52-Week Challenge: Week 15

Did you take a step or two to go greener in your homes/lives?  I bought myself some new microfiber cleaning cloths (found them at the commissary for $5) and made sure all my wool dryer balls were in the dryer.  Really cut down on the drying time for my heavy blankets I washed last week.  My friend Jenn had a really good pointer on her blog (you are reading her stuff too, right?).  She suggested to start looking for the certified eco-friendly labels from EcoLogo or Green Seal.  Too smart - and such an easy trick to remember for while you are out shopping.

This week's focus is on eating more whole grains and aiming for three or more servings per day.  So much of our modern foods have the nutrition processed right out of them, in the form of using non-whole grains.  Refined grains only have one part of the grain in them, whereas a whole grain also includes the bran and the germ which is where the anti-oxidants, fiber, and vitamins are found.

Again, this is where reading the label and the box will come in handy.  There is a handy dandy little seal that you will find on products that have 8 g or more of whole grains in them:

How neat is that?    There are tons of ideas out on the internet on how to integrate whole grains into your diet - actually, this month's Cooking Light "12 Healthy Habits" challenge is all about whole grains. 

Other resources:

Cooking Light "12 Healthy Habits": http://www.cookinglight.com/healthy-living/healthy-habits/what-are-whole-grains-00412000070590/

Mayo Clinic - Whole Grains: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/whole-grains/NU00204

The book we're following: http://www.amazon.com/52-Small-Changes-Healthier-ebook/dp/B0056J4ER0/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1325722556&sr=1-1

Jenn's blog: http://thewoogies.blogspot.com/search/label/52%20Small%20Changes