Toxics In, Toxics Out

I think I've said enough about my thoughts on toxic chemicals in personal care products, but this cartoon is pretty informative.  Remember to use your dollars to protect your body, your future children, and our environment.





On a positive note, House legislation was introduced yesterday that would require the government to test product safety, rather than the industry self-policing as it currently does. Hopefully the bill also addresses well known loopholes such as the ingredient fragrance, which is protected by trade secrets and can pretty much contain any chemical under the sun.

Yum...

This is really gross, but certainly effective (for me at least).  I gave up caffeine several months ago, and I think I'll bookmark this video for any time I get a craving in the future.  I wonder if it will make a dent in soda sales in NYC.

US Heathcare Spending: Interesting Infographic

I found this interesting.  This of course does not account for the bill passed last month.
Click here for a larger version.

Home

Everyone is entitled to a home where the sun, the stars, open fields, giant trees, and smiling flowers are free to teach an undisturbed lesson of life.

-Jens Jensen, landscape planner, 1930s

Change the World with Every Bite

I finally watched Food, Inc. and highly recommend it. The documentary continues the conversation started by The Jungle in 1901 and continued by Fast Food Nation and The Omnivore's Dilemma in recent years. It presents good background of the issues surrounding our food: foodborne illness, corporate bullying, employee safety and protection (or lack thereof), corn subsidies and the resulting pervasiveness in our food, animal welfare, early onset diabetes and obesity, poverty's affect on diet and health, genetic engineering, oligopoly and government lobbying, death of the small farmer, the blurring of industry and regulation, cloning...


Food, Inc. did a great job of reminding me that my dollars are my power. I've made many informed choices about what I choose to eat and not eat, but there's still room to improve for sure. Choose education over ignorance, friends. In the words of the filmmakers, "change the world with every bite!"

hehe

Daily Arithmetic for Thirtysomethings

Oh boy, metabolism's a b.....est friend? Well, it used to be anyway. I remember the high school days when I used to eat a box of Hot Tamales, down it with a Coke, and somehow still be able to fit through Carlo's doggy door when I lost the house key. But then again, Deebo also learned how to fit through the doggy door.*

Ah, I digress. Metabolism. Mine used to pace itself with a ride on a bullet train, but now is just a steady Amtrak. And I do realize that there's still time for it to become little Tommy the Tank Engine sputtering along.

Some girlfriends and I were recently talking about health, and I made a comment regarding diet and exercise that I hadn't realized until it came out of my mouth. I came to the realization that when I was younger, exercise seemed to be the more important component for me personally (because my metabolism ran free). Now, however, diet is much more important for me. I'm realizing that I really do need a system for what goes in my piehole.

I'm working on regaining my pregradschool body. We'll just call it my PGS body. It's not all that different from my GS body; just more toned and less round around the middle. I'm not looking to dethrone Miss Hawaiian Tropic here. Anyway, I don't know how much of my PGS body is to blame on grad school or just the fact that 30 is knocking on my door this year. So, I've taken it upon myself to really get educated about my diet.

Before I know what I need to improve on, I need to understand what I'm eating now and how it does or does not help me in the long run. So I started a food diary. It's the first part of my experiment only to monitor, not to change. I've always heard about keeping a food diary, but have never been able to do it because of the time commitment. But I found a great site that is making the task much easier. It's called Calorie Count.

Here's what I like about it. There are three types of data you can log on a daily basis:
1. Food. Enter all of the foods you eat. Many foods are already in the database, which contains all nutritional label data. If you are eating a particular food not in the database, you can enter the info yourself and of course save the data for the next time you eat that food. If you are using a recipe to cook something, you can also enter it in to get nutritional data for the final product.
2. Activity. Enter significant activity you accomplish (i.e. spin class, walking the dog, etc) and the duration. The site calculates how many calories per hour are burned for that activity.
3. Weight. Keep track of your weight. If you have a goal weight you are trying to reach, the site will calculate what date you will probably reach that weight given your past eating and exercising trends.

The first day I started entering food data, I'll admit it took a little bit of time. But it gets faster and faster as you continue to eat things you have already eaten before. Once they're in the system, they're there. And once you get into the habit of registering the food you've eaten, it gets easier. The activity log is also very easy to keep track of. I've not done a good job logging my weight because I don't own a scale (and have no desire to). Maybe I'll check it out at the gym every few weeks or something.

So what I'm realizing from my little experiment is that just by the simple process of entering food, I've become a thousand times more aware of what I'm eating. I was not even planning on changing anything at this point - I just want to look for trends and deficiencies - but I can't help thinking about things before I choose to put them in my mouth. Here's a sample report card from today.

Nutrition Report

Fat - 25.7% (77 grams) Protein - 13.4% (91 grams) Carbohydrates - 60.9% (412 grams) Alcohol - 0.0% (1 grams) Other - 0.0% Daily Sodium Intake - 1,321 mg Daily Sugar Intake - 98 grams Daily Cholesterol Intake - 96 mg Daily Saturated Fat Intake - 22 grams Daily Fiber Intake - 65 grams

Nutrition Grade

	Calories	Grams	Fat	Carbs	Protein	Grade
	2,644	1,556	77	412	91	A

As you can see, I did okay today. Some things surprised me. I had 430% RDA of Vitamin C (yay, fruit and beans) and also did great on Vitamin A and calcium. I have been pleased to see I've been doing well on protein too, which will make all of you meatheads happy. I promise there are other ways to get protein! I have been somewhat low on iron though, and this is one I want to follow. We'll see what trend comes out of that one.

Calorie Counter also provides a daily Calories In, Calories Out estimate given the foods you eat and the activities you complete. For those of us who are mathematically minded, this is very satisfactory. :)

Give it a whirl, see what you think. I'll update in a few weeks with my progress.


* Carlo = 10 pounds, Deebo = 60 pounds :)

I Love 2009

What an awesome year! Only mere weeks till our new President is officially sworn in and I couldn't be more excited. I love that such an honest, calm, and inclusive person will now be our leader.

On a personal note, this is a big year for me as well. In a mere five months, I will receive my Master of Public Affairs! I'm not going to think about the fact that I will have to take my final class over the summer [ :( ] ...the actual walk across the stage is more important, right? :) Chris and I are also getting married this year - whoohoo! Can't wait to have so many members of both of our families come to our home for the first time. And...I turn thirty this year! Maybe I'm just in an upbeat mood, but it sounds like fun.

I'm also transitioning to a great new trails project at work - the Walk For a Day trail. It's going to be a 34-mile trail going south from Barton Springs pool into Hayes County. The trail is in the very beginning planning phases, and lots of groups and politicians want to be involved (for better or for worse). It is an ambitious project (one of the first in the country to span multiple jurisdictions) and I'm excited to be involved.

As far as resolutions, I feel like lots of transitions are underway for me anyway this year, but I do want to dedicate energy to the great outdoors in a few specific ways: one old, one new.

In high school and college, I loved rock climbing and tried to do it as much as I could. I lived near Stone Works Climbing Gym in high school, and my girlfriends and I went there regularly. Here's a picture of us when we were about fifteen, trying to look like tough climbers.

When I moved to Australia in college, I got really into climbing. I went on several climbing trips in various parts of the country and really started improving. Here's a picture of me on Mount Arapiles, which has been rated one of the top ten climbing spots in the world.

I had three great climbing buddies in Australia, and when we were back in Melbourne we would frequent a gym nearby. Climbing is a sport that you really need a good buddy for. And a lot of trust is involved. It is important to me to find a great climbing buddy this year. I have lived here for too long not to get reintegrated into the climbing scene. So resolution number one - get back into climbing!

My second resolution is a new one, but one I am well equipped for. My awesome awesome brother Ondre gave me his old road bike for Christmas, so my second resolution is to spend more time biking! I've had a mountain bike for years and used to spend a lot of time on local greenbelts, but now I have been using it more for street rides on weekend mornings. I was thinking of buying my own bike, but Ondre was also getting a new one and gave me his. He saved me $1000, what a great guy :) Here is my new bike:
Step One: Master the shoes. I'm a little old ladyish at the moment and hope to get my takeoffs a little improved :) Step Two: Dre and I want to do a bike race together in a few months. Hopefully something laid back (Tour de Fat or something along those lines, right Dre?). I'd like to explore some of those country roads west of Austin sometime soon.

Hope you all are kicking off 2009 in a great way!! Best wishes for the new year!

My Pep Upper = Peppermint

I'd like to dedicate a few minutes of my day to my best friend, peppermint. Peppermint has been known for its health effects for centuries:

• alleviates allergies and asthma
• aids with motion sickness, upset stomach, and nausea
  
• opens nasal passages
• gets rid of bad breath
• cures headache
• refreshes and alerts
• cools the skin
• improves blood circulation
• many more benefits here

I grow peppermint and chocolate mint, although there are dozens of other varieties of mint out there. It's easy to grow and really, really tasty.

Aside from my mint plants, many of the products I use on a daily basis are mint-based. Here are a few of my favorites that are very useful this time of year (with allergies sneaking on in...).

I start my day off with a refreshing mint shower. My Dr. Bronners mint soap really opens my nasal passage after a stuffy night of sleep.

I also like to use peppermint hand soap throughout the day:


And my favorite thing (especially after eating to aid with digestion and freshen my breath) is to dring peppermint water. I simply add a drop or two of peppermint oil to my water...yum.


And my guilty pleasure this time of year that got me excited about peppermint again: peppermint nougat!

It's also been a while since I've made backyard mojitos...

The Chemical Crusade

I've always got my causes. You know this about me. So this post will not surprise you. When it comes to my passions, my challenge is always to walk the line of education, when solicited, rather than being preachy. So oftentimes, I may learn about something that affects me on a certain level and not even really share it with many people. As I've gotten older, I think I've gotten better at filtering out environmental discoveries and knowledge to friends who have an interest. But the beauty of keeping a blog is that the message receiver can self-filter. What I'm saying is, if you're not interested in this topic, move on.

I've been thinking about chemicals a lot lately. Not that I didn't before, but they've been cramping my style lately. I was recommended a book this summer called Our Stolen Future by Theo Colborn.



This book blew me away. The main discussion surrounds chemical buildup in our bodies and the chemical transfer from mother to baby including its effect on sexual development. Basically, man-made chemicals build up in our bodies, and when a woman gets pregnant, much of the store of chemicals is transferred to the fetus.

On a personal level, I found myself evaluating health conditions of myself and my relatives in light of what I read. After living in the New Orleans area for a number of years, my grandmother, cousin, and mother all contracted various forms of cancer. I've always wondered what role environment played in their diseases given that none of our relatives had documented incidences of cancer in the past. As for myself, I found out a few years ago that I have a pituitary tumor, which affects my endocrine system. The cases of these tumors have grown exponentially in recent decades, puzzling doctors. The cause is unknown, but endocrine and reproductive disorders have been linked to chemical exposure. And of course the human species is not the only one experiencing this rise in endocrine and reproductive disorders. The book details the gamut of species that have been studied and are experiencing similar issues. The incidence of hermaphroditism has been found to be rising in some species, which makes me wonder about Mr. Hermie, my vet-tested "possible hermaphrodite."

This book was very educational for me. I've also found Environmental Working Group's website and findings to be a valuable source of information. As I've tried to understand the current situation, these are the conclusions I've made:

1. The FDA can't keep up with number of new chemicals being produced.
2. Trade secrets allow companies to keep harmful ingredients secret.
3. Consumers really do shoulder the responsibility of educating themselves about product safety.

So with these conclusions in mind, I've been taking baby steps to make more informed choices when it comes to my health. EWG sure does make this easier. Here are some things I've learned through my research:


Did You Know?
* Some mascaras contain mercury
* Some conditioners and moisturizers contain extracts from human and cow placenta
* Dental sealants contain Bisphenol A, which is linked to endocrine disorders. I've got 4 in my mouth. Coincidence?
* Lead is found in some hair dyes.
* Albacore tuna has three times as much mercury as light tuna.
* Traditional tampons and pads are bleached with chlorine, producing dioxin, which is linked to cancer and everything else bad in this world.

Some of the EWG tools that have made my life easier
Skin Deep database. I have come to love this database over the past few years and have gotten in the habit of consulting it before I purchase any health or beauty products. You can search by brand name or see a list of products arranged by toxicity ranking. The site is very easy to use and has comprehensive data on hair, skin, fragrance, and hygiene products.

Human Toxome Project. This study outlines levels of pollution found in humans around the world. Scary, but very informative.

2008 Sunscreen Study. 4 out of 5 sunscreens were found to contain toxic ingredients or not protect skin as claimed. This database tells you what ingredients to avoid and which sunscreens are most effective AND safe.

Shoppers' Guide to Pesticides in Produce. Outlines the "Dirty Dozen" and the "Cleanest 12" of produce (and everything in between) so you can decide which fruits and veggies are worth paying a little more for organic and which are fine conventionally grown.

Timeline: BPA from Invention to Phase-Out. BPA (Bisphenol A) is a chemical found in baby bottles, nalgene-type bottles, many other "hard plastics", and as a lining on metal cans. After many decades of research and proven negative effects, manufacturers and retails are finally heeding the warnings. A few months ago, some companies began phasing out products that are make with BPA, but the mainstream public is probably still unaware. BPA exposure has been shown to lead to prostate problems, breast cancer, early puberty, and behavioral problems. Infants are most at risk, and tragically, most baby bottles and formulas stored in metal cans have been found to contain BPA. Better days ahead, though.


Safe & Natural Products I Really Enjoy
* Doc Bronner's peppermint soap.

I've been hooked on this stuff for about five years now. I'm a peppermint fiend. This soap really wakes me up during my morning shower and also clears out my sinuses. I've also used it to wash my hair and clothes on long hiking excursions.

* Kleen Kanteen stainless steel water bottles.
These bottles keep your drinks C-O-L-D cold! And they are made of stainless steel, so there's no need to worry about leaching plastic chemicals making their way into your body. I'm also on the hunt for some steel drinking cups. My friend Deana has some great ones she found at a thrift store, but I'm having a hard time finding some myself.

* Natracare Feminine Products

According to their website, the average woman uses up to 11,000 tampons in her life. Natracare tampons are totally organic, and I like knowing that I'm not injecting pesticides into my body every month.










* Earth Friendly Products Ecos Laundry Detergent.

This detergent is totally plant-based and biodegradable, unlike many mainstream detergents, which are petroleum-based. I like the very light scent and the fact that I have to use a very small amount to get the clothes clean.













* Green Guide: The Complete Reference for Consuming Wisely.

I recently purchased this book and it seems to be a comprehensive guide for educated consumption.
















All in all, I urge you to educate yourself about the products with which you surround yourselves...no one else will do it for you!