Whether you’re ready to stuff yourself full of turkey or just stuff yourself full in general, here are some guidelines on how to prevent yourself from stuffing the landfill with trash and the atmosphere with unnecessary carbon emissions – all while also maintaining your good health this Thanksgiving!

• Got family or friends who live in a nearby city coming over for the big feast? Encourage them to carpool with each other. According to Rideshare, one can prevent 1,500 lbs of CO2 emissions by just cutting off 25 miles of driving per week. As an added bonus, the car ride may provide some interesting conversation starters, later, around the table.
• Try to use as many natural ingredients in preparing your delicious feast as you possibly can. Consider purchasing a free-range turkey that has not been injected with antibiotics or growth hormones. Dive for that bird that was raised on 100% vegetarian feed and local!
• Making your cornbread from a mix? Ensure that it is made of whole kernels and, again, natural ingredients. If budget allows, opt for organically grown produce.

• You may be wondering if there’s a place where one can cheaply purchase many Thanksgiving food items. One answer is Trader Joe’s! In their Pacific Northwest newsletter, (I’m Seattle-based), this store is offering some sweet deals. Trader Joe’s All Natural Turkey Gravy (made gluten-free) is available in a 17.6 ounce container for just $1.49. Buy their All Natural, Brined, Fresh Young Turkeys for $1.99 per pound. This store even sells kosher turkey! If a Trader Joe’s is not near you, try looking for a store that offers similar services.
• Save a bird – forgo the turkey and create a tasty feast that’s simply meatless. Opt for veggies that are local and in-season. Try some vegan thanksgiving recipes.
• Martinelli’s now offers USDA certified organic sparkling cider – so let the kiddies join in on the fun.
• Save your leftovers. And if you are feeling up to experimenting, combine some of your leftovers into one container for storage. Seriously, peas, mashed potatoes, and a croissant roll make for a most delicious trio. Be sure to use either glass storage containers or bio-plastic that’s BPA-free. Try HealthyKitchen for a good selection of glass or stainless steel options; Preserve.com for BPA-free food storage ideas or reuseit.com for peace of mind.
• Reduce, reuse, and recycle (in that order). Try your absolute hardest to only purchase what you will need for your Thanksgiving meal. Reuse any containers and decorate them if you so feel the urge. Recycle any cans that once held your condensed milk, yams, beans, etc. Also, be sure to recycle any plastic that your local recycling service will permit.
• You’ve probably heard of it, already, but I’d like to mention, anyway. I dare you to take the 100 Mile Challenge! That is, gather as many food items that were grown, produced, and sold within no more than 100 miles of your home as time will allow. One of the best ways to do this is to check out your local farmer’s market. After your friends and family have filled their tummies with delicious yum, reveal to them just where you got those potatoes that they could not help but take third helpings of. Observe their memorable reaction!
• Dress your table with the real thing – china, glass and cutlery. If that’s impossible, be sure to use bio-based, compostable alternatives instead. They’re widely available and much easier on Mother Earth when compared to disposable plastic and paper-ware. If you just can’t avoid the single-use disposable items, we favor Bambu for earth-conscious disposable table ware. You can also find compostable dinnerware from Branch.com and VerTerra reusable plates are a good option as well.

After all, Thanksgiving is a time to celebrate what we are thankful for and a time to look back on fun memories with some of the people we are fond of most. Why not create a ‘green Thanksgiving’ memory while you’re at it?

Related: more healthy food previously on altCon

In a disturbing development for honey lovers in the USA, tests done for the web site Food Safety News reveal that over 75% of honey sold in our grocery stores doesn’t qualify to be called “honey”.  Food Safety News tested more than 60 jars of honey from a variety of stores and producers in 10 states and the District of Columbia. Testing results show that the pollen, the key component of honey, is frequently filtered out of products labeled honey. The removal of these microscopic particles from deep within a flower make the nectar flunk the quality standards set by most of the world’s food safety agencies. The World Health Organization, the European Commission and dozens of other food safety organizations have ruled that without pollen there is no way to determine whether or not the honey came from legitimate and safe sources.

Over 75%  of samples bought at groceries like TOP Food, Safeway, Giant Eagle, QFC, Kroger, Metro Market, Harris Teeter, A&P, Stop & Shop and big box stores like Costco, Sam’s Club, Walmart, Target and H-E-B has had the pollen filtered out. An astounding 100% of the honey sampled from drugstores like Walgreens, Rite-Aid and CVS Pharmacy contained no pollen.  (more…)

After a morning yoga session I brewed a cup of Yogi green tea and took a few minutes to chill with the November issue of Whole Living. And what did I uncover? Aside from their usual array of scrumptious looking recipes (this month they feature the oft neglected “sides” – from corn bread to sweet potato, green beans and a tempting acorn squash with quinoa and pistachios) …

• Rachel Meltzer Warren’s Too Much of a Good Thing (7 common eating habits that may be sabotaging your health – dried fruit alert)
• Jolene Hart’s Ancient Skin Wisdom (According to Ayuervedic principles, are you predominantly vata, pitta or kapha? Know your dosha and learn how to care for your skin)
• how to make a refreshing do-it-yourself facial mask based on in-season clementines
• the benefits of a quick juice cleanse (give your liver a break).

Here’s looking forward to more good things in November, a time to reflect and reconnect. What are you looking forward to? If you’ve lost power in the northeast due to that surprise snowstorm yesterday, let me guess … power, heat and a good night’s sleep.

Halloween is all about costumes and treats (what happened to the tricks?) … we’re all about having fun but we don’t need to lack eco consciousness while having a blast. Here are a few green tricks of the trade when it comes to doling out the treats:

• rather than candy … individually wrapped prunes (I know, sounds weird but they’re delicious), Fig Newtons, granola snack bars, pretzels, trail mix, mini boxes of raisins, shelled peanuts or pumpkin seeds.

• Annie’s Bunny Fruit Snacks, available at Whole Foods, Target and others, check Store Locator on site for details

• Bare Fruit Snacks – low calorie, high fiber 100% organic chips

• tasty, healthy mini bars from Nature’s Path – choose EnviroKidz treats, they’re: gluten-free, low-fat, contain no artificial preservatives and are made with certified organic ingredients. Try the Organic Koala Crispy Rice Chocolate Bars – they’re quite good.
• Terra Chips – dried veggie chips in 1 oz. trial size, 24-packs (more…)

A Tried and True Green Product Review … one complimentary bag of EnviroKidz Crispy Rice Bars treats was provided us for the purposes of this review. In short – they’re fun, tasty and crunchy.

Don’t be afraid … bag in hand and ready to dole out samples, we made our way to our 12-year-old nephew’s soccer game. Adults and kids alike gave these eco-friendly and healthy treats a try and everyone thought they were “good!” After sampling 4 (it was a 2-hour game), 7-year-old brother Austin stuffed 2 more in his pockets to have later – presumably, the moment he got home.

The texture of these treats is on the order of a classic Rice Krispies marshmallow treat … flavor-wise, they’re milk chocolatey with a hint of vanilla and without a trace of overly sweet marshmallow goo. The fine print on this fine treat: (more…)

Honeydrop Beverages is a healthy line of teas and juices powered by honey. The Brooklyn, NY-based company is a leading producer of natural teas and juices made with a spoonful of pure wildflower honey, domestically sourced from regional beekeepers across the U.S..

Honeydrop recently announced their “Buy a Bottle – Save a Bee” initiative where a percentage of the profits from each bottle sold are donated to local beekeepers throughout the country to help battle Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), an epidemic threatening the global bee population. (more…)

Take that hot lunch on the road in a classy reusable container. This nifty food container system is part of Black+Blum’s updated product line. Each container of the two-pot canister has a watertight locking seal so liquids don’t leak. When empty, the smaller pot fits into the larger pot for compact storage. The whole deal is lightweight, BPA-free, and microwave and dishwasher safe. Includes a handy spork and carry strap. The containers also come in white with green trim, or black.

$22 @ A+R Store

The Atlanta Botanical Garden has created a beautiful area of colorful landscape gardens and a green wall (below) constructed entirely of edible vegetables, fruits and herbs. The Edible Garden, which first opened in 2010, was created to demonstrate that fruits and vegetables are not only healthy, but make beautiful landscape plants.

The garden includes an outdoor kitchen where Atlanta’s top chefs present cooking classes and weekend cooking events. Any harvested food not used in educational programs is donated to local charities. (more…)

Although there is no miracle cure that can completely stop aging from taking a toll on you, there still are some natural superfoods that can help you age gracefully, and look and feel youthful inside out. While you may not be able to be your sweet sixteen again, being proactive about anti-aging can definitely help you cut down one or two decades from your actual age.

Listed below are top 9 great superfoods that are marveled for their anti-aging properties:
1.  Blueberries – Any food rich in antioxidants is your best bet when it comes to anti-aging endeavors. They rebuild the damaged body cells and postpones the aging process. Blueberries enjoy the reputation of being the most antioxidant-rich food on Earth.

2.  Orange Juice – Kick-start your day with a glass of orange juice to reap the benefits of vitamin C, body beta, and other such elements of anti-aging contained in orange juice. It also serves as a great energy booster.

3.  Fish – A rich source of omega-3 fatty acids, fresh salmon is especially loaded with benefits for adults who wish to stay mentally quick with age.

4.  Green Tea – Green tea has been known to be associated with lowering the risk for breast cancer. The scientific justification suggests that green tea reduces the estrogen levels in the body, which otherwise increases the possibility of breast cancer. (more…)