Green Food & Drink

Is Organic Baby Food Harmful?

No.  Organic baby food cannot harm your baby.  Vegetables, fruits, and wheat grown without the help of toxic pesticides and fertilizers, do not contain traces of these toxic substances that cannot be eliminated by the baby's immune system.  Organic baby food is the healthiest food around for babies, and to think that babies eat more often than adults, they are exposed to the risk of ingesting pesticides. What is Organic Food? People who are diagnosed with cancer stumble across organic food and by this time, it might be too late.  If you start your baby on organic food and drinks, the foundation for baby's health is solid.  Organic baby food is sourced from pesticide-free grains, vegetables and fruits.  To grow organic food, farmers use organic seeds.  These can also be purchased from local plant nurseries or ordered online. Non-organic vegetables and fruits are picture-pretty.  These are coated with pesticides that prevent bugs and worms and other pests from feasting on the vegetables and fruits, and grains, hence these retain a healthy look. Pesticides clinging to the veggies and fruits find themselves into the insides and no amount of washing the vegetable clean can eliminate all traces of poisons that kill a variety of pests ...

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Natural Alternatives to Refined Sugar

Refined sugar is not only poor for our health, but it also put a strain on our environment as well.  There are natural alternatives to refined sugar that will fit into your balanced diets as well as the balance of our environment! Refined sugar is made by extracting the sucrose from the sugar cane plant.  Once that is done, they use a purification system so to speak, to get out all of the stuff that comes in the plant, such as insect parts, and fibers from the plant.  This is how white sugar is made, the same type of sugar that we put on our cereal, or in our coffee.  White sugar is the most common type of sugar that is used today.  Sugar causes weight gain in us, and it takes up a lot of energy to actually make, which is why it is not too healthy for the environment. When white sugar is made, it goes through a specific process to actually turn the sugar white, it does not just come like that all by itself.  In fact, sugar right off of the cane, is called raw sugar, and instead of having fine little crystals of sugar, like white sugar, ...

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Purchasing Food Locally in an Eco-Friendly Way

If you have apples in your kitchen, do you have any idea how far they had to travel before you were able to buy them at the store?  In most cases apples travel more than 1500 miles before you get a hold of them.  Now that's a lot of fuel.  Consider how much fuel is used to transport apples and other types of produce all over the country.  That's a lot of pollution that is created by the vehicles that carry these foods.  Sure, apples are good for you, but those fumes are definitely going to start causing some problems. While the environmental impact is one of the issues to deal with, you also need to think about the preservatives used to keep the apple fresh while it is traveling across the country to your local store.  There are many companies that use various preservatives that include chemicals that can be dangerous to your health. Wondering what you can do about these problems?  Well, one of the best things to do is to start purchasing your food locally.  While many small farms have been lost in the past 70-80 years, today you'll still find that there are often farmers in your local ...

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Perks of Cooking with Cast Iron

Cast iron cookware has been in use since 513 BC when it was first introduced by the Chinese.  Known for its immense health benefits, cooking in cast iron utensils is making a huge comeback amongst the health conscious.  Apart from the obvious health benefits, cast iron cookware is sturdy and easy to maintain and has the ability to withstand the abuse meted out to utensils of everyday use in a busy kitchen. These utensils are very long lasting and can be very easily seasoned and reused irrespective of its age.  So, if you find your mothers or grandmother's cast iron utensils lying around gathering dust, don't throw them away.  Seasoned cooks claim that food that is cooked in cast iron utensils always tastes better than the one cooked otherwise. One of the biggest health benefits of cooking in cast iron is the ability of this metal to increase the source of iron in the food.  Iron as a dietary supplement is important to generate proper blood flow and circulate oxygen.  Iron deficiency in the human system can lead to a number of health issues such as anemia, headaches, a general lack of energy and tiredness.  Cooking with cast iron is a great ...

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The Environmental Impact of Food Miles: What You Can Do To Help

Do you know how far your food has travelled to reach your dinner table?  In many cases, Western society routinely purchases food that was grown more than 1000 miles away and transported to the local grocery store.  While food prices in the store are relatively inexpensive, the environmental cost of transporting your food is often very high.  Trucks, trains, and boats, all of which consume fossil fuels, are the primary methods for transporting large quantities of food around the world.  Additionally, the transportation of these goods causes an increase in greenhouse gas emissions.  Many people are becoming aware of the impact that food mileage has on the environment and are choosing alternative food purchase options to reduce the distance that their food must travel to reach their plates. When purchasing food in the store, consider the food miles that it has accumulated to reach the shelf.  For example, many fruits and vegetables which are out of season are provided by foreign countries and have travelled a significant distance to reach the local shelves.  By choosing locally grown produce, you can drastically cut the food miles that you consume.  Additionally, buying produce that is in season increases the chances that it is ...

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