Archive for the ‘Health’ Category
September 1st, 2010
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A bunch of folks in Charlotte, including me, are starting a challenge today. We’re trying to drink more water. A lot more water! It’s called 60 in 60. It starts today and you can get all the info here at NoFizzCLT (@NoFizzCLT). In a nut shell, they’re asking us to drink 60 ounces of water every day for the next 60 days.
This started in May when personal trainer Bobby DeMuro (@bodemuro) asked people around here to give up soda for 30 days. I spoke to him for Health Headlines: The Show and he said the response was so good that he’d do more. So here’s the latest challenge.
A bunch of folks in Charlotte, including me, are starting a challenge today. We’re trying to drink more water. A lot more water! It’s called 60 in 60. It starts today and you can get all the info here at NoFizzCLT (@NoFizzCLT). In a nut shell, they’re asking us to drink 60 ounces of water every day for the next 60 days.
This started in May when personal trainer Bobby DeMuro (@bodemuro) asked people around here to give up soda for 30 days. I spoke to him for Health Headlines: The Show and he said the response was so good that he’d do more. So here’s the latest challenge.
Calling all foodies, a new healthy eating option is opening in South End this week!
Luna’s Living Kitchen is a new, local restaurant serving a variety of vegetarian, vegan or raw food meals, treats and drinks. Located next to the Atherton Mills Farmer’s Market, Luna’s prides itself on using nothing but the finest organic and local ingredients. Luna’s serves healthy entrees, salads, desserts, smoothies and juices six days a week and should definitely appeal to the hugely growing market interested in healthy, organic and local food.
Luna’s is the brainchild of local restaurateurs, Juliana Luna, Randy Powell and Andy Thewlis. For Luna especially, opening “Luna’s” is extension of what she wants to do as far as educating people about making healthy food choices. Says Luna:
“I think that food is one of the first needs of all human beings and if you provide your community with proper food and nutrition, you can do a lot of (good) work… this is what I’m trying to do here.”
Luna’s menu is different from most eateries, because it’s menu is all vegetarian, vegan or “raw”. Raw food especially is a new concept for many. Raw foodists believe that food is best uncooked and unprocessed, and by eating food in it’s purest form, you can get the most possible nutrients out of it. While the lifestyle isn’t much of secret to those who frequent local farmers markets or health food stores, it’s still a foreign concept to most Charlotteans. That is something Luna’s hopes to change soon. Luna’s wants to welcome to raw foodies, vegans/vegetarians and non-vegans/vegetarians alike.
Some of the specialties on the menu include the Lunasagna (a raw version of lasagna made with zucchini noodles, sun-dried tomato sauce and green cashew cheese) and the Sprouted Quinoa-Kamut Veggie Burger. They even make their own raw granola (which is no surprise, since much of the food is produced on-site or comes from local producers.) Luna’s serves a variety of juices, drinks and smoothies. Including their own home-brewed kombucha tea, a drink which has developed quite a cult following nationwide, and just recently locally for its health benefits.
In fact, local health gurus should be already familiar with the faces behind the counter. Luna, Powell & Thewlis used to work at Real Food Charlotte, another restaurant which served healthy, vegetarian and vegan cuisine before it closed unexpectedly last year. Instead of letting it keep her down, Luna is hoping to use her Real Food Charlotte experience as a springboard for better things with “Luna’s.” To her, food is like art. And she hopes to spread that knowledge to her customers. “I have a passion for food, and especially everything related to educating people through food.”
In addition to making great food, Luna’s wants to be a one-stop shop for healthy living. Luna’s has set up a library full of books on vegetarianism, veganism, raw food, yoga, holistic living and more. Also, there are plans in the work to host health lectures twice a month with local health experts. Eating at Luna’s is also good for the environment and the local community. The restaurant does in-store recycling and composting, and all their plates, cups and utensils are biodegradable. In addition, the art and store fixtures were produced by local artists and craftspeople.
Luna’s is located at 2102 South Blvd, Suite 15o in the Atherton Mills Complex, between the Atherton Mills Farmer’s Market and Evolution Gym. They’re open Monday through Thursday, 11am – 7pm; and Friday through Saturday, 8am – 3pm (closed Sunday).
phone: 704-333-0008
Website: http://lunaslivingkitchen.com
Facebook: Luna’s Living Kitchen Facebook Page
Twitter: @lunaskitchen
Posted in City, Feature, Health, Retail, South End, raw, raw foodism, restaurant, vegan, veganism, vegetarian
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Meghann Gunderman is about to go on the ride of her life. On this Friday, July 16, she and a group of 35 will embark on RIDETZ, a 10 day, 400 mile mountain biking trek, from the base of Mt Kilimanjaro across Tanzania to the Indian Ocean.
“This is a stunningly diverse adventure tracing the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro down the slave routes, into the ancient Usambara Mountains and finally to the coastal town of Pangani, the gateway to the ancient routes. This challenge will test the riders physical limits as well as give each rider a first hand experience of TFFT’s work and how education can directly benefit Tanzanian communities.”
The ride is a fundraising effort organized by The Foundation For Tomorrow (TFFT), a US 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that provides scholarships for African orphans to attend boarding school in their home countries. Money raised will pay for tuition, uniforms, books, housing and doctors’ appointments at boarding schools. Currently, the foundation sponsors 71 children as well as supporting eight orphanages.
Queen City Roots
Meghann grew up in Charlotte, an avid runner, and enjoyed the opportunities presented by quality education and travel. She studied International Relations and Human Geography (Development Studies) at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland and spent three summers researching and working in an orphanage in northern Tanzania. While still in college, she raised tens of thousands of dollars to enhance the orphanage’s barest facilities, helping to deliver a range of essentials so often taken for granted in the developed world: a washing machine, a power generator and even a water filter, to provide something as simple as safe drinking water for the orphanage’s children and staff.
- Every 14 seconds a child is orphaned from AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa. changethroughchildren.aed.org
- Young people who have completed primary education are less than half as likely to contract HIV as those missing an education. (OXFAM)
- Only half of Africa’s children will complete primary school and one in six will die before their fifth birthday. makepovertyhistory.org
- Universal primary education throughout the world would prevent 700,000 cases of HIV each year, almost 30% of all new infections in this age group. infoforhealth.org
- Providing universal primary education would cost just $10 billion a year. makepovertyhistory.org
In 2006 she turned her passion into a career, and founded TFFT. Today, she serves as the foundation’s executive director, and is a key liaison with many of the individual sponsors and potential donors. Other TFFT fundraising initiatives include annual gala events in Charlotte and New York City.
Corporate sponsors have provided funding and a variety of equipment to outfit the riders for their trip. A camera crew will accompany them on their journey, to document their travels and help share the experience, and the TFFT’s work, with the world.
You can follow the adventure on various social media channels:
Get updates from the staff in Africa, and the riders, on the RIDETZ Facebook page, and The Foundation for Tomorrow’s blog, Facebook page and website. You can also follow their Twitter updates at @RIDETZ and @TFFTAFRICA.
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As a veteran and an animal lover, nothing warms my heart like seeing my two passions combined. That’s why I’m so excited about the new non-profit in Charlotte that helps match pets in need of homes with veterans in need of companionship. Called Hounds4Heroes, founders Jennifer Bennett and Hilary Walls started the nonprofit in 2010 after reading an article about how companion animals help veterans recently returned from combat.
“My dad served in Vietnam as a medic and returned with PTSD,” said Bennett. “I sympathize with his suffering because I have General Anxiety Disorder and Panic Disorder. My dogs help me when I’m having a very hard time, by just allowing me to snuggle up to them or taking them for a walk. Hounds4Heroes gives me an opportunity to help both veterans like my dad and animals in need. I believe it is my life’s purpose.”
Hounds4Heroes made their first match on May 28, 2010 – right before the start of the Memorial Day weekend. Partnering with the Charlotte Vet Center, an outpatient counseling center, Hounds4Heroes identified Dewey Friday as a good candidate for a companion animal. An Army Vietnam Veteran, Friday attends the Vet Center weekly for individual and group therapy. Friday was matched with Sissy, a six-year-old Feist from Project Halo, one of Charlotte’s largest pet rescue organizations.
Loretta Deaton, a team leader with the Charlotte Vet Center believes the work Hounds4Heroes does will help veterans better adjust to civilian life and deal with their experiences from active duty. “I have witnessed first-hand the effect that dogs have on the mental health of our veterans,” said Deaton. “By permanently placing companion animals, I believe Hounds4Heroes is positively contributing to our veterans’ on-going readjustment.”
Hounds4Heroes hopes to be a resource for veterans in Charlotte who are dealing with the emotional effects of serving our country. They are also working on programs for the VA hospitals in Salisbury and Fayetteville. They are currently looking for another veteran to place an animal with. Hounds4Heroes would especially like to help someone who has served in either Iraq or Afghanistan. According to Bennett, “We have lots of dogs, funding and programs in place, but we need more veterans who wants animals.”
If you’d like to find out more about Hounds4Heroes and what they do, you can meet them at the Red, White and Boom event in Uptown on July 4th and at the God Bless America Day celebration at Parkwood Baptist Church in Concord.