So we’ve seen what we can do inside the house to make a difference on the environment, see my previous blog post “Going Green inside your home“. Now let’s see what we can do on the outside. And let me tell you, if you have kids or a green thumb, some of these are going to be a lot of fun.

1) Composting

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Composting is one of the easiest and greenest ways to help out the environment. A compost bin doesn’t cost too much, or you could even build your own, but even then they’re not necessary, when a nice heap will do fine.

Pretty much anything will go into a compost pile, from your lawn clippings to raked up leaves to last night’s dinner. If you like to drink coffee, add in your used coffee grounds to increase the overall nitrogen balance.

Not only does composting keep your garbage scraps out of the everyday waste, but it also creates a great food for your garden. Wait for your compost to really degrade, and then you have some seriously healthy dirt to start planting your new veggie garden.

2) Start a Vegetable Garden

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A lot of the stuff you can do outside is going to have a green thumb about it. If you have your own compost pile, as well as having your own veggie garden, the circle of nature is just beautiful.

Imagine growing your own food, right outside your kitchen window, and never forgetting those last minute herbs or vegetables you need for dinner. And when all is said and done, all of your scraps go out into the compost bin, to one day help grow more vegetables.

Starting a garden isn’t just something for those with a huge backyard either. Anyone can grow their own vegetables, whether you have a backyard or not. Container gardening is a great way to grow your own vegetables, if you don’t have enough yard space. Everything from tomatoes to lettuce to peppers and herbs, all right out in the small courtyard in front of the kitchen.

Continue reading: “6 Tips for “Going Green” Outside Your House”

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Which of these two scenarios sounds more vibrant for overall quality of life and health?

The wind on your face, the sun on your skin, you talk with a local farmer about the size and taste of this year’s harvest of peaches, as you pop a slice in your mouth. After tasting several different varieties, you choose your favorite one, walking away with a great memory of the farmer in your mind.

Or… You stand shivering in the freezer section at your local mega-mart, your eyes begin to glaze over from the halogen lights and the neon-colored cardboard boxes containing substances claimed to be food products? You decide on the one with the least amount of additives and make your way to the self-check-out line, excited to get in your car and out of the supermarket.

Clearly, most of us would agree that the first scenario, at the local farmer’s market, is much more appealing than a trip to a big chain grocery store. But what, besides the aesthetic factor, are some of the other benefits of supporting your local farmers market? Here are ten reasons why I believe you should shop at your local farmers market.

Continue reading: “10 Reasons to Buy Your Fruits & Veggies at Your Local Farmer’s Market”

Recently, somebody forwarded me an article from USA Today titled Stripping the Diet Raw, which featured the many benefits of following a raw food diet.

The article commented on the fact that if we look at the natural world, we would never find any other living creatures that are overweight (unless its our overfed pets). It’s almost hard for our minds to conjure up the image of an overweight plant or an overweight lady bug.

This may be due to the fact that all other living creatures consume a steady diet of raw foods, while humans are eating more cooked, processed foods and artificial toxin containing foods.

Thanks to irresponsible commercial farming techniques that depend on chemical fertilizers, pesticides, genetic modification and hormones to grow crops on already overworked land, a large percentage of today’s food supply has become saturated with toxins and has very little nutritional value.

Continue reading: “The Health Benefits of a Raw Food Diet”

Recently, you may have read or heard alot about antioxidants in conjunction with good health or avoiding diseases. Antioxidants have been getting great press lately, and rightfully so. But what are they? What do they do once inside our bodies? And how can we get more of them?

Well, firstly, let’s define what they are. Have you ever seen the bottom-feeder fish in a fish-tank, sucking up all the gunk and grime that is toxic for the rest of the fish? Think of antioxidants as molecular-sized, “free radical scavengers” in the fish-tank of your body.

Once an antioxidant finds its way into the body, mostly through the foods we eat, it slows down, or even prevents, the oxidation of other molecules. When molecules in the body oxidize, they can create free-radicals, or cellular bi-products. It is very normal to have these free-radicals in the body, but in excess, they can wreak havoc on our cellular structures.

Continue reading: “The Health Benefits of Antioxidants”

Have you ever ate delicious organic pomegranate seeds or drink refreshing pomegranate juice? What a great tasting and refreshing snack! What’s more, this slightly peculiar fruit has held legendary powers for countless centuries.

Persians believe Eve actually ate a pomegranate she plucked from a small tree in the Garden of Eden, not an apple. And ancient Egyptians buried their dead with pomegranates because they believed it offered eternal life.

This unusual fruit is also featured in mythology and tradition as a symbol of good tidings. That’s why Greeks break open a pomegranate at wedding celebrations, and the Chinese eat candied pomegranate seeds for good luck.

Continue reading: “The Health Benefits of Pomegranate”

Native to Central & South America, avocados have been cultivated since approximately 8,000 B.C. By the mid-1800s, they had been introduced to Asia & Jamaica, but they did not arrive in the United States until the early 20th century. U.S. avocados are now grown in California & Florida, but other commercial producers exist in Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, and the Dominican Republic.

While most of us appreciate avocados in the form of good guacamole, many of us are not aware of the many health benefits that this delicious food has to offer. Aside from the avocados themselves, there are many other ingredients that go into the creation of a good organic guacamole recipe. These ingredients offer some surprising benefits for our overall health.

Continue reading: “The Health Benefits of Avocados”