Keeping it clean and green
A clean home reduces your exposure to dust, mold and germs, but cleaning products have organic chemicals, such as methylene chloride, benzene and formaldehyde, that may cause indoor air pollution.

Nontoxic cleaning products, free of these chemicals, are now widely available. To save money, use these common household items to make your own nontoxic cleaners:

Confused about good fats, bad fats and trans fats? Here's what you need to know to make nutritious choices for your family:

Good (healthy) fats actually help lower LDL “bad” cholesterol and raise HDL “good” cholesterol levels. The types and sources of healthy fats include:

• Monounsaturated fats — olives; olive, canola and peanut oils; almonds, cashews and most nuts; avocados
• Polyunsaturated fats — oils made from corn, soybeans, safflower and cottonseed; some fish, such as salmon, sardines and rainbow trout; plant products, such as walnuts, flaxseed and flaxseed oil that are high in omega-3's

Bad (unhealthy) fats raise cholesterol and increase your risk of heart disease and stroke. Limit foods high in saturated fats and eliminate trans fats from your diet if possible.

• Saturated fats — butter, egg yolks and high fat dairy, such as whole and reduced-fat milk, cheese and cream; meat and poultry skin; chocolate; coconut, coconut oil, palm oil and palm kernel oil
• Trans fats — some margarines, vegetable shortenings, and commercial baked goods; processed foods made with partially hydrogenated vegetable oils; many fast-food items

Words of warning To avoid trans fats, look to the Nutrition Facts food label and choose foods that have zero grams of trans fat. Another way is to pass on foods with the words “hydrogenated” or “partially hydrogenated” anywhere in the list of ingredients.