Welcome to Green Diva Mom, your home for living green, inside and out. More than just a community of moms, Green Diva Mom is for moms, dads, aunts, uncles, grandparents and siblings—anyone who cares about raising healthy children and healthy living on all levels, from what we put into the environment down to what we put in our own bodies. Check back daily for information, news, tips product reviews and recipes for leading a healthy life without sacrificing style.

ⓒ iStockPhoto - AlexRaths

In ancient times, cinnamon was more expensive than gold. It is processed from the cinnamon tree, a small evergreen tree. Cinnamon is an excellent source of minerals, fiber, manganese, vitamin C and K and iron. Numerous health benefits of cinnamon were known even thousands of years ago. The Indian and Chinese traditions have revered the astonishing healing power of it centuries ago. Its superpower was used to treat health conditions like indigestion, cramps and colds. Additionally, cinnamon was considered as a spice which may help to improve energy, vitality and circulation in the body.

The best thing is that it can be added anywhere at any time! You can add it to the pancake batter, cake mix or cookie mix or sprinkle it on your favorite drink or bun, doughnuts or pretzel. Cinnamon can be obtained in stick or in ground form. Cinnamon sticks can be stored up to one year where as ground cinnamon doesn’t hold much after six months. You can buy a ground cinnamon pack from the store which is as good as the freshly grounded cinnamon. (continue reading…)

©iStockphoto.com - BeckyRockwood

The snow is falling in much of the country and its cold outside. People have been stranded for hours in their vehicles because of winter storms. If you haven’t got an emergency kit in your car already it’s time to put one together. You can buy one that is already assembled or you can make your own and ensure that you have included some
Eco-friendly products too. Here is what experts suggest including in kits for winter emergencies.

First you will need a bag to pack all of your winter emergency goodies. Then go shopping, get packing and you’ll be more confident in case of a road side emergency in this cold winter weather until you are home safely.

Items for you and your family:

You should include blankets, gloves, hats, scarves, socks, and clothes for all members of your family who will be riding in the car and even some extra sweaters, sweat pants and warm gear. You can also think about things at home you may have that would be great to include: a space blanket for runners will do more than just keep them warm after a race it would be a great addition to the kit. You can even include items like hand warmers, and feet warmers. You will want to pack a bag with high calorie non perishable foods and bottles of water. Foods like energy bars, crackers with peanut butter, anything that will keep you going if you get stranded and keep your energy up. You can find some healthy organic options available, so stock up when they are on sale in your store or in the clearance section. You might even want to think about including items to keep the family busy while you wait for help like games, books or art supplies. (continue reading…)

ⓒ iStockPhoto - LajosRepasi

There is a close similarity between choosing a right gym and a new restaurant. You often visit a restaurant referred by your friend, and if you like the restaurant, you go there again and again. The same is the case with a good gym. If it goes with your own personality and keeps you motivated, you feel like going there every day. You visit the gym on a regular basis to exercise. Joining a gym is also associated with a large financial commitment, so it becomes even more important to do some research work before you choose a gym. Be picky, spend some time talking with friends, visiting gyms and browsing internet. Shop around and select the best one for yourself.

Here are a few points to be taken care of while choosing a gym:

Facilities

When you first visit the gym, schedule a tour and bring questions. Look at the equipment and other amenities. The machines are indicator of the maintenance level of the gym.  Try to get an appointment during the time when you exercise usually and notice if members have to wait around the popular machines at the times you would be exercising. Find out if there is any time limit to use the cardio machines. There are few gyms which do not allow to use the cardio or other popular machines for more than a specific time limit. (continue reading…)

Welcome to 2011! Four days in, we hope that your healthy living resolutions for you and your family are sticking. Whether you’ve resolved to eat healthier (in whatever form that takes for you and yours), exercise more, drop unhealthy habits, focus on mind-body health or spend more time as a family, remember that resolutions and goals are a process. One bump in the road does not mean all effort up to that point has been wasted.

We have some great plans for GreenDivaMom in the coming year, and we’re going to need the help of you, our readers, to make those happen. Keep watching to see how you can be a part of another great year here.

©iStockphoto.com - Stalman

I was recently going through the Los Angeles Times reporting of the increasing number of cases involving bed bugs all over Southern California. As many as 55 cases of bedbugs have been reported from apartments, hospitals, movie theaters, churches and clothing stores recently. New Yorkers really had a bad time during summer when a few people reported bedbugs crawling on their clothes! “It’s really all over the county,” said Angelo J. Bellomo, director of environmental health for the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.

Bedbugs were common before World War II, but after that they were almost eradicated with improved hygiene and the usage of DDT pesticide. They are back again and the reason is given by Michael Potter, Ph.D., an entomologist at the University of Kentucky’s College of Agriculture. According to him, the various reasons include an increase in the number of international travelers and secondly greater movement of people in general. In addition to this there has been a change in pest control practices in recent times. The commonly used pesticides for bug control are less effective than DDT. (continue reading…)

©iStockphoto.com - meikla

It is often thought that heart diseases occur more in men, but American Heart Association (AHA) states that heart disease kills more than 500,000 women annually. In 2001, over half of the people who died from coronary disease were women. The National Heart, Lung & Blood Institute claims that out of ten American women aged 45-64, one has some form of heart disease. In women over the age of 65, these numbers double.

Dr. Massimo Guisti of Cardiovascular Associates of Virginia, PC says that, “Women still think they cannot have coronary disease. Women are more afraid of ovarian or breast cancer, but coronary disease is the actually the leading cause of death in women.” (continue reading…)

ⓒ iStockPhoto - qbanczyk

Soy has become very famous lately because it is everywhere and is possible in every form. Soy is a plant product containing protein, fiber, essential fatty acids, as well as numerous vitamins and minerals. The presence of phytochemicals such as isoflavones, phytate, saponins and phytosterols, makes it even more useful. Soy is supposed to have properties which might help to fight against diseases like cancer, heart disease, osteoporosis and more. Soy is available in the form of nuts, milk, yogurt, cheese, flour, tofu, tempeh, beans and other meat analogs. This can be cooked with other food items to increase its nutritional value or cooked alone.

You might have read that soy is very good for health. You will be surprised to know that around 100 years back it was considered unfit for eating. It has been found that soy is actually very hard on our body system, especially on the hormonal system. Soybean was considered one of the sacred grains among wheat, barley, millet and rice in China centuries ago. It was considered sacred because it was very useful in crop rotation. The roots of soybean plants fix atmospheric nitrogen into useful nitrogen compounds which help in maintaining the level of nitrogen in the soil required for the growth of other crops. At that time soybean was not eaten. Chinese found that soybean has got many natural toxins which could not be destroyed in conventional cooking. These toxins are strong inhibitors that block digestive enzymes. The toxins are deeply imbedded proteins which produce serious gastric disorders and block absorption of essential amino acids. Soy contain compounds known as goitrogens that depress thyroid function. The soybean found its way to the dinning table only after fermentation was discovered in the form of fermented food like soy-sauce and miso. Soybeans come largely from genetically engineered plants. (continue reading…)