We’ve been talking about the health and environmental effects of our heavy reliance on soy in processed foods, in our diets, and for use in biofuels. But not all soy is bad. It has been enjoyed healthfully in moderation in Asian cuisines for a long time. Two weeks ago we provided a recipe for tofu lettuce wraps. Here’s another healthy take on soy – this time, miso.

Miso is a traditional soy product made by fermenting soybeans with a grain – usually rice or barley. It contains beneficial bacteria, making …

Here’s a whole new kind of scam – pretending to be exposing an animal rights outrage. As greenUPGRADER reports, the “Human Society Of America” (there’s no such organization) claims to have exposed the appalling use of kittens are shark-bait (not true) and are asking for donations to give to animal rights groups (who know nothing of these events). Bless.

At last! A use for discarded banana peel – shoe polish. (A much nicer alternative to …

Our national innocence regarding the safety of our food supply is fast eroding. From salmonella in tomatoes and peanut butter, to E. coli in spinach, how can we trust that the food we eat is safe and the government we pay taxes to is paying attention?

Two recent examples: Last fall, Mother Jones broke the story that canned tuna contains dangerous levels of mercury and that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) knew this when it left canned tuna off the seafood advisories it released in …

When I was 21, I used to think that the definition of a proper grownup was someone who took their dry-clean-only clothes to the dry cleaner. I now know otherwise.

Under U.S. law, manufacturers can only label an item of clothing “dry-clean only” if they have evidence that it would be damaged by washing.

I have to say, my experience is different. The washing machine is fine for most of my clothes, even though many of them say “dry-clean only”. Delicate clothes such as silks, satins and woolens require …

My grandest fantasy as a young girl included leading a life like Chris Evert or Gabriella Sabatini, which for an 8-year-old mostly meant wearing cute tennis skirts and being on TV. Although I have a great tennis game today (if I do say so myself), playing pro quickly lost its allure as my life took its creative twists and turns.

One of those turns found me thinking about opening a small store in my hometown, filled with luxurious handmade, artsy and hard to find stuff. Then the online shopping trend …

Princess Isabella of Spain outlawed slavery in Brazil on May 13, 1888. And that would seem to be that. But it’s not. Raj Patel, in his book Stuffed and Starved, writes that there are somewhere between 25,000 and 50,000 people enslaved in Brazil.

Though sugarcane and cattle ranches are known culprits, slavery happens on soy plantations, too. In 2003, the last year for which figures are cited, 4,932 slaves were freed from farms in Brazil – and that’s just the farms that were inspected.

As we saw …

Trend or not, I always look at clothes in terms of how they’re going to work for me”¦year-round. So should you.

In this way, you can keep your wardrobe in check with quality pieces and be set up sustainably for fashion success (remember, waste not, want not).

One of the easiest things to wear is a dress thanks

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Yes nuts are tasty, can be salty, are often found in small decorative dishes at cocktail parties, and have a bad rap for being high in fat and calories. But did you know that they’re also packed with protein, Omega 3 fatty acids, and may even stave off breast cancer?

Here’s a quiz that was compiled by The American Institute for Cancer Research (and edited by me for clarity). See how you do, but more important, see what you learn.

The Nut of It: An

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