The Facts About Bottled Water

Presented by Online Education

Fast food chains have higher standards than your child's school!

The USA Today published an investigative report showing that the beef and chicken served to millions of our kids has up to 10 times the standards of fast food chains. It also reports the use of "spent hens" in school lunches, something fast food chains and Campbell's Soup won't even use, and often reserved for pet food.

What you can do:
- Pack your child's lunch every day. Explain to them why this is important. Review this report with them. Don't put them at risk to be the next victim of food-borne illness during the next major beef recall.
- Demand your school system provide healthier lunches for your children. Rally parents and push for school gardens, sources of more local foods, healthier snacks that come from foods that were actually alive at one point (meaning fruits and vegetables, and not the gluten-laden junk foods like pretzels and crackers so often touted as "healthier alternatives").
- The same stuff being served to your kids at school is often what is at the grocery store. Seek out safer, more sustainable sources of animal products. Look for local farms raising cow on grass and chickens without small, overcrowded containers.

USA Today Report

Soy protective for breast cancer survivors

A new study in JAMA shows that breast cancer survivors who consume the most whole soy foods had a lower risk of recurrence of their cancer than those eating lower amounts.

5000 women breast cancer survivors were evaluated for their soy consumption and followed for four years. 7.4 % of those consuming the most soy died, versus 10.3% of the lowest soy eaters.

This echoes a previous study in 2009 showing a potential protective, maybe Tamoxifen-like effect in blocking breat tissue from the body's estrogen.

The most important point is to focus on sources of whole soy foods, not processed soy where lots of soy protein isolate may be used (soy protein isolate and soy supplements have not been studied like this). So focus on organic sources of: Soymilk, tofu, edamame and tempeh.

http://www.medpagetoday.com/HematologyOncology/BreastCancer/17389

Protecting our girls from cancer

"...the risk that a 50-year-old white woman will develop breast cancer has soared to 12 percent today, from 1 percent in 1975. (Some of that is probably a result of better detection.) Younger people also seem to be developing breast cancer: This year a 10-year-old in California, Hannah, is fighting breast cancer and recording her struggle on a blog."  NY Times

With two young girls at home this article speaks loudly to me.  My wife and I certainly have put a strong focus on whole foods nutrtition and fitness as a foundation for health, but have we paid enough attention to the chemicals they are exposed to?

There are a number of books on my reading list covering this topic (The Hundred Year Lie is at the top). I have heard talks at conferences and read articles about the polar bears shrinking genitals and how toxic breast milk is (although still world's better than store-bought formula, I pray).

We are finally getting some data to show that there is a real problem here. This NY Times article  reports:  "...more than 200 other studies have shown links between low doses of  BPA and adverse health effects, according to the Breast Cancer Fund, which is trying to ban the chemical from food and beverage containers."

Certainly in our society, I will never be able to completely eliminate their exposure, but I can clean up my home. We have been very conscious already of the leaching of chemicals from the plastic during microwaving, but we use a plastic cover to prevent the food from exploding all over the microwave, I will find a glass one this week.

Speaking of microwaving, is that a problem? Maybe, but a recent study showed that microwaving vegetables is the best way to preserve their antioxidants.

We are getting rid of all plastic dishes and "silver"ware this week. We only use this stuff for the kids, while I eat on ceramic, wow that seems backwards. I will find metal forks and spoons that fit kid's mouths and ceramic or glass dishes for the kids. No more plastic tupperware.  We have some glass pieces, but now we will have all glass pieces. Cups as well will be glass or ceramic. And we will be more intense about keeping plastic out of the dishwasher, but I think just getting rid of the plastic is what we'll do.

We have previously removed lauryl components and parabens from our shampoos, soaps and lotions.

We are going to bring more houseplants into our home. Houseplants have been shown to help keep the air you breathe clean, this is much needed assistance. An old NASA study supports this. 

I will continue to serve whole soy foods to my girls, organic soy that is. Soy foods have been shown to lower the risk of female cancers when consumed early on in life. So we will keep drinking soy milk, making foods with tofu and serving edamame regularly.

We cannot completely remove the exposure to chemicals, but we can certainly lessen the burden, especially at home. For the uncontrollable exposures, I will have to hope that high quality, clean food, regular exercise, low stress environment, a spiritual connection to God and healthy relationships will give the body the fuel it needs to detoxify the body. That is a detox program, not a tea or a bottle of expensive supplement or foot baths.