Jeneration Eden

Category: Organics

  • It’s Curtains for PVC

    It’s Curtains for PVC

     

     

     

    ** I just couldn’t do a blog about shower curtains and not use a picture of Janet Leigh’s shower scene in Psycho. I mean, yes, she had plenty more to worry about than a dangerously off-gassing PVC shower curtain, but when you read about how toxic PVC is, you might just want to scream as well.

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    I don’t know about you, but I could spend an inordinately long time in the shower if given the option. Of course, with 4 kids and a nutty schedule, I don’t usually get the chance, but I’d take it if I could — with one exception. Put me in a shower that has a PVC curtain and I’d be outta there in no time flat.

    So, what’s the big deal about PVC (polyvinyl chloride, with the recycling symbol #3) — the plastic that gives your liner that “new shower curtain” smell? Well, if things like dioxins (known carcinogens), phthalates (known hormone disruptors) and lead (a known neurotoxin) mean anything to you, listen up (well, read on…).

    According to the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), vinyl chloride, the chemical used to make PVC, is a human carcinogen and the actual PVC product, according to the Center for Health, Environment & Justice (CHEJ), is “toxic from start to finish,” posing real hazards in its manufacture, use and disposal.

    When PVC is manufactured (which it is, in great amounts), dioxins – which are scientifically linked to cancer and endocrine disruption – are released into the environment, and make their way into air, water, wildlife and, ultimately, into us.

    But what happens in your actual bathroom? Well, for months, and even up to a year and well beyond after you hang that new liner, your bathroom – especially when it warms up (which is what happens when you take a shower) – will be a soup of many dangerous VOCs (volatile organic compounds), including the neurotoxic toluene, that will be inhaled by whomever is scrubbing clean at the moment. And that’s not all. Hormone disrupting phthalates, plasticizers added to PVC, will be off-gassing as well. In addition, lead and other heavy metals such as cadmium, which can contaminate PVC, will be hanging around too. All in all, we’re talking respiratory toxicants, nervous system toxicants, carcinogens, endocrine disruptors…nuthin’ good.

    And what about the disposal of PVC?  Most PVC products cannot be successfully recycled and even interfere with the recycling of other plastics. Because of all of its additives, PVC has been labeled a contaminant that just doesn’t go away.

    Check out this important video from CHEJ on the dangers of PVC.

    So, now that you know about this poisonous plastic, you might be wondering — is there any good news for bath time? Of course there is and it’s as easy as replacing your shower curtain or liner with a readily available, more healthful, option.

    • As far as liners go, PEVA ( polyethylene vinyl acetate), while still a synthetic material, is not chlorinated and therefore does not have the same health hazards as PVC. It doesn’t off-gas, is inexpensive, and can be found in many stores, such as Bed, Bath and Beyond.
    • Washable fabric shower curtains, even ones made from synthetics such as polyester or microfiber, are much safer than PVC and are easy to find at local stores. You can combine a fabric curtain with a PEVA liner or just do the fabric alone. If you don’t use a liner, you’ll want to wash the curtain in the machine a little more often.
    • If you’re interested in avoiding synthetics, an organic cotton shower curtain, like this one from Pottery Barn, will do the trick for you and is priced well, to boot. If you’re looking for a bit more luxury in a cotton curtain, try one of these great seersucker numbers from Coyuchi.
    • You can also go the hemp route. Hemp is safe, resists mold and bacteria and dries quickly. Hemp can be a bit pricier, but a hemp curtain will last a very long time. Check out Rawganique.com and grab a beautiful organically grown, chem-free shower curtain that can be used with or without a liner.

     

     

     

     

  • Untitled post 592

    I need to hydrate my skin every night after I wash my face, but I don’t want to do it with chemicals that are harsh and even dangerous. That’s why I love Juice Beauty’s 

  • The Future of Nutrition is Now

    The Future of Nutrition is Now

     

     

    I’m coming off a very inspiring week. I was sitting in front of the computer with earphones on for much of each day, drowning out the sound of everything else going on around me. I wouldn’t normally tout this sort of antisocial, sedentary behavior, but as I was lucky enough to be listening to a 5 day online conference on the future of nutrition, I’d say this was an exception to the rule. From Monday through Friday I was the beneficiary of powerful and achievable life lessons, compelling insights and an explosion of plain, simple and tangible truths.

    The Future of Nutrition Conference was organized by the Institute for the Psychology of Eating, founded by Marc David, a nationally recognized teacher, speaker and author who has made it his life’s mission to share his many decades worth of research and experience on eating, thinking and living healthfully.

    Throughout the week, attendees listened to over 50 established and respected doctors, nutritionists, scientists, healthy living advocates and ambitious entrepreneurs speak one-on-one with David, who, with his easy-going and relatable attitude, made the whole experience extremely enjoyable. All the experts spoke in great detail about how the right attitude and the most beneficial nutrients intertwine to create a healthy, happy, meaningful life.

    As you might imagine, the conversations bubbled over with scientific evidence, potent information and interesting ideas — waaaaay too much stuff for any one blog post.  But amidst all the talk of the benefits of veganism, the advantages of vegetarianism and the wonders of the paleo diet, there were many relevant, down to earth, agreed-upon insights that really moved me; they made perfect sense and were brilliant in their simplicity. My hope is that my family – and yours – can abide by many of these ideals.

    • “What we put in our body is information for every function of our body.” I know that. You know that. But how well do we actually live it? Functional nutritionist Andrea Nakayama made clear how important it is to really live by the notion that what we put into our bodies is absolutely connected to our health and happiness.
    • There is no one-size-fits-all diet, as we are all physiologically different and have different biological challenges. But the experts agree that our bodies should be full of colorful and green leafy vegetables, fruits such as berries, beans, healthy grains (although some really push for a gluten-free diet), lean sources of protein and healthy fats. Those categories should be the cornerstone of everyone’s diet.
    • If you choose to eat fish, it should be only certain wild varieties (like Alaskan salmon) and if you eat dairy and meat, it should be from grass fed animals, with a third party organic certification, in order to avoid pesticides, antibiotics and hormones.
    • Avoid refined sugar and processed foods as much as possible. This is important for everyone – adults and children alike. Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride spoke specifically about children and how these products are literally addictive and extremely toxic to children’s bodies, leading to many serious physical and behavioral problems.
    • From Heather White, executive director of the Environmental Working Group – an organization that I love – came some important daily tidbits: Become a label reader and buy foods with the fewest ingredients; buy organic as much as possible – refer to EWG’s dirty dozen list for produce that should be purchased organic; avoid plastics and instead use stainless steel, glass and bamboo; buy a water filter for your tap water in order to clean it of many contaminants.
    • From Darya Rose, a neuroscientist and food writer, a few simple ideas: Focus on health, not weight. Eat a healthy breakfast. Pack your own lunch. Create a happy relationship with food, not a stressful one; do this by making little healthy changes in your diet and by understanding that there is a balance and you don’t have to be impeccable all the time.
    • “If you’re standing on a thumbtack, don’t take aspirin, get off the thumbtack!” Seems obvious, right? But, says Robyn O’Brein, tireless healthy food warrior, speaker and author, many people don’t realize that they’re taking aspirin when it comes to eating, dealing with symptoms rather than the source of the problems. But if you really want to change the way you feel, then you need to change the things that you eat. Take a hard look at your diet, speak to an expert if need be, and start eating more healthfully. Get off the thumbtack.
    • Dr. David Katz, founding director of Yale University’s Prevention Research Center, said many things that resonated with me. His basic premise? Life is more fun if you’re healthy. You can “add years to your life and life to your years” if you happily and properly prioritize your health. On that note, he spoke about how taste buds can become accustomed to anything you offer them and that you can “rehabilitate them” by swapping in healthier versions of the current foods that you eat (say, a tomato sauce with much less sugar than the one you’re currently buying). He also spoke about families. How to teach kids about healthy living? Just live it in your own home. Create an environment that is full of healthy foods and ideas and regularly serve yourself and your kids tasty, healthy whole foods – like many of those mentioned in this blog. Children will benefit enormously, emotionally and physically, from these actions. In creating this type of home, you will be implicitly giving your children the tools for lifelong health.
    • Advocating for healthy eating is not a moral argument and it’s not about being a good or bad person. It’s also not about being a perfect person, by any stretch. Many of the experts spoke about doing one’s best and knowing that indulgences, if they are right for you, can be part of life. But overall, it’s very important to look at your own body and health, to know that you really are what you eat, and to try and create an overall eating plan that consists of delicious, healthy foods. Take good care of yourself and the people you love and life will be a lot tastier…

     

     

     

     

     

  • Quick Kitchen Wisdom for 2014

    Quick Kitchen Wisdom for 2014

     

     

     

    This post first ran on igokids.com. 

    The kitchen is at the heart of my very busy life. My four children’s ample appetites guarantee that I’m a regular in that space, faithfully whipping up meals, snacks and drinks like a pro. And while I’ve learned that homemade whole wheat pizza is really tasty and that spinach can be secretively blended into a smoothie, I’ve also learned that the kitchen is ground zero for many common, synthetic chemicals that can find their way into children’s very vulnerable bodies. The best take-home lesson though, is that there’s quite a bit we can do to protect our families from these toxicants.

    Other than promising to shed unwanted pounds and vowing to spend less time on your cell phone, resolve to ring in 2014 with some easy actions that will banish certain chemicals from your kids’ diets and help green up your kitchen as well.

    Opt for organic: Pesticides – many of which are carcinogenic and neurotoxic – are a particular menace to children’s growing bodies. But fear not. You can reduce your child’s exposure to these synthetic chemicals without turning over your whole kitchen. Check out the Environmental Working Group’s list of the most contaminated produce – which includes many kid faves such as apples, grapes and strawberries – at http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/summary.php, choose you family’s mainstays from the list and buy them organic. This is a great way to protect your kids without breaking the bank.

    Score some stainless steel: Six years ago I snatched up a bunch of stainless steel water bottles from hwww.kleankanteen.com/ and, since then, my kids have rarely put a plastic bottle to their lips. And that’s a very good thing. Single use and reusable plastic bottles can leach endocrine disrupting chemicals and carcinogens and they further our reliance on petrochemicals. In addition, bottled water is often not regulated; filtered tap water is a better option.

    Nix the non-stick: Your might think that your non-stick pans are vital to Sunday brunch, but your weekends will look a lot healthier without them. The gasses that are released from brand name coatings like Teflon are highly toxic and linked to many health problems including developmental concerns and cancer. They’re nothing you want your kids breathing in. So start by swapping a few non-stick pans for stainless steel or cast iron ones; you can find some great stainless options at allcookwarefind.com. They are safe and, with a little EVOO warmed up, your omelets will slide off of them just beautifully.

     

     

  • The Gift of Healthy Skin

    The Gift of Healthy Skin

     

     

     

    There’s something kind of awesome about finding a skin care line whose products feel luxurious, keep their promises and are free of the chemicals and toxicants that fill the tubes, bottles and jars of most conventional lines. And if those products don’t break the bank? Well, I’m pretty sure that’s worthy of a celebration. Or at least a blog…

    Juice Beauty – the brand to which I now trust my face – is a beauty product line that was founded by Karen Behnke, a California mom  and “serial wellness entrepreneur” who, during her first pregnancy, realized that effective and safe skincare was of utmost importance and that the lack of regulation of the personal care products industry had led to some pretty unsavory and unhealthy offerings. Knowing that our skin absorbs around 60% of the stuff we put on it (in other words, around 60% of those unsavory and unhealthy products), her mission became clear.

    Karen’s goal was to create innovative personal care products that, unlike the more familiar ones, were not based on water (which is safe, but dilutes other ingredients) or petroleum (which is not safe due to potential hazardous contaminants), but rather healthy, organic juices. And, along with professional scientists and experts, Karen was successful, developing truly effective juice-based products.

    Many collections later, Juice Beauty has over 100 options, including cleansers, moisturizers for all skin types, blemish clearing products and body lotions, as well as the much touted Stem Cellular Collection and Green Apple Peels, all made with a host of safe ingredients (with a total USDA certified organic content of 98%). In fact, the list of ingredients that Juice Beauty will never use – including phthalates, pesticides, parabens and many other endocrine disruptors, carcinogens and skin irritants – reads like a Who’s Who of what not to slather on the skin.

    Juice Beauty facial products are now elbowing out many other products on my bathroom vanity. The clean, sleek packaging is chic and the products, as I mentioned, offer good bang for the buck. One of my faves is the SPF 30 Tinted Mineral Moisturizer. This zinc oxide based moisturizer softens my skin well and provides very important protection against the sun’s skin-damaging rays. It goes on rather smoothly and, because it’s tinted, doesn’t cast that telltale white zinc hue.

    I’m also really enjoying my Juice Beauty nighttime regimen. I’ve been using the Daily Essentials Nutrient Moisturizer, which is very hydrating and full of vitamins and antioxidants. It’s so rich, that just a bit on the fingers goes a long way on the face. And my eyes are getting some Juice action as well. The Smoothing Eye Concentrate is good for all skin types and tends to the dark-circled and fine-lined area under the eyes (heck, age and parenting will do that to a girl) with grape and carrot juices, as well as other nutrient rich ingredients such as avocado.

    As holiday time is upon us, I’m thinking that some Juice Beauty products, stylishly wrapped, would be the perfect gift for my friends, my sister, my mom. I love the idea of being the benefactor of healthy beauty in the form of gift-wrapped boxes bursting with items that are luxe, practical and totally current in terms of the trend toward non-toxic personal care products. And they won’t be presents that are just powerful in the moment; they will be gifts that continuously take safe and excellent care of the skin of the people I love — inside and out.

     

     

     

  • Breakfast of (Little) Champions

    Breakfast of (Little) Champions

     

     

     

    I often find myself robed and slippered, still in glasses, concocting fun smoothies for my kids before they run off to school. Admittedly, the grating sound of the blender first thing in the AM is hardly music to my ears, but as there’s a veritable symphony of yummy, healthy stuff whirring inside that glass container, I’ve learned to love it. The morning smoothies at our place are a perfect start to the kids’ school days and for the adults in the house who chug the remainder, it’s a terrific start as well.

    After 8-12 hours of fasting (which is my blog-y way of referring to nighttime sleep), children need to refuel. They must feed their developing brains and bodies, and starting off the day with whole grains, fiber and protein is a great way to do that. With math class, gym and choir practice on the horizon, children need the proper attention/energy/attitude; good morning fare can help in those departments. Heck, we all know that being famished is hardly a mood enhancer.

    And when it comes to weight control – for kids and adults – eating a morning meal is right up there on the list of things-to-do to maintain a healthy weight. Studies have shown that eating a good breakfast can keep a person on track, helping him stay physically active and reducing the risk of obesity. So those few extra minutes of sleep instead of a meal can turn into a few extra pounds if it becomes a habit.

    Now you’re probably saying to yourself: Are you out of your bloggin’ mind Jen?!?! Who has time to make a wholesome breakfast and still get the kids rolling out the door on time?  Well, you do!! Because here’s the thing — there’s no need to be that perfectly coiffed family sitting around a table with grapefruit halves and stacks of whole grain pancakes at the ready (although my kids do enjoy good whole grain pancakes…but they’re reserved for dinner). Believe me, mornings at my apartment don’t look so neat. But the goal should be that each junior heads out to school with a tummy that is happy and healthy. And you can make that happen…in a jiffy.

    And in even better news, you can be somewhat casual about measurements. Just focus on a nice combo of ingredients and you’re golden. Here are a whole bunch of healthy, quick and very tasty breakfasts you can whip up for your kids – the very same kids who will actually make the morning bell.

    SMOOTHIES

    • Grind up a tablespoon of flaxseed in the blender. When it’s smooth, pour in 1/4 – 1/2 cup of organic milk, around 1/2 cup of plain organic yogurt, a frozen (or fresh) banana halved and 1/2 cup of organic frozen strawberries and/or blueberries. Blend. If it’s too thick, add more milk and blend again.
    • I found this next smoothie online at yummy mummy kitchen. Pour 1/2 cup of unsweetened vanilla almond milk, soy milk or coconut milk into the blender. Add 1 cup of frozen pineapples, 1 cup of frozen mangos and a handful of fresh organic baby spinach. Scoop in plain organic yogurt and blend. If the blender is stopping, add more milk. (Add a dash of agave if it needs a kick of sweetness. You can also add some cubes to make it icier.) Yes, this smoothie is green, but as promised, it’s also yummy.

    YOGURT PARFAIT 

    • Grab a tall glass and scoop in some plain organic greek yogurt. Spoon on some organic fruit (blueberries, peaches, strawberries, bananas, mangos). More yogurt on that. Then granola. Then yogurt. Then fruit. Honey on top. And it looks real pretty.

    OATMEAL

    • Make oatmeal a breakfast staple — it’s an awesome way to start the day. You can make the stovetop kind (which takes about 10 minutes total) or go for instant. Once prepared, top it with chopped almonds, walnuts, fresh organic fruit or fruit preserves. Cool it off with some organic milk.

    NUTTY TOAST

    • Toast a whole wheat english muffin or a slice of whole what bread. Spread on some organic nut butter (peanut, almond, cashew), soy nut butter or sunflower butter. Slice some bananas on top. You can also swirl on a bit of honey.

    MORNING QUESADIILLA

    • Place a whole wheat tortilla on a warm frying pan lightly oiled with EVOO. Throw on some lowfat cheese (cheddar, muenster, swiss) and, after a minute or two, slice some organic apples on top — Granny Smith apples work great with cheddar. Fold and let cook until fully melted. Voila!