Snack On!

A common misconception with healthy eating is that you can't eat snack foods. Trust me--this is not true! There are tons of things you can eat in place of fatty, high-cal foods that are available in most grocery stores.


If you're craving:                                                 Try:

We all know the Lay's potato chip issue: you have one, 10 minutes later you're covered in salty grease and sad about your life. Instead, try something guilt-free like Sensible Portions Veggie Chips! They have these in Shoprite, and they're even more than just potato chips! They're made from tomatoes, spinach, and potatoes and are pretty low-cal.

If you're craving:                                                Try:

I've already ranted about oreos in previous posts, and it doesn't take a dietician to realize they're not exactly a salad...If you want something similar to this chocolatey, sugary sandwich of goodness, try Newman-O's. They're organic and chemical-free, and the Newman's Own brand donates to charity with every purchase. Win-Win-Win!

If you're craving:                                                Try:

You can avoid all of the sugar and high fructose corn syrup in coke by trying an all-natural soda. No dyes, artificial sweeteners, or other unpronounceable crap. Zevia is sweetened with stevia and comes in tons of flavors. It's also 0 calories!


If you're craving:                                                 Try:

I truly believe chocolate has magical healing powers that can solve all the world's problems. It releases endorphins in your brain, including Phenylethylmine (a chemical related to falling in love). The thing is, milk chocolate has less actual cocoa and a lot of added sugar and cream, it's fattening and not as nutritious as dark chocolate. In dark chocolate, the higher percentage of cocoa, the better it is for you.



You don't have to sit in your room and eat celery sticks to be healthy! There are so many snacks in the health-food aisle that are affordable and taste just as good (if not better) than their unhealthy alternatives. It's easy to make smart choices!

Do Your Part for a Sustainable Campus!

Happy Earth Week everybody! If you live on a college campus, enjoy all of the free water bottles and other green giveaways thrown your way. I definitely did!

I came across Lehigh's campus sustainability plan the other day and found a lot of the goals really promising. Take a look...

 

What's great about this is that it tackles the huge feat of creating a sustainable campus and splits it up into manageable steps that both students and faculty can play a part in. It can seem daunting, but here are some simple things you can do to help move toward these goals!

-(Obviously) reduce disposable water bottle use by getting a reusable bottle!

-Rather than bringing your car to campus, take advantage of walking and the campus bus system. Better yet-bring a bike!

-Buy local and organic food, or visit restaurants that serve it! Horns on 4th street is a great place for this.

-Create your own compost bin while a campus-wide program is in the works.

-Help reduce waste by bringing your own mug to campus dining locations when getting coffee--they'll fill it for you and give you a discount!

-Be mindful of the paper products you use in the bathroom (paper towels) and dining halls (napkins). You need less than you think you do.

-Help conserve energy by turning off lights in your dorm when rooms are not in use.

Easy things like this can add up to make a huge impact! If everyone does their part and tries at least one of these, Lehigh will be much closer to meeting their goals of having a sustainable campus.

Have You Had Your Tea Lately?

Tea is such a miracle-worker. It saved me this morning when my throat was so sore that I felt like I couldn't even talk; I got some green tea with lemon and honey to sooth my throat and it made me feel instantly better.  Our culture isn't as tea-obsessed as others (English, Chinese, etc.), but I think we should be!

I saw this awesome graphic on Pinterest (originally from tumblr)and I felt like it needed to be shared:

Instead of soda and sugary drinks, turn to something that will make you feel good, like tea :)

5 Things You're Buying That You Should Make!

DIYing is a big part of my life. There's something so satisfying to me about taking something that's usually store-bought and figuring out a way to Do It Yourself! I'm afraid this post may push the boundaries of going natural without going nuts...But it's all relative to what point you are in the process of living a green life.

1. Toothpaste

I've already talked about the scary stuff that can be found in your toothpaste, and I'm going to be honest--buying natural toothpaste is not cheap. If you care a lot about saving money and staying green, consider making your own toothpaste. The recipe is so simple; the main ingredient is baking soda (which is already in a lot of brand-name toothpastes for its whitening capabilities). You can get creative and add peppermint essential oils or whatever other scent you'd like.

Here's a sample recipe from Care2.com

INGREDIENTS
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt, finely ground
1 drop peppermint, spearmint, sweet orange, clove, or cinnamon bark essential oil
A few drops tap water

Combine ingredients in a small bowl and mix them thoroughly with a toothbrush, your finger, or a small spoon until a smooth, thick paste forms. The paste shouldn’t be too runny; it has to stay on your toothbrush.

Dip your toothbrush into the paste and use as you would regular commercial toothpaste.

2. Cleaning Supplies

You can have a cleaner and healthier home by ditching brand-name cleaners and making your own. This article from Rodale goes into details about which specific brands to avoid. Your all-purpose

cleaner probably contains compounds that can trigger asthma. Check out the link for more details. In the mean time here's a recipe for an all-purpose cleaner.

9 parts water

1 part white vinegar

Put it in a spray bottle and you're good to go. They also recommend adding hydrogen peroxide for a stronger solution to kill more germs. 

3. FOOD!

This one is broad, but that's because the possibilities are limitless. There are so many foods that we buy from the store that can easily be made at home, saving you money and also helping you be environmentally friendly by avoiding plastic packaging.  Here are some typically store bought foods that I've made at home..

• Crackers
• Tortillas
• Ice Cream
• Granola Bars
• Peanut Butter
• Oreos
• Caramel
• Potato Chips
• PIZZA ROLLS (best...thing...ever...)

The possibilities are pretty endless. It's also a nice way to have junk food without it being full of crap.

4. Paint

If you're like me and you get uncontrollable urges to finger-paint, you don't have to leave the comfort of your home for the supplies! Plus, you can get exactly the color you want.
Here's a recipe from Red Ted Art

3 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt1/2 cup corn starch
2 cups water
Combine ingredients in small saucepan. Warm until mixture thickens. Cool & pour in containers. Add food coloring to create desired colors.

5. PLAY DOUGH!

the finished product!

Everyone needs play dough...it's essential to our daily lives. I'm 19 years old and if there's play dough around, I will grab it without a doubt (and secretly lick it to make sure it still tastes the same..shh). It's especially good for households with little kids or pets that get into trouble. There are a million recipes out there, but I like this one from Hidden Ponies a lot:

Ingredients:

1 cup all purpose flour

½ cup salt

2 Tbsp cream of tartar

1 Tbsp oil

1 cup water

½ tsp vanilla extract (or coconut, almond, etc…this makes it smell nice, which is optional but fun :))

Food colouring

Instructions:

In medium saucepan, stir together flour, salt, cream of tartar, and oil. Add water, extract, and food colouring and mix well. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat, until it forms a stiff clump and you can’t really stir any more (about 3 minutes).

Remove from stove and knead by hand for 3-5 minutes, until very soft and pliable.

Store in airtight bags or containers between uses.

DIYing is time consuming but so rewarding. I challenge you to try at least one thing on this list!

The Rise & Fall of My Love for Bubble Tea

Last week I discovered the enigma that is bubble tea. My friend from China, who drinks it all the time, insisted I try some and made a special delivery from Euro Yogurt.

Basically, it's tea with milk and a little sugar with tapioca pearls at the bottom, which look like marbles but taste like nothing. One of my friends compared them to fish eyes, which admittedly I can understand. It was the first time I had to chew a drink, which freaked me out a little bit, but after the initial shock I really liked it.

I felt pretty good about choosing the bubble tea over a fatty/sugary smoothie, especially after seeing the Euro Yogurt website boast about all of its health benefits. However, I was still confused as to what the tapioca pearls actually were.

Then I googled it...

And I was very sad. Honestly, I can see how ignorance can sometimes be bliss. A German study found traces of PCBs (a cancer-causing chemical banned in the U.S.) in a certain brand of tapioca pearls made in Taiwan. First I tried to justify drinking it--maybe it was just that one brand, or maybe it's only a problem if you intake excessive amounts of it. Then I realized how dumb I was being all for a drink that I hadn't even tried before last week. I read a little more about PCBs and unlike a lot of the other chemicals in makeup and stuff that are just speculated carcinogens, this one was scarily real. One hundred percent of the animals they tested that were exposed to PCBs got cancer. With this knowledge, I probably wouldn't even be able to enjoy it if I had it again.

So, public service announcement: don't try bubble tea because you may fall in love with it and then it will be snatched right out from underneath you when you find out that it may be deadly. 

The Makeup of Your Makeup

Since I started this blog, I've paid closer attention to things in my life that I do naturally vs. things I feel like I should improve on. I had somewhat of an epiphany a few mornings ago after rolling out of bed at 7:45 for an 8 am class and having to rush to get myself ready. I would say my morning routine is pretty standard for a girl, but it never occurred to me how many products I use every day. It comes down to:

-Shampoo and Conditioner
-Facial Cleanser
-Toothpaste
-Mascara
-Eyeliner
-Concealer
-Deodorant

That's a lot of products for such a short amount of time! And since I'm a zombie for the first 30 minutes that I'm awake, I've never considered the fact that I'm starting my day by rubbing a bunch of chemicals on myself. So I did a little investigating on the ingredients of my products.

The Shampoo: I found out that my "Hello Hydration" Herbal Essences shampoo is more likely "Hello Cancer."  It contains methylchloroisothiazolinone (MIT), an added preservative to increase the shampoo's shelf life. The Environmental Working Group has found MIT to cause skin irritation, and much more concerning, has research that supports it as a carcinogen. There are also other ingredients, such as sodium lauryl sulfate, which have been linked to cancer. Even if research is somewhat limited, the idea of daily exposure to a questionable chemical sounds a little risky for me.

The Facial Cleanser: I use St. Ives, which also contains MIT, although its packaging and logo imply that it's all natural.

The Toothpaste: This concerned me a lot, since we ingest bits of toothpaste every day. The dye in it (FD&C blue dye no.2) has been linked to learning and behavioral issues. It also contains sodium lauryl sulfate, and triclosan (which may have negative effects on estrogen levels).

The Makeup: A lot of the makeup I use contains phthalates, although I learned that they are not always listed on the label. They hide under the name of "parfum" and "fragrance," but they're there. It's questioned to be a carcinogen and some studies also show that it can affect infant development if a pregnant mother is exposed to large quantities of it.

The Deodorant: I always bought deodorant that was also an antiperspirant, because it keeps me safe from scary gray-shirt sweat stains.Well, this is also linked to breast cancer and high levels of estrogen. 

So, in the interest of working toward a healthier lifestyle, I've decided to make a switch to an all-natural morning regimen. Without reaching the point of no return and sacrificing personal hygiene, I want to replace the products I'm using with healthier substitutes. A lot of the research is still in progress, but why take a risk? You never know what'll be proven to be toxic 50 years down the road.

What the wheat?

Determining which foods are good and bad for your body is more of a challenge than it should be. Reading labels isn't always enough; sometimes it takes a little bit of background knowledge to know exactly what you're buying. Food companies use tricky language and packaging to make you think you're making a better choice than you actually are. Bread products are particularly misleading, so bite the bullet and endure this educational post--it's worth it!

If you buy a box of Wheat Thins, you think you're making a health conscious decision and avoiding white flour. Well, unless it says "whole wheat," you may as well go for some bleachy white Saltines. Wheat flour and white flour are basically the same thing; they both come from only the endosperm of a wheat kernel, which is mainly just starch.  Whole wheat flour is better because it literally comes from the "whole" wheat kernel--the endosperm, bran, and germ. This is where the fiber and vitamins come from. So don't be fooled into thinking you're a health guru after buying a loaf of "wheat bread."

As for "whole grain?" It's just as good; it can come from any grain, not just wheat.  As for multigrain bread--if bread is 9 grain,you have to watch because it still may not contain 9 WHOLE grains.

A steadfast rule: if it doesn't say "whole," keep looking. Honestly, the language is so confusing that it's almost worth giving up gluten altogether and living off of fruit.