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Archive for the ‘eco living’ Category | |||||
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In planning treats for the upcoming Holi, I thought it only befitting (and fun) to use food dyes in the recipes (rainbow muffins and halwa are on the agenda). I haven’t bought food colouring in quite some time and personally don’t find coloured foods very appetizing. But the kids lust after green cookies and blue frosting – even though my 4-year-old declares them to be “extra junky.” Of course you can always make your own colours (see last year’s post on Natural Eco Friendly Holi Colors), but I fear they may taint the food with unwanted flavours. Not to mention that by the time I’m done making the colours, I won’t have any energy left to make what I had planned. There seem to be 2 options for natural food colouring: India Trees’s Natural Decorating Colours ($18 for red-blue-yellow) and Chefmaster ($6 per colour). Both are pricey and have mixed reviews, but better than having the kids eat chemicals, no?
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ooTa is the Kannada word for “food” and, in combination with the Telugu word thinu (“eat!”), it is probably the all-time most used phrase in our household. The cute-sounding word covers everything from breakfast and lunch to snack and dinner and is even more adorable when uttered sweetly by the kids. So naturally it’s our go-to word for the letter “oo.”
On the subject of ooTa, I recently saw The Future of Food – a documentary by Deborah Koons Garcia about genetically modified foods. It proved to be a brilliantly informative polemic against the dangers of agribusiness and the corporations that seek to profit from GMO crops. Garcia explains how GMO crops are produced (often by the use of viruses and bacteria), what the international community thinks of them (the EU bans most of them and has strict labeling laws), what the US government is doing about them (not much – not even in terms of requiring labeling) and what’s at stake for the future. Interestingly, the catalyst for all of this was an Indian man by the name of Chakrabarty, who won a U.S. Supreme Court case in 1980 (Diamond v. Chakrabarty) which held that a live man-made micro-organism is patentable – the first time that living matter was afforded patent protection. This started the race for patenting seeds of crops – with huge profits for corporations and unintended misery for small farmers (who have been sued for patent infringement even for unintended airborne pollination). You can watch the film for free on the website or Hulu, or you can purchase the DVD. Top image: “Fruit Sellers” by Shiva Kumar, available for purchase at All India Arts. | |||||
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This post is authored by Dr. Jay Apte – renowned Ayurvedic physician and expert. Dr. Apte is the founder of the Ayurveda Institute of America, AyurFoods and Herbal Care (one of the first companies to develop, manufacture and market genuine Ayurvedic food supplements in the United States). She has also established a Health & Nature Wellness Center (in Northern California) and started schools in Houston, TX, Foster City, CA and Los Angeles, CA. Dr. Apte is a past president of the CAAM and is on the NAMA board of directors. Ayurveda defines health or wellness as the balance at Body-Mind-Spirit level. With such a balanced state, you will enjoy life, your immune system will be strong and you will be disease free. Let me give you an analogy. Think about your car. You take good care of it. You fill the expensive gas, change the oil every 3-4 months and do the other maintenance work – so it will keep on running smoothly. And it will take you wherever you want to go. Similarly you have to take good care of your body – fill it with the right foods instead of junk or processed foods, give it a rest every night for 6-8 hours instead of staying up late, do oil massages periodically, do yearly Panchakarma to detox and cleanse the body, exercise and meditate regularly to keep it fit. Then your body will also help you go where you want to go in life and achieve what you want to achieve. You may change the car every 4 years or even every year. If it breaks down, you may fix it, but it will not run exactly the same as before. Unfortunately you can’t change your body in a lifetime – you get it only once. Even if you fix it by treating the diseases or doing the surgeries, or changing the parts, it will not run as smoothly as before. So you should take utmost care of it? You probably won’t be able to concentrate at work with severe low back pain or insomnia? You likely won’t enjoy gourmet food with digestive problems or eating disorders. You won’t be able to hike and bike if you have chronic fatigue or pain. Then why not put your health first? Here is the recipe for wellness: Serves: 1 Calories per serving: 0 * 3 meals/day Directions: Combine all the ingredients and savor your health. In old days the grandparents used to pay attention to everybody’s health. I remember my grandmother who was the center of our family. If we had a stomachache, she used to give us a pinch of Ajwan (a digestant spice) and in an hour, the stomachache would disappear. For cold or congestion, she had a glass of ginger tea or turmeric tea ready. If somebody complained of a headache, she would put a ginger paste on the forehead. These home remedies were very effective. Unfortunately these days, grandparents have disappeared, so it is parents’ responsibility to make some time for the healthy routine. They have an added responsibility. They have to adhere to healthy habits themselves, because they know the kids don’t do what they tell them to do, but kids do absord their parents’ habits. After all, actions speak louder than words. In our Wellness Center, we bring this ancient wisdom back into our modern life and help our clients to follow the healthy routine. We offer Ayurvedic consultations, yoga classes, meditation classes, cooking classes and educational seminars to educate people about healthy habits. Remember, ”An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!” © 2010 Dr. Jay Apte (image by Google images) | |||||
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This post is authored by Dr. Jay Apte – renowned Ayurvedic physician and expert. Dr. Apte is the founder of the Ayurveda Institute of America, AyurFoods and Herbal Care (one of the first companies to develop, manufacture and market genuine Ayurvedic food supplements in the United States). She has also established a Health & Nature Wellness Center (in Northern California) and started schools in Houston, TX, Foster City, CA and Los Angeles, CA. Dr. Apte is a past president of the CAAM and is on the NAMA board of directors. Many diet fads (such as low/no fat diet, Atkin’s Diet, South Beach Diet, etc., come and go, but an Ayurvedic Prakriti (Body Constitution) – specific diet will always stay and be the right answer for your health and wellness. Ayurveda looks at the qualities in the foods rather than counting the calories. For example, foods loaded with cheese, cream and sugar are “heavy” in nature, while popcorn and dry toast are considered “light.” Salad greens are “cold” while ginger, garlic, a glass of wine or salts are “hot” in potency. A stew is moist and baked chicken is dry. Which foods are right? Everything is right or wrong, depending on your prakriti (Body Constitution). The key is to balance your predominant dosha/s (qualities which make up your prakriti) with the right qualities of foods. If your body constitution is Kapha-predominant (heavy and cold in nature), then light and warm foods are your answer. Some slices of toast and a glass of ginger tea is a perfect breakfast choice. A grilled vegetable or chicken sandwiches as lunch and then rice, dhal soup and baked veggies as dinner will help to alleviate allergies, colds and congestive headaches. You will start to lose weight and feel more energetic. If your personality is hot and angry (Pitha-predominant), cool foods will be your right choice. That means more leafy greens and sweet fruits, mild spices and low salt. Salads, grains, fruits and vegetables with mild spices such as cumin, coriander, fennel, cardamom, basil or mint or cilantro will help you keep balance and keep heart burn, acid reflux, skin problems and irritability at bay. If you are like a busy bee – constantly buzzing around, feeling restless and listless and dry all over, with symptoms such as dry skin, dry lips, constipation, etc. (Vata-predominant), warm and moist foods will be your soul food. A bowl of oatmeal cereal will be an ideal breakfast, and a bowl of hot soup and stew or gumbo is a good lunch. Dinner can be rice and dal soup and steamed veggies. Such moist and warm foods will balance the dry, light and cold qualities of Vata and also help prevent and treat anxiety, worry, constipation and aches and pains in the body. Ayurveda also recommends other rituals about eating: 1. Eat freshly prepared, home cooked foods. Fresh foods are rich in Prana – the life energy. Pranic foods are healing. When you cook, you put in your positive energy - making the food Sattvic. Sattva is clarity, purity, light. Sattvic foods heal the Body and lighten the Mind. 2. Eat seasonal vegetables and fruits. Mother Nature provides right qualities in fruits and vegetables in the right season. Cool salad greens are in abundance during hot summers. Heavy and sweet squashes and pumpkins make their appearance in bitter cold winters. Make a trip to the farmer’s market to buy your seasonal fruits and veggies. 3. Eat three meals a day and zip your lips in between. Fruit is OK in between, but not a bag of chips or cookies. It takes 5-6 hours to digest food. Small, frequent meals cause indigestion, which may produce a toxin called Ama. Ama becomes the cause of many diseases. 4. Pay attention to your digestive fire: Agni. Agni digests the food. If it is weak, the food stays undigested. If it is too strong, it burns the food. Your tongue is the mirror image of your digestive system. Watch your tongue in the mirror every morning. If it looks pink, you have a good digestive fire. If it has thick white coating, your agni may be low. You may have to pay better attention to foods you eat. 5. Eat mindfully and with proper frame of mind. Savor the food and enjoy the taste and texture. Eat in a happy mood. If you are angry while eating, you are swallowing the anger. If sad, you are ingesting the sadness. So eat with the proper frame of Mind. 6. Feed somebody before you eat. Share your food with the person who is with you. If you are alone, feed your pet, water the house plant or throw a few bird seeds in your backyard. It is like feeding the other Soul. 7. Bless your food before eating. The grains, the veggies and/or the animals are offering their life to become your food. Respect them. Also think about the hunger in the world. Do not waste the food. 8. Chew each bite 32 times. Why? Because you have 32 teeth. Chewing improves digestion and absorption and does not spike the blood sugar too high too quickly. In conclusion, eating is more than filling a bag. It is the ritual for your health. Know your doshas and create balance with the right foods. Ayurvedic text has rightfully described the importance of food in the following verse: “If you are eating right foods, why do you need medicine? If you are not, what is medicine going to do?” © 2010 Dr. Jay Apte (image by NCTFN) | |||||
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There are some things that I wish I didn’t know – the ostrich syndrome, if you will. But here we are on the issue of silkworms. I was reading a book to my son called Charlie Needs A Cloak – which illustrates how wool fabric is made from cute little sheeps – and we started talking about the origin of other fabrics. I had always assumed that there was no harm done to silkworms in the process of taking their silk. They just spin for the pleasure of humans and leave, right? But the details are quite gruesome: 60,000 silk worms are killed to produce a single silk saree. Cocoons are steamed or dropped in boiling water. Apparently the pre-metamormphasis stage yields the shiniest silk. Is there an alternative? A non-violent silk? I did find a few while poking around on the web. One excellent website is Ahimsa Silks – based in Hyderabad. They harvest the silk post-metamorphasis – after the moths have pierced the cocoons. They even have a patent on the process. This type of silk doesn’t have the lustre of traditional silk – but the company claims that it’s comfortable, wrinkle-free and has a better fall. I don’t think I’ll be purging my closet in favour of this eco-friendly silk – but do I still get to make fun of women who wear fur? Image by Google Images. | |||||
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My ammama (grandmother) had this bright pink plastic tote (or butta in Telugu) that she’d carry with her everywhere. To the market, to the cinema, or as an overnight bag when visiting family, this tote travelled with her on rickshaws, buses and on trains. It could carry 15 kgs of dhals without sagging and got stepped and stomped on. It was truly indestructable. I actualy think it’s still alive somewhere in my uncle’s house. So as my $0.99 reusable grocery bags keep ripping on me, I am reminiscing about my ammama‘s plastic tote and found a few replacements. They’re not bright pink, but hopefully they’ll last me a good portion of my lifetime just the same. Featured above, Java Totes hand woven in Indonesia from recycled plastic strapping from A Mark on the World. Below (left to right), Tote Bags made from recycled plastic toothpaste tubes (you’d have never known, right?) from Banyan Tree Gallery; and the Keen Irving White Tote bag, made from recycling those super sturdy paper rice sacks, from Sport Sandal Beach.
Here’s to you, ammama, for (unwittingly) being my first role model on living green… | |||||
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Not that I have the time to sit in a nail salon (I go maybe once or twice a year if my feet are lucky), but I’ve been seing a lot of “organic nail bars” popping up. I presume the people who work there don’t have to wear those surgeon’s masks to fend off those vicious fumes. Which made me think, maybe I should be on the lookout for non-toxic polishes for use at home. And then I found Priti NYC. Their polishes are made without toluene, dibutyl phthalate (DHB) and formaldehyde – which are all known carcinogenic ingredients. Available in over 100 shades for grown ups and… It’s very own Priti Princess collection for girls (or boys – my son currently as traces of the green Glow Leaf on his feet). It’s apparently the first line of non-toxic polishes made exclusively for kids. My personal favourite is the Soy Nail Polish Remover, made with natural soybean esters, coconut and essential lemongrass oils. No acetone, no petroleum and no stench!
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My daughter threw mine in the toilet a few weeks ago (thanks, dear), so I had to go without for a few days until my mother could mail me a replacement. Those couple of days were torture – I felt so (for lack of better word) GROSS. I’d been using a tongue cleaner since my toddler days, and it had become inseperable from my toothbrush – going with anywhere and everywhere I traveled. My husband, however, doesn’t use one. And although I don’t know the intimate details of the brushing habits of my other Indian relatives and friends, if I had to guess, I would say that the usage rate of tongue cleaners among them is about 50%. Which makes me wonder: is the use of tongue cleaners limited to particular regions of India? Is it an urban/rural thing? Whatever may be the answer, it seems that the West is (slowly) embracing tongue cleaners (apparently they originated in India (an ayurvedic technique) and China). And why not? They do nothing but good – scraping away the scummy film that causes bacteria build up and bad breath. You still can’t hop to a drug store and buy one – which I tried by the way, before I phoned my mother – but you can buy them online (for a ridiculous price by Indian standards). They come in various sizes and shapes, and in silver, copper, plastic, etc. Check out TePe’s Tongue Detox (love the name) which is all the rage in Europe and the “patented” spoon-style one from OraMedix. As for me, I prefer the simple stainless steel ones. As a precaution, I had my mother-in-law buy 2 dozen of them on her recent trip to India. So I’ll be getting the kids to start using them. And now I have a stash of my own to mail to them when they call me in distress. Image: Silver Tongue Cleaner by Aspen Dental House. $45.00 | |||||
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Remember those thali “meals” plates used in virtually every roadside restaurant in India? You know – with the rasam in one section, and yummy curries and pickles in the others? Well, they’re being reincarnated in the West and marketed as “innovative” and “eco-friendly” dining dishes for babies, toddlers and kids (and no wonder – with all the bad press about BPA and melamine). par exemple: Above is a Stainless Bus Platter by Din Din Smart. $17.99
And for a good laugh, check out greenandcrunchy’s post about an Ohio mom’s shopping experience in the stainless section of an Indian grocery store. Apparently, her kids fight over who gets their meals in the masala box (pictured below)! So dust off those thali plates or get thee to an Indian store!
image by greenandcrunchy | |||||
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(Oh, that’s right – it’s Bengaluru now.) It’s juicy news in the hotel industry: Bangalore, India is now on the green map. Introducing the ITC Royal Gardenia Hotel – the world’s largest (and Asia’s first) hotel to be certified LEED Platinum. If you’re unfamiliar with LEED, it stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. It’s a certification program that rates a building’s “green-ness” – taking into consideration energy and water efficiency, indoor air quality, emissions, and the use of recyclable materials and renewable energy. There are 4 levels of certification: Certified, Silver, Gold and Platinum, with Platinum being the highest. You can learn more about LEED at the US Green Building Council’s website (and about LEED India at www.igbc.in). So what makes the Royal Gardenia super sustainable? It’s things like using solar energy, rainwater harvesting and drip irrigation, natural and LED lighting, CFC-free refrigeration and air conditioning (in fact the hotel implemented the world’s first integrated variable speed/flow Evergreen Chillers), and of course eco-friendly organic linens and toiletries. There’s certainly something special about this hotel – and you’re sure to notice as soon as you step in the lobby – featuring dramatic vertical gardens (they use less water than the standard type). The hotel just opened last October and surely has a bright and green future ahead. And if you are so inspired, LEED is not just for the big guys – there’s LEED for Homes too. My husband and I are currently building one – so stay tuned for news as the process unfolds! |
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