It all does make you think. We are exposed to pesticides in many ways – not just from the food we eat but also in our homes and offices. The greatest exposure in general actually comes from household pesticide use (those sprays that keep ants and bugs out of your house). So if you are worried about what you are eating, definitely think about what you are spraying too. There are many non-toxic bug control sprays available – we have one that we have been using that has kept the tiny ants away (those little guys make me nuts!) It may take a couple of additional days to get rid of the bugs, but just think about how much healthier it is for you and your family.

Anyway, if you are looking for fruits and veggies that are LOW in pesticides, check out EWG’s list of the “Clean 15″. This will help you balance your selections. According to EWG: “Picking five servings of fruits and vegetables from the 12 most-contaminated products would result in consuming an average of 14 different pesticides a day. Choosing five servings from the 15 least contaminated fruits and vegetables would result in consuming fewer than two pesticides per day.” It’s also important to remember to eat a variety of fruits and vegetables so you get the vitamins and minerals you need.

Both of these are available in PDF form so you can bring it with you when you shop.

What do YOU do to try to reduce your exposure to pesticides? Or do you think this is all blowing things out of proportion? We’d love to hear from you – join in the conversation on the Garden Girl Facebook page.

“The petition covers Blue Nos. 1 and 2, Green No. 3, Orange B, Red Nos. 3 and 40, and Yellow Nos. 5 and 6. FDA approval of these chemicals dates to the 1960s and is subject to batch certification. The dyes are used to make a variety of candy, beverages, baked goods and sausage.” (ok sausage? really?)

There have been numerous studies (all controversial) that have linked food dyes to hyperactivity. With two young boys (…), I will be definitely interested in seeing where this goes.  Food in our house is generally clear of dyes – I try to avoid things that are not natural-ish or at least that have too many unnecessary ingredients (like dyes).  I’m not saying we’re crazy vigilant about it – they do get the occasional treat that might have that stuff in it, but generally it is avoided. But it comes down to the fact that, to me, it just seems like another chemical that doesn’t need to be in our food.

But clearly this is a controversial subject. I also found this Food Fear Mongering the the WaPost in response to the Op Ed piece. The author clearly believes that there is too much hype and not enough proof regarding this topic. She believes that sugar is a bigger dietary culprit. She goes on to “fact check” the Washington Post piece. However, some of her fact checking lacks facts, unfortunately:

• She said she found no evidence that the FDA is meeting on the subject (they are, see link above)
• Her rubuttal to the quote from the Washington Post stating “Today’s supermarket is a fun house of hues. Its aisles feature riotously colored processed foods perfectly engineered to appeal to the part of your brain that says ‘yum’.”  is that those foods have no nutritional value and are loaded with sugar. All very true, however that’s not the point. The sugar impacts the taste – one of the senses that impacts the “yum” part of the brain we while eating. But the color impacts the visual – another one of the senses that impacts how appealing food is.

Anyway – I think this will be interesting to watch. Clearly lobbyists on both sides will be fighting hard. In Europe they have required warning labels on foods using some of those dyes. It has actually forced companies like Kellogg’s to change to natural dyes to avoid having to put those labels on their products in Europe. The way I see it, if it’s one fewer unnecessary chemical used in food, regardless of whether costly studies and wasted time have proven any links to anything detrimental, that’s a good thing. So let’s hope we at least get the warning labels.

In our homes, every day, we are exposed to all kinds of chemicals. And, as the article states, it’s nearly impossible to prove “scientifically that certain diseases are caused by household chemicals, such as bisphenol-A, phthalates, and flame retardants.” But the three scientists that were interviewed for the article have changed their own habits at home, based on their own research and therefore their understanding of the risks we are exposed to.

The “Big Three” that are the focus of the article are: Bisphenol A (BPA), phthalates and fire retardants.

The first, BPA, is one that I have written about numerous times. It seems that every few months there is a new study linking it to some issue. The Globe summarized recent studies, saying:

But now, I realize that we were lucky we only were exposed to that for a shortish amount of time. And I’m very glad we weren’t living there when we started our family. More and more information is cropping up about the concerns about pesticides – and this week USA Today had a story about how some pesticides have been linked to developmental issues. Should we be surprised by that? Not especially, considering the fact that pesticides work by basically damaging the brains of the insects. So if it works on them, wouldn’t you expect it to have some impact on humans?

And here’s the kicker, this study is based on the pesticide Permethrin, which, the article states, is “among the most commonly detected pesticides in homes”. Well guess what? This Permethrin is the REPLACEMENT for “older organophosphorous pesticides” which were “phased out because of concerns that they harm brain development.” Oh boy. Out of the frying pan into the fire.

This study was conducted in New York City where followed pregnant women, who are exposed to the pesticide as a result of spraying for cockroaches, who had agreed to wear a monitor. They monitored the health of the women and their children (both in utero and after birth) for a few years.

What they found was  that “children exposed to the highest pesticide levels before birth were three times as likely to have a mental delay compared to children with lower levels.” I guess it’s not surprising, and I feel for people who need to find a solution for their insect problem (believe me, I totally get that) – but I hope for everyone’s sake that a safe solution is found. Because the only alternative to living with bugs shouldn’t be poisoning our babies.

The thing is, we can’t even estimate our exposure to this hormone-mimicking chemical that is found in things made from polycarbonate plastics. According to the National Institutes of Environmental Health, “polycarbonate plastics have many applications including use in some food and drink packaging, e.g., water and infant bottles, compact discs, impact-resistant safety equipment, and medical devices. Epoxy resins are used as lacquers to coat metal products such as food cans, bottle tops, and water supply pipes. Some dental sealants and composites may also contribute to BPA exposure.” Want to avoid BPA on your own? Good luck. It’s pretty much impossible.

The primary way we are exposed to BPA is through our diet. Again, according to the National Institutes of Environmental Health, “The primary source of exposure to BPA for most people is through the diet. While air, dust, and water are other possible sources of exposure, BPA in food and beverages accounts for the majority of daily human exposure.”

The NIEH go on to say that “Bisphenol A can leach into food from the protective internal epoxy resin coatings of canned foods and from consumer products such as polycarbonate tableware, food storage containers, water bottles, and baby bottles. The degree to which BPA leaches from polycarbonate bottles into liquid may depend more on the temperature of the liquid or bottle, than the age of the container. BPA can also be found in breast milk.”

BPA has been shown to be in the blood of more than 90% of Americans. Just THAT fact should be eye opening.  The EPA had stated that BPA exposure up to 50 micrograms per kilogram of weight per day is safe. But guess what? This Environmental Health Perspectives study is suggesting that we are exposed actually to at least 8 times that amount. Oh boy.

I don’t know about you, but I find this highly disturbing. According to a New York Times article covering this study, they state that BPA  “was first synthesized as a man-made estrogen substitute before being used widely in the linings of canned goods and polycarbonate plastics.”  Because it mimics hormones, key to development and determination of things like gender, it has been of great concern to many environmental health scholars as well as concerned citizens. In the New York Times article Thomas Zoeller, a biology professor at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst is quoted saying that “BPA, since it mimics estrogen, is an ‘endocrine disrupter.’… And amazingly, BPA has the ability to bind to not one, but three receptors — the estrogen, the male hormone and the thyroid hormone receptors, Zoeller said.”

I know there are many many people including well respected and brilliant scientists, who will try to convince us all that we should not be worried. It’s all fine. But based on what we DO know about BPA, I think it is clear that it is just bad news. Do we really want to wait around for more evidence to prove what we really already know? BPA is just not safe. And there’s no need to keep it around.

1) Look for pencils made from sustainable wood or recycled newspaper, without any paint or coatings

2) Look for hand soap and hand sanitizers without triclosan, triclocarbon or fragrance

3) Avoid buying polymer clay (the kind that stays soft at room temperature and hardens in the oven because it is made from PVC and has phthalates.

Check out the full list on the EWG and happy back to school!!

But fine, no worries. You can pop them in your pocketbook (mom) or in your back pocket (dad) when going out. But what happens when the child gets older and needs to have them on hand but is going somewhere without his or her backpack? Or what if you are an adult who suffers from an allergy and you want to go out for a run, or do something where carrying a bag is not convenient? Since fanny-packs are long out of fashion, there have been few alternatives, other than carrying the “pens” in your hand.

So along comes a pair of ingenious moms. They, like me, became concerned about their nut-allergy kids as they got older and started going off on their own. A bike ride to a friend’s house, a trip into the town center for an ice cream, a soccer practice. What could they do to ensure that the Epi-Pens would be on hand? So they put their heads together and came up with a simple yet smart solution – called Take In Case. It’s a sleeve made of a stretchy material that has a little padding. The whole thing measures about 6 inches wide and 8 inches long, and it has two pockets that securely hold an Epi Pen each. VOILA! Now any child (recommended ages 10 and up) or adult can carry the Epi Pens on their arm or calf and keep their hands free.

We have been using this for a couple of weeks now and it has been great. My son is 10 years old but is, um, a little “slender” (ok – he’s as skinny as a rail) so it’s a little big for his arm, but he still puts it there anyway, and he actually doesn’t mind carrying it. Not bad!

Check out this site TakeInCase.com for a lot more information, and to find out how to order the case. From my perspective, it’s $25 well spent. And a portion of the sale goes to support food allergy research as well!

So he created a handy “toolkit” using data from the Harvard School of Public Health’s The Nutrition Source (another great source for tips on healthy living and eating). Jamie’s toolkit is an easy to read chart that shows how much sugar is in 12 ounces of drinks like cranberry juice cocktail (12 teaspoons!!!), orange soda (11 teaspoons) and even orange juice (10 teaspoons). It’s pretty eye opening!

And if you want to get even more detailed, check out The Nutrition Source’s How Sweet Is It? chart. Oh boy. I always knew that 100% grape juice was sweet – but didn’t realize that it has 15 (!) teaspoons of sugar per 12 oz. glass! How about that tasty Odwalla Apple Raspberry drink? A whopping 14 teaspoons. I definitely recommend a quick browse of the chart – and possibly printing it out.

We are not big soda drinkers in our house – but my oldest son loves it as a treat. I told him about a “The Nanny” episode that I saw once where she made one of the children, who was addicted to soda, spoon 12 spoonfuls of sugar into a 12 oz. glass. It took up nearly half of the glass. She pointed out to him that he was drinking that, basically with water and colors and flavors, every time he had a soda. It was a pretty strong visual. And even just telling my son about it got the point across. If you want more visuals, check out this cool site, Sugar Stacks, that shows you exactly what the amount of sugar in drinks and food looks like by featuring photos of the food and drinks with stacks of sugar cubes next to them (the photo above is one of their photos).

And Jamie Oliver’s point? Sugary drinks are OK for a treat, but stick to water for the bulk of your beverage consumption. No calories. No concerns. He even has some great ideas for flavoring your water and some fruit smoothie recipes as well. Fruit smoothies again can pack some serious natural sugar if you use too much juice or milk, or add additional sugar. But they are also a great way to start the day with protein and vitamins. And Jamie suggests throwing in a handful of nuts and/or natural oatmeal as well, both of which can slow down your body’s process of absorbing the sugar.

I have been on a smoothie kick for the past year and a half (ever since I got my Silver Bullet little blender – I love that thing!). Anyway – I do a quick smoothie in the morning with about 1/3 cup frozen blueberries (look for pesticide-free or washed frozen berries as they are often loaded with pesticides, unfortunately…), a little OJ, and about 1/3 cup fat free greek yogurt. I throw in a handful of oatmeal and some flax meal. I know – it sounds nasty that way but it’s surprisingly good and incredibly filling! And this summer I ventured into new territory at the suggestion of a friend who’s a nutritionist. I add a couple of leaves of kale into the mix. Granted you have to have a lot of berries to overpower the kale taste but it grinds up so small you really don’t even realize it’s there. And with kale being such a “super food” – it’s a pretty great way to start the day! (OK, I can hear collective groans from you all – but really, it’s way better than you’d think!)

Regardless of whether you want to do a deep dive into crazy smoothie world or not, the moral of this whole story is that you can easily cut out wasted calories by watching what you drink. Choose water, seltzer or sparkling water (try it with a splash of juice), tea & coffee (easy on the cream but it’s even ok to have a teaspoon of sugar in there) or other low-calorie, low-sugar drinks.  Save the other drinks for a treat. And keep an eye on what the kids drink – teaching them healthy habits at a young age will pay off for sure.

It was inevitable. Boys would get sucked into the beauty industry at some point. And it has happened. According to a recent New York Times article, boys from tweens through their 20’s are now targeted heavily by the manufacturers of grooming products like hair products, deodorants, body sprays, colognes, etc. All of these products with all of these scents. Not only are parents getting fed up with the clouds of fragrance trailing their sons (thankfully mine are still too young for this…) – but the kids are getting more than they bargained for.

As Stacy Malkan, the founder of Campaign for Safe Cosmetics says in her blog posting:

“The irony of this story, which the Times missed entirely, is that the ads promise virility and masculinity, yet the products may have the exact opposite effect on the bodies of developing boys. Most fragranced products contain diethyl phthalate, a chemical that has been linked to sperm damage and feminized genitals. Many of the products, from body spray to shampoo, also contain parabens, a chemical that acts like estrogen in the body.

In all, the 18 body-care products used by the above-mentioned teenagers contain roughly 200 synthetic chemicals that the boys are putting on their bodies each day before breakfast. This daily dose includes dozens of chemicals linked to cancer, skin problems, allergies and hormone disruption, according to an analysis of a typical suite of these products on the Skin Deep database.”

Boys have just as much to lose as girls through exposure to these unnecessary chemicals. Teach them at a young age to read labels and avoid the fragrances. Look for natural, essential oil-based products instead – they are out there, they’re just harder to find. Otherwise, the consequences can be serious. And really, they’ll be doing everyone else around them a favor anyway. Have you ever been around a teen doused in Axe. Iiiiicccccckkkkkk.

Nut-Safe Granola Bars

• 2 cups rolled oats
• 3/4 c packed brown suagr
• 1/2 c wheat germ
• 3/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1 c flour (I use white whole wheat)
• 1/2 c raisins (or dried cranberries)
• 1/2 c chocolate chips
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 c honey (or blue agave syrup)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 c canola oil
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• Tweaks I’ve made: add some cheerios or rice krispies, add 1/4 c ground flax seed, throw in a few tablespoons of cocoa to make them “chocolate”, add other chopped/dried fruit, add some sunflower seeds for extra protein (or of course nuts if you don’t have nut allergies to worry about!). You might need to adjust the flour/oat/oil combination if you add too much of these things. Also – you can reduce the sugar a bit and it will be OK.

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9×13 inch baking dish well with oil spray like Pam.
2. In a large bowl, mix together oats, brown sugar, wheat germ, cinnamon, flour, raisins and salt. Make a well in the center, and pour in the honey, egg, oil and vanilla. Mix well using your hands. Pat this mixture evenly and firmly into the prepared pan. Make sure it’s packed in well so it’s not too crumbly.
3. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven until the bars begin to turn golden brown at the edges. Do no over cook them or they will be crunchy instead of chewy! Cool for 5 minutes, then cut into bars while still warm. That’s VERY important – don’t let the bars cool or they will be too hard to cut.
4. I wrap these individually in plastic wrap then keep them in a big zip top bag. They keep for a couple of weeks this way, surprisingly!

I hope you try this. And it’s not just for kids – it’s better for you than many of the “power bars” and will give you some good energy!