Top Air Filter Plants

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According to this study by NASA, these air filtering plants remove 90% of formaldehyde, benzene and trichloroethylene within 24 hours. Studies show that just one 6ft houseplant per 100 square feet of living area will be enough to filter out pollutants. The plants filter the air by breaking down indoor pollutants and absorbing the chemicals through their leaves. The bacteria in the roots of the plants help break down contaminants which are then turned into nutrients. Magic! See? Plants are our friends. See how much we need them to survive?

Check out an extended list of air filtering plants and what they filter out.

Be sure to bookmark this post for reference and take it to your local plant store to grab some seeds or a whole plant!


photo cred; www.goinghometoroost.com

Benefits of having plants in your home;

• Fight colds: indoor plants have been shown to reduce cold-related illnesses by more than 30% due to them increasing the humidity levels and decreasing dust. Eucalyptus (found in plants) can help clear phlegm and congestion from your system.
• Decreased blood pressure: people with plants in their homes have less stress, which directly contributes to a lower blood pressure. Studies have shown that patients who face a garden view in their hospital rooms often recover more quickly than those facing a wall.
• Healing properties: some indoor plants, like aloe, can be applied to skin and offer pain relief.
• Allergy prevention: exposing children to plants early in life can help them build a tolerance and immunity to that allergen.

What's In Your Seafood?

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photo credit: scienceblogs.com


While on my journey to becoming a complete vegetarian, I am sort of wading at pescetarian (seafood only diet when it comes to eating meat). I have no problems with that due to the fact that I absolutely love seafood. However, I did become aware of the unfortunate mercury levels in the sea animals due to pollution of in the oceans. Therefore, I took to NRDC to help figure out which animals have the most mercury and which I should probably stay away from. Also, I was also concerned about the endangered species in the ocean from overfishing. Luckily, this list indicates which spieces are endangered as well which is good to know as well. I was completely heartbroken to find that my treasured salmon is endangered!


Seafood Mercury Levels
* Fish in Trouble! These fish are perilously low in numbers or are caught using environmentally destructive methods.
** Farmed Salmon may contain PCB's, chemicals with serious long-term health effects.

LEAST MERCURY
Enjoy these fish:
• Anchovies
• Butterfish
• Catfish
• Clam
• Crab (Domestic)
• Crawfish/Crayfish
• Croaker (Atlantic)
• Flounder*
• Haddock (Atlantic)*
• Hake
• Herring
• Mackerel (N. Atlantic, Chub)
• Mullet
• Oyster
• Perch (Ocean)
• Plaice
• Pollock
• Salmon (Canned)**
• Salmon (Fresh)**
• Sardine
• Scallop*
• Shad (American)
• Shrimp*
• Sole (Pacific)
• Squid (Calamari)
• Tilapia
• Trout (Freshwater)
• Whitefish
• Whiting

MODERATE MERCURY
Eat six servings or less per month:
• Bass (Striped, Black)
• Carp
• Cod (Alaskan)*
• Croaker (White Pacific)
• Halibut (Atlantic)*
• Halibut (Pacific)
• Jacksmelt
• (Silverside)
• Lobster
• Mahi Mahi
• Monkfish*
• Perch (Freshwater)
• Sablefish
• Skate*
• Snapper*
• Tuna (Canned
• chunk light)
• Tuna (Skipjack)*
• Weakfish (Sea Trout)

HIGH MERCURY
Eat three servings or less per month:
• Bluefish
• Grouper*
• Mackerel (Spanish, Gulf)
• Sea Bass (Chilean)*
• Tuna (Canned Albacore)
• Tuna (Yellowfin)*

HIGHEST MERCURY
Avoid eating:
• Mackerel (King)
• Marlin*
• Orange Roughy*
• Shark*
• Swordfish*
• Tilefish*
• Tuna (Bigeye, Ahi)*

I hope this helps! Please be conscious of what you're ingesting. When in doubt, you could always bookmark this page and use it as a reference when food shopping or when you are out to eat at your favorite restaurant!



photo credit: www.ariaprene.com