Tuesday, January 16, 2007
The Urban Nutrition Initiative
It is so wonderful to find such important health initiatives in our local area!:
Mission
The Urban Nutrition Initiative (UNI) is a university-community partnership that engages K-16+ learners in an active, real-world problem-solving curriculum that strives to improve community nutrition and wellness. It is located in the Philadelphia, Pa area.
Programs
• School Gardens
School gardens offer opportunities for children to become engaged in positive ways to beautify their school and improve the quality of life in the community. School gardens form the base of UNI's peer-education program. Students of all levels can benefit from their experiences in the garden. There's always something new to learn!
• Fruit Stands
School-based produce stands serve as the cornerstone of UNI's approach to nutrition education. These markets, operated by students, combine entrepreneurial education and problem-solving.
• Farmer's Markets
Farmers' markets are an important solution to the problems of America's food systems. From connecting low-income communities with fresh local produce to providing farmers with important avenues to sell their products, farmers' markets encourage a healthy attitude towards eating well.
• Community Fitness
Exercise is a vital component of good nutrition and overall health. UNI's community fitness evenings at University City High School help children and their families to establish regular healthy exercise habits.
• Food Education
Food is a sensory, fun and nourishing experience and at UNI, we create programs that focus on these ideas. Food Education at UNI is a dynamic and holistic program that incorporates the school garden, farmerþs markets, community youth and adults, and communities of faith into the experience.
Goals
• Create and sustain an interdisciplinary K through 16+ curriculum that engages students as agents of school and community health improvement and simultaneously results in increased educational skills and abilities.
• Work with university faculty, students, public school teachers and community residents to realize schools as centers of community health promotion; places where active, healthy lifestyles are an integral part of education.
• Advance an ecological approach to nutrition education that emphasizes the interdependence of food, environment and human health through growing, cooking, eating and selling healthy foods. UNI programs fall into three general categories:
• Increasing food and nutrition knowledge.
• Increasing the supply of healthy foods.
• Encouraging and supporting active lifestyles.
UNI strives to serve as a model for effective school-based health promotion programs that can be adopted and adapted to meet the needs of schools and communities around the world.
Visit http://www.urbannutrition.org to find out more or to get involved!
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Young Living Oils
I am so pleased to announce that Flying Dragon Wellness will be featuring Young Living Oils, Nutritionals, and Skin Care in our practice. Aromatherapy is something that I have been interested in for a long time, and I am excited that I can offer such exceptional products to my clients and the general public.
For details about the oils, the Young Living Product line, or how you can add these items to your practice, or even start your own YL business, please email me using the link to Young Living Oils to the right side of the page.
Namaste-I honor the light within you.
For details about the oils, the Young Living Product line, or how you can add these items to your practice, or even start your own YL business, please email me using the link to Young Living Oils to the right side of the page.
Namaste-I honor the light within you.
Tuesday, January 9, 2007
Paper or Plastic? Neither!
Check out this information from reusablebags.com:
Paper Bags Are Better Than Plastic, Right?
The answer to the "paper or plastic"? dilemma is: Neither. They're roughly equal in pros and cons. While convenient addictions, they both gobble up natural resources and cause significant pollution.
Issue 1: Energy and natural resources
It takes more than four times as much energy to manufacture a paper bag as it does to manufacture a plastic bag. ENERGY TO PRODUCE BAG ORIGINALLY (BTUs) Safeway Plastic Bags: 594 BTUs Safeway Paper Bags: 2511 BTUs (Source: 1989 Plastic Recycling Directory, Society of Plastics Industry.)
Of course, most paper comes from tree pulp, so the impact of paper bag production on forests is enormous. In 1999, 14 million trees were cut to produce the 10 billion paper grocery bags used by Americans that year alone. Paper bag production delivers a global warming double-whammy forests (major absorbers of greenhouse gases) have to be cut down, and then the subsequent manufacturing of bags produces greenhouse gases.
Issue 2: Pollution
The majority of kraft paper is made by heating wood chips under pressure at high temperatures in a chemical solution. As evidenced by the unmistakable stench commonly associated with paper mills, the use of these toxic chemicals contributes to both air pollution, such as acid rain, and water pollution. Millions of gallons of these chemicals pour into our waterways each year; the toxicity of the chemicals is long-term and settles into the sediments, working its way through the food chain. Further toxicity is generated as both plastic and paper bags degrade.
POLLUTANTS PAPER V.S. PLASTIC Paper sacks generate 70% more air and 50 times more water pollutants than plastic bags. Source: "Comparison of the Effects on the Environment of Polyethylene and Paper Carrier Bags," Federal Office of the Environment, August 1988
Issue 3: Recycling
It takes 91% less energy to recycle a pound of plastic than it takes to recycle a pound of paper. But recycling rates of either type of disposable bag are extremely low, with only 10 to 15% of paper bags and 1 to 3% of plastic bags being recycled, according to the Wall Street Journal.
ENERGY TO RECYCLE PACKAGE ONCE (BTUs) Safeway Plastic Bags: 17 BTUs Safeway Paper Bags: 1444 BTUs Source: 1989 Plastic Recycling Directory, Society of Plastics Industry. Although paper bags have a higher recycling rate than plastic, each new paper grocery bag you use is made from mostly virgin pulp for better strength and elasticity.
Issue 4: Degradability
Current research demonstrates that paper in today's landfills does not degrade or break down at a substantially faster rate than plastic does. In fact, nothing completely degrades in modern landfills because of the lack of water, light, oxygen and other important elements that are necessary for the degradation process to be completed. A paper bags takes up more space than a plastic bag in a landfill, but because paper is recycled at a higher rate, saving space in landfills is less of an issue. At the end of the day using reusable bags and containers are the real answer!
Paper Bags Are Better Than Plastic, Right?
The answer to the "paper or plastic"? dilemma is: Neither. They're roughly equal in pros and cons. While convenient addictions, they both gobble up natural resources and cause significant pollution.
Issue 1: Energy and natural resources
It takes more than four times as much energy to manufacture a paper bag as it does to manufacture a plastic bag. ENERGY TO PRODUCE BAG ORIGINALLY (BTUs) Safeway Plastic Bags: 594 BTUs Safeway Paper Bags: 2511 BTUs (Source: 1989 Plastic Recycling Directory, Society of Plastics Industry.)
Of course, most paper comes from tree pulp, so the impact of paper bag production on forests is enormous. In 1999, 14 million trees were cut to produce the 10 billion paper grocery bags used by Americans that year alone. Paper bag production delivers a global warming double-whammy forests (major absorbers of greenhouse gases) have to be cut down, and then the subsequent manufacturing of bags produces greenhouse gases.
Issue 2: Pollution
The majority of kraft paper is made by heating wood chips under pressure at high temperatures in a chemical solution. As evidenced by the unmistakable stench commonly associated with paper mills, the use of these toxic chemicals contributes to both air pollution, such as acid rain, and water pollution. Millions of gallons of these chemicals pour into our waterways each year; the toxicity of the chemicals is long-term and settles into the sediments, working its way through the food chain. Further toxicity is generated as both plastic and paper bags degrade.
POLLUTANTS PAPER V.S. PLASTIC Paper sacks generate 70% more air and 50 times more water pollutants than plastic bags. Source: "Comparison of the Effects on the Environment of Polyethylene and Paper Carrier Bags," Federal Office of the Environment, August 1988
Issue 3: Recycling
It takes 91% less energy to recycle a pound of plastic than it takes to recycle a pound of paper. But recycling rates of either type of disposable bag are extremely low, with only 10 to 15% of paper bags and 1 to 3% of plastic bags being recycled, according to the Wall Street Journal.
ENERGY TO RECYCLE PACKAGE ONCE (BTUs) Safeway Plastic Bags: 17 BTUs Safeway Paper Bags: 1444 BTUs Source: 1989 Plastic Recycling Directory, Society of Plastics Industry. Although paper bags have a higher recycling rate than plastic, each new paper grocery bag you use is made from mostly virgin pulp for better strength and elasticity.
Issue 4: Degradability
Current research demonstrates that paper in today's landfills does not degrade or break down at a substantially faster rate than plastic does. In fact, nothing completely degrades in modern landfills because of the lack of water, light, oxygen and other important elements that are necessary for the degradation process to be completed. A paper bags takes up more space than a plastic bag in a landfill, but because paper is recycled at a higher rate, saving space in landfills is less of an issue. At the end of the day using reusable bags and containers are the real answer!
Monday, January 8, 2007
PICKY, PICKY, PICKY
PICKY, PICKY, PICKY
ARE CHEERIOS AND YOGURT THE MAIN STAPLES OF YOUR TODDLER'S DIET?
HOLISTIC HEALTH COUNSELOR KELLY SCOTTI EXPLAINS WHY:
Broiled Coho red salmon with millet and black bean stuffed green peppers. Free-range roasted chicken breast with butternut squash risotto. These dishes sound as good as they taste. And yet, my son wants nothing to do with them. It doesn’t matter that the salmon is straight from Alaska and that I spent all day cooking. My son, two this November, wants only yogurt. The same kind he has had for the last 25 meals he has eaten.
When my son requests to eat something, he will systematically reject every choice I offer him. Even though I know that picky eating is a hallmark of the toddler stage, I still wonder in frustration about why only two or three months ago my son was willing to try everything I put on his plate. What can I do to get my adventurous eater back, so that I can make us both those yummy and healthy gourmet meals?
First, let’s explore why a toddler might be picky. Between the ages of two and five, children begin to recognize what they like or dislike, are able to make choices based on those preferences and are able to tell you those choices. So rather than trying new foods or eating a food that touches another food or eating something that mommy and daddy want them to eat, they say no and/or they ask for something else. This nay-saying is a big part of their need to assert their independence and will.
Rebellion aside, children’s taste buds are much more sensitive than our adult taste buds. So, for example, something that is mildly bitter to us could be hugely so to them. In addition to that, extra sensitivity can be caused by a chemical known as phenylthiocarbamide (PTC), which is found in foods such as such as strawberries, oranges, apples, turnips, broccoli and green beans. PTC causes foods to taste extremely bitter or virtually tasteless, depending on your child’s genetic makeup. A child’s food preference, then, might be out of their control regardless of their assertion of will. That could explain why my little guy spit out the bok choy/apple/date juice I gave him the other day.
In general, people have a genetic preference for sweet and salty foods. This is a survival mechanism leftover from way back when we needed to be protected from eating poisonous foods. In the case of your toddler, however, it is a frustrating fact when you want more green vegetables in his diet. Beyond the tastes of food, things such as texture and appearance also make a difference in food preferences. Children like smooth creamy things, such as yogurt and ice cream because they feel good on the tongue, in addition to their sweetness. Something really spicy, ...more
ARE CHEERIOS AND YOGURT THE MAIN STAPLES OF YOUR TODDLER'S DIET?
HOLISTIC HEALTH COUNSELOR KELLY SCOTTI EXPLAINS WHY:
Broiled Coho red salmon with millet and black bean stuffed green peppers. Free-range roasted chicken breast with butternut squash risotto. These dishes sound as good as they taste. And yet, my son wants nothing to do with them. It doesn’t matter that the salmon is straight from Alaska and that I spent all day cooking. My son, two this November, wants only yogurt. The same kind he has had for the last 25 meals he has eaten.
When my son requests to eat something, he will systematically reject every choice I offer him. Even though I know that picky eating is a hallmark of the toddler stage, I still wonder in frustration about why only two or three months ago my son was willing to try everything I put on his plate. What can I do to get my adventurous eater back, so that I can make us both those yummy and healthy gourmet meals?
First, let’s explore why a toddler might be picky. Between the ages of two and five, children begin to recognize what they like or dislike, are able to make choices based on those preferences and are able to tell you those choices. So rather than trying new foods or eating a food that touches another food or eating something that mommy and daddy want them to eat, they say no and/or they ask for something else. This nay-saying is a big part of their need to assert their independence and will.
Rebellion aside, children’s taste buds are much more sensitive than our adult taste buds. So, for example, something that is mildly bitter to us could be hugely so to them. In addition to that, extra sensitivity can be caused by a chemical known as phenylthiocarbamide (PTC), which is found in foods such as such as strawberries, oranges, apples, turnips, broccoli and green beans. PTC causes foods to taste extremely bitter or virtually tasteless, depending on your child’s genetic makeup. A child’s food preference, then, might be out of their control regardless of their assertion of will. That could explain why my little guy spit out the bok choy/apple/date juice I gave him the other day.
In general, people have a genetic preference for sweet and salty foods. This is a survival mechanism leftover from way back when we needed to be protected from eating poisonous foods. In the case of your toddler, however, it is a frustrating fact when you want more green vegetables in his diet. Beyond the tastes of food, things such as texture and appearance also make a difference in food preferences. Children like smooth creamy things, such as yogurt and ice cream because they feel good on the tongue, in addition to their sweetness. Something really spicy, ...more
Saturday, January 6, 2007
Free College Courses for All (from MIT, and others!)
I for one am going to take all of the nutrition courses John Hopkins offers...
By Gregory M. Lamb, Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor
Thu Jan 4, 3:00 AM ET
By the end of this year, the contents of all 1,800 courses taught at one of the world's most prestigious universities will be available online to anyone in the world, anywhere in the world. Learners won't have to register for the classes, and everyone is accepted. The cost? It's all free of charge.
The OpenCourseWare movement, begun at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 2002 and now spread to some 120 other universities worldwide, aims to disperse knowledge far beyond the ivy-clad walls of elite campuses to anyone who has an Internet connection and a desire to learn.
Intended as an act of "intellectual philanthropy," OpenCourseWare (OCW) provides free access to course materials such as syllabi, video or audio lectures, notes, homework assignments, illustrations, and so on. So far, by giving away their content, the universities aren't discouraging students from enrolling as students. Instead, the online materials appear to be only whetting appetites for more.
"We believe strongly that education can be best advanced when knowledge is shared openly and freely," says Anne Margulies, executive director of the OCW program at MIT. "MIT is using the power of the Internet to give away all of the educational materials created here."
The MIT site (ocw.mit.edu), along with companion sites that translate the material into other languages, now average about 1.4 million visits per month from learners "in every single country on the planet," Ms. Margulies says. Those include Iraq, Darfur, "even Antarctica," she says. "We hear from [the online students] all the time with inspirational stories about how they are using these materials to change their lives. They're really, really motivated."
So-called "distance learning" over the Internet isn't new. Students have been able to pay for online courses at many institutions, either to receive credit or simply as a noncredit adult-learning experience. Many universities also offer free podcasts (audio or sometimes video material delivered via the Internet).
View the rest of the article at http://news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20070104/ts_csm/cmit .
By Gregory M. Lamb, Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor
Thu Jan 4, 3:00 AM ET
By the end of this year, the contents of all 1,800 courses taught at one of the world's most prestigious universities will be available online to anyone in the world, anywhere in the world. Learners won't have to register for the classes, and everyone is accepted. The cost? It's all free of charge.
The OpenCourseWare movement, begun at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 2002 and now spread to some 120 other universities worldwide, aims to disperse knowledge far beyond the ivy-clad walls of elite campuses to anyone who has an Internet connection and a desire to learn.
Intended as an act of "intellectual philanthropy," OpenCourseWare (OCW) provides free access to course materials such as syllabi, video or audio lectures, notes, homework assignments, illustrations, and so on. So far, by giving away their content, the universities aren't discouraging students from enrolling as students. Instead, the online materials appear to be only whetting appetites for more.
"We believe strongly that education can be best advanced when knowledge is shared openly and freely," says Anne Margulies, executive director of the OCW program at MIT. "MIT is using the power of the Internet to give away all of the educational materials created here."
The MIT site (ocw.mit.edu), along with companion sites that translate the material into other languages, now average about 1.4 million visits per month from learners "in every single country on the planet," Ms. Margulies says. Those include Iraq, Darfur, "even Antarctica," she says. "We hear from [the online students] all the time with inspirational stories about how they are using these materials to change their lives. They're really, really motivated."
So-called "distance learning" over the Internet isn't new. Students have been able to pay for online courses at many institutions, either to receive credit or simply as a noncredit adult-learning experience. Many universities also offer free podcasts (audio or sometimes video material delivered via the Internet).
View the rest of the article at http://news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20070104/ts_csm/cmit .
Monday, January 1, 2007
New Year, New You
If you are ready to make a permanent change, I invite you to visit the website www.intentionengine.com . Manifest your wildest dreams into reality. They also allow you to view the entire version of THE SECRET (Rhonda Byrne) under their Top Resources tag.
I am ready to manifest my best self-are you?
I am ready to manifest my best self-are you?
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