Welcome!

Hello blogosphere,

Welcome to Simple Changes! This blog is dedicated to encouraging living a natural lifestyle in a manageable way.

When you think of natural and organic living, you might think of people wearing wheat skirts and making their own soap.  That lifestyle can be great and works for some people, but in the words of the lovely Sweet Brown--

This blog will show simple changes we can make in our lives that make a difference and that we DO have time for. As a college student, staying healthy and environmentally friendly can be a challenge, but it's not impossible.

So why go natural??

1. Your Health
   
   Eating fried, processed and chemical-filled foods can be so tempting (Oreos,french fires, mozzarella sticks, ice cream...I digress). There's nothing wrong with having these things  in moderation-- but there lays the problem. Nobody wants to stop at one (or two, or ten) Oreos, but look at the ingredients. High fructose corn syrup (HFCS), refined sugar, and unknown artificial colors/flavors are not only fattening, but dangerous--HFCS have been linked to diabetes, metabolic syndrome and heart disease. So why not choose healthier alternatives like desserts made from wheat flour, natural sweeteners, and pronounceable ingredients as your go-to snack foods?
2. Your Earth
   
   
   Natural living also includes living an eco-friendly lifestyle. This can be especially hard for students--especially those who live in a dorm. Plastic water bottles are one of the most popular culprits to non green living, but they also have one of the simplest fixes. The production of the bottles requires huge amounts of crude oil, and the bottles themselves often aren't recycled and end up in landfills.  This article from livestrong.com goes into more detail about the problems with plastic bottles. Opt for a reusable water bottle that you can refill to your heart's content. Camelbak has some of the best ones out there. These babies are BPA free and come in a bunch of colors.

    
3. Your Wallet
   This one is hard to believe, but if done right you can save a lot of money with natural/green products. Take energy-efficient lightbulbs for example. Their shelf price is more expensive, but they use a fraction of the energy (which lowers electricity bills) and they last much longer than regular lightbulbs. Growing your own fruits and vegetables is another great way to save money, but isn't really possible for students, and it requires a lot of time and effort. Let that be a long-term goal, but in the mean time opt for simpler cost-savers like carpooling and hang-drying your laundry. 

All of this is evidence that living a health conscious and eco-friendly lifestyle does not have to be a burden.