Health

Are Americans  Nutritionally Dense?

By Joe Romano,  
Marketing Manager

The more we pour the big machines, the fuel, the pesticides, the herbicides, the fertilizer and chemicals into farming, the more we knock out the mechanism that made it all work in the first place.

— David R. Brower, founder of the Sierra Club and Friends of the Earth

For most Americans, February is the month of the heart and February 14th, in particular, is the day we express our love for one another by purchasing over a billion dollars' worth of candy and over five billion dollars' worth of cut flowers, mostly roses. But just where is the love in those gifts?

The vast majority of the candy sold is non-fair trade chocolate, made with high-fructose corn syrup and other sugars. These sugars make up well over half of the weight of a conventional chocolate bar. And if 300 calories in a 60 gram bar weren't bad enough, over half of those calories show up in the form of fat.

"It's a holiday!" "What about the antioxidants?" "Studies show that dark chocolate is good for you!" "Why do you have to be such a jerk?"

New Program Offers Mini Health Consultations  at GreenStar

By Lisa Marsella,  
Wellness Manager

bigstock-Apothecary If you're curious about a particular alternative healing modality but don't have time for a one- or one-and-a-half-hour class, or if you've considered trying something new but want to meet and speak with a practitioner first to ask questions and voice concerns, then "The Practitioner Is In" is the program for you.

As the Wellness Manager at GreenStar, I am privileged to speak daily with many community members who are taking responsibility for their own individual health and wellness. The drive toward organic, natural foods and herbs and supplements is happening worldwide and these products are quickly becoming the norm. For whatever reasons, people are feeling empowered to research, learn, and try new diets and remedies outside of what has been the mainstream Western way. All of this has whetted the appetite of our own community and created a hunger for knowledge of natural alternatives for supporting health. With the internet, a vast source of information is available to all, but it's sometimes overwhelming to sift through the information to find definitive answers. Often, people want to talk to another human being, to be heard and seen face to face, to share experiences and information.

At GreenStar we have been offering classes taught by community members to other community members for almost twenty years! Some of these are part of a series of classes titled "Meet the Practitioner," which are taught by local health-care practitioners. Now, in response to growing interest in alternative health practices, we have created a new program called "The Practitioner Is In." This new program will take interaction with local health practitioners to the next level, allowing community members to have one-on-one discussions with them.