Want to green up your home? Trade
out some of these standbys for more
earth-friendly options.
*The standard: Paper or plastic shopping bags
The greener choice: Reusable canvas or string bags
The reason: Avoid the debate on whether petroleum (plastic) or The standard: Pots and pans with nonstick coatings
wood (paper) is easier to recycle. Instead, choose to reuse durable canvas or string bags every time you shop. *The greener choice: Cast iron
The reason: Nonstick coatings are blends of fluoropolymers, manufactured with the use of PFOA, or perfluorooctanoic acid, a chemical shown to cause developmental problems in lab animals. Although
the Environmental Protection Agency has concluded that routine
cooking with such pans does not expose consumers to PFOA itself,
the EPA also has noted that PFOA lingers in the environment and, at
low levels, in the blood of the general population. Cooking in cast iron,
on the other hand, can increase the amount of beneficial iron in your
food by as much as 80 percent. –Misty McNally
TOM GRILL/GETTY IMAGES
*The standard: Plastic storage containers
The greener choice: Glass storage containers
The reason: Plastic is manufactured from a nonrenewable, limited
resource: petroleum. Glass, made from sand, soda, ash, and limestone, can be recycled easily and perpetually into more glass. It’s also
nontoxic, won’t stain, and doesn’t leach into your food or water. Trade
your plastic water bottle for a glass or metal one that you can refill with
filtered tap water.
*The standard: Conventional dishwashing detergent
The greener choice: Nontoxic dishwashing products
The reason: Conventional detergents may be petroleum based and
contain chlorine or phosphates, all of which pollute our water supply, don’t biodegrade easily, and present health hazards. Look for alternatives that are biodegradable, nontoxic, chlorine free, and phosphate free.
Choose the right sports drink
It’s summer and you’re exercising and sweating … a lot. Time to hydrate. But do you need one of the fancy, new sports
drinks on the market? If you’re working out at a low level for 60 to 75 minutes or less, drinking water is just fine, says
sports nutritionist Monique Ryan, author of Sports Nutrition for Endurance Athletes (VeloPress, 2007). But if you’re
exercising for a longer period of time, or if the intensity is high—for example, running a half-marathon or competing
in a triathlon—then you probably need a sports drink to rehydrate. “The sodium and the carbs in sports drinks help
you absorb the fluid through the small intestines better than plain water, and these drinks empty from your stomach
just as quickly as water,” says Ryan. If you do opt for a sports drink, follow these guidelines.
© ISTOCKPHOTO.COM/PEDERK
For low to moderate exercise Choose a sports drink with 6 percent to 8 percent
carbohydrate concentration, or 50 to 70 calories, and a modest amount of sodium (about
90 mg) per 8-ounce serving.
For hard-core exercise If you work out for three to four hours or more, Ryan suggests
using a sports drink with a higher sodium concentration (usually about 200 mg of sodium
per 8-ounce serving). –Brian Metzler
