Archive for November, 2007

November 8, 2007 | Food & drink, Health

Garlic. And lots of it. And raw.  Studies have shown that garlic reduces cholesterol, lowers blood pressure, neutralizes carcinogens, and fights infection.

It isn’t as potent after it’s cooked, so eat it raw if you can stand it. I wouldn’t recommend biting into it like an apple (though I know people who do). But here are a couple ways to try it:

• Crush a clove into olive oil with a bit of lemon juice and use as a salad dressing.
• Crush a couple cloves, mix with a cup of cheese, and add enough mayo to make it stick together. Then stuff a tomato with it, or spread it on a slice of crusty warm bread.

Health, Shopping

A popular, award-winning toy, Aqua Dots, are coated with a chemical that turns into the date-rape drug when ingested. And with the size of these little dots, it’s no wonder that tons of kids have digested them.

Was lead poisoning in toys not enough?  Give me a break. Now a chemical that the human body turns into the ‘date rape’ drug? Parents with children the right age for Aqua Dots (ages 4-8) wouldn’t expect to worry about that for another 10 years. What are they going to find next? Does anyone test any of the toys being imported from China? You can find the fully story at CNN here.

An Israeli news source states that “the toys were supposed to use 1,5-pentanediol, a nontoxic compound found in glue, but instead contained the harmful 1,4-butanediol, which is widely used in cleaners and plastics. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 1999 declared the chemical a Class I Health Hazard, meaning it can cause life-threatening harm.” And so I reiterate - is there no one who tests toys being imported? Especially, these days, from China?

November 7, 2007 | Health, Pregnancy, News

Vogue magazine published an article in their August 2007 issue titled “Infertile Ground” that delves into the potential chemical causes for the alarming rise in infertility rates. In fact, the National Infertility Association quotes that one in eight couples are now infertile, with the rates rising annually. Scary stuff. And for the ladies and gents out there who are trying to have a baby, stats like that are pretty discouraging.

The article looks at environmental factors that contribute to infertility, including - but not limited to - pesticides, plasticizers (bisphenol A and phthalates), surfectants (alkylphenols), artificial fragrances, and flame retardants (PBDEs). Some of these can stir up trouble at 2,000 times less than the EPA regulated amounts. An estimated 1,500 to 2,000 new chemicals enter product lines each year in this country, many of which without adequate testing and without being listed as active ingredients.

The cumulative effect is unknown, but rising rates of certain cancers and rising rates of infertility (which has known ties to some of the chemicals names above) can certainly be blamed partly on the reliance we have on inadequately tested and inadequately controlled chemical substances in our plastics, fabrics, food sources, cleaning products and personal care products - to name a few.

Unfortunately, these chemicals don’t just affect us, they have a devastatingly long term effect on our children. In utero, these chemicals affect the growing baby and cause life-long problems like low sperm count, reproductive failure, and even some mutagenic effects. It’s not pleasant.

The natural question is what each of us can do to protect our families.  Here are some simple steps you can take:

• Check out the SkinDeep cosmetic safety database when it’s time to replace your cosmetics, baby care products, and personal care products.
• Go for the safer plastics when you’re purchasing plastic products - especially when those products will contain food or drink.  Look for the number inside the triangle on the bottom of the container - you want 1, 2, 4, or 5. Avoid 3, 6, and 7.
• Opt for low-VOC paint when possible, and don’t buy flame-retardant fabrics.
• By all means, start replacing your household cleaners with natural alternatives. If you don’t trust diluted vinegar (which really will clean up most messes quite well), try Barefoot Home Essentials, Shaklee, Method, Seventh Generation, or Ecover.

November 4, 2007 | Organizing, Cleaning tips

In only 15 short days, my in-laws will be moving in with us. That brings all sorts of joys and trials, but in the meantime it means I need to get my home organized - and quick! So at this point, I’m going to enlist your help. Please! Give me (and all the Broom Huggers readers) your best tips for organizing. The key for me is finding a place for everything without spending oodles of money at places like The Container Store (which I love, but my pocketbook doesn’t).

I am by no means an organizing guru. But let me tell you the tips I’m starting with.

1. Go through the house, room by room, separating into 3 piles - Put away, throw away, and give away.
2. Toss the throw-away pile immediately.
3. Bag or box up the give away pile, and take it straight out to the car. It’s more likely to find its way to Goodwill if it’s taking up all your trunk space!

The put away pile is the one that stumps me. But maybe if my give away and throw away piles were bigger I wouldn’t have so much to put away… Food for thought.

I found some tips here and here, but that’s all I’ve got.  So now it’s your turn. Tell me your secrets!

November 1, 2007 | Shopping

With all the notices out there about certain ingredients being bad for your health, bad for your kids health, how are parents supposed to keep up with it all? The Environmental Working Group has given us a tool - just out today. Go here and print their 1 page PDF “Safety Guide to Children’s Personal Care Products.” (Or you can click the image to the left to open it and print - but we don’t want to take credit for it.) Thanks to the EWG’s campaign for cosmetic safety for developing this, and the wealth of information at their Skin Deep site.

The PDF lists ingredients to always avoid, and why. It also lists ingredients to be cautious of, and why. And it has a list of product types (toothpastes, diaper rash cremes, etc.) with recommendations for each. I’ll be printing one to keep in my car - it’s always good to have that information handy when you’re walking into the store to buy something to use on your precious kiddos.