The Healthiest Baby (and planet) You Can Grow

The newest addition,
our littlest (organic)
pea in a pod.
October 31, 2011

Many of my friends are expecting now, just after my giving birth this past June.  I love babies and motherhood, it's no secret (since I have 3 boys now).  So I take shopping for baby items seriously - whether for myself or for my mom-to-be girlfriends.

Today's post is actually part of a gift I gave a girlfriend of mine just a few weeks ago. She is expecting her first in less than 6 weeks - so exciting! - and I noticed a few items on her baby registry that could be lurking with some toxic chemicals (aka something akin to Johnson and Johnson since they have come under fire for using toxic chemicals in their baby bath products).

We all know and have heard plenty, sometimes more than we want, about why going green is necessary. The risks of not (going green) include everything from cancer, ADHD, and hormonal imbalances in yourself or your baby, to global warming and ultimately - polluting the future planet our children will inherit.

Going green is not really an option anymore, it should be an urgent imperative for every family.  Like so many of my friends, myself included, going green means starting small and taking baby steps (no pun intended).

So, here is my letter to her, of course edited for your best interest and consumption.

My dear friend,

I hope you absorb all of this magical time you can. There is nothing as joyful as the first pregnancy. Nothing.


Here is some information to go along with your gift. When I was pregnant with Michael, I poured through the research on clean foods and baby products. I found more than I wanted to know - about petroleum based chemicals in baby wipes, and even shampoo and food! I also learned that children's vitamins had saccharin, artificial flavoring and other dangerous and unnecessary chemicals in them. Read more

The solution is clean food and green baby products - no funny stuff or chemicals in them. So I searched until I found vitamins, baby wipes, diapers, bottles, and baby feeding supplies that were made with respect for the planet and with care for the fragile nature of tiny developing humans. ;)


I wanted to share a bit of this info. with you - since things as benign as baby wipes can be toxic - once you read the label and realize what the company has put into them. So - here goes!

Save money and the planet at the same time.  These actions can include:

• Stop buying paper products (except toilet paper of course).  Okay, so occasionally I buy tissues (aka Kleenex) when there are snotty noses in the house. But other than that, we buy nothing disposable - no paper towels, paper plates, throw away cups or cleaning products, etc. Things like that. Also, we cloth diaper. It's a controversial topic, but from everything I read (and I've been following the cloth/disposable controversy since 2005) - unless you have a water shortage, cloth is better.
• Avoid GMO's and other harmful substances. Rodale press (green press) really is a fantastic hot spot for the latest information on all things organic and green parenting. Here is this morning's fantastic review on: 7 things to evict from your baby's diaper bag.
• Do not buy, I repeat, do not buy anything with these Toxic Ten in them. It's not easy, but there's nothing more to it than reading labels. Carefully.  Currently, until laws change, label reading is the only defense (or offense) we as consumers have to protect our families from dangerous chemicals.  

Here are a few more links:

• Hidden dangers in baby wipes, bottles, and more...How to choose healthiest versions for baby.
  I used cloth diapers(Fuzzi Bunz) and made my own (easy!) cloth wipes and solution.  But this article gives alternatives for moms who choose not to or cannot cloth diaper or make their own wipes.
• Excellent resource for latest information in green (and safer) living: http://rodalepress.com/.  You can sign up for their free newsletter, which outlines the latest research and findings for healthy living, food, environment, and fitness. Most important, they are usually the first (independent and not for profit agency at that) to report on dangerous chemicals found in baby toys, foods, etc. Their mantra is "Where Health meets Green."
• The New Good Life: http://www.johnrobbins.info/the-new-good-life/.  A book about eco-friendly and safer (better) living for everyone on the planet. 
  
  Through searching on the web over the last 6 years, I have found a sustainable substitute for just about every baby product a parent will need during the first 5 years.  I have found many other resources on healthy versions of things pediatricians regularly recommend.
  
  For example, if you breast feed, your MD is likely to recommend Vitamin D drops. Well, I recently went to the drugstore to find the D drops that were recommended to me by a pediatrician. The drops that are front and center on drugstore shelves are full of preservatives and artificial flavorings. I could not imagine giving my baby such a toxic brew when he's fresh, new, and has a real start at a healthy life.   So - I did some homework and found a substitute Vitamin D for the preservative-riddled vitamin D on drugstore shelves. It is (simply) vitamin D3 and coconut oil (what a relief).  Of course, it is up to moms (and dads) to read labels and discern what is best for their child.  The other option for parents are to forgo the supplements, such as the Vitamin D drops. However this argument is a drop in the well of many controversies on raising baby.
  
  Anyhow - not to overwhelm you - but as you know, you are your biggest advocate for yours and your baby's best health. The western system of medicine can sometimes be guilty of practicing medicine based on patient (or practitioner) convenience rather than what is best or evidence based - and this short sighted model is typically and overwhelmingly not planet or people friendly (or sustainable in the long run).
  
  I do hope this helps and encourages you. It's truly my passion to help moms and babies have their best, most natural, most gentle start!
  
  
  
  
  

Is Your Kid A Food Snob? (maybe she/he should be)

A few weeks ago I was researching preschools and childcare in the area.  During my search, I had a wonderful conversation with the director of a preschool about giving your child a (um) "golden palate."  In other words, how do we raise up our children to seek out and enjoy healthy, whole foods?

Here is the answer I gave the preschool director. I hope it helps you in your journey as a mother or woman who cares for, works with, or just loves children.

Hi Joan (not her real name),

I commend you for attempting to feed the children healthy food. However, it is tough to offer (and have them actually eat) healthy food if they aren't any at home.  

As a physical therapist and health coach, I am also a long time teacher. If I could make a suggestion for your lesson plans - you might consider including nutrition as part of what you teach the children. Teaching healthy choices as part of your lesson plan may actually turn out to be what helps a child most in life...we need to help prevent chronic disease and debility in our future generations.  Adults behavior easily imprints children at this age - and leading by example, which includes serving healthy meals and snacks - would go a long way toward ensuring the future health of our nation's children.

Epidemic Unhealthy Eating Is Creating Premature & Preventable Chronic Disease In America's Children 

Childhood obesity, diabetes, and inactivity is now considered epidemic in America's children today.  Our crops in America are laden with pesticides, genetically modified organisms, and harmful antibiotics and insecticides.  These chemicals have been found in the bloodstreams of our children and in pregnant women, not to mention in cancerous tumors of the breast. Now the USDA is even considering including "organic" food as part of the food pyramid, because of all the serious health risks associated with non-organic foods.

My Story

On a personal note, it was not until the late 90's that I realized how toxic my daily diet was.  I was consuming high fructose corn syrup, artificial flavorings, pesticides, and many unidentified artificial ingredients, now dubbed as "food technology," without even knowing it. Low-fat was all the rage, and I was a naive consumer of all those chemically laden, high sugar, high sodium products.  (And yes all of those poisons are in many, or I daresay most, conventional high sugar cereals and snacks.)

High fructose corn syrup is being linked to childhood obesity, diabetes, and attention deficit disorder, to name a few. Many of those foods also contain parabens and propylene glycol - the later of which is a cancer causing petroleum (yes, oil) derivative.  In addition, serving ware and storage containers made of plastic often contain BPA, a chemical known to alter hormonal function - especially in women, children, and pregnant women. read more on harmful effects of BPA

Raising Up A Food (and serving ware) Snob

It was through reading the following texts below, that I began to recalibrate my own palate. I eliminated all processed food - which meant basically anything that came in a box ready to eat. Today, if my children eat snacks or "treats," I make sure they have no high fructose corn syrup, artificial flavoring or preservatives.  In addition, when possible and where necessary, all of their food is organic.  I rid our home of dangerous plastic containers, and use food containers to pack snacks and lunches such as Lunch Bots and Klean Canteen.

I have studied western nutrition and holistic nutrition through Chinese medicine and Ayurveda (Indian medicine).  Now, I counsel all of my patients and students across the United States about the dangers of consuming a typical "American" diet.  Americans suffer from more chronic diseases, including heart disease, stroke, obesity and many cancers that are preventable with diet and exercise, than any other nation in the world. Our children do not need to inherit these diseases or our current nutritional (or lack thereof) habits.

Resource List

Below I have a list of resources you might want to send home to parents, in addition to teaching the children about nutrition. It can also be a way to reintroduce a new food program that is holistically balanced.  All of these changes can help parents create a clean (and discerning) palate for their children.  Once children are accustomed to eating whole foods, the taste of artificially flavored and high sugar foods will become unpalatable.  For example, my children used to eat sugar on their cereal (a well meaning family member started this trend).  So last fall I took cereal out of their diet altogether and made a cooked breakfast each morning.  This summer, when the weather lent itself more easily to cold cereal - I reintroduced the cereal (the organic version of Cheerios, of course).  I did not offer them any sugar.  The result? They have been happily eating non-sugared cereal all summer long, never once having asked for sugar.

Seasonal Eating

As summer now gives way to fall, I also recommend eliminating cereal from your children's diet in keeping with Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine recommendations. I rely on making "warm breakfasts," rather than cold.  I make whole grain (or gluten free for those with allergies) pancakes from scratch with maple syrup (grocery store syrup is one of the worst "food technology, high fructose corn syrup offenders. Just say no!), oatmeal, eggs, soy based breakfast foods, and the occasional meat. My children aren't vegetarian, but neither does our family rely on meat. I serve it only 1-2 times a week.  The rest of the week they eat vegetarian protein(s) and are thriving wonderfully. And as a side note - it does not take that much time to prepare a healthy, whole food meal.  Opening a box may seem convenient, but the health of our children is more important than convenience. In addition, I also get to teach my children about the joys of Slow Food and it is a wonderful way to create quality family time together (not to mention great memories and great food!).

Treats & Desserts

When I do bake desserts, we make organic versions. Cupcakes (yes, actually!), cobblers, pies, cakes - nothing is off menu for my children.  I don't even restrict them from eating candy - but I have educated them as to what is in it and what it does to their body (not to mention their teeth!).  I want them to be able to make  informed decision(s), rather than me playing the eternal (and not very effective) role of the rigid maternal nutritional food police.

The result?

I use my own family as an example.  My 4 year old declared he is eating no more candy or junk food - including his favorite - lollipops. (we'll see how long this lasts) However, to my surprise, he's kept this trend up all summer - and he shows no signs of dropping his new habit.

Instead of junk food, he eats fruit and the desserts that we make together; and, when offered what he labels "junk," which generally includes chips, snack foods, and all candy - he declines 99% of the time.  I can recall 2 instances where he accepted a lollipop - and both times he declared to everyone in the car (we were at the bank where the teller, the world's sartorial lollipop dispenser, always tailors the treats in favorite colors), "I am only eating 1 lollipop today, because they don't make me big or smart and I don't want holes in my teeth." Of course, I smiled inwardly and outwardly ~ a mother's greatest dream (or at least partly) - I have created a food snob, or at least a foodie who can discriminate between high quality and low quality (or no quality) food. 

He has learned about organic gardening, picking fresh fruit right out of the trees and off vines.  He has aso learned about cooking from scratch with whole foods.  As a result, he has a rather refined and sensitive palate for a 4 year old. (It took me almost 30 years before I started to develop one.) For example, before he could even speak he could taste the difference between jarred spaghetti sauce and our homemade organic version. (he wouldn't eat a second bite of the processed/jarred kind).

Expanded Resource List

I say all of this to encourage you, and to applaud you for your efforts to feed children healthy cereals and snacks.  I am going to bet that if you institute a new nutrition program as part of your lesson plans - about balanced nutrition and the importance of eating whole foods as close to their original source as possible (i.e. eating locally, seasonally, and organic)- you will help change a nation's nutritional habits, one child at a time.

Here are the resources I give to patients, which you can share with parents:

Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the American Meal - a well researched book about the underbelly of American fast food

Food Inc.: A Participant Guide: How Industrial Food is Making Us Sicker, Fatter, and Poorer-And What You Can Do About It

Food Rules: An Eater's Manual

In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto

Disease Proof Your Child: Feeding Kids Right

Food You Should Always Buy Organic

Seven Reasons Why Kids Should Drink Organic Milk

The Green Guide - a guide to living healthy, responsibly, and preventing disease

Lastly, for those parents already organically saavy in the healthy eating department - the next level to improve health even more is consuming an Anti-Inflammatory diet, endorsed by physicians, nutritionists, and holistic nutritionists globally. You can find an example of The Anti-Inflammatory Diet here.

The list of resources is certainly not exhaustive, but it is a good start toward empowering parents to help their children live a long and healthy life.
I hope this helps you in your teaching and passion for children's education and  many blessings to you in the new school year.

*photo is of Michael baking his first organic apple cobbler with oatmeal topping, in a NC pottery crock gifted to him by his great grandmother. He insisted on wearing his bicycle helmet for the event.

Message from Healthy Child, Healthy World

An important universal mantra for all parents, no matter what non profit organization you support. There is nothing more important than the health of your child.

Why Every Woman Needs Vitamin D (psst - it's a hormone!)

Just how damaging can a vitamin D deficiency be for your health (and the health of your children)?

Just ask Dr. Satkirin Khalsa, a board certified family physician, yoga expert, and advocate for women's health. I continued my interview with Dr. Khalsa last week, and am sharing it with all of you today.

Read what every woman and mother should know about vitamin D.

Don't miss Dr. Khalsa's extended interview.

Read Dr. Khalsa's original interview.

*light therapy for my firstborn, 1 week old.

Are You Vitamin D Deficient?

Make sure you and your children are getting enough vitamin D this winter.

Interview with Dr. Satkirin Khalsa, physician, yoga expert, educator, and women's health advocate discusses vitamin D deficiency in the United States and how it negatively impacts the health of every woman and child.

Side effects of vitamin D deficiency can prevent our bodies from absorbing calcium, putting women and children at high risk. In addition, deficiency in children can cause high blood sugar which could lead to diabetes, and also high blood pressure and metabolic syndrome.
As a woman or mother, you cannot afford to skip today's interview. Read it today and protect you and your child's health.

*last spring, FL, on mother's day
**Dr. Khalsa

Children In the US

A recent post by mother's rights activist & blogger Linda Juergens caught my attention.As a woman and/or mother, it should catch your attention too.

Read the recent post:
US Makes Poor Showing for its child welfare

Other favorite resources to empower mothers:
Your (Wo)man in Washington blog
Doing Better For Our Children
The Price of Motherhood & If You Can Raise Kids, You Can Do Anything
National Association of Mothers' Centers

Mothers Out To Have Equal Rights

*photo taken with my son, 5 weeks old.