The Green Feast at The Ecology Center- Showcase of Organic Farming and Gardening Practices

January 21, 2013 By Leave a Comment


Organic food is making is way into every community in the US. Sustainable organic farming and gardening practices have moved from something others do to a way of life for all of us. Whether we keep a few fruit trees in our yard or a tomato plant in the terrace of our apartment, we all have access to the ritual of growing our own food. This latest Well.Org webisode is a celebration of this.

We had a chance to hang with Evan Marks of The Ecology Center of San Juan Capistrano. Evan converted this property into an educational mecca for organic gardening. They teach the community how to plant, grow, harvest, and tend to the soil. Why? Because local slow food is the future. The healthcare crisis in this country revolves around poor lifestyle and our inability to make good food choices. Well, good food choices happen at the grocery store or the farmer’s market. What do I mean by this? Well, once you’re already starving at the end of a busy day, you will reach for whatever is in the fridge…heck, I can eat the dining room table itself after a serious workout. So the importance here is to make sure we stock our homes with healthy foods that are grown sustainably and preferably locally.

The Ecology Center has an annual Green Feast where they bring gourmet chefs from local restaurants to showcase how delicious healthy food can be. Its a great event and we highly recommend that you check it out.

Here’s their website- http://www.theecologycenter.org/

Filed Under: Community, Farming and Gardening, Urban Farming Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Organic vs Conventional Eating- Well.Org Looks at the Facts

December 14, 2012 By 3 Comments

OrganicBroccoliniThinking about the types of food you consume can make huge difference in your health and lifestyle. Organic food is not only more nutritious but it can actually save you money in the long run, when you factor in healthcare cost over the years.

We have created this infographic from several recent health articles and authoritative sources to help you eat healthier. There are plenty of reasons to eat organic foods and people seem to be catching on. Organic foods are the fastest growing and most profitable segment of American agriculture. We have included the unhealthiest conventional foods, some of which may shock you. We’ve also compared the characteristics of a grass fed cow to a grain fed cow in order to show you how many calories you could be saving if you switched to a grass fed cow and how healthier you could be.

Grass fed cows are leaner, have a better flavor and are less likely to cause health risks. Grain fed cows contain antibiotics and can cause inflammation in the body which leads to most modern diseases and current health issues. The E. coli count in grain fed cows is also much higher which is definitely worrisome. There is so much health news today and it is hard to know what information to trust.

Eating organic saves us money in the long run because we offset all of the healthcare costs

Eating organic saves us money in the long run because we offset all of the healthcare costs

Copy the code below to embed this infographic on your website:

Check out the trailer to the “Vitality” movie which really lays this argument out and shows us how to live a healthier life.


Filed Under: Diet, Wellness Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Organic Coffee that is Good for You? Check out the Fair Trade Alkaline Coffee from Papua New Guinea

November 14, 2012 By 4 Comments

Organic coffee has never tasted so good. Christina Avaness gave us a tour of her roasting lab where she’s having a hard time keeping this coffee in stock. She’s been a great resource for us as she specializes in super enzyme foods that enhance the health. The question becomes- how can we eat well and actually enjoy our food at the same time? Avaness has really mastered the art of making healthy food taste great and now she has brought us a coffee that is good for us.

The bottom line is that this coffee has a net alkalizing effect on the body meaning that it doesn’t have the negative side effects that the regular stuff has. This organic coffee does not dehydrate you like the regular beans which are treated with chemical pesticides. I’m not a big fan of coffee to begin with so I went in very skeptical. My initial reaction was favorable- it tasted great. I hung out while we filmed a separate segment and noticed a couple of things:

1) I was very clear and focused without the wiry edge coffee normally gives me, and

2) my stomach wasn’t turning and growling which is something I’ve come to expect from normal coffee.

I wasn’t fully convinced until that evening when I realized I never got the post-coffee crash. In fact, I felt pretty good into the night and slept well.

We had Christina serve this coffee at the screening of VITALITY and received great feedback from hundreds of people who were at the event. Regular coffee drinkers were sold. The health benefits were there and it was tasty.

This product is Rain Forest Alliance Certified which means it is giving back and preserving the rain forests. They don’t use toxic fertilizers or any synthetic chemicals. Organic coffees that are grown in a sustainable way help make the world greener. These crops are not genetically modified and are certified organic. Organically grown in the tree canopy and not a big farm, this coffee comes from a clean environment and healthy soil. It preserves the natural plants and wildlife on the island which is a nice alternative to the deforestation that comes from conventionally grown coffee.

A whole village has risen to abundance because of the fair trade practices of this company so people can hold their head up high and deliver a quality product to the world. We like products that do this and are actively nudging our viewers to support companies that help make a difference. Good stuff which also shares the love :)

Check out some of the flavors they have and enjoy this stuff for a month and see the difference it makes in your life.


Filed Under: Wellness Tagged With: , , , , , ,