Can What You Eat Affect the Health of the Planet?

Healthy Planet Diet
Healthy Planet Diet

Many people eat vegan or vegetarian diets to help the environment, but going totally animal free isn’t necessary, according to this new study. Red meat and pork are strongly limited, but seafood, poultry, and dairy can be enjoyed in moderation.

Dr. Roni Neff, an assistant professor of environmental health and engineering at John Hopkins Center for a Livable Future (CLF), suggests to seek out sustainable produced options when consuming red meat, eating fresh produce in season, consuming organic and local foods, and eating less processed foods are ways to reduce the environmental impact of the foods we eat.

For more information on eating for a healthy planet, check out this article from our Gale Health and Wellness database. The Vegetarian Flavor Bible, an essential guide to culinary creativity with vegetables, fruits, legumes, grains, nuts, seeds and more can help you cultivate a healthier way of eating for the planet and is found in our catalog!

Submitted by: Deirdre Morrow, Librarian
Elsie Quirk Library

Red Tide

Red Tide
Red Tide

Did you hear about the Red Tide “all clear” on SNN News Network and on Channel 7?

According to Research in Context, Red tide is the term used for a reddish-brown discoloration seen in ocean, river, or lake water. This rusty-red discoloration is caused by an exploding population (known as a bloom) of tiny single-celled microorganisms, especially dinoflagellates. The blue-green algae blooms that fouled South Florida waterways and the red tide that spread along the state’s coasts in the last year have shown the consequences of such negligence.

Red tide was still heavy in some areas as recently as Jan. 4, 2019 according to ABC Action News.

If you are in the library you can read back issues of the Sarasota Herald online or anywhere using NewsBank with your library card. Blood tide / by Wayne Barcomb is a fiction book about red tide available in our catalog. Check out these other titles as well!

Submitted by: Victor Lorand, Librarian
Elsie Quirk Library

Can a Mediterranean Diet Prevent Heart Disease?

Mediterranean Diet
Mediterranean Diet

Did you hear about how a Mediterranean Diet can help to prevent heart disease?

February is National Heart Health Month. According to the American Heart Association, heart disease and stroke are the leading killers of both men and women and America. It has been recently reported that heart disease is on the rise particularly among women. But there are several things you can do to prevent heart disease: eat right, exercise, don’t smoke. A person’s lifestyle plays a huge role in reducing their risk.

For more information on heart disease and healthy living, why not check out the library’s database Health and Wellness Resource Center to find many articles on refining your diet, getting more exercise, and improving your overall health.

Find a list of books in our catalog that will get you going in the right direction. Find additional inspiration on the go by downloading Flipster to access popular digital health and fitness magazines such as Prevention, Eating Well and Health!  

Submitted by: Deirdre Morrow, Librarian
Elsie Quirk Library

“New Organic Grower” 30th Anniversary Edition

New Organic Grower
New Organic Grower

Did you hear about Eliot Coleman’s 30th anniversary edition of his “The New Organic Grower” – in which he introduces to American gardeners the European soil block concept?

A back- to- the- lander in 1968, in Cape Rossier, Maine- neighbor to the Nearings of “Living the Good Life” book fame…eventually also neighbor to Jean Hay Bright (Meanwhile, Next Door to the Good Life)… Coleman’s daughter, Melissa also wrote a memoir (“This Life is in Your Hands”).

It is interesting that all 3 (+1, Coleman’s daughter) wrote books and that both Coleman and Bright divorced while trying to make a go of farming/market gardening in Maine.

Coleman’s daughter also recently published “The Minimalist Kitchen“- she now lives with her child psychologist husband, and 5 year old daughter in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Submitted by: Victor Lorand, Librarian
Elsie Quirk Library