On the other hand, if you don’t smoke, you probably feel that those who smoke around you invade your personal ‘healthy’ space; and that your health is being jeopardized due to other people’s personal choices. 

I tend to have an extreme sensitivity to smoke.  So much so, that when I’m driving on the highway, I can tell if someone is smoking in a car 100 feet in front of me.  I kid you not.  I am that sensitive.  I’m not sure this level of sensitivity is typical, but I do know that many of my friends and family are also very sensitive to smoke and don’t really like to be around it.  Granted, we have come a long way in regards to no-smoking laws, but from a non-smoker’s perspective, I think we could go a lot further. 

Obviously, there are smokers who are very sensitive and try to minimize their impact on others, but unfortunately, many smokers aren’t.  My friend Amy D. and I were chatting about this and we agreed that there are certain places where smoking seems contradictory to the perceived experience, and as a result, we wish no-smoking laws would be passed for these places.  At the risk of offending some very nice smokers (it isn’t you, it is the smoke), here is our list:

1. The Beach:
   • Perceived Experience: You will get a healthy dose of the smell of salty, sea air as the warm breeze relaxes you and your toes play in the sand.
   • Reality: When people smoke at the beach, the beautiful ocean breeze wafts smoke instead.  Further, many people (not all people, but many) discard their cigarette butts in the sand, creating a landfill of cigarette carcasses. 
2. Parks/Nature Preserves:
   • Perceived Experience: You leave the city to get away from the smog and pollution.  You look forward to the beautiful fresh, clean air of the mountains and running streams.
   • Reality: Your hike through the wilderness is taken over by smoke instead of the smell of pine trees.   Not only do you need more oxygen because of your hike and altitude, but now you need oxygen because of the smoke.
3. Outdoor Cafes:
   • Perceived Experience: It is a beautiful day and instead of eating all cooped up inside, you dine al fresco, hoping to enjoy the warmth of the sun and a light, natural, non-air conditioned breeze.
   • Reality: Many restaurants don’t let people smoke inside, but yet, they haven’t extended that law to their outside facilities.  As a result, you end up preoccupied with the quality of your air than the quality of your food. 
4. Marathons / Triathlons / Ironmans / Bike Races:
   • Perceived Experience: World class athletes are pushing themselves to the max.  Oxygen is their life and their fuel.
   • Reality: While at the Boston Marathon, I was blown away by the number of people who were smoking at the finish line.  The poor athletes just had completed a 26 mile course, only to be greeted by clouds of smoke.  So much for a cool down with quality oxygen intake.
5. Skiing/Snowboarding:
   • Perceived Experience: Much like the ‘Parks/Nature Preserves’, you escape to the mountains for some one-on-one with nature, snow and skiing.  You look forward to the majestic views of the slopes from your favorite chair lift.
   • Reality: The people in front of you on the chair lift are taking their 10 minute smoke break.  You feel like you are in a tobacco plant as the breeze gently carries the smoke down the mountain back at you. 
6. Zoos/Amusement Parks:
   • Perceived Experience: You look forward to seeing your children’s faces light up while watching the lions, tigers and bears. Oh, my!
   • Reality: You and your children feel like you are soon to be on the endangered species list as you vie for a smokeless viewing point. 
7. At Entrances of Bars and Public Buildings:
   • Perceived Experience: Yes, you found a popular bar to go to for your Friday night outing.  That is okay, though, you’ll be on line with your friends.
   • Reality: Since your local city doesn’t allow smoking inside the bar, all of the smokers crowd outside of the front door to inhale their favorite ciggy.  The wait with your friends isn’t so pleasant after all.

Are there any places that you wish would outlaw smoking?

Related Topics:

• Breathing and its Benefits
• Top 10: Bad Gym Etiquette
• Thank God I wasn’t THAT Person!
• Should the Government Ban McDonald’s?

With more and more people heading outdoors there is an increasing number of eco-friendly outdoor products, such as outdoor furniture made from renewable materials. Further, you might see a break in utility bills if you spend more time cooling off outdoors instead of blasting energy-eating air conditioning indoors. And since outdoor spaces often feature an elaborate spread of vegetation, implementing xeriscaping or planting drought-tolerant plants will relieve your sprinklers from working overtime.

A Greener Outdoor Experience

Eco-friendly furniture is pretty easy to come across, but it is hard to know what to look for. Typically, furniture made of rapidly renewable or low maintenance materials, such as teak, eucalyptus, or bamboo is a good choice. Furniture that does not require varnishes or other harmful chemicals to protect its surface is also a plus. Check out some of TreeHugger’s favorite finds here.

If you plan on carrying the party into the night, solar powered lights are a great low energy feature. Powered by the sun, energy is stored in rechargeable batteries and used by LED bulbs when needed. Lastly, but most importantly, is the grill. Propane is said to be the cleanest choice, but it still is a fossil fuel. ‘Real’ charcoal is best because it is carbon neutral, but it is often shipped overseas. TreeHugger suggests locally made charcoal as the greenest choice.

Giving Your Home a Break

Spending time outside is not only enjoyable for you and your family, but taking more activities outdoors may reduce your energy needs inside. Central air conditioning alone accounted for half of American’s electricity usage in 2001 (see chart). Cooling off outside can help reduce this staggering percentage.

Furthermore, incorporating an outdoor living space into your new home may eliminate the need for larger spaces inside. Entertaining, eating, cooking and space for children to play can head to the backyard rather than requiring several spaces indoors. And with all of this new found space outside, you may actually be less inclined to watch t.v. or work on the computer indoors.

Outdoor Decor

So now that you are heading outside more, you may expect it to look as nice as it does inside. Fancy combinations of exotic plants and shrubs may look nice, but a lot of water is usually needed to keep them healthy.

Xeriscaping is a term that comes comes from the greek word ‘xeros,’ meaning zero. Essentially a xeriscape is a landscape which does not require additional irrigation (hoses and sprinklers). Arrays of plants that work for your particular climate are used and vegetation is planted to avoid evaporation and run-off to avoid water loss. Remember, xeriscaping doesn’t mean zero beauty; the right combination of vegetation can actually be quite striking.

Turning our backyards into an additional space to live, work and play can increase the efficiency of our homes and reduce the need for extra living space indoors. With the rising popularity of outdoor living, there are so many ways to make your space green. Solar powered lights, renewable materials, and green grilling can turn your outdoor experience into a green one too.

One of my biggest pet peeves within the advertising and marketing arena is false advertising…or for that matter, misleading the consumer.  It happens all of the time and most of the time, I can let it go.  That said, I’ve been fighting the urge to write about this specific topic for some time, but it can’t be fought any longer. 

For those of you who have been reading my blog, you probably have picked up on my not-so-subtle feelings about elective cosmetic surgery and procedures to enhance one’s appearance.  Allergan, the company that produces Botox, has been using the slogan ‘It’s all about freedom of expression’ in their most recent advertising campaign for Botox.  Botox is a cosmetic drug made of a protein derived from botulism toxin - a form of food poisoning that occurs when someone ingests something containing a neurotoxin.*  Botox is injected into the face to paralyze or weaken the muscles in order to minimize or smooth out lines and wrinkles.  Did you catch that?  Paralyze the muscles.

Here is my beef: Freedom of expression, in its truest sense, is the ability to express freely.  So how is paralyzing parts of your face ‘freedom of expression’?  Isn’t it more like ‘anti-expression’?  Isn’t it basically, an undemocratic, dictatorship of your face?  Sure, you may think you are expressing yourself, but in reality, your muscles just aren’t moving.  Nope.  They sit there, not moving, so as to not create any unsightly, horrific facial lines.  Please.  Let’s call a spade a spade. 

My new slogan for Botox: ‘It’s all about freezing your face so that you don’t look unsightly and old.’  Thoughts anyone?

Related Topics:

• ‘Less Invasive’ Invasive Cosmetic Procedures
• Quality Skin Care…Aren’t you worth it?
• My Cosmetically Enhanced Mommy
• Should Olympic Sponsors be Selected?
• Graduation Gift: New Car or Boob Job?
• Facelifts at the Ballet?
• Exercise in a Pill…Another way to keep America Lazy? 

*Neurotoxins are ‘nerve poison’ (think snake venom), which if consumed or injected, can cause rapid-setting paralysis, resulting in loss of muscle control, loss of mental abilities, loss of feeling and sometimes loss of consciousness. 

Skin in your 20’s: Your skin tends to be more stable than in your teens, usually oiliness and spots will disappear. You really do not see any visible facial lines yet, but if you look closely you will notice your expression marks will start forming. Some men and women will still see some acne depending on hormonal changes and cravings.

Solution: Make sure your diet is full of antioxidants like lutein, gogi berry, mangosteen, tomatoes and blueberries to support sun protection and skin elasticity. Drink lots of water and avoid smoking.

Skin in your 30’s: This is definitely a decade where you will begin seeing any overexposure to smoke, alcohol, pollution and UV light on your skin, that occurred in your teens and 20’s. You will begin to notice visible fine lines around the eyes and mouth and your cellular repair process begins to slow, which leads to weakened collagen. Skin may look duller and darker and may take longer to recover from late nights or stress.

Solution: Spend a little more time on learning what is good for your body. Choose the types of foods that enhance your metabolism, energy and provide beautifying properties from within. Supplementing with antioxidants like pomegranate, grape seed, green tea and alpha lipoic acid, which provide protection from free radical damage (the rusting effect of our cells). Increase your diet with vitamin A, E and C to boost your immune and diet for healthy looking skin and body. Try Sequence XO’s Fusion antioxidant supplement to help protect your skin.

Skin in your 40’s: Wrinkles and spider veins will become more apparent during this stage of our lives if we did not protect our skin in earlier decades. Discoloration, uneven skin texture, dryness and dullness are more apparent.

Solution: Avoid yo-yo dieting, this will only add to dullness of your skin and create havoc on your hormones. Instead try portion control and don’t forget the most important meal of the day – breakfast. Women who eat breakfast tend to be 10 pounds lighter than woman who skip it all together. Try drinking your breakfast with yogurt, protein blended with a low-carb antioxidant beauty mix, like Sequence XO’s Radiance beverage powder.

Skin in your 50’s and 60’s: Pigmentation and sagging skin are usually the biggest problems in this stage of our lives. Unless you have exercised regularly, you will see the effects in loss of tone and muscle. Also cellular regeneration and circulation will slow causing flaky patches, dullness, goose pimples and fragile skin spots.

Solution: Diet and exercise is very important to keep skin and muscles healthy. Increasing your protein and essential fatty acids like omega 3’s are crucial in keeping bones and joints healthy. Adding supplements with antioxidants, essential fatty acids, phyto-nutrients, protein and minerals are very important to the health of your collagen (muscles, connective tissue, joints, skin, hair and nails). Try Sequence XO’s Radiance to boost protein and phyto-nutrients in your diet.

Foot Therapy
Have you had a pedicure lately? This is a luxury that women (and men too!) deserve, and you can get one at a local cosmetology school for half the price. Students are supervised by an instructor and are just about finished with their nail program, so you can relax while your feet are being pampered. If your budget is tighter or you don’t like other people touching your feet, have no fear. With a basin near, paradise is on the way!

What you Need

• A small basin
• Essential Oil
• Baking Soda
• A Foot File (try Microplane or the Ped egg)
• Cuticle Pusher
• Toe-nail Clipper
• Toe-nail File
• Ingredients listed in the Sugar Scrub and Cooling Recipes

Fill up a basin with warm water. Put a few drops of essential oil in with two tablespoons of baking soda. Using a foot file on your dry foot, file away dead skin to reveal baby-soft skin. After you file, scrub your feet with this homemade recipe below.

Brown Sugar Foot Scrub

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons ground oatmeal
• 2 tablespoons aloe vera gel
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon almond oil (In case you don’t have almond oil, use olive oil; it is a great substitute.)
  

Preparation: Before you start preparing this scrub, grind the oatmeal using a coffee grinder or food processor. It has to be of sandy consistency, flaky, and light – otherwise it will scratch the skin. Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl until it resembles a paste.

Application: Apply the paste onto your feet. Using a circular motion, massage the paste onto your feet gently. Rinse off with warm water.

Massage: Now place your feet in the warm water of the basin and soak your soles for ten minutes. Do not soak too long, as it can make feet drier. Once they have soaked, remove your feet and pat them dry. Using a cuticle pusher, press back the skin around your toenails. Clip and file toenails squarely, in line with the ends of the toes, so that growth does not head into the surrounding soft tissue.

Rub your feet with orange oil. Orange oil helps to release toxins in congested skin and helps cell regeneration. If you don’t have orange oil, rub a foot cream (I recommend Dessert Essence Organics Pistachio foot cream) on your feet. Now that your feet are lubricated, start to massage the small joints in the toes with your index finger and thumb. Continue for one to two minutes per toe. Work toward the pad of your foot with your thumb in a caterpillar motion (thumb walking) and massage for a couple of minutes. You can also try some foot massage balls from Purezeal and give your hand a rest!

Polish (For Ladies): With a wet Q-tip, dab around your toenails to take off any excess cream. This will prepare the nail for polish. A great polish that doesn’t contain formaldehyde, toluene, or dibutyl phthalate is by Anise Cosmetics or Honeybees nail polish found at Be Well Stay Well.To refresh and wake feet up, try the following recipe:

Cooling Foot & Body Powder Recipe

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup powdered arrowroot
• 1/2 cup oatmeal flour
• 1/2 cup rice flour
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon powdered ginger
• 10 drops tea tree essential oil
• 10 drops lavender essential oil

Combine powders and mix well. Add oils to absorbent cotton pad. Place pad with oil in container with powder. Shake or stir well and allow to sit 24 hours. Shake or stir again and allow to sit another 24 hours. Shake or stir powder one more time and remove pad and discard. Place powder into a container to keep. It is now ready to use. Makes just over 2 cups powder. Apply whenever feet need to be cooled or soothed.

No Sweat! So now that your feet feel and look great with fabulous sandals on, you need to be prepared for sweaty soles. Summer soles are insoles used to absorb sweat. All you need to do is peel and stick the product onto your shoe, and best of all, no residue is left behind.

Mix: Our feet endure stress, pressure, and pain from tight shoes, let alone the everyday walking or standing in one place for a long period of time. We must remember to give our soles a break by changing up shoes after wearing them for several hours, keep our feet hydrated, seek out a podiatrist for check ups, and try to have a pedicure once a month.

While these magazines are a great source of inspiration and ideas for our homes, it is hard not to feel somewhat depressed after we close the magazine. We walk around our houses envisioning the ‘only if’ in every room. We look at our homes as ‘projects’ rather than looking at the warmth and personality that we have created. Most of us create project lists for our homes that are several items long. Added to that is the wish list of items that we need or want to purchase to make the rooms in our imagination a reality. Lack of time and available funds in our busy lives gives us enough stress without the burden of trying to create the ‘�perfect home’ on a budget.

Get Some Perspective
The reality is that life does not exist in an airbrushed setting. Life requires paperwork, use of technology, maintenance of pets, raising children, folding laundry and probably working all week. Magazines and catalogs try to sell us on achieving perfection in our homes even with these everyday demands. We are visually sold that everything should be brand new, perfectly coordinated, and totally organized. Somehow, all paperwork and shoes should be non-existent in the perfect home…Imagine that!

It is easy to see ‘the perfect home’ as a necessity when the media flashes pictures at us from every direction. Media in all forms seem to put pressure on people to have more and have it look perfect. Suddenly we all need big mudrooms, outdoor rooms (with dining, kitchen, living areas and fireplaces!), master bedrooms that have their own sitting areas, and media rooms to watch movies and sports! Notice how the flat screen T.V. quickly became a necessity in today’s homes snowballing into the need to reorganize, rearrange and rewire. Even one small change affects our rooms, our time, and our budgets. There is no doubt that these rooms and amenities can be beautiful and useful. It is just important to keep perspective on what our needs and priorities really are. The more we want, the more we change, the more projects we make for ourselves (more time, more money spent, less time to enjoy life).

Designing for How you Live
Perhaps we should consider another approach to designing our homes that doesn’t come with a brand name, a coordinated set, or out of a catalog. Before embarking on any household project, we need to take inventory of our lives and consider how we would like to spend our time. If we spend three months out of the year outdoors, do we really need an outdoor living space as opposed to a picnic table and a few chairs? If we barely have time to watch television, does it warrant the large screen T.V, pool table and bar? Looking at our home as a space in which we can really live our daily lives and feel comfortable should be the most important factor in creating an inspirational interior for our families and ourselves. Do meaningful pictures, artifacts and furniture surround you in your home? It is important to take the pressure off ourselves when it comes to our interiors and what we ‘need’ to have.

Making Your Home Perfect for You
Simplifying our needs for our homes means less stress, more time available for fun and family, and more money for recreation or savings. Luckily, for us, today’s trends in design are working in our favor. It is totally within design limits to decorate with what we have! Many of us are working with our parents’ coffee table from the 1960’s and our great-grandmother’s old tufted sofa. Mixing and blending styles and time periods have become totally favored. As fashion styles and hairstyles have become so much more forgiving over the past decade, home trends have followed suit. Pieces in our homes that have meaning, are heirlooms, or are simply odd pieces that we love, say so much and coordinate better than predictable setups that you can buy in a catalog. If our rooms radiate our personality, we will be happier in them.

A perfect home should be where you feel comfortable. Home is a place you can be yourself, hear people laugh, and surround yourself with memories and warmth. When catalogs and magazines arrive in the mail, look through them with a healthy perspective or toss them in the recycle bin, you choose. Letting go of the need for a picture perfect purchased lifestyle can give you the freedom to enjoy what you have without feeling constantly frustrated by what you don’t have. Expect a few papers on the kitchen counter, expect a junk drawer, and above all, expect to live in your home. This summer, spend less time acquiring and more time living. Even if you build the perfect mudroom, there is no guarantee that everything will end up in the right place anyway. A perfect mudroom may not bring you happiness. However, a sense of humor about the pile of shoes by the back door will go a long way.

by Brett Blumenthal

When we moved into our condo three years ago, my husband and I knew that the crappy beige carpet that came with the condo had to go.  It was obviously one of the cheapest carpets that the management company could find and install.  At first, we looked into putting down bamboo flooring: it was a sustainable and eco-friendly material, and it would give the condo a very upscale finished look.  After getting a few estimates, we quickly realized we would need to find another option. 

Both my husband and I were interested in a product that would promote a ’healthy home’.  What does this mean?  That whatever we put down on our floor didn’t emit toxins into the air, that the material was renewable or sustainable and that the company that manufactured the product was dedicated to sustainable practices.  As a result, we turned to Interface Flor Tiles: a modular tile carpet system.  After the job was completed, we were amazed at the difference the floor tile made.  It looked a million times better and cost next to nothing.  Here are a few reasons to think about the product next time you have a re-flooring project:

1. Modularity Makes it Easy: At 18 inches x 18 inches, FLOR allows for great flexibility and variety in use. You can use it as an area rug or wall-to-wall carpet. 
2. Martha and Disney Approve: Carpet tile might conjur up images of a boring office, but FLOR has great patterns, textures and colors.  Moreover, Martha Stewart and Disney have partnered with FLOR to create some great looks and designs.
3. Cheap and Easy to Install: Installation requires FLOR’s Easy Dots™, one-sided adhesives that, when placed underneath adjacent carpet tiles, fasten the tiles to each other instead of to the floor. There is NO glue and NO padding! The dots hold everything from area rugs to wall-to-wall carpets in place. An area rug takes about an hour to install, while wall-to-wall takes an afternoon.  
4. Your Style…Your Way: Because it comes in tiles, FLOR allows you to mix and match and create your own look. Also, since they are tiles and the installation doesn’t require glue, your designs aren’t permanent, making it easy to change the design if you don’t like your first attempt.
5. Goodbye Carpet Stains: If Fido has a bladder issue, FLOR tiles are a great solution.  Because the tiles can be pulled up individually, all you have to do is pull up the tile that is stained and either clean it or if the stain is really bad, replace it.  The whole carpet does not get ruined. 
6. Safe for your Home and Family: All FLOR have the lowest VOC (new carpet smell) in the industry.  This keeps your home free from chemicals and chemical smells.
7. Eco-Friendly: The carpet tiles are made out of nylon or natural fibers like hemp or wool.  The backings of the tiles are a composite, made up of some recycled materials.

So next time you think you might want to re-do your floors…think about some sustainable options that will be healthy both for the environment and for you!

Related Topics:

• Feng Shui
• Feng Shui Elements
• Green Living
• Having a Healthy Perspective about your Home

The other day, a group of friends and I were chowing down at our favorite Mexican restaurant, Ole in Cambridge, Massachusetts.  They make Guacamole – to die for – fresh at your table.  One of my friends who felt she porked out on too much of it claimed, “Well, at least it is the good kind of fat!”  Yes, avocados have ‘good fat’.  But does that mean that eating a couple of avocados worth in one sitting is actually good for you?  No, not so much.

Our guacamole fest made me realize that often we eat foods that are determined to have ‘health benefits’ past moderation, in turn, making them ‘not so healthy.’  Take dark chocolate for instance.  It has become pretty well know that dark chocolate contains antioxidants which are great for warding off ‘free-radicals’.  I imagine that for a lot of people, the logic then goes something like this: “Great!  So this must mean I should eat dark chocolate often and in large quantities to ensure that I stay young and beautiful.”  In reality, if we all did this, we would have even a larger obesity epidemic on our hands than we already do.  The truth is that we should indulge in these foods, but still maintain ‘in moderation’ as our standard for portions and frequency.

Look, a fat is a fat.  It doesn’t matter if it is a ‘good fat’ or a ‘bad fat’, it is still a fat.  And, a healthy diet should only incorporate 20% – 30% of fat, whether good or bad.  Granted, when you are eating fats, eating those that are ‘good’ is by far more healthy than eating those that are ‘bad.’  You should avoid those that are ‘bad.’  But just because it is good doesn’t mean that you should look at them as a staple of your diet. 

What fats do you enjoy?  Any that you rationalize ‘it is good for you so I can eat a lot of it’?

Related Topics:

• Types of Fat
• The Benefits of Dark Chocolate
• Antioxidants 101 – What are they? Why should you care?
• What constitutes a healthy diet?
• Healthy Ratio of Fat, Protein and Carbohydrates
• How many Calories do I need?
• How much fat, protein and carbs should I eat?

As we approach Father’s Day think about the men in your life – whether it is your husband, father, grandfather, brother or uncle – this article is devoted to them.

In this article, we are going to cover men’s skin: what to use, how to use it and how often. I promise I will make this painless and will present this mostly with bullet points.

First Thing’s First

Addressing all men out there: What is your skin type? Are you oily, dry, sensitive and/or normal?

Here’s a quick way to find out:

• Wash your face with tepid water
• Wait one hour. Are you feeling dry or slick?
• Take a lens tissue or blotting tissue and press around aspx ) cleanses the skin without over drying.
• If the tissue comes back dry, then your skin does not produce that much oil and pores are small; if it comes back oily; your pores are bigger and produce more sebum (oil).
• If you have medium-sized pores with smooth skin tone, you would be considered normal skin type.
• You may have combination skin if your face is oily in the T-zone (forehead, nose, and chin) and dry or normal everywhere else.

High-Level Morning Routine

Below is a quick outline of different skin types and the appropriate skin care routine for each skin type:

• Most Skin Types: Cleanse, shave, tone, after shave, moisturize and add eye cream around your eyes. (If your in a hurry, skip the aftershave)
• Very oily skin: Cleanse, shave, tone and after shave
• Heavy beard: Cleanse, pre-shave, shave, tone, after shave, and moisturize with a beard cleanser or beard softener
• If you have Ingrown Hairs: Cleanse, scrub, pre-shave, shave, tone, spot treat, after shave and moisturize. Smooth 1.2 oz. by MyChelle will help irritation after shave

In Detail

Depending on your skin type, certain products are better for your skin than others. Here is a closer look at some good products for different skin types.

• Normal to Dry skin:
  • Cleanser: Aubrey-Organics Basic Cleansing Bar (Aubrey-Organics.com) has a low scent, made with 85% organic ingredients leaves the skin clean and refreshed without over drying. You can have it in the shower with you. There is a kit called Flower Therapy Skin Care Sampler, don’t let the name fool you, for a small price you can try it out and see how you like the line first. It has a cleanser, toner, lotion and cream.
  • Moisturizer: Aubrey-Organics Men’s Stock Daily moisturizer
• Oily skin:
  • Cleanser:
    • White Cranberry Cleanser by MyChelle (http://mychelleusa.com/index.aspx ) cleanses the skin without over drying.
    • Organic Eucalyptus Sea Foam Facial Cleanser by 100% Pure (100percentpure.com) smells invigorating
  • Moisturizer: Miessence Purifying Moisturizer (Miessence.com)
  • Blemish Control: Herbal Blemish stick by Burt’s bees (burtsbees.com) or try tea tree oil.

• Sensitive Skin:
  • Cleanser:
    • Unscented Cleansing Cream by CWS (allnaturalcosmetics.com)
    • John Master’s Organics (JohnMastersOrganics.com)
    • Linden Blossom Face Cream Cleanser is a great cleanser for sensitive skin yet very effective
  • Moisturizer: Vegecol with Aloe Moisturizing Cream by Aubrey-Organics
  • Dilated Capillary Treatment:
    • Capillary Calming Serum by MyChelle
    • A Homemade version: 1 tablespoon of Jojoba oil, 1 teaspoon of macadamia oil, 2 teaspoons of sunflower oil 5 drops each of German chamomile, calendula (CO2 extract), helichrysum and lavender. Mix together and let sit for 24 hours- shake before each use and apply morning and night (For ingredients check out MountainRoseHerbs.com)
  • Toner:
    • Fruit Enzyme Mist by MyChelle (Mychelleusa.com) for all skin types
    • 100% Pure Organic Lavender Hydrosol and Peppermint Green Tea Refresher packed with anti-aging ingredients (most skin types, eczema skin usually reacts with peppermint)
    • Homemade Recipe: Apple Cider Vinegar (dilute with water, not recommended for sensitive skin). Apply to a cotton ball and dab on your face.
  • Shave Cream Choices:
    • Avalon Organics Moisturizing Cream Shave (avalonorganics.com)
    • Organic Grooming Shave Cream by Herban Cowboy (vitasprings.com)
    • Gaia Made for Men Shave Gel (gaiaskinnaturals.com)
  • Aftershave:
    • Aubrey-Organics Men’s Stock in North Woods, Spice Island, City Rhythms
    • Smooth by MyChelle will help with irritation after shave and is light on the skin
    • ‘Natural Skincare for Men After Shave’ by Burt’s Bees.
    • Pre-shave product is usually made up of oil (castor oil, olive oil with essential oils) that softens coarse beard hair so that it is easier to cut. You may like ‘So Clean’ by MyChelle which can also double as a cleanser.
  • Sun Protection: Use a 25 SPF or higher block daily. Also wear a hat and sunglasses. Be sure to get checked out by a dermatologist yearly.
  • Eye Creams: Eye creams are formulated (highly concentrated) to be multi-taskers and address fine lines, wrinkles, dark circles, puffiness etc. When applying eye cream, use an amount that is between the size of a grain of rice and the size of a pea. Try Aubrey-Organics Men’s Stock Daily Rejuvenating Eye Cream, John Master’s Organics Firming Eye Gel or 100% Pure Coffee Bean Eye Cream.
  • Most skin types: Cleanse, tone and moisturize
  • Oily skin: Cleanse, tone and oily skin moisturizer
  • Masks: Use once to twice a week, depending on skin type:
    • Clay masks draw out impurities. Try French Green Clay & Green Tea Purifying Mask by John Master’s Organics
    • Oatmeal masks soothe skin
  • Exfoliate: Once a week, exfoliate dead skin. Some say two to three times, but that can irritate your skin.
    • Homemade Recipes: Use baking soda mixed with water or grind up 1/2 cup of oats with 1/2 cup powdered milk and 1 teaspoon of cornmeal (store mixture in airtight container). When using the mixture add enough water to make a paste and massage onto skin, then rinse.
  • Got Nicks? Try the Alum Block or the non-petroleum Jelly by Alba Botanicals.
  • Nose hair: trim em
  • Ear Hair: trim em
  • Neck Hair: shave em
  • Eyebrow Hair: trim em

Daily Products for All Skin Types

Evening Daily Routine

Occasional Routines

The following skin care regimens aren’t needed on a daily basis, but they are good occasionally for keeping skin looking its best.

All in One Systems

For an all in one system, try ‘Clenzology’ by Garden of Life (Gardenoflifeusa.com). It has a body cleanser that smells terrific, a facial solution (AM&PM) which cleanses the mucus membranes and nasal cavities, a tooth and gum solution, an ear solution to clean the ear canal and reduce build up of excess wax and a sea sponge. I got if for my husband and found myself using it too.

The Man In the Mirror

Before leaving the house, always do the ‘NeNe’ check. It is the no hair gets left behind rule:

Tip: When trimming eyebrows, cut in layers so the hairs won’t stick straight out. If brows are unruly, apply castor oil with a Q-tip to soften them (be careful of the eye area).

Now that you have done the mirror check you are ready for some cologne. Try an alternative that does not contain Phthalates or parabens like Pacifica. Pacifica a family owned company out of Oregon (Pacificaperfume.com) has a wonderful line of lotions, soaps, candles and cologne. Some of my favorites are the ‘Mediterranean Fig’ and ‘Spanish Amber’. I am not a big scent person myself but this smells nice for guys and is very affordable.

So you’re ready for that big date with that special woman now?? I think she will notice the difference and love it! You are special, and deserve to look and feel great too.

Reference: Organic Body Care Recipes by Stephanie Tourles

According to Ruth Winter author of A Consumer’s Dictionary of Cosmetic Ingredients, ‘The FDA cannot require companies to do safety testing of their cosmetic products before marketing. Neither cosmetic products nor cosmetic ingredients are reviewed or approved by the FDA before they are sold to you.’

The FDA does require that all cosmetics list their ingredients, however, when confronted with terms like Epilobium Angustifolium or Perfluorodimethylcyclohexane, how could the consumer know if it is a desirable or dangerous ingredient?

Consumers and journalists seeking straight answers from cosmetics marketers have called for a certifying organization that could allow the consumer to use a product with confidence without having to hire a PhD chemist to shop with them. The growing ‘Green Market’ has made it a priority to establish certifying guidelines and consumer advocacy groups for cosmetics. Fortunately, there is a recent precedent as the natural foods industry has been pioneering in the creation of increasingly standardized guidelines for ‘natural’ foods.

The problem and its solution are more complex than is immediately apparent. Many terms such as ‘natural’ and ‘organic’ have no official meaning and may be used differently by manufacturers. Currently, a number of entities have stepped forward with different certifications both in Europe and the United States in an attempt to standardize the definitions. Some of the new certifications include:

1. USDA, the United States Department of Agriculture (you may have seen their logo on your food) has created four levels of certification that employ the USDA logo in various forms or allowable phrases related to ‘Organic’:
   • ‘100 Percent Organic’ allows the USDA seal to be used on the front label with the claim of 100% organic.
   • ‘Organic’ requires 95% organic ingredients and allows the use of the USDA seal and the word organic.
   • ‘Made with Organic Ingredients’ requires 70% organic ingredients but you may not display the USDA logo.
   • ‘Some Organic Ingredients’ less than 70% organic
2. France’s Ecocert is another certifying body that is seeking to create standards for the terms Organic and Ecological. Their standards range from 100% organic to 10% organic based upon specific criteria.
3. England’s Soil Association, Germany’s BDIH and Italy’s AIAB have discussed the need for standards or have standard processes in the works.
4. OASIS Organics is a collaborative effort of cosmetic manufacturers that is offering a two level certification seal.
   • ‘Organic’ which requires 85% organic ingredients until 2010 when it will require 95% to carry their seal.
   • ‘Made with Organic’ requiring 70% organic ingredients and has criteria for the other 30%.

Some retailers such as Whole Foods are also seeking to develop standards to assure the consumer that their interests are being protected.

The consumer can expect to begin seeing an array of seals and certifications in the near future. If 100% Organic is the prime criteria of quality that the consumer is seeking, then the top certifications of these organizations should provide some peace of mind. The certifications with lower percentages will still require the consumer to read the label and perhaps do some research. A few minutes with a good Cosmetic Ingredient Dictionary and a cosmetic product label can be very enlightening. Many of the ingredients that have caused concerns for consumers are found at the end of the cosmetic label because the ingredients are listed in order of quantity, for the most part. For this reason they may still be found in the formulas of the certifications that use less than 100% organic ingredients. Preservatives, colorings and fragrance tend to be found in low percentages in cosmetic formulas but these are often concentrated substances that have powerful effects and are the source of most of the concerns over cosmetic safety.

Because the process of defining terms and setting standards is just getting started, and while there has been a step in the right direction, there is still a long way to go before the consumer can rely on a standard of safety and clarity. In the mean time, the consumer will have to continue to rely on self education, manufacturer reputation, and the fact that higher quality usually means higher cost; but a high price does not guarantee quality.

Another issue is results. With consumers seeking anti-aging results-oriented cosmetics, the fact that an ingredient is ‘organic’ may not be important as one considers the equation of safety and effectiveness. Not all things ‘organic’ are good for the skin, but that is the topic for another day.

Skincare:

1. Sunscreen and Moisturizer: First I’d like to share a secret from my mother Betty. When I was younger she drilled the use of sunscreen and moisturizer into my head along with the ‘no frown’ policy. My mother would say, ‘If you frown you’ll end up looking that way when you get older.’ I would practice not frowning and believe it or not, it worked! Look mom no Botox!
2. Lentils: Angai is originally from South India and her mother Swathi passed a skincare secret that can help all skin types. Angai would grind up green lentils to a powder then add some ground rice and a little water, enough to make a paste. She would then apply it, leave it on to dry and gently rinse it off to obtain an exfoliating effect.
3. Bodybrushing: Kristen from Ohio has a Scandinavian ritual passed down from her mother Kaaren. ‘When we were kids, body brushing was a necessity before bathing’. The brushing improves circulation and exfoliates your skin.
4. Volcanoes and Olive Oil: Lisa from Florida could not believe how young her mother Zoila looked, even at seventy. Lisa said when they would go on holiday to Costa Rica her mother would return home with containers of red volcano clay. She would mix it up with some water and use it as a mask- along with plain olive oil as a moisturizer.
5. Baking Soda and Vaseline: Nicole C. Mullen-recording artist who resides in Tennessee – has a great way to exfoliate her face: baking soda mixed with water (enough to make a paste). She gently applies it in a circular motion and rinses. At night, Nicole uses Vaseline on her face as a moisturizer.
6. Vitamin C: MaryEllen of Rhode Island said her parents Pat and former Governor Ed emphasized the importance of taking large doses of Vitamin C on a daily basis. It repairs the cells in your body including the skin cells.
7. Rooibos: To fight irritated and inflamed skin, women in South Africa steep a cup of rooibos (a tealeaf that is native to the area and contains zinc and alpha hydroxy acid). Allow the cup of rooibos to cool and then topically apply the liquid to the skin with a cotton ball. The tannins in the tea sooth and relieve discomfort.

Fashion: LeAnn Albrecht, singer and songwriter, gained some fashion advice from her mother. LeAnn told me that as a minister’s daughter, there was little money growing up. LeAnn’s mother would buy her clothes from thrift stores and maybe ‘add’ to them to make the clothes look great. Her friends at school would comment on how they liked them and would ask where she got them. She would respond, ‘They’re from a ‘Boutique’. Point is…you don’t have to spend a lot of money to look fashionable!

Nails: Celia from Florida and owner of ‘The Fountains Salon’ tells us a secret passed down from her mother that she still uses today. Take a cleaned out tuna can and put it on the stove. Pour some olive oil in and add a clove of garlic. Heat it for a few minutes on low (so that it is warm but not hot). Remove it from heat and soak your nails in the can. Your nails will become harder.

Hair: Here is another quick tip from Celia: When you shower and don’t want to get your hair wet, wrap a bandana around your head and put on a shower cap. The heat of the shower will activate the natural oils in your hair and will prevent frizzing.

In addition to the above, there are some secrets from around the world that go back years…maybe even centuries:

Egypt:

1. Youth Serum: This potion is from ancient Egypt called Fenugreek youth serum. It is made with one teaspoon of dried fenugreek seeds and 1/2 cup of sweet almond oil. Preparation: Crush the seeds lightly with a mortar and pestle and add them to the oil. Allow them to soak for thirty minutes. Strain the seeds from the oil. Gently massage the oil into your skin while thinking ‘youthful’ thoughts.
2. Eye Depuffer: Chamomile dates back to Ancient Egypt and women would use the flowers and crush the petals of the flower to beautify and protect their skin. Here is a recipe that will help to depuff your eyes:
   • 2 thin potatoes slices
   • Chamomile tea (loose or bag)
   • Aloe Vera Gel

   Heat some water to make the Chamomile tea. Soak the potato slices for 5 to 10 minutes in the tea. Remove them and dip them into Aloe Vera gel. Lie down, place one potato slice on each eye and leave them on for 20 minutes.

Korea: In Korea, women would use the starchy milky water from soaked white rice to wash their faces. The result is lighter looking skin and a soft dewy complexion.

Beijing: In Beijing, the Empress of China would use a jade face-roller on her face. The massage effect would help to keep the blood circulation moving.

Amazon: In the Amazon, women have been known to have great skin and hair. Their secret? Brazil nuts. The Amazonians use the oil from the nut to condition their hair and protect and moisturize their skin.

by Brett Blumenthal

I was raised to think that paying high prices for luxury items and luxury brand names were a waste of money.  Although we lived very comfortably, my parents raised me to have a great work ethic, to value the dollar and to understand that money doesn’t grow on trees.  As a kid, you didn’t need Jordache jeans to be happy…basic Lee Jeans would do.  As a teenager, a brand new convertible was excessive…a cute sporty hand me down would do just fine.  Granted, I wasn’t necessarily a fashion symbol at 8 years of age or the coolest 16 year old in the class, but seriously, did I need to be?  Probably not.  Yeah, maybe I got a few jabs from my status conscious schoolmates, but the lesson was invaluable for adulthood.  That said, I do believe you get what you pay for.

As I get older, and as I want to resist any urge to use artificial means to look youthful, I’ve become more and more aware of the products I use on my skin, hair, nails, etc.  I have learned that certain products contain certain ingredients that aren’t so great for you.  And I’ve started spending more and more on the products I buy.  This transition in thinking wasn’t easy.  Afterall, I was the kid with Lee jeans.  But do you ever wonder…”Am I really worth it?”  Is spending the extra money on high-end ‘luxury’ skin care products really necessary?  In short, yes.  Here’s some proof:

This past week, while traveling, I didn’t have my normal facial cleanser or my night eye cream (both made by Cosmedix).  As a result, I resorted to a cleanser and eye cream that seemed ‘to do’ for the week.  The first couple of days and nights of use were fine…or so I thought.  After the third day, my eyes started to feel raw and vulnerable.  The ‘moisture and depuffing’ my eye cream promised, threw me into a state of extreme sensitivity, pain and redness.  Additionally, the skin on my face became extremely dry, scaley and bumpy.  I couldn’t believe what a drastic change my eyes and skin went through, in just a few days!  The mistake I made was that I neglected to look at the ingredient list before choosing these products for the trip.  When I finally did, I found multiple ‘parabens’ (preservatives that are considered possible endocrine disruptors, neurotoxic and carcinogens) in both products and sodium lauryl sulfate (a petrochemical that cleans by corrosion, drying skin by stripping the protective lipids from the surface, and making it ineffective in regulating moisture) in the cleanser.  Although some consumer product companies will argue that these aren’t harmful, my skin and eyes would disagree.  I’m still recovering.   

What kills me, is that products with these types of ingredients are sold all the time.  They are so common, that if you go home and check the ingredients of any of your shampoos, soaps, mositurizers, toothpaste, and other products, you are sure to find them.  Yet, they are extremely harmful and can take a great toll on your largest organ…your skin, not to mention your possible insides. 

Just as you would for your food products, check your ingredients.  Spend your money on 100% natural and organic products…because you are worth it.  Your skin and body will thank you.

More info:

• Parabens: http://dermnetnz.org/dermatitis/parabens-allergy.html
• Cosmedix: www.cosmedix.com

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So what is Hyaluronic Acid Exactly?
Beauty is not just skin deep; in fact, the health and beauty of your hair, skin and nails is directly affected by the nutrients that you provide your body with internally and externally. One of these exciting nourishing ingredients is called hyaluronic acid. HA is capable of holding 1,000 times its weight in water. Since it is one of the most hydrophilic (water-absorbing) molecules in nature, HA is often described as ‘nature’s moisturizer,’ providing the body with essential moisture and a viable way to erase wrinkles.

Hyaluronic acid is a key component of our collagen structure, including the joints, skin, veins and eyes. Hyaluronic acid’s lubrication abilities have made it one of the best anti-aging beauty secrets available on the market today. HA’s major role in the skin is to help regulate moisture levels by absorbing water and slowly releasing it as the cells in the skin become dehydrated. By drawing in and holding onto water in the outer cell layers, HA enables effective skin hydration, delivery of nutrients and removal of toxins. Without an adequate amount of HA, nutrients cannot be moved into skin cells and waste cannot be eliminated from cells. When HA is taken as a supplement, it moisturizes from the the deepest layers of the skin to the outer layer, helping to maintain smooth, elastic skin.

Science and Hyaluronic Acid
Hyaluronic acid supports healthy skin, as noted in a study published by the Journal of Cellular Physiology in 1998. The study showed that HA helped reproduce healthy skin cells. But as we age, the HA content of the skin changes due to two separate clinically proven factors: the body decreases the amount of HA it produces and begins to distribute it differently. So instead of the deepest layers sending HA to the surface layers of the skin, it reverses, making skin look dehydrated and wrinkly.

Supplementation is one of the key factors in counteracting the body’s inability to produce HA. This new scientific evidence is paving the road for hyaluronic acid and other important nutrients like grape seed extract, Lutein and Lycopene to become the skin care of the future. Studies show benefits from oral supplementation within one to three months. In fact, the ABC program 20/20 aired a special on the small village in Japan known as Yuzuri Hara, where 10 percent of the population is 85 and older. The show attributed the people’s lack of cancer and heart disease, as well as their increased longevity, to a key component of their diet: Hyaluronic acid.

Hyaluronic acid is a naturally occurring protein in the body. It has been used orally with no adverse reaction and incredible results. There is considerable evidence that the loss of HA is directly involved in the acceleration of aging. Nutritional supplementation of HA is an excellent way to help support and protect your body from the negative affects of aging. This ‘internal cosmetic’ breakthrough is allowing more and more people to feel younger and healthier as they age.

With all of the hoopla about water bottles and plastic these days, taking a simple drink of water can be a bit intimidating.  If you use a water bottle for the gym or as a way to ‘measure’ how much water you are drinking through the course of the day, you probably have become hyper-aware of the possible health risks that your seemingly innocent water bottle may pose.  Certain types of plastics used in water bottles can leach into your water.  Basically, if you can taste plastic, you are drinking it…so it pays to get another bottle.  Here is a short breakdown of what to avoid:

• Dispose of the Disposable: Look at the recycling symbol on the bottom of the bottle. Disposable water bottles (your typical Poland Spring and Evian types) usually have a #1 in the center of the symbol, and are only recommended for one time use. The temptation to refill it can be overwhelming, but resist that urge.  Instead, look for a reusable option that you can purchase.
• BPA: Bottles with the #7 recycling symbol are considered hazardous, potentially leaching BPA (Bisphenol A).  This chemical is linked to breast cancer and uterine cancer in women, decreased testosterone levels in men, and are particularly devastating to babies and young children. BPA has even been linked to insulin resistance and Type 2 Diabetes.

As technologies advance, it seems that somehow we take steps backwards, needing to right the ‘toxic’ wrongs that we have created.  Don’t despair.  There are manufacturers who have already come up with safe solutions.  Here are a few:

• CamelBak BPA-Free: Plastic bottles, that don’t contain the chemical BPA
• SIGG: A Swiss-Made, lightweight aluminum option.  The inner coating is non-toxic as well.  And if you have kids, try their kid-sized bottles and grip handle add-ons
• Nalgene:  In response to these recent concerns, Nalgene has created a safer plastic option as well.
• Klean Kanteen: A Stainless steel option that does not leach toxic chemicals

Do you have a favorite water bottle that is safe?  Tell us!

Ironically, Tavern on the Green isn’t that green.  Ever wonder if your favorite restaurant is attempting to be green…whether they are using organic ingredients…whether they recycle?  Look no further.  The Green Restaurant Association is answering your call.  The organization is a non-profit organization that aims to ‘certify’ restaurants as being green.  What does that mean?  The association looks at several factors to assess if the restaurant is certifiable around green practices.  These categories include:

1. Energy Efficiency and Conservation
2. Water Efficiency and Conservation
3. Recycling & Composting
4. Sustainable Food
5. Pollution Prevention
6. Recycled, Tree-Free, Biodegradable & Organic Products
7. Chlorine-Free Paper Products
8. Non-Toxic Cleaning & Chemical Products
9. Green Power
10. Green Building & Construction
11. Employee Education

You can go on the site and actually search by city, state and even zip-code to see what restaurants are certified in your area.  So next time you are wondering how ‘green’ your favorite restaurant is, check out www.dinegreen.com.

Factors such as, building envelope, energy efficiency, indoor air quality, renewable energy, local conditions and green materials have significant effects on the health and efficiency of our homes. Deciding what matters the most to you and your family is up to you.

Protecting your home from the elements is one of the most important considerations. The building envelope is the separation between the interior and exterior of a home (essentially, it is the outer shell). This separation is usually made up of walls, a roof, and a foundation and is an important factor in the home’s efficiency.

Building envelope efficiency can be improved via enhancements such as better insulation, insulating window shades, high efficiency windows, and house orientation. After optimizing the energy performance of a building’s envelope it makes sense to consider forms of renewable energy. Solar electric and thermal systems capture energy from the sun reducing the reliance on electric and gas utilities and their associated utility bills.

Energy efficiency is an integral part of building a green home, but attention to the indoor air quality is important for the health of your family. Choose wood or concrete floors instead of carpeting, which traps dust and dirt. If you prefer carpet choose one with an adhesive that has low or no VOCs (volatile organic compounds, their dissipation into the air can harm the environment) or one made of organic fibers.

VOCs have traditionally been included in other building products, such as fiberglass insulation, paint, and particleboard. Today, many low or no-VOC alternatives are available. Air-exchange is also important to indoor air quality. Indoor and outdoor air needs to be exchanged adequately so that any naturally occurring indoor air pollutants such as smoke, air-borne bacteria, odors, and dust are eliminated.

The next factor to consider is location. Considering climate is important so you can build a home that withstands common weather patterns. Also, buying materials (like lumber and stone) that are produced locally (within 500 miles) of your home is a standard green practice because it cuts down on pollution caused by transporting materials.

Rapidly renewable or recycled materials can also be used during construction. Bamboo floors, for example, are both a beautiful and sustainable material. Natural fiber or bamboo window treatments add style without compromising health. Recycled glass can be used for tile backsplashes as well as tub and shower finishes.

Building a green home is an exciting process because you are actively reducing your impact on the environment, saving money and improving the health of your family. Deciding what is important to you can be difficult, but with the information above, I hope you are able to make more informed decisions.

This past April it was announced that a new book is available called ‘My Beautiful Mommy’.  Don’t let the name fool you…this isn’t some testament to how children adore their mothers.  It isn’t about children thinking their mothers are the most beautiful creatures on earth.  It isn’t even about a mother’s inner beauty.  No…it is a picture book for children ages 4 to 7, that aims to explain why mommy has a flatter tummy, bigger breasts and a ‘prettier’ nose…all a result of you guessed it…elective surgery. 

Now granted, it is sweet if a child thinks their mother is beautiful.  I’m sure that it can be a mother’s dream that their children idolize them…put them on a pedestal…worship them.  But what kind of message does it send to children that their mommy is beautiful…as a result of the wonders of medical innovations and artificial means?  By simple logic, the book implies that mommy wasn’t so beautiful prior to her surgery…that mommy needed to change…that something wasn’t right with mommy…that mommy, indeed, just may have been ugly.  How sad.  How did we possibly come to the point where innocent children need to be taught about such superficial, artificial and vain concepts? 

As if media and society doesn’t send enough messages to young impressionable boys and girls about how they aren’t good enough…that they aren’t thin enough…that they aren’t beautiful enough.  No, we can’t possibly let it rest there.  We now want to teach 4 year olds that when they are mommy’s age, they are going to have to start nipping…tucking…sawing off the flab…sucking out the fat…lifting and snipping at all that mother nature gave them. 

Instead of ‘My Beautiful Mommy’, why don’t we be honest and call the book ‘My Plastic Mommy’ or ‘My Barbie Mommy’ or ‘My Unnatural Mommy’ or even ‘My Mommy wasn’t Happy with the Way She Was’.  Look, if you want to have plastic surgery…by all means, it is your decision.  And I’m sure speaking with your child about why mommy doesn’t look like she did three days ago is very important.  But please don’t lie to your child about what beauty is.  Please don’t imply that beauty is something artificial.  Beauty is not silicon breast implants.  Beauty isn’t about a scalpel and sutures.  Beauty isn’t about machines that suck out fat cells.  Beauty is the ability to love who you are as a person…to be comfortable in your own skin…to be a good person.  Yeah, that is right, beauty is more than skin deep. 

It is about time we start teaching our children about real beauty.  It is about time we stop being so vain that we need a book to explain to our children that we are so pitifully superficial.  It is about time that we teach young boys and girls to love people for who they are and to look deeper than the surface.

Would someone please write a book called ‘My Beautiful, Natural, Aging Gracefully Mommy’?

Relevant Topics:

• ‘Less-Invasive,’ Invasive Cosmetic Procedures?
• A new car or a boob job?
• A Facelift at the Ballet

Here’s my plan for the war on wrinkles:

Strategy 1: Know what you are using. Check the ingredients. Is the product you are using filled with more preservatives than what is beneficial to your skin? Cleansers to start your daily routines should be non-soapy and PH balanced. Cosmetics, pollution and smoke all contribute to the residue that clogs pores, causes acne, and damages skin cells.

Let’s start with some effective cleansers that won’t break your bank account: 100 Percent Pure has really great products and they smell so good you’ll want to eat them and forget washing your face. For instance, try their Organic Lavender Honey Facial Cleansing Foam. 100 Percent Pure products have no abrasive detergents in them or any fillers what so ever www.100percentpure.com. Others to try include: Jason’s, Kiss My Face or Aubrey Organics, all of which are affordable. If you have sensitive skin, go for a creamy cleanser like MyChelle’s HoneyDew.

Tip: Cleansing daily with a soft facial brush will prevent blackheads.

Strategy 2: Exfoliate. Without exfoliation, wrinkles look more pronounced. I recommend an exfoliating treatment once a week. A good one to try is Aubrey organics Jojoba Meal & Oatmeal with Rosa Mosqueta – mask and scrub (www.aubrey-organics.com). The ingredients in these products will eliminate facial impurities. An at home formula that is good to try is Oatmeal mixed with buttermilk (4 tsp of each ingredient). Leave it on for twenty minutes and rinse off. It is gentle enough to be used twice a week.

Tip: For a natural microdermabrasion, try using baking soda mixed with water (a simple, at home product).

Strategy 3: Creams and serums. The following ingredients are proven to have a positive effect on mature and rosaceous skin: Polypeptides, Green tea, licorice root, squalane oil, seaweed, chamomile, vitamin E, rose oil and guarana. Supreme Polypeptide Cream from Mychelle offers the maximum amount of Matrixyl 3000 polypeptide (clinically studied to have incredible wrinkle reduction effects) along with marine polypeptides, shea and mango. This is a great cream packed with an array of powerful antioxidants, which protect against free radical damage and help counteract the aging process www.mychelleusa.com .
Other great creams include: Red Elements  Daily moisturizing creme with SPF 15 (www.jasoncosmetics.com), Reviva’s DMAE firming fluid (www.iHealthTree.com) and Reviva’s Lift & Firm Serum.

Serums, in particular, are needed in your daily fight against wrinkles. Dr.Perricone speaks about how vital olive oil is for anti-aging. Here’s a serum that delivers a potent dose of olive pulp extract, CoQ10 and alpha lipoic acid, enriched by seven vitamins essential to skin health and beauty: Orjene CoQ10 OliveVitale age recovery serum. (www.jasoncosmetics.com/orjene_coq10_skin_care.html)

Revive tired eyes with Fresh eyes by Mychelle. It diminishes dark circles and puffy eyes. Among active ingredients including polypeptides are: Daisy Flower and Arnica Montana for its anti-inflammatory capabilities and its ability to heal and strengthen tissue and capillaries.

Strategy 4: Beauty from Within. Drink green tea! If you can’t handle the taste, try Tulsi Green Tea or The original Tulsi Tea. Tulsi’s benefits include: reduced stress, calmness & clarity, minimized cold & flu symptoms, balanced metabolism and strengthened immunity & stamina (www.greatvitaminprices.com).

Nutrient dense greens, such as spinach and kale, as well as berries, such as blueberries, may be beneficial in slowing the signs of aging. Try Probiotic Berry Green by NewChapter Organics so you can get all your fruits and veggies in one scoop. My family uses this right now and we like it. I know there are a lot of products out there that are similar, however this one has no grass fillers. Be sure to get advice from your doctor when adding new supplements to your diet in case of allergies or health concerns. It is better to be safe than sorry.

Anti-aging vitamins, such as: B-complex, Vitamin C ester, Vitamin E 400mg, Alpha lipoic acid 50mg, Calcium 1000mg, Omega-3, Grape seed extract 100mg, Selenium 200mcg, DMAE 75mg and L-carnitine 500mg, just to name a few, will help fight the wrinkle war. Further, a healthy diet, plenty of purified water and exercise will make you feel great!

Tip: Eat less meat, avoid carbonated beverages, and stay clear from cigarette smoke first or second hand.

Strategy 5: An alternative to Botox. It’s an alternative to needles that is safe and effective. The product is Frownies and has been around for a 100 years. For best results Frownies should be worn every day for 30 days to effectively retrain facial muscles. Then continue to use Frownies 3 to 4 times per week for maintenance. (www.Drugstore.com).

Most importantly, remember that good skin starts from within. Whatever you put in your body directly affects how your skin will look on the outside. Healthy aging is the best alternative. And remember to read labels, think like a detective, and dissect ingredients. What you don’t know can hurt you!

Add to that the fact that organic produce often looks less “perfect” than conventional produce, and it’s easy to see why lots of folks pass right by the organics. But in order to get to the truth, you need to look beyond the glossy, perfectly shaped (and often genetically modified) apples and oranges, and get to the heart of the matter. There are many compelling health and environmental reasons to buy organic.

Let’s start with your health. At one time, all foods were “organic.” They were grown without pesticides, chemical fertilizers, hormones or irradiation. However, since the advent of chemical farming and food processing, the story has changed considerably. Short sited conventional factory farming and food processing practices have depleted the soil and food of many minerals and nutrients and filled them with pollutants and farm chemicals. The USDA found that even after washing, many conventionally grown fruits and vegetables consistently carry much higher levels of pesticide residue than those that are organically grown. These pesticides have been shown to cause cancer, liver, kidney and blood diseases and create extra work for the immune system. Organically raised meat and dairy products do not contain synthetic hormones or antibiotics, which have been linked to increased antibacterial resistance in humans. Simply put, eating organic is the best way to keep chemicals off of your plate and out of your body.

Children are particularly sensitive to exposure to cancer-causing pesticides in food than adults. Based on analysis of more than 100,000 U.S. government pesticide test results, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) has compiled the “dirty dozen” list of the twelve most highly contaminated fruits and vegetables. Especially when feeding children, consumers should always buy organic if possible when it comes to:

• Apples
• Cherries
• Grapes
• Nectarines
• Peaches
• Pears
• Raspberries
• Strawberries
• Bell peppers
• Celery
• Potatoes
• Spinach

On the other hand, there are also some fruits and vegetables that generally do not contain pesticide residues. You can safely buy conventional:

• Bananas
• Kiwi
• Mangos
• Papaya
• Pineapples
• Asparagus
• Avocado
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Corn
• Onions
• Peas

Further, organic produce just tastes better, too. Conduct your own taste test.

Its focus on working in harmony with nature also makes organic farming healthier for the environment. Organic agriculture practices respect the balance necessary for a healthy ecosystem. Crop rotation protects biodiversity; and wildlife is encouraged by retaining wetlands and other natural areas. Additionally, more energy is now used to produce synthetic fertilizers than to till, cultivate and harvest all of the crops in the U.S. Help protect the health of your family and the earth by choosing organic.

Bacteria Buildup

According to the FDA, cosmetics aren’t required by law to have expiration dates, so you can’t just look at the label to know when a product has retired. However, some companies are labeling dates on their products for consumers who would rather not have more bacteria on their skin than necessary.

Be aware that expiration dates are simply a guide to go by and that a product’s safety may expire long before the expiration date if the product has not been properly stored. For instance, cosmetics exposed to high temperatures or sunlight, or opened and examined by consumers prior to purchase may substantially deteriorate before the expiration date.

Makeup preservatives should kill common bacteria (personally, I stay away from preservatives unless they are plant based), but studies show, that a little bit of bacteria is in makeup even before we buy it. Once you open your new product, airborne bacteria swarms in. This bacteria adds up as you touch the product with unclean hands, and is even more compounded when you use an unclean applicator. Know that aging cosmetics lose their power to fight this bacteria no matter how gentle and clean you are when using it.

So the question is how long can we keep our little ‘miracles in a bottle’, and can we extend the shelf life of them to protect ourselves from infections, like pink eye and skin breakouts?

See the chart below for general guidelines:

When applying make-up, here is one more tip: Use a disposable applicator and use the front of your hand as a palette.

Another risk for infection can be from sharing makeup, which increases the risk for contamination. Testers at department store cosmetic counters are a great example of spreading bacteria. I used to work at a popular cosmetic counter 15 years ago and procedures have not changed much. It’s hard to keep your eyes on the cosmetic counter when people constantly stick their hands in the makeup and try it on without asking for help. Please be careful at the counters and make sure pencils are sharpened and tools are used when makeup is applied.

These guidelines are to help keep you safe and give you confidence when purchasing products and preserving them. Like the old saying goes, when in doubt, throw it out, especially if there’s no date.

________________________________________

REFERENCES
Medical College of Wisconsin
www.healthlink.mcw.edu
Tips for Safe Keeping and Use of Cosmetics
http://healthlink.mcw.edu/article/975513403.html
U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition
http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/

My heart goes out to the family of 18 year old Stephanie Kuleba, who died Saturday, 24 hours following breast surgery. Doctors believe she died as a result of a rare reaction to anesthesia called malignant hyperthermia.  Although Stephanie’s surgery was considered corrective, aimed at fixing an inverted nipple and asymmetrical breasts, the story reminded me of why I find plastic surgery so upsetting.

Let’s take Stephanie out of the equation and speak about plastic surgery from an enhancement perspective.  According to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, 7,882 girls under 18 had breast augmentation surgery in 2007…more than doubling the 3087 who had it in 2006.   Additionally, the number of breast enlargements within this age group has risen nearly 500% over the past decade — a sharper climb than the 300% increase among all age groups.  From an overall perspective, demand for cosmetic plastic surgery continues to increase among all age groups, with Americans spending $11.5 billion for 11 million cosmetic procedures in 2006.  This is a 48% increase over the number performed in 2000, according to the National Clearinghouse of Plastic Surgery Statistics.  Although there are many individuals who don’t have complications from plastic surgery, the risks are undeniably still quite high, and unfortunately, although corrective, Stephanie’s surgery and untimely death reminds us of these risks.

I can only imagine, if you are disfigured, are in a terrible accident or are born with birth defects, that electing to have plastic surgery can be a life-changing and wonderful solution.  It may help you to overcome psychological and self-confidence issues.  It may make you more functional.  It may even make you more comfortable in your every day life (let’s think breast reduction).  However, electing to have surgery, just to have surgery, when there is nothing wrong with you seems like a very, very short-sighted, and risky decision.

To quote Dr. Richard D’Amico, president-elect of the American Society for Plastic Surgery (ASPS), “The human body makes no distinction when the scalpel hits.  The difference with elective cosmetic surgeries is that patients generally start out being healthy.”  I think that says a mouthful.  If you are healthy…why would you ever open yourself up to the possibility of infection, medical issues, or even worse, death, for the sake of having less fat, bigger breasts or a smoother face?  I’m lucky…I know…I’m healthy and don’t have anything drastically wrong with my appearance, causing me to feel desperate for a solution.  But so many individuals who are in the same situation, still elect to have surgery to change their ‘imperfections’. 

In response to Stephanie’s death, a plastic surgeon in Woodbury stated that a girl will come in with her parents, who are buying her a breast augmentation as a birthday or high school graduation gift.  What?  Really?  What happened to the trip to Paris?  The ridiculously expensive new car?  The good ol’ fashioned Graduation Party or Sweet Sixteen? 

I guess I shouldn’t be so surprised.  When I was in Graduate school, I met several beautiful, highly intelligent, undergraduate women who had breast implants that increased their breast size from a B cup to a C or D.  These girls were 18 years old!  I could not understand how they could possibly feel so badly about themselves that they chose to have surgery to make their breasts bigger.  Moreover, I could not believe that their parents allowed or supported this.  What kind of message does it send young girls, who already may have self-esteem issues, that they should have breast implants?  How can a mother or father support their daughter in changing herself for the sake of such superficial reasons?  Isn’t it important for parents to build their children’s self esteem rather than encouraging them to believe that there is something wrong with them?  That they aren’t good enough the way they are?  But even more importantly, how can any parent allow their child to go under the knife with the known risks of complications, infection, disfigurement or even death?  I just don’t understand it.

Today, there seems to be more and more pressure to look perfect.  Television shows that romanticize plastic surgery don’t help.  Further, half of Hollywood seems to be getting some sort of work done these days with 55 year old women looking like they are only 32 years old.  This teaches kids that it is cool or trendy to have plastic surgery.  Unfortunately, it is the rarity versus the norm that the downsides of plastic surgery are emphasized.  Although death is extreme and rare, there are plenty of cases where other complications can occur: disfiguring…dissatisfying results, causing one to look ‘worse’…severe medical issues…and the list goes on.

Surgery is surgery.  Whether it be for cosmetic enhancement or to help save your life, it has risks.   If there isn’t anything wrong with you and if you aren’t sick, putting yourself at risk for the sake of vanity just doesn’t seem to make sense.  In short, it seems pretty…well…vain.  Maybe if society and media weren’t so judgmental about how people should look, and instead, emphasized an individual’s inner beauty, we would live in a more beautiful world.

• Necrosis or Tissue Death: Risks increase dramatically if you’re a smoker. That’s because smoking affects blood supply to the tissues. By definition, the surgeon is cutting into those tissues, and if the blood supply is already compromised, necrosis is more likely to occur.
• Hematoma: A collection of blood, occurs more in men than in women because beard follicles in the face mean there are more capillaries–and therefore an increased blood supply in that area.
• Infections
• Death: Toxic levels of anesthetics have been known to cause respiratory failure in some patients. In some rare instances, high levels of topical lidocaine have led to death.

Injections:

• Imitation Botox, or other imitation fillers not approved by the FDA, have left patients in comas for up to several years, and eventually dead
• Droopy eyelids
• Paralysis

Nose surgery:

• Infection
• Small burst blood vessels resulting in tiny, permanent red spots
• Incomplete improvement requiring additional surgery

Liposuction:

• Asymmetry
• Rippling or bagginess of skin
• Pigmentation changes
• Skin injury
• Fluid retention
• Excessive fluid loss leading to shock
• Iinfection
• Burning caused by the heat from the ultrasound device

Breast enlargement:

• Surgical removal or replacement of the implants
• Deflation
• Formation of scar tissue around the implant, which may cause the breast to feel tight or hard
• Bleeding or infection
• Increase or decrease in sensitivity of nipples or breast skin (occasionally permanent). Loss of sensation in the nipple in particular occurs anywhere from 10% to 70% of the time, says Dr. Nahai, president of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) depending on the type of procedure.
• Some women have reported symptoms similar to those of immune disorders with silicone implants. Ask your doctor about these and other concerns
• Breast reductions, where the nipple and areola are totally removed and reattached as skin grafts.

Eyelid surgery:

• Temporary blurred or double vision
• Infection and Bleeding
• Swelling at the corners of the eyelids
• Dry eyes
• Formation of whiteheads
• Slight asymmetry in healing or scarring
• Difficulty in closing eyes completely (rarely permanent); Pulling down of the lower lids (may require further surgery)
• Blindness (extremely rare)

Face lift:

• Injury to nerves that control facial muscles or feeling
• Infection
• Bleeding
• Poor healing
• Excessive scarring
• Asymmetry of or change in hairline.

by Brett Blumenthal

We all have been on the band wagon about sustainability….green living…triple bottom line…social responsibility…yada yada.  When looking at the environment and when looking at our recently grown passion for sustainability, we have been in a reactive mode: slapping band aids on to fix the wounds we have inflicted on the earth.  It has taken astronomical energy and oil prices for us to realize the fragility of our resources.  It has taken threats and ‘inconvenient truths’ of global warming for us to understand our detrimental impact on the environment.  It has taken the loss of or near loss of species to realize how very precious every creature is on our precious earth.  As a result, for the better part of 5 years or so, we have been scrambeling to reverse the damages and reconsider how we treat mother nature and how we use energy and how we ultimately ’save the earth.’  This approach, unfortunately, is how many of us approach our own lives.  

I recently have had a lot of clients who have been interested in pursuing development and projects around the concept of wellness and although many of them get it, the words ‘wellness’ and ‘wellbeing’ just aren’t as impactful as I think they could be.  What is wellbeing?  What is wellness?  What is balance?  Many people think these are touchy feely concepts that don’t have much merit.  Or, they understand a couple of components of these concepts, such as fitness and nutrition, but they don’t get the rest, such as mental health and prevention.  Well, over the last ten to fifteen years, with the exponential growth of technology, we’ve been living more and more chaotically and unbalanced.  We don’t stop to really relax.  We don’t take a deep breath and release the stress.  No.  We are constantly on the go.   We are seeing a rise in blood pressure, depression, obesity and other medical issues.  We can never remove ourselves from the frenetic pace we live our lives in and unfortunately, it takes a big toll.  This toll manifests itself as health issues and sometimes even death.  This does not spell sustainable living to me and unfortunately, all too often, the toll that becomes all too consuming is what it takes to jolt many of us into reality, waking us up and causing us to rethink how we live. 

It shouldn’t take a near death experience for us to value life.  It shouldn’t take extreme health conditions for us to take better care of ourselves.  As a result, what we now see is a new emerging dimension of sustainability…’Personal Sustainability.’  Living balanced, which is what Sheer Balance is all about, is what Personal Sustainability represents.  It is about being healthy…mind, body and soul.  It is about living in an environmentally friendly and conscious way.  It is about taking the time to nurture and do what is right for yourself.  It is living in a way that is personally fulfilling and meaningful in all dimensions of life.  And it is living a life that is as ’sustainable’ as one can live.  Granted, we are mortal and can’t live forever, but living ’sustainably’ is a concept that we can apply to our every day lives.  Being proactive…working every day, to live a life that is valuable…and valued.  This is Personal Sustainability…our strategy to promote and prolong life…not harm or shorten it. 

So get on the new band wagon…and join the Personal Sustainability movement.  Make a change for the better…for yourself.

Relevant Topics:

• Balance Defined

by Brett Blumenthal

Have you ever missed a good night sleep and then the next night stayed up late to watch your favorite rerun of Friends, Frasier or Scrubs…because even though you had seen it five times, you just couldn’t get enough?  And then the night after, you went out with friends for drinks and dinner, and it went later than you expected?  Before you knew it, you were 4 or 5 nights in the hole.  I find that not sleeping becomes some sort of an addictive behavior and unless you break the vicious cycle…you end up feeling like I’ve been these last four or so days…extremely sluggish and moody.  Basically, falling quickly into a downward spiral.  It is funny how, sometimes, although you might know what is best for you and might be able to give the best advice in the world, when it comes to yourself, you somehow forget it all and everything you ’should do’ goes out the window. 

Sleep is more vital than people give it credit for and as we get older, it becomes even more important.  It is harder to rebound from the late nights: you look like you’ve been out late for a year and you feel like you’ve been hit by a truck.  I look back to the days I was an architecture student and I would literally, day after day, get up at 7am, go to school, teach one or two aerobics classes at night, stay up really late in design studio working on projects and then would finally go home and crash at 4am to then wake up again at 7am the next morning.  This cycle would continue for 5 days out of the week straight.  I don’t know how I did it.  Today, if I even thought of trying that shtick, I’d fall on my face.  It would be virtually impossible.

Well, none of this is anything new to any of you, I’m sure.  However, it is worth mentioning.  It is worth reminding ourselves that taking care of yourself, letting your body rest and recover, letting it regenerate is really, really important.  They call it ‘beauty sleep’ for a reason.  If you deprive yourself of the luxury of sleep, you actually deprive yourself of life.  The way I feel right now, I feel as though I’ve missed about 3 nights of sleep, and a couple of days of living.  So tonight, when my favorite reruns are on, I think I’ll pass.  I’ll crawl into bed and sleep happily.   

So my friends…don’t miss out on your sleep!  Make sure you are getting seven to eight hours of your vital rest a night…

Relevant Topics:

• The Basics of Sleep
• The Stages of Sleep
• Solid Prescription for a Good Night Sleep

Antioxidants and their Role Inside and Out

Supplementing your diet with antioxidants can be just as important as topically adding these nutrients on your skin. As we age, our skin loses elasticity and vibrancy and supplementing becomes an integral part in maintaining a healthy looking appearance. So how do we age healthfully and look ten years younger?

As advances continue in both the nutritional and Cosmaceutical industry the connection between them becomes clearer. “Most scientific evidence shows that what we put into our body impacts our skin more than what we put on it”, says Dr. Tieraona Low Dog, director of botanical medicine at the University of Arizona’s integrative medicine program.

Eating healthier with skin nourishing foods can prolong the suppleness of your skin. The lifestyle choices we make today will make the difference for our skin’s appearance tomorrow. Try avoiding:

• Sodas
• Excessive sun
• Alcoholic beverages
• Sugar
• Caffeine
• Fried foods

Instead, replace them with:

• Raw and fresh fruits and vegetables
• Whole-grains
• White meats

Even the healthiest of diets may still lack some important nutrients due to:

• Over processing
• Soil depletion
• Pollution
• Modern transportation of produce

Keep in mind that using a multi-vitamin/mineral and antioxidant supplement can also be a beneficial insurance policy.

Antioxidants To Supplement With

Diane, for example, is a poster child when it comes to eating right…she is passionate about good nutrition, knows everything here is to know about maintaining a healthy diet and she is the go-to person for friends and family for insights about making ealthy choices. On the other hand, she is a new mom, works full-time and has very little time for herself, resulting in a lot of stress with very little time to manage it. She continually develops tension headaches, has a weak immune system and complains about feeling sluggish or too tired. What is wrong with this picture? How can someone who eats right and is so ‘healthy’ be feeling so bad? The fact of the matter is, that although she has successfully addressed one component of healthy living, she is neglecting others, creating a lack of balance.

Essentially, each factor – nutrition, fitness, your mental health and your environment – plays an important role in laying the foundation for balance. It is the intersection of all of these components that creates balance and overall health.

This past Friday, I had the great pleasure of seeing ‘Next Generation,’ an extraordinary modern ballet production put on by the Boston Ballet at the Wang Theater.  When I go to the theater or shows, I often flip through the Playbill during intermissions, reading about other performing arts productions coming to the area.  The advertisements that are displayed are always somewhat predictable: restaurants and hotels in the area…financial companies…local publications…luxury consumer products.  I was a bit thrown off, however, when I saw ‘Changing the Face of Boston,’ smack across from the ‘Next Generation’ program.  As the headline implies, it was advertising changing the face of Boston through cosmetic surgery at the Facial and Cosmetic Surgery Center of the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary.

Come on people!  Seriously?  Here I was, sitting at the ballet, enjoying the beautiful music, admiring a display of true beauty, natural talent and form and witnessing some of the best choreography I have ever seen…and bam, I was being solicited to ‘change my face.’ 

I like my face…I like a lot of people’s faces…and moreover, I LOVE the face of Boston.  I don’t know, call me crazy, but I was somewhat struck by the irony of this advertisement.  It seemed so misplaced to me.  Natural beauty…plastic surgery.  Beautiful Wang theater…face lift.  Phenomenal grace and talent…botox injections.  Yeah, I guess I get it…no, wait…I don’t.

I have to wonder what the Playbill sales department’s process is, if they have one, when they accept and place ads into their Playbills.  Do they think about the relativity or is it all about the bucks?  Sure, people who go to the ballet may possibly have enough money to consider cosmetic surgery and as a result, it is a great ad to place; but what does it have to do with culture, arts and entertainment? 

Personally, I go to the ballet, the opera, and the symphony to escape from the every day craziness of society…to immerse myself in a moving experience…to be touched by something new and beautiful…to enjoy the arts and culture.  Can’t we just appreciate the beauty of performance without having to be reminded that we, ourselves may be imperfect?  Can’t we just sit, relax and enjoy something without having to think about how we don’t stack up to some superficial standard? 

I hope that Boston doesn’t get a facelift…I think it is perfect the way it is…just like you and I.

by Brett Blumenthal

Over the last month or so, I’ve received questions submitted by readers and friends asking how I personally manage to find balance in my hectic schedule.  The short answer: I’m not sure I ever have.  In all honesty, I feel like true balance is much like true perfection: Never quite attainable…but definitely something to strive for.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve never been satisfied by the status quo, by average, by everyday…I’ve always looked for ways to make things better.  And, I have always been overly involved with a wide number of things at the same time.  Whether it was in high school when I was in 5 music groups, 3 extra curricular activities and volunteered at a local nursing home all at once, or today, when I run my own company, work for a global architecture firm, am President of a local chapter of an alumni organization, sit on the Board of Alumni Leaders for my alma mater, and try to be a good wife and daughter, I’ve always been ‘busy’.  I’ve never known how to be anything else.  This is how I live my life, and this is how I hope to always live my life.

So…finding balance, how do I do it?  Well, to be honest, it is a matter of prioritization.  There are certain things I just will not compromise on: exercising, eating right, maintaining myself (hair, skin and nails) and letting loose at least once (or twice) a week.  I’m not saying that I’ve always been able to successfully do all of these things, but when I slip up on one of these areas past a certain point, I remind myself to reprioritize and get back on track.

Balance means different things to different people.  My idea of balance, I know, is not the same as my mom’s or my girlfriends’.  Remember, balance isn’t just about one component, it is about mind, body and soul, all together, feeling good.  And it is very personal.  You have to discover what amounts, of what things, will take care of all three for yourself.  Be true to your needs and make them a priority.  Here is my prescription for balance:

1. Create a Vision: Be dreamy and visualize yourself as being balanced.  How do you feel?  How do you look?  Are you relaxed? Are you busy? Are you stress-free?  Are you alert and awake?
2. Make a List: Now that you know how you want to feel, list the things you think are important to achieving this vision of balance.  Keep them as general topics: eating right, going to the spa, meditating, exercising, traveling, etc.
3. Get Detailed: Take each item on your list and think through the details:
   1. How much time do you need to spend on each item?  30 minutes?
   2. What time of day / week do you see doing it? Morning, evening, weekends, afternoons?
   3. How often will you do it? All the time? Once a week? Once a month?
   4. How much will it cost you? Is it free? Do you need to budget for it?
   5. What else do you need? A gym membership? A recommendation for a masseuse? A travel agent? A good grocery store?
   6. What obstacles exist? Money? Family? Time?
4. Create a Roadmap: Now that you know what it will take to be balanced, create your monthly roadmap of how to incorporate these things into your life.  Be realistic so that you know it is achievable…but don’t compromise.  This is your happiness we are talking about!
5. Stick to your Guns: Best laid plans are only as good as how they are implemented.  This is most key.  You need to prioritize what is important to you.  Only you can create balance in your life…

For more information on Balance, refer to the following articles:

• Balance Defined
• New Years Resolution Roadmap

I’ve been a true loyalist to Origins, Aveda and The Body Shop for the better part of ten to fifteen years.  I admit, I walk into a store and I fall hook, line and sinker for the scents they pump through their stores.  The Body Shop was one of the first companies that tauted no testing on animals.  And being the animal lover that I am, this appealed to me greatly.  Whether it be a mouse or a dog, if it has fur and four legs, I’m pretty much in love.  Aveda was one of the first shampoos that I bought that went beyond the cheapo brands.  And well, Origins has had an image of being pure and natural from the get-go.  Let’s chalk up all of this to great brand imaging and strategy:  If you have ever come face to face with these companies’ marketing campaigns you can’t help but conjur up thoughts and images of nature, fresh, organic, healthy products that are going to make you look and feel great…naturally.

After working with Shelly Ballestero on our recent article of ‘The Detriments of Cosmetics‘, I started to tune in and do some homework around these products I’ve come to love.  When I checked up on these three manufacturers on ‘Skin Deep,’ a Cosmetic Safety Database, I was left somewhat surprised and disappointed:  All three of them have a good number (the majority) of products that are poorly ranked when it comes to the level of hazardous ingredients they include.  Not so natural or fresh…is it?

Luckily, awareness is growing.  A coalition of public health, educational, environmental, and consumer groups, amongst others, make up The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, which works directly with cosmetic manufacturers to encourage reformulations and safer ingredients. Over 500 companies have voluntarily signed a pledge called the campaign’s “Compact for Safe Cosmetics,” a pledge to formulate products that do not use ingredients that are known or suspected to cause certain health harms within three years of signing.  Get this…only The Body Shop (owned by L’Oreal) has signed this pledge.  Aveda and Origins (both owned by Estee Lauder) have not.

Although each of these three companies have safe products, they also have a wealth of unsafe products.  So what do you do?  Just like reading nutritional labels is crucial to understanding what makes up the food you eat, understanding the ingredients in a personal care product can keep you from using toxic, carcinogenic and allergenic products that could be hazardous to your health.   It is good to know that awareness is growing around this topic…as many of us have been misled to believe claims that products are natural and good for you, when they very well aren’t.  I’m also glad to know that The Body Shop is moving their company into safer waters…because I still am a diehard for their products.  Companies like The Body Shop need to forge ahead and make other manufacturers follow suit…and fast.  I look forward to the day that consumers don’t have to do the dirty work of investigation into the products they choose.

Click here for a list of companies who have signed the Compact for Safe Cosmetics.

Now, it’s the season to wear the darker shades of lipstick: “Red” – a color some women are afraid to wear. You may say, “Oh no, not me, I can’t wear the color red…it’s not on my color chart.” Fear no more, depending on your skin tone, there is a red color lipstick out there for you (For those skeptics out there pink is a great alternative).

The Right Shade for You

Red comes in a variety of shades with all kinds of undertones, the key is to find your undertone. Do you have cool or warm undertones? If you are cool, you may burn in the summer and not tan so easily. Most cool tones have a pinky skin tone like the English, Irish, and Scottish. Warmer skin tones are more olive completed like Mediterranean, Asian, French and black skin.

Once you have established your undertone, you can find your perfect shade. Cooler tones should wear True red, plums or pinky reds. Those colors with blue undertones will also make your teeth look whiter. Warmer tones, on the other hand, tend to look great with stronger hues and brown undertones like a brick red. Although uncommon, universal colors do exist. For example, Annemarie Borland’s Poppy Red, found at Vitamin Life, which was voted best lip color in Organic Style 2005.

Getting Smooth Lips

Once you have chosen a lip color, you need smooth lips. Cracked lips can make you look older. A simple solution is as follows: Rub some olive oil or lip balm on your lips. Using an old tooth brush, stroke lightly. This exfoliates and plumps lips up.

Make Your lipstick Last Longer

Have a hot date and don’t want to take up precious time reapplying your lipstick all night? Here are some good rules of thumb:

• Apply a light layer of foundation on your lips
• Wait a few seconds then pat lips with loose powder.
• Outline lips with lip liner and fill in with feather light strokes
• Blot with tissue
• Apply color with your lip brush to the center first then brush color out toward edges
• Lightly blot with tissue, so as to not smudge

Playing it Safe

When choosing lipsticks, know that some may contain lead, so be sure to look for natural ingredients when you can. The higher the lead count, the greater the risk for your health. The Environmental Working Group will tell you which lipstick has the most lead and the one that has the least.

Some great lipsticks without the added beetle juice or other funky stuff are: Lip-ink, ZuZu Luxe, 100 Percent Pure, Lavera, Gabriels, Ecco Bella and Hemp Organics. Some mineral lipsticks have carmine, but they are a better alternative then some from the store. My favorite is Jane Iredale, La Bella Donna, Aveda and Paint Me lipsticks. What I love about Paint Me lipstick is that they explain what color works with your hair color and other informative tips.

Well ladies, this should help you save time and money searching for your Valentine day “Red”. The Valentines Day date is up to you! Just remember, the most beautiful thing you can wear on your lips is a Smile (and it’s free)!

Yesterday, as I waited to get a facial, I picked up a copy of a magazine in my Spa’s waiting lounge.  The magazine is geared towards informing consumers on cosmetic surgery, plastic surgery and other invasive procedures to stay ‘young and beautiful.’  Against invasive and aggressive beauty procedures myself, I’m always interested in what these types of publications have to say. 

As I flipped through the magazine, my interest was specifically drawn to one piece written on ‘Beauty Secrets of the Wives of Cosmetic Surgeons.’  Three of the wives were married to Plastic Surgeons and one was married to a Cosmetic Dentist.  Interestingly enough, the cosmetic dentist’s wife never mentioned plastic surgery or anything of the such.  Instead, she talked about having an active lifestyle, being fit, eating right and spa treatments involving a hot spring bath and exfoliation to relax and detox.  She added a couple of notes about how going to the dentist shouldn’t be painful, and that she has the Zoom! Power Whitening treatment to brighten her smile.  (We all like white teeth…let’s admit it).

The other three wives, however, advocated for plastic surgery.  And although I could go on and on about this topic (and probably will in other entries in the future) the one comment that really made me squirm was ‘I like to enhance my appearance with less-invasive treatments and procedures. I go to my husband’s office for Botox injections every few months…’ Ummm…

Beyond the fact that her husband advocates for her to have cosmetic procedures and is happy to administer them himself, which is a whole other issue altogether, my real issue with this comment is ‘Less-Invasive.’ Botox, a protein derived from botulism toxin (A form of food poisoning that occurs when someone ingests something containing a neurotoxin), is injected into the facial muscles to paralyze or weaken the muscles in order to minimize or smooth out lines and wrinkles on the face. Let’s pick out the key words: Poison and Paralyze.

Anyone who can think it is less-invasive to inject yourself with poison in order to purposefully paralyze your muscles is beyond me. Sure, it isn’t surgery, but it is still very dangerous, unnatural and relatively risky. Moreover, side effects can include: Droopy eyelids, which can last for a few weeks, feeling like you have the flu, headache and upset stomach and if administered incorrectly, a risk of botulism (a life or death illness that makes it hard for a person to move the arms and legs or to breathe). On a personal note, I know several women who have committed themselves to having botox injections every few months in order to banish a nasty little wrinkle and after a few years, they started looking different. One eye-brow is higher than the other, one eye is droopier than the other, etc.

It KILLS me when women my age say they are starting to think about Botox. Why? Really, why? Eat right, exercise, release stress, etc. Stand up for your beauty and your beauty at any age…PLEASE don’t fall victim to needing to pump yourself up with these toxins in order to ’stay beautiful.’ I beg of you…

I continue to hear about free radicals and antioxidants. What are they? Why should I care?

Free radicals are unstable molecules formed naturally and unnaturally from pollution, the environment and other factors.  Free radicals are always on the search for stable molecules that they can damage in order for them to fulfill their need to become a complete molecule.  Their search leads them to our cells that they attack in order to become stable.  These attacks create chain reactions of damage within our bodies leading to harsher health conditions.

So what can you do to protect yourself?  Simply put, antioxidants are free radical scavengers.  Antioxidants protect our cells from these free radicals, providing a defense mechanism that terminates them before they attack us.  Antioxidants can be found in many places, but they are most potent in your foods and at times, within the right formulation of nutritional supplements.

Hidden Dangers in the Powder Puff

Let’s take a well-known ingredient that is in a ton of foods, makeup, skincare, powders, and medicine…talc. What is talc? According to the Cancer Prevention Coalition, “Talc is a mineral, produced by the mining of talc rocks and then processed by crushing, drying and milling. Processing eliminates a number of trace minerals from the talc, but does not separate minute fibers which are very similar to asbestos.”** Now, you may be thinking that talc has been around for years, so how can it be dangerous?

Talc particles have been shown to cause tumors in the ovaries and lungs of cancer victims. In 1973 the FDA drafted a resolution that would limit the amount of asbestos-like fibers in cosmetic-grade talc. According to the Cancer Prevention Coalition, no ruling has been made. Cosmetic-grade talc remains non-regulated by the federal government. Your best bet is to stay away from talc and try other alternatives, such as mineral powders, cornstarch, or rice powder for oil absorption. Some to try are Burt’s Bees face powder, and they have a great baby powder for the body that I use. It smells great.

Allergies, Migraines, and Cancer…Oh, My!

Here’s another “winner” to stay away from: coal tar, found in eye shadow, which is also linked to cancer. Lipstick can contain high levels of artificial colorings made from coal tar derivatives, which can cause allergic reactions. Lead is also in lipsticks be sure to check out www.ewg.com to find out the percentage that is found in your lipstick. FD&C color pigments are often made from coal tar, too.

Nitrosamine, a preservative, has been found in foundation, cured meats, pesticides, water, even air. Some epidemiological studies have associated increased incidence of human cancer with the presence of nitrosamine.

This added ingredient takes the prize: Formaldehyde—the same stuff that preserves deceased bodies—is used in makeup, bubble bath, shampoo, conditioner, moisturizers, and a whole lot more. Laurel sulfate may contain formaldehyde as a preservative, and other toiletries may have it without listing it on the label. For instance, imidazolidinyl urea and DMDM hydantoin may release formaldehyde and cause migraines, allergies, and asthma.

A couple more to avoid are paraben preservatives and propylene glycol. Parabens were developed in the 1930s to stabilize creams, and are now used in nearly all skin care products. Recently, researchers have found that there may be a connection between paraben preservatives and both breast cancer and male reproductive problems. Propylene glycol is an alcohol. It is manufactured synthetically, typically from petroleum, or it is manufactured naturally from corn. Propylene glycol, which is used as a wetting agent, is an active ingredient in industrial anti-freeze. It may cause kidney and liver abnormalities and even damage cell membranes.

Why do companies use harsh ingredients like these? Because they can, and the cosmetic industry is not as strict as it is for food and drugs. Plus, synthetic ingredients are a fraction of the price of their natural counterparts, making them attractive to manufacturers.

Be a Label Detective

Understanding these ingredients and decoding what they really are will allow you to be consumer savvy. A couple of resources that will help you become a label detective are The Safe Shopper’s Bible by David Steinman and Samuel S. Epstein, M.D., A Consumer’s Dictionary of Cosmetic Ingredients by Ruth Winter, M.S. I also like Pure Skin by Barbara Close.

Most people have been shopping in the dark—until now. We are turning the light on so that we can see what is on the labels and what is going on and in our skin. Beauty and health go hand in hand. It’s about balance. Beauty in balance means a healthier you.

Some safe brands to try: La Bella Donna, Jane Iredale, Bare Escentuals, Josie Maran, Jurlique, Lavera and
ZuZu