One way that we decided to “go green” was in changing what we eat each day. I’ve talked about our switch to organic milk and organic eggs, both of which have yielded better taste (and of course, no chemicals). But one HUGE area I had to tackle myself was in the artificial sweeteners I was using.

The Need For A Sweet Fix

I need my dang sweet fix folks – I’m an addict!! and … no matter how you grind, chop or slice it, I need sweet and creamy coffee every morning to get up and running strong. But too many of the artificial sweeteners out there did nothing more than run me down and cause blood sugar fluctuations (my wife – an RN – says that these sugar substitutes ‘trick your blood sugar’ and cause problems).  It’s no wonder as a majority of them contain non-natural or modified chemical crap like aspartame, sucralose, saccharin, Cyclamate, sorbitol, etc

Now I’m no expert, but these words just don’t sound like they could possibly be “good” for your health. And anyway, as part of my ‘green lifestyle’ I strive to take better care of myself – starting with more natural eating.

(BEFORE YOU ASK – no, I don’t use REAL sugar on a daily basis because I strictly watch my caloric intake – but on my ‘cheat’ days, I love the stuff)

Splenda – Is It Natural and Healthy?

One sugar substitute that I found about 3 years ago and used daily was Splenda. I thought that it was going to be the “be all end all” for my daily sweet coffee and sweet tea problems. It was super sweet and had no after-taste. But then I started on a low-carb diet (that watched carbs as well as food combinations) and my doctor said that eliminating sugar substitutes would increase the weight loss potential. (This is the same doctor that convinced me to get 100% away from aspartame.)

“Splenda,” he said, “Is no better than any other of those chemical substitutes – get off it!”

You guys know that I am not the kind of person who gets involved in hype and bashing, but when my 72-year-old doctor (who takes a homeopathic approach in his practice) tells me something, I listen. If you are curious as to what the problems with Splenda and it’s chemical name sucralose, as well as other sweeteners, read this article.

All of this was tough for me to swallow, but the Doc gave me an alternative that has turned out to be incredibly satisfying and much better – Stevia.

Healthier – Safer Sweetening With Stevia

First off guys, you must get pure Stevia extract – most readily available at health food stores. DO NOT buy TruVia or PureVia as these are stevia combined with sugar alcohols. These taste bitter and are not natural.

If you get pure stevia extract you will find almost no aftertaste and only a very small amount goes a long way. In the picture here, I have one “dash” in my hand and that is all I need for my coffee each AM. That single dash in my hand is equal to three Splenda packets when it comes to sweetness. This is good because a single bottle of stevia extract goes a long way!

The pure stevia extract just contains the best parts of the stevia plant, nothing more and nothing less. It’s natural, pure and has no side effects (at least for me). I have only dried the powdered stevia, not the liquid so I don’t know if the same holds true for those.

We are able to find Kal brand pure stevia extract at our local vitamin store. The price is $18 for 3.5 ounces, but like I said, it lasts a long time.

Let me know what you guys think…

Ok, so we talk about organics and green living here… so how could I leave out the beer? Just so you guys know, I am one of the biggest craft beer nuts you will ever meet. I love me some flavorful brew and am a bonafied hophead for sure!

As a rule, most craft breweries tend to be fairly environmentally conscious. They strive for natural ingredients just for the sheer fact that they produce better flavors, and craft brewing is all about “more real flavor.”

But there is a “movement within movement” and that being the idea of using organic ingredients in the brewing process. And the quickest way to hit that vein is by using organically grown hops and barley. Enter Sierra Nevada Estate – my very favorite beer in the world.

Here is how they describe it:

“Taste fresh-from-the-field flavors with this handmade, homegrown, and completely natural ale. Made with organic wet hops and barley grown at our brewery in Chico, this remarkable ale is the only one of its kind.”

The fact that the hops and malts come from organic sources is cool, but what is even better is the fact that Sierra Nevada grows them on their own land, or “Estate” in the same way that famous wine makers do it. Up until now, hops all came in from farmers all over the place depending on the flavor and variety desired. But Sierra is controlling all of it in their own organically enriched black California dirt – amazing!

So how does this organic ale taste? Here is my review:

The nose is of sweet-pine/evergreen with a citrus twang. It’s a beautiful copper color with a nice head.

The best part, however, is the perfect balance between the hops and malts. One does not overpower the other… they work in perfect harmony. There is enough hop bitterness to satisfy my hoppy desires, but a nice backing of sweet malts that make the aftertaste enjoyable. I get nice biscuity bread flavors and that pine/evergreen comes through on the tail end. I also get a bit of orange zest right through the middle. The carbonation is right too… making this brew crisp and cool.

So guys, why not go organic with your beer eh? This one is not cheap – but no craft beers really are anyway. The 22oz bomber bottle around $9 but well worth it if you like tasty beers!

Our family has been buying and consuming organic eggs now for about a year. I asked my wife to look at getting them when we discovered that organic milk had a much better taste than the other stuff. I thought maybe it would be the same with eggs – and I was right!

We Eat Organic Eggs Exclusively

We go through almost two dozen eggs per week between just me and the wife. I am on a low carb diet and eggs are a big part of my daily intake. I often eat 4 at a time.

The best part about organic eggs is the improved taste. If you are like me, and love a fresh hard boiled or runny-fried egg, then you know what I mean with I talk about “egg taste.”  -The organics are 10 times more flavorful.

We pretty much always buy Eggland’s Best Organic eggs because they are readily available here in the Midwest. I also like the fact that Eggland’s chickens are also cage free. (more info here)

Here are some quick facts about the organic eggs we eat:

- The hens are fed with certified organic vegetarian feed

- Cage Free means that the hens are not locked up in cages or coups, and can roam free in open spaces

- The Eggland’s are USDA certified organic

Interestingly enough, there are some natural farming advocates out there who say Eggland’s is actually NOT a good alternative. These guys have made a list of organic egg farmers and rate them on a scale of 1-5. The farms that scored 5 are considered to be most closely aligned with the spirit of the “organic and cage free eggs” movement, whereas, those with a 1 rating are supposedly “not really conforming properly.”

I find this interesting to say the least. The problem for me is that there are no Whole Foods markets near enough to me where I can get the supposed “responsibly raised” eggs.

Conclusion:

As most of you know, one of my “rules” when it comes to “going green” is that I won’t pay more AND sacrifice quality. In this case, I DO pay more, but I get SUPERIOR quality. A dozen organic eggs cost on average about 75 cents more per dozen, but the added awesome flavor is well worth it to us!

What do you guys think?

Can pet food “go green?” Yes, I believe it can, and my friend Lindsay who runs my favorite Dog Blog gives us some insight today…

You’ve probably thought twice about the dog food industry and what really goes into the food our pets eat.

It’s pretty scary when you read some of the ingredients on a bag of, say, Purina One dog food.

I suggest you read the ingredients of your dog’s food and let me know what you find out.

Dogs are primarily meat eaters, so you want to feed your dog food that includes real protein sources as the first three ingredients. You know, like, organic chicken, organic turkey or salmon.

Avoid foods that contain very vague ingredients such as “poultry meal” or “animal by-products.” These could be just about anything. In fact, you should completely avoid pet foods that contain any kind of by-products.

By-products can be just about any random body part from any animal, according to Born Free USA, a national animal advocacy organization.  All of the “meat” and other parts that are unfit for human consumption are boiled down into a broth and used in pet foods.

So look for real, specific protein sources in your dog’s food.

Besides real meat, other ingredients that are good for your dog include real fruits and vegetables and a small amount of whole grains.

Avoid pet foods that contain cheap fillers such as corn. Dogs and cats do not need corn in their diets. Pet food companies also use brewer’s rice, which is a cheap rice by-product with no nutritional value, according to the Association of American Feed Control Officials. Brewer’s rice is often the number one or number two ingredient in dog foods. Poor doggies.

Can your dog “get by” on an average bag of dog food? Probably, just like we can all “get by” on cheap, heavily processed foods.

But if you have the funds to buy natural, organic or raw dog food, it could be worth it if it adds extra years to your dog’s life and saves you some vet bills down the road.

Raw/Organic Dog Food – Simple

What is considered “organic” dog food?

According to the USDA National Organic Program, organic meats used in natural organic dog food must come from animals with access to the outdoors, raised on organic feed and not treated with antibiotics or growth hormones.

Your best bet is to familiarize yourself with healthy dog food ingredients and then read the labels. Shop at natural pet foods stores that specialize in natural pet products rather than picking up a bag of dog chow from Wal-Mart or the supermarket.

Perhaps the best way to guarantee your dog is getting a healthy diet is to feed him organic raw dog food made at home.

There are all kinds of reasons to switch a dog to a natural raw food diet. The main reason to make the switch is because you will know exactly what your dog is eating. You can be sure the food does not contain any chemical additives, GMO ingredients, synthetic pesticides or herbicides that are bad for your pet and the environment.

Another reason to switch your dog to raw food is because eating raw food is natural for dogs. Canines are primarily meat eaters. And in the wild, dogs and wolves are hunters and scavengers eating mostly that. They survived thousands of years without processed, dry dog food. Go figure.

The reason a dog can eat raw meat without getting sick is because a dog’s digestive system is different than ours. Dogs have more acid in their stomachs, designed to kill bacteria before it can colonize, according to Carissa Kuehn of RawFed.com. Dogs also digest their food much faster than us, giving bacteria less time in their systems.

Raw food contains enzymes that are important for optimum digestion and nutrient absorption, according to Kuehn. Dogs get these enzymes when they eat raw meat and raw vegetables. When food is heated, the enzymes are destroyed.

If you’re not sure where to start, I suggest switching your dog to an organic dry dog food. Then down the road you can consider switching him to an organic raw dog food or making your dog’s meals yourself at home.

Dogs and cats will eat whatever we give them. It’s up to us to feed them the best.

Do you feed your dog a natural food?

It’s a funny thing to look back and say to oneself that the way that things “used” to be done is far better than the way that we are doing them now. I never thought I would be old enough to even think, let alone say, such a thing! But, when it comes to bottled water I do declare that this has become my line of thinking!

When we were kids my mom would pack my lunch box every day and fill my super cool matching thermos with something for me to drink. That crazy thermos kept the hot things at least warm and the cold things cold. There were no worries unless it was somehow forgotten and then I would have to do the unthinkable and buy a milk!

Now as time as gone by not only has the idea of a lunch “box” left, but somehow so has the idea of that thermos. Instead my handy dandy thermos has been replaced with a disposable plastic water bottle. Now, I must say that the idea of having a water bottle that you could simply throw away after use is indeed a bit more impressive than my super cool thermos, but one does have to wonder just where that water bottle ends up. I happen to know that my thermos ended up at home with me each evening to be washed and reused the next day.

Since the year 2000 bottled water consumption has gone from 4.7 billion gallons per year to 8.7 billion gallons. I would say that is an impressive rise in consumption and probably explains the demise of my super cool thermos. Why pack a thermos when you can have a healthy, disposable and convenient drink at your fingertips!

Bottled water is now the most dynamic sector of all the food and beverage industry and consumption in the world continues to increase by more than 10% each year, despite the fact that its price is much higher than that of tap water. The average bottled water costs anywhere from $.25 to $2 per bottle. Tap water sits at a cost of less than $0.01. I’d say that’s quite the difference!

There’s quite a difference in our trash as well. Although most of us don’t think twice about tossing our disposable bottled water into the trash, (it is disposable after all), and the sad truth is that each year more than 10 billion plastic water bottles can be found in our garbage dumps and landfils. That’s a huge difference compared to my reusable thermos!

If you think about it logically I used that thermos for a total of 180 school days. If I took disposable bottled water each day that would be 180 water bottles just for me, not to mention the total it would be for my class of thirty students! That would cost my mom alone on average about $180 versus $1.80 for tap water. How crazy is that!!

Despite the fact that bottled water is now the second largest beverage type in the market (number one being soda) I must say that I don’t think it is even a close second to my thermos! Sadly, that super cool thermos is a thing of the past. However, we can make use of its memory in purchasing a reusable water bottle for our water consumption! We save not only money in our own pockets, but we also save on the millions, well billions really, of disposable water bottles that truly trash up our environment. By doing so we are not going completely back to the way that things “used” to be, but we are using what we have learned from our today and yesterday to create a better tomorrow.

We recently started drinking organic milk at our house and I must say that my family will never buy non-organic milk again. As you guys know, I love to live green and healthy, but I also don’t want to pay more or sacrifice quality in order to do so. Well, with organic milk, I am getting much better quality but I am having to pay just a little more. So here is my review:

We drink fat free or skim milk pretty much all the time. Whole milk is just too thick, but that’s a preference really. Anyway, my wife and I have been consuming organic produce and organic eggs for a while now because of the better taste. Not long ago we decided to see if we’d get the same better flavor with organic milk and guess what? … we did!

We drink three “brands” most of the time that are available here in NW Indiana. We rotate between them based on what is on sale, or what has a better expiration date.

Stonyfield Farms Organic Fat Free Milk.

http://www.stonyfield.com/index.jsp

Stonyfield is pretty much my favorite taste wise. It has good dairy flavor and is very fresh. It’s hard to describe “fresh taste” over the internet like this, but if you are a dairy drinker like I am , then you know good, fresh, true flavor milk when you taste it. Stonyfield delivers! We find 1/2 gollons of Stonyfield Organic fat free milk for about $3.85 at our local stores.

Meijer Organics, Fat Free Milk

This is the Meijer grocery stores brand. I need to check and see where and who supplies this organic milk for them, but I will say that it has great taste. It is also a bit cheaper because it is packages as a store brand. A half gallon of Meijer organic milk is about $3.50.

Horizon Organic Fat Free Milk

http://www.horizondairy.com/

I rate this one very high with great taste. It is also very consistent from box to box. What that means is that it always tastes the same. Sometimes with any natural or organic foods, the quality control is not as good and the product may taste different each time. but Horizon does a nice job with theirs and the taste is really good. We get 1/2 gallons at our local grocery stores for around $3.99.

What Makes Organic Milk Better?

Here is a definition of organic milk, read it carefully because this is what really matters when it comes to green living. (me, I just care about the taste, but you guys may care more about this stuff as well)

Organic milk is defined by the USDA as milk from cows that have been exclusively fed organic feed, have not been treated with synthetic hormones, are not given certain medications to treat sickness, and are held in pens with adequate space.

Many organic farms also ensure their cows only eat natural grass instead of corn of feed. I am not sure if the milks above are processed this way, but it is something worth noting.

Buying paint for the interior of one’s home should be a task not taken lightly. We found this out first hand when purchasing paint for our newborn son’s bedroom. We were very excited to be expecting our first baby and took on the task of “baby-proofing” our home. One of the first rooms that we started with was the beautiful nursery that we had in mind for him. We purchased all of the safety measures needed such as outlet covers, drawer keepers, and knob covers. What we didn’t think of was the idea of needing to still be thinking “safety” in choosing a paint color for his bedroom, and it wasn’t the color we needed to be so worried about. No, sadly it was the paint itself.

In searching through paint colors I began to notice that some companies had claims such as “Low VOC”, “Kid-Friendly” and “Environmentally Friendly”. Now I had never been one to be totally green, but these labels got me thinking about our paint. I looked into it a bit further and found out that interior paints release “Volatile Organic Compounds”, (otherwise known as VOC), into your home. These VOC’s are produced by a concoction of chemicals and components in the paint. Paint itself contains three basic things: pigment for color and hiding powder, a binding agent to hold it to the surface being painted, and a carrier to keep it all in liquid form. Now these three things in and of themselves are not the issue, but the chemicals that are used to perform each basic thing mix together and then release VOC’s into the air we breathe. Once emitted into the air, these compounds can actually stick around for approximately one month to many years after they are applied. The problem with this is that VOC’s can produce a number of health problems and risks. According to the American Lung Association conditions such as lung and breathing problems, eye and skin irritation, headaches, dizziness, memory impairment, and even cancer can occur.

After coming across this information we quickly realized that just popping into Home Depot and grabbing a gallon of our favorite color for our son’s room was not in any way a good idea. Who would want to expose their precious new baby boy to such toxins! We discovered instead that there are many “Eco-Friendly” paint choices made especially with low VOC’s that we could choose from. We also discovered alternative paint choices such as Ecological Paint (a water-based paint) and Milk Paint (a milk-based paint). These alternative paints, especially the Ecological Paint and the Milk Paint, do not contain any carcinogens nor emit any toxins into the air. Now that we are thinking safety first with our paint as well as our household gadgets, we will be choosing an alternative paint for our sweet baby boy’s room. We are not only excited to be bringing our newborn home, but we are overjoyed that we will be bringing him to a toxic free home!

Cleaning your home doesn’t have to be a dirty job! By this I mean that the idea of cleaning your home is that your home is supposed to be “clean” afterwards. There is simply no point whatsoever in cleaning your home and having it remain dirty. That is simply hours of wasted time, energy, and money. Just ask any homemaker and they will let you know right away! The point of clean by the definition in Webster’s Dictionary is “free from dirt or pollution”. So when one grabs for the everyday cleaning product in the grocery aisle and takes it home to clean, is the house truly “clean” as we see here defined by Webster? Sadly, the answer is no!

Close your eyes for a moment and think of what the smell of clean is to you? Does the thought of household bleach pop into mind or how about the fresh scent of pine? If these scents help define clean in your mind then you know that a home with those scents is not truly “clean”! By definition the idea of clean is to be free of pollution! If you have ever been the one to walk into a newly cleaned bathroom only to smell the heavy scent of bleach, then you have also inhaled pollution! How is this possible? Cleaning products themselves contain toxic chemicals that you the user actually fill the air with when you use them! Not only that, you also send those same pollutant chemicals right down the drain and into our lakes, rivers, and oceans. I mean seriously, where do you think that all water ends up?

So, what is the solution you ask then? In purchasing cleaning products for your home or work place the first thing to think about is reading the label! The first warning sign of a pollutant material is if there is a label on it marking that it is dangerous, hazardous to health, toxic, or poisonous. If the product is not carrying one such label then it is pretty safe to assume that it is what we call “Eco-Friendly”, meaning that this product is friendly to the environment in which we live and work. Eco-Friendly products are a wonderful and permanent solution to further pollution of our homes and environment.

So how do we know what is an Eco-Friendly product? A good clue right off the bat that a product is Eco-Friendly is if it is bio-degradable. Bio-degradable means that when the product is used and washed down the drain it will not harm the environment because it breaks down naturally. Another clue that a product is Eco-Friendly is if the label reads that it is “non-toxic”. This labeling means that the product inside carries no toxins and therefore will not release any into the air or water when used.

If you are one not prone to reading labels there are many companies now that are producing “Eco-Friendly” cleaning products for your purchase. A few such companies are Shaklee, Seventh Generation, and Melaleuca make products that work very well for cleaning just about anything you can throw their way. Also, you might consider using non-toxic and bio-degradable products that you don’t even realize you have to clean with at home! Some such products are lemon juice, baking soda, vinegar, and even tea tree oil. These are common household products that can be used to accomplish an environment in your home or work that is truly “free from dirt and pollution”, otherwise known as CLEAN!

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