Alicia Silverstone's Blog, page 193

the deal with vitamin d

[image error]

I've always assumed that I get all the Vitamin D I need on a daily basis just from being out in the sun. Of course too much exposure can be harmful but living in sunny California gives me the chance on most days to soak up the sun while I'm out taking a walk gardening or getting to and from my car.  Sometimes I'll just stop what I'm doing open my arms take a deep breath and really feel the sun on my face for a few relaxing minutes.
 
It wasn't until some of you Kind Lifers inquired about Vitamin D recently that I decided to dig deeper into this subject and see if what I'd always thought was actually the truth. Do those short bursts of sunlight exposure really supply enough Vitamin D to those of us who live and work indoors in large polluted urban areas? And if not what's the deal with supplements?  Are they helpful? And if they are what's the proper dosage?  For these and other answers I decided to seek out perspectives from Dr. Neal Barnard and Christina Pirello both of whom walked me through the whole topic with their usual brilliance and clarity. Here's what I learned:
 
For starters let's explain what Vitamin D is. In simple terms it's a fat-soluble vitamin that our body manufactures when it's exposed to the sun. It has a number of purposes but Vitamin D's main job is to maintain the right balance of calcium and phosphorus in our blood help us to absorb enough calcium in our bones and in general to work with other vitamins at keeping our bones healthy and strong.
 
We don't have to roast in the sun all day long to get a healthy daily dose of Vitamin D but we do have to get a good 10-15 minutes of direct sunlight to even approach our minimum requirements. But before you go thinking that a few trips back and forth to your car will do the trick keep in mind that this minimum exposure time will generally be higher for those of us who live in cities and areas where pollution cloud cover and other obstructions can block the vast majority of the sun's UV rays.
 
If you're getting out and exercising in the sun each day you're taking a big step towards meeting your daily Vitamin D requirement in addition to all the other health benefits that regular exercise offers. But the sad truth is that a lot of us live in situations and areas where our exposure to sun is limited. Our access to sunshine can be affected and compromised by everything from latitude to climate to pollution to even our work schedules. In some cases physical characteristics like old age darker skin tones or very young breast-feeding infants have more difficulty getting enough Vitamin D as well.  Because of any combination of these and other factors some of us Kind Lifers might not get as much Vitamin D as we should. If you think this might be the case with you it's easy to have your doctor give you a simple blood test that can screen you for any vitamin and mineral deficiencies including Vitamin D.
 
The point is each of us has different individual needs. For me a plant-based diet and healthy lifestyle fulfills most of the nutritional requirements that others might use vitamin supplements to meet.  Most people should get about 1000 – 2000 IU of Vitamin D per day but if you belong to one of the more potentially Vitamin D-deficient groups mentioned above you may benefit from taking supplements.
 
As always it's best to figure out your personal supplemental dosage in consultation with your doctor based on your specific deficiency levels. Or you can skip the blood test and take a small dosage of Vitamin D if you think you might need it since excess Vitamin D is not likely to do much harm other than making your liver work a little harder than necessary. If you do take supplements my sources tell me that the plant-based supplement D-2 is far more preferable and just as effective as D-3 which is not vegan.
 
All this research got me thinking: I just wrapped a movie where I played a vampire so I have barely been out in the sun at all for the past two months! I'm sure my body hasn't been getting the recommended dosages of Vitamin D so maybe now would be a good time for me to think about taking some supplements. I'll experiment and report back with my findings!

Organic Crib Mattress Giveaway By Essentia Sponsored Post

Essentia will soon be opening their Santa Monica store and to celebrate they're giving away one of their Organic Crib Mattresses.
 
The Essentia La-La crib is the world's first and only Natural Memory Foam crib mattress. It's made from natural latex foam and wrapped in a GOTS certified unbleached organic cotton cover providing a safe healthy and supremely comfortable sleep environment for your little ones. Featuring Essentia's patented natural memory foam your baby's body will be free of pressure points allowing the blood to circulate freely for healthier development and more uninterrupted sleeps.
 
The contest details are as follows:

Comment below and tell us about the "green" part of your home that you're most proud of
Share this post on Facebook and Twitter so your friends can enter.

The winner will be announced on the 30th of November. Good luck!

what's the deal with wool?

Where does wool come from? How do we get it? We just shave the sheep gently right? And make them feel better in the heat? Uh no!!! Animals are cut and hurt in the process of collecting wool - there is nothing gentle about it. Then at the end there isn't a retirement farm for these sheep. They are sent to slaughter.

According to PETA a gruesome practice called mulesing is still inflicted on sheep in Australia where millions of Merino sheep are raised. These sheep are bred to have wrinkly skin because that produces more wool. In the Australian heat however the excess wool causes sheep to die from heat exhaustion but worse for their wool to get infested with maggots which literally eat them alive. Farmers solutions to this is to cut off chunks of skin from lambs without anesthesia so that the scarred flesh will deter maggots. However the lambs wounds often become infected before they heal.

The good news is there are many alternatives to wool. Now I know wool seems more environmentally friendly than say vinyl. But consider how bad it is for the environment to raise these animals and use all the resources and land it takes to feed them. Unless you rescued a bunch of sheep from a slaughter house and live somewhere where in the summer they beg you to free them of the wool and you gently take it off and always treat the sheep with kindness and respect I am not a fan. In order to collect wool in a kind way you would not be able to run a business it would have to be a sort of hippie side fun project. Im not sure how many situations there are like that but I can assure you that 100 of the wool you purchase in the store is not produced like that.

In winter I do just fine you can read about some awesome vegan winter clothes here. If you have wool already use it and love it until its time to give it away or say goodbye to it. Just try not to support cruel practices by buying new wool. If you feel comfy in wool get used wool although I have to say it always made me itch! But if you are going to buy it its better to get a used product.

Now Im sure that there are some exceptions to all of this... I recently read about The North Circular a company started by models Lily Cole and Katherine Poulton. The North Circular rescues sheep and works with grandmothers literally! to knit chic apparel and accessories. It sounds pretty decent but again this is not the wool that you purchase in any mainstream store. So if you find a story or situation that sounds really compassionate then that might work for you. Im usually pretty suspicious when Im told that certain wool came from a good cruelty free place... I always wonder well what exactly happens to those sheep? How are they sheared? Is this a business? I would need to fully research each situation that I hear about to make sure it seems kosher to me.

What are your thoughts on this issue?

my friend doug and his cute loomstate outfits!

[image error]

Every time I see my friend Doug from Organic Avenue see my blog about him here I am just blown away by how cute his outfits are! They are always green and he has some incredible ensembles. So I harassed him into taking some pictures of his outfits and this is what he sent me.

[image error]

He loves wearing clothes made by Loomstate an eco-clothing brand. Loomstate's clothes are made from 100 certified organic materials and all Loomstate factory partners are required to adhere to a code of conduct ensuring responsible manufacturing processes. They really care about social and environmental responsibility but they also care about great design. It's rare to find a company that combines the two especially for dudes they have women's clothes too.

[image error]

What are your favorite eco-clothing companies?

new updates to the kind life - part 2!

Hi Kind Lifers!

Yesterday we told you about the new easier sign up process see yesterday's post here and we previewed a second update to your connected services Facebook Twitter etc.... Well the connected services update is now live!

We have improved the way you connect to social networks like Facebook and Twitter on The Kind Life to allow for more photo and video sharing and more social networks to be connected to your profile. You will now be automatically prompted to reconnect all your existing services Facebook Youtube Twitter Flickr after you login. When you login a screen will pop up that will lead you through the steps to do this - it's quick and simple!

Give it a try and let us know how it goes! If you have any questions you can contact supporteqal.com and site administrator Jason will guide you through the process.

Vegan Meals from Veggie Brothers - Sponsored Post

[image error]

Organic Cholesterol Free Gourmet Vegetarian – some of us are simply too busy to make such healthy wholesome food from scratch. Now thanks to Veggie Brothers a company that prepares affordable tasty and cruelty-free alternatives you can enjoy your favorite flavorful meals with no disruption to your values traditions or lifestyle. In today's climate eating well is not a luxury…it is a necessity!

For vegans vegetarians or people who are looking for occasional healthier options Veggie Brothers is a fantastic solution. The Veggie Brothers kitchen features more than 100 inspired and tasty dishes. Every item is a scrumptious delight for every palate. Prepare yourself for artistically-created meals as if you had a personal chef cooking fight in your own kitchen!

Veggie Brothers offerings are completely vegan and include; soups appetizers sides entrees and yummy and indulgent - without the added guilt - desserts. Practically everything from "chicken"-noodle soup which even fooled a Jewish grandmother to "meatballs" and sauce that stole the show at an Italian wedding is offered by Veggie Brothers.

[image error]

Ordering is easier than rushing through the aisles of your neighborhood grocery store and picking up dozens of ingredients while menu-planning for the week. With Veggie Brothers it is as easy as clicking through our delicious delectables and having them delivered directly to your door U.S. and Canada. And package-to-plate preparation only takes minutes!

Check us out today at http://www.veggiebrothers.com and save 15 off your first order by adding the code THEKINDDIET during checkout. Limit one discount per NEW customer before 11/30/10.

So if you choose to "veg" or "not-to-veg" VeggieBrothers.com has something to please even the most discerning palate. And remember…with every bite you are exhibiting an act of kindness! We invite you to rebuild and rejuvenate through our conscious food alternatives.

Register to win a 75 Veggie Brothers Gift Certificate. To be eligible sign up for our newsletter here before 11/30/10. One winner will be selected at random and notified after December 1 2010.

Veggie Brothers founder Michael Balducci is passionate and personally involved in living well. A health scare forced him to change his diet and improve his health. Since 2005 his passion has been to create flavorful vegan meals for the mainstream. Perhaps with Veggie Brothers "Meatless Mondays" can soon become "Meatless Mondays Tuesdays and Wednesdays etc.!"

In a recent interview Michael recalled the strain of being a vegan placed on traditional holiday get-togethers with family and friends. He happily reported that this will be the third Thanksgiving that his non-vegan relatives will engage in a turkey-free all-vegan dinner courtesy of tasty high-protein Veggie Brothers dishes.

"It's wonderful" exclaimed Michael "Everyone feels satisfied and the only things they are giving up are cholesterol and saturated animal-fat-laden foods!" Watch Michael's demonstration in our new YouTube video by clicking here.You can also click the images below to visit us on Facebook and Twitter!

[image error]

[image error]

more exciting updates on the kind life!

[image error]

As you've likely noticed we've been cooking up a lot of new fun features on The Kind Life! Today we're unveiling two new updates that we think you'll really like!
 
Update 1 - One less password to remember. Starting today we're making your login process easier. When you come to visit www.TheKindLife.com and click "Log In" you will be asked for your email address. If you have a Yahoo Google MSN or AOL address you will be redirected to a "Sign In" page of that service.
 
Since you are now logging in using your personal email account information you will no longer need to use the password you created when you first signed up with www.TheKindLife.com. Instead you will use the password you normally use for your email account - one less password to remember!
 
If you do not have an email account with one of the above services you can still use the email and password you created when you first signed up.
 
Update 2 - Easily import and share photos and videos from all your social networking accounts and place them on your profile on The Kind Life. We are changing the way you connect to social networks like Facebook and Twitter on The Kind Life to allow for more photo and video sharing and more social networks to be connected to your profile. You will now be automatically prompted to reconnect all your existing services Facebook Youtube Twitter Flickr after you login. When you login a screen will pop up that will lead you through the steps to do this – it's quick and simple!
 
If you run into any trouble please email supporteqal.com and let us know your thoughts on the new features!

have you seen the my son is gay story?

[image error]

I came across this blog that the mother of an adorable five-year-old wrote and just had to share. Her son and his friends are big fans of Scooby Doo so for Halloween he wanted to dress as Daphne. His Mom describes how excited her son was as Halloween approached and how he became nervous at the last minute afraid his schoolmates would make fun of him. As it turns out they didn't but some of the mothers at his preschool expressed shock and disapproval.
 
This adorable little guy's mom defended her son in the face of the other moms' narrow-minded judgment. As to the question of whether or not her son might be gay which he may or may not be! she doesn't care! At a time when the news is filled with horrible stories of bullying particularly aimed at homosexuals this Mom is setting a great example.
 
How else can we help to spread tolerance and stop bullying?

cat and rabbit nap together

This adorable video comes courtesy of LA Unleashed the Los Angeles Times blog about animals.

Have a great weekend everyone!!

kind lifer elizabeths sweet video

When I was in Detroit filming Vamps I met a bunch of Kind Lifers - Elizabeth was one of the Kind Lifers that I met. She was so nice and super cool!

Check out the video that she made to audition for her own show on the Oprah Winfrey Network.