Connecticut Green Living

Source: CandyStore.com Easter is a really big candy holiday. Did you know more is spent on candy for Easter historically than for Halloween? According to Candy Store, who is always kind enough to send me this data every year (along with images that make me want to eat my laptop screen), The National Retail Federation says Easter candy spending was $2.49 Billion this year. That's down slightly from last year’s $2.63B, which may be due to the Coronavirus outbreak though it's not clear that's the case. However, of the people who do not plan to celebrate Easter, 33% will still buy Easter candy. Yes! This is a really fun list because there's a chocolate cross - yes, you heard that right - and yes, someone manufactures them. Easter Candy Quick Facts: - Among those who celebrate Easter, 87% plan on buying Easter candy - For those who don’t celebrate Easter, 33% plan on buying Easter candy - People will spend about $21 on average - 90 Million chocolate Easter bunn...

Halloween is here! In my day, we fashioned hand-sewn costumes and reused our uncle's Army jackets or grandma's wig. It was the '70s and recycling was all the rage. Then came the 80s and all bets were off. America kept abusing the planet, including at its holidays, with reams of wasted wrapping paper and ribbons piling up in our livingrooms like non-green monsters. We can do better. Here are some tips, courtesy of ECOlunchboxes of Northern California: Make Your Own Decorations Consider using upcycled and recycled items for decorating, and definitely avoid that nasty “spiderweb” plastic people spread all over their bushes! Create paper cut-outs to decorate windows (which can be stored flat and saved for next year). Cover formed chicken wire with cheesecloth to create floating ghosts in the yard. Party Like a Zero Waste Rockstar Use non-breakable, kid-and-planet friendly items such as stainless-steel camping trays in lieu of paper or plastic plates, cups and utensils....

The following article by the author first appeared on Examiner.com June 15, 2016 Well, I made it - seven days without sugar ... sort of. Let's say I gave up 90 percent of the sugar I was consuming. That's an A- by any measure. I gave up donuts, cookies, ice cream, even dried creamer in my coffee; plus, I felt weird putting Splenda, a sugar substitute, in my joe. I did use some honey. But mainly, I swapped out natural substitutes such as vanilla or cinnamon for a kick. I feel terrific! I am still waking up every morning with an ache in my mouth (bone spur following extraction) but I feel lighter - which I hope proves true when I go get my annual physical Tuesday. Point to make: I felt eager to book the physical because I am anxious to step on the doctor's scale. The United States Food and Drug Administration states in "How Sweet It Is: All About Sugar Substitutes" that there are five sugar substitutes: Newtame (relatively new), Equal, Sweet 'n Low, Swe...

This article originally ran on June 12, 2016 on Examiner.com. Today was a sad day following the news from Orlando. But I did try to maintain a sugarfree diet, eating an orange, low fat Swiss cheese, air popped popcorn, and a peach. However, after watching the news, the urge to eat some of those hidden shortbread cookies became overpowering. I ate three. The connection between emotions and sugar addiction cannot be underestimated. As children, we're given a lollipop at the doctor for good behavior; chocolate bunnies at Easter; advent calendars with chocolate behind each window at Christmas. Parents who packed their children a healthful lunch were often ridiculed, as I remember. My own mother strived to keep my brother and I on track, but single, working moms can only do so much. Who doesn't remember emptying a pillow case of Halloween candy and chomping on it all night? We have a real obesity problem in this country. I'm not obese, but I understand the impulse to eat...

The following lightly edited article was originally published by the author on Examiner.com, June 9, 2016 Today is day two of my " Seven Days Without Sugar Challenge " and so far, it's about as hard as I thought it would be. First, full disclosure - because I was unable to get to the store yesterday, I had to eat what I had on hand. I put cookies and candy far away, but unfortunately, that still left some sugary-filled items such as processed rice and chips. However, I did avoid cereal, didn't add powdered cream or sugar to my coffee, no sweets, and no bread. My consumption yesterday included two packets of Justin's almond butter and an apple; air-popped popcorn in sea salt and oil, adding balsamic vinegar and olive oil to some of it; a banana; an orange; coffee with vanilla (the extract) and cinnamon as needed; plain Earl Grey tea; and then...a packet of red beans and rice, sugar in the package! My favorite can of Petit Pois peas - sugar included!! I want t...

The following lightly edited article was originally published by the author on Examiner.com, June 8, 2016 Quitting smoking is a terribly difficult challenge. This writer tried in the eighties, only to resume the nasty habit in the mid-nineties. But eventually, it was mind over matter, and I quit in three days (smoking fewer and fewer cigs each day) in 2008. If only giving up sugar were that easy! Here in the US, refined sugar is in everything from spaghetti sauce to "healthy" breakfast cereals and bars. Fruit juice is one of the biggest culprits, with more per average serving than in many candy bars. The only way to really avoid juice sugar is to juice the fruit (or vegetables) yourself. Nevertheless, I'm taking on what I've coined the "No Sugar for Seven Days Challenge" and implore my readers to follow suit. Whether our motivation is losing weight, setting a good example for our kids or, in my case, stopping constant cavities and other dental woes, ...