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Natural Awakenings Central New Jersey

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Eating Greener: Tips for Plant-Based Living

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Eating more fruits and vegetables as part of a plant-based diet is catching on. In 2019, more than one third of Americans said they plan to incorporate more plant-based foods into their diets to achieve their wellness resolutions, according to data company YouGov. For those new to “green eating”—and even for veggie-minded veterans—lots of helpful information is available now on what to consider in buying, preparing, re-using and discarding food.

The Environmental Working Group makes it easy to research pesticide levels in produce. Check out the Clean Fifteen and Dirty Dozen—the most toxin-free and toxin-heavy fruits and vegetables—along with related news and developments.

Home deliveries of local and organic produce can save time and gas consumption from shopping. Some of the leading regional services include Fresh Direct, Sun Basket, Green Bean Delivery, Irv & Shelly’s Fresh Picks and Territory Foods.

Composting combines food scraps with lawn and garden trimmings and more into a nutrient-rich, natural garden fertilizer. The Environmental Protection Agency has a useful guide to composting basics.

The phenomenon of food scrapping—using the parts of produce in recipes that are often thrown out—saves money in shopping, is easier on the environment and pleasingly leads to creative and innovative meals. A number of cookbooks are dedicated to the subject, including Cooking With Scraps: Turn Your Peels, Cores, Rinds, and Stems into Delicious Meals, by Lindsay-Jean Hard and Scraps, Peels, and Stems: Recipes and Tips for Rethinking Food Waste at Home, by Jill Lightner.

Plant-based foods can be swapped for traditional ingredients in countless recipes. Mother Earth Living explains how aquafaba—the water from a can of beans—can replace egg whites, even in meringues. Bananas, applesauce and ground flaxseeds or chia seeds can substitute for eggs to bind baked goods. Coconut oil can replace butter and nutritional yeast can do the job of parmesan when sprinkled on pasta.
In-Print National Content Eco-Tip Feature Plant Based March 2020
Tick Talk

Spring officially sprung on March 21. We have turned our clocks ahead. We are looking forward to warm winds, sunny skies and the smell of fresh cut grass. The daffodils and tulips have recently bloomed and we are just starting with the yard work that comes with the warmer weather.  Sadly, another season has started ramping up.  Tick season.

•             The best form of protection is prevention. Educating oneself about tick activity and how our behaviors overlap with tick habitats is the first step.

•             According to the NJ DOH, in 2022 Hunterdon County led the state with a Lyme disease incidence rate of 426 cases per 100,000 people. The fact is ticks spend approximately 90% of their lives not on a host but aggressively searching for one, molting to their next stage or over-wintering. This is why a tick remediation program should be implemented on school grounds where NJ DOH deems high risk for tick exposure and subsequent attachment to human hosts.

•             Governor Murphy has signed a bill that mandates tick education in NJ public schools. See this for the details.  Tick education must now be incorporated into K-12 school curriculum. See link:

https://www.nj.gov/education/broadcasts/2023/sept/27/TicksandTick-BorneIllnessEducation.pdf

•             May is a great month to remind the public that tick activity is in full swing. In New Jersey, there are many tickborne diseases that affect residents, including Anaplasmosis, Babesiosis, Ehrlichiosis, Lyme disease, Powassan, and Spotted Fever Group Rickettsiosis.

•             For years, the focus has mainly been about protecting ourselves from Lyme disease. But other tick-borne diseases are on the rise in Central Jersey. An increase of incidence of Babesia and Anaplasma are sidelining people too. These two pathogens are scary because they effect our blood cells. Babesia affects the red blood cells and Anaplasma effects the white blood cells.

•             Ticks can be infected with more than one pathogen. When you contract Lyme it is possible to contract more than just that one disease. This is called a co-infection. It is super important to pay attention to your symptoms. See link.

https://twp.freehold.nj.us/480/Disease-Co-Infection

A good resource from the State:

https://www.nj.gov/health/cd/topics/tickborne.shtml

 

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