Explain Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability

Lifestyle of Health and Sustainability is a term used to describe an economic market segment. These individuals "conscious consumers" purchase products from companies who have a higher standard of conducting business than typical fraudulent corporations. "Green business" or "Sustainable business" practices align environmental conversation with their profit margin success. The softer side of capitalism caters to those seeking products that support their "sustainable or natural living" lifestyle. This marketplace includes goods and services from the following categories:

• Sustainable Economy - renewable energy, socially responsible investing, green building
• Healthy Lifestyles - natural, organics, dietary supplements, personal care
• Ecological Lifestyles - environmentally friendly appliances, eco-tourism and travel
• Alternative Healthcare - health and wellness solutions, holistic health, complementary medicine
• Personal Development - mind, body, spirit product, yoga, fitness, weight loss  

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Why is sustainability and health important for the future?

The relationship between sustainability and health has gained popularity as the negative consequences of an industrial fossil fuel based economy are being realized. Global warming, pollution, clear cutting of trees, toxic run off from factory farms just to name a few, has been linked to the high incidence of certain diseases that were uncommon fifty years ago. The health of people and the planet is on a fast paced trajectory for self-destruction. Collectively, we are just beginning to pay the price of technological advances of a modern society. For the first time in history the current generation will have a shorter life expectancy than their parents in part due to more TV and computer time, little to no exercise and the explosion of convenience foods. Factories that make television and computers are polluting the air and the water of earth. We are in the midst of an environmental and health crisis of epic proportions never seen before. Embracing sustainability will pave the way to a healthier future for all.

How is sustainable farming related to meat safety?

Meat from pasture-raised animals is lower in calories and "bad" omega-6 fats and contains more of the "good" omega-3 and CLA fats that help fight disease and promote good health.
(source: "This Steer's Life" The New York Times,2002)

It has been proven cattle raised in a sustainable manner, that have room to roam and graze in the pasture and are not confined are actually healthier for you to eat. The method in which beef is raised as well as the processing of the meat is essential to meat safety and producing a high-grade product. Large-scale agricultural confined animal feeding operations (CAFO) mass-produce cattle and are breeding ground for germs, disease, and food borne illness. In this case bigger is not better. Raising and processing meat is a delicate, and better executed in an intimate setting.

What is the difference between natural and organic when referring to food and products?

The difference lies in how the term is used to label food and products. To display the USDA green and white organic label the food or product must meet the federal government's stringent guidelines. The standards made by the feds are intended to ensure and regulate specific growing and processing procedures are met during the production phase of a product. "All natural" is a figure of speech, anyone can claim that their product is "natural", there is no way for the customer to be certain if indeed the product is as "natural" as it claims to be.

Why is important to read labels on skin care products?

One of every 24 women, 4.3 million women altogether, are exposed daily to personal care product ingredients that are known or probable reproductive and developmental toxins, linked to impaired fertility or developmental harm for a baby in the womb or a child. These statistics do not account for exposures to phthalates that testing shows appear in an estimated three quarters of all personal care products but that, as components of fragrance, are not listed on product ingredient labels (EWG et al. 2002).

Just imagine what the unknown developmental consequences could be to an infant or small child with many years of growing still left to do? Toxins collect in fat cells and babies have a high percentage of fatty tissue that makes them extraordinarily susceptible to the effects of dangerous man made substances.