FitSugar

PVC Shower Curtains = Bad For Your Health

FitSugar — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 02:00:00 -0700

Air pollution affects our health, but most of us think about the air outside being polluted - not the air in our homes. There are many silent culprits polluting our air from odorless radon to stinky off-gassing PVCs (polyvinyl chloride). It seems that PVCs are in just about everything from household items like vinyl flooring, vinyl shower curtains, and children’s toys to beauty products like perfumes, nail polish, and lotions. Plus PVC is very difficult to recycle and never breaks down.

Since many "plastic" shower curtains are made from PVC which off-gasses plasticizers that are potential hormone disruptors. Plus, they are easier to throw away than to clean once they become covered with mildew. These plastic/PVC shower curtains never breakdown and they are difficult to recycle. On so many levels, plastic shower curtains are just plain bad news.

A simple way to improve the quality of air in your house is to replace vinyl shower curtains with cloth ones made of organic cotton or hemp. Of course you should use a nylon liner in stead of a plastic one. You can easily wash both a cloth shower curtain and the nylon liner, so they will be around in your bathroom for a long time, rather than clogging up landfills. Plus hemp is naturally mildew resistant and sturdy, there's a reason sailors made ropes out of the fiber. Some hemp curtains are so thick, they don't even require a liner!

The only downside that I can see is that hemp curtains only come in "natural" and "white" - not so fashionable. Since the green revolution has begun, I think we will start seeing fun colors in these shower curtains.

And you, what kind of shower curtain do you have? Let me know in the comments section below.

Healthy Eating Tip: Cook Pasta in Green Tea

FitSugar — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 10:00:00 -0700

I was perusing the October issue of Shape and found an interesting tip in one of their dinner recipes. They suggested boiling your pasta noodles with bags of green tea. I thought it was a little odd at first, but then I read that it actually makes your pasta healthier because the noodles soak up the rich antioxidants from the tea. So I decided to give it a try, adding six green tea bags to six cups of boiling water. When I cooked my two and a half cups of whole wheat penne, the green tea added a subtle earthy flavor similar to spinach pasta. Give it a try the next time you make noodles and let me know what you think.

Source

Healthy Eating Tip: Bed of Greens Instead of Carbs

FitSugar — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 12:00:00 -0700

Going out for a nice dinner doesn't mean you can't have a healthy meal. Many restaurants are amenable to diners' needs, and you can make sure your plate is full of foods you want and need to eat.

Fish, chicken or meat dishes are usually served on an enormous portion or rice, mashed potatoes, or pasta. To avoid a starchy, buttery side dish, simply ask that your protein be placed on a bed of greens instead. Think steamed kale, chard, spinach, or a raw bed of spinach or salad greens. I'm not saying I avoid those carbs altogether, but eating large portions of them makes me feel grossly full. Not only are the greens less filling, but they offer fiber and so many vitamins and minerals. Plus they add and interesting texture and fresh flavor to the main dish. So the next time you're at a restaurant, as for greens instead of carbs. At the end of the meal, your stomach and waistline will be happy that you did.

Getty

Healthy Eating Tip: Add Greens to Smoothies

FitSugar — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 04:30:00 -0700

When I recently posted my Almond Berry Banana Yogurt Smoothie recipe, FitSugar reader andrennabird had a brilliant idea - add greens to your smoothies. It's a great way to get more nutritious leafy greens into your diet, without even tasting them. The sweet fruit and creamy yogurt hide the earthy flavor, and since you blend the greens up, there's no chewing involved.

I like adding spinach, but you can also try kale, arugula, or sprouts. Just add a few cups of greens to your favorite smoothie recipe, and sip away. Experiment with combinations to see which taste the best, and if you've come up with any delicious concoctions, please share them below.

Healthy Eating Tip: Don't Toss Those Beet Greens

FitSugar — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 12:13:49 -0700

If you've already learned to love beets, then I've got a new assignment for you. Try eating the beet greens on top that you might otherwise cut off and discard.

These hearty leaves look very much like Swiss chard, and not surprisingly, they cook and taste like chard too. Better yet, they're incredibly nutritious. One cup of beet greens has just 39 calories and no fat but contains 220 percent of your daily allowance of vitamin A and 60 percent of your RDI of vitamin C.

Plus, if you're preparing a dish with beets, cooking the greens gives you an instant side dish! Try blanching them in boiling water for a few minutes, then drain the greens before sautéing with a little olive oil, salt, and garlic.

Thanksgiving Portion Primer

FitSugar — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:00:25 -0800

Few of us, if any, sit down to Thanksgiving dinner with a food scale in hand. Nevertheless, portion control on this day of feasting still matters. Using visual cues can certainly help keep your plate from turning into a pyramid of starch and fat.

Turkey: A serving of meat is three ounces and looks like a deck of cards.
Potatoes and stuffing: A typical serving size of a starch is 1/2 a cup. To keep from going overboard, visualize a tennis ball cut in half. Remember, carbs should only take up a quarter of your plate.
Veggies: A serving of veggies is similar to a rounded handful, but veggies should take up at least half of your plate. Load up on green beans, Brussels sprouts, and squash.
Salad: A cup of greens is considered a serving, so about the size of your hands cupped together.
Butter: A teaspoon of butter is about the size of the tip of your thumb.
Gravy: A tablespoon resembles the size of both a woman's thumbs.

Source: Flickr User walkering

7 Steps to a Healthier Sandwich

FitSugar — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 08:00:04 -0800

Whether it's the recession or our increasing need for simplicity, sandwiches are having a moment. They're one of my favorite easy lunches and very healthy if you make them right. But it's important not to get stuck in an unhealthy or unimaginative sandwich rut.

Some healthy-sandwich strategies are obvious: avoid fried foods and super-oily sauces, opt for whole-grain bread instead of sliced white. But that's only the beginning. For my seven tips on making sandwiches that are both delicious and nutritious, read more.

Open it up! An open-faced sandwich made with one slice of wheat bread instead of two can save around 70 calories.
Go green. In place of empty iceberg lettuce, opt for iron-rich greens like spinach or romaine. Try pressing a cup of raw spinach into a hot panini.
Load up on veggies. Sneaking veggies into sandwiches is a great way to get your five a day. Think beyond tomatoes and add everything from roasted beets to cucumbers to carrots.
And don't forget fruit! Similarly, you can increase your fruit intake through your sandwiches. I suggest sliced apples and cheese or figs and nut butter.
Hold the mayo. I'm sure you know this, but here's a reminder: mustard is a much better choice. One ounce of yellow mustard has just 19 calories and one gram of fat, while the same amount of mayo packs 210 calories and 21 grams of fat.
Speaking of mayo, try swapping it out for nonfat yogurt to make a healthier tuna or chicken salad.
Don't say cheese. Rather than eliminating the creamy texture of cheese, replace it with sliced avocado. One ounce has just 45 calories and loads of healthy fat.

Ideal Bite: A Sassier Shade of Green

FitSugar — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:00:00 -0700

Help take a bite out of global warming with Ideal Bite, an eco-living email newsletter. I truly appreciate the daily bite-sized tips I find in my e-mail in box everyday. So much so that my friends at Ideal Bite decided to sponsor a post here so I could tell you more about what they do.

Basically, all you have to do is sign up for their e-mail newsletter and receive easily digestible and practical tips for making your life a bit more green. The ladies behind the newsletter are hardly eco-perfect themselves, but we do get to benefit from their experiences as they work on greening their daily lives. It is this wonderful mix of "incremental environmentalism" and keep it real attitude that inspires tiny steps towards creating a smaller carbon footprint of your own. You can also create your own personalized library of tips, kind of like keeping an electronic recipe file, but this is a recipe for green living.

Looking for ways to be green in your local scene? With Local Bites you can get city-specific tips for NYC (sign up here) and San Francisco (sign up here – you know I have) with Chicago, LA, Seattle and Denver editions coming soon. Think globally. Act locally.

If you find going green intimidating, this is the site for you. With tips doled out in bite sized chunks, you don't need to worry about biting off more than you can chew.

Ideal Bite: A Sassier Shade of Green

FitSugar — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 11:00:00 -0700

Not so long ago Kermit the Frog lamented that it's not easy being green, but he obviously wasn't hip to the website Ideal Bite.

Since I like this site so much, my friends at Ideal Bite decided to sponsor a post here so I could tell you more about the Bite. Basically, the site offers bite-sized ideas for light green living e-mailed directly to you, every weekday. If you sign up for their daily newsletter you will receive tips like what is the best organic wine to pick up on your next trip to Whole Foods, no matter if you biked there or drove your SUV. They also have the low down on eco-fashions delivered in a short and sassy manner, just like that skirt you just bought. You can also create your own personalized library of tips, kind of like keeping an electronic recipe file, but this is a recipe for green living.

Ideal Bite only recommends products and services that they themselves have tested. So their recommendations will be good for you, your wallet, your sassy lifestyle and the PLANET!!! The tips are delivered with a serious dose of humor and humility since the writers candidly share eco-imperfections that we can all relate to.

If you find going green intimidating, this is the site for you. With tips doled out in bite sized chunks, you don't need to worry about biting off more than you can chew.

The Best Life Diet on Oprah

FitSugar — Tue, 23 Jan 2007 10:00:00 -0800

Bob Greene has been helping celebrities get healthy and now he's sharing his tips and diet plan with the rest of the world - lucky us.

It's called The Best Life Diet.

Oprah Winfrey raves about this 4 phase program. After all, it's how she lost all of her weight and continues to keep it off and I think she looks amazing.

Phase 1: Truth, Commitment, and Self-Control - it's about getting in touch with yourself, and figuring out why you've gained weight in the first place since this will help you lose it.

Phase 2: Rev Up Your Metabolism by doing the following:

For the first month:

Eliminate alcohol for now.
Focus on exercising a little.
Drink Water.
Add a vitamin Supplement.
Eat 3 meals a day and 2 snacks.
Stop eating 2 hours before bedtime.

Want to hear the rest? Then read more

Phase 3: Get Real About Emotional Eating - understand why you emotionally eat and work towards eliminating it. In this phase, you increase your exercise and water intake.

Phase 4: Secure a Life of Health and Emotional Well-Being - Add strength training to your exercise routine. Cut fats from your diet and limit sugars and bad carbs. Prepare yourself for an active lifestyle that will last the rest of your life.

In the beginning phase of the diet, you want to watch out for these foods:

No white bread - replace with a whole grain alternative.
Replace regular pasta with a whole wheat version.
No more soda.
No trans fat.
No fried foods.
Ditch high fat dairy products like whole milk and ice cream.

Towards the end, you can re-introduce foods that you love, but in moderation of course.

If you want, you can sign up on-line, but I have to say, I tried and it seemed like a lot of work. Plus, the 1st 10 days are free, but after that, it's about $4 a week to be a member and receive the tips, exercise and meal plans, plus recipes.

I'd get the book for $15.60 and use that as my guide. This plan sounds doable and healthy - not like other diets where you're really restricting your favorite foods. It sounds like it will work for the long term too.