Sunday, January 20, 2008

Say NO to soda!!!

http://articles. mercola.com/ sites/articles/ archive/2008/ 1/19/what- happens-to- your-body- within-an- hour-of-drinking -a-coke.aspx

soda, soda pop, coca cola, coke, soft drinks, physical effects of drinking cokeDo you want to be healthy? Drinking soda is bad for your health in so many ways; science can't even state all the consequences. Here's what happens in your body when you assault it with a Coke:

Within the first 10 minutes, 10 teaspoons of sugar hit your system. This is 100 percent of your recommended daily intake, and the only reason you don't vomit as a result of the overwhelming sweetness is because phosphoric acid cuts the flavor.

Within 20 minutes, your blood sugar spikes, and your liver responds to the resulting insulin burst by turning massive amounts of sugar into fat.

Within 40 minutes, caffeine absorption is complete; your pupils dilate, your blood pressure rises, and your livers dumps more sugar into your bloodstream.

Around 45 minutes, your body increases dopamine production, which stimulates the pleasure centers of your brain – a physically identical response to that of heroin, by the way.

After 60 minutes, you'll start to have a sugar crash.

Sources:
Read Dr. Mercola's Comments further on his page

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

“Anything one does every day is important and imposing and anywhere one lives is interesting and beautiful.” --Gertrude Stein

Wednesday, January 9, 2008

Simple Living Simplified: 10 Things You Can Do Today to Simplify Your Life

Simplifying can sometimes be overwhelming. The amount of stuff you have in your life and the amount of things you have to do can be too big a mountain to tackle.

But you don’t have to simplify it all at once. Do one thing at a time, and take small steps. You’ll get there, and have fun doing it.

In fact, you can do little but important things today to start living the simple life.
I was criticized a few weeks ago when I published the Simple Living Manifesto: 72 Ideas to Simplify Your Life, because many people felt the list was too long. I heard this point, and this post is my response: just the 10 most important things.

And these are not 10 difficult things, but 10 simple things that you can do today. Not tomorrow, not next week, not next month. Today. Choose one and do it today. Tomorrow, choose another.

If you do these 10 things, you’ll have made great strides with little effort.

1. Make a short list. Take out a sheet of paper and fold it into a small square, perhaps 3×5 inches. Or take out an index card. Now make a short list of the 4-5 most important things in your life. What’s most important to you? What do you value most? What 4-5 things do you most want to do in your life? Simplifying starts with these priorities, as you are trying to make room in your life so you have more time for these things.

2. Drop 1 commitment. Think about all the things in your life that you’re committed to doing, and try to find one that you dread doing. Something that takes up time but doesn’t give you much value. Perhaps you’re on a team, or coaching something, or on a board or committee, or whatever. Something that you do each day or week or month that you don’t really want to do. Now take action today to drop that commitment. Call someone, send an email, telling the appropriate person or people that you just don’t have the time. You will feel relief. I’d recommend dropping all commitments that don’t contribute to your short list (from Item #1), but for today, just drop 1 commitment.

3. Purge a drawer. Or a shelf, or a countertop, or a corner of a room. Not an entire room or even an entire closet. Just one small area. You can use that small area as your base of simplicity, and then expand from there. Here’s how to purge: 1) empty everything from the drawer or shelf or corner into a pile. 2) From this pile, pick out only the most important things, the stuff you use and love. 3) Get rid of the rest. Right now. Trash it, or put it in your car to give away or donate. 4) Put the stuff you love and use back, in a neat and orderly manner.

4. Set limits. Read Haiku Productivity for more. Basically, you set limits for things you do regularly: email, RSS posts, tasks, feeds, items in your life, etc. And try to stick with the limits. Today, all you have to do is set limits for a few things in your life. Tomorrow, try to stick with them.

5. Simplify your to-do list. Take a look at your to-do list. If it’s more than 10 items long, you can probably simplify it a bit. Try to find at least a few items that can be eliminated, delegated, automated, outsourced, or ignored. Shorten the list. This is a good habit to do once a week.

6. Free up time. Simplifying your life in general is a way to free up time to do the stuff you want to do. Unfortunately, it can be hard to find time to even think about how to simplify your life. If that’s the case, free up at least 30 minutes a day for thinking about simplifying. Or alternatively, free up a weekend and think about it then. How can you free up 30 minutes a day? Just a few ideas: wake earlier, watch less TV, eat lunch at your desk, take a walk for lunch, disconnect from the Internet, do email only once today, shut off your phones, do 1 less thing each day.

7. Clear your desk. I can personally attest to the amazing feeling that a clean desk can give you. It’s such a simple thing to do, and yet it does so much for you. If your desk is covered with papers and notes and gadgets and office supplies, you might not be able to get this done today. But here are the basic steps: 1) Clear everything off your desk and put it in a pile (either in your inbox or on the floor). 2) Process the pile from top to bottom, one item at a time. Do not defer decisions on any item — deal with them immediately and quickly. 3) For each item, either file it immediately, route it to someone else, trash it, or note it on your to-do list (and put it in an “action” folder). If it’s a gadget or office supply, find a place for it in your desk drawers (or get rid of it). 4) Repeat until your pile is empty and your desk is clear. Be sure to get rid of any knick knacks. Your desk should have your computer, your inbox, perhaps a notepad, and maybe a family photo (but not many). Ahh, a clear desk! 5) From now on, put everything in your inbox, and at least once a day, process it in the same way as above.

8. Clear out your email inbox. This has the same psychological effect as a clear desk. Is your email inbox always full of read and unread messages? That’s because you’re delaying decisions on your emails. If you have 50, let’s say, or fewer emails in your inbox, you can process them all today. If you have hundreds, you should put them in a temporary folder and get to them one chunk at a time (do 20 per day or something). Here’s how you process your inbox to empty — including emails already in your inbox, and all future incoming emails: 1) process them top to bottom, one at a time, deciding and disposing of each one immediately. 2) Your choices are to delete, archive, respond immediately (and archive or delete), forward (and archive or delete), or mark it with a star (or something like that) and note it on your to-do list to respond to later (and archive). 3) Process each email like that until the inbox is empty. 4) Each time you check your email, process to empty. Ahh, an empty inbox!

9. Move slower. We rush through the day, from one task to another, from one appointment to another, until we collapse on the couch, exhausted, at the end of the day. Instead, simplify your life by doing less (see Items 1, 4 and 5) and doing them more slowly. Eat slower, drive slower, walk slower, shower slower, work slower. Be more deliberate. Be present. This isn’t something you’re going to master today, but you can start practicing today.

10. Single-task. Instead of multi-tasking, do one thing at a time. Remove all distractions, resist any urge to check email or do some other habitual task like that while you’re doing the task at hand. Stick to that one task, until you’re done. It’ll make a huge difference in both your stress level and your productivity.

Leo Babauta, zenhabits.net has graciously shared this info with us. Thank you Leo. :)

Tuesday, January 8, 2008

Monday, January 7, 2008

Banana Soy Muffins


  • 2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 2 large, very ripe bananas
  • 1/3 cup applesauce
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1/2 cup soymilk

  • In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, and baking powder. In a blender, puree the bananas; add the applesauce, honey, and soymilk. Mix well. Pour the banana mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until just moistened. Fill paper muffin cups with the batter and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until lightly brown and firm.

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    Friday, January 4, 2008

    Nationwide vegan, organic delivery service launches

    http://www.citizen- times.com/ apps/pbcs. dll/article? AID=200871231054 &template= printart
    http://www.citizen- times.com/ apps/pbcs. dll/article? AID=200871231054

    [Contact information:
    http://orig. citizen-times. com/service/ contact/ ]

    BLACK MOUNTAIN — The Hungry Vegan has launched a
    nationwide vegan and organic meal delivery service.

    The service offers a new menu each week that includes
    12 different items ranging from comfort foods, such as
    winter chili, to gourmet selections, such as roulades.

    The food is shipped overnight or in two days. The
    shipments provide for about five to seven days of
    lunches and dinners.

    Leftovers can be frozen. The meals are ready to eat;
    customers just need to heat the items.

    For more information, visit http://www.hungry- vegan.com

    Thursday, January 3, 2008

    Nature's Medicine


    Apple peels contain twelve anti-cancer compounds
    called "triterpenoids"
    by David Gutierrez
    NewsTarget
    January 2 2008

    http://www.newstarg et.com/z022443. html
    http://www.newstarg et.com/022443. html

    Apple peels contain as many as a dozen cancer-fighting
    chemical compounds, according to a study conducted by
    researchers at Cornell University and published in the
    Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

    "We found that several compounds have potent
    anti-proliferative activities against human liver,
    colon and breast cancer cells, and may be partially
    responsible for the anti-cancer activities of whole
    apples," said Rui Hai Liu, an associate professor of
    food science.

    The researchers extracted each individual chemical
    compound found in the peels of 230 pounds of Red
    Delicious apples. They then tested these compounds
    individually against cultures of cancer cells in the
    laboratory. They identified 12 compounds, called
    triterpenoids, which inhibited the growth of cancer
    cells or even killed them.

    Previous research at Cornell has helped illuminate the
    health benefits of apples. Laboratory studies have
    shown that apples inhibit cancer cells and also reduce
    the growth and number of breast cancer tumors in rats.
    A number of phytochemicals, such as flavonoids and
    phenolic acids, have been isolated from apples and
    demonstrate similar effects. Some Cornell researchers
    have also hypothesized that apples may have a
    preventive effect against Alzheimer's disease.

    Like other fruits and vegetables, apples also improve
    general health and provide protection against a host
    of illnesses.

    "We believe that a recommendation that consumers eat
    five to twelve servings of a wide variety of fruits
    and vegetables daily is appropriate to reduce the
    risks of chronic diseases, including cancer, and to
    meet nutrient requirements for optimum health," Liu
    said.

    Apples are a highly popular fruit, with the average
    U.S. consumer eating 20 pounds (9 kilograms) per year,
    or about one every four days, and the average European
    consumer eating 44 pounds (20 kilograms) per year, or
    about 1.5 per day.

    However, the Environmental Working Group warns that
    apples rank second only to peaches in terms of highest
    concentration of pesticides in non-organically grown
    vegetables. Washing reduces but does not remove
    pesticide residue.

    Wednesday, January 2, 2008

    Chocolate Chip Bars

    INGREDIENTS
      • 3/4 cup brown sugar
      • 3/4 cup organic sugar
      • 1 cup oil
      • 1/3 cup tofu
      • 2 T water
      • 1 t vanilla
      • 3 1/2 cups unbleached white flour
      • 1 1/2 t baking powder
      • 1/2 t baking soda
      • 1/2 t salt
      • 1 cup chocolate chips

    Preheat oven to 350F

    Cream together brown sugar, white sugar and oil. In a blender, blend the tofu, water and vanilla, and add to the sugar and oil.

    In a bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix with the wet ingredients, and fold in the chocolate chips.

    Press into a 9 x 13 inch pan and bake 10-12 minutes (I had to bake them for much longer). Cool and cut into 24 bars.

    Tuesday, January 1, 2008

    HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

    Resolution: Be Green in 2008

    By Jana Ballinger
    Care2 Green Living Copy Editor and Producer

    http://www.care2.com/greenliving/resolution-be-green-in-2008.html

    With the holiday festivities pretty much behind us, it's time to
    start thinking about some New Year's resolutions. Self improvement
    seems to top the list for most—lose 10 pounds, get that promotion—but
    how about also resolving to do something good for the planet? You'll
    get something out of it too: Going green often means doing stuff
    that's healthier for the environment and healthier for you. And being
    a do-gooder feels good!

    So here are some ideas for resolutions for a greener new year:

    Be Naturally Beautiful.
    I hate to break it to you but that gook you put on your face and in
    your hair might be doing a lot more than making you feel pretty. It
    could make you feel sick.
    Take this quiz and check your products for dangerous chemicals such
    as phthalates or sodium laurel sulfate.
    http://www.care2.com/greenliving/are-your-beauty-products-safe-quiz.html
    Many everyday products such as shampoos, soaps, lotions and lipsticks
    contain them. Opt for organic products made of natural ingredients
    and thank Mother Nature for that radiant glow.

    Wake Up and Smell the Perfume.
    Don't let the pretty smell fool you: Most fragrances are just chock
    full of hazardous chemicals. But there are alternatives that will
    leave you smelling sweet as a rose.
    Get the scoop here.
    http://www.care2.com/greenliving/good-scents-natural-perfume.html

    Eat Organic.
    No two ways about it, buying organic produce is tastier and also
    healthier, but it is more expensive because it's a lot cheaper to
    dump chemicals on a crop. If you can't afford to buy all organic,
    here's a list of the top 10 fruits and vegetables to eat organic.
    http://www.care2.com/greenliving/the-top-10-foods-to-eat-organically.html

    Buy Local.
    Common sense says that the farther away your food is grown, the more
    fossil fuels are required to get it to you. So look for local produce
    at your grocery store and make it a point to visit your community
    farmers market whenever possible.
    Defining local.
    http://www.care2.com/greenliving/how-do-we-define-local-for-produce.html

    Be a Bag Lady.
    Even if you're just bringing back all the paper and plastic bags
    stuffed in that bottom drawer of your kitchen, always BYOB.
    http://www.care2.com/greenliving/easy-greening-shopping-bags.html
    If you don't want to spend money on reusable grocery bags—although
    there are lots of really cute options out there—look around the house
    for old totes, beach bags, twine-handled fancy shopping bags or even
    large baskets. Keep lots in your trunk (and don't forget to put them
    back in the trunk after unloading your groceries!), plus one compact
    bag folded up in your purse so you're never without it.

    Clean Green.
    You don't even want to know all the gross chemicals that are in
    commercially made products. Not only are you breathing those
    chemicals, but then you end up pouring them down the drain.
    http://www.care2.com/greenliving/10-pollutants-going-down-your-drain.html
    Not good for you, or the Earth.
    So what's the answer? Make your own non-toxic cleaning kit.
    http://www.care2.com/greenliving/make-your-own-non-toxic-cleaning-kit.html

    Change a Light Bulb.
    If just one light bulb in every home in America were switched out for
    a compact fluorescent—aka CFLs—it would save enough energy to light
    more than 3 million homes for a year. CFLs are everywhere now, there
    are tons of different kinds to choose from and it's such an easy fix.
    Learn more.
    http://www.care2.com/greenliving/love-your-light-bulbs-easy-greening.html

    Sip, Don't Guzzle.
    Even if you don't plan to buy a hybrid, there are ways to make the
    car you have get the best possible gas mileage. A properly tuned
    engine will get between 6 and 20 percent higher mpg, for example.
    Here's a list of 12 things you can do to stretch a tank of gas.
    http://www.care2.com/greenliving/stretch-tank-of-gas-12-tips.html

    Be a Peddle Pusher.
    Sometimes a car is necessary, but just running errands around town?
    Ride your bike to the post office, the grocery store, the dentist,
    etc., and experience the true joy of being car-free for a while.
    Bonus: Hello, exercise!
    More benefits of biking here.
    http://www.care2.com/greenliving/benefits-of-biking.html

    Be an Online Activist.
    Did you know you can help stop global warming, save the rainforest
    and keep pollutants out of our oceans with a single click? You can.
    You can also sign petitions to let the people in power know you care
    and want to make a difference.
    Try it today.
    http://www.thepetitionsite.com/