Wednesday, September 03, 2008
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Every few months, research shines a light on a certain superfood that has been shown to pack a nutritional power punch to health. From blueberries to green tea, the medical community and health magazines are overflowing with information on the wonders of the fave-food of the season.
One of the latest superfoods that have garnered rave attention is the Açaí berry. Pronounced like “ah-sigh-ee” this berry originates from the Amazon Rainforest where it has been a staple source of nutrients and energy for the native Amazonian community for hundreds of years. In fact, this small, grape-like berry is extremely important to the Amazon region of Brazil. The fruit makes up to 42% of the total food intake by natives of this region.
Açaí’s Nutrition Profile
Açaí is such the darling of nutrition and health experts because it contains a host of disease-fighting antioxidants as well as amino acids, which are necessary for muscle development and essential fatty acids. It also contains calcium, iron and Vitamin E. It packs quite a nutritional punch in such a tiny berry.
Products Containing Açaí
It seems like everywhere you look, you will see products containing Açaí or Açaí extracts. From smoothies to energy bars to juices, Açaí is quickly becoming ubiquitous in scores of health foods.
But like with any nutrient, the more it is processed, the less nutrient dense it becomes. Therefore, Açaí is best consumed in a raw or unprocessed form. But since most of us can’t get to the Amazon forest anytime soon to go Açaí-picking, a few products have done the hard work for us while preserving the exceptional qualities of this super food.
Two such products are AçaíRaw™ and AçaíTwist. Both are raw Açaí pulp but AçaíTwist™ has the added bonus of guaraná, a natural energy booster and potential appetite suppressant. Both products can be easily added to juices, smoothies, drinks or even cereals.
You know these products are the real deal when you either have to consume them as soon as your shipment arrives or quickly store them in the freezer to maintain their freshness.
Notable Praise
If you’re still not convinced at the wonders of this tiny berry, keep in mind that Dr. Perricone named the Acai berry as the #1 Superfood in the world and the power of the Açaí fruit has been featured on Oprah, The Today Show, The CBS Early Show, in the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times.
Those are some pretty laudable endorsements that just might be worth listening to.
- Heather Ashare, MPH
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
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If it is good enough for the Olympic athletes, then it must be good! Most of us take for granted the air that we breathe. We can take up to 20,000 breaths each day. That is a lot of air! So in order to ensure that our Olympic athletes are breathing clean air as they compete in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the U. S. Olympic Committee selected the IQAir purifiers to be placed in each of the athletes’ bedrooms and in their training rooms in order to improve indoor air quality and create the optimum performance environment.
But the IQAir indoor air purifiers aren’t just available to these elite athletes. Anyone who wants to invest in a home air purification system can do so with the click of their mouse.
Many studies have shown that indoor air quality can be filled with even more particles than outdoor air. While many indoor air purifiers filter out the large particles from the air, they fall short at kidnapping the smaller ones, which make up over 80% of all airborne particles. Because of their tiny size, they can stay in the air indefinitely, enter deep into the lungs, and be absorbed into the blood stream and cells.
That is what makes the IQAir air purifiers so special: these air cleaning systems are tested and certified to filter ultra-fine particles down to 0.003 microns, smaller than the smallest virus. They are based on the technology IQAir uses in hospitals around the world to filter particles as small as the SARS virus. Now that is small!
The IQAir is quite possibly one of the best air purifiers on the market for its exceptional quality and for its price. In fact, IQAir has received the Best Buy recommendations award by Consumers Digest, Consumers Guide, and many other trade journals. In addition, IQAir is the American Lung Association’s exclusive educational partner from the air purifier industry.
Here is a great guide to finding the best home or office air purification system for you.
And you can take heart in knowing that every breath you take is as good as gold!
- Heather Ashare, MPH
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
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Nothing in the world is as delicate and sensitive as baby’s skin. Its innocence and purity is the perfect reflection of how precious everything is about a child. Most pregnant mothers spend those preparatory sacred nine months taking acute care of how they eat, sleep, exercise and what they put on their bodies, because they know that how they are treating themselves is directly affecting the little life that is growing inside of them. And when their amazing gift finally arrives, this careful attention gets carried over to everything the baby touches, sleeps on and drinks from.
When it comes to baby’s bath time, making sure that you’re using the best products that protect your child’s skin, is a necessity. These days, with the baby product aisle overflowing with soaps, shampoos and all sorts of sweet-smelling lotions for your baby’s skin, it’s hard to decide on the perfect soap. But one thing is for sure: Finding a safe baby soap that contains natural ingredients that won’t harm the pureness of baby’s skin and will preserve the skin’s natural oils is a necessity.
One such product is Meadow Stone Farm’s Goat Milk Soap Baby Animals. These handcrafted chums contain just five simple ingredients and they are just as adorably pudgy as any little infant. This natural baby soap does its magic by gently cleansing baby’s skin while leaving it feeling silky smooth. Moreover, they are fragrance-free so even children with allergy-prone skin can reap the benefits from this safe baby soap.
Organic raw goat’s milk, Vitamin A oil, honey, aloe and saponified vegetable oils are the unique but simple ingredients that are enrobed in each chunky bar of soap. Raw honey is slowly stirred in with unprocessed milk resulting in a batch of creamy soap that is delicate enough for babies’ skin. Shaped like playful animals, they come in four shapes: dog, frog, lion and fish. You get one of each individually-wrapped figurine in your set of four.
What makes the ingredients so exceptional is that both the honey and raw goat’s milk come directly from Meadow Stone Farm. Not only can you take comfort in knowing that you are using a product that is reducing the carbon print on our earth but that you are also supporting a small family-owned organic farm that is dedicated to land sustainability and organic standards.
Milk has long been used as emollient to soothe skin. In fact, Cleopatra was known for indulging in milk baths in order to keep her skin soft and supple. Raw milk is being an increasingly popular choice among milk consumers who are drawn to its rich quantities of enzymes, amino acids, vitamins that are believed to make raw milk less susceptible to bacterial contamination and more nutrient-dense than pasteurized milk.
Raw goat milk is particularly difficult to work with and it’s a time consuming process. But the farmers on Meadow Stone Farm don’t mind. For them, making these raw goat milk soap animals requires patience and love: two essential ingredients in caring for a young baby.
What is even better is that while most soaps lose their scent and moisture as you use them, Meadow Stone Farm’s Goat Milk Soap Baby Animals become better with age. And don’t expect to see any massive pieces of manufacturing equipment on Meadow Stone Farm. All of their products, including the goat milk’s baby soap are made in small batches by hand.
You might just be tempted to jump into your baby’s tub time and get lathered up too in these delicious natural baby soap bars.
- Heather Ashare, MPH
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
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We put our home made cleaners to the test this weekend and spent six hours cleaning our office from top to bottom. In the past we’ve used vinegar and baking soda which are well known chemical-free and safe cleaning products. But this weekend we used the Eco-Me Home Kit cleaners and put them to work.
Eco-Me recipes are better
We found that the Eco-Me products not only cleaned better but with only three cleaning products we were able to clean the entire space. The Eco-Me home kit contains reusable bottles (with recipes printed on the side) for a general purpose cleaner, wood cleaner, and scrub. The key ingredient is an essential oil blend made from all natural plant based essential oils which is very fragrant but pleasant. The scrub was especially good at removing stains that we simply couldn’t remove with just vinegar alone.
Safe and chemical-free
We used these products for many hours in a small space and never once felt overwhelmed by the scent. On several occasions, we even accidently got spray in our eyes and it didn’t slow us down. What we liked best was that after using these products for so many hours with no gloves, at the end of the day our hands actually felt clean and soft. We usually run for the moisturizer after using even natural cleaning products.
If you’d like to know exactly what goes into your cleaning products then consider making your own at home! There’s lots more information here about the Eco-Me house cleaning kit.
- Matthew, eZoetic.com Founder
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
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Recently I had a chance to ask a few questions of Kim Nadel, NCIDQ certified interior designer, LEED Accredited Professional, and co-founder of the Brooklyn-based NICHE environmentally smart design group. Kim is currently on the MFA faculty of the New York School of Interior Design teaching Green Design, and co-authored The Green Pages: The Contract Designer’s Guide to Environmentally Responsible Materials and Products.
Kim was chosen by Hospitality Design magazine as one of the top 20 leaders in the industry to influence design in a positive direction. She has enjoyed lecturing throughout the country to designers and architects on green living since 1995 and her work has been published in a variety of publications including Interiors and Natural Home and Garden. Kim’s broad knowledge allows her to work within a diverse range of creative projects that promote green living and inspire others to create in a sustainable way. Presently Kim is incorporating the principles of Vastu into her work, and her designs are featured in Kathleen Cox’s Vastu book Space Matters.
What is the single most important thing individuals can do (in terms of interior decorating) to improve the feng shui or vastu of their home, if budget is a primary concern?
Kim: I would say the most basic things to do are one, to clear out the clutter, and two, to make sure everything is in working order. One particular area to work on is the entry area — it is so important because it is instrumental in determining how people perceive you, and also what you yourself experience as you enter your own personal space. It is important to clear the clutter there and have appropriate storage (a place for keys, etc.). I usually place a mirror at the entry.
I asked my Feng Shui consultant, Sanna Plaskon, to elaborate on one thing people can do in terms of interior decoration. “In terms of budgetary concerns, everything begins and ends in the bedroom because we spend most of our sleeping hours there - this is where we go to relax and recharge. Furniture placement is very important - where the bed is positioned is critical. “It is best to keep the electronics, such as the TV, in a storage cabinet to resist that visual pull,” advises Sanna.
What can individuals can do (in terms of interior decorating) to reduce the environmental impact of their home, if budget is a primary concern?
* Try energy-efficient lightbulbs and mix the different light sources in each room.
* Purchase used furniture, i.e. antiques, and/ or purchase local furnishings to decorate your space.
* Reduce your environmental impact by purchasing local products which minimizes packaging and freight pollution.
* Existing furniture can be updated by either refinishing, repainting, applying another material, like wallpaper, or adding interesting hardware.
* Purchase pieces that are multi-functional are longer lasting because they can be moved around to different rooms, like my coffee table with scoop, which acts as a seat or bench, or a coffee table, or both!
What are the biggest challenges you face when a residential client approaches you for help in “green” decorating?
When a client approaches me for green design, I already have a receptive client. They are ‘envies’ themselves and are open to new ideas. It’s all about having that change in consciousness — having that inner lens with which to make priorities that make sense simultaneously for the individual and the planet.
I would say that the biggest challenge is finding a contractor that understands and has the knowledge to implement a green renovation. Here’s a simple example — one client had hired a contractor, (BK - “before Kim!”), to plaster her walls in her living room, and since the contractor didn’t seal off the doors and openings to the other spaces, a large amount of plaster dust permeated a thin layer throughout her entire house!
You’ve been a pioneer in the burgeoning “green” design industry, consulting for homes, businesses, hospitals, and spas. As awareness grows, how do you see the market changing in the next few years?
It is easier to locate eco-friendly materials, fabrics, etc to work with now as opposed to five years ago. Because of the green buzz, I have found that almost all companies have at least one earth-friendly line (or are working toward a green line in the near future), because they realize they will be behind in this competitive market.
Yet, I have never found green products to be more expensive across the board, except for building products, which are inexpensive to start with. For example, plywood is so cheap, but wouldn’t you spend twice as much to purchase a more environmentally-sound product? For example, formaldehyde-free plywood vs. toxic plywood, or waste-wood plywood vs. luan mahogany plywood from exploited rainforest land? Although I focus on green products, and I continue to do research to help companies to re-green their products, I think we are still 10 years away from a true public awareness or a real general population eagerness for things like Anna Sova’s chem-free paints, earth-friendly carpets, solar panels, etc.
Also, it is important to do your research, or have others help you navigate…I have been tracking materials for 15 years, and I can decipher between the line of green-washing and legitimate progress.
You’ve started your own line of furniture, which has been featured in the book “Space Matters.” What’s up next for you, design-wise?
I recently launched a new look to the furniture line with the introduction of new finishes. I wanted to experiment with an eco-friendly concrete because the material can be molded to create the curves and scoops, so I searched for an eco-friendly material that is lightweight and has a high concentration of recycled content, and found this newly conceived version in Colorado.
It’s 30% lighter than conventional concrete. What is so fabulous about this material is that it does not contain portland cement - the main ingredient that is the cause of most of the CO2 emissions in the design/build industry, rather, it is ceramic based. I also wanted the versatility of an indoor-outdoor line, and the concrete is perfect for outdoors and beautiful enough to go indoor applications. Now, I am working on a soft line of furniture (upholstered) that is green, with lasting value, that can be disassembled and recycled, and can be also be placed indoors or outdoors. I am always dragging my chaises outside for parties…
As a designer, there is a dichotomy for me, which is: do we need more stuff to be created in the world… don’t we have enough furniture to work with? Yet I have a desire to create and to create useful products with lasting qualities and value.
Read more about Kim Nadel and her green interior design services here.
- Deb Hiett
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
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I like to think of wellness as simply life! Its how we work and play it’s about our friends and family, our purpose, and of course the basics such as what we breathe, drink, and eat. May I be so bold as to say wellness is as nature intended -- the ebb and flow of life from birth through death and perhaps beyond?
If wellness is so simple then why does it seem to have become overly complex? What to take, when to take it, who to see, what not to do, who to trust – the list is endless. Sometimes it’s necessary to take a step back from it all, even if we’re dealing with a major wellness challenge, and look at the basics. The following wellness tips were designed to do just that. To re-connect us with what’s really important in life and to realize that everyday includes an abundance of wellness. It’s in a laugh, in a thought, in a sip of water … its life. When we tune into our life and tune out the noise, everything becomes so much clearer!
- Matthew, eZoetic.com Founder
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
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Green, eco, environmentally friendly, earth friendly, green footprint, carbon footprint – what’s it all about? It’s common sense that we depend on the planet for life and “green” sounds like a good idea. But what is “green”? Well, you get to decide! Because if we don’t decide what’s important in our lives then others will do so for us. A prominent green magazine has a recent article titled “Is it better to serve soda in 12-ounce cans or from two-liter bottles?” Hang on, isn’t it better not to serve soda at all? And there lies the issue with “green”. It’s starting to distract us from what’s really important!
There appears to be an agenda to convince us that the earth is more important than ourselves and that we’re responsible for its demise. Yes, guilty as charged for using too many plastic bags throughout life and adding to the plastic island in the sea that’s as big as Texas. But let’s get things in perspective. The plastic bag company is probably doing very well financially. There are global companies taking control of the worlds food supply with harmful GMO technology. Why do we let the gas companies make billions of dollars in profits when they’re extracting it from “our earth” that we should all have equal rights to? I wonder what the world would look like if the war budget was instead used to research non-polluting energy sources. There are just too many examples to list here!
The reality is that large companies and the super rich get to live by different rules and then point the finger at us. So instead of following wherever the “green” agenda is headed let’s make “green” about ourselves, our family, and our friends and about making healthier choices everyday. In that way, we can’t help but improve the earth as well. There may be a hundred things more important to our overall wellness than deciding whether to serve soda in cans or bottles?
- Matthew, eZoetic.com Founder
I was surprised to find an article on the first page of Google when searching for whole house air purifiers titled “Whole House Air Cleaners – Why They Do Not Work”. Perhaps it’s not so unusual given the number of products on the market and the fact that they don’t necessarily work as advertised. Air is so fundamentally important to our health that I was compelled to write an article about IQAir’s Perfect 16 titled “Whole House Air Cleaners Report, Why They Can and Do Work”.
In summary here’s what we like best about the IQAir’s solution and it’s important to note that you must have a heating ventilation and air conditioning system (HVAC) to be able to use the Perfect 16.
- Guaranteed 90% reduction of airborne allergens and pollutants such as dust, mold spores, bacteria, and viruses. A laser particle counter is used to show you air quality levels before and after installation.
- Simple effective filter design that requires filter changes approx once every three years.
- Before any installation, an authorized installer will determine if the Perfect 16 whole house air purifier is suitable for your home (at no cost).
- Matthew, eZoetic.com Founder