HEALTH
Green your body, mind
The whole point of living green is good health -- for ourselves and our planet. Luckily, it turns out that if we alter our health regimens to help Mother Earth, we'll benefit, too. Here's what you can do.

Cut back on processed foods.
Good for the environment: "Processed food consumes an enormous amount of energy," says Michael Pollan, author of "The Omnivore's Dilemma." "A lot of it is already cooked, and it gets cooked again if you heat it up," using even more energy.
Good for you: A healthier diet. Processed foods often include hydrogenated oils, which contain bad-for-you trans fats. Plus, notes Pollan: "No one adds high-fructose corn syrup in the home kitchen."

Buy eco-friendly cosmetics.
Good for the environment: Organic makeup is only part of it; consider the packaging, too. Some containers are designed to degrade, like Cargo's PlantLove lipstick tubes, which are made of corn. And the boxes they come in are infused with seeds; plant them and they'll grow.
Good for you: Your trash becomes treasure. Take Terralina's face cream. "It comes with a candle to put in the jar after you're done with the cream," says fan Jen Boulden, co-founder of eco-lifestyle site IdealBite.com.

Pick the right sunscreen.
Good for the environment: Unlike some high SPF sunscreens, all titanium dioxide and zinc oxide sunblocks will protect against UVA radiation. "And they leave no trace on the environment," says Wendy Gordon, general manager of National Geographic's "The Green Guide."
Good for you: Other sunscreens often are absorbed into your bloodstream, but these won't be.

Buy a wool mattress.
Good for the environment: All mattresses in the USA must be flame-retardant. "However, fire-retardant chemicals impart health risks of their own," Gordon says. "Consumers can opt for a chemical-free wool mattress," because wool is naturally fire-retardant. Many wool mattresses are stuffed with natural latex, a rubber-tree product that can be sustainably manufactured.
Good for you: You'll breathe chemical-free air as you sleep.

Don't microwave food in plastic.
Good for the environment: "Every plastic thing you buy starts as oil and never degrades," Gordon says.
Good for you: The Food and Drug Administration says heating plastic releases some chemicals, but it's "well within the margins of safety." But some observers, such as Thomas Kostigen, co-author of "The Green Book," think that any amount is too much. Use glass containers instead.

Jog in eco-friendly running shoes.
Good for the environment: Some shoe companies are going green. Brooks' midsoles, for example, are molded rather than cut, wasting less material. And some Brooks shoes use high-performance rubber made of sand instead of petroleum. Nike's Reuse-a-Shoe program recycles old kicks into basketball courts or other athletic surfaces.
Good for you: Brooks' high-performance rubber is longer lasting and has great grip.

Eat local honey.
Good for the environment: "Users of local honey support small farmers and their own natural environment," says garden writer Thomas Ogren.
Good for you: It might boost your immune system. "It works like allergy shots," claims Ogren, who says that honey collected by nearby bees can help you build up a resistance to allergens in your neck of the woods.

Use powder detergents.
Good for the environment: "Laundry liquids contain 70% to 80% water," Gordon says. Even concentrates contain some water. "It costs energy and packaging to bring this water to the consumer, which is unnecessary when your machine adds it."
Good for you: Powder is more effective at cleaning clothes, Gordon says.