Posts Tagged ‘ health ’

The NFL and Breast Cancer Awareness: Unclear on the Concept

By
The NFL and Breast Cancer Awareness: Unclear on the Concept

If you’ve been around for awhile, you might recognize this from last year. Indulge me in my annual rant.  I’m no fan of breast cancer. I’ve watched friends and family suffer the emotional roller coaster, the pain and suffering of breast cancer and its treatment. With Breast Cancer Awareness month in full swing, I appreciate that the manliest of sports is acknowledging and supporting a mostly female disease in stadiums and on countless TVs across the nation. And raising funds for breast cancer research is certainly admirable. But hello NFL! The pink chin straps, the pink cleats, the pink padding around the goal posts? By commissioning such nonsense, you are contributing to the problem rather than helping to solve it. Plastic products containing bisphenol A (BPA) have been linked to the development of breast cancer. An article in The Atlantic states: “BPA is everywhere, with the CDC concluding that more than 90 percent of Americans are chronically exposed. Such pervasiveness is, in the words of one of the study’s seven authors, Dr. Frederick vom Saal, “nothing short of insanity.” The University of Missouri endocrinologist also does not hesitate to use the word “scary,” comparing today’s use of BPA to...

Read more »

Is that Banana Irradiated? Here’s How to Tell.

By
Is that Banana Irradiated? Here’s How to Tell.

You know how you start out innocently on the internet and see something of interest so you click? And pretty soon you’ve disappeared down a rabbit hole and your dishes still need to be washed and laundry needs to be hung and you never planted those seeds? That’s how this started. I don’t recall how I came across this information, what prompted me to say, “Hey, wait a minute!” and dig a little deeper. I had no intention of writing about irradiated food but here I am. Will this make you more self-sufficient? Maybe in a roundabout way, if you decide that you’d just as soon avoid treated food. Maybe not. Maybe you don’t care if you’re eating irradiated food. Me? I want you to at least know what you’re putting in your mouth and have the opportunity to make a conscious decision. That benign looking graphic up there indicates that a food product has been irradiated. This FDA website says: FDA requires that irradiated foods bear the international symbol for irradiation. Look for the Radura symbol along with the statement “Treated with radiation” or “Treated by irradiation” on the food label. Bulk foods, such as fruits and vegetables,...

Read more »

Oprah Goes Vegan

By
Oprah Goes Vegan

The Internet is abuzz with news of Oprah and 378 Harpo staffers who went vegan for a week. Reading the reactions of people who took the challenge was interesting. It sounds as though many of the participants found the change beneficial to their well being, but while I’m all about supporting dietary restrictions (I’m gluten free these days) and respecting choices, I was disappointed to read through the menus suggested by Kathy Freston, author of the New York Times bestseller, The Veganist: Lose Weight, Get Healthy, Change the World. Her book was the catalyst for this week long experiment and just to get people started on vegan living, she offered Oprah’s viewers three weeks worth of vegan menus. In my mind, vegan sounds like a perfectly sustainable diet. Broccoli. Whole grains. Beans. Salads. Sprouts grown right on your counter top.The Change the World part of the book’s title certainly sounds as though the author wants to make a difference and that going vegan could be a real boon to the environment. And certainly, there are plenty of arguments about the positive impact a meatless diet can have on the planet.

Read more »

Join Me!

e-book

Free Email Alerts!

Click 'subscribe' once, then check your email for a confirmation message.

Welcome

It’s one thing to think, “Hey, I’d love to be more self-sufficient!” and quite another to implement a lifestyle change that might require learning some new skills.

Attainable Sustainable is about bridging the gap between wanting change and making it happen without becoming overwhelmed. Nobody’s saying you have to go get a tractor and a cow. Attainable Sustainable is about discovering – one step at a time – how to make changes in your life to support a sustainable lifestyle.

The Author

Kris Bordessa has been gardening for most of her life. She's been authoring books and writing features for the past ten years or so. It's about time she combined the two, don't you think? [More about the author]