Publicado por
bad day now
comentarios (0)
You may have powerfoods in your kitchen right now and don’t know it.
By eating powerfoods everyday you can energize and balance your body without costly vitamins and medical bills. Foods affect us on many levels and understanding these factors can help you make better health choices.
Before understanding the power of the foods around me, I was unhealthy, unhappy and confused. Constant visits to doctors and health food stores had little effect on my deep fatigue and constant hunger. That was 30 years ago when Western nutritional science was not as advanced as it is now.
It was the 5,000 year old Chinese herbal knowledge that made the difference for me. Using specific foods and food combinations to feed specific systems and create balance brought me back to the energy and joy I had as a teenager.
Since then I learned from all cultures. The message is always the same: Food can heal. Food can be your medicine. Food has POWER!
Five Sources of Power for Powerfoods:
1. Broad chemical influences on the body
These include:
- Alkaline-forming vs. acid-forming
- Organic vs. chemical-infused
- Raw vs. cooked
- Gluten-free vs. gluten-containing foods
- Complex carbohydrates (smart carbs) vs. simple sugars (dumb carbs)
- Whole vs. processed
Each of these factors has multiple influences on the body and a person will respond to these differences depending on their predisposition and levels of health.
Powerfoods are almost always whole but not necessarily gluten-free, raw or alkaline.
2. Specific chemical needs: The GAP Theory
Each food has different levels of specific nutrients. If a person has a particular need for a nutrient it will affect them greatly. Powerfoods tend to have very high levels of certain nutrients.
For example: suppose a person has a strong need for vitamin C. It is winter and she is not eating enough fruits and vegetables. An orange has vitamin C, so mandarin oranges that are popular around Christmas, have just the right chemistry to feed her immune system and prevent a cold.
3. Genetic influences of food
Scientists have been debating for years what is more important: your genetics given to you by your parents or your upbringing. It turns out that the two are combined. Your environment activates the expression of your genes. This is very powerful.
For example research has shown that a diet high in omega-3 fats reduces the expression of the Alzheimer’s gene APOE4. We can sidestep bad genes by eating healthy.
4. Subtle influences of food
Many healthy systems around the world have different ways to conceptualize health with very powerful results. Instead of interpreting food in terms of vitamins and minerals and proteins they talked about principles like heat, cold, fire, water and air, which they could directly perceive.
These principles are understandable within chemistry or physics to a degree but often the complete use of these systems relies on the idea of subtle energies that modern science has not been able to consistently measure – energies like chi and prana in food, our bodies and the environment.
These cultures have produced large numbers of remarkably healthy individuals. They picked out certain foods (powerfoods) that were particularly balancing for various needs.
5. Social and cultural influences of food
Growing, preparing and eating food takes more time and energy than any other facet of man’s life. In all societies there have evolved intricate cultures around food which affect how we think, how we act and what kind of lives we will live.
Older cultures also discovered foods and combinations of foods that were particularly healthy.
The Mediterranean diet is one example. At first nutritionists did not understand how everyone could be so healthy consuming so much oil. It turned out that mono-unsaturated olive oil has many properties that are just now being understood and appreciated. The Italians did not understand the chemistry of various levels of saturation of fats. They just knew olives grew well and over time, through trial and error, developed just the right combination of oil and tomatoes and vegetables and meats to maintain health.
How Many Powerfoods Are in Your Kitchen Right Now?
With all these factors in mind, it turns out there are many foods that can bring you greater health, if you understand their potential and use them in the best situation.
For example, strawberries (like many berries) have amazing properties but they are one of the foods that often get the most toxic sprays when growing. If you eat a case of non-organic strawberries thinking you are getting all the powerfood benefits, it may be that the overload of toxicity in your system will take away any positive influences on a chemical or subtle level.
Personally I like to keep up with all the recent research about food but I know that any single study can be deeply flawed or biased. I always try to balance what I am hearing with the finding of older health systems and cultures. My final decision for me is whether my body is attracted to a particular food at this time.
At Real Food for Life we continue to bring people’s awareness to the power of foods. We also have used vital health testing to determine which foods are suitable for an individual at this time.
Here are a few powerfoods:
- Walnuts – The crinkly powerfood with the highest antioxidant activity of any nut
- Saskatoons – Our favorite berry
- Cabbage - For glowing skin and hair – some say it collects “moon power”
- Stevia – Many sweet benefits. Make sure its still in whole food form. (not the white powder)
- Green Tea – The powerfood that ruled the world
For a more complete list of powerfoods with explanations, click here.
Publicado por
bad day now
comentarios (0)
I know, I know, cooking beans from scratch is much less expensive, but for a quick, cheap vegan meal you can’t beat a can of beans sauteed with garlic, onions, and spices over some steamed brown rice. Easy and delicious! But what do you do with the can after you’ve eaten the contents?Sure, you can toss it in the recycle bin. Metal is one of the few materials that doesn’t get downcycled in the recycling process. That means that, unlike something like plastic, metal doesn’t lose quality in the recycling process. You can recycle it over and over. Still, recycling takes energy -- it has to make it to the recycling center, and then it has to be processed into a new metal product.Instead of throwing that empty can away, you can use your crafty skills to turn empty cans into all sorts of cool things! Here are some ideas to get you going.1. Cover an empty can with pretty paper or fabric and use it to hold pens, pencils, or paint brushes.2. Grab a bit of yarn or twine and turn an empty can into a chic yarn-wrapped vase.3. HGTV shows us how to turn empty cans into a cute, magnetic storage board for kids’ craft supplies.4. If you have a soda can handy, grab your tin snips and make a cute flower hair clip!5. How cute are these can stilts from Disney Family Fun? Just make sure you keep an eye on the kiddos while they play with these!Image Credit: Creative Commons photo by Samantha (Home Sweet Home)
Can Crafting Tip: The real trick with can crafts is getting the smell out of the can. If a run through the dishwasher doesn’t do the trick, try scrubbing the inside of your can with a paste made from coarse salt and lemon juice.6. Another soda can craft: Check out these awesome soda can’dle holders!7. Use a dremel or small drill bit to poke holes in your can to turn it into a votive holder for a tea light.8. Turn a bunch of empty cans into a sweet tin can wall garden. They’re growing flowers in theirs, but this would be great for herbs! Just remember to drill a couple of drainage holes into the bottom of each can before mounting on the wall.9. Use a hammer and nail to add beautiful stippling details and create a picture frame from a tin can.10. At Readymade, you can learn how to turn a few old coffee cans into a beautiful hanging lamp.Image Credit: Creative Commons photo by Elin B
Can Crafting Tip: It’s worth investing in a safety can opener, if you’re planning to craft with cans. The edges of your can will be awfully sharp if you use just a regular can opener, so proceed with caution!11. Over at leethal, she shows you how to make a coffee can storage unit for the wall. You could use tin cans instead to store tinier things!12. Elsie Marley shows you how to make a cute tin can cover.13. This looks like a fun one to do with kids: can robots!14. You can use the tops of your cans to make pretty ornaments.15. How clever is this tin can handbag?Have you done any cool crafts with cans? I’d love to hear what you’re working on in the comments!Image Credit: Creative Commons photo by Orin Zebest
Publicado por
bad day now
comentarios (0)
According to the EPA, scientific evidence indicates that indoor air can be more seriously polluted than the outdoor air in even the largest and most industrialized cities. Other studies indicate that people spend approximately 90 percent of their time indoors. The math isn’t so great–for many people health risks may be greater due to indoor air pollution rather than outdoor pollution.
Ill effects may arise after just a single exposure as well as repeated exposure, and can run the range from irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat, to headaches, dizziness, and fatigue. These effects are usually short-term and treatable–sometimes simply eliminating the exposure to the source of the pollution is treatment enough.
Other health effects can show up years after a single exposure as well as long or repeated periods of exposure. These effects, which include some respiratory diseases, heart disease, and cancer, can be severely debilitating or fatal. It is important to try to improve the indoor air quality in your home even if symptoms are not noticeable.
There are a number sources of air pollution that are more commonly known as others–many already know about the dangers of cleaning products and air fresheners. Here are seven sources of indoor air pollutions that may be less commonly known–adapted from Greenerchoices.org.
1.New carpet. Carpet materials can emit a variety of volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
Tip: If you have carpet installed, ask for low-VOC, formaldehyde-free adhesives. Air out new carpeting for a few days before installing it. After it’s laid, keep windows open in the room and run a fan for two or three days.
2. Broken compact fluorescent lights. If they break, CFLs can emit mercury, a neurotoxin, in small amounts into the air. Carpets cannot be fully cleaned of mercury and vacuums should not be used to pick it up.
Tip: Don’t use CFLs in lamps that could easily tip, especially in homes with children or pregnant women. If a CFL breaks, open a window, shut off central air, clear the room for 15 minutes, and follow the EPA cleanup guide.
3. New electronics and other plastic products. Products made with polyvinyl chloride can emit phthalates, which have been linked to hormonal abnormalities and reproductive problems. Plastics can also release flame-retardant chemicals, such as polybrominated diphenyl ethers, which have been linked to neurobehavioral changes in animal studies.
Tip: Ventilate space until the chemical odor dissipates. Vacuum around computers, printers, and televisions regularly.
4. Glues and adhesives. They can emit VOCs, such as acetone or methyl ethyl ketone, that can irritate the eyes and affect the nervous system. Rubber cement can contain n-hexane, a neurotoxin. Adhesives can emit toxic formaldehyde.
Tip: Look for water-based, formaldehyde-free glue. Work in a well-ventilated space and don’t get too close to your work.
5. Heating equipment (stoves, heaters, fireplaces, chimneys). Heating equipment, especially gas stoves, can produce carbon monoxide, which can cause headaches, dizziness, fatigue, and even death if not ventilated properly. It can also emit nitrogen dioxide and particulates, which can cause respiratory problems and eye, nose, and throat inflammation.
Tip: Hire a professional to check that your boiler or furnace is working properly every year and keep chimneys and other heating equipment well-maintained. Install carbon-monoxide alarms and use a hood over kitchen stoves.
6. Paints and strippers. Latex paints are a big improvement over oil-based paints because they emit fewer chemical fumes. But as they dry, all paints can emit VOCs, which can cause headaches, nausea, or dizziness. Paint strippers, adhesive removers, and aerosol spray paints can also contain methylene chloride, which is known to cause cancer in animals.
Tip: Use low-VOC paints. When applying paint, open windows or doors, ventilate the space with fans, and wear a respirator or mask. Pregnant women should avoid using paint strippers with methlyene chloride.
7. Upholstered furniture and pressed-wood products (hardwood plywood, wall paneling, particleboard, fiberboard). When new, many furniture and wood products can emit formaldehyde, a probable carcinogen that can also cause eye, nose, and throat irritation; wheezing and coughing; fatigue; skin rash; and severe allergic reactions.
Tip: Increase ventilation, particularly after bringing new sources of formaldehyde into your home. Use exterior-grade pressed-wood products (they’re lower-emitting because they contain phenol resins, not urea resins). Look for formaldehyde-free furniture and wood products.
Publicado por
bad day now
comentarios (0)
(Credit: Screenshot by Lance Whitney/CNET)Designing Windows 8 for virtually any device from smartphone to PC, Microsoft says it's had a key goal in mind for all hardware platforms--energy efficiency.
With laptops and mobile devices slurping up battery power and desktops and servers chewing up electricity, Microsoft has wanted to ensure that any device running Windows 8 can tap into better power management.
"Very small changes done well in Windows can result in very large positive environmental impact because of our scale," Pat Stemen, a program manager on Microsoft's Kernel team, said in the latest Building Windows 8 blog. "In many markets around the world, increasing electricity consumption is putting more demand on every aspect of the workplace to reduce power consumption. PCs are a significant source of potential savings."
Software itself can impact power usage, noted Stemen, since the CPU, hard disk, memory, and other components each consume resources. The operating system and drivers also play a role since they manage the hardware.
With energy savings in mind, Stemen says that Windows 8 has been designed with three goals:
• Aim for power efficiency on all types of hardware. Whether someone is using a Windowstablet or a powerful gaming machine, the idea was to standardize on the same power management features to be consistent across all platforms.
• Provide improved battery life. Windows 7 offered a large reduction in energy use, particularly in the battery life of mobile PCs, said Stemen, and the goal with Windows 8 is simply to maintain that same level amid all the feature changes.
• Apply the smartphone power model to PCs. Smartphones, tablets, and other mobile devices can quickly switch in and out of a low-power mode so they're instantly available when you need them. Microsoft's intent is to apply that same technique to computers running Windows 8.
Looking at Windows 8 itself, Stemen said that the new OS offers three "key innovations to improve how software influences power consumption." Those include the Metro style app model, idle activity, and a new device power management framework.
Metro apps can potentially be running all the time, delivering news, e-mail, and other updates. But Microsoft designed the Metro model so that apps retreat into the background when not needed so as to consume less power. To gauge this, the new Task Manager in Windows 8 shows which specific Metro apps are suspended.
(Credit: Microsoft)Idle activity is a measure of how much power a component is consuming even when it's idle. In Windows 8, Microsoft has improved the idle activity through what it calls idle hygiene, thereby consuming less power in certain situations.
Finally, Microsoft has created a new device power framework in Windows 8, especially tweaked for mobile devices. The new framework lets devices "advertise" their power management abilities so they can work with a new Windows 8 driver designed to optimize energy usage.
"Battery life and power consumption continue to be some of the most important topics in the computing industry," Stemed noted. "We wanted to give you a look at how we think about power management for Windows 8, and how we measure power consumption on a daily basis. We consider power management a core OS capability that is critical on any chip architecture and any PC form factor."
Publicado por
bad day now
comentarios (0)
With the economy tanking and unemployment skyrocketing, where are the green jobs?
What is a green job?
According to the United Nations Environment Program a green job would be “work in agricultural, manufacturing, research and development, administrative, and service activities that contribute(s) substantially to preserving or restoring environmental quality.”
Can green jobs help our ailing economy and bring us closer to a cleaner future?
The Rocky Mountain Institute says, “Efficient energy use and clean energy production are the foundation of a market-based, cost-effective pathway for American businesses to out-innovate competitors, revitalize the economy, boost exports, and ultimately, create jobs.”
Check out this great infographic that shows how to gain this without oil, coal, nuclear energy, one-third less natural gas, and no new inventions.
In a recent post I wrote about the TRAIN Act bill that will be voted on in the next few days and could block the EPA’s proposed standards to control mercury and power plant pollution, a commenter said, “Killing jobs? Why can’t there be greener jobs?” Well, there are green career paths, and that might be just what our planet needs (and also our bank accounts).
Top 10 Green Jobs (adapted from this Fast Company article)
1. Farmer
America has only two million farmers, and their average age is 55. Since sustainable agriculture requires small-scale, local, organic methods rather than petroleum-based machines and fertilizers, there is a huge for more farmers and related workers such as: urban gardeners, farmers market and CSA coordinators, and artisanal cheesemakers.
2. Forester
Modern forestry is a complex combination of international project finance, conservation and development. According to the World Bank, a staggering 1.6 billion people depend on the forest for their livelihoods. Deforestation, which causes around a quarter of all global warming, is also likely to be a leading source ofcarbon credits worth tens of billions of dollars.
3. Solar Power Installer
Making and installing solar power systems already accounts for some 770,000 jobs globally. Installing solar-thermal water heaters and rooftop photovoltaic cells is a relatively high-paying job–$15 to $35 an hour–for those with construction skills. And opportunities are available all over the United States, wherever the sun shines.
4. Energy Efficiency Builder
Buildings account for up to 48 percent of US energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. LEED, the major green building certification, has over 43,000 accredited professionals. Greening the U.S. building stock will take not only skilled architects and engineers, but also a workforce of retrofitters.
5. Wind Turbine Fabricator
Wind is the leading and fastest-growing source of alternative energy with over 300,000 jobs worldwide. Turbines are 90% metal by weight, creating an opportunity for autoworkers and other manufacturers to repurpose their skills.
6. Conservation Biologist
The urgent quest to preserve the integrity of ecosystems around the world — and to quantify the value of — ecosystems services — leads to opportunities in teaching, research and fieldwork for government, nonprofits, and private companies.
7. Green MBA and Entrepreneur
A recent report by the U.S. Conference of Mayors, Mayors Climate Protection Center found that business services like legal, research and consulting account for the majority of all green jobs — over 400,000. This includes everything from marketing to the LOHAS (Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability) segment, to serving as a VP of sustainability within a large company.
8. Recycler
Although the market for paper and plastic has slowed down recently due to the economic downturn, demand for steel is still strong — 42 percent of output came from scrap in 2006 — and recycling remains the economical alternative to high disposal fees. There’s a need for specialized companies that can close the loop by recycling and repurposing e-waste, clothing, plastic bags, construction waste, and other materials.
9. Sustainability Systems Developer
The green economy needs a cadre of specialized software developers and engineers who design, build, and maintain the networks of sensors and stochastic modeling that underpin wind farms, smart energy grids, congestion pricing and other systems substituting intelligence for natural resources.
10. Urban Planner
Urban and regional planning is a linchpin of the quest to lower America’s carbon footprint. Strengthening mass transit systems, limiting sprawl, encouraging use of bicycles and de-emphasizing cars is only part of the job. Equally important is contingency planning, as floods, heat waves and garbage creep and become increasingly common problems for metropolises.
Publicado por
bad day now
comentarios (0)
A Boeing 747-8 freighter taking off from Paine Field, in Everett, Wash. The plane was one of the first to fly a biofuel blend, and on Monday, Continental Airlines flew the first-ever U.S. passenger flight with an algae-biofuel blend.
(Credit: Daniel Terdiman/CNET)The era of American commercial airliners flying on biofuels is here.
A Continental Airlines Boeing 737-800 from Houston yesterday became the first U.S. plane to fly passengers while using an algae-based biofuel. According to an article originally published in the Houston Chronicle, the Continental flight carried 154 customers while using the fuel blend, which was developed by South San Francisco, Calif.-based Solazyme.
"United Continental Holdings, the airline's parent company, estimated that the biofuel blend on the Chicago-bound flight reduced carbon dioxide emissions by an amount equal to what would come from the exhaust of a car driven 30,000 miles," the Chronicle wrote, adding that Solazyme created the blend in tandem with Honeywell technology. United Continental is expected to purchase as much as 20 million gallons of the Solazyme blend for delivery by 2014. "The product...is put into a mix of 40 percent algae-based and 60 percent petroleum-based fuel."
The article also stated that although the fuel mixture onboard the flight was new, the Boeing 737 did not require any modifications in order to make it skyward.
This first flight of a biofuel-powered plane has been in the works for some time. Earlier this year, Boeing test-flew a next-generation 747-8 freighter across the Atlantic using a biofuel mixture.That flight was powered using a 15 percent camelina-based biofuel mix. And the industry has been pumping up anticipation for biofuels for some time. In 2009, the industry touted the potential economic benefits of flying greener biofuels. "Biofuels may even hold the promise of improved fuel efficiency on top of the potential to reduce emissions by up to 80 percent over the lifecycle of the fuel," an industry spokesperson said that year.
Publicado por
bad day now
comentarios (0)
Scientists are finding that traffic exhaust might be going right to your head. The particulate pollution that vehicles emit has long been known to cause a host of respiratory woes, like asthma and lung disease, especially in heavily congested areas. Now, as detailed in a disturbing report in today's Wall Street Journal, researchers are finding that a growing body of evidence suggests that car exhaust causes nothing less than brain damage.
The Journal's report is horrifying, even as its subjects note that the data in a lot of these studies is still new. After all, the implications of news like "New public-health studies and laboratory experiments suggest that, at every stage of life, traffic fumes exact a measurable toll on mental capacity, intelligence and emotional stability" are severe indeed.
To summarize (read the entire story for all the gory details) scientists are finding that exposure to vehicle exhaust can injure brain cells and impair learning ability in people of every age, shape, and size. Researchers find that babies whose mothers were exposed to higher levels of traffic exhaust routinely have lower IQs than their peers, and are more likely to develop anxiety, depression, and learning disorders. Some experts link higher levels of air pollution to autism based on correlations in their data.
People exposed to exhaust even for short periods of time have been found to undergo chemically motivated behavior changes -- often manifested in higher stress levels -- while those exposed for longer periods of time have experienced memory loss and impaired reasoning capabilities. One study found that folks exposed in the long term to "higher levels of traffic-related particles and ozone had memory and reasoning problems that effectively added five years to their mental age."
This is pretty horrifying stuff, to say the least. On a macro level, it helps build a powerful argument for seeking policies that reduce traffic congestion, tightening pollution regulations, and accelerating the re-imagining of our car-centric approach to transportation.
On a local level, discouraging traffic has already been shown to have a tangible impact on some communities: The decongesting of Times Square, for instance, reduced air pollution by 63% in the area. And now, it's increasingly looking like such traffic-curbing policies will be vital not just to improving the livability of communities -- but to protecting both the lungs and the very mental health of those who reside in them. The case for more and better public transportation, more aggressive congestion pricing schemes, and, yes, improved biking and pedestrian environments, has never been stronger.
Publicado por
bad day now
comentarios (0)
Reinforcing the wisdom that feed-in tariffs are the best, most cost-competitive way of deploying renewable energy: Wind-works highlights a new report from the IPCC working group on renewable energy, specifically Chapter 11, Policy, Financing and Implementation.
Though certainly not all places that have adopted feed-in tariffs are renewable energy success stories, or haven't had to tweak the terms of their programs, by and large FITs "have been effective and efficient at promoting [renewable energy] electricity, mainly due to the combination of long-term fixed price or premium payments, network connections, and guaranteed purchase of all [renewable energy] electricity generated."
Policies that have been most effective have included most or all of the following:
- Utility purchase obligation;
- Priority access and dispatch;
- Tariffs based on cost of generation and differentiated by technology type and project size, with carefully calculated starting values;
- Regular long-term design evaluations and short-term payment level adjustments, with incremental adjustments built into law in order to reflect changes in technologies and the marketplace, to encourage innovation and technological change, and to control costs;
- Tariffs for all potential generators, including utilities;
- Tariffs guaranteed for a long enough time period to ensure adequate rate of return;
- Integration of costs into the rate base and share equally across country or region;
- Clear connection standards and procedures to allocate costs for transmission and distribution;
- Streamlined administrative and application processes;
- Attention to preferred exempted groups, for example, major uses on competitiveness grounds or low-income and other vulnerable customers.
If I haven't lost you in renewable energy promotion wonkiness, keep reading atWind-works or take a look at the report itself.
Búsqueda personalizada
CNN HERE (--_--)
