Everyone’s closet could use a little seasonal infusion. That’s why we’re incredibly happy to announce Organic Authority’s totally seasonal October giveaway from Threads 4 Thought.

Threads 4 Thought, a fashion brand for men and women (that also includes and active clothing line and accessories), strives to improve the planet through promoting a sustainable lifestyle through fashion. The company is dedicated to giving back and touts the appropriate tagline: “Live Sustainably.” The company uses products, such as organic cotton, recycled polyester, and lenzing modal. All you have to do to be eligible to win this awesome $500 gift card giveaway is sign up for our newsletter.

In 2006, Eric and Leigh Fleet founded the company to help execute a single idea: make the fashion industry more sustainable. After a year (in 2007), the couple launched the company with a modest selection of t-shirts crafted with sustainable fabrics. If you look at the company’s website today, though, you can clearly see how it has substantially expanded its selection. And although the company has grown, it still maintains its original stance: stay sustainable and don’t contribute to the sector of the textile industry known for polluting the planet through fast fashion.

While the company’s goals are lofty, I think we all can agree we’d feel good supporting a company that touts the following ideas:

• Threads 4 Thought wants to reduce toxicity by 90 percent by using organic cotton.
• Ninety-five percent of the production materials the company uses in the conversions process are recovered.
• The company literally travels around the world to find factories to work with that treat their workers well. It has factories in China, India, Haiti, and Kenya.
• Threads 4 Thought also donates clothing to something called The International Rescue Committee. The Committee works to respond to the world’s crisis and helps rebuild lives. In the past year, the company has donated $100,000 to the IRC. It also has donated $200,000 to the IRC New Roots Program (a Program that helps refugees become self sufficient).

So, are you ready to toss your name in the hat? We thought so. Just sign up here. As always, if you’re already signed up, great–that means you’re already entered! But, if you aren’t, don’t forget to sign up before it’s too late.

Don’t forget to visit Threads 4 Thought on social media:

Facebook: Facebook.com/Threads4Thought
Twitter: @Threads4Thought
Instagram: @Threads4Thought
Pinterest: @Threads4Thought

Related on Organic Authority

The post October Giveaway! Win Gorgeous Sustainable Fall Fashion Pieces From Threads 4 Thought ($500 Value!) appeared first on Organic Authority.

Just how bad is California’s drought situation? Bad enough that a number of honeybee operations are being driven out of the state.

And that’s going to pose a big problem for California’s agricultural industry: As much as one-third of all food is pollinated by bees.

“The lack of rain and snow has reduced the amount of plants the bees feed on, which in turn limits the amount of pollen and nectar that bees collect,” reports NPR. “This year in the state, there are just not enough plants and trees in bloom to keep many commercial beekeepers profitable.”

While some beekeepers are turning to supplemental feed to keep their bees alive, it’s not the ideal situation for honeybees. Not by a long shot. “The quality of these meal substitutes isn’t as good as the real deal,” NPR explains. “They’re expensive, and it’s like eating fresh versus canned vegetables.”

“Commercial beekeepers are having difficult times keeping bees alive, and they’re kind of spread out,” Tim Tucker, president of the American Beekeeping Federation told NPR. “They’re going to Montana and they’re going to North Dakota.”

More than 400 of California’s Central Valley crops depend on honeybees for pollination, which includes more than 900,000 acres of almond trees that need pollinating in the springtime.

“[The farmers are] scrambling, trying to figure out as many options as possible to make sure their bees stay healthy and are prepared for next year,” Ryan Jacobsen, CEO of the Fresno County Farm Bureau told NPR. “That includes trying to move to newer areas and trying to plant new feed sources.”

The California drought is just one problem the bees are facing. According to the Fresno County Farm Bureau, as many as 40 percent of honeybee colonies in the West are being lost each year due to colony collapse disorder, the mysterious situation afflicting bees around the globe. Some research points to agricultural pesticides as a contributing factor to the bees’ decline.

Find Jill on Twitter and Instagram

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Honeybee image via Shutterstock

The post California Drought Forcing Honeybees Out of State appeared first on Organic Authority.

We’ve heard of urban farms and rooftop farms, but the next big thing in super-local farming concerns fish farms: a rooftop fish farm to be exact. Running with an idea that was first popularized in 2012 by designer Antonio Scarponi, three partners in Brooklyn have decided to make rooftop fish farms a reality in New York City.

The Idea of Rooftop Fish Farms is Spawned

Rooftop fish farm possibilities first took the Internet by storm in 2012, when the GLOBE / HEDRON design was released. The original design by Antonio Scarponi was made with a geodesic bamboo dome and was specially designed to be biodegradable and structurally sound for placement on roofs. The design was relatively self-sufficient as far as energy is concerned and was intended to cost about a much as a car, making it accessible for most families in Switzerland, where the idea was launched.

With this project, the idea was to farm on an individual scale. Each farm would be able to feed four families of four with seasonal vegetables and fish. That being said, this prototype design got people buzzing about the possibility of bigger structures and the future of urban farming, though for rooftop fish farming to truly take hold on a larger scale, we would have to wait a few more years.

Verticulture Farms Brings Aquaponics to Brooklyn

For the folks behind Verticulture Farms, the idea of rooftop farming came first and foremost from an interest in urban agriculture. Co-founder Miles Crettien says that he was originally made aware of the issue in 2009, when he heard Grace Lee Boggs speak about programs she was working on in Detroit.

“I became inspired to work towards providing healthy affordable food to diverse urban populations, says” Crettien. He moved to New York and started looking for ways to make this happen.

In New York, he teamed up with friend and co-founder Ryan Morningstar. The two had worked on an organic farm in Massachusetts together for five seasons. “I started reading a lot on the topic including The Vertical Farm by Dickens Despommier and Eco Cities Living Machines by John Todd,” says Crettien. “The concept of closed loop ecological designed food production really struck a chord with me.”

In 2012, the group of founders, by then increased to four, began meeting to discuss the development of an aquaponics company. While at first, this was more a passion project than anything else, “It soon became apparent that there was a real market need and opportunity to grow and build a viable aquaponic business in NYC,” says Crettien.

After exploring many different design options, they decided to implement an indoor vertically stacked grow bed, where they could grow a variety of plants and raise Brooklyn-born-and-bred tilapia. With this system based in aquaponics, the fish and the plants that feed them form their own ecosystem: the natural waste from the fish nourishes the plants, and the plants are used to filter water for the fish. No pesticides are used, as they could kill the fish, making the greens entirely pesticide-free. Verticulture Farm’s design allows for high yields and easy to implement, particularly in New York, where outdoor space — even on roofs — can be scarce.

“Since we can build farms in otherwise underutilized environments, we have the opportunity to grow food where there is a lack of fresh affordable food and provide jobs and training to people who live in the neighborhoods where we grow,” says Miles. “This is a major social mission of ours that we are vehemently pursuing.”

The Future of Verticulture Farms

But they aren’t stopping there.

The first farm was an experiment, a non-profit program that was on a much smaller scale and donated all its fresh fish and vegetables to a youth-run farmers market sponsored by the Myrtle Avenue Revitalization Project. But since then, Crettien and his co-founders have now transformed the company into a for-profit enterprise with a social mission. They sell their greens and fish locally and are currently working on building NYC’s first full-scale vertical indoor aquaponic farm, which should be ready to use within six months. They intend to pay employees $15 to $20 an hour and to sell the produce to local markets and restaurants.

“From there we will look to scale within NYC and other cities of high demand and need for fresh, locally grown greens, herbs and fish,” he says, which means that farms could soon be available not only in New York but in urban centers around the country.

Related on Organic Authority

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Tilapia image via Shutterstock

The post New York City’s New Fish Farm Norm: Fish on Rooftops? appeared first on Organic Authority.

What images come to mind when you think of fall? The brilliant color of changing leaves? Pumpkins and gourds? A bit of Halloween whimsy? Fall container gardening allows you to show off the best of the season with color and texture. Learn how you can create a fall container gardens that will make your home shine.

1. Choose your container

A great advantage of container gardening is that they are often smaller than summer gardens so they require less effort. When choosing your container you are only limited by your imagination. Consider a mobile planter such as a wheelbarrow or wagon that can be moved around to take advantage of sun on shorter fall days. An old birdbath that is cracked and no longer able to hold water can be re-purposed to hold a garden. A strawberry jar allows patches of color to pop out at different heights. A wine barrel has space for a larger garden. Of course, traditional window boxes and clay planters are always great options as well.

A hollowed out pumpkin makes a colorful and festive container. Choose both orange and white pumpkins for variety. Cut the top off of your pumpkin just as you would to create a jack-o-lantern. Scoop out the pulp and seeds from inside the pumpkin (be sure to save the seeds for roasting). Drill a few drainage holes in the bottom of the pumpkin, and it is ready for planting. Consider using a variety of pumpkin sizes to create visual interest.

Like the hollow pumpkin idea? Consider expanding your options by using the same techniques to create a planter out of squash such as an upright butternut squash.

Once you have your container you need to think about what to plant in it. The first rule is to choose plants that a tolerant of cooler temperatures.

2. Color!

Fall container gardening celebrates color. Make your garden light up with fiery red and orange marigolds. Yellow chrysanthemums shine when juxtaposed against purple kale. Green ferns and ivy add a hint of summery green. Pink and purple are often associated with spring or summer gardens, but by planting Pink Frost (a small anise tree) and Welch’s Pink (Callicarpa americana) they can find a home in a fall garden as well.

Let a theme determine your color scheme. Fall is football season; plant flowers in your team’s colors to show your spirit. Can’t wait for the holidays? Try red berries nestled among white candytufts (Iberis) with green ivy flowing down.

3. Texture

Adding texture to your container garden takes it from so-so to so fabulous. Consider purple fountain grass for a soft, airy texture. Dried hydrangeas add an interesting texture as well as a round shape.

Succulents are great additions to fall gardens because they add both texture and color. The aptly named “Autumn Joy” is a sedum with blue-green oblong leaves and a dusty pink flower. (As an added bonus, bees and butterflies love this plant.) Hens-and-chicks (Sempervivum) is a succulent that covers the ground with texture. The sedum “Frosty Morn” evokes a touch of frost on its grey-green leaves. Go bold with Opuntia compressa which offers a fun yellow flower.

Collards and kale aren’t only nutritious veggies, they’re also great additions to add texture to your garden. They come in both edible and decorative varieties, so choose an edible variety if you enjoy munching on them.

Fall container gardening isn’t limited to only plants. Add twigs for texture and height, and berries such as orange bittersweet for a bold color and smooth texture.

4. Height

Height adds visual interest and structure to your garden. Make your garden stand above the rest by planting peacock kale, libertia, or cannas.

Don’t forget lower plants such as violas, pansies, and petunias that can be planted in front of taller plants for color at a lower level.

5. Less maintenance, but not no-maintenance

Fall container gardening is wonderful because it requires less weeding and pruning than larger gardens, but that doesn’t mean you can ignore it completely. Healthy soil grows healthy plants so amend the soil with compost. Container gardens–especially if they’re densely planted–dry out quickly so remember to water regularly.

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picture of fall container garden via Shutterstock

The post 5 Fall Container Gardening Ideas That Celebrate Autumn appeared first on Organic Authority.

When I first came to yoga nearly 8 years ago I had formerly been a runner. I craved the adrenaline pumping forms of exercise and Bikram yoga classes fit the bill. I even dragged my husband (then boyfriend) to a class or two. The heat, coupled with strenuous poses made for a pretty great high, what yogis call a “Bikram buzz.” And while Bikram yoga is still a nice change once in while, the everyday practice also has its downsides.

1. Dehydration

Bikram yoga combines 26 moderate to rather difficult poses along with seering heat, averaging around 105 degrees. It seems like a great way to detox after a big night out, which is likely another reason I loved it in my mid-twenties. But even if you aren’t hungover, if you’re not well hydrated before you go into class, you could be at risk of dehydration. The buckets of sweat that you lose each 90 minute class can be problematic if you don’t hydrate yourself before and after class.

2. Matching your dosha

Ayurveda is the sister science to yoga and it works by balancing the body’s life energies known in the practice as “doshas” called Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. Rather than focusing on individual symptoms, by living a life tied to your particular dosha or doshas, you can keep your body and mind healthy and in balance. That said, for those with pitta doshas out there, hot yoga may not be for you. Pitta doshas are naturally firey, and they can go out of balance when they become overheated. The hot temperatures associated with Bikram yoga can shift your body’s balance in short order.

3. Causes injury

The intense sweating can help to loosen up your muscles and get into deeper postures than you ever imagined. And while dancing with your edge can be a good thing, going over your edge can cause injury. This is especially true of beginner students who aren’t exactly sure about their edge and aren’t well versed at listening to their bodies. The heat can mask where you really are in your practice and cause you to take it too far, causing unnecessary muscle tears.

4. Competitive nature.

Bikram yoga studios are lined from wall to wall with mirrors, making competition the name of the game. Rather than putting the ego in its place, it has a tendency to expand it, making you want to twist yourself into a pretzel rather than following your breath. Yoga is about the interconnection of the mind, body, and spirit, but too much competition keeps you in your head, and takes away from the connection that yoga can bring. And competition, just like the heat, can also cause injury if you’re not careful.

5. Boredom 

Bikram yoga practices the same 26 poses each day. The practice never changes, which on the upside means that you can see your progress, but on the downside means you can get bored with it. What’s more, if you know what’s coming, you’re more likely to zone out and robotically go through the motions instead of being present for the entire 90 minute class.

Do you take Bikram yoga classes? What do you love (or not love!) about it? Let us know on our Facebook page!

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Image of a yoga class  from Shuttershock

The post 5 Reasons Bikram Yoga Classes Can Be a Buzz Kill appeared first on Organic Authority.

Muffins, soup, lattes, jack-o-lanterns. Pumpkin is popular this time of year, but do you know about pumpkin beauty benefits? Put down your PSL and see what this veggie can do for your skin.

Pumpkin is a seasonal staple. But its advantages go way beyond adorning hayrack rides and inspiring your favorite autumnal beverage.

This orange veg has skin super powers, too. Whether fighting wrinkles, getting a jump on dry skin, lessening spots and scars, or boosting brightness, pumpkin works on all skin types. The perfect ingredient for your fall beauty routine.

Pumpkin Beauty Benefits for Every Skin Type

Fight Wrinkles: Pumpkin is rich in vitamin A, which helps to soften lines and wrinkles. It is also high in free radicals to help ward off further damage. For daytime try essential oil free Kypris Beauty Elixir III – Prismatic Array with pumpkin seed oil for a refined, glowing complexion. Kypris Moonlight Catalyst contains fermented pumpkin enzymes to soften lines and gently exfoliate while you sleep.

Smooth and Slough: Possibly nature’s most perfect exfoliant, pumpkin contains natural enzymes that gently dissolve dead skin cells. Shamanuti Pumpkin Enzyme Masque will instantly revitalize and smooth skin. Perfect for days when your complexion looks sallow or flaky.

Control Blemishes: Organic pumpkin powder works in Wild Honey Apothecary Pumpkin Cocoa Honey Mask to draw out impurities and leave skin soft and clear. Honey has natural antibacterial properties to help ward off breakouts.

Lighten Spots and Scars: Diminish the appearance of acne scars, soothe rosacea, and even sun damage with Rawceuticals Acne.Ceuticals Deep Repair Serum. Made with pumpkin and other natural oils to strengthen and heal discolored areas of skin.

Brighten Complexion: A bounty of healthy oils in Osmia Organics Luz Facial Brightening Serum provide velvety texture and luminosity to skin. Easily absorbed and non-greasy, this serum works well on dry and dull skin types.

Soothe and Restore: Skin tired, upset, inflamed? Dr. Alkaitis Organic Universal Mask is like a veggie bowl for skin. Spirulina, kale, brown rice, and pumpkin come together in this healthful mask to calm skin and restore vitality.

Now that your fall skincare is order, put your carving skills to the test and find out how to create the coolest pumpkin in the ‘hood.

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Image of woman holding pumpkin via Shutterstock

The post Bountiful Pumpkin Beauty Benefits for Every Skin Type appeared first on Organic Authority.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has updated the “worker protection standard” to protect farm workers from pesticide poisoning. According to the agency, 10,000 to 20,000 workers are sickened by pesticides each year, with many more experiencing less serious reactions.

According to the EPA:

The regulation seeks to protect and reduce the risks of injury or illness resulting from agricultural workers’ (those who perform hand-labor tasks in pesticide-treated crops, such as harvesting, thinning, pruning) and pesticide handlers’ (those who mix, load and apply pesticides) use and contact with pesticides on farms, forests, nurseries and greenhouses. The regulation does not cover persons working with livestock.

The updated guidelines, which originally went into effect in 1992, contain a number of new rules to meet this goal. For example, employers must train workers annually on pesticide safety, rather than every five years as the rule formerly specified. Farmers won’t be allowed near recently sprayed fields until the pesticide residues have declined to safe levels, and children under 18 years old will not be able to handle pesticides under any circumstances. Farmers will also have to track where and when certain pesticides have been used, according to NPR.

“Primarily there’s been a lot of research done of late on the brains of our children and how they develop,” EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy said to NBC News, adding that if there are so many other laws on the books that go to 18 for hazardous work conditions, “there’s nothing we think deserves closer scrutiny and attention than the handling of pesticides.”

The updates have been welcomed by farm worker advocates. “We’ve been fighting for more than 20 years for some of these improvements,” Virginia Ruiz, director of occupational and environmental health at Farmworker Justice said to NPR.

However, the new regulations are still more lenient than those in states like California and Washington, according to a report on NPR:

[T]he new rules do not go as far as some had hoped. They do not, for instance, require routine medical monitoring of workers who specialize in applying the most dangerous pesticides. Both California and Washington require such monitoring, and these programs have identified workers who had been been exposed to pesticides and were at risk for developing more serious health problems. The EPA, however, decided that requiring such monitoring across the nation would cost too much.

The regulations are set to go into effect in the next 14 months.

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Farm worker image via Shuttershock

The post EPA Announces Tougher Rules to Protect Farm Workers from Pesticide Poisoning appeared first on Organic Authority.

If you haven’t already, you know you want to. Cleanses and detox diets are absolutely everywhere. From water fasting to juice cleanses and smoothies to elimination diets, a cleanse appeals to something inside of almost everyone. Who doesn’t want to lose weight, rid their body of toxic junk, and emerge from the experience as a glowing, fresh, and rejuvenated version of themselves?

I’m a sucker for the big sell. Anything requiring you to go all in, I say, unapologetically “YES.” Special exercise routines that require specific and expensive equipment, retreats, huge home organizational projects, parenting techniques, skincare routines, whatever. If it looks big and daunting and requires you to put all of your boring regular life stuff on hold while you try something radical and new, I want to give it a whirl. You know where I’m coming from, right? Isn’t it so much more fun to ignore all the dirty dishes and the queue of unread emails to purge your closets, go to IKEA and buy all new shelving, and ignore making dinner so that you can spend the evening sorting and re-organizing until everything is shiny and new? YES! Of course it is.

And a cleanse and detox diet is exactly like the closet project, except you do it on your body. And a couple weeks ago, my husband asked for my help with losing 20 lbs. Like a lot of us, he’s slowly gained weight over the last few years. He works a bazillion hours a week and already rides his bike 21 miles a day to commute, so he felt like the change needed to be mostly in his diet. SO, I concocted this brilliant plan!

A Labor of Love

I announced we would do a cleanse and detox diet following the methods of Dr. Alejandro Junger, the author of “Clean”, one of the most popular manuals to cleansing and the clean eating movement. And we weren’t messing around either, we were going skip the one or two weeks program and plunge right into the 21 day detox. He would lose weight and I would support him by joining him in the diet. We would totally bond over the difficulties and splendors of detoxing and I would document our journey for all of you faithful readers out there! What a story!

But What Does It All Mean?

If you’re not familiar with “Clean”, here’s a very, very simplified version of the ideology:

Dr. Junger feels the human body has a natural ability to detox, or rid itself of toxins that come from the environment, food, and stress. However, because of our modern diet and lifestyle, the body is often so overloaded with toxins that it can really only perform the most basic detoxing functions. If we rid our lives of the sources of toxins as much as possible via diet and lifestyle, our bodies can go into a deep detox mode and get rid of the accumulation of old toxins that are rooted inside you.

Dr Junger says, “A focused period of detoxifying is a reset for the whole physical and mental body. It delivers an all-access pass to boundless reserves of energy you didn’t know you had. You find that every part of your body works better, imbalances are rectified, and irritating symptoms get a chance to melt away on their own-all by your simply ‘switching on’ a [detoxification] system that you were born with and that has been patiently waiting to serve you.”

Why Detox?

Dr. Junger says that if you embark on the cleansing journey, these are the riches that await you on the other side:

If you finish Week 1: “…you will experience a surge of vibrant energy and clarity of mind, as toxins are released from the tissues they have been trapped in and are recirculated for neutralization and subsequent elimination.”

Week 2: “Longstanding symptoms of imbalance on the ‘surface’ such as skin problems, weight issues, allergies, and intestinal issues, begin to disappear.”

Week 3: (this passage in the book was so verbose I had to break it down into bullet points so you don’t die from boredom while reading it)

• Slow down and reverse the aging process
• Feel vital, clear, and optimistic
• Drop stubborn pounds
• Complexions firm, tighten, and glow
• Whites of the eyes get whiter and brighter
• Sleep more soundly
• Higher energy levels
• Relief from issues like constipation, sinus infections, joint pain, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, etc.
• Heightened state of self-awareness and fresh vision of the world

WOW.

Nuts and Bolts (or Veggies)

Here’s a breakdown of Dr. Junger’s detox diet plan:

1. You eat a blended meal for breakfast and dinner and a solid meal for lunch.
2. Eat breakfast no less than 12 hours after dinner the night before.
3. You only eat foods that are on the Elimination Diet list.
4. Try not to snack.

Why these rules? Well, Dr. Junger says the elimination diet and detox plan will:

1. Reduce the workload of digestion: Gives your body a break from digesting so it can focus on detoxing.

2. Restore the twelve-hour window: Give your body a total break by having a 12 hour fast every night.

3. Rebuild the inner environment: Lower body’s acidity and rebalance gut flora.

4. Support the liver:  So it can can do its job as efficiently as possible.

5. Enhance elimination: Drinking water, sweating, peeing, and pooping.

Food Dos and Don’ts

Dr. Junger wants you to throw out all grains with gluten, white rice, corn, rye, etc. No red meat. No dairy. No processed sugar, honey, maple syrup, agave, or evaporated cane juice. No soy. No eggs. No oranges, grapefruits, bananas, tomatoes, peppers, or potatoes. No shellfish, pork, or beef. No peanuts or peanut butter. No alcohol or caffeine. And there’s other stuff.

But you CAN eat fruits and veggies (excluding those above). Coconut and nut milk, rice (not white), quinoa, avocados, olives, small fish, wild game, lamb, duck, chicken, turkey, peas, lentils, legumes, nuts and seeds, olive/sesame/coconut oil, decaf herbal tea, brown rice syrup, stevia, vinegar, spices (except cayenne?), raw chocolate (ew), mustard, and some other stuff.

Tools

You will need:

1. Blender
2. Juicer
3. Source of pure water (A jug filter does not count. It must be a filtration system.)

I already have a Vitamix (the only nice kitchen thing I own) but not a juicer. And we only have a Brita, not filtered water. But I figured I could blend up stuff and strain it for juice and maybe I could buy a few jugs of filtered water just for the cleanse. And I went out and bought a couple of big containers with lids and straws so we could carry our smoothies around while doing stuff and feeling amazing. Soooooo, totally ready!

Now. Let us embark together on this glorious journey to health and vivacious renewal. Here are excerpts from my detox diary with added comments from my husband. I’m a fitness professional who goes by the moniker, This Fit Mom. So he’s dubbed himself, That Fat Dad.

Detox Diary

Day 1

Monday. I did not really even attempt to forgo coffee. I just needed it and I drank it. Breakfast: Smoothie, including greens, vegan protein powder (PP), cashew butter, dates, frozen blueberries, almond milk. Fine, not good. I was a little hungover because I felt like I should tie one on Sunday. Felt gross all morning. Did monster workout, 90 minutes. Almost died. Ate canned wild salmon, capers, olive and sesame oil, broccoli cooked w/ jerk seasoning, avocado. Pretty good. Felt good after lunch. Got hungry around 4, had some dates and sunflower seeds. Dinner: Smoothie-almond butter, greens, PP, lemon juice, almond milk, frozen blueberries. So gross. Drank half and felt sick. Gave other half to That Fat Dad and he could only drink half of that. Realized I didn’t buy the pure water yet, whoops. Went to bed expecting to sleep well but I tossed and turned all night. WTF.

Day 2:

Tuesday. BKFST: Coffee. Smoothie-greens, almond milk, PP, lemon juice, blueberries, walnuts. So grody, choking it down. Feel tired and cranky due to lack of sleep, I think. Have very heavy major sweats. Toxins coming out? Feel in my head about it. Worried about having enough energy to get a good workout. Took forever this morning to prep everyone’s food and stuff. Feeling cranky about the whole thing. Tired during workout, had to drop reps. So so sweaty. Better after solid lunch. Worse after smoothie dinner. Calling it, “Smoothie Sick.” Long, rolling nausea that reminds me of pregnancy morning sickness. Realized I still forgot pure water. Still no good sleep. Weird dreams. So sweaty I had to change jammies in the middle of the night. Pooping 3-4 times a day. WHATS HAPPENING-WHERE IS THE BEAUTIFUL GLOWING VITALITY.

Day 3

Wednesday. Food same as yesterday. I did my hour long HIIT class and was so weak and seriously almost passed out a few times. Destroyed after. Felt sick mostly all day but felt better after liquid dinner. I did sleep really well. Accepted that I was probably never gonna buy the pure water. Feel slender and muscles look well defined. Maybe this is the turning point! Yes. Now I will emerge from this sweaty pile of destroyed flesh to be reborn. Lots of sweating, peeing, and pooping. Will leave you to imagine it.

Day 4

Thursday. No rebirth. Ran out of smoothie stuff so had celery and almond butter for bkfst. Felt tired and sick. Nauseous all day. Just-no workout, couldn’t face it. Did solid lunch and smoothie for dinner. Felt so yuck after dinner smoothie that I had to just lie motionless and sweaty on the couch. Fantasized about chewing stuff. Then it occurred to me-aren’t my teeth just blending my food in my mouth??? Got confused thinking that. Felt so nauseous all night that it kept waking me up. Very sweaty and pooping all the time still. Brain felt slow and weird all day. Getting weird. Things are going to a strange place.

Day 5

Friday. I had eggs and toast for bkfst!!! I had to do an exercise class for a review for this magazine and I just felt so bad I had real concerns about actually fainting. Eggs and toast made me feel much better and I had a good workout. I sweated so much it was alarming and people commented on it. Felt energetic and had nice conversations with people. Now the forbidden food glow is fading and I don’t feel so good anymore. I plan to have liquid lunch and dinner to make up for the bkfst. (Ended up having salmon and brown and red rice. So so so good. Aaannnnd a small glass of bourbon. It was Friday night!!!) Slept horribly. Prob because of all the naughty foods and drink.

Day 6

Saturday. Here’s a conversation I had with That Fat Dad. TFD: “I need to have a serious talk with you. What are the real implications of putting one or two shots of tequila in a glass with some ice and soda? Is it gonna mess up the [gestures to midsection while making tongue pop noise] you know, the dojo?”  This is what I’m dealing with. We both agreed we feel depressed after lunch knowing that the solid meal is done and there’s nothing left for the whole day but another smoothie and the smoothie sickness (which TFD doesn’t experience). But I slept great! Sweats and pooping continue.

Day 7

Sunday. Had liquid breakfast and coffee. Felt actually not too bad. Solid lunch at the beach of rice, salmon, and cucumbers. Spent the whole day at the beach and when we got home we were just crazy starving. I tried to be good and ate celery and almond butter. TFD had tortilla chips, which he called nachos to make himself happy. Slept like a freaking LOG.

Day 8

Monday. Had liquid breakfast and headed off to gym for class. Was pretty tired and noticed on the scale that I actually GAINED weight. I give up. SO depressed. So tired. Can’t workout or play with my kids. Can’t have any fun. And I guess I’m getting fatter? I’m eating my eggs and toast for lunch and quitting this bullshit. I’m ready to get back to regular life.

Epilogue

I felt better almost immediately after resuming my normal eating routine, which was already pretty “clean” to begin with.  And a couple days later I stepped on the scale and noticed I had lost 5 lbs. I think TFD lost weight (even though he swears he didn’t) and this was his summary of the experience, “I didn’t really feel any better or any worse.”

The Expert Weighs In

To try and discover why I felt so bad during the cleanse, I spoke with Alexis Lieberman, Integrative Nutritional Health Coach, who specializes in helping people detox using some of Dr. Junger’s methods.

First off, Ms. Lieberman let me know that while she used a lot of Dr. Junger’s methods, many of her own techniques differed from the strict guidelines of the “Clean” program. She said in general, she really encouraged less fruit and more vegetables. For example, while looking over my smoothie recipes, the said that although Dr. Junger said dates were okay, she would probably advise against them. “Fruits like dates are really high in fructose. When we eat fructose it’s poorly metabolized by the liver. And fructose doesn’t tell your body to produce leptin, a hormone that helps your body know that it’s not hungry. When we eat food like dates, there’s nothing happening where your body says, hey, stop eating, I’m all full!”

Ms. Lieberman also said that she probably wouldn’t advise anyone to eat the same smoothie twice a day unless they just really loved smoothies. “A liquid meal doesn’t have to mean a smoothie. In fact, I really recommend people try to eat soup. A really good, homemade-like two days on the stove-bone broth is a nutritious whole food and works wonders to help restore balance in your gut.” She went on to explain that I might not have been getting enough variety in my diet, and that coconut oil can be hard on an empty stomach.

But she was quick to point out that she wasn’t sure exactly why the smoothies made me feel nauseous. “When we decide to detox, it’s because we don’t feel our best. If you already felt fantastic before you started the cleanse, it just might not have been the right time for you to attempt one.” And she was right on the nose there. I DID feel great before I started the detox. It was my That Fat Dad who wanted to make the change. And he felt just fine during the ordeal.

She went on to add, “I find that the alcohol drinkers and coffee drinkers are the ones that usually don’t start to feel really good until after about a week has passed. When I work with clients who don’t drink at all, they usually report feeling incredible about 3 days in.” Well, she had my number on that one. I don’t like to think of myself as a “drinker” but I usually have one cocktail in the early evening, almost every day. And I didn’t even try to give up my coffee.

Ms. Lieberman also pointed out that I might have felt tired because my body was going through some stuff. “If you try to do ambitious workouts, you might not really feel 100 percent. Your body is very busy during a detox. You said you were sweating like crazy, right? That was your body doing a lot of hard work. When that’s happening, sometimes it’s best to try and dial back you activity level so you don’t feel so depleted.”

Mixed Motives

Finally, she questioned my reasons for attempting the cleanse. Ms. Lieberman explained that the food on our plates is really only part of the equation of our health. We also feed ourselves with the primary relationships in our lives. How are they? Are they calm, meaningful, loving relationships? What about the rest of my life? Was I stressed out or worried? “You can wear all organic cotton clothing and eat all the kale and broccoli in the world, but if you’re so wracked with anxiety that you can’t sleep at night, you’re never going to feel good or healthy. Detoxing isn’t always about food. We also need to find a calm, fulfilling path in life if we want to be at our most healthful.” And she was totally right. I thought that if I ate a magic combination of foods, I would unlock a spell that would make me a young, glowing beacon of health. In reality, I was stressed out and pouting, bored of prepping what I felt like was gross food, and snapping at my kids and husband. I didn’t really want to rid my body and mind of toxins in my life, I just wanted a glittery make-over.

Right before we hung up, Ms. Lieberman also said something that really stuck with me. “You know,” she said, “I don’t know what you have going on or anything about your past, but sometimes when we detox, it brings up stuff. Like if you ever had issues with food or control or depression, it can kind of bring that to the surface as well.” And it was true. I did have a lot of issues with food in the past! I feel like I’ve mostly them go, but I still struggle with self-worth. And control issues. Maybe attempting the detox wasn’t a healthy thing for me. Maybe it was just anther chance for me to try and control my food intake because I feel like everything else in my head is in such a state of chaos.

Moral of the Story 

Ms. Lieberman suggested that if I ever wanted to re-attempt a cleanse it might be a good idea to work with a group or a coach so I would have all the support I needed. And maybe I will try again! I think next time I’ll try some soup, have a more mindful approach, get a group of detoxing friends together, try to skip coffee, buy some jugs of water, and carefully examine my motives.

Did I actually detox anything? I think definitely, yes! I know something happened physically because of all that crazy sweating and pooping. And doing the detox diet really helped me realize some things about myself and how I’m living right now.

My life is full of nutritious, loving relationships, and I work daily on being a healthful person. This detox really reminded me to be so very thankful for those things. It also helped me to see that I need to work more on staying calm and letting things go. So, actually, I don’t think I failed. In fact, I think I really gained some valuable stuff.

What about you? Have you ever attempted a cleanse or detox diet? What was your experience like? Have you ever had a detox fail? I’d love to hear your story.

Follow Sarah on Facebook: This Fit Mom

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The post My 21 Day Detox Diet FAIL appeared first on Organic Authority.

“I want to eat a more whole food plant-based diet — but my boyfriend would never stand for it!”

“I’d like to eat more plant proteins, but I married a meat-and-potatoes kind of guy, and there’s no way I’m making two meals every night.”

If these are your excuses for not trying a more plant-based lifestyle, it’s time to change your tune. We’ve talked to people just like you, working wives, husbands, moms, and dads who were able to eat a radically different diet from their spouses and make it a breeze.

Why Eat Two Diets?

There are a lot of reasons why you might have two different diets in one house.

Amy McElroy is a gluten-free vegetarian for digestive reasons, but her husband and one of her daughters are “fairly well-rounded omnivores,” and she has a second very picky teenage daughter.

Jordan Silverman has been a vegetarian since high school due to environmental, ecological, and animal rights reasons. Two high school learning opportunities in particular “made an enormous impression,” he says. “Everything substantially stuck with me, and that was 23 years ago and I never even considered going back.”

Silverman is raising two children and he allows his kids to make their own choices when it comes to their food. He says that their plant-based foundation definitely makes meat a rarity for the 9 and 6 year olds. “For us it’s a bit like trying television-when we go to friends homes, we try it. . .we try a bit of meat and a bit of TV, but we rarely bring either back home.” He does, however, occasionally make meat at home for his sons.

Andy Kolvos is also a long-time vegetarian, having made the switch at 17 for what he says was a question of his teenage identity. “Being a vegetarian was a ‘punk rock’ thing to do in the ’80s,” he says. Today, the 44-year-old father of two has retained his vegetarian lifestyle more for ethical reasons than anything else. However, he does not impose his choices on his household. “I view this as a personal choice I’ve made, and it is not one I have ever forced on a partner–or now my family,” he says. “My wife is omnivorous, I’m a vegetarian and my kids eat what they like.”

Maggie Rogers says that even though her children are grown, when they come together in the summer, the table has a variety of spreads for anywhere from 14 to 24 people. “Each July we rent a large beach house for two weeks and I do the cooking,” she says. “My family consists of the following eaters: carnivores, vegans, vegetarians, eat fish/don’t eat fish, picky children, and gluten-free. Some are both gluten-free and vegan.”

From vegetarians to pescatarians to vegans to omnivores, there are often a variety of preferences all living under one roof. Add to that the presence of food allergies and aversions, and you might find yourself in this situation.

How to Approach Cooking One Meal For Many

When there are several different diets to accommodate in one household, you might be afraid of becoming a short-order cook, making something different for everyone. But our cooks say that’s not necessary; they have a few different ways of making sure everyone leaves the table satisfied.

Cook for the Lowest Common Denominator and Include Sides

Many of our home cooks approach the meal by cooking for the lowest common denominator. In other words, cook for those who eat the least variety, and make add-ons for those who want a bit more on their plate.

“Cook the meat separately for the meat eaters to add to whatever else you are cooking,” explains McElroy. “If they don’t like your sides, etc. they can dress up the meat however they choose.”

Christine Santucci has both pescatarians and vegetarians in her household. A typical meal in her home is “a vegetarian main with some odd sides. We like grains and do a lot of bowls, especially with an egg or sliced avocado on top.”

Silverman says that in his house, most nights dinner is “our basic ‘something on a bed of something else’ recipe. Seasoned veggies on a bed of couscous, roasted roots on a bed of spinach, stir-fried veggies and tempeh on a bed of quinoa, veggies on a bed of lentils, etc.” The same holds true when meat is involved for his children; he just has the bed without the topping.

Rogers says that when she’s cooking her family feasts, she prepares a vegan base and lots of sides. “If its a beet and arugula and candied walnut salad, the feta is served on the side,” she says. Meat is generally cooked on the grill, and meat-eaters can add it to their plates as they see fit.

Allow the Meat-Eater to Take Care of the Meat Portion

When the meat-eaters are your kids, it can be hard to force them to take control of this part of the meal, but when it’s your spouse, you can always ask him or her to lend a hand.

Kolvos says that in his family, his wife, who is not a vegetarian, does most of the shopping and the cooking. “In all cases she accommodates, sometimes overly so, my needs,” he says.

“Our dinners are usually plant protein based in some way–we eat a lot of rice and pasta, beans, and not infrequently, tofu. My wife will occasionally make herself some beef, pork, or chicken. There are times my wife will prepare two parallel versions of the same meal–a vegetarian version and a meat version.”

In Kevin Clayton’s house, the meat is prepared by the meat-eater and is generally cooked out of doors. “My wife asked me to not cook meat in the house because of the smell,” explains Kevin Clayton. “Also, it’s so easy to grill , and I know how to grill well, that I can cook the meat the way like it.”

But while in Santucci’s and Kolvos’ families, the pickiest person is not the one cooking, in McElroy’s family, she does most of the cooking, which means she’s often handling the meat she doesn’t eat. “It doesn’t bother me to cook meat,” she says. “I even miss eating some kinds. It just destroys my stomach.”

Make Meals that Can Be Modified

While many of our home-cooks live with folks who are willing to change up their diets a bit, Angela Cavalier and Holly Leber, who already wrote about her experience with this in “Love You, Hate Your Food,” both live with extremely “meat-and-potatoes” men. Cavalier’s fiancé claims, “I eat more than meat and potatoes. I also drink beer.”

“For him, for it to feel like a meal there has to be meat,” says Cavalier. “For me, for it to be a meal there has to be veggies. I think that is the biggest discrepancy between how we see meals.”

Cavalier says that, “The very first time I made dinner for my guy it was cheese manicotti. He said, ‘it’s pretty good, but next time put some meat in it.'” It was at this point that Cavalier decided that she would start making her casseroles — and many of her other meals — “half-and-half.” From burritos to pastas to pizzas, Cavalier often makes two versions of the same thing, adding meat to one and leaving the other vegetarian.

Leber has a similar approach. She does not eat red meat, and her boyfriend doesn’t eat any vegetables. As a result, she plans for two meals made of the same base.

“I do most of the grocery shopping, trying to plan for as much crossover as possible, i.e. chicken and quinoa, but he’ll have more of each and I’ll have mine over salad,” she says.

Tips for Pulling it Off

Does this still seem like a challenge? Well… it is. But it’s not unsurmountable. Here are some tips from our experts to help you feel comfortable doing this at home.

1. Embrace ethnic food. Santucci says that she regularly prepares Korean, Indian, and Asian meals.
2. Don’t scoff at tofu. Kolvo says that even his picky eaters like it, and Santucci says it makes regular appearances on her dinner table.
3. “Think outside of the usual main dish protein, veg, grain dinner formula,” says Santucci. “It is very freeing and you probably will end up eating a tastier and more varied diet.”
4. Make it fun! “One of my favorite activities is cooking with my children,” says Silverman. “Every second we’re in the kitchen together, no matter how tough work was, no matter how tough really anything feels, the moment we’re all in the kitchen together-all is right with the world.”
5. Don’t make it more stressful than it is. “There isn’t much in life truly worth getting upset about,” says Silverman. “When it comes to food, the degree to which it can bring us together, bring us peace, bring us time with family, bring us time with friends, bring us time with new communities, embracing the few extra minutes it takes to tend to the meat eater (or the veggie), or the few extra minutes for the changing-tastes of kids, is much more worth the time required for the chef to adapt as opposed to the time it takes to challenge others’ changing tastes.” Leber agrees. “People have asked me, ‘how can you be with someone who doesn’t eat vegetables?'” says Leber. “I think that’s a pretty shallow question. A person’s eating habits shouldn’t be what determines a relationship.”
6. “Learn to enjoy cooking,” says Clayton. “Then all of your meals can be fun and delicious. Good vegetarian food almost always is more interesting than meals with meat.”
7. Ask for help. McElroy teaches her kids to cook so that they can prepare what they like at home. And Cavalier often prepares the sides and asks her fiancé to make the meat protein. You may have some pleasant surprises when you bring someone else into the kitchen! “Some of my favorite moments come from this,” she says. “He will say, ‘your vegetables are better than my…’ (Insert whatever protein he made).”
8. Invite the picky eaters in your house to try new things… “(Nik) never thought he liked veggies because he only had steamed or boiled or canned veggies growing up,” says Cavalier. “With roasting, grilling, sautéing, and even blanching I have opened his world to veggie preparation and enjoyment. He used to think a potato was good enough as a side. Now he will ask what vegetable we are having with it. A small win for me.” But there’s no need to take this too far. Leber has found a few things that her boyfriend likes as well. “He’s pretty stubborn about what he doesn’t like,” she says. “However, he has admitted that mashed potatoes made from turnips, rutabaga and cauliflower aren’t bad, if not a direct facsimile.”
9. …but don’t force it. While Silverman says his kids love most of what he makes, it’s important to accommodate other peoples’ tastes and diets, as much as you would as with pure likes and dislikes. “My older boy could drink balsamic vinegar by the gallon while my younger boy likes to go easy on it,” says Silverman. “And my younger boy will eat eggplant like it’s growing in his drawers, while my older boy rarely touches it.” For some, this is a matter of principal or diet, and there’s no reason to force the issue. “After almost 25 years of not eating red meat, I’m worried about how it would affect me, so I draw the line there,” says Leber.
10. Compromise. There are a lot of ways to compromise, so you’ll need to find the ways that work best for your home. Cavalier says she tends to eat vegetarian at lunch and cook a meat protein at dinner. And Leber says that compromise comes in many forms. “If we get Chinese takeout, he’ll order a chicken dish (usually orange chicken) instead of a beef one, so I can eat the broccoli that comes with his,” says Leber. “He’ll also keep meat separate from sauce for pasta so we can both use the same sauce.”
11. Be appreciative. Don’t overlook the effort that the people in your life are making. “Appreciate the food accommodations people make for you–and let them know that you appreciate it,” says Kolvos. “And from the other side, honor their choices as well.”
12. Cater to the lowest common denominator first. “Go heavy on the vegan options,” says Rogers. “They are delicious and healthy.  It is okay to take a break from meat now and then.  Everyone says they feel lighter and better, not stuffed, not uncomfortable, when eating the many salads I serve each night.”

So now there’s no excuse. It’s time to investigate the wonderful world of plant proteins. Our experts agree — you won’t regret it.

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The post 12 Tips for Maintaining a Whole Food Plant-Based Diet in a House of Meat-Eaters appeared first on Organic Authority.

Some environmental farmers are doing away with plastic in growing your food.

Ask most any conscious consumer, and they’ll tell you that they would like to use less plastic. We consider it to be one of those nasty, environmental evils that has no place in a human’s modern life. But, alas, there it is — pretty much everywhere, from housing the food we eat to the toys our children play with.

Well, it turns out there are a lot of farmers who are just as frustrated with the world’s dependency on plastic, too. “[A]gricultural products are one of the world’s biggest sources of plastic trash,” reports Modern Farmer.  In fact, farming plastic actually has a specific name now: plasticulture (we know). The industry currently rakes in about $5 billion, and will more than likely double by the end of the decade… Yikes.

But a growing number of environmental farmers are so frustrated with the rise of plasticulture that they’re taking a stand and giving plastic the boot from their farming protocol. So, how are they doing it? Modern Farmer did the heavy digging, and pinpointed three ways farmers are kicking their plastic habits for good:

1. Changing Irrigation Routines

Modern irrigation typically calls for a lot of piping and tubing. So, some farmers are turning to dry farming… really. Dry farming means that farmers only use the water that comes from the sky. Currently, this farming trend is popular because so many in the western United States are dealing with drought conditions. To get the most out of this “natural” water, farmers trap moisture in soil “for the duration of the growing season so that irrigation is not necessary.”

2. Saying “So Long” to Plastic Mulches

Organic materials can be just as beneficial to soil and plants as plastic mulches. “Recently, the Rodale Institute, one of the pioneers of organic agriculture, did an in-depth study on the benefits of using mulch from cover crops,” Modern Farmer reports. “These soil-enriching crops may be grown over the winter in the same beds where a food crop is to be planted the following spring and used in place as mulch.”

3. Biodegradable Pots

Farmers are beginning to use biodegradable pots instead of plastic pots. Japanese farmers created this new technique. “Rather than removing each seedling from its pot, the paper pots are planted directly using a non-motorized device that can be pushed like a lawnmower or pulled behind a horse or tractor,” Modern Farmer explains. “The system works on a small scale but it is economically viable for large growers as well—one person can plant 264 seedlings in less than a minute without any bending over or digging.”

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The post Environmental Farmers are Saying ‘See Ya!’ to Plastic appeared first on Organic Authority.

The best fitness apps can help solve a lot of the most common problems people face along the way to better health.

In a perfect world, anyone embarking on their own fitness journey would know exactly what they were doing right off the bat, have endless motivation, and see incredible results. It’s easy to dream about all that stuff, but in reality, getting fit can be a difficult and bumpy journey over the long run.

For those who can’t afford to hire a real personal trainer, an app can serve as the next best thing. From video demonstrations and statistical tracking, to workout customization and community support, there’s perhaps no other way to get a good regimen going as you can by downloading an app.

Here are 10 of the best fitness apps to try out on your iPhone or Android mobile device.

1. FitStar Personal Trainer: Free with optional premium upgrades for iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch only

Created by former NFL player Tony Gonzalez, FitStar Personal Trainer is an app that’s just what it sounds like — a digital personal trainer that gives you tailored workouts based on your personal needs (as determined by a fitness questionnaire you’ll take before getting started). Whether you’re a newbie or seasoned athlete, there are workouts designed for everyone, with premium upgrades as cheap as $5  for combinations of custom audio tracks and video tutorials.

If you’re feeling competitive, you can also take advantage of the Challenges feature, which matches you up against another user or lets you set a personal goal to reach. As you continue to track your progress, you’ll gain access to brand new moves to add to your workouts.

2. Nike+ Training Club: Free for iPhone and Android

This is the app you want to download if you’re simply looking for a nice variety of workouts to follow for free. Choose from over 100 different workouts designed by professional trainers geared toward beginner, intermediate, and advanced fitness levels. Workouts can then be tailored to your needs even further based on whether you have a goal of getting toned, getting strong, getting lean, or getting focused.

Featuring beautiful full-screen videos of moves you can mimic yourself and track as you complete them, the app automatically mixes things up to always keep it interesting — with warm-ups, cool downs, and even rest days always included in your program. Catch a glimpse of your progress based on a variety of figures to see how much your improving by looking at the number of workouts, minutes, average calories, and even NikeFuel points you’ve accumulated.

3. Fitocracy: Free with optional premium upgrades for iPhone and Android

As one of the highest rated fitness apps out there, Fitocracy leverages the knowledge and experience of real personal trainers to help its users reach their goals. For a premium price of as little as $1 a day, users can get personalized fitness assessments and nutrition plans, or sign up to work with a trainer through the app.

Even without the premium upgrades, the app is incredibly helpful and motivating. You can track every move or rep throughout your workout, earn points to encourage you to do more every time, and join groups to chat about your progress or have any specific questions answered by members of the community.

4. Pact: Free for iPhone and Android

Sometimes there’s just nothing like a little monetary reward to keep you motivated, am I right?! Pact is a different type of fitness app that actually pays you money if you stick to your goals. And if you don’t, then you have to do the opposite — fork out some of your own cash to reward those who did what they said the would.

It couldn’t get any simpler. Just set your weekly goals for exercise and nutrition and track your progress through the app by checking into your gym, tracking your workouts via GPS, or counting your steps. For your meals, take photos and have them verified by other users. If you can keep it up, you get to earn cash!

5. Spring: Free for iPhone only

Spring isn’t just any regular running app. It certainly does offer everything from GPS tracking and customizable step counts for lower and higher intensity runs, but that’s not what really makes it shine. The reason why this app stands out among the rest is because it doubles as a free music app, with tracks specifically chosen to match your steps to the rhythm.

The app features more than 40,000 songs, all of which you can browse through by genre or by selecting a pre-made playlist. You can change the tempo in the middle of your walk or run, and even choose music based on interval training that guides you through low and high intensity beats.

The best fitness apps out there just keep getting better and better, and there’s no telling what new and cool tracking features or customization options may become available in the near future. While an app can never truly take the place of a real personal trainer, it’s nice to know that it comes pretty darn close — and for a much cheaper price!

What are your favorite fitness apps? Let us know on our Facebook page!

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Okay, so we’re not exactly blaming you for this recent U.S. Department of Agriculture data. We know you love kale, squash, and everything in-between. And we’re betting that you also have access to lots of different kinds of vegetables. That’s probably because you grow your own or live close to a farmers market. But, unfortunately, not all Americans have access to fresh, diverse vegetables.

While that may be hard to believe, the USDA recently revealed some disturbing information that shows that the amount of vegetables available per person in the United States is quite low.

Treehugger reports that the USDA revealed that there’s only a measly “1.7 cups of vegetables available per person in the U.S.” This figure was based on 2013 data and gathered from domestic production and import numbers.

Another not-so-heartwarming fact that the USDA recently brought to light is that most Americans are simply saying “nah” to diverse vegetables. The data reveals that most Americans are on a diet that overwhelmingly includes white potatoes, tomatoes, and lettuces (this comes to about 59 percent of the legume and veggies “available for consumptions in 2013,” the USDA reports), and sadly, omits most everything else. Not only is this lineup of vegetables rather boring, but the lack of diversity also means people are missing nutrients that are typically found in beans, squash, peppers, and other leafy greens.

“Restricting one’s diet to a limited set of vegetables precludes the desired variety that would supply more diverse, healthful nutrients,” the USDA reports.

To get a better idea of the types of vegetables the American public is consuming, the USDA made the following chart:

While it’s still a bummer that most Americans aren’t getting a lot of diversity in their diet, we’re actually eating a more diverse diet than we were in 1970. So… Yay to that?

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As we get older, our luscious locks lose their luster and become thinner, frailer, and less bouncy. To inspire hair growth and overall hair health, it takes more than applying a powerful over-the-counter treatment on the strands. Instead, it requires focusing on the scalp and inner nutrition, so that you are able to grow healthy, strong hair, from the inside out. The following natural hair growth remedies are cheap and straightforward ways to get your hair where you want it to be.

Natural Hair Growth Remedies

1. Massage the Scalp

Massaging the scalp encourages blood flow, which stimulates hair follicles and new hair to grow. You can pair this method with an oil that helps with hair growth as well, such as castor oil. Simply massage the scalp, with or without the oil, in circular motion for three to five minutes, making sure to cover the entire surface area of the scalp.

2. Use Castor Oil

Castor oil is rich in vitamin E and essential fatty acids, which improve hair condition and boost its growth naturally. Mix castor oil with equal parts olive oil and massage into the scalp, as described above. Leave the oil on the hair for up to 45 minutes before rinsing and then cleaning with shampoo and condition as you usually do.

3. Eat an Omega-3 Rich Diet

Of all the natural hair growth remedies on this list, this tip is the most profound. True beauty comes from within, and that pertains to the hair as well. Any nutritional deficiency can affect hair health and growth, so be sure to consume a well-rounded, mostly plant-based diet with plenty of protein and vital vitamins and minerals. About three percent of the hair is composed of omega-3 fatty acids, and you’d be amazed what a higher consumption of omega-3s can do for your hair! Find omega-3s in edamame, wild rice, walnuts, canola oil, beans, flax seeds, and sustainable seafood.

4. Flip Your Hair Down

Sounds odd, but it actually works! Flipping your hair down, with your head hanging in front of you, helps to bring blood flow to the scalp, improving circulation and stimulating hair growth. You could also do inversions, which involve the entire body situated downward at an angle, such as in a head or shoulderstand.

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Size doesn’t matter. Whether its an apartment balcony, postage stamp sized patch of green, or acres of rural terrain, your backyard, no matter what its size, can be certified by the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) as a backyard wildlife habitat.

Certifying your backyard as a backyard wildlife habitat gives you the opportunity to take a close look at your landscape and make positive changes that can benefit wildlife.

By now you’ve surely heard of the benefits of getting kids (and yourself!) outdoors. Getting kids involved in the process of creating a backyard wildlife habitat gets them outdoors enjoying nature, learning invaluable lessons about animal habitats and ecosystems, and seeing the real-world benefits of organic growing practices.

Follow these 6 steps to turn your backyard into a backyard wildlife habitat:

1. Provide food for animals. Birds, bees, and small mammals prefer native plants. Learn which trees, bushes, and flowers are native to your area because they will grow best and provide the right food for the critters who frequent your yard. Think about growing Astor for bees, milkweed for monarch butterflies, and brightly colored plants to attract hummingbirds and Baltimore orioles.

In order to receive the NWF certification your backyard needs three of the following types of plants or supplemental feeders: seeds from a plant, berries, nectar, foliage/twigs, nuts, fruits, sap, pollen, suet, bird feeder, squirrel feeder, hummingbird feeder, butterfly feeder.

2. Provide water for animals. This is especially important for gardeners in drought-stricken areas such as California. Adding a bird bath to your backyard is an easy way to provide water. Make sure that the bath is refilled when it runs low and that it is cleaned out a couple times a week. Standing water is an ideal breeding ground for mosquitoes, which you probably want to discourage, so be on guard against standing water in old tarps or dormant kiddie pools.

For NWF certification your backyard needs one of the following sources to provide clean water for wildlife to drink and bathe: birdbath, lake, stream, seasonal pool, ocean, water garden/pond, river, butterfly puddling area, rain garden, spring.

Image of girl with birdhouse via Shutterstock

3. Provide cover. Just like you, animals need safe places to protect them from wind, rain, and excessive heat. Most likely, they will be able to find cover in the native vegetation you plant, but dead trees also work well.

Bird houses provide cover and are also fun to make. The options for making your own birdhouse (or bat house) are only limited by your imagination. Crafting the house is also a great opportunity to extol the benefits of recycling to your young helpers as you can use recyclable materials such as milk cartons, empty toilet paper rolls, and plastic soda bottles. Check out these fun birdhouses.

For NWF certification wildlife need at least two places to find shelter from the weather and predators: wooded area, bramble patch, ground cover, rock pile or wall, cave, roosting box, dense shrubs or thicket, evergreens, brush or log pile, burrow, meadow or prairie, water garden or pond.

4. Give animals a place to raise their young. This is an opportunity for you to have an age-appropriate conversation with the kiddos about the birds and bees because birds, bees, and small animals need to have safe places for courtship and reproduction. Think about where animals will feel safe and protected for starting their families, and also talk about how important reproduction is for the continued health of your backyard wildlife habitat.

For NWF certification you need at least two places for wildlife to engage in courtship behavior, mate, and raise their young: mature trees, meadow or prairie, nesting box, wetland, cave, host plants for caterpillars, dead trees or snags, dense shrubs or a thicket, water garden or pond, burrow.

5. Help wildlife to thrive. Here’s where your organic practices pay off! Talk to kiddos about how birds and animals are negatively impacted by harmful chemicals. Help them to see how the organic practices that you use in your daily life, such as composting, have a positive effect in your backyard wildlife habitat. Compost that is made from kitchen scraps is used to feed the plants in your backyard and those plants are a vital part of the beneficial habitat you’re creating. (Maybe singing a few choruses of “The Circle of Life” would be nice here, but that’s not an essential step.)

6. Certify! The National Wildlife Federation makes the certification process easy. Check out their website for all the details. You’ll receive a certificate in the mail that you can proudly display, but for superior bragging rights order the weather resistant sign that they offer.

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Birdfeeder image via Shutterstock

The post 6 Steps to a Certified Backyard Wildlife Habitat appeared first on Organic Authority.

Earlier this week, the nation’s leading organic and natural food focused supermarket chain, Whole Foods Market, said it’s cutting approximately 1,500 jobs.

The chain says the cut is happening in order to help lower the prices on its offerings, some of which are so expensive they’ve earned Whole Foods Market the unflattering nickname “Whole Paycheck.” The cut represents about 1.6 percent of the chain’s workforce.

“We believe this is an important step to evolve Whole Foods Market in a rapidly changing marketplace,” Walter Robb, co-CEO of Whole Foods Market, said in a statement.

“This is a very difficult decision, and we are committed to treating affected Team Members in a caring and respectful manner,” Robb said. “We have offered them several options including transition pay, a generous severance, or the opportunity to apply for other jobs. In addition, we will pay these Team Members in full over the next eight weeks as they decide which option to choose.”

The chain says that despite the 1,500 job cuts, there are more than 2,000 open positions within the company and new positions that will come as the chain opens more than 100 new stores in the near future.

Aware of its image problem as being too expensive, Whole Foods recently announced plans for a spin-off store called 365 by Whole Foods, named after its house brand of products. The chain says the new store concept will feature lower-priced products including its 365 brand, which the company says is competitively priced.

Earlier this year, an investigation in New York City revealed significant incidents of overcharging on prepared and prepackaged food items sold in Whole Foods Stores. The company addressed the issue, saying it will tighten its training protocol and enlist a third-party auditing system.

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We all see aprons in various big box stores while buying kitchen gadgets. While those quaint aprons are nice, there are some aprons that are just too good for mass distribution.

One such cream-of-the-crop apron brand is Hedley & Bennett. Ellen Bennett, the top-of-the-line apron brand creator, started her career as a line cook. While serving up amazing dishes, Bennett was massively bummed by the terrible apron quality she typically wore. So, the budding entrepreneur decided to do something about it.

Organic Authority recently got to interview Bennett. We asked her about how she founded the brand and what went into designing her aprons.

Organic Authority: When you decided to start designing aprons, how did you begin? Did you know what to do from the get go, or did you have to do a lot of research?

Ellen Bennett: I was a line cook at Providence and was tired of the miserable apron that I had to put on every day. I had never done anything in fashion before, but I definitely know how to hustle and I ran around until I figured out how to do it and made something that I knew was good.

OA: As a cook, you know what works — how did you use your knowledge to make your aprons stand out structurally and visually?

EB: As a cook, I knew what it’s like to stand on your feet for 16 hours in a hot kitchen with a bad apron on. I knew how the straps wore on the back of my neck and how the heavier fabrics made it feel even hotter than it actually was. I used all that and the input of some amazing chefs who told me what they wanted in an apron. When you work hard enough and actually take the time to listen to what people want, you get a really great product.

OA: What was your original design and how has it changed over the years?

EB: My first apron was a yellow linen apron with wobbly straps that a friend helped me sew. But it was like the bare bones belief that I had in an apron and it was a damn good start. Since then, we’ve listened to our clients and done our own testing and added features like iPhone pockets, reinforced pockets, and lots of other cool features.

OA: Tell us about the handmade process; how did you perfect what you do?

EB: I just worked and worked and worked. And I have a great team that care about our clients and making sure that they get the best product possible. We aren’t willing to put out anything but our best.

OA: How did you decide what materials to use and what makes those the best for chefs?

EB: I’m really picky about where we source our fabrics. They have to be comfortable but sturdy and they have to be beautiful as well. We test and test again all the fabrics that we end up using to make aprons to make sure they’ll hold up to anything a professional kitchen can throw at them.

OA: How do you create new designs and patterns, and which are your favorites?

EB: Ever since I was little, I have loved colors. I think it’s from growing up visiting my Grandmother in Mexico where the colors are bright and bold. You’ll find a lot of those colors in the aprons that I create.

OA: I see you sell much more than aprons; how did you go about expanding your offerings?

EB: Aprons aren’t the only thing that kitchens need to have well-made. As we’re growing bigger and bigger as a company, we have the resources to put attention on even more products.

OA: Who are some of the chefs you outfit?

EB: Paul Kahan of Publican Quality Meats, Nancy Silverton at Mozza, David Chang from Momofuku, April Bloomfield, and Mario Batali.

OA: Do you have any apron buying or kitchenware advice for the common cook?

EB: These aprons are really customized and they’re made to be used well. Find the one that works the best for you, sturdier fabric or light weight fabric, iPhone pocket or pen pocket, bucket pockets, and even double sided. Find your apron and wear it loud and proud.

OA: What’s your favorite thing to make while wearing your apron?

EB: I love to roast vegetables; drizzle olive oil on it with boat loads of garlic until it’s charred but not black, and then I like the throw that in salads. Any crunchy vegetable that exists, particularly kale and purple cabbage, and nuts. I love to have salads that are crunchy and sweet and sour but not like a Chinese salad. More like a fresh salad with honey and garlic and lemon. That’s delicious.

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Starting this October, McDonald’s is launching its first ever hamburger made with organic beef. The new burger, named the “McB”, will appear in about 1,500 German and Austrian locations from October 1 to November 18.

The new sandwich will come with a number of upscale (though not organic) accouterments including Edam cheese, Lollo Bionda lettuce, and a sunflower seed bun. Another burger, the “Long McB”, will also contain organic beef, along with arugula, cheese, red onion, tomato, and a spicy sauce.

McDonald’s is attempting to appease a more health conscious consumer to compete in the same space as healthier fast food giants like Chipotle, reports QUARTZ. The fast food chain often tests new brand ideas in smaller markets before introducing them across the board, so this could mean a new era of organic offerings—and quite possibly change the face of the organic beef industry.

According to Eater:

That McDonald’s chose to offer organic beef burgers in Germany means both that the company sees potential for a demand for such an offering, and that the size of Germany’s organic beef output can meet McDonald’s purchasing needs. Though it’s growing at a rapid pace, currently, the U.S. organic beef market only accounts for about three percent of total meat production. If McDonald’s decided to introduce an organic burger in the U.S., the increased demand for organic beef would change the face of farming throughout North America.

This is similar to how the chain’s increased demand for cage-free eggs has the power to increase the output of cage-free eggs nationwide. The company uses a reported 2 billion shell and liquid eggs per year—or around 4 percent of the eggs produced in the U.S. Currently, less than 10 percent of eggs produced in the U.S. are cage-free, which is why the mega-food chain will need a decade for the shift, according to an article in The New York Times.

The chain has made a number of new moves to win back consumers. Recently, it announced that it’s committed to serving chicken raised without the use of medically important antibiotics, and will cut antibiotics in chicken from U.S. supply chains within the next two years.

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Image: Ryan

The post McDonald’s Introduces Its First Ever Organic Beef Hamburger appeared first on Organic Authority.

When you think of caramel, you’re mind likely jumps to that sweet, gooey, refined sugar treat. Not exactly part of a healthy diet. Well, things just changed. This salted caramel recipe is vegan and free from refined white sugar as well. But don’t think that because it’s healthier it stints on taste. With the help of coconut milk, coconut sugar, and a touch of vanilla and salt, it retains all the iconic flavors of salted caramel, only without the setbacks.

Salted caramel is a delicious combination of what seems to be the world’s most offensive dietary vices: butter, sugar, heavy cream, and salt. What could possibly replace such ingredients, especially when each one plays such an important role in making salted caramel the scrumptious stunner it is? While this recipe is healthier than dairy-based caramel, it’s still a treat meant to be consumed infrequently. But it is a treat you can feel a lot better about.

This caramel recipe pairs well with chopped fruit, cupcakes, muffins, ice cream, cookies, and especially when your sweet tooth kicks in, you can enjoy it simply with a spoon. Enjoy!

Salted Caramel Recipe

Serves 8

Ingredients

• ½ cup coconut sugar
• ½ cup cold water
• ½ cup coconut milk
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch of sea salt

Directions

In a pan over medium heat, add the coconut sugar and water. Stir until it begins to boil. Let simmer for 2-3 minutes while stirring. Add in coconut milk and stir until well combined. Turn down the heat and let simmer for 10-15 minutes, until the mixture thickens. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract and salt. Pour into a glass jar and seal. Store in the refrigerator.

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Liquid Caramel Image from Shutterstock

The post Vegan Salted Caramel Recipe With Coconut Sugar and Coconut Milk appeared first on Organic Authority.

Fig season is well underway, so take advantage of this early autumn fruit crop. Figs are so fantastically versatile, as they have a very complex floral and honeyed sweetness. When using them in savory dishes, many opt for a pairing with pork, but for Meatless Monday, we have a host of completely vegetarian fig dishes you’ll love. The secret is in finding the right savory pairing to help figs shine, and that’s exactly what we’ve done in assembling these tasty fresh fig recipes.

Goat cheese is the perfect foil for figs’ sweetness in this pearl barley risotto recipe (scroll down for the English version!) Soft goat cheese, parmesan, and white wine all add the umami flavor that allow figs to shine in this savory dish.

Image by Emily Monaco

Goat cheese can also work well with figs in this savory fruit salad recipe. In this case, figs aren’t the only sweet component to the dish. Cantaloupe, peaches, and blackberries can also find their place on this plate — basically anything that still looks beautiful on your farmstand stalls! Combine the fresh fruit with a very flavorful extra-virgin olive oil, fresh basil leaves from the garden, and the best goat cheese you can find, and this platter is ready to share.

Couscous, halloumi and fig image via Shutterstock

Halloumi is another cheese that goes very well with figs. This salad is great if you’ve still got the grill outside; the grilled halloumi and fig combination can either be served alone as in this salad, or on top of a cooked grain, such as couscous, for a more complete and filling meal.

Image: Myrtle Glen Farm

If you can find green figs, they’re the perfect contrast to the blackberry base of this pizza recipe. While blackberries and figs might make this recipe sound like a dessert, the caramelized onion sauce definitely kicks it into savory territory. As-is, the recipe is entirely vegan, though you can definitely add a touch of your favorite cheese to the top for even more flavor.

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Fig and goat cheese risotto image via Shutterstock

The post 4 Savory Fresh Fig Recipes You Have to Try for Meatless Monday appeared first on Organic Authority.

For most of us, our post-workout glow consists of blotchy skin, frizzy hair, and morphing into a smelly fountain of sweat—not to mention a scroll of skin issues that make us feel like we’re in high school again. And while you’ve known how to wash your face for eons, making a few simple tweaks to your routine can help keep “gym face” to a minimum.

Here’s how to wash your face post-workout so your skin doesn’t retaliate:

1. Take off your makeup

Especially if you’re squeezing in a sweat sesh during your workday, it’s easy to fall into the trap of working out with your makeup on. However, the makeup and sweat can cause a buildup of excess oil and clog your pores big-time. Even something as simple as using a face wipe beforehand can make all the difference in how your skin handles your workout.

2. Wear a sweatband

If you tend to break out on your forehead after a workout, it’s likely to do with your hair products: When you sweat, the oils from your ‘do can drip down and clog your pores. Put the kibosh on these pesky breakouts by wearing a sweatband. It’ll be like the ’80s all over again.

3. Be gentle

Post-workout, use a gentle face wash that contains soothing ingredients like tea tree oil, probiotics, fruit acids, or chamomile extract. Wash your face right away so the bacteria, dirt and oil from your sweat sesh doesn’t clog your pores and make your skin look blech.

4. Wash with lukewarm water

The lower temperature will help you cool down. Plus, the hotter the water, the more your skin will dry out.

5. Pat your face dry

Rubbing your skin with a towel can leave it irritated. Instead, pat your skin dry and spritz yourself with a soothing face mist to calm your skin even more.

6. Cool off

Washing your face after exercising is uber-important, but you should hold off on using your moisturizer or makeup until after your skin has cooled down completely: Post-workout, your oil glands have a tendency to secrete, so if you put your skin care products on right away, you run the risk of clogging your pores. But don’t fret: It’ll only take about 10 minutes or so to cool, after which you can get back to your regularly scheduled programming.

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Exercise image via Shutterstock

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