OneHealthyGirl.com - Carla Golden's Get Healthier! Blog

READERS WRITE BACK!

In response to yesterday's post, I received two substantial replies. I LOVE reader feedback! Thank you!

First, I was reminded that hunting one's own meat does not play into the industrial meat machine. This is very true and a method of meat procurement that I can appreciate. This approach currently does not damage the environment like the farming of animals.

Secondly, I was reminded by a local restauranteur that there is a state-level initiative which is encouraging the purchase and preparation of locally grown food, including meat. YAY South Carolina!

Certified South Carolina is a new, exciting cooperative effort among producers, processors, wholesalers, retailers and the South Carolina Department of Agriculture (SCDA) to brand and promote South Carolina products. The goal is for consumers to be able to easily identify, find and buy South Carolina products.

Look for the above labels in grocery stores, farmer's markets and roadside markets.

Participating chefs agree to prepare menus that include at least 25% Certified South Carolina Grown foods and products in season and feature the Fresh on the Menu brand. These chefs recognize the value in supporting local for not only their bottom lines, but also for the difference South Carolina local products and produce make on the taste of food.

You can view participating restaurants all over South Carolina here. Look for the above logo on restaurant doors and in menus.

I'm just loving this logo! A Palmettovore is a person who attempts to eat only produce and products grown and processed in South Carolina. For those of you who don't know, the Palmetto tree (that one on the left side of the logo under the cresent moon) is our state tree.

This is an excellent initiative and one that I aim to promote. However, being located on the border of South Carolina and Georgia, there will be many Georgia farms whose produce will have a smaller carbon footprint than upstate South Carolina farms for us. But I'm splitting hairs....it's all better than cross-country or out of country produce.

More about the Palmettovore movement on their creative website here.

So, yes, I stand corrected on two accounts. Hunting is better than factory farming and not all restaurants serve meat from the industrial channel. Any reputable restaurant will have identification on their door or in their menu clarifying that they purchase local/regional. And don't be afraid to ask which items in particular so you can be sure to order those!

Live Light, xo-C.

J&J#22: 1 pitcher matcha tea • bowl of plain oatmeal • juice: 1 beet, many carrots • 2 sweet potatoes • 25 minute swim • organic blue tortilla chips • kamut pasta w/raw tomato, garlic + basil sauce

Um, I'm not doing so well with the jumping. The sun is perfect. The air temperature is perfect. The pool water is perfect. I've been swimming like a happy little fish. 

I'VE FALLEN IN LOVE...FOR THE 5 MILLIONth TIME!

My dear AC passed along a flyer which has stolen my heart away. That's the trouble with me...I fall in love so easily. This explains why I'm generally in a neurotic state. There are so many ideas, businesses, grassroot causes and ideals by which to get swept away! I do get swept away and fall hopelessly behind. Then I catch up just to get swept away again. It's a crazy way to live, isn't it? But I don't know any other way and I guess I really don't mind, otherwise I'd change. 

This time it's Dr. Will Tuttle's World Peace Diet: Eating for Spiritual Health and Social Harmony. It "sheds light not only on the underlying causes of war, injustice, and exploitation, but also offers valuable insights into precisely how we can each contribute to world peace and a revolution of consciousness. His research is based on a new understanding of the far-reacing implications of our food choices, as well as ancient wisdom eaching that have been suppressed in our culture."

If you've been reading my blog for a while, you know that I advocate abstaining from flesh foods. I've tried to share my now staunch opinion while trying not to offend too many people. (I'm learning that food is politics, religion and culture on a plate and can be VERY controversial!!) The more I learn and understand, the stronger I feel about reducing the killing of animals. I believe that if we each had to kill with our own hands any meat we would eat, then more people would instantly become vegetarian. Most of us are repulsed by killing, but somehow we avoid those feelings when someone else kills for us and provides the flesh in a convenient package on a store shelf. It's still a dead animal you are purchasing.

Our individual bodies and our personal ethics are microcosoms of The Big Picture. If we can collectively kill a chicken, then we can collectively kill another human. Until we value ourselves, or neighbors and even our enemies as fellow human beings then we will continue to slaughter animals. Can we not collectively learn to value the lives of innocent animals and eventually better value each other and find world peace?

You may say that I'm idealistic, a dreamer or a Pollyanna. But it takes keeping a vision of Universal Love in focus in order to have any hope of one day getting even a wee bit closer. You don't think about just doing well before a big game. You think about winning. In the case of Universal Love, however, we all win. What happens to be good for the animal is also good for the planet, good for your body and easier on your wallet in the long run (excerpted from my Economic Crisis Diet). I'm keeping this vision in focus and hope to do my part in attracting others to follow.

Americans are addicted to flesh consumption (I won't even get into sexual exploitation but it's rolled in there too). Just because we can physically eat meat, doesn't mean that we should. It's the Omnivore's Dilemma. There are compelling arguments for and against the human physiological capabilites of meat eating. Regardless, ethical and environmental issues which support a meatless diet trump those arguments as far as I'm concerned. 

We will not ever be truly free and full of love until we can treat animals and other humans the way we wish to be treated. The Golden Rule applies to creatures too!

Dr. Tuttle advocates the vegan diet. I'm not there yet, but hope to gravitate to that level before too long. I will have to let go of my beloved Caesar salad (anchovies...my only meat....and Parmesan cheese), the occasional butter, sour cream, goat cheese and yogurt. Perhaps I'll be inspired to make the change when I hear Dr. Tuttle speak in Bluffton, South Carolina on Sunday, May 3rd from 11:45 to 1:30 pm at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Lowcountry. His talk follows the Sunday service which will also be lead by Dr. Tuttle starting at 10 am. If you'd like to carpool from Hilton Head Island, please let me know!

www.WorldPeaceDiet.org

Live Light, xo-C.

HOW I REALLY FEEL ABOUT EATING MEAT!

Let me say up front that I know this will not be a popular post. There are a grand number of nice and intelligent people who like meat on their plate. This post is to offer those nice and intelligent people a chance to reinforce their convictions and to help those who haven't put too much thought into the meat on their plate make more conscious choices.

There are three reasons why I don't eat meat. Here they are in descending order:

1. Ethical reasons - I believe it is cruel to abuse a living animal by raising it on an industrialized farm where it is fed an unnatural diet, its movement is restricted and its exposure to fresh air and sunlight is limited at best. It is injected with medications and hormones and then killed in ways which would make most people too uncomfortable to witness. 

Can you sit through an entire PETA video? Try here and here then kindly answer the questionnaire below. (If you are reading and don't see the questionnaire, please click into the original blog post here.)

 

The amount of corn and soy unnaturally fed to industrially raised animals (remember: cows naturally like grass) is more than enough to feed EVERY SINGLE starving, under fed, malnourished person on this planet. 

"The food being fed to the world's cattle alone would feed 8.7 billion people (more than the world's 2008 population) and prevent the starvation of a child every two seconds." AnnaBella Lee

2. Environmental reasons - It is well documented by now that the business of raising meat is one of the most polluting practices on our planet. Trees are cut to make way for CAFOs (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations) destroying natural ecosystems, manure and urine run-off pollutes public waterways, methane gas produced by animals fed unnatural diets adds to greenhouse gases, and the fossil fuel used to transport animals from CAFO to slaughter facility to packaging plant to food outlets is enormous.

It has been said that you can help halt the damage being done to Earth more by going vegetarian than driving an electric car. 

3. Biological resons - Probably the most argued point is whether humans are designed to eat meat or not. I don't think they are, but if you disagree, it still doesn't change the ethical and environmental issues. Maybe we *can* eat meat, but shouldn't if we care about being kind and fair and wish to not damage the planet further. 

Remember the fate of Easter Island? The population ripped through their resources to the point where all was left was each other. The weak ones were surely eaten first. Now days, living on an over-populated planet with wanning resources, do you think cannibalism could be in our future? I do, if things don't turn around. One day, if things continue at this pace, the only thing to eat may be human meat.

Notes on meat from Blueprint for Health:

• humans do not possess claws or sharp teeth and are repelled by the sight and smell of raw, bloody flesh making humans unsuitable as carnivores

• the digestive enzymes of humans are primarily suited to the digestion of carbohydrates (here meaning whole grains and plants, not cookies) and its digestive tract is twelve times the length of the body (a true carnivore's is only three times)

• meat is almost completely devoid of fiber - this fact combined with the long digestive tract of humans creating the slow movement of rotting meat in the large intestines lends a perfect enviroment for colon cancer

• the daily recommended amount of dietary protein fluctuates and some consider it to be too high - consuming more protein than the body needs creates a chemical chain reaction that ends with the storage of uric acid deposited in joints causing the development of arthritis and gout, the demineralization of bones by leaching calcium to neutralize the acid leading to arteriosclerosis, cataracts, kidney stones, skin wrinkles, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, fractures and scoliosis

• by consuming flesh food, humanity is short-changing itself by acquiring its nourishment second-hand; meat eaters generally do not eat other meat-eaters, they eat herbivores because energy comes from the sun through plants; eating meat is second-hand sun food, eating plants is a more direct acquisition of the sun's energy

• it is possible to acquire all essential nutrients through a balanced vegetarian diet comprised of whole, natural foods

I hope we as a species will stop eating meat before human meat is all there is to eat. If you are insistant about feeding yourself meat, please do everything in your power to secure local, grass-fed, humanely treated animals in order to reduce as much as possible the ethical and environmental concerns....and eat it sparingly.

Live Light, xo-C.

"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated." - Mahatma Gandhi

TETRA PAK RECYCLING, GAS RATIONING & A JOKE!

A kind reader wrote in regarding my dislike for the presumed non-recyclable Tetra Paks in which is packaged the yummy, yummy, yummy Vita Coco coconut water. Below is what she shared which was received from the company when she inquired about recycling:

o-------------------o

Thank you for your recent inquiry regarding the recycling of Tetra Pak aseptic cartons.  Unfortunately, there are no curbside programs in PA that include beverage cartons.  However, we do have a facility in Virginia that we work with, that will accept cartons that are mailed to them.  If you are interested in pursuing this option, please place rinsed, drained, and flattened aseptic and gable top cartons (traditional milk and juice cartons) in a cardboard box and mail them to:

 

Tidewater Fibers

12206 Old Stage Road

Chester, VA 23836

 

Please write the word "Cartons" on the box with a marker.  Please feel free to contact me directly if you have any further questions, and thank you for your interest in recycling.  Best regards.

 

David Hurd, Director

Office of Recycling Outreach and Education (OROE)

51 Chambers Street, Room 228

New York, NY 10007

212-341-9894 (Direct)

212-788-7900 (Main)

212-788-7913 (Fax)

dhurd@cenyc.ord

 

And there you have it!  If you ever buy soup in a box, like veggie broth, sometimes they are in Tetra Paks too. 

 

I just rinse them and let them drain upside down in my dish drainer for a few days then I flatten them.  

I typically send in a wine box from the liquor store and when they are flattened, you can fit a lot of Tetra Paks in there.  The cost of shipping is on you but I don't mind paying.  I always put a note in stating that I was told I could send the cartons there for recycling and if this is no longer correct to please contact me. Happy recycling!

o-------------------o

Thank you, Kiri!!! So not only could you send in Tetra Paks, you could also send in traditional milk and juice cartons. I think the obnoxious kids' juice boxes qualify too!! Hoorah!

Today was a rainy day, so I drove my car. I noticed that I have approximately 120 miles left to go on the tank I started conserving on March 16th when it was just under 3/4 of a tank. I'm sure I'll make it to a week from Friday (April 10th) when we head out on a road trip and will fill up. Not bad, less than tank in less than a month by riding bikes more to the grocery store, to school, to work and to the post office.! 

Ok....here's the joke sent to me twice this week. It was too funny not to share! Thanks WVS & GMC! 

A doctor, on his morning walk, noticed an older lady sitting on her front step smoking a cigar, so he walked up to her and said, "I couldn't help but notice how happy you look!  What is your secret?"

"I smoke ten cigars a day," she said.. 

"Before I go to bed, I smoke a nice big joint.  Apart from that, I drink a whole bottle of Jack Daniels every week, and eat only junk food. 

On weekends, I pop pills, get laid, and don't exercise at all."

 

"That is absolutely amazing!  How old are you?"

 

"Thirty-four," she replied.

Take care of yourselves!! Live Light, xo-C.

MY MOTHER GAVE BIRTH TO ME *AND* SHE SAVED ME FROM MY SHAMPOO!

So my mother is researching safe cosmetics and personal care products and asks me about this site called OrganicDivas.com. Well, if you know me one little bit, I am so NOT diva'esque that I can hardly bring myself to even pull up the site. I don't wear make-up, don't color my hair...in fact, I'm growing it back out because I can't stand getting it cut all the dang time to keep it short. I am so low-maintenance when it comes to my personal grooming. I use bar soap (for washing & shaving), organic shampoo, organic conditioner, rubbing alcohol and a variety of essential oils. My one foo-foo item is my loofah sponge. Gotta have the loofah-fah! Far from diva, however.

So my mom is getting down and diva-dirty with the ingredients of all her stuff and I tell her not to worry about me....I use organic from the health food store. Well, she said you know even the health food store brands have "bad" ingredients. I said I know that, knowing good and well that MY brand of shampoo and conditioner wouldn't fall into THAT category. Geeze, Mom.

So I go to the Environmental Working Group site which hosts the Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database. I typed in my shampoo - Nature's Gate Herbal - and HOLY SMOKES it has the moderate hazard score 5 out of 10 (with 10 being bad) with warnings against cancer, developmental/reproductive toxicity, violations, restrictions & warnings, allergies/immunotoxicity and other concerns for ingredients used in this product. YIKES! I think I freakin' need to change shampoos especially since I share the bottle with hubby and child (we're all low maintenance). 

Don't mess with my baby's head unless you want to see something ugly happen! I'm livid! It makes me want to stop washing my hair. OK, that wouldn't last long. 

The Skin Deep Database easily helps you to pull up "safer" shampoos to look for in stores or to order online. And the GoodGuide reviews all kinds of household products - including personal care items - for their safety. 

Incidentally, the GoodGuide rates Nature's Gate Herbal as "good" pulling a rating of 6.5 out of 10 (with bad being 1). So I'm not going to go throw out all my current and back stock, but when we use up ol' Nature's Gate know that I'm going to be choosing a new shampoo with a pristine rating!

Thanks, Mom! Three little heads over here appreciate you watching over us!

Live Light, xo-C.

HOW YOUR THOUGHTS DIRECTLY AFFECT YOUR HEALTH!

"What you give out is what you create." David Icke

There are many people - past and present - who can help you understand the power that your mind and heart have over your body. Our perspective is our reality and once this concept is embraced, freedom can be achieved. Abraham Lincoln said "People are just as happy as they make up their minds to be." It was as true then as it is now.

Long before The Secret, there was As a Man Thinketh by James Allen, written in 1902. It is a beacon in my library. You can read the short book in totality online here. Or you can order a copy from DeVorss Publications for a mere $3.50. 

Mind is the Master-power

that moulds and makes

Man is Mind,

and evermore he takes

The tool of Thought,

and shaping what he wills

Brings forth a thousand joys,

a thousand ills

He thinks in secret,

and it come to pass:

Environment is but his looking-glass

James Allen

Decide for yourself how healthy you want to be in body, mind and spirit. See it. Feel it. Embrace how it will feel when it arrives. Stay focused on that feeling and you'll be amazed what changes you'll attract. Become a magnet for good stuff!

Live Light, xo-C.

WANT TO SAVE THE WORLD? JONATHAN MEAD WILL TELL YOU HOW!

Article originally posted at Zen Habits by contributing writer Jonathan Mead of IlluminatedMind.com:

Our planet isn’t in very good shape right now. The air is polluted. The ocean is becoming plastic soup. We’re in a financial crisis.

Things don’t seem to be looking too good, huh?

There are a lot of people, that have a lot of answers. Everyone things their answer is right. We need cleaner, natural sources for energy. We need biodegradable products that if dumped, will simply disintegrate within a few weeks. As far as the financial crisis goes, that’s a little trickier. Some people say we need more regulation. Others say we need more jobs. Others still say the cost of living is increasing too fast for our incomes to keep up.

Everyone has answers.

The problem is, none of these answers address the fundamental problem:

We don’t need to do anything about it.

No, I didn’t stutter.

The answer isn’t in better solutions, fixes and different angles. The answer is… we need to do less.

There’s a fundamental rule in physics that says, energy cannot be created or destroyed, it can only be transferred. I’m sure you’re familiar with this, we all learned it in school. And the same rule applies to everything in life, but I guess we didn’t listen very well.

See, the problem we’re in this big mess is really simple. It may seem like there’s so much we need to do, to make things right. And that’s the problem. We don’t need to do more. We don’t need to make more of an effort. We need to do less.

That’s why I don’t understand a lot of these “green enthusiasts.” They say we need greener products, with less of an environmental impact. They want to make our consumables more eco-friendly. I agree this is part of the answer, but the issue is really only a sliver of the type of things we consume. It’s how much we consume.

Consuming has caused the majority of our financial and environmental problems. We take more than we give. We know that we’ll need to repay our debt sooner or later, but we put it off. Interest accrues, financially and ecologically. It’s not until the problem gets so huge — and we can’t ignore it anymore — that we take action.

Just like energy cannot be created, or destroyed, we can’t magically make our financial or environmental debts disappear. The rubber band can only bend so far before it swings back.

So why do we avoid using less? Why are we so hungry to consume? Maybe it’s because we’re looking for the wrong things. Maybe what we really need is an internal revolution.

Let’s take a look at some of the ways we can use the power of less to restore balance.

• Driving less, walking more. Not only will you be saving the environment, you’ll be saving your heart as well. Bonus!
• Wanting less, appreciating more. Instead of wanting a big home you can’t afford, maybe you should settle for living in smaller home in a less expensive area. Enjoy your space more. By spending less money on mortgage, you’ll be saving more time. Time is life. Win/win.
• Talking less, listening more. We spend most of our time listening formulating our response. You’d be amazed how much people never really hear each other at all. Think about how your life can be improved by understanding people better. You’ll probably avoid a lot of unnecessary drama do to misunderstandings. When I do this, my wife gets mad at me less for not listening. That’s always nice. =)
• Buy things that are more expensive, but last longer. A double edged razor will last a lot longer than disposable razors. You’ll save money too. Use real dishes instead of plastic/paper. It may seem like a little more work to wash them, but it really isn’t. It takes more energy to mine that plastic, manufacture, package, distribute and purchase then it does to wash a dish. Rethink convenience.
• Spend more time being mindful. The more mindful we are, the more we’ll save. We often waste a lot of time rushing around, trying to do too many things at once. We try to print a report, make coffee, and talk on the phone at the same time. Doing this we run the risk of printing the wrong pages, accidentally forgetting the coffee filter and saying the wrong thing. We spend more time correcting ourselves than we would save simply being mindful.
• Less things. The more things we buy, the more we resources we take from the planet. The more we consume, the larger that debt becomes. Buying new clothes, appliances or phones isn’t really a bad thing. It’s our addiction to buy the newest and greatest each year or every few months that is dangerous. After all, that old thing has to go somewhere. And it’s probably in a landfill somewhere.

THE BIG GREEN PURSE!

Is it me, or was Santa sitting at the Thanksgiving table? It's amazing how NO time is lost between the cooling of the gelatinous matter in the turkey roasting pan and the Black Friday hype. But I don't even want to go there or there. 

Here's a great ecologically minded purchase which makes for a lovely gift:

Big Green Purse - a primer for all things green. If you're already on the 80 yard line, this book will disappoint, but if you're getting started or want to help another get started on the more green approach to consuming, then this is a great selection.

The book is geared toward women since we makes most of the household purchases, and saving the planet does indeed begin at home. But this is a nice primer for men too if you're not too sensitive about reading through female slanted messages. 

The book's author, Diane MacEachern, also writes a great green blog here.

Green is the new black. Get on track. This book makes it easy to start. And for each book you buy, a tree is planted to replace the resources used.

Live Light, xo-C.

THE WORD FROM BORNEO

While reading National Geographic magazine (Nov 2008) last night, I got sucked into a fascinating article about the island of Borneo, set between the South China and Java Seas and bisected by the Equator.

"The majestic forests are vanishing in smoke and sawdust, but there's still hope for the island's fabled biodiversity - if the palm oil rush can be slowed," read the article's heading.

Well,darn it, tell those Borneoans to stop burning and cutting! Oh wait, they're holding up a big global mirror at us.

"Borneo is being shopped to death," says photographer Mattias Klum. "Westerners often don't think about how our choices affect this place: food and soap made with palm oil, floors and doors made from rain forest wood. But we can make better choices. It's not just up to politicians to effect change." 

We are one. There is no away around this truth. Every decision we makes has consequences, big and small, near and far. I invite you to regard this notion with fascination and an opportunity to educate yourself. It can, however, be very depressing if you feel hopeless. 

Dig deep and conjure up some hope. We need you to help get things back on track. Make one small DIFFERENT choice today and feel the goodness.

Live Light, xo-C.

40 STEPS ON THE PERSONAL PATH TO GREEN

NoImpactMan.com compiled a fantastic list - with links - of 40 everyday steps anyone can take to improve their health and that of the planet's.

My favorite: #29: Reach within to determine what inside yourself doesn't feel right, what isn't working for you and start making changes from there.

Read the list here.

 

Live Light, xo-C.