October 14th, 2012

it's so easy... being green.

All this talk about PBS, somehow makes me think of a certain green frog...
Yes indeed, Kermie that is. I love him, and PBS. I used to watch it as a kid. So educational, but what that channel does with their shows is keeps it enticing enough to not lose your attention, while teaching lessons, through their shows. Kids not knowing that- still love it. Even now, I watch PBS so cal & Oc. I don't have paid for cable, so the shows that are just on basic, include PBS. How amazing is it, I still get to have that channel! Well anyway- back to the main subject of this post. Kermie had it a tad bit wrong. 'It's not easy being green' was maybe true for Kermit, maybe it was a struggle for him, sure, I understand- being different can be hard. But in the end, it's what makes you special. He's no standard frog. He sings, he has emotions, he somehow loves a very short tempered pig. But hey, regardless, he's only.... well, frog. For the rest of us- were only human. And in all simplicity, going green is easy.

I know for a lot of people- going green means, to recycle, turn off your lights when your not using them, cable, etc.. Don't use much plastic- switch to reusing your same glasses to refill, it goes on and on. But for me- even more of that means to go green for our planet. Because if you didn't know this already, eating healthy, meaning local vegetables and no meat, yes I said it.' Because production of their protein is particularly demanding on fossil fuels – for fertilizer, processing, transport and so on.'

But for me, I don't chose not to eat meat just because of that reason. I have my beliefs and we all have our own. Understood. Here are just some helpful ways of changing your life up to be a lil' more green. In a healthy since. If my grandma were a live today I'm sure she'd tell me if I keep eating kale the way I do- I'd turn green. ;)

So, some basic things- that if not already something you do. Should be without a doubt what you are doing!


Bread, pasta, rice.- all of these need to be brown! and on top of that, make sure you are reading labels correctly- even if it says whole grain, still could be not exactly right. Look at ingredients on the back or side, make sure none of it says 'enriched' in no way- is that word put in a good way- no way. If it says 'wheat' by it self, with no whole in front of it, again. not a good choice. 
Some examples of the very best are- Ezekiel Bread, Kamut Pasta, & any Organic brown rice.

-Why? You may ask. First of all. My question to you, is why? Why would you be eating sugary white bread? that has a million ingredients in it besides just, sugar or white flour. It's ridiculous what they add in there to keep it on the shelf for years. Why would you put that in your stomach? What good is that going to do for you. It baffles me that people continue to eat white bread and white carbs. There is absolutely no nutrition there. If you eat whole wheat bread or brown carbs, the good ones- then you are getting good nutrition! Yes people always wanna talk badly about carbs, and I highly disapprove, There is nothing wrong with ezekiel bread and quinoa- sorry but there isn't, they've been around a long timeeeeee. These grains I support have been there from the very start. Thats why there the very best to eat. Qunioa not only is a whole grain and great replacement for pasta if your gluten intolerant, but it's also a complete protein! So you'll feel even more nourished. Trust me. Try these simple switches and it'll make a huge difference in the way you feel. 

Greens and fruits.- my main concern about this one first off- is how many times are you eating these daily? These should be consumed so much more than you think! Some days I don't even get the required amount I set up for myself! I try very hard to have a piece of fruit 3x a day. and the same with greens. each of them, 3x a day. It helps if you have a smoothie for breakfast, salad for lunch and then protein with green for dinner. But not every day can be that perfect. I've never been the biggest smoothie person either, not gonna lie!Even though it basically is the best meal, you can keep throwing things in there and in one big glass you've got all you need for a super nutritious meal! It's awesome! Soooo for me, since I'm not a smoothie lover- it's all about adding the greens and fruits to my meal. Which is very easy. Last night for dinner for instance, I had black beans, salsa, quinoa, cashew cheeze, cilantro and then add a ton of shredded raw kale to it. Kinda like a salad, But not. I don't know 'what it is' But it was good :) all that matters.

Dairy.-yeah, I'm gonna go here. Even though I know most of you are like, hypocrite! if you've ever seen me eating goat cheese. Or talking about it, that is. Hey I know! I get it! No, I won't give up goat cheese, completely. I eat it rarely, but I do, when I want to, none the less. I love it- it's true. But thats not to say it doesn't have negative effects, just like the rest of the cheese family :( So sad- but true. I was full on vegan for about 6 months- never was sick, it was awesome. Then one day I gave in to an old favorite, this cornmeal crust goat cheese pizza, and within the next few days I got a cold. Does anyone know why this happened? I can tell you without a doubt why. dairy! I know it might be hard to believe- even though I don't know why it is, Dairy products- milk and cheese. are the mucus. fermented. Ok, enough said! right? Thats gross. :( When I first heard this I was disgusted and saddened. After all I was a cheese-oholic. Seriously :/ But knowing it's the cause of me having a cold or not. Why would I not stop eating it? If you had the answer to a question sitting right in front of you- isn't that just a duhhhhhh moment? Come on! I finally woke up and again, just rarely eat it. I don't like putting foods 'off limits' per say. But I do not chose to eat it on a daily basis. Cause I do not want sinus congestion, or flem, etc. Thats how it is created, when we put dairy products in us. Also- might I add, they do not digest well!

Daily Exercise.No I am not talking about beating yourself up daily at the gym for an hour. I'm talking about being active daily. Going for a walk for an hour would be just as suitable. We all have different goals- for our bodies, so if you have a different one that you know a good plan for- be your guest. But I'm talking about bare minimum, of keeping happy and healthy. go for a walk, go look at the pretty sky. Go for a hike, go for a swim. Go bowl, play tennis, golf. anything- whatever, again, as simple as a walk. Just go out there and do something daily. Go embrace nature. Breathe it in. Enjoy. 

One other thing- water. drink a lot of it. I mean a lot. Minimum being 1.5 liter, anything more than that is awesome. Go do your thang! ;)

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