Diet Mind Spirit

Picnic Recipes

The weather is still warm enough to go out and picnic so here are 101 recipes, so you won’t run out of ideas. There’s more to picnic than bbq chicken and potato salad. Really!

Check it out here.

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10 Ways to Green Your Home

Educate yourself on environmental subjects. You can do so by starting or joining an environmental group. This will keep you informed and sociable at the same time. You will surely meet like-minded, caring people and make new friends. Also watch DVDs and read up on books related to the environment and eco-living.

Compost your kitchen scraps and other waste. Even if you live in an apartment you can compost material and use the end product as soil for flower pots or herb planters. Take a look at these awesome composters that you can keep inside your home.

Reduce your water consumption. Instead of taking a bath, take a shower and limit yourself. Don’t linger in the shower or you’ll end up using more water than if you’d taken a bath! If you absolutely MUST take a bath, take them only once in a while, and don’t fill the tub as much.

Use energy-efficient appliances. Don’t go out and replace all of your appliances at the same time. Let them run their course and then properly dispose of them. Then, purchase energy efficient ones (graded A, B). If you feel you have to replace your appliances and they are still functioning properly, donate them to an organization that helps needy families. (i.e., Salvation Army, St. Vincent’s, Goodwill, or better yet, a very local group helping out others.)

Use environmentally friendly cleaning products. Using poison-free products at home is not only good for the environment, but it’s also good for you and your family’s health. Chemical cleaning products may clean your counters, floors, windows, tables, etc, like crazy, but they can harm you and damage the planet. Eco-friendly cleaning products can equally clean yet not harm anyone or anything.

Use phosphate-free laundry detergent. This is easy to do. Just replace your big-name-brand detergents that you’ve been loyal to forever, but cost a fortune, and replace them with environmentally sound detergents. Many people are now opting to use soap nuts.

Reduce energy consumption. These are so obvious but you do forget them more often than you should or like. Turn off lights in rooms no one is using. If you have a large home, only provide heat or cool to rooms that are actually being utilized. Use energy-efficient lightbulbs and solar power when possible.

Donate old items instead of trashing them. Some people go through items like they’re going out of style. Oh. Maybe they ARE going out of style but put those things to good use and donate old clothes, furniture and other items to people who need them. Another note: if you’d rather sell these items, go ahead and make a little cash on the side from e-bay or whereever. This is a great way to earn some money while getting rid of stuff.

Harvest your own rainwater if possible. Use the power of Mother Nature to water your yard, lawn, plants and vegetable garden if you have one. They are so easy to set up and the water will have no chemicals. Put up gutters on your house and/or garage with a large receptacle to harvest the water. This will lower your water bill, help you use less city water and have pure rainwater for the garden. These wooden rain barrels are pretty cool.

Properly dispose of toxic materials. These products should not be in your house. Period. Go through your house, garage, attic, basement and discard of leftover paints, paint removers, floor finishes, cleaners that are toxic to you, your house, your family AND people who come to your house.

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What Happens to Your Body When You Drink a Coke?

When you drink a coke, this is what happens…

From healthbot:

• In The First 10 minutes: 10 teaspoons of sugar hit your system. (100% of your recommended daily intake.) You don’t immediately vomit from the overwhelming sweetness because phosphoric acid cuts the flavor allowing you to keep it down.
• 20 minutes: Your blood sugar spikes, causing an insulin burst. Your liver responds to this by turning any sugar it can get its hands on into fat. (There’s plenty of that at this particular moment)
• 40 minutes………Read the rest
  

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Easy Remedy for Cough

It has been a while since I’ve had a cough, in fact, I don’t even remember the last time I had one. But when other people have the horrible, persistent cough, I feel for them. Here’s a remedy to drink at home.

Sage & Honey Tea (for a medium pot)

2 large fresh sage leaves
Honey

In a medium teapot, place 2 large sage leaves inside, pour hot water into the pot and let steep at least 5 minutes. The water will have a slight tint of green. Once it has steeped, pour into tea cup or mug and add some honey, to your liking. Sip the tea while it is still hot.

It’s simple; I know but I swear by sage tea. You actually can leave out the honey but sage leaves has a very strong (some call it medicinal) flavor and honey rounds out the flavor. This tea is also a natural calmer and if you have some problems with insomnia, this will help you by leaps and bounds. Try it.

On a side note

Growing fresh sage is easy as pie. It grows very well in a garden with very little maintenance. No garden? Plant some in a pot and keep it indoors next to a window sill. It is beautiful and makes a lovely decorative addition to your house or apartment.

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California 1st to Ban Trans Fats!!

From the iht:

“Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger of California signed a bill banning trans fats in restaurant food, making California the first U.S. state to ban the use of the cooking oils linked to artery-clogging cholesterol.

The new law, modeled after a ban implemented in New York City, prohibits the use of partially hydrogenated oils, which contain trans fats, by the state’s 87,000 restaurants beginning in 2010 and in all baked goods sold in the state starting in 2011.

Trans fats, found in processed and fried food, candies and cookies, are vegetable oils that are treated with hydrogen to extend the shelf life of products. The oils have been linked to LDL cholesterol that clogs the arteries. New York began a ban on trans fats in all restaurants in December 2006.

“Consuming trans fat is linked to coronary heart disease, and today we are taking a strong step toward creating a healthier future for California,” Schwarzenegger said in a statement.

Diets high in trans fats increase the risk of heart disease, obesity and diabetes, according the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Web site.

Restaurant companies including McDonald’s and KFC already use cooking oils in the U.S. that are free of trans fats.”

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