Don't Sugarcoat It

According to these startling revelations from Men’s Health, the average American gobbles up 460 calories from sugar every day. That intake spikes our blood sugar and increases our risk for diabetes, which in turn increases personal risk for blindness, heart attack, and premature death. Perhaps, you say, we should rethink the sodas we drink, cookies we eat, and types of snacks in which we indulge. Well, cheap sugars like high fructose corn syrup pervade our supposedly-healthy yogurts and even our breads. What are we to do? How are we to proceed?

First, as Yahoo! and Men’s Health contend, and as we here at Wellness360 have espoused before, we cannot overestimate the importance of eating breakfast: avoid America’s worst breakfast foods and eat sensibly. Have an egg sandwich. If you must go with your morning donut-and-coffee routine just to stay sane, choose the healthiest donut possible, follow Slate’s steps to drinking coffee the greenest way possible, and make sure you understand caffeine, its effects, and your relationship with it.

Another critical dynamic that can buoy health in the whole family is the importance of family dining. Healthline details that eating as a family only five times a week can reduce the chances that your kid will smoke, drink, or misuse drugs. So round up the tykes and teens—and while you’re at it, warn your teen daughters about chemicals in cosmetic products—put a healthy spin on some of their favorite foods, and dig in to good meals and healthy lifestyles. Once it’s a hit, extend the trend beyond home cooking by advocating dishes based in versatile, nutritious foods like rice or avocado and discouraging ghastly, linked-to-cancer processed meats in schools or restaurants.

The face of the enemy

If you’re an avid reader and heeding our thoughtful advice to get out, stay active, and exercise, or if you’re interested but still a little unsure, take a hint from HealthCastle to ensure success—eat the right types of foods after you exercise, like trail mix or fresh fruit, which are protein-rich delicacies. Take it easy on the carbs; we’re not all Michael Phelps. If you want to get creative, make a smoothie: Men’s Health has a myriad of easy smoothie recipes for not only quenching your post-workout appetite, but as healthy options for breakfast and alternatives to high-sugar snacks or desserts.

In order to eat right regularly, we have to use our heads, so why not implement a few double threats: try out these brain foods recommended by WebMD to increase focus and concentration while also keeping you physically fit. As your brain billows, you can better decide which foods to buy organic and if it makes sense to pay more to do so. As a result of your heightened senses, you can finally kick that bottle water habit and go straight tap, which The Daily Green maintains is a safer environmental option and as healthy as the bottle.

Picture from http://www.flickr.com/photos/cowgummy/612408772/

Since you won’t be cruising to Tom Thumb to pick up bottled water anymore, that will definitely save you some fuel; however, those savings might not be enough to make a sizable difference. The good news is that a new fuel-injection invention could boost fuel economy 10%, while eight other car technologies lead the charge to replace gasoline. Also, remember to travel light: the less you take with you, the more your fuel economy improves. Because all these savings can be addictive, feel free to try over thirty ways to save money by going green as well as six safe green investments.

Liar.

At home or at work, we can use simple strategies to conserve energy, expanding our bankroll over time and contributing to a healthy, sustainable environment. Turn off your lights, adjust your water heater, install a permanent furnance filter, or take a tip from The New Homemaker and make your own dishwashing powder. At your job, try to green up your office using more unique strategies and bask in the deluge of significant dividends. Energy Star-rated products, like furnaces or dishwashers, use sophisticated ratings and efficient methods to save you money and energy. In this vein, a healthy lifestyle, according to the BBC, can even slow cell aging and make you look younger. We can’t all live like zen monks—simply, deliberately, ritualistically—but we can all be a little cleaner and greener in our everyday routines.