Green Options

If your child watches more than two hours of television a day, his or her risk for asthma is doubled, according to a study published in the journal Thorax.
The UK study monitored over 3,000 children from birth until nearly twelve years old.  Beginning at the age of 3 and a half, researchers questioned parents annually on television viewing habits and symptoms of wheezing. 

Those children who watched more than two hours of television a day were twice as likely to have been diagnosed with asthma at age 12 than those children who watched less, prompting the researchers to suggest that “breathing patterns associated with sedentary behavior could lead to developmental changes in the lungs and wheezing illnesses in children“.

Mom always said, “Eat your broccoli. It’s good for you.”  Now I’m a mom, and I’m a broccoli-pusher too. 

It’s not just lip service; broccoli and its cruciferous cousins really are good for you. It’s already been demonstrated that vegetables like broccoli, cabbage and kale, when chewed and digested, release chemical compounds that may inhibit the growth of breast cancer and prostate cancer cells.  These same chemicals (diindolylmethane, or DIM) may help to boost immune systems as well.

Cancer research now indicates that compounds extracted from cruciferous greens, when combined with selenium, form a drug that may be safer and more effective than traditional therapy in targeting melanoma, the most severe form of skin cancer.

“If I had influence with the good fairy who is supposed to preside over the christening of all children I should ask that her gift to each child in the world be a sense of wonder so indestructible that it would last throughout life, as an unfailing antidote against the boredom and disenchantments of later years, the sterile preoccupation with things that are artificial, the alienation from the sources of our strength.”
-Rachel Carson

March is National Woman’s History Month, and this year Rachel Carson is being honored.  Carson, of course, is the scientist who in 1962 wrote Silent Spring, the “classic that launched the environmental movement”, exposing the devastating effects of the chemical DDT on bird populations.  This bestseller led to the banning of DDT, the creation of the Clean Water Act, and the forming of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).  Those of us who choose to eat organic foods have Rachel Carson to thank for exposing the potential dangers of pesticides.

To celebrate Carson’s legacy, 100 screenings of the newly released movie, “A Sense of Wonder”, will be held nationwide.  This movie chronicles the last year of Carson’s life, as she battled cancer and worked to present her message to Congress and the American public.

There’s been a lot of scary stories about food lately, from the peanut butter recalls to the discovery of mercury in high fructose corn syrup.  Many parents, myself included, have become more critical about what finds its way onto the dining room table.  And when the kids ask why, well, I tell them.

But how much information is too much?  Many doctors, dieticians, and eating disorder specialists feel that putting too much emphasis on the foods we eat is creating anxiety in children, possibly even setting them up for future eating disorders.  According to the president of the School Nutrition Association,

“We’re driving our kids absolutely crazy…. All the stuff about preservatives and pesticides. All an 8-year-old kid should know is that he or she should eat a variety of colors, and don’t supersize anything but your water jug.”

I’m trying very hard to pretend that winter is over, and I’m eager to get outside with the kids and dig into the earth.  I’m poring over the plant and seed catalogs that I’ve discovered in my mailbox these past few weeks.  But things are a little different for me this year; while in years past I’ve opted for plants both showy and exotic, this year I’m going native.

Landscaping with native plants, according to Doug Tallamy in his book Bringing Nature Home, is crucial to the diversity and survival of the wildlife within our ecosystem:

“Unless we modify the places we live, work and play to meet not only our own needs but the needs of other species as well, nearly all species of wildlife native to the United States will disappear forever. This is not speculation…. It is playing out across the country and the planet as I write.”

The UK Telegraph reported yesterday that doctors at Addenbrooke’s hospital in Cambridge may have found a “cure” for peanut allergies.
Four boys were given minute amounts of peanut flour mixed with yogurt every day. The amount ingested was then slowly increased over a period of six months.

Prior to the trials, when exposed to just a fraction of the peanut protein found in a single peanut, these boys displayed significant allergic reactions, requiring immediate treatment.  At trial’s end, however, all the children were able to eat between 10 and 12 peanuts.

To maintain their tolerance, the children will have to continue ingesting a small daily amount of peanut protein, either as peanut flour, smooth peanut butter, or five roasted peanuts.

Here I thought flu season was behind me, but no, apparently flu season is still going strong. 

We all know the best way to get through cold and flu season is a healthy dose of prevention.  Frequently washing your hands, regularly cleaning germ hotspots, and getting enough sleep top the list of preventative tips. 

Also on the list: drinking plenty of water and eating a varied diet.  But exactly what are the best foods to include in that varied diet?  According to MSNBC, we should favor 9 immunity-boosting foods to supercharge our body’s resistance to the flu virus and the common cold.

Like many eco-minded moms, I recently read Richard Louv’s Last Child in the Woods and came away with a firm belief that human beings need, on a basic, primal level, the therapeutic value of an ongoing relationship with nature.

It appears that the science agrees: studies have concluded that overall health can be predicted by how many green spaces exist in a one-mile or three-mile radius; children with ADHD concentrate better after being in a park than in an urban setting; college students test better when their room offers a view of nature; the elderly live longer when they have ready access to natural settings.

Interestingly, the opposite appears to also hold true.  According to Frances Kuo, a professor at the University of Illinois,

“Humans living in landscapes that lack trees or other natural features undergo patterns of social, psychological and physical breakdown that are strikingly similar to those observed in other animals that have been deprived of their natural habitat. In animals what you see is increased aggression, disrupted parenting patterns, and disrupted social hierarchies.”

In a effort to limit my family’s exposure to BPA and phthalates, I’ve tossed all those freebie plastic water bottles and replaced them with aluminum Sigg bottles.  I banned questionable toys.  I store and heat my leftovers in glass containers. I took down our cheap plastic shower curtain and put up a fabric one.  I even got rid of the rubber ducky. 

Frankly, I was feeling pretty pleased with myself.

Until I saw a post this weekend at ZRecommends which shares the results of their research into which brands of food processors and blenders contain BPA, PVC, and phthalates.

As a quick refresher: bisphenol-A, or BPA, and phthalates, plasticisers used to soften PVC, are components found in many common plastics.  Studies have linked exposure to BPA and phthalates to hormonal issues such as early puberty and changes in breast tissue, as well as to some cancers.

And while I was well aware of their presence in toys, sippy cups, bottles, food storage containers, and a myriad of other places in the home, it really had never occurred to me that they might also be lurking within the devices I use for food preparation.

Mission Organic 2010 is an online campaign seeking to grow the organic market from 3% to 10% by 2010.  To achieve this stated goal, Mission Organic is asking mindful consumers to pledge to eat one organic meal out of every ten; to purchase one organic item out of every ten. 
“When we, as consumers, demand the organic supply, farmers and food companies will supply the organic demand. The result? Healthier people and a healthier planet.”
Supply and demand: it really is that simple.