As you well know, the lean and trim Matthew McConaughey is easily spotted in public doing his daily workouts.  Be it while at work in Los Angeles or on the beach during a holiday Matthew is adamant about keeping fit and exercising on a regular basis.  He’s well known for his running, yoga and calisthenics on the beach but he’s also gaining a reputation for his eco-friendly lifestyle and support for organic foods. 

It seems that now the McConaughey family is also following the organic diet as reported by Ok! Magazine.  He and girlfriend Camila Alves have passed on their carbon-friendly footprints to their son, Levi.  Seven-month-old Levi is now on an all-organic diet with the help of Plum Organics line of baby food and according to sources Levi is partial to the flavors Mango Muesli and Pumpkin Banana.  It seems that Camila is also being careful as she tries to lose the last of her baby-weight from the pregnancy,

“Camila is more conscious than ever of what she’s putting in her body to help her lose the baby weight,” a pal of Matt and his gal of two years explains to OK!.

Hats off to the parents for starting a healthy plan for their son at such a young age.  It’s never too early nor too late to start eating right and also doing something to help the environment.

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Isn’t it amazing that the former supermodel Christie Brinkley is 55 years old and she still looks perfect? It’s obvious that Christie still gets to the gym and takes care of herself, but what a lot of you may not know is that she has a penchant for organic vegetables and has her own vegetable garden. Here’s a sample day-in-the-life veggie-rich eating plan for Christie provided by Ok! Magazine:

Breakfast

4oz cup Activia (yogurt) = 110 calories

1 cup mixed berries = 70 calories

1 tablespoon ground flaxseed = 37 calories

1 cup coffee = 45 calories

2 tablespoons of light cream = 90 calories

Lunch

Half an avocado = 80 calories

Half a cup garbanzo beans = 90 calories

2 cups mixed greens = 60 calories

Dinner

6 ounces salmon = 300 calories

4 ounces steamed vegetables = 40 calories

These three meals are quite nutritious and there is evidence of calcium, protein and fruits and veggies but that’s only 922 calories a day! According to the Ok! Magazine consulting dietician, Amy Stephens, she thinks Christie needs to add some carbohydrates to her diet. Amy says,

“People don’t like to hear it, but they need carbs to keep energy up and prevent cravings. Half a cup of brown rice or whole wheat pasta would be a great addition.”

Adding the carbohydrates would definitely give Christie the extra calories she needs because 922 aren’t that much. All in all, Christie looks fabulous. And for the record, with all the organic gardening Christie does she surely gets her exercise; gardening burns approximately 275 calories an hour.

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An apple a day keeps the doctor away, but eat it with the peel. In apples, up to 25% of all antioxidant activity is contained within the peel. New research also shows that apple peels are rich in phytonutrients that have potent anti-cancer properties against breast, colon and liver cancer cells.

The skins of fruits and vegetables contain the highest antioxidant levels. Smaller fruits, which have a larger skin to weight ratio, have higher concentrations of anti-oxidants than larger fruits of the same species. Similarly, in green leafy vegetables the outer leaves, which are exposed to more sunlight, have higher concentrations of anti-oxidants than the inner leaves.

Organically grown produce also contains higher antioxidant concentrations than conventionally grown. Grown without protective pesticides, organic produce is under greater environmental “stress” stimulating greater antioxidant production. These antioxidants, which are so good for us, are used by plants to build up their protective defenses.

So have several small, organically grown apples to get the biggest antioxidant punch… and keep the doctor away. The smaller ones are much tastier too!

Organic produce is more expensive than conventionally grown produce, so why buy organic? Organic produce is grown without synthetic pesticides and fertilizers. Traditional farming methods such as crop rotation, mulches and tillage are used to control weeds and natural fertilizers are used to enrich the soil. Besides limiting the pesticide residues you consume, organic farming methods kick up the nutritional value of the food you eat.

With no protective pesticides, organically grown produce is under more environmental stress from insects and competing plants compared to conventionally grown produce. Fruits and vegetables respond to these environmental stressors by producing greater amounts of antioxidants to build up their protective defenses. Organically grown blackberries, for instance, have 50% higher antioxidant levels compared with conventionally grown. Similarly, organically grown corn was found to have 58 % higher levels of antioxidants including Vitamin C. Often tastier than their conventionally grown counterparts, this is another good reason to go organic.