A new plan to help protect the nation’s pollinator recently released by the White House could mean a billion milkweed plants throughout the Midwest.
The plan calls for more than one billion milkweed plants to be added to a 200-mile wide corridor along I-35 running from Minnesota to Texas.
Milkweed is the only food source for monarch butterfly caterpillars, which have been on a steady decline in recent years as genetically modified corn and soy crops rely on glyphosate, an herbicide that kills milkweed.
If the plan succeeds, it could rescue these vital pollinators from their population decline, which has decreased significantly in recent years. According to the Minnesota Star Tribune, their numbers have crashed since the mid-1990s, “when they covered 30 to 40 acres of acres of trees every winter. Now, the trend is so alarming “that last year a number of environmental groups petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to put the butterfly on the federal Endangered Species list, which the agency is now considering.”
Similar to the steady decline of honey bee populations, scientists point to a few factors in the decline of monarch butterflies, mainly the loss of milkweed, which is not only impacted by the use of herbicide, but also the use of a class of pesticides called neonicotinoids, which have been cited as a leading cause of honey bee decline. Experts also point to climate change as a key factor in decreasing milkweed growth.
“We are going to get the most bang for our buck by concentrating on the prairie corridor,” Karen Oberhauser, a University of Minnesota professor and one of two key scientists advising federal agencies on the monarch plan said of the proposed milkweed planting.
Monarchs may be the main focus of the planting, but other species will also benefit from milkweed. “It’s a flagship species for a lot of other critters that will enjoy that habitat,” Tom Melius, director of the Midwest region for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which is leading the monarch restoration plan told the Tribune. Other species include grassland birds and other pollinators, he said.
The plan to plant milkweed will require more than 500 million seeds, and it’s no small task considering there aren’t that many milkweed seeds currently available. And adding to the concern is that “[milkweed] plants lost on agricultural land will never come back,” reports the Tribune. “So the new monarch plan calls for planting milkweed somewhere else.”
But if all goes according to plan, you can expect to see a lot more monarchs in the next several years.
Image: gailhampshire
If you’re planning to exercise until you take your last breath, you’ve made a health decision for your bones, finds a new study. Researchers revealed that elderly women who exercise regularly can reduce the risk of falls and injuries such as broken hips.
According to Fox News, a group of women in their 70s began an exercise program monitored by the researchers, out of the UKK Institute for Health Promotion Research in Tampere, Finland.
The researchers looked at 149 women ages 70 to 78 who either did resistance training, balance exercises, workouts combining both elements, or no exercise at all, reports Fox.
At the onset of the study, most of the women were relatively inactive, or exercised at most, twice a week. They had no signs of osteoporosis or medical conditions that could pose threats during exercise such as falls or broken bones.
The researchers slowly scaled up the exercise activity for the women over a six-week period. .
“After five years of follow up, 61 women had a total of 81 fall-related injuries, reports Fox. “Half of the women assigned no exercise at all experienced at least one fall.”
The women who exercised showed a 51 percent lower risk of injuries from falls and were 74 percent less likely to break or fracture bones than the women who did not exercise.
The women who combined both balance and strength training three times a week for one year were 62 percent less likely to sustain injuries related to falls over the next five years compared with women who did not partake in some form of exercise.
Most notable of the study’s findings was that the benefits seemed to last long after the exercise stopped.
“It is useful to train a little bit harder and intensively so that your physical functioning really improves,” lead author Saija Karinkanta
said by email to Fox. “After that, you can maintain the benefits with lighter, less intensive exercise.”
On average, only one in ten adults over age 65 regularly exercise.
Image: Lars Plougman
Spinach and pumpkin seeds in a smoothie recipe? Sounds more like a Thanksgiving meal than a cool summer treat, right? Well, not exactly! This is actually the perfect summer pick-me-up for a pre-hike or post-workout or as a lean breakfast or lunch.
Loaded with so much delicious flavor from almond milk, pumpkin seeds, coconut oil, raw chocolate and banana, you really won’t believe how much healthy goodness this smoothie recipe also packs. And it really does: 2 full cups of fresh spinach leaves, plus we add our very own organic mustHave greens for added nutritional value. But you can use any powdered green like pure spirulina, powdered alfalfa or wheatgrass. Not only do they amp up the nutrition, but they bring an earthy and slight sweetness to the smoothie too.
You can mix in a scoop of our very own mustHave organic protein too for an extra creamy protein boost—especially good if you’re using this as a meal replacement or workout recovery drink.
It only takes minutes to make and seconds to drink! It’ll soon be your favorite go-to smoothie recipe all year round.
Spinach and Pumpkin Seed Smoothie Recipe with Organic Greens
Makes 2 large smoothies
Ingredients
2 cups spinach, rinsed
1/2 banana, fresh or frozen
1 teaspoon dried powdered greens
1 cup unsweetened almond milk (or nondairy milk of your choice)
2 tbsp organic, raw unsalted pumpkin seeds
1 tbsp coconut oil (or almond butter)
2 cups large ice cubes
½ cup hemp seeds
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Garnish:
1-2 tsp raw caco nibs
Sprinkle of ground cardamom
Fresh mint leaves
Directions
Add all ingredients except garnish to a high powered blender. Add more milk if needed. Pour into chilled glasses and garnish with raw cacao nibs, mint leaves and a dusting of cardamom powder.
Enjoy!
Image: greenthickes
A recent report from Greenpeace details a growing cause for concern among exercise enthusiasts: health risks from sportswear.
According to Greenpeace, apparel companies aren’t regulating the chemicals in sportswear items, including dyes, solvents, and polyfluorinated chemicals (PFCs), which make items water, grease and stain-proof. And that’s a big issue because of the friction and sweat common in exercising that could accelerate the body’s absorption of the chemicals.
The Guardian reports that the Greenpeace report “comes after a slew of research” in recent years found a number of potential health risks from exposure to the various chemicals commonly found in sportswear.
“The concentration that we find in clothing may not cause acute toxic problems for the wearer in the short term, but in the long term you never know,” Manfred Santen, toxics campaigner for Greenpeace International in Germany, told the Guardian. “Endocrine disruptors, for example, you don’t know what the impact of long term exposure is on human health.”
According to the Guardian, a 2012 report from the BEUC (the European Consumer Organization), found carcinogens and endocrine-disrupting chemicals in soccer jerseys from nine countries: France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Spain, The Netherlands and Ukraine, which the organization said are particularly of concern because of the ability of the chemicals to enter the skin during physical activity.
Major sportswear companies including Adidas and Nike are featured in the report. Adidas’ status changed from the less desirable “greenwasher” to “trendsetter” for committing to changes including eliminating hazardous chemicals by 2020 and going 99 percent PFC-free by 2017.
Now, Santen says the organization hopes Nike will do more, and he urges consumers to let Nike and other sportswear manufacturers know how important these changes are. “That is the main reason Adidas talks to us: the middle class in China is becoming increasingly concerned about this issue and China is the biggest market for them and will be the biggest consumer market in the coming years,” Santen said.
According to the Guardian, about 10 percent of the more than 2,400 textile-related chemicals Greenpeace notes in the report pose human health risks, but only about one percent of those are actually regulated, particularly in the U.S.
Image: m01229
When warm weather finally makes its debut, we tend to lose some of our winter appetite (and, hopefully, winter weight, too). Big breakfasts aren’t as comforting. But a nourishing breakfast is important. Here, with this raw granola recipe, you get the best of both worlds: a scrumptious breakfast that won’t weigh you down while ramping up your energy and your nutrition.
This granola recipe also gets a nutrient-dense kick from organic greens, like our mustHave greens. Loaded with vitamins and minerals, they’re a perfect way to start your day. You can use a blend like ours, or a single-source green superfood such as sprirulina or a dried wheatgrass product.
The great thing about granolas is that they are incredibly easy to adjust to your liking. Not a walnut fan? Try another nut or a seed instead. This recipe is raw, so all the foods really retain their nutritional potency and enzymes. It makes a great breakfast or a delicious snack. Enjoy!
Ingredients
Wet:
1 ripe banana
1 cup raisins or other dried fruit
½ cup maple syrup, brown rice syrup or honey
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon organic greens
¼ cup orange juice
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
Dry:
2 cups raw almonds soaked in enough water to cover the nuts by 2 inches overnight
3 cups raw buckwheat groats soaked overnight
2 cups other nuts, like walnuts, pecans, Brazil nuts, etc soaked 2 hours
2 cups raw seeds such as pumpkin or sunflower, soaked 2 hours
1 cup dried coconut shreds
½ cup raw rolled oats
Directions
Blend wet ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth. Depending on the consistency of the dried fruits, you may need to add a bit of water to smooth out. Just add a very little bit at a time, very slowly.
Next, move the mixture to a large bowl.
Drain and rinse all your soaked nuts and seeds and buckwheat.
Add the almonds, nuts and seeds to your blender and pulse until crumbled. You’ll want a slight bit of texture, so don’t blend them to be totally smooth.
Mix the pulsed nuts and seeds with other dry ingredients and then pour the wet ingredients on top and mix well.
Spread the mixture onto dehydrator sheets and dehydrate for about 6-8 hours on medium setting (115-120 degrees F), or bake at 300 degrees F for about one hour. Mix several times while baking.
Break the cooled mixture into chunks and store in an airtight container in your refrigerator. Should last about a week.
Image: Amazing Almonds
If you enjoy a post-workout protein shake, you’re not alone—it’s one of the most common ways people refuel after exercising. But is that the best time to refuel? A new study looked at the most optimal time for dowining the post-workout protein shakes.
According to the study, published in the current issue of the Journal of Nutrition, researchers looked at subjects who performed resistance-training exercises three nights per week for 12 weeks. They consumed a post-workout snack (cheese and apple). Broken into two groups, the study participants also either drank a protein shake just before bed, or a placebo beverage.
"The participants were instructed to sit in bed, drink their test beverages, lay down, and go to sleep,” Tim Snijders, PhD, lead author of the study and a postdoctoral fellow in the department of kinesiology at McMaster University in Canada, told Yahoo Health.
The group that consumed the protein shake just before bed showed notable gains over the placebo group: nearly doubling their muscle-building benefits.
“The ingestion of a sufficient amount of protein throughout the day is probably the most important factor to maximize the skeletal muscle adaptive response to exercise training [such as making muscles stronger],” says Snijders.
The researchers don’t know exactly why the added protein just before sleep increased muscle mass and strength, but they suspect the protein helped the body to repair and build more muscle during the rest period.
Of course, eating just before bed can cause problems, particularly if you’re consuming high levels of sugar. It’s best to skip the pre-made store-bought protein shakes and make your own with ingredients like The Organic Whey’s mustHave protein and mustHave greens. Use unsweetened yogurts or milk as a base and go light on fruits (if any) to also keep the sugar content down. You don’t want the sugars to negate the protein-building effect of the shake!
image: thevelvetbird
If there’s one bona fide rip-off in the grocery store, it’s the salad dressing aisle. Yes, there are some delicious dressings that come in bottles, but when compared with making your own salad dressing recipe, well, there’s no comparison, really. A homemade salad dressing is outrageously less expensive than the bottled stuff, and you never need stabilizers or preservatives when you make it fresh. Plus, the possibilities are endless, just like this creamy avocado salad dressing that gets a nutritious kick from organic greens.
Avocado may be best known for guacamole, but it’s a wonderful ingredient in salad dressings, giving your salad that creamy texture without heavy dairy. And it lends itself really well to organic greens, like our mustHave greens. Why add green powder to your dressing? Not only does it up the nutrient content of your salad, but it also amps up the flavor, too, giving your dressing a little kick.
This salad dressing also uses miso paste, which comes from fermented soybeans. It gives the recipe an umami flavor and adds creaminess to the texture as well.
You can use this salad dressing recipe on any salad, but it holds up especially well to a sturdy green like kale.
Creamy Avocado Salad Dressing Recipe with Organic Greens
Makes about 1 1/2 cups
Ingredients
1/2 large avocado (or 1 small)
1 tsp green powder of choice
1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1 tbsp miso paste (white or yellow is ideal here, but any will work)
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup chopped spinach or parsley (or both!)
Directions
Blend all ingredients in a high-speed blender or food processor until very smooth. The miso should give it enough of a salty taste, but you can add more salt if needed.
Once blended, toss with your preferred salad greens and serve immediately. Will store in the refrigerator for about one week.
Image: Pawel Pacholec
The FDA is expected to announce its plan to officially guide the food industry away from adding trans fat to the nation’s food supply. In essence, the announcement will be a ban on the ingredient linked to inflammation and diseases including heart disease, obesity and high cholesterol.
While manufacturers have voluntarily removed much of the trans fat ingredients, which are found primarily in processed foods, the unhealthy culprit still remains in a number of food items. The FDA is expected to revoke GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) status for trans fats.
"The time is long overdue to get trans fats out of the food supply," Michael Jacobson of the Center for Science in the Public Interest told NPR. Jacobson aided in the mandatory labeling of trans fats on food packages that has been in place since 2006.
Trans fats can still be found in baked goods, processed snack foods and microwave popcorn. Another concern is food that’s labeled as being trans-fat free but can actually contain less than .5 grams of trans fat per serving. While not a large amount, it can add up.
Trans fats "raise bad cholesterol and lower good cholesterol," Dariush Mozaffarian, a cardiologist, epidemiologist and dean of the nutrition policy and science school at Tufts University told NPR. And Mozaffarian says trans fats also damage blood vessels, "There's really not any other fat that has this constellation of harmful effects," he says.
The Grocery Manufacturers Association says it will file a petition with the FDA over the ruling, stating that food producers have reduced trans fats by more than 85 percent in recent years and the revocation of GRAS status would open up manufacturers to lawsuits, particularly over that .5 percent of trans fats in trans-fat free foods.
And if you’re looking to ensure your diet is free from trans fats, Mozaffarian tells NPR "Any natural replacement is superior to partially hydrogenated vegetable oil — whether it's butter, palm oil or blends of oils.”
Image: bochalla
If the climate matters to you, there’s truly nothing more magical, more economical and more simple than starting your own organic garden.
Not only does a home garden provide you with food that’s essentially free, but it also provides you with the freshest food possible. It gives you a healthier hobby than staring at the television, and it can actually do the planet a whole lot of good in the process. The more food we grow ourselves, the less our food system relies on fossil fuels to transport food from farms to markets. We use less water in our home gardens than commercial growers do, and with California’s drought showing no sign of letting up anytime soon, this could become even more important.
Looking to get your own organic garden going? Here are a few helpful tips for a low-cost and low-maintenance garden:
- Start from seeds: Those little starter plants at the nursery may look adorable but they’re more expensive than a packet of seeds. And nothing rivals the thrill of watching seeds sprout into food! It’s a great project, especially for kids.
- Compost: Use your leftover food scraps, coffee and other bio-waste to make compost, which will not only make you feel better about keeping waste out of landfills, but you’ll also come away with nutrient-rich soil for a really healthy garden.
- Grow what thrives in your climate: It’s definitely tempting to want to grow your favorite fruits and veggies, but if they aren’t native to your region, you could wind up using more water and fertilizer to get them going. Stick with regional produce and you’ll benefit more.
- Co-plant: Some plants work really well together (like corn, beans and squash, aka the Three Sisters). So while you’re considering what’s right for your climate, also consider which plants will support each other and help your garden be the best it can be.
- Use natural pest and weed control methods: They may take a bit more time than spraying chemicals, but they’re infinitely better than the alternative. Attract pest eaters with appropriate plants or perches for birds, bats and other animals who forage on pesky insects. Plant herbs like mint or garlic that deter animals and insects, and use fencing when possible.
Image: Zdenko Zivkovic
The pesto recipe you have to try.
Spring and summer signify many things: more sun, beach days, popsicles and vacations…and pesto. Yes, lots and lots and lots of pesto!
If you’ve yet to make your own pesto at home, you are in for a treat. Not only is it way easier to make than you would probably think, it’s so versatile that you’ll just love having it on hand for a number of dishes.
Pesto is traditionally made with basil, pine nuts and Parmesan and served over pasta. But you don’t have to stop there. Use it as a spread on crackers or atop avocado on toast. Add it to grilled vegetables, dollop onto salads and soups. Use it as a condiment in sandwiches. And, of course, you can just eat it by the spoonful too.
This recipe gets a few nutritious boosts from the addition of spinach, pumpkin and hemp seeds and organic greens, like our mustHave greens.
Why add greens? Not only do they give the pesto a gorgeous green color boost, but they also provide you with a number of nutritious benefits including vitamins, minerals and potent plant antioxidants. You can use a blend like our mustHave greens (kale, oat grass, alfalfa grass, spirulina and chlorella), or use a single source green food like alfalfa grass or spirulina. Either way, they’ll enhance the flavor and potency of your pesto recipe.
Ingredients
About 6 ounces of fresh basil leaves
Handful of fresh spinach leaves
1 cup raw pumpkin seeds
½ cup hemp seeds
¼ cup nutritional yeast
About 4 tablespoons olive oil
Juice of one lemon
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon organic greens
Directions
Add all ingredients to a food processor or high-powered blender and pulse until smooth. It’s okay to have a little bit of texture if you like it a bit chunkier.
Use fresh or store in fridge. Will last for about a week—if you don’t eat it before then!
Image: jules:stonesoup
