Secret Southern Couture: EcoRico-ize yourself and your kids with a little help from a mother and eco-lifestyle expert   

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

EcoRico-ize yourself and your kids with a little help from a mother and eco-lifestyle expert

“Spring is a time to renew inside and out,” says Giselle Achecar, the Puerto Rican-born, Ivy league-educated eco lifestyle expert and founder of Eco-Rico.com and EcoRico TV. “ My5 quick tips will spring-clean your body, kitchen, closet, home and health in a simple, fun and sexy way with Latin flava!”

For your body, Achecar created two eco-licious recipes: an Arugula, Spinach, Pear, Blue Stilton and Caramelized Pecan Salad and an Avocado-Mango Salsa. Arugula is loaded with chlorophyll, a blood cleanser. One cup of spinach contains 200% of the RDA for Vitamin K, essential for bone health. Avocado leads all fruits in beta-carotene, and mango’s Vitamin E stimulates your sex drive! You’ll find these recipes at www.eco-rico.com/recipes.
 
For the kitchen, Achecar recommends dumping “the Dirty Dozen”. The Environmental Working Group found the twelve fruits and vegetables with the most pesticide residue in 2010 include celery, peaches, nectarines, apples, potatoes, blueberries, kale, spinach, cherries, pears and imported grapes. Achecar’s rule of thumb? “If it has a thin skin or no skin, buy it organic.”

For the closet, donate what you don’t want and replace with clothes made from organic cotton. This eco expert explains: “Cotton production uses 16% of the world's insecticides, more than any other crop. The EPA classified 7 of the top 15 pesticides used on cotton in the USA as ‘possible,’ ‘likely,’ ‘probable,’ or ‘known’ human carcinogens.” Why clean your insides, then dirty your outsides?
For the home, use earth-friendly cleaners. The chlorine bleach and ammonia in cleaning products produce fumes that irritate the eyes, nose, throat and lungs. According to Achecar, the most toxic are drain, oven and toilet bowl cleaners. Non-toxic, earth-friendly cleaners reduce airborne respiratory irritants. Achecar’s favorite brands? Seventh Generation and Method. She adds, “Saving on out-of-pocket health care costs makes up for minimal up-front costs.”

For your health, “crank up the tunes and dance,” advises Achecar. Dance is great for the heart, lungs and muscular strength. It oxygenates the body, improves spatial awareness and one’s sense of well-being. “Even Lulu, my dog, dances in the EcoRico kitchen!”


EcoRico celebrates spring with two sweepstakes. To register, visit www.eco-rico.com/sweepstakes. Winners will be announced on Achecar’s blog on April 30.
The first sweepstakes winner receives:
  • a White Rose Messenger bag from Rebagz, a company pairing smart style with sustainability;
  • Erin Huggin’s Sugar Smackdown 21-Day Sugar Detox;
  • 3 Pilates DVDs from Pilates Superstar Ana Cabán;
  • Eat Cleaner wipes which remove pesticide residue from food.
The second winner, a Los Angeles-based EcoRico fan, wins a $100 gift certificate for a locally grown, organic bouquet from Wisteria Lane Flower Shop.

For recipes, sweepstakes rules or to watch EcoRico TV, visit www.eco-rico.com.

Press Release and information provided by Jade Calder