American Soldiers

Here's an idea worth passing along:
When you're sending out your holiday cards this year, include one to the following:

A Recovering American Soldier
c/o Walter Reed Army Medical Center
6900 Georgia Avenue,NW
Washington,D.C. 20307-5001

Remembering our soldiers; now that's just a good thing to do! Have a restful and thankful holiday season!

Chlorine on your carrots?

I just received this email from a reader in the Triangle area:

"The small cocktail (baby) carrots you buy in small
plastic bags are made using the larger crooked or
deformed carrots which are put through a machine which
cuts and shapes them into cocktail carrots. Most
people probably know this already. What you may not know
and should know is the following: once the carrots are
cut and shaped into cocktail carrots they are dipped
in a solution of water and chlorine in order to
preserve them (this is the same chlorine used in your
pool) since they do not have their skin or natural
protective covering, they give them a higher dose of
chlorine. You will notice that once you keep these
carrots in your refrigerator for a few days, a white
covering will form on the carrots, this is the chlorine
which resurfaces. At what cost do we put our health at
risk to have esthetically pleasing vegetables which
are practically plastic? We do hope that this
information can be passed on to as many people
as possible in the hopes of informing them where these
carrots come from and how they are processed. Chlorine
is a very well known carcinogen. Please let us make
this information available to as many people
as possible. If you care about your family and friends,
pass it on."

Well, I pulled the organic baby carrots out of the fridge and shot them a quick email. The corporate offices weren't opened yet to take a call and I'd like to have something in writing if possible. Will let you know what I find out as soon as I hear back.

Soles 4 Souls

Tom P. sent in a comment regarding Recycling Old Sneakers:

"As Nike's global record often makes me cringe I would also suggest finding out more about an organization called Soles4Souls. I found out about them through various races that I have recently run. They accept any type of shoe and have many donation locations. In the Atlanta area you can drop shoes off at Foot Solutions stores."

Thanks for your comment Tom. I checked out Soles 4 Souls and it seems like a wonderful program. Because we are currently collecting athletic shoes in any condition, I did want to make sure that was appropriate for their use. I have an email into them and look forward to hearing back.

Thanks again for the lead. Keep those comments coming everyone!

Whole Foods Events

Grocery prices aren't going anywhere fast and neither are the additives in our food. So if you haven't gone on a Whole Foods Value Tour, now's the time. You'll tour through Whole Foods and just may be amazed at how far your grocery budget can go. Worried about your blood pressure? A free blood pressure screening and diabetes class is being given by a health care professional from North Fulton Regional Hospital. Check out the calendar and sign up for a class. These classes are being held at Harry's Farmers Market (Whole Foods) in Roswell, GA. Things are about to get busy for the holidays, you owe it to yourself to do something good for you.

Kids and Sugar

So by now our kids have been on a sugar high for almost a week since Halloween. Could be longer if you include the pre-Halloween festivities and "sampling" of candy days beforehand. Yes, The Everyday Organic lets her kids go trick or treat and yes, they eat candy. HOWEVER, we have our limits and nothing prides me more than hearing my kids say after one or two bite-sized pieces, "I've had enough". Instead of just throwing it out and considering all that trudging up and down hills for not, we save it for a nobler purpose. I stash it away for a few weeks and over the Thanksgiving holiday, we make candy houses with graham crackers and frosting. The Halloween candies make great decorations for the houses and there's a greater variety of color, size and texture than there would be if I had to go out and buy candy for the houses. I have some great tricks to share with you so stayed tuned. In the meantime, stash that candy away where no one can find it.

Whole Foods Events

Grocery prices aren't going anywhere fast and neither are the additives in our food. So if you haven't gone on a Whole Foods Value Tour, now's the time. You'll tour through Whole Foods and just may be amazed at how far your grocery budget can go. Worried about your blood pressure? A free blood pressure screening and diabetes class is being given by a health care professional from North Fulton Regional Hospital. Check out the calendar and sign up for a class. These classes are being held at Harry's Farmers Market (Whole Foods) in Roswell, GA. Things are about to get busy for the holidays, you owe it to yourself to do something good for you.