CT Green Scene

The Science of Life: Ayurveda

by Dr. Amy Wiesner

Over 5,000 years ago, the seers in India observed life and organized their observations into a system called Ayurveda, Ayur meaning “life” and Veda meaning “science”. Like many of the topics we discuss on this site, ayurveda is about healthy living. Whether it's eating organic foods or decreasing the toxins in our environment, we focus on improving our own vitality through good living practices.

According to Ayurveda, everything in the world is composed of the five elements: water, fire, air, ether and earth. These elements represent the qualities of energy or matter. These elements affect us both internally & externally and imbalances affect our health. The body, mind and consciousness have to be balanced for complete health, thus the elements in and around us must be balanced. These philosophies of Ayurveda are very similar to those of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Ayurveda even has it’s own version of acupuncture to help balance people!

Juice? Who Doesn’t Love Juice?

Brittany D. Costa

Always curious to see how I can better myself, I did my first cleanse in 2008 and in the past three years I have accomplished three cleanses. And within the next couple of days, I will endure yet another. Each time I do it, I typically change up my methods and experiment with different varieties: Master Cleanse, Liver Detoxification Supplements, Water…  I have researched and looked into different types such as BluePrintCleanse and Dukan Diet. It seems everyone from Catherine Middleton to Whitney Houston (cough) is “cleansing”.

The typical reaction I receive when mentioning to my friends what I’m doing is a little anxious—and dare I say with a vague note of disgust—at the mere sound of the word…. Cleanse. Let’s not dismiss the fact that this is one of the biggest trends since Manolo Blahnik Patent Leather Mary Janes (which I thought was just an urban shoe myth), but I digress.

DIY Skincare Experiments

by Brittany Shutts

After years of warfare against my skin, I have transitioned into a routine that is radically different. In high school, I was plagued with acne and endured face steaming, microdermabrasion, and prescription ointments. I tried numerous cleanser/toner/moisturizer combinations. Due to the mélange of products and treatments that ousted the oil and singed away the blemishes, my face was feeling pretty raw and irritated.
   
When I first read about the questionable ingredients riddling many personal care products, I started to notice parabens, dyes, and artificial fragrances on the labels of the bottles on my sink. Thus began my quest for something that would keep my face in tip-top shape without polluting it with carcinogens.

Natural Medicine and Anti-Aging

by Dr. Amy Wiesner

Dr. Wiesner is licensed in both Naturopathic Medicine and Acupuncture in the state of Connecticut.  She obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Rochester where she also attended the Eastman School of Music.  She obtained her Doctorate in Naturopathic Medicine (ND) and her Master of Science in Acupuncture from the University of Bridgeport.

She has taught at both the College of Naturopathic Medicine and the Acupuncture Institute at the University of Bridgeport and has a private practice in Norwalk, CT.

Our society is obsessed with looking younger. Some people will do whatever it takes not to look their age, including injecting toxins into their bodies.

So are there nontoxic, more natural ways to look younger and slow down the aging process?

Watch the news and you can see the world we live in is inherently toxic and ages us faster than it did before industrialization. Pesticides, radiation, and smog are elements that are ubiquitous today. They create free radicals in the body that hasten the aging process through oxidation as well as contribute to disease. The high levels of stress that we have in our society also contribute to premature aging. Both prevention and treatment can address the free radicals that contribute to it.

Boxed Goodes

by Eileen Weber

Pamela Dunn started her own business in one of the worst economic downturns since the Great Depression. She couldn’t be happier about it.

“You have these little moments when you feel like a rock star,” said Dunn, founder of Boxed Goodes, a natural goods business focused on whole grains, rice, beans and spices. Dunn’s business launched last April. Since then, she has seen an increasing number of customers who are interested in how to cook with natural foods. A growing number of consumers are consciously stepping away from foods with artificial ingredients.

Dunn started out as a chef in residence in Litchfield. Because she used whole foods in her cooking, it seemed only natural to jump into this market. “I built the business to compliment the local, seasonal foods in my recipes,” she said.

And how local is her food? Everything she uses for her food demonstrations at local farmer’s markets comes directly from her CSA at Wild Carrot Farm. Deb Parker, the Store Manager at the farm, said her products have been flying off the shelves since they opened for the season in April. “We have lots of customers who don’t know what to do with the produce we sell. They’ve never tried it before,” she said. “But they use one of Pamela’s recipes and her ingredients and it’s a good tie in with the produce. “

Chronic Illness: Coming Through Loud and Clear

by Eileen Weber

Did you know that one in 91 children have autism? Did you know that one in eight children have asthma? Did you know that one in six children have a learning or behavior disorder? Did you know that one in 10 children have ADHD?

These are alarming statistics by anyone’s standard. They’re even more alarming when these statistics apply to your child. And for many parents, it’s an all too grim reality.

No one is really sure of the root cause for autism and other illnesses like ADHD or even some severe food allergies. But what is very clear is that chronic illness in children is a nationwide epidemic.

We’re not talking about a singular group of children tucked away in a remote village with no running water and scant electricity, hours from the nearest town. We’re talking about your neighbors, your friends, kids you know at school.

Opening the Doors on Natural Childbirth

by Michelina Docimo

In Italian, dare la luce, a phrase that literally means “to give light,” is used to allude to the act of a woman giving birth. Natural childbirth, a concept that seems so foreign today, has been replaced with a delivery process that takes place behind closed doors in a steely gray, windowless room. The physical labor has been removed from the woman by performing quick, convenient C-sections, often for the doctor’s sake of avoiding liability in the event that something might go wrong. Laura DePreta, a Bradley Method® childbirth educator, is shedding light on childbirth options, which empower pregnant women and their partners in making educated decisions on how they will bring forth a new life into the world.

What’s so green about having a baby naturally? Everything – it’s about taking responsibility and making healthy decisions for yourself and your family. As a society, we’ve become so detached from nature, that we even have lost sight of something so primal as how to give birth – something women’s bodies are made to do naturally.

You Go, Girl

by Eileen Weber

I have three daughters, aged 9, 7, and 5. I remember when they were teeny weeny, still fascinated with dressing up as Snow White. Now, they’re in grade school. My oldest one rolls her eyes every time I try to give her a kiss goodbye. They’re growing up fast. They’re not little babies anymore. They’re big girls and getting bigger every day.

Two moms from New Hartford felt the same way about their own daughters, especially when it came to their skin care. For our babies, we make an effort to buy products that are all natural without harmful chemicals. Why stop just because the little piggies got a bit older?

According to an article dated September 24, 2008, the Environmental Working Group conducted studies that showed skin and cosmetic products contain hormone-laced chemicals. For young girls who experiment with products more than adults, these hormones end up in their bodies. More to the point, those hormones can contribute to diseases such as diabetes or even some cancers.

That’s why Kim Grustas and Grace Petrarca teamed up to found Good For You Girls, their skin care product line geared for the nine to fifteen year olds. Between the two of them, they have six daughters.

A Blogger For Any Diet

by James Simpkins

Last week I wrote about a pizza place in Avon and no one said a word. Over the holidays I penned two articles expressing my displeasure about shopping at Discount Food Outlet in Canton; and readers are still writing in droves to expressing their displeasure about my perspective, even attacking me personally. More than one comment suggested that I leave town since I didn’t like it. I was both confronted and amused by such responses. The confrontation part is obvious, I hope—no one likes being openly despised, especially by people they are unacquainted with. Unfortunately, humans seem all too willing to express malice towards those people with opinions that do not match their own (see our current political climate). In my mind, this is akin to hating the guy next to you because you don’t like the color of his tie. Ties, like opinions can, and do, get changed. The life that wears that tie or has that opinion, however, is no less precious, and we are all hard-wired to preserve it. Fortunately that is not all us humans are born with. Laughter, they say, is the best medicine.

In another sense, I was very much amused by all the uproar realizing people’s anger was not because of an unpopular stance on abortion or gay marriage, but a grocery store. Now that is funny!!! I had no idea that people were so attached to where they bought their food. Shame on me, though, as food is always chock-full of intimate meaning for people. Lesson learned.

In the wake of the fallout from the DFO articles, this week allow me to offer a more personal piece that I hope will establish a context for what I write, and why I write it; a kind of road map to my inner gastronome.

The first item on the colloquial menu is the term “connoisseur”; this is what I consider myself in the food arena. Think of it as the “who does this guy think he is?” part of my writing. The second proffering is the usefulness of critique and analysis. While criticism nearly always gets a bad rap, I think we need critics and critical understandings of any subject, food included. As subjectivity is common to all of us, being critical can actually help us appreciate even our least favorite ideas by allowing us to see there is always another side to any story. But first, the connoisseur…

There are Drugs in My Water?

by Jessica Levinson

We all know by now to recycle our plastic, glass and paper. To a lesser extent, people recycle paint, batteries and television sets but not many consider the implications of throwing our outdated prescriptions or over the counter medication down the toilet, drain or into the garbage. We may not think twice about throwing our drugs away, but researchers and activists have been getting the word out that it’s just as important to recycle our medications.

These drugs find their way into our wastewater treatment plants, surface water and even our drinking water. Whether we realize it or not, we end up consuming drugs through our water and food supply everyday.

As medications are made more available and personal care products are in greater demand, we are seeing more and more chemical compounds in our waste water treatment plants (WWTPs) and water bodies. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), on their website, claims researchers “found that biosolids contain relatively high concentrations (hundreds of milligrams per kilogram) of the active ingredients commonly found in a variety of household products and drugs.”

Goats: Not Great Gardeners, But the Cheese Is Great

by James Simpkins

This past Sunday on route 2E about ten miles southeast of Hartford, I realized that I spend very little time in that part of the state. This was not exactly a revelation since I spend most of my time in Canton in the opposite corner, but it is rather beautiful out that way. However, I wasn’t just out for the colloquial “Sunday drive” (though I wouldn’t have minded); I was on a mission. For goat cheese. 

While attending a party in Simsbury at a colleague’s house, I met a Latin teacher named Mark. Though he insulted the French language (pronouncing it “badly spoken Latin”), which normally removes people from the Christmas card list, he quickly redeemed himself by sharing some of the goat cheese be had brought. There were four different kinds of fresh chevre on the plate—chive, herbes de Provence, black pepper, and dill—and all were delicious. When I inquired where he acquired such bon fromage, Mark further endeared himself to this gourmand when he said “we made them at our farm.”

The “we” Mark was speaking of includes his husband Paul, the main cheesemonger and their farm—already well-known to more local residents—is called Beltane Farm located in Lebanon, CT. Mark and Paul breed, raise, and milk their flock of Oberhasli and La Mancha goats twice a day to bring lucky Connecticut residents their fresh goat’s milk and cheeses. And from my own experience, the goats appear really happy to be there, too. And why shouldn’t they be?

Vegetarian What? (part II of at last II)

by James Simpkins

Last week I’m sure that there were more than a couple raised eyebrows or sighs of exasperation at my writing on the fake meat thing—and that’s fine. I actually didn’t realize I was so fired up about it until I read it again later. It’s funny how that works.

My personal truth about the whole fake meat topic is really “live and let live.” I don’t actually keep myself up at night worrying whether or not people should eat tofu shaped like a turkey. Honestly, though, I think it’s a little strange. Then again, if you saw the wildly un-hip sweatpants that I like to wear around the house, I should think to be understood at least as bizarre.

One of the comments on my previous article was by Julie Braun, of particular note as she mentioned something I don’t hear very often by folks trying to justify their weirdness. She pointed out the taste that she liked. Now here is the pickle that most of us are in: What costs the most in trying to eat (pick one) “green”, “organic”, “healthy”, “natural”, etc.—aside from perhaps succumbing to whim while shopping at Whole Foods Market—is loss of flavor. And meat tastes better than almost anything. Properly cooked meat is, gastronomically speaking, a much more pleasurable experience than most tofu, seitan (pronounced ‘say-tahn’) or tempeh I’ve ever had and you’ll waste your time trying to convince me otherwise. But, I regularly eat all of the meat substitutes listed above. I’ll get to why, later.

Food for the Whole Family

by Eileen Weber
 
In an earlier post this week, I wrote about the Junior League of Eastern Fairfield County’s “Healthy Eating” program targeting low-income women at the Mercy Learning Center in Bridgeport. The event was meant to promote the healthy benefits of fresh produce. Today, I had the privilege of witnessing it.

Wrapping light sweaters around their shoulders and bristling at the thought of a five-block walk, about twenty-five women made their way to the Marina Village Farmers’ Market for a field trip to the south end of town. They listened to a short lecture by Heather Harrington, an assistant extension instructor in the Department of Allied Health Sciences at the University of Connecticut. She and her assistant talked about ways to use healthy foods in cooking. With paper bags donated by Trader Joe’s, they loaded up on poblano peppers, broccoli, tomatoes, end-of-season corn, apples and pears.

Peanut Butter: The Best Food In The Whole World

by James Simpkins

Growing up, peanut butter was my favorite food right out of the jar. It still is. Honestly, there has never been another food that ever came close. Usually when I share this bit of information someone will inevitably ask me the two-for-one question: “What brand?...Crunchy or creamy”? The first part is not that simple. The latter I will answer later on.   First-off, I am about peanut butter as I am in many other pursuits - moody. Naturally, then, I have more than one brand of peanut butter that I eat according to whim, but I have a clear favorite—Smucker’s Natural (it's made in Ohio a couple hours from where I grew up). Here I almost always get one of two responses that sound something like: 1) “Great!, I love natural peanut butter, too!”, or, 2) “Oh…really? I can’t stand stirring it--and there is SO much oil in it.” Rarely is there a fair-weather friend to stirring; and to be fair, it is kind of a pain. But, it’s clearly worth it to some of us. You don’t stir, you buy something else. However, like most things, there are exceptions to the rule of my favorite peanut butter. **By the way, don’t try and stir natural peanut butter in the jar. This never works and it may be the biggest foible to the path of the natural peanut butter neophyte. I can’t say I don’t understand: If I had tried 100 times to stir natural peanut butter in the jar, I wouldn’t eat it anymore either. What a mess. So what do you do? You need to know The PB Secret. That’s coming up.

Green Screen

by Eileen Weber

I love summer. As a kid, I remember those hot, humid days. My friends and I would head for the beach, lay out and compete with each other for that Savage tan! Remember that tin foil looking thing people put under their chins to get better rays?

Now, I slather myself and my family in 14 layers of sunscreen, long sleeves and a big hat. Short of wearing a HazMat suit and beekeeper’s headgear, we’re totally covered. Who cares if we sweat profusely? At least we won’t get skin cancer.

That, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), is precisely the point. On their web site, Andrew C. von Eschenbach, M.D., Commissioner of Food and Drugs for the FDA says, "For more than 30 years, consumers have been able to identify the level of UVB protection provided by sunscreens using only sunburn protection factor or SPF values." The FDA is hoping to upgrade the sunscreen labeling into a 4-star system. With this proposal, "Consumers will also now know the level of UVA protection in sunscreens, which will help them make informed decisions about protecting themselves and their children against the harmful effects of the sun."

The American Cancer Society will be the first ones to tell you that skin cancer (basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and melanoma) is the most common of all cancers. According to that organization, skin cancer accounts for nearly half of all cancers in the United States. More than 1 million cases of non-melanoma skin cancer are found in this country each year. This year, they estimate that nearly 70,000 new melanomas will be diagnosed in the United States alone.

The Environmental Working Group (EWG), a non-profit organization founded in 1993 that uses the “power of public information to protect public health and the environment”, rated top brands of sunscreen. They found that some of the leading brands weren’t exactly as advertised. Banana Boat, Coppertone and Neutrogena were among the top offenders in not providing enough skin protection in their products.

No More Waste. Period.

by Eileen Weber

A friend of mine sent me a link for a product that was reviewed on IdealBite.com. It was a menstrual cup, a device meant to be 100% leak-proof during a woman’s period. While admittedly I felt a little squeamish, I was also intrigued.

With a list of reusable menstrual cups like DivaCup, MoonCup, MiaCup, Lunette, and The Keeper, there are plenty of options on the market. Using one of these cups stops the waste of tampons, pads, and liners from ending up in landfills. Many of the products we have grown up using don’t break down, especially those products that include a plastic backing.

For quite some time, tampons have been associated with toxic chemicals. Tampons have also been directly linked to Toxic Shock Syndrome, an illness caused by a bacterial infection from the use of hyper-absorbent tampons for an extended period of time. Symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea, a sunburn-like rash, fever, dizziness and possible fainting from a drop in blood pressure.  

According to some estimates, the average woman in her lifetime can use enough feminine hygiene products to fill a dump truck. And that’s just one woman. Think of the millions of other women who are doing the same thing every month. Millions of non-biodegradable feminine products are thrown out in the garbage or flushed down the toilet causing residual plumbing problems. Suddenly a silly concept becomes an important environmental statement.

Based on the comments Ideal Bite received, there’s not a single woman who has used the product that gives it a negative review. Some have said it takes a few times to get used to it. But once you get the hang of it, it’s simple, easy, and leak-proof. What more could you want?

Edible School Gardens

by Eileen Weber

We have an epidemic. No, it doesn’t involve an incurable virus or Dustin Hoffman in a Hazmat suit à la Outbreak. However, it does involve kids, their parents, and the schools they attend.

Edible school gardens are growing at a rapid pace. Increasingly, school districts are making the gardens part of their curriculum. The Edible School Gardens Workshop at the Unitarian Church in Westport, sponsored in part by the Westport Green Village Initiative in partnership with Amy Kalafa, founder of Two Angry Moms, featured an expert panel of school garden organizers. With a room filled almost to capacity this morning, parents, farmers, gardeners, and school officials alike listened intently about how to start one in their own school system.

Dorothy Mullen, founder of the Riverside Elementary School gardens in Princeton, NJ, discussed how she got the project underway in her district. Only a few weeks post-9/11 in November 2001, she wanted to make a change in the school lunch system by introducing fresh food.

She noted how nutrition positively or negatively affects the body. “The brain is the most sensitive organ to poor nutrition,” she said. At the very least, kids can have a loss in concentration that prevents learning. “When the brain is out fuel,” she said, “we can’t learn correctly.”

Mullen, who is also an addiction counselor, said she started small by taking kids on a walking tour to her backyard garden. Then, the concept grew. She wanted to take it to the school. This was one way to instill the benefits of nutrition. She pointed out that, with a garden, there is a teaching opportunity for other subjects: science, math, food and nutrition, and art. From an environmental perspective, conservation in composting and water usage is a valuable lesson as well.