The Truth about Bottled Water

By blissfulrebelchick | Published: April 13, 2010

Marketing tactics aimed at manufacturing demand through FEAR would like for you to believe that bottled water is healthy water. The United States is the world’s largest consumer of bottled water, purchasing approximately 50 billion bottles per year! According to food & water watch,

“Bottled water wastes fossil fuels and water in production and transport, and when the water is drunk the bottles become a major source of waste. It takes more than 47 million gallons of oil to produce plastic water bottles for Americans every year. Eliminating those bottles would be like taking 100,000 cars off the road and 1 billion pounds of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. Each one of those bottles required nearly five times its volume in water to manufacture the plastic and may have caused the release of nickel, ethylene oxide, and benzene. Then, rather than being recycled, 86 percent of them are thrown away. Breaking down these plastics can take thousands of years, while their components seep into our water supplies.”

The reality is that bottled water is expensive, harmful to the environment, and not any healthier for you than tap water!

Please watch this 8 minute video: The Story of Bottled Water.

Then go buy a klean kanteen, SIGG, or other BPA free reusable bottle.

Posted in Environment, Green Living, Healthy Living | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

The Story of STUFF!

By blissfulrebelchick | Published: March 9, 2010

Have you ever stopped to consider…“Where does all the stuff we buy come from, and where does it go when we throw it out?”
Annie Leonard has.

If you haven’t heard much about Annie Leonard yet, you will.
Her new book, The Story of Stuff, was released yesterday. I would suggest that everyone read this book.

Prior to purchasing the book, please watch her 20-minute film. It’s an eye-opening tour of the real costs of our consumer driven culture. You can watch it directly from the site! Click here and “watch now”: The Story of STUFF

This will be the best 20 minutes you’ve invested in awhile!

Posted in Environment, Green Living, Healthy Living | Tagged | 2 Comments

Fill your stomach. Not the Landfill!

By blissfulrebelchick | Published: February 18, 2010

According to Clean Air Council, Americans throw out enough paper bags and plastic cups, forks and spoons every year to circle the equator 300 times!

Check out TakeOutWithOut (TOWO).

Founder K.B. Lee founded TOWO to convince restaurants to encourage customers to bring their own containers when buying take out and to ask customers to cut back on unnecessary packaging.

They say, “Fill your stomach. Not the Landfill.”
I LOVE this!

Here’s a bit of info from their website:

ReFuse Unnecessary Stuff
When taking out, refuse the unnecessary packaging! Think about the spoons, forks, straws, and napkins that you get served (why do they give you enough for a family of 20 when eating alone?). Ask yourself before accepting all these items, “Do I really need all of this?”, “Am I going to be eating this right away?” (If so, why take the bag or the napkins)… just enjoy your muffin – and be neat so the napkin isn’t needed!

ReTake Your Own Reusables
Bring your own reusables (BYOR) and you won’t need to use the can – garbage, that is. You can bring your own containers, straws, cutlery, mugs, bottles, and even your own bag – It’s so easy to find and use!

ReConsider Your Habits
It’s easy to fall into a routine, so why not choose to create a new one? Reconsider and readjust your habits and adopt healthier eating strategies – it might be challenging at first – but it will save you time, money, your health, and our world. The bonus? You’ll feel like an eco-hero and will inspire others around you to follow suit.

Posted in Environment | 2 Comments

ACT NOW! McCain Bill to Kill Supplements!

By blissfulrebelchick | Published: February 10, 2010

Do you take supplements and/or herbs? Have you heard of the Dietary Supplement Safety Act of 2010 bill?

Senator John McCain has introduced a bill that if passed, will drive up the cost of dietary supplements and restrict your access to them.

Please click HERE to read more about the implications of this bill and to sign a petition to alert your Senators and Representatives about this oppressive legislation that should be vigorously opposed.

Posted in Health Freedom, Physical Wellness, Politics | Leave a comment

Food Matters – A Documentary You MUST See!

By blissfulrebelchick | Published: February 9, 2010

Food Matters is a documentary film informing you on the best choices you can make for you and your family’s health. In a collection of interviews with leading Nutritionists, Naturopaths, Scientists, M.D.’s and Medical Journalists you will discover…

  • How to use food as medicine
  • Who needs vitamins?
  • Is organic better?
  • How safe is our food?
  • Natural treatments for lowering Cholesterol
  • Foods that fight Anxiety and Depression
  • Natural therapies for Cancer
  • Which drugs might do more harm than good?
  • The best ways to detox, lose weight and keep it off!

    • For more information, check out Food Matters Documentary Film.You can watch the documentary on-line or purchase the DVD.

    Posted in Environment, Fair Trade/ Social Justice/ Buy Local Movement, Farm Issues, Food / Food Safety, Green Living, Health Freedom, Health Issues, Healthy Living, Physical Wellness, Raw Food, Vegan | Leave a comment

    CBS Evening News to Report on Antibiotics in Food-Animal Production, Feb 9th and 10th

    By blissfulrebelchick | Published: February 9, 2010

    CBS Evening News will air a two-part report on antimicrobial use in food-animal production. The series is scheduled for evening news broadcasts Feb. 9 and 10, at 6:30pm EST. Featuring Katie Couric, the report will investigate both meat and poultry production.

    See full article HERE.

    Posted in Farm Issues, Food / Food Safety, Green Living, Healthy Living, Physical Wellness | 1 Comment

    Next on the White House Agenda…Drug-resistant Infections from Meat?

    By blissfulrebelchick | Published: February 9, 2010

    Antibiotics and hormones are fed to livestock, poultry, and fish on factory farms to promote faster growth and to compensate for the unsanitary conditions in which they are raised. According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, as much as 70 percent of all antibiotics used in the United States are fed to healthy farm animals. It is estimated that as much as 80 to 90 percent of all antibiotics given to animals are not fully digested and eventually pass through the body and enter the environment, where they can encounter new bacteria and create additional resistant strains.

    A recent article on msnbc tells the story of Russ Kremer, a farmer from Missouri who was affected by a drug-resistant infection due to exposure to an antibiotic-riddled boar. The dangers of feeding antibiotics to livestock is an issue now receiving quite a bit of attention at the White House.

    Americans who have never even seen a farm are at risk from the practice of feeding livestock antibiotics. Researchers say the overuse of antibiotics in humans and animals has led to a plague of drug-resistant infections that killed more than 65,000 people in the U.S. last year — more than prostate and breast cancer combined. – Associated Press

    Click HERE to read article.

    Posted in Farm Issues, Food / Food Safety, Green Living, Health Issues, Healthy Living, Vegan | Leave a comment

    What to Eat – It’s Complicated!

    By blissfulrebelchick | Published: January 29, 2010

    At a recent lunch with a new friend, the following dreadful words slipped from her mouth…”Please don’t judge me while I eat this!”, as she took her first bite of burger. Not again! Why do so many meat eaters new to my life assume I’m judging them? They either try to defend eating meat, shamefully state they are working on giving it up, or worse make a comment simliar to that above.

    My diet is not perfect. I love my wine and have no concept of the one glass per day recommendation. I’m also still working through my issues with eating. Sometimes I eat too much, sometimes not enough. In addition, I am not a judgmental person although there was a time that I used to be. I can humbly state that I’ve said and done too many things that I either said I wouldn’t or felt I wasn’t capable of, to ever judge anyone. Life is a journey for all of us – no one has all the answers or is an absolute authority on any given issue. This awareness allows me to see the entire world from a different perspective. We live in a world that is very complicated. There’s no black or white, its black AND white, sprinkled with a spectrum of colors, like a rainbow.

    I support all forms of healthy eating not just vegan or raw, although that is my personal preference. Why do I choose to eat mostly raw and vegan? The answer is simple. I feel better – physically, spiritually, and emotionally. There are a number of factors that weigh in to this but in summary, I’m more at peace, happier and healthier. I rarely use the word “never” when referring to my actions in life so I won’t ever say that I’ll never eat meat again. If I felt I needed to, I would. I don’t think my decision to avoid meat makes me better or wiser than anyone else and I’m not going to lay out an argument why you too should give up meat, so keep reading. Click HERE to continue reading

    Posted in Environment, Farm Issues, Food / Food Safety, Green Living, Healthy Living, Physical Wellness, Raw Food, Vegan | 2 Comments

    Feed Your Libido – Vegan Sources of Zinc to Boost Your Libido (Includes Recipe!)

    By blissfulrebelchick | Published: January 18, 2010
    Author: Rachel Venokur-Clark, feedyourlibido.com

    Photo by steffenz

    Zinc is an essential mineral that carries out numerous functions in your body, including promoting a healthy immune system, protecting the liver from damage and it even helps you to heal from wounds. Find yourself deficient in this mineral and your libido will be screaming out to be fed. Zinc is vital for testosterone production, which affects sexual desire, vigor and stamina in both men and women. Zinc deficiencies in men can cause sexual performance problems, which can be embarrassing and uncomfortable for everyone involved. Zinc also helps to prevent PMS symptoms in women and plays an important role in the function of the prostate gland in men. Semen also contains zinc; not enough zinc in your diet and those little guys may be too weak to get to where they need to go. On the other hand, in Chinese Medicine it is believed that excessive ejaculation can reduce the amount of zinc in your body, leading to a loss of sexual desire. It’s a vicious cycle isn’t it? Zinc also allows acuity of smell and taste and a deficiency could lead to a loss of those senses. What a bummer it would be if you couldn’t smell and taste all the sexy food you have been working so hard on. Click HERE to continue reading

    Posted in Food / Food Safety, Healthy Living, Recipes / Food & Drink, Vegan | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

    Vermicomposting – The Red “Wonders” from “Down Under”

    By blissfulrebelchick | Published: January 12, 2010

    Meet the newest additions to our family – Eisenia Fetida (Red Worm), also known as…The Squirmy Bunch! :)

    Red Worms for our newest compost bin

    Red Worms for our newest compost bin

    Denis and I started vermicomposting last year and we just received another pound of Red Worms this week. I love them already!

    Composting is a natural process of rotting material down to make a soil like product which you can use in the garden or houseplants. Composting is one of the most environmentally beneficial activities you can do because it converts your waste into a valuable resource as nutrients are recycled back into the soil in lieu of a landfill or water treatment facility.

    Did you know that yard and food wastes make up approximately 30% of the waste stream in the US? That’s over 65 million tons of waste per year.

    Not only does composting reduce waste, help save water, and reduce your carbon footprint, but it also improves soil conditions. It returns nutrients to the soil such as phosphorus, potassium, nitrogen, and many trace minerals, all for optimal plant growth and health.

    Click HERE to continue reading

    Posted in Environment, Green Living, Healthy Living | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments