The good news is, you can improve your family’s dietary habits for the better and it does not have to be difficult. It can even save you money. Here are some ideas.

1. Replace all white with brown

This is a fairly simple first step to take to improve your family’s diet, but it has a big impact. You don’t have to do it all at once; for example, you can add a bit of whole wheat flour to white flour baked goods, then gradually increase the amount of whole grain flour. Try starting with whole grain pancakes, waffles, or pasta – these are hardly distinguishable from their white-flour cousins. Here is a partial list of “white” foods and their “brown” counterparts:

- White rice / Whole grain brown rice
- White flour / Whole wheat flour
- White sugar / Sucanat or raw, unfiltered honey (Sucanat is an unrefined, granulated form of sugar that still contains the micronutrients and minerals found in whole sugar cane)
- White bread / Whole grain bread

2. Go for fresh, whole, and organic food rather than pre-prepared

From grains to produce to meat, buying organic, whole foods and preparing them yourself is much healthier than consuming pre-prepared, packaged foods high in preservatives, sugar, and salt. It is also cheaper that paying for all that packaging – for example, a 3-lb. bag of organic potatoes costs less than a 1-lb. bag of potato chips.

3. Eat what’s in season

Here is where you can really save money. Seasonal foods are much cheaper than out-of-season foods, and you can stock up and freeze, dry or can produce when it’s in season. And some experts think the human body digests and processes in-season foods better.

4. Have fun and get the kids involved

Food and eating can be fun and should be enjoyable. Try a new dish as a side to a familiar dinner, and make it a game – everyone around the table can taste and give his or her impression. Let the kids choose foods where possible – take them to a local farm, or better yet, a pick-your-own farm where they can harvest the produce themselves. Connecting with food is a great way to make it enjoyable.

5. Meat as a side

Americans are used to assembling a meal around the meat, with the meat being the “main dish.” One of the ways to cut your food budget is to cut back on meat – it’s expensive stuff, whether you buy organic or not. Make meat the main dish maybe once a week, and during the rest of the week concentrate on having meat for only one meal a day. For example, if you are having organic chicken for dinner, make breakfast and lunch meatless that day. This is a good way to start working your way to having meat only once a week.

Replacing poultry and beef with fish is another way to incorporate healthy proteins into your family’s meals.

Don’t be too concerned about protein – meat is not the only source (beans and whole grains combined are also a complete protein, as are other food combinations), and Americans generally eat more protein than they really need.

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The family bed has many physical and emotional benefits, with some cross-overs. Among the emotional benefits are increased trust on the part of the infant, emotional well-being for the mother, and a stable relationship between parent and child (thus setting the stage for healthy relationships later in life). Following is a list of these benefits explained in more detail.

1. Trust
A baby does not understand that you are still “there” when he is sleeping in another room. He may become fearful and distrustful if he wakes at night and his mother is not available. A baby who has his needs met consistently – day or night – learns to trust his parents. The family bed makes the mother available to nurse the baby or simply provide physical contact. The baby then comes to trust his parents and develops a sense of security.

2. If mama’s not happy…
Have you ever heard the saying, “If Mama’s not happy, then nobody’s happy”? There is some truth to that statement! A mother who participates in the family bed gets more sleep than a mother who gets up multiple times during the night, thus making her refreshed and in a much better mood. Also, a mother’s nursing through the night produces “happy hormones” that bond her with her baby and make her feel content.

3. Relationship
The family bed fosters strong relationships. For mothers or fathers who work all day, this may be the only time they get to have physical “cuddle time” with their child. And, once again, the family bed facilitates the breastfeeding relationship, which fosters important, healthful bonds that set the stage for healthy, functional relationships later in life.

4. The human pacemaker
While this is a physical benefit, its emotional ramifications are significant. Statistics show that babies who sleep in a family bed arrangement are far less likely to die of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) than those babies left to sleep alone (this is why SIDS is also called “crib death” or “cot death”). In countries where bed-sharing is common (such as India), SIDS is virtually unknown.

When a baby experiences SIDS, she simply stops breathing inexplicably. Studies from as far back as the mid-1900s have shown that babies who sleep with their mothers actually match their breathing patterns to the mother’s – she is like a human pacemaker for her baby’s breathing. Current research supports these studies from the first half of the 20th century.

While society is still coming to terms with accepting the family bed, the important thing is to choose what is right for your family. There are many benefits to the family bed, and many nay-sayers are simply unaware of such benefits.

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1. Copper flashing – This can be purchased from the average hardware store, and costs around $5 per square foot. You will probably need about 1/2 a square foot per unit.

2. Alligator clips – You will need two of these. They look something like the clamps on the end of jumper cables, and are available at hardware stores.

3. A micro-ammeter that is sensitive enough to read currents between 10 and 50 microamperes. This can be purchased at an electronics store.

4. Heat source – You can use a regular electric stove or hotplate for this. It is used to heat the copper flashing to produce an oxide layer.

5. Plastic bottle with the narrow neck cut off, or wide mouth glass jar – You will be bending and inserting the copper plates into this.

6. Saltwater – You will need a couple of tablespoons of table salt mixed with hot tap water.

7. Sand paper – You will use this to clean the copper sheets before heating them. You can also use a wire brush.

8. Metal shears to cut the copper flashing

Some of these materials can be scavenged from friends’ workshops, recycling centers (with permission), or even your own garage.

The copper sheet is cut in half, and one half is heated on the electric stove burner until it turns black. As it cools, the black oxidation flakes off. This sheet and the “clean” copper sheet are bent and tucked into the bottle or jar. The alligator clips are attached to the copper sheets and then to the micro-ammeter. Salt water is poured in, and the unit is placed in the sun. Basically, you have constructed a solar battery.

It’s important to assess your own energy needs before beginning such a project. How much you can save depends in part on how much energy you use. If your home-made solar panels only cover a small fraction of your daily energy consumption, you will need to make many more to cover your home’s energy use, which will not be as affordable as someone whose energy needs can be met with only a few panels.

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How much do you compost?

Do you have a lot of acreage? Do you mow and rake a large area and end up with a lot of lawn waste? Or do you basically want a system to compost kitchen scraps? Consider how much waste you generate before deciding on a system.

How big an area do you want to enrich with compost?

Whether you have a small garden, an indoor garden, or multiple, large gardens, they all need compost. Take a moment to calculate how much area you are going to be enriching with compost before beginning, so you don’t end up with too much or too little compost (although your neighbors may appreciate any extra you have!).

Here are some of the compost systems available:

1. Pile it up
The least complicated compost system is simply a pile on the ground in a location that receives a balance of sun and shade. Simply start with yard clippings and add kitchen scraps, and use a pitchfork or shovel to keep it heaped so that it will decompose. This kind of compost will need to be turned by hand. The open pile system may be a problem in certain cities or neighborhoods, so check with your local zoning officials to find out if this kind of system is allowed.

2. An open bin
Also a fairly simple method, an open bin can be constructed with wood and wire netting. This is a good way to use scrap wood such as old packing pallets. Such a bin can have a slatted wood bottom, or simply sit on the ground surrounded by the wood and wire structure. You don’t even need wood scraps; an open bin can consist of a cross section of perforated metal sheeting, or an upright, cylindrical loop of wire. Again, this is a potentially problematic system for those who live in cities or suburbs with close neighbors.

3. A closed compost bin
These look like large, plastic barrels, and that is essentially what they are. Most municipalities accept this kind of composting system, and your local waste management authority should have information about where to obtain such a bin. In fact, some waste management authorities have such bins available for sale. There are quite of few styles and varieties of commercial bins available, including some that can be turned from the outside. Generally speaking, those offered by municipalities are less expensive that those sold at garden centers or online.

4. A worm bin
This is a method of compost that can be done indoors in a garage or basement. Sometimes called vermicomposting, a worm bin uses the natural habits of worms to break down kitchen and yard waste into usable compost. You can purchase a worm bin or make your own – just be sure it is waterproof, has air holes and is opaque (worms like it dark).

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1. Maintain your car

Keeping your car in top working order makes it work more efficiently, thereby keeping emissions and gas usage at a minimum. Some things to keep in mind when taking your car in for maintenance are:

-Tire pressure
Keeping the tire pressure at the optimum level for your specific car can make a great deal of difference in your gas mileage. Be sure to tell the mechanic or technician to inflate the tires according to the manufacturer’s standards. It should be printed on the inside of one of your car’s doors, and/or in your owner’s manual.

-Filters
Clean oil and air filters use a lot less gas than dirty ones, because the engine does not have to work as hard to draw oil or air through clean ones. If the filters are dirty, the engine has to work harder and therefore uses more gas.

-Oil
Keeping your oil fresh is important for maintaining your engine performance. A well-lubricated engine is much more efficient.

-Tune-ups
This is one of the most basic and significant means of effective car maintenance. Regular tune-ups keep your car running efficiently and will extend the life of your car.

2. Turn it off

When you are waiting in your car, turn off the engine when possible. Turn off the air conditioning when you are driving uphill.

3. Drive carefully

You may not realize it, but how you drive your car can have as much impact as how often you drive it. Accelerating rapidly, speeding, or gunning the motor are all wasteful (and dangerous) activities to engage in. When going uphill, do not try to maintain your exact speed; be willing to slow it down a little and catch up to the speed limit when going down hill. Try to look ahead and anticipate when you will need to stop; slamming on the breaks wastes fuel.

4. Use alternative means of transportation

One of the ways you can responsibly use your car is not to use it! Public transit is inexpensive and far less polluting than cars. You can also make good use your car to transport groups in a car pool.

These are just some of the ways you can reduce carbon footprint of your car. There are benefits for all if we employ some of these techniques; even some insurance companies are offering lower rates to customers who drive their cars less and drive more carefully.

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1. Red meat

Most beef cattle in the U.S. are raised on feed lots, which raises environmental concerns. Feed lot cattle are also given antibiotics to prevent illnesses that flourish in such crowded conditions, raising concerns about antibiotic-resistant bacteria and residues of the antibiotics in the meat. But there are options for red meat eaters who are concerned about the planet.

- Grass-fed beef is raised on the natural diet of the bovine: namely, grass. Grass-fed beef is leaner and more healthful than conventional beef. In a way, you are eating the plants that the cattle eat when you consume grass-fed beef; it is high in vitamins E and C, and, like the grass, it has Omega-3s. Generally, farmers who raise grass-fed cattle do so without the use of antibiotics or hormones, but there are no strict guidelines or regulations that define “grass-fed” and all it encompasses as yet.

-Organic beef may or may not be grass-fed, but a farmer who labels his beef “organic” must meet strict criteria and follow exacting standards. Organic beef, though without hormones or antibiotics, is usually fed a diet of organic corn and grains. While it is good that the grains are organic, such a diet still makes the meat less nutritious than grass-fed beef.

-Free-range beef may be organic or grass-fed or both, but it is not necessarily either. The term “free range” simply denotes a certain amount of access to the outdoors allotted to each animal for a certain amount of time each day. Still, it is a more eco-conscious choice than conventional beef since the animals are not raised in feed lots.

-Bison, or buffalo, are a natural form of grass-fed beef that has been available for centuries. It has many of the same health benefits as grass-fed cattle.

2. Poultry

Chicken and turkey also come in “free range” and “organic” varieties. It can be difficult to sort through the labels, since there is little regulation regarding claims such as “all natural” or “free range.” For chicken to be labeled “organic,” however, strict standards must be met. Thus, it’s probably the most eco-friendly choice to go with organic chicken.

3. Fish

Concerns about mercury content and PCB contamination have made some people leery of fish, but its many health benefits make this food worth pursuing. Some fish varieties are more eco-conscious (and thus healthful) than others. The Environmental Defense Fund has a website that lists fish in order of possible contaminates. The EDF site also has detailed information about farm-raised fish versus wild-caught, and which one is the most eco-conscious for which species.

4. Buy locally where possible

Purchasing your meat from a local farmer pretty much guarantees it is not the product of a mass-production process or feed lot. Buying locally also means less gas was used to transport the animal(s) from farm to table. And finally, when you buy local meat you can speak directly to the farmer about his or her practices.

It is certainly possible to keep eating meat and be eco-conscious.

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1. Gentle birth
AP advocates believe that attachment begins at birth – actually, before birth. Attachment parenting begins with research about birth, infant development, and as much information about how the process works as possible. AP parents try for a natural birth, with emphasis on the mother-infant bond.

2. Breastfeeding
This is one of the key components to AP. It is one of the major means by which an attached baby gets his needs met – nutritionally, emotionally, and physically. AP parents do not feed their babies on a schedule, but nurse their infants as the need arises. The benefits of this breastfeeding relationship are not just for the baby; the mother benefits greatly from the “happy hormones” secreted during breastfeeding, and from the knowledge that she is doing much to enhance her baby’s development.

3. Responsiveness
AP parents do not believe that a baby is manipulative or that a baby can be “spoiled.” On the contrary, the AP mindset is one of responsiveness to the infant, responding to cries by meeting needs. Babies can’t talk, so crying is their only way to communicate a stress, need, or discomfort.

4. Closeness
It has been discovered among babies in orphanages that those who are not touched fail to thrive or even die. Touch is incredibly important for a baby’s development, and AP embraces that concept to the fullest, advocating keeping the baby nearby at night and in a sling during the day.

Co-sleeping, or sharing sleeping space, is part of the goal of closeness among AP parents. A baby’s night-time needs are most easily met when the baby is close by. This is a lot easier on the mother, too.

AP parents believe that forming strong attachments in infancy will give children a sense of security and set the stage for lasting, strong relationships later in life. The basic idea is that an attached child will learn to trust his parents and will therefore develop a sense of security. AP advocates claim that attached children are confident and socially adept, and are able to form strong relationships of their own. That is the basic goal of AP – relationships.

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