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Green Food & Drink
Sustainable Seafood and Your iPhone
Information hasn’t always been the most accessible on the topic of sustainable seafood when you’re on the go. If you wanted to know what seafood was best for the environment when picking out dinner at the grocery store, or ordering an entree at a restaurant, you couldn’t. The good news is sustainable seafood experts are up to date with technology and now there are iPhone applications available to help you out. The Blue Ocean Institute launched a free FishPhone application for the iPhone. The app was developed alongside a sustainable winegrower, which made the app extra useful. In addition to seafood rankings, the app includes recipes and wine pairings for the seafood. If you don’t have an iphone, the Blue Ocean Institute offers FishPhone through text message. You can text fish salmon or fish lobster to 30644 and they’ll send you a text message back ranking the fish's sustainability. The service is free but note that standard text messaging rates apply. The FishPhone app also flags seafood that is known to contain high levels of contaminants like mercury and PCBs. The Monterey Bay Aquarium, publishers of the Seafood Watch guide, provides a free iPhone app that allows you to access their database ...- Bookmark :
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Meat Consumption: Environmental Concern
Very few people are aware of the fact that there is increasing evidence to support the fact that the production and consumption of meat is a major environmental and humanitarian concern. Check out some findings from the Livestock, Environment and Development (LEAD) Initiative, a program supported by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO): 1. 26% of the ice-free land on this planet is taken up by grazing lands. 2. Pastures take up 70% of previously forested land in the Amazon. 3. In 2050, meat production will double what it was in 1990. 4. Feedcrop production is 33% of all arable land on Earth. 5. Livestock are responsible for over half of the country's sediment and erosion issues in the United States. 6. Livestock account for 9% of all human activity related carbon dioxide emissions. 7. A third of human protein intake comes from livestock. 8. Livestock now occupies 30% of the Earth's land surface, which was once wildlife habitat. 9. Nearly two thirds of human related ammonia emissions can be attributed to livestock. 10. 20% of the Earth's animal biomass has livestock to blame. 11. Methane has 23 times more global warming potential compared to carbon dioxide. Livestock are responsible for 37% of all human activity related methane ...- Bookmark :
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Eco-Friendly Barbequing
It’s a Sunday afternoon. The sky is blue and there isn’t a cloud in sight. The kids are home from school, music is playing, and it’s an all around beautiful day to fire up the grill. With a great BBQ to host the cookout, fresh meats and vegetables, and good company, it promises to be a day of good food and fun by the pool. With all the fun and excitement, don’t forget to think green when you’re about to fire up the grill. Most people are aware of the negative impact that paper plates and cans have on the environment. However, the ecological impact of a day of barbequing is not as well known. The first question is, which grilling method is the best for the environment; charcoal, electric, or gas? Gas grills are popular for their relative greenhouse gas neutrality. However, when you look at each type of grill over the course of the products manufacturing to its use, more questions arise as to the positive and negative attributes of each option. The Department of Energy’s Natural Laboratory claims that a charcoal grill releases twice as much carbon as a gas grill. The Environmental Protection Agency claims that charcoal grills ...- Bookmark :
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How to Make Chocolate Beetroot Muffins
Chocolate beetroot muffins have a rich, chocolately flavor and lovely color. And you are getting the good nutrition of beetroots in a sweet treat. Look for fresh beetroots in the produce section of your market. If they have the greens attached, cut them off and cook them as you would spinach. Here's how to make a dozen chocolate beetroot muffins. Ingredients -1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder -1 1/2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour -1 cup superfine or extra fine sugar (you can also whiz regular white sugar in a blender to make it finer) -1/4 teaspoon salt -1 teaspoon baking powder -1/3 cup mini chocolate chips (optional) -1 cup beetroots, peeled, cooked, and mashed (you can also puree the cooked beetroots) -2 teaspoons vanilla extract -3/4 cup oil (such as canola or safflower) -2 large eggs -powdered sugar for dusting Preheat the oven to 350. While it heats, sift together the flour, cocoa, salt and baking powder. In a mixer, cream the oil, sugar and vanilla. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Add the beetroot mash or puree to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed. Keeping the mixer on low, mix in the dry ingredients a little at a time. Fold in the mini chocolate chips by hand. Spoon into muffin cups lined with paper. ...- Bookmark :
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10 Natural Ways to Boost Your Metabolism
How to Boost Your Metabolism There are foods that can actually help you boost your metabolism - in other words, they can speed up the rate at which you burn calories. Here are some of the best foods and beverages for speeding up your metabolism. 1. Almonds Aren't nuts high in fat? Yes, but the essential fatty acids in almonds actually stimulate your metabolism. They do have a lot of calories, but eating a handful of raw ones is a healthy snack. 2. Green Tea Green tea has a certain catechin, or flavonoid, called epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). This gives your nervous system a boost, stimulating your body to burn more calories. 3. Jalapenos These spicy little peppers contain capsaicin, which is said to boost your calorie-burning for some time after you eat them. 4. Broccoli Because it has vitamin C and calcium, broccoli is a good metabolism booster. 5. Grapefruit Full of fiber, grapefruit requires a lot of energy to digest and break down. It also lowers your insulin levels (insulin stimulates your body to store fat). 6. Turkey Lean turkey meat is full of protein but not fat or sugar, making it ideal for building lean muscle and increasing your metabolism. 7. Apples An apple a day keeps slow metabolism away! This fiber-rich fruit ...- Bookmark :
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