October 2009 - Posts

• Safe Toys this Holiday Season!

  Many Toys Contain Dangerous Chemicals Tests on 1,200 children’s items revealed that more than one-third contained lead and other potentially dangerous chemicals such as mercury, cadmium and arsenic. The study, directed by the Environmental Health Project of the Ecology Center in Michigan, also found that jewelry products were the most likely to contain high levels of lead.  Which I am glad I learned about as my daughter often times trys to put my necklaces in her mouth while I am holding her.  Other items, such as bedroom slippers, bath toys and card-game cases were also tainted, some with as much as five times the standard safety level of lead. The light up shoes are made with mercury, so those may not be the best option for our little ones. As we all remember, millions of toys, most of them made in China, have already been recalled in 2007. Lead is supposedly banned for use in U.S. products marketed to children in 1978, but that doesn’t stop U.S. companies from importing lead-laced toys and selling them with fervor. Up to 80 percent of toys sold in the United States are manufactured in China.  So again use your money as your vote.  Support companies that share your values and that offer products that are safe and non-toxic. There is a loophole in the ban that still allows lead to legally exist in your child’s toys -- even those made here in the United States -- and that is plastic.  Choosing plastics that are BPA free are a safer choice.  The use of lead in plastics has not been banned. Children's jelwery often tests high for lead, so be weary of plastic jelwery.  I personally buy wood toys as much as possilbe and limit costume jelwery for my dauther. As children are well known for putting anything and everything into their mouths, their toys simply must be pure. Children are more susceptible to lead absorption than adults, and even low levels of lead exposure have been linked to: Decreased intelligence Impaired neurobehavioral development Decreased stature and growth Impaired hearing acuity  Other chemicals that may be lurking in children's toys and accesories are: Mercury: A known neurotoxin that can harm your child’s developing brain. Cadmium: A known carcinogenic. Long-term exposure to low levels of cadmium can contribute to kidney disease, lung damage and fragile bones, and animal studies also suggest that it may lead to liver disease, high blood pressure, and nerve or brain damage. Arsenic: Long-term exposure to arsenic has been linked to cancer. Exposure to low levels of arsenic can cause nausea and vomiting, decreased production of red and white blood cells, abnormal heart rhythm, damage to blood vessels, and a sensation of "pins and needles" in hands and feet, and over the long term can cause darkening of the skin and the appearance of small "corns" or "warts" on the palms, soles, and torso. Phthalates: Used in soft plastic toys and baby bottles, these chemicals can mimic or block sex hormones, causing disruption of your endocrine system and early puberty. How to Find Safe Toys for Your Kids The good thing about all of the media attention on this issue is that many parents are becoming very choosy about the toys they buy.  Secondly, more companies are trying to reap the financial benefit of this zest for safe toys so there are more options and places to buy these safer options.  This holiday season when you are looking for toys to buy as gifts, keep some of these tips in mind: Seek out toy-making companies that still maintain quality and safety in their products. Be sure to ask questions about their toys, such as what types of chemicals are used in their production. Look for organic and “green” environmentally friendly toys that use beeswax-based coatings, natural vegetable dyes and organic, chemical-free fabrics and materials (such as wool, cotton and bamboo). Support companies that use third-party testing of their products for lead and other heavy metals. Toys that are painted should always be labeled as having “lead-free paint,” but still avoid buying painted toys made outside of the United States or Europe. Get creative. Books, sports equipment, music, and even cardboard boxes that can be turned into forts make great, safe alternatives to traditional “toys. We may not be able to control what countries or every company does, but we can control where we spend our money! Posted Oct 11 2009, 11:47 PM by HappyHealthyMommy with no comments Filed under: safe toys, Boutique Organic, toys, gifts

• How to choose a Supplement

  In 2007, Americans spent about $34 Billion on Vitamins, Supplments and Herbs.  But how do we know which ones work, which ones are useless and which ones are not good for us?  Well, one of the best pieces of advice I can offer people is to know the difference between borrowed research and primary research.  And select supplements that have primary research.  Borrowed Science is research done of one thing, but then used to establish that another thing is would produce the same outcome because it has the original thing in it.  Most supplement companies use this type of research as grounds for why their products are good for us.  For example, vitamin E has its individual research dictating its usage. Vitamins B1 and B6 have their individual research. Putting these three substances together into one formula brings up the question; How is this formula going to effect the body?  Or we know oranges are good for us and they are a good source of Vitamin C.  When our product has Vitamin C and therefore is good for you too.   The research on an individual substance is given to the public stating that in combination vitamins E, B1, B6 will produce a desired effect, when in fact, unless specific Primary Research is done on the combination of nutrients the question remains: What is the effect? This is Borrowed Science. There is no scientific validation on the formula itself. The second term is Primary Research. It is specific research on the very product that is being marketed, scientific validation and independent studies that show that both the company and the products are safe, trustworthy, and effective. The distinction between these two terms is critical, often demonstrating why a nutritional product works or not. One of the cool things about the nutrition we get from nature is there are synergistic elements in all whole foods that depend on each other to produce functional foods, foods that produce specific effects in the body's metabolism. How can nutritional products be expected to work when a hodgepodge of nutrients and herbs are literally thrown together into one capsule? Claims on each specific nutrient may be valid, but together do they produce a known, healthy biological effect, or are too many assumptions being made (borrowed science)? Who knows? A product's effectiveness and safety are determined only if there is scientific validation on the whole product. So look for supplemnets with Primary Research. And better yet, look for supplements that have clinical studies published in peer-reviewed scientific and medical journals.  And for moms, if you are giving your child a multi-vitamin or other supplement, please look at the label.  Make sure you never buy one that has colors, preservatives, or hydrogentated oils listed on the label.  These are terrible things for children and should be avoided.  It just amazes me that these companies will put that stuff in items that claim to be good for us! Also, more and more research is coming out on the dangers of over-supplmenting.  So please take caution in the amounts and the supplements you take.  Too much of a good thing can be a bad thing in the cases listed below. Examples of potential harm: —Isolated, synthetic Vitamin E can prolong bleeding time and has forced cancellation or delay of cancer surgeries; some studies suggest it may raise the risk of certain cancers. —Vitamin A, may raise smokers' risk of developing lung cancer (Beta Carotene is safe). —Folic acid supplements may raise the risk for precancerous growths in the colon. —Vitamin C in large doses may help cancer cells resist chemo and radiation. So, let's get to work and feed our kids and ourselves good, wholesome food!  Adults we need 7 to 13 servings of Fruits and Vegetables daily and our kids need about 5 to 7 minimum.  Any athletes or stressed out people, then you need more.  Check out your local health food store as you can't go wrong with most of the food they carry.  Make a smoothie once a day with a variety of frozen fruit and veggies.  Try to have at least two types of vegetables and two types of fruit with each meal.  And make your snacks apples, organges carrots, celery, bell pepper slices, raisins, appleauce, etc.  Feel like the kids won't try new things or eat anything other than mac'n cheese or chicken nuggets?  Well, don't despair keep trying to get your kids to eat the right things.  Don't give up after a few trys.  Their tastes may change or it just may take some time for them to get used to the new food.  Also, if we cut out some of the unhealthy snack items they are able to have during the day, they may be hungrier for the healthier food choices.     Posted Oct 08 2009, 12:02 AM by HappyHealthyMommy with 3 comment(s) Filed under: new parents, supplements, Juice Plus, vitamins, kids foods, nutrition, healthy eating

• Clearing the Decks for Baby

  With the theme for this month being "Postpartum Care", I wanted to share something that toke me three pregnancies to realize.  Even though I ususally offer advice or thoughts on nutrition, I thought I'd share this little insight as I think it is just as important for the health of you and your baby.  Once you bring home that sweet baby, there is very little that you can know for sure.  Will the baby latch or take a bottle easily, have colic, sleep well, be happy, be healthy, etc.?  But if you give yourself the time to handle all of this, then at least you are setting yourself up for a happy and enjoyable experience with your newborn.  And if you run into any problems adjusting to this new life, then you'll have the time and focus to deal with it best.   With my first baby, I had just finished moving cross country, finding a place to live and had to adjust to being a mom and not in the "working" world anymore.  With a husband who was gone 4 nights a week and me with no faces I had known before, I was stressed.  I often regret not taking that time and just being happy for what it was.  A wonderful time of bringing a new life into this world.  I couldn't get my head around the fact that I wasn't making any money, making any deals, having any meetings, coming up with ideas for clients, accomplishing tasks that instantly showed result.  Instead, I should have just been happy my beautiful daughter nursed well, had no allergies or colic, and for the most part was a really happy and good baby.    Then when my son came along, I still had a traveling husband and this time now a 2 year old.  I was just happy if I could eat 3 times a day!  Again we were moving so I had that fun to deal with, as well as the launch of my business.  So, his infancy seemed like it went by in a blink of an eye.  I often joke with my husband and say (with a regret) that I don't remember our son as a baby.  So, when our newest little one arrived, I toke the full 3 months off and I enjoy every moment with her.  I take time to play with her, cherish the fact that she always wants to be held.  Sit a bit longer to stare at her when I am nursing her.  Bring her everywhere and I never feel bad for doing so.  Her first year is almost over and I have no regrets.  I have enjoyed all of it with her.  I am not sure if I did so because there is a good chance she may be my last baby or if I've finally wisened up after seeing my first two grow up so fast.   Either way, when you think about postpartum care, just remember to think about not just enjoying that first year, but relishing it!  I could get more into the science behind why it is also important to really take time for you and your baby to bond that first year (I'll let Dr. Bill Sears one of my favorite pediatrician's do that for you in his Attachment Parenting book www.askdrsears.com), but strictly speaking from the emotional side...it is only 1 year and you'll never get it back.  And it is magical!   So enjoy mommies!!   Posted Oct 05 2009, 10:24 PM by HappyHealthyMommy with 2 comment(s) Filed under: new parents, newborns, baby care, nutrition, healthy eating