Green and Jasmine tea blend

We recently discovered Jasmine tea, so we decided to create our own blend together with fresh green tea.

Besides being a tasty refreshing beverage, there's some great health benefits too:

- Green tea apparently helps regulate glucose levels slowing the rise of blood sugar after eating. This can prevent high insulin spikes and resulting fat storage.

- Green tea reduces bad cholesterol in the blood and improves the ratio of good cholesterol to bad cholesterol.

- Green tea can apparently also help with wrinkles and the signs of aging, This is because of their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. Both animal and human studies have demonstrated that green tea applied topically can reduce sun damage.

- Studies suggests that the chemical antioxidant “catechin” in tea can destroy bacteria and viruses that cause throat infections, dental caries and other dental conditions

- Jasmine helps to improve digestion, eliminate toxins and weight loss

Still - we drink it because it's tasty.

Surprise! A Day at the Beach

So, the other day Shai got a little spontaneous and decided it was the perfect day for us to head over to the beach!

It was a spectacularly beautiful day, and it was so nice to just get lazy for an afternoon.

I think Noodle might have enjoyed our lounging beach time even more than we did!

Then there was this stunning sunset that we couldn't resist either.

To top it all off, we wandered into a bookstore and picked up an awesome book filled with all kinds of chocolate recipes - can't wait to try it out! But that's for another post...

DIY & Sustainable Lifestyles

Nowadays, consumers are becoming more and more aware of what goes into the products they consume. With this knowledge there are many who refuse to be a part of a system that endorses sweatshops, child labor, chemical additives, GMOs, out-of-control pollution, etc. Knowledge is power and in the days of instant information just Google that chemical listed as an ingredient in the cereal you like or look up the production for that brand of clothes that's so hip right now.

Besides just the ethical comforts, there is a charm in going back to the way our grandparents and great grandparents used to consume. It seems like the world was completely different back then. There wasn't "fast food" and there were no more than a handful of multinational corporations.

Though it's also key to remember that shifting over to a more sustainable lifestyle won't necessarily save you money. That said, you will get more value from your money, both for yourself, your family and for the planet.

There are a few simple steps you can take to ease into a more sustainable lifestyle:

1. If you can't make it/fix it it yourself, support a locally run business that can, rather than a multinational chain.

2. Learn to pull yourself away from the TV/computer and get outside. It's easy to forget about the importance of the environment's health on the drive from home to work/school in the morning. It's  especially important for us city mice to see what trees, birds and fresh water actually are. Otherwise these things just seem like images from travel websites or nice desktop backgrounds. Take a day trip and hike around in a nature reserve. Breath in the fresh air and just appreciate nature!

3. Make your own health a priority. Once you start doing a little research, you'll find that there are basic habits that most of us have that are ultimately unhealthy - and we're including mental health here as well, because mind and body have to work together. I mean, how many times have you come down with a cold when you're under a lot of stress? The key is to understand what stands behind the strange words that make up the ingredient list of all of the foods that we eat, more or less processed. The movie Food Inc. is a great place to start.

4. Exercise! Jog, run, do yoga, lift weights, pilates, anything Just keep your body active. We are creatures that are meant originally to hunt for our food, not just push buttons and sit comfortably eating it...

5. Step out of your comfort-zone. If you really want to make a change in your lifestyle, it means that you're not only going to have to stop certain habits, but you'll also have to try out some new things that may be uncomfortable at first - it's called building character. Don't be afraid to visit groups, places, forums, anywhere where you don't know anyone, and be willing to do it alone. Your current group of friends and family may not yet be willing to take that step with you, but that's OK. This is your opportunity to meet some new people who can help you. In fact, if you show up at a grow-op on your own, you'll be surprised at the enthusiasm from complete strangers willing to teach and help you learn!

It's often fun to fantasize about living a more sustainable lifestyle. It would be so much fun to be able to re-use, re-purpose and even fix the broken and worn out items that surround us instead of throwing out an buying new.

These are just a few possible ways to move towards this type of lifestyle. It is not something that is possible to simply switch into right away. There are no magical shortcuts, however these are some basic steps and methods that can be used to move your life in a more positive direction. 

<3
Shai & Andrea

Slow food, slow fashion; Your guide to the "Slow Life"

You know what fast-food is, so you can probably guess what it means when you hear people talk about  fast-fashion. You're not the only one who's exhausted from living in the fast-lane.

Now take those concepts and replace the "fast" with "slow". There's a growing trend that is taking us back to the days when we invested a little more into everything we did; we got a little less done, but when we did something, it didn't need redoing.

The movement towards the slow-life is a response to the temporary, inconsistent and poor quality fast-lane lifestyle that western culture has us chasing. Every day we're bombarded by commercials, articles and viral videos all telling us how the latest energy drink is going to turn us into super-humans.

I say it's time to turn off the TVs, computers & smart-phones for a few minutes and remember what being plain a old regular human is all about.

This is what the slow-movement is about. Urban gardens, buying local, DIY, vintage, grow-ops, organic food, home cooking, and "unplugged" time are just a few of the ways that many of us are getting back in touch with the "real world".


So what can you do to join in? The beauty of this movement is that it doesn't take a huge commitment, and the rewards are the kind that give you a warm, fuzzy glow inside. Here are a few suggestions to help kick-start your own Slow-lifestyle:

1. Unplug hour: Turn your phone off, stop staring at the computer/tv/tablet and get yourself up and away from the desk! The world can live without you for an hour, I promise. This is the perfect time to sit down and spend some real, quality time with your family and friends. Pull out the board games, build a fort, play in the garden, make some art - there is so much more to life than the computer!

2. Stay in & cook: Make a homemade meal from scratch. Surprise yourself and your loved ones with newly found recipes online or take an old recipe you have and give it a new twist with different ingredients. It's a great opportunity to try out some new organic ingredients too!

3. Do it yourself: Instead of just chucking the old and buying the new, stop and consider - could you fix it? Could you make something like this yourself? In many cases you can make things yourself with basic tools and materials lying around the house.

4. Take a walk: Nothing is more energizing and refreshing than a quick walk by the beach or in a park. Even if you live in the Urban jungle, walk slowly and breath in the fresh air and notice the surroundings you usually ignore. The sunshine and change of scenery will do wonders to clear your head.

5. Invest in vintage: Buy used. Things used to be manufactured with more care and out of higher quality materials. So why not help the planet while helping yourself? Besides, everything looks better when it is a bit worn in rather than stiff freshly pressed synthetic fabric. Just make sure the item you're investing in is of good quality (take a look at our post on buying quality clothing for a few tips on what to look for!)


These are just a few suggestions to get you started, but most likely, once you've started, you'll discover how slow is the new fast! ;)

Organic cotton

At PopLove we use two types of sustainable materials in our items: vintage/reclaimed materials and organic cotton. It is obvious how reused materials have a close-to-zero carbon footprint, however the use of organic cotton always seems a bit confusing. It is still freshly produced material using up resources and labor. The title "organic" often seems a bit unclear. How is this any greener than ordinary cotton you ask? We asked the same. 

There are some fascinating facts that show very clearly that organic cotton is a more sustainable choice than conventional cotton:

• Conventional cotton takes up only 3% of farmland around the globe, but it uses 25% of the world's chemical pesticides. In fact, the EPA considers 7 of the 15 main pesticides that are used on cotton as human carcinogens.
• Actually it is estimated that only 10% of these pesticides accomplish their task, as most of the chemicals sprayed from the air and can drift into nearby neighborhoods and contaminate local Eco-systems. The pesticides that reach their target will often absorb into the plants, air, water and soil poisoning us in the end...
• Since the insects become immune to the chemicals used, the quantities and types need to be increased, and this often causes ecological disasters. For example the EPA estimated that between 1-2 million birds are killed annually by carbofuran, just one insecticide used on cotton.
• Organic farming methods use natural fertilizers, like compost and animal manure, that recycles the nitrogen already in the soil rather than adding more, which reduces both pollution and emissions.
• Organic cotton doesn't have traces of the toxins as in the case of conventional cotton. People with sensitive skin can be irritated by these traces in normal cotton.

And these are just a couple of reasons to chose an organic cotton item. While you're at it make sure it's cool and stylish. May I suggest our latest unisex tank top?(Yes, this is a shameless plug!) Here it is:

Our new unisex Tank

Our new unisex Tank

Our new unisex Tank

 

That size 0 thing: Part 3

Alright, I know you're probably sick of hearing about this already, so we're wrapping up our size 0 debate with one final post - a female perspective.

I want to start by clearing something up. I'm not lashing out at someone who is naturally a size 0, like little asian girls or genetically superior freaks or women who are petite (like, 1.60m and a size 0). My problem is with the women who are naturally a size 8, and who look beautiful and healthy as a size 8, but they decide to starve themselves into skeletal oblivion.

WTF?!

On the other hand, I kind of get it. Some really powerful important person once decided that unhealthily skinny was now in fashion, and we haven't been able to drag ourselves out of it since. Way to go Calvin Klein. The worst part - a lot of times, I wish I were that skinny.

There's something about the female mind that is very resistant to logic. We're bombarded with images of "Beautiful, sexy women"who look like they'd be blown away by a gust of wind, and eventually, we start to believe it.

It doesn't matter how often our boyfriends/husbands tell us that we look beautiful at X weight - straight men have very little influence when it comes to fashion.

Thing is, most of us have some basic preservation instincts (or maybe just a lack of will-power?), and we eat. We don't always exercise, but we eat. Then we get frustrated that we can't attain this impossible ideal, and we start to hate our bodies and sometimes ourselves.

The poster-girl for skeleton-woman, Kate Moss, once said Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels. How F***'d up is that?

The only thing that's harder to deal with is someone who WAS a size 0, but isn't any more. Like me. When I was a teenager, I could eat like a pig (ask some of my old friends, they'll tell you!) and I'd never gain an ounce. Unfortunately, everyone's metabolism slows down at some point, and mine did too, and now I'm somewhere between a 4 and a 6.

Me at 17

Now, by most standards, that's pretty slim. Yet I still have an irrational desire to get back to at least a size 2. But maybe it's not so irrational. All I know is that something's shifted in society's ideal version of what's beautiful, and something needs to change.

<3
Andrea

That size 0 thing: Part 2 - The male perspective

There is something captivating (or purely shocking?) in the appearance of a stick-like woman. The bones protruding from odd spots and in funny angles. In a twisted way this appearance  communicates a notion of a "strong woman", a woman who is more powerful than her own nature. The truth is quite the opposite.

There is something very non-feminine about this look. Androgynous gone wrong. At the end of the day an image like this may catch your eye, but most guys wouldn't want to cuddle up with a pile of bones..

Not that I long for the image of the ideal woman of the 50's or 60's. The voluptuous screen goddesses such as Jayne Mansfield, Bridget Bardot, Marilyn Monroe  etc. They just look lazy to me. 

What would be really nice to bring back, would be the ideal female figure of the 80's. Women then couldn't just slim down to look right, they needed to combine a healthy balance of exercise and proper diet, for the toned and fit look. There were beautiful supermodels back then such as Cindy Crawford, Paulina Porizkova and Elle Maspherson.

xo
Shai

That size 0 thing: Part 1

This all started with a fashion ad I got in an email recently. This first thing I thought when I saw it was "WOW, that's awful!"... but I clicked on the ad.

I have a morbid fascination with this whole size 0 thing. I mean, it's not pretty. But it's somehow the norm now. Most people would look at this model thinking "Yep, she looks pretty average for a model." But compared to the average woman, she's so far from normal she might as well be another species.

I remember when I was a kid, models used to be these gorgeous superwomen. I know that Linda and Cindy and Claudia were all slim, but they were still women. Nowadays, models just end up looking like these weird malnutritioned aliens.

 

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The questions is, who's this alleged "beholder"? Who decided that impossibly skinny is best? And it's not like skinny has always been the ideal shape. Look at any Renaissance painting and you'll see a hell of a lot more curves than anywhere nowadays. That was way sexy then.

I think it's got a lot to do with what's hardest to achieve. Western cultures have a huge problem with obesity, particularly the US. Where does the majority of international media come from? Duh. If you take into account that a major part of what makes fashion desirable is its exclusivity, then in a twisted kind of way, it makes sense that size 0 is in fashion now. Does that make it right? Of course not!

Approximately 5 million Americans suffer from anorexia and bulimia. About 20% of people suffering from anorexia will prematurely die from complications related to their eating disorder, including suicide and heart problems.

And what for? To look like some kind of abstraction of a female?  

Following this post we will post a part 2: The male perspective, written by Shai, and 
a part 3: The female perspective, written by Andrea. We want to hear your feedback. Are we overreacting or does this bother you too?

<3
Shai / Andrea