Jeneration Eden

Tag: Children

  • Windex with your Latte, Anyone?

    Windex with your Latte, Anyone?

    Every time you spray your windows with a conventional cleaner, you’re contaminating the air in your home. Each time you spritz the stuff, you’re letting loose a whole army of toxic chemicals that can negatively impact your children’s health.

    And by the way, your lungs ain’t getting off scott-free either.

    Take this very morning. After my alarm woke me up (and by alarm I mean my 7 year-old), I helped whip four kids into shape, took one of them to the eye doctor, talked shop with the PTA president and did a pretty hefty supermarket run.

    So, by 10:15, I’d lived a whole day and I just wanted to relax with a cup of coffee.

    You can then imagine my annoyance – no, my pissed-off-ness – when, as I sat down, latte in front of me, the guy with the rag starts spraying the glass table with, you guessed it, Windex.

    The smell of the neon stuff is awful, obviously. But that was just the tip of the ‘ole iceberg for my detail-oriented self. I mean hell, I didn’t want to breathe in ammonium hydroxide and ethanolamine this AM! I wanted my coffee without respiratory toxicants, thank you. And back to that telltale smell that offends even the least neurotic out there. That’s a mashup of “nonspecific” synthetic chemicals – aka skin irritants and neurotoxins.  And those will mess with anyone, Type A or otherwise.

    As for the non-coffee drinking set? Your children are the most vulnerable to those very worrisome chemicals because, pound for pound, they breathe in more air than you and are still developing. The risks they face from inhaling these toxicants regularly are real and that’s without even mentioning the possibility of accidental ingestion.

    But don’t worry, it’s never too late to make changes, and this one’s simple. Herewith, a DIY non-toxic window cleaner:

    • 2 cups water

    • 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar

    • 1/2 teaspoon natural dish soap

    Combine the ingredients in a bottle and spray away. Wipe down with a newspaper or a microfiber cloth. If you think the vinegar scent might offend tiny noses, open the windows or grab a non-toxic glass cleaner online or in your local market. Green Shield Organic Glass Cleaner and Whole Foods Market Glass Cleaner are two great options.

    So, if I do nothing in this post other than to get you to consider swapping your chemical window and glass cleaner for a non-toxic version, I’ll sleep well tonight. And if you actually make the change, your kids will too.

     

     

  • 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…

     

     

     

     

     

  • This is My Forty

    This is My Forty

    This post first ran on the Children’s Cause for Cancer Advocacy website.

    I once thought that turning 40 would be a significant milestone in my life. Like most people, I assumed that the act of marking time by focusing on the calendar was the main, fitting way to celebrate progress, the perfect way to celebrate life. My “landmark” birthday would surely be meaningful in its own right.

    But many things happened on my way to 40. Experiences, both emotional and profound, rushed in and capsized my notions about which moments I would honor with my time, my attention and my memory. Instead of standing on deck, squinting toward the distant shore of an upcoming birthday, I gradually found myself celebrating moments that were organically swirling at my feet.

    The awakening began with the birth of our first child, 12 years ago. Within 5 1/2 years, our brood grew by 3 more. In that intense and overwhelmingly busy time, I began to shed the idea that any one day was destined to be more relevant than all others just by virtue of its place on the calendar. Of course, a birthday can be a special, exciting time – for adults and certainly for children – but, in my life, the memories that have endured having nothing to do with candles on a cake. I don’t recall my 27th birthday, but I remember my first son’s toothless grins that appeared every time we played Somewhere Over the Rainbow. I’ve forgotten how I celebrated my 29th birthday, but I recall my second son’s childlike awe in the Museum of Natural History. Is my 30th birthday vivid? My 33rd? No and no. But I will always remember how adorable my daughter looked in her first pair of pink converse sneakers, as well as my 4th child’s very early ability to dance right on beat.

    Becoming a parent was a powerful lesson, but it was only part of my education. In April of 2011, my husband and I were blindsided by the fact that our young son’s low grade fever, a fever that surfaced and abated several times over 2 weeks, was a symptom of something far more insidious than a virus or infection. At 8 years old, our child was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and our world was turned on its head. But amidst all the worry and fear, I reaped the benefits of my ever-blooming understanding that there was magnificence in life’s more modest moments; suddenly, no other insight was more important or more true. My ability to hear euphony in a child’s unexpected, silly reaction or my appreciation of a deep connection built while explaining away a child’s fear were the most beautifully wrapped gifts I opened during some of my darkest hours.

    August 6th, 2013, was chemo day for my son. It was also my 40th birthday. Sitting in the pediatric cancer center, bearing witness to incomparable levels of sadness and strength, no one aware that it was my big 4-0, I knew unmistakably that for 12 years I had been following an authentic map, one that had allowed me to unearth the real treasures in my world. On this map of life, the most meaningful milestones are not the days marked by birthdays or anniversaries, but those seemingly quotidian experiences I share with my children, my family, my friends — snapshots that, in reality, are not insignificant at all. Turning 40 paled in comparison to the brunch that I shared with my daughter early in the summer before she left for sleepaway camp; the walk I took with my eldest son recently, our arms linked; the fun basketball game I played with my youngest child; the way I was able to make my son laugh during that chemo week, even when he was feeling so horrible from the meds. I know that thosetypes of moments are the big ones — the ones that will most enrich the years I’m given and provide me with the fortitude to navigate the frothy, unforgiving waves that might crash against my vessel. Those are the milestones of a life well lived.

  • The Dish on Fish

    The Dish on Fish

     

     

     

    Would you be happy if, during dinner, your child asked “Could I have more salmon, please?” Well sure, it would be nice to know that your constant loop of ‘always say please and thank you’ had actually paid off, but I’m not channeling Emily Post here. I’m talking about the awesome fact that your kid wants more of a very healthy fish. But, if you’re regularly feeding said child farmed salmon, the great news might actually stop at those good manners.

    As a source of lean protein that’s rich in vitamins, minerals and Omega-3 fatty acids, seafood is an important part of a healthy diet. In particular, Omega-3 fatty acids are known to lower heart disease risk, reduce inflammation, help prevent cancer cell growth and improve infant brain development. And there are great recipes, like citrus-soy glazed black cod and mustard-broiled salmon that are easy to prepare and yummy to eat. So: eat any fish and be healthy — pretty straightforward, right?

    Not so fast. Because, as healthy as seafood is, there are many dangerous contaminants found in our waters, as well as synthetic chemicals that are added to farmed fish, that have done quite a number on the seafood that finds its way to our supermarkets. And then onto our children’s plates. And then into their bodies. Yeah, you get it.

    So, while it’s more important to eat regular servings of seafood than to avoid seafood altogether out of fear of contamination,it’s absolutely wisest to feed your family a steady diet of the healthiest and safest fish. And that’s something that, armed with a bit of information, anyone can do.

    Now back to salmon – which is very popular and one of my family’s faves. My advice? Children, women considering pregnancy and those with a baby bump should pretty much steer clear of Atlantic farmed salmon. That would result in reducing the intake of the dioxins, PCBs, fire retardants, pesticides and antibiotics that are found in those fish. A pretty horrifying list, no? And in case you were wondering, I don’t only care about the young set and those who are preggers. But an occasional serving of farmed salmon for a non-pregnant, healthy adult is ok; the above mentioned contaminants and carcinogens have much more dangerous implications for a developing fetus and growing children.

    Regarding so called “organic” salmon: there’s no organic standard for “aquaculture” in the U.S. and, while organic salmon farms off the coasts of Scotland and Ireland are regulated to a degree, there are still concerns about these farmed fish.

    Wild Alaskan salmon is a great option for everyone. Higher in Omega-3s than even the farmed stuff, it’s also considered safe and folks should enjoy regular servings. (Regarding serving size, here’s a little tip: 4 oz of fish is about the size of a deck of cards. An adult’s serving size is 4-6 oz; a kid’s serving size is smaller.) The wild salmon season runs from around May to November and if the healthy price tag is a concern, it’s worth eating it a little less often and supplementing with canned salmon, which is usually wild and is very versatile. Try this tasty recipe for easy salmon cakes. On this front, choose brands likeVital Choice that use BPA-free linings in their cans.

    And how about the ubiquitous tuna sandwich? While there’s nothing quite like tuna on soft whole wheat with lettuce and tomatoes (extra pickles, please), I’ll stop right here and tell you that albacore/white canned tuna is high in mercury and should be avoided (or eaten rarely) by, you guessed it, the kids and the pregnant ones. Mercury is a known neurotoxin – it can affect the developing brain and nervous system. Chunk light tuna is lower in mercury and can be eaten somewhat more often. But be aware – tuna is often a staple of school lunches. Find out what kind of tuna your child’s school serves and adjust his intake accordingly.

    There are obviously many “fish to fry” and so for seafood in general, try to buy the types lowest in contaminants – often smaller species and not bottom feeders – and err on the side of wild as opposed to farmed fish. But you don’t have to memorize anything. Download the Safe Seafood App for your iPhone or check out the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch website for a complete list of the safest – and least safe – types of seafood.

    Be smart about the fish that you eat and feed your family. Look for the healthiest, safest options and make a habit of serving them. And then your family will really thank you.