Just in Time: Sunscreen Safety



Best sunscreen for kids: all top-rated products
 contain either zinc or titanium minerals to help cut UVA
exposures for sunscreen users.


For years I faithfully slathered myself and my kids with sunscreen all summer.  Spending our summer days on Lake Superior, I was hyper mindful of how fast one of my fair skinned babes could get burned.  But as many of you know, I am a recent cancer survivor and my attention has been redirected to all of the chemicals our family comes in contact with on a daily basis.  Some of it I can't control.  But at the very least I can be a conscious consumer and limit the toxicity that crosses our paths.

So, as I’ve been planning our summer months ahead I’ve been scanning sunscreen labels for the past several weeks trying to make sense out of the countless choices.  Admittedly, I didn’t know what I was looking for until today when a very nice link appeared on my email list.  The Environmental Working Group has put together a great list of sunscreens to keep you and your family a little safer.

So I’m sharing….. And just for the purpose of reiteration I’m highlighting two ingredients to put on your own personal blacklist when you are filling your cart with sun safety.

Vitamin A:  Who knew?  Apparently studies suggest that this ingredient may speed the development of skin tumors and lesions. The FDA study of vitamin A’s photocarcinogenic properties raises the possibility that it results in cancerous tumors when used on skin exposed to sunlight. So put it in sunscreen? Um, no thank you.

Oxybenzone – This is the most common active ingredient in sunscreen and was in every bottle in my medicine cabinet.   Experts raise concerns about its use in sunscreens for children because of its ability to penetrate the skin (hello bloodstream) and its connection with allergic reactions and potential hormone disruption.  The hormone disruption point really gets me as my personal tumor was related to some crazed estrogen and progesterone hormones (many breast cancers are) and I can’t help but wonder if these chemicals are related to the rise in cancer incidence.

The good news is that there is quite a list of safe(r) products on the market.  One that especially caught my eye was The Livestrong brand that can be found on Amazon.com.  Leave it to Livestrong to be on the forefront of anti-cancer products. 

Play Outside - Why Our Kids Need More Green Time

Our family's green time at Madeline Island's
beautiful State Park.

I have YMCA  kids. Four of them.  They have been Y kids all of their life experiencing swim team, basketball, Halloween parties,  and more recently as they have gotten older Camp Manitou.

I admit sending kid one there was kind of tough. Not on him, on me.  Would he brush his teeth, keep his clothes organized, and shower on a regular basis?  I remember asking Carol, Camp Manitou’s Chief keeper of kids, those questions before his first session.  She smiled knowingly and answered, “No, he won’t.”  And she was right.  Not only did he not regularly shower, the dirt in his knees took three days to scrub off when he returned home.

But he was alright.  Actually, more than alright.  Year after year as we sent him and then our daughters, they returned different kids.  Dare I say, more mature and knowing, as though they had experienced something special and unique and were forever changed for the experience.  How it happened wasn’t always available to us as parents.  It wasn’t in the funny stories they told about kids in their cabins, latrine hazards, or adventures on the big bopper.  It wasn’t even about the new friends we knew they had made or all of the amazing team building projects they had experienced. We would get a little insight usually during the tears shed at pick up knowing that they just realized the next opportunity for completely being a kid was a summer away again.

When it comes down to it, for my children, a week at Camp Manitou is all about being a kid.  Even better, a kid outside.  Stripped away from the cell phones, computer games and all other devices requiring an electrical outlet, they get to focus on play.  It’s a respite from CNN, school stress, and family tensions.  It’s the opportunity to be in awe of nature and what the Earth provides without being required to write an essay about it.  They get to live in the outdoors and just be present in that moment.

As a business person I teach yoga and also run yoga and kayaking adventure retreat for women on Madeline Island.  Teaching yoga on the island, on the beach of Lake Superior if weather permits, I see the same benefits in adults that my kids experience at Camp Manitou.  Nature as a backdrop is profoundly impactful in releasing tensions and reconnecting to ourselves.  For younger kids, it is inherent.  But as they grow and are faced with so many expectations, it slowly wears away.  Sometimes, by the time they reach adulthood it is lost it all together. In my opinion, these camp experiences are priceless, reminding our kids to experience things outdoors and reconnect with nature.

I recently read the book, Last Child in the Woods – Saving our kids from Nature-Deficit Disorder, by Richard Louv.  The premise is simple, that our kids need more green time, but the statistics and studies supporting the evidence that children in modern families spend so much more time indoors leading to a sedentary lifestyle and childhood obesity are staggering.  We know that for kids outdoor play facilitates a more prepared brain for learning and yet opportunities for our kids are fewer and further away. Another emerging body of scientific evidence indicates that exposure to nature is essential for physical and emotional health. We can measure the relationship between nature and health and understand that time outdoors improves children’s cognitive abilities and resistance to stress and depression.

Understanding that, I’m pretty sure that is what I noticed in my kids on pick up day.  A release and a re-connect. I’m so grateful that they have the memories and know that as adults, they will always look back fondly on Camp.

Say No Way to BPA

I've been aware of BPA since 2008 when Consumer Reports released an article regarding the use of this dangerous toxin in plastic bottles.  Bisphenol-A is a plastic and resin ingredient used to line metal food and drink cans, and it's a main building block for polycarbonate (PC) plastics. Basically it makes the plastic harder. The danger presents itself when BPA leeks into the food or water providing a contaminant to what you have purchased.  At that time the potential danger spoke to me as a mother of four kids participating in athletics and carrying plastic bottles around on a daily basis.  I specifically remember rummaging through a drawer (and small fortune) of Nalgene plastic bottles and tossing them in the trash.

Recently I have been reintroduced to this issue when I read about the high amounts of BPA in canned foods.  Specifically the following statement released by The Organics Consumer Association, took my breath away, "  BPA mimics the effect of estrogen in the body. In animal studies, small amounts of the chemical, as little as 25 parts per billion, have been linked to conditions such as early puberty and cancer." (In the 1930s, BPA was used as a synthetic substitute for the female hormone estrogen.) At one point this may have been a sentence I would have skimmed over.  But after a diagnosis of estrogen receptor positive breast cancer in 2009, (age 40, no risk factors) the idea that a can of tomatoes was the potential culprit really hit home.

Here's the craziest part.  After years of buying organic cans of foods at a significantly higher cost I make the discovery that most of them are packaged in BPA lined cans. I can't think of a better time to write it. WTF?!? So the many years of serving enough vegetables to my family believing that canned foods provided extra vitamins (many can manufacturers spin the value of canned foods even exceeds fresh because the vegetables are picked at their height of freshness and then sealed in) is now overridden by the idea that I was plateing a nice little helping of a chemical toxins too.

So I wrote to two of the companies I frequently buy canned goods from, Muier Glen Organics and Trader Joes inquiring on their use of using BPA lined cans and their plans for alternatives. Here are their responses:

From Muier Glen:

Most metal cans in the food industry utilize BPA in the can lining or can lid. Some of our products do, and many competitors′ products do as well.

Muir Glen continues to believe BPA is safe. However, we know that some of our consumers have wanted us to pursue alternatives. We have been working with our can suppliers and can manufacturers to develop and test alternative linings that do not use BPA for some time.

From Trader Joes: Please know that this is an industry-wide issue for manufacturers of
food-grade cans and canned foods. Work is being done within the industry to develop alternative, BPA-free linings for canned products. The cannedfood industry has relied on this method for many years and is scrambling to come up with solutions that do not trade one perceived problem for a
degradation in food safety.

All of our products and packaging are within food safety guidelines and regulations.

(Editors note: A call to Trader Joes public relations revealed that canned corn, canned beans, canned fish, canned poultry, and canned beef at Trader Joe's are all packaged in BPA free cans.)

Most companies, including organics, are using BPA in the name of food safety.  One exception is Eden Foods, a natural and organic food company based in Michigan which sells most of its canned food, except the highly acidic tomato products, in BPA-free cans. Eden's president, Micheal Potter, (a pioneer on the non-GMO project as well as a leader in using BPA free cans)  states that most canned-good manufacturers should have no trouble following his company's lead, given that a 15-ounce BPA-free can costs only 2.2 cents more.

So what is the hold up? My husband asked me if it wasn't safe, why wasn't the FDA all over it.  I'm sure that is what most consumers think.  And yet, I am newly distrustful of our government agencies designed to protect our safety. See: Concerns for our Food Industry and the discussion regarding deregulation of genetically engineered alfafa.  As recently as 2008, Consumer Reports reported, " the FDA pronounced the chemical safe for use in baby bottles and other food containers,  even though a 2008 report from another federal agency, the National Toxicology Program, concluded that BPA  was of “some concern for effects on the brain, behavior and prostate gland in fetuses, infants and children at current human exposures.”  Consumer Reports states that  "food safety experts at Consumers Union believe federal regulatory guidelines—which are the same as those set by the European Food Safety Authority—are outdated and fail to adequately protect consumers." A year ago, FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg announced a shift in her agency's stance on the health risks posed by BPA but as of today the agency continues to maintain that it is taking steps to evaluate the risks imposed. And as of today the USDA has missed 3 of its self-imposed deadlines on issuing consumer guidelines on the risks of BPA.

Plus, is all of these "taking steps" enough? The scientists at the Center for Disease Control found BPA in more than 90% of the urine samples representative of the U.S. population. Currently there are over 200 independent studies confirming the health concerns surrounding BPA including 92% of 163 government-funded studies finding "significant negative effects" from low-level exposure to BPA. Based on these studies, the average person might consider ways in which to lower their risk to BPA but it won't be easy. In a November 2009, New York Times article, author Nicholas Kristof claims that the "US now produces the equivalent of six pounds of BPA per person per year."

So why do food companies continue to manufacture in BPA lined cans?  The Grocery Manufacturers Association continues to maintain despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary that " Bisphenol A (BPA) has been used for more than 30 years to improve the safety and quality of food and beverages, primarily by providing protective coatings for cans. Scientists and regulatory agencies that continue to watch the latest science and have reviewed BPA have repeatedly concluded that BPA is safe for use in these products." 

The truth seems to lie somewhere in the challenges that manufacturers face switching to a safer alternative. They state concerns of potential cost constraints, lack of viable substitutions, and posing a confusion for consumers. And  continue to maintain its safety. The BPA industry itself fiercly denies any significant risk.  (Incidently, the BPA industry uses the same lobbying firm as the tobacco industry, another danger that our government agencies moved famously slow on.)

What can we do? Vote with your pocketbook.  Eden has been effectively been canning its foods in a BPA free can since 1999.  Another safe alternative are Pomi boxed tomatoes. They are delicious, available for order by the case from the manufacturer as well as amazon.com.  Four companies that are actively pursuing safe alternatives to BPA lined cans are Hain Celestial, Con Agra, HJ. Hein, and General Mills but at this time are still using BPA.

Click here for the summary scorecard of Manufacturers plans to phase out BPA.

The best we can do is spead the word about the potential dangers, be a conscious consumer, and lean towards, fresh, organic, and local foods.

A Juice a Day for Happy Cells

When I was diagnosed with cancer I had a fabulous support team.  And I received some amazing gifts from those who loved me.  Two of my favorites I still use on a regular basis.


The first was the book, Crazy Sexy Cancer Tips by Kris Carr.  My sister sent it to me and at first I was a little shocked, just by the title.  Never heard anyone refer to cancer as sexy and I really wasn't feeling it myself at that point.  But reading through it was a great experience.  The author had a sassy kick- ass approach to her cancer diagnosis and I remember thinking I was going to plow through my fight with as much of the same attitude that I could muster.  Her writing inspired my writing.  And it was my yoga and my writing that got me through the next nine months. (And, my cancer posse......another blog post).

Another fabulous life change that I took from  the book was juicing.  Kris Carr sings the praises of juicing and my favorite concept was sending those cancer devils to their death with my immune boosting juice war. There is a feeling of powerlessness at times  with cancer but this was another weapon in my fight.  It gave me control. My sister followed up the book gift with a group gift of an Omega Juicer that she and my BFF's from high school chipped in for.  My affair with juicing began and I am proud to say that I have since then inspired quite a few other friends to juice.

Sooooo, here are my favorite juice recipes.  Use organic whenever you can.  Even if you aren't sick I can promise you (I promise) that juice will make your body feel better.  Don't get too technical about the sizes/amounts.....just throw it all in and juice yourself silly.

Sunset Cocktail

1 small beet
1 orange
1 apple
2 carrots
handful of grapes (great sweetener!)

And, my newest fav. from Kris Carr's book:

Key Lime Smoothie

1 avocado
1 peeled and seeded lime
1 cup of coconut water
cucumber
2 tsp. stevia
Sometimes I add a handful of romaine or a kiwi to make it really sweet. I also put the juice through a second time to really blend the avocado in.

Yum.

Concerns Regarding our Food Industry

Bear with me folks, this topic really ruffles my feathers.  I intend to keep this post simple as so many others have already written eloquently on the topic.  My goal here is to create awareness. Consider sharing this information with your friends ; it is our best line of defense.

As a conscious consumer  I was saddened by the recent decision by USDA Secretary Vilsack to deregulate genetically engineered alfalfa.  What is the impact on our environment and the future of our organics?  There is a myriad of conflicting information but I've tried to gather a few of the basic facts to share with my friends, family, and online community. Bottom line, it is disheartening.

The Organic Trade Association just released this legislative alert, "On January 27, the Obama Administration made the damaging decision to approve the unrestricted cultivation of genetically engineered (GE) alfalfa. This means GE alfalfa can be planted without any federal requirements to prevent contamination of organic and non-GE crops. It also means that GE alfalfa does not have to be labeled, making it difficult for consumers to identify and avoid."

Monsanto, the corporation responsible for chemicals Agent Orange, Saccharin, DDT, and rbST (growth hormone for cows), is the creator of Round-Up Ready, genetically engineered alfalfa seed. With the deregulation of this seed, farmers who grow products without pesticides will eventually be crop affected by this seed; its only a matter of time and they have no protective means. There is almost no argument against the strong possibility that genetically modified alfalfa will cross-pollinate non-GM alfalfa.

As per the Organics Consumer Organization, "The biotech industry and Organic Inc. are supremely conscious of the fact that North American consumers, like their European counterparts, are wary and suspicious of GMO foods. Even without a PhD, consumers understand you don't want your food safety or environmental sustainability decisions to be made by out-of-control chemical companies like Monsanto, Dow, or Dupont - the same people who brought you toxic pesticides, Agent Orange, PCBs, and now global warming. Industry leaders are acutely aware of the fact that every single industry or government poll over the last 16 years has shown that 85-95% of American consumers want mandatory labels on GMO foods. Why? So that we can avoid buying them. GMO foods have absolutely no benefits for consumers or the environment, only hazards."

Without getting into all of the hazard of GMO's and genetically engineered crops, as a mother, yoga teacher, and cancer survivor I feel compelled to write that I strongly believe that our food industry and the USDA has failed us.  Genetically engineered foods saturate our diet; even for the most well-intentioned consumers.  And the health hazards, which include cancer, are insurmountable and unmeasurable.

One of the best articles I read regarding the topic is by Denise, EatPlayLove blogger
http://eatplaylove.blogspot.com/2011/01/why-my-heart-hurts-for-america.html . Denise offers great advice as to what steps we can take as consumers as it seems like we have quite the fight on our hands.

 

One of my New Year's Intentions - Natural Cleaning Products

So here it is..... 2011.  As I mentioned in my prior post, New Year's resolutions are for me pretty non-effective.  So much emphasis is put upon creating a new and improved version of myself that it makes me crabby.The fallout usually occurring by the end of February was ugly. So a couple of years ago I just began writing down my New Year's Intentions.  Each year I evaluate and try to upgrade.  There is something about brushing off the old and approaching the New year with gusto so at the very least I feel a little freshened by the prospect of the 2011 Amy.

This years intentions are mainly a repeat of last year's. They include remembering to bring my green bags into the grocery store, to use my juicer daily, and to search out and buy from the smaller local food distributors.  I also wrote down serving my family more scratch meals which I know is a tall order for the 6 of us.  Although I grew up in a home where most of our meals  were grown in our backyard, I admit I can still be seduced by the simplicity of today's prepared and unfortunately processed products.  However, getting a swift kick in the butt from cancer was a huge motivator to make that one a year long effort. And of course deepening my personal yoga practice is always on the list but I could write an entire blog post on that one.

The one intention I really wanted to share today was my switch over to all natural cleaning products.  Better for the environment; better for my family.  I love the Seventh Generation line of cleaning products but recently a friend gave me a bottle of her home made cleaner and I love it! Smells great and works well for multi-surface cleaning. The grapefruit seed extract and essential oils are available at most natural food stores. Shake up the ingredients in a reusable spray bottle and you are living green.

Natural Cleaner

1/4 c. vodka (no sipping while cleaning)
1/2 c. hydrogen peroxide
1 C. water
5 drops of grapefruit seed extract
10 drops of lavender essential oil
5 drops of lemon essential oil.

Mix together. 

There are many great recipes out there but this one is especially nice. Enjoy and Namaste.