A Practical 12-Month Organic Living Plan

A Practical 12-Month Organic Living Plan
======================
We can talk and think about something until cows fly!

But it's what we actually DO, that matters; that creates
results.

If you've been thinking and talking about eating and using
more organic products and creating and sustaining an
organic lifestyle for your family, now is the time to take
action.

Here are 12 steps, one for each month of the year, that
will get you started on the road to an organic lifestyle
and keep you moving forward in the months ahead.

Step 1 (January): Make the decision to start living a
healthier organic lifestyle.

Talk to your family. Share any information you have so far
and your reasons for why you think organic living is a good
choice. Ask them to share what they know or think, and
then do some research together.

Step 2 (February): Incorporate one organic product into
each of your daily meals.

Think about the things your family eats on a regular basis
and try some organic alternatives. This will help everyone
become familiar with organic varieties and show them the
taste is better, if there's a noticeable difference at all.

Step 3 (March): Plan an organic vegetable, fruit and/or
herb garden.

Again, get your family involved and plan an organic garden
that everyone can have a part in. Plan out the space
you'll need, the plants you'd like to grow, the materials
you'll need and the maintenance roles for everyone.

Step 4 (April): Start an organic compost pile.

Once your organic garden is growing, you'll need a
continuos source of organic soil and you'll have plenty of
organic scraps to discard. As your organic lifestyle
grows, so will the materials you'll be able to add to your
compost as time goes on.

See "Organic Composting" at Moms Organic House for
step-by-step details on how to create and maintain organic
compost.

Step 5 (May): Try 3 new organic cleaning products or
methods.

Think about the products you're using to clean your house
with and how you can eliminate some and replace others.

There are many harmful chemicals in the everyday
traditional cleaning products on the market today. When we
use these products, we are exposing ourselves and our
families to these chemicals on a daily basis. We're also
impacting the environment with many of these non-organic
products, in a negative way.

Try 3 organic or all natural cleaning alternatives. You
can start with learning more about some very common
household items that are great natural cleaners like
vinegar, baking soda and lemons.

Step 6 (June): Drink more water.

With summer comes the need for more hydration. If you're
family is used to reaching for the sweet drinks; soda,
lemonade, sweet tea or sports drinks, introduce and
encourage them to drink more water.

Consider a water cooler for your house. The cost is
reasonable and the benefits are significant. It will
become the "in-between-meals" drink of choice, for
everyone, before you know it.

Keep bottled water cold and take it with you when you're
going outdoors or traveling for any length of time in the
car. A small cooler can easily be toted along with a
bottle of water for everyone.

This is a good time to consider the amount of water you're
using to cook with and where it comes from. A water
filtration system for the kitchen can be used for cooking
purposes and help to further reduce your family's chemical
intake.

Some other great drink choices you can make at home are
organic fruit juices and smoothies, which are always a
welcomed summertime treat.

Step 7 (July): Harvesting your organic produce.

Now that you have an organic harvest of maybe fruits,
vegetables and/or herbs, you'll need to put them to good
use.

Of course you'll want to use as much of your organic
produce as possible, fresh from the garden to the table,
but chances are, you'll have extra as well.

Consider canning or preserving, where applicable. Think
about the many different ways your fruits, vegetables and
herbs can be preserved for use later. Again, make it a
family project, getting everyone involved in the planning
and processing. You'll be amazed at all the different
ideas and solutions you'll come up with.

Step 8 (August): Review your organic living plan and
adjust, if necessary.

Review your family's organic lifestyle. Is your family
involved and are you seeing results? Are there now organic
products you buy and consume on a regular basis? Are you
consistently introducing new organic alternatives? Is your
family "thinking" more about what they eat and the products
they use?

Is there room for improvement and can you do more?

Make adjustments, if necessary, and continue researching,
talking and doing things that will sustain your organic
living plan and lifestyle.

Step 9 (September): Introduce 3 new organic or all natural
skin care products.

Our skin is the largest organ and it absorbs 70% of what we
put on it. Shampoo, bath soap, make-up, deodorant, lotion,
sunscreen, hand soap, etc., and are traditionally full of
chemicals and preservatives that our skin absorbs directly
into our bodies.

Consider 2 new organic or all natural alternatives to the
daily skin care products you use now. You may have to try
a few brands, or types to find the products that suit you
best, but it's well worth the effort.

You may also want to consider a filtered shower system.
Along with the chemicals and preservatives in our skin care
products, the water we shower with also contains unhealthy
contaminates that our bodies absorb, daily.

A filtered shower head/system will remove a significant
amount of these harmful chemicals, and it will leave your
hair and skin healthier than you've probably seen it in
quite some time.

Step 10 (October): Boost your immune system, organically.

As the summer fades and the colder weather sets in, colds
and flu become more frequent. You can actually DO things
to boost your immune system, now, and into the winter
months.

Eat more organic fruits and vegetables on a regular basis.
One of the absolutely BEST ways to get the most nutritional
value out of these fruits and vegetables is to juice them,
raw.

Drinking 4-6 oz. Of fresh, organic fruit and/or vegetable
juice, twice daily, is a great, all natural way to boost
your immune system. The vitamins and minerals provided
will help keep your body healthy so it can more efficiently
and effectively fight off viruses and bacteria.

You may also want to consider some organic herbal
supplementation. There are many herbs available that will
help support your immune system before, during and after
you catch cold.

Sleep, exercise and water. Not organic in nature, but
critical to the health and well-being of our bodies,
especially during those times when our bodies may be more
vulnerable.

Step 11 (November): Plan an organic holiday menu.

There is plenty of opportunity this holiday season to cook
and bake with organic products. Plan an entire organic
holiday meal and if you're having guests, see if they even
notice any difference other than how delicious everything
tastes.

Now is a good time too to have some fun and create some
organic desserts your whole family will enjoy.

And don't forget to incorporate some of those festive
organic, all natural fruit juices and/or smoothies you've
been making all year long!

Step 12 (December): Buy someone an organic gift.

Now is the time to share what you and your family has
learned, with others.

Give a gift that will help others create or sustain their
own organic lifestyle. Books are always great gifts, or
gift certificates to organic stores, and even a shower
filter or fruit/vegetable juicer would make for a great
organic gift.

It's really fun to "give" a gift that you know someone will
benefit from. And who knows, your gift might just be the
one thing that starts them on their own journey to living
an organic lifestyle.

BEYOND THE 12 STEPS

Once you begin to make more organic living choices, you'll
start seeing and feeling the many wonderful benefits and
you'll want to do and learn more.

Keep it simple and take action, each and every day, and
you'll find yourself amazed with the results.

Always keep in mind too that what you're learning and
sharing with your family today, about organic living, will
serve them for a lifetime. You're giving them an education
that will allow them to make the absolute best choices for
their own health and well-being, throughout their life.

----------------------------------------------------
"themom", a/k/a Denise Palmer is a mom and Internet
Consultant. Moms Organic House is a combination of 13
years of Internet experience and a passion for organic
living and education. If you'd like to learn more about
how to create or sustain a practical, simple, yet effective
organic lifestyle, visit Moms Organic House at
http://www.momsorganichouse.com for more information.

The Vitamin D Debates Continue

The Vitamin D Debates Continue
Copyright (c) 2007 Ainsley Laing

I was doing some research on a topic that my
brother-in-law, an MD who works in university research,
mentioned to me over the holidays. Every time I see this
guy, he always gives me ideas! I came across a startling
introduction to an article written by John Cannell which I
thought I would steal:

What rat poison is safer than water?

The answer is … Vitamin D.

Turns out, there's a lot of new research on this vitamin
and, as my brother in law said, the research is indicating
that many of us need much more of this vitamin than we are
getting. Apparently, vitamin D plays a role in the
prevention of much more than just bone loss. Receptors for
vitamin D are found in most of the cells of the body. It
has been shown to contribute to a healthy immune system,
muscle strength and hormone production.

The major function of vitamin D is to maintain normal blood
levels of calcium and phosphorus. Vitamin D aids in the
absorption of calcium, helping to form and maintain strong
bones. Recent research also suggests it may provide
protection from osteoporosis, hypertension, heart disease,
certain cancers and several autoimmune diseases including
diabetes.

But here's speculation that I found really interesting:
vitamin D may help in weight control. You might have heard
of the study that cites that folks with more calcium in
their diets tended to have lower body mass indices (BMI).
Well, given that vitamin D is responsible for controlling
calcium levels in the blood, it follows that this vitamin
plays a role in the high calcium, low BMI phenomenon.

Researchers have also found that obese people have an
impaired ability to synthesize vitamin D from sunlight.
And, they are looking into the connection between excess
calcium deposits in the arteries (cardiovascular disease)
and low blood levels of vitamin D. Hmmm..

Vitamin D also plays a role in blood sugar regulation.
Swings in blood sugar signal our body's fat storage
mechanism and signals our brain to eat or not.

Don't we get vitamin D from sunlight?

Vitamin D is often called the sunshine vitamin because the
body synthesizes it from sunlight - specifically, from UV-B
rays. Yep, these are the ones we know as the burning rays.
In places further from the equator, these rays are most
available between 10 am and 2 pm. Most of us avoid
spending much time in the sun at these times because we get
sunburned which increases our risk of skin cancer and
premature skin aging. UV-B rays are blocked well by
sunscreens and by glass (glass doesn't block UV-As).
Depending on the pigment in your skin, it takes different
bodies different amounts of time in the midday sun to get
adequate levels of vitamin D. The darker your skin, the
more time you need in the sun to get enough of the vitamin.

So, now on to dietary vitamin D: Cod Liver Oil has a lot
of vitamin D, followed by some oily fishes, lard (pork
fat), butter, dairy fat and egg yolks. Beyond that, it's
pretty difficult to get enough of this vitamin from dietary
sources alone. So, if you work inside and wear sunscreen,
or live at latitudes far from the equator, supplementation
may a good thing.

But even supplementation recommendations are now under fire
by the researchers. The most common recommendations that I
have seen is 400 IU per day for kids, 200 IU per day for
adults under 50 years old and 400 IU per day for those over
50. Some researchers are advocating MUCH higher doses ­ in
the 1000 IU to 2000 IU per day range! There is even a lot
of debate about toxicity levels of this vitamin among them.
Some say more that 2000 IU per day can be toxic, some say
20,000 IU per day is not!

I took a look at my super-duper Women's Multivitamin that I
buy at the health food store. It yields 400 IU per day. I
am 47 years old, live on the equator where there's lots of
UV-B rays much of the day, but work mostly inside and do
wear sunscreen every day. So, I have decided to be on the
safe side to increase my daily dose of vitamin D
supplements to 600-800 IU. This is below what researchers
are saying but above recommendations for my age. Remember
that when looking at this vitamin, it's important to keep
in mind the amount of midday sun exposure you normally get
on average, how far you live from the equator, how dark
your skin is and how much vitamin D your multivitamin
supplies.

Of course, I will keep checking in with my brother in law
and published research to keep track of any updates....and
will keep you posted.

Sources: The Vitamin D Newsletter 08/20/05. John Cannell
http://www.thaifoodandtravel.com/features/vitaminD.html The
Micronutrient Information Center, Linus Pauling Institute,
Oregon State University.
http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/vitamins/vitaminD/inde
x.html The Mayo Clinic Newsletter, Drugs and Supplements
Section.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/vitamin-d/NS_patient-vitami
nd "The Miracle of Vitamin D" by Krispin Sullivan CN.
http://www.westonaprice.org/basicnutrition/vitamindmiracle.h
tml

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About the Author:
Ainsley Laing, MSc. has been a Fitness Trainer for 25 years
and writes exclusively Body for Mind eZine. She holds
certifications in Group Exercise, Sports Nutrition and
Personal Fitness Training. To see more articles by Ainsley
visit http://www.bodyformind.com