EWG recently released their 2011 Sunscreen Guide, which provides a handy way to find your sunscreen and see its rating, as well as find the best and safest sunscreen for your needs.

New FDA Rules on Sunscreen

At first it might seem like good news has finally arrived: after 33 years of deliberations, the FDA has finally issued sunscreen rules. But looking closer, EWG feels the rules do not do enough to protect us from the sun and instead caved to industry. Dangerous ingredients are still allowed and UVA protection standards are not on par with the strict ones in Europe, making it hard for customers to differentiate between mediocre and superior products.

What Would I Buy?

EWG lists 134 beach/sport sunscreens (out of 1783) that earned their best rating. Some of the sunscreens in that list still contain lots of “chemical” sounding ingredients. Here are a few of the top sunscreens that I would personally choose for myself and my family: (This list has changed from last year.)

• Kabana Skin Care Green Screen: Made with only EIGHT organic (86% certified organic!) and natural ingredients.
• Badger: They also have a lip balm and face stick.
• Loving Naturals: They also have a vegan sunscreen.
• Caribbean Solutions: It’s also biodegradable.
• Doctor T’s Supergoop! Quickstick SPF 30: Convenient size, easy to use for babies and kids.
• Goddess Garden Baby Natural Sunscreen: Although they have others for kids and face, I would choose the baby one.
• Aubrey Organics Sports Stick Unscented: The sports stick version seems good to me!

You can easily shop for these items and more in my Amazon store!

What Did I Buy? Loving Naturals!

I purchased Loving Naturals and have been very happy with it! I will write a more detailed review in the near future.

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• Loving Naturals Sunscreen Review: Organic, Safe Sunscreen for Babies, Kids, Adults

For Those Who Love Cooking

I’ve been fortunate to receive several fabulous cookbooks from Robert Rose publishers and each one blows me away! They are filled with so many great recipes and so many healthy food options. They truly would make a great gift for anyone who loves healthy food, someone needing some new recipe ideas, a college student, a newly married couple, and even yourself, too. And they are all currently discounted on Amazon.com.

• 650 Best Food Processor Recipes (read my review)
• 750 Best Muffin Recipes: Everything from breakfast classics to gluten-free, vegan and coffeehouse favorites
• 500 Best Comfort Food Recipes
• 300 Best Casserole Recipes
• The Yogurt Bible

For Those Who Love Green Living

There is so much information available about living green on the web that it can be hard to keep track of it all. I came across a green living book that sounds great, although I haven’t read it yet. It is written by fellow blogger Micaela Preston at Mindful Momma. I have been following her blog for awhile now and really enjoy it. Her book is called Practically Green: Your Guide to Ecofriendly Decision-Making. The book takes the guesswork out of reading labels and will show you how to make smart, healthy purchases for your family without spending tedious hours researching the pros and cons of all of the products available on the market today. It is also currently discounted on Amazon.com.

For Those Who Love Laughing

I’ve followed this author’s blog CakeWrecks.com since its beginning in May 2008. I always recommend it to anyone looking for a great laugh. She now has a book called Cake Wrecks: When Professional Cakes Go Hilariously Wrong that includes some cakes and commentary from her blog, and many new ones as well. She gathers photos of professional cakes that are ugly, silly, creepy, unintentionally sad or suggestive, and just plain funny. While the cakes themselves are funny, her witty commentary about them is the icing on the cake, if you will. Hilarious! As a bonus, it’s currently selling for only $5.20 on Amazon.com. What a great stocking stuffer! (Remember, you can get free shipping on orders over $25). What a great deal!

Food processor cookbook cover image excerpted from 650 Best Food Processor Recipes by George Geary and Judith Finlayson. Copyright © 2010 Robert Rose Inc. www.robertrose.ca Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved. http://www.robertrose.ca/book/650-best-food-processor-recipes

[Disclosure: I received a review copy of 650 Best Food Processor Recipes from the publisher Robert Rose Inc. With that being said, the comments and opinions above are purely my own.]

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Thanks to the work of the Environmental Working Group (EWG), this information is starting to reach more people. They just released their 2010 Sunscreen Guide, which shares their top-rated sunscreens along with sun safety tips, a list of Nine Surprising Truths About Sunscreen, and a Hall of Shame (highlighting what’s wrong with the sunscreen industry).

Most Important Ingredients to Avoid:

• Oxybenzone: Oxybenzone is a synthetic estrogen that absorbs through the skin. It is an endocrine disruptor which can affect the nervous system, has been linked to cancer in some laboratory studies, and creates free-radicals when exposed to the sun which are harmful. Scientists have called for parents to avoid using oxybenzone on children due to penetration and toxicity concerns.

• Vitamin A: Sometimes listed as ‘retinyl palmitate’ on the label, this additive may hasten the development of skin damage and tumors on sun-exposed skin.

Other things to be aware of:

• No Sprays or Powders: Sprays and powders can leave tiny particles of sunscreen in the air that may not be safe to breathe.
• SPF over 50: The FDA says SPFs higher than 50+ are misleading. EWG advises sticking to SPF 15-50+ and choose based on your own skin, time planned outside, shade, and cloud cover.

Other Ingredients to Avoid

Here is a list of other ingredients that are common in sunscreens (and other products) and should be avoided:

• Parabens: There are many types of parabens: methylparaben, butylparaben, propylparaben, etc. Parabens have have hormone-disrupting effects. Topical parabens have been detected in human breast tumors. This is concerning because parabens have been shown to mimic the action of the female hormone estrogen, which can encourage the growth of human breast tumors.

• Fragrance: Synthetic fragrances often contain phthalates, which are endocrine disrupters that mimic hormones and may alter genital development. Avoid products that list ‘fragrance‘ as an ingredient unless the label states that it’s derived from essentials oils, or look for a phthalate-free label on the packaging.

• Polyethylene Glycol (PEG): Usually seen on an ingredient label as PEG followed by a number (e.g. PEG-8), PEGs are thought to increase cancer risk, including women’s risk of breast cancer. They are also contaminated with 1,4-dioxane, a known carcinogen.

• 1,4-Dioxane: 1,4-Dioxane is considered a chemical “known to the State of California to cause cancer”, yet you won’t see it listed on an ingredient label on a product; it is considered a ‘contaminant’ or ‘by-product’ of the ethoxylation process, rather than an ingredient. Avoid synthetic ethoxylated ingredients, including those with myreth, oleth, laureth, ceteareth, any other “eth,” PEG, polyethylene, polyethylene glycol, polyoxyethylene, or oxynol, in their names.

What Should I Buy? Make it Easy, Please!

For those of you with little time to research this information yourself, here are some resources that neatly summarize safer sunscreens:

• EWG lists 39 sunscreens (out of nearly 500) that earned their best rating. Their top-rated sunscreens are the right choice for people who are looking for the best UVA protection without any sunscreen chemical considered to be a potential hormone disruptor. None of the products contain oxybenzone or vitamin A and none are sprayed or powdered.
• SafeMama, a fabulous website with lots of information on non-toxic and safe items, came out with a 2010 Safer Sunscreen Cheat Sheet earlier this spring. It lists the top safer sunscreens as well as information on ingredients to avoid.

What Would I Buy?

We currently use Aubrey Organics sunscreen and while it is a good sunscreen, I see that there are even better choices. Some of the sunscreens in those great lists still contain lots of “chemical” sounding ingredients, things I am leery about. Looking at their lists, here are a few of the top sunscreens that I would personally choose for myself and my family:

• Soleo Organics: Water resistant and biodegradable.
• Kabana Skin Care Green Screen: Made with only EIGHT organic (86% certified organic!) and natural ingredients.
• Badger: They also have a lip balm and face stick.
• Loving Naturals: They also have a vegan sunscreen.
• Trukid Sunny Days Face Stick: Nice option for those who don’t want a liquid.
• Caribbean Solutions: It’s also biodegradable.
• Purple Prairie Botanicals SunStuff: 100% natural and 85% organic ingredients, cruelty free, and meets the rigid standards for sunscreen allowed in the protected coral reef lagoons of Mexico. It’s also made in my husband’s home state of Minnesota!

You can easily shop for these items and more in my newly opened Amazon store!

Some Sun is Good!

The sun’s ultraviolet rays do cause skin cancer, but some sun exposure is good for you – it creates Vitamin D, which actually has been shown to prevent cancer and other diseases such as Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Low vitamin D levels have been associated with increases in cardiovascular mortality, colon cancer mortality and breast cancer risk, and tentatively linked to skin cancer, metabolic disease, hypertension and obesity.

Over the last two decades, vitamin D levels in the U.S. population have been decreasing steadily, creating a growing epidemic of vitamin D insufficiency. Sunscreen use combined with too little outdoor time contributes to vitamin D deficiencies.

• Your best defenses against harmful UV radiation are protective clothes, shade, and timing.
• Before you automatically cover your body with sunscreen, it’s OK to spend a few minutes soaking up some sun exposure and Vitamin D. You do not want to burn, though.
• When using sunscreen, be sure to consult EWG’s list of top-rated sunscreens to choose a safer one.
• Kids are more vulnerable to sun damage; the best sunscreen is a hat and shirt.

Still Have Questions?

Environmental Working Group is hosting a live chat on Wednesday June 2 from 2pm-3pm EST. They will have a Q&A session regarding their 2010 sunscreen report. Join them to learn more!

Wendy – ParentingTips365.com

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(Sun image courtesy of ba1969)

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Sister Mary Beth and I at the end of the day

This past Sunday morning I had the honor of running with a nun! Sister Mary Beth is running 20 miles per day as one part of Running Hope Through America. Her friend Lisa Smith-Batchen is running 50 miles in all 50 states in two months. From April 19th to June 19th, 2010, they will cross the country, raising awareness and money for orphaned children in the US and around the world. The charities supported are:

• The Orphan Foundation of America: Creates scholarship funds for teens aging out of the foster care system. This includes college scholarships, connecting with mentors and internships, and sending them care packages. Charity efficiency: 91 cents out of every dollar goes directly to support OFA programs and youth.
• AIDS Orphans Rising: Supports children in multiple countries who have lost both parents to AIDS. “The program is unique in that it does more than just provide shelter and food to the orphans. The project teaches the oldest child the skills they need to be not only self-sufficient, but to be able to provide for their family while teaching the younger siblings in schools.”
• The Caring House Project: The foundation’s primary objective is to provide housing, food, water, medical support and opportunity for the desperately homeless around the world.  It also helps to develop a system of self-sufficiency for these communities.

Who is Lisa Smith-Batchen?

Lisa Smith-Batchen is an Idaho resident and has been a top endurance athlete for at least the last 13+ years, completing nine Badwater Ultramarathons (135 mile race) and completed over 90 marathons. Lisa also is an advocate for orphaned children, using her talents to raise money and awareness for several charities. To date, Lisa has raised over 4.5 million dollars for charity. She was even personally invited to meet with Pope John Paul II in 2002 as thanks for the work she has done to support AIDS Orphans Rising.

Why 50 Miles in 50 States?

Lisa turns 50 this year and so decided running 50 miles in all 50 states would be a great challenge.

Our Experience

My husband started running with the group at 5:30am. My three year old son and I showed up about 8:30am and ran one loop, about 6 miles. I talked with Sister Mary Beth a little bit as we walked/jogged and it was such a joy. To be in the company of these two amazing women is to know goodness and spirit and dedication; they are passionate about helping children and it shows. I left to take my son home for a nap but returned later in the afternoon and ran another mile. My husband ended up running all 50 miles with Lisa, even though he had only planned on running 12 or so. It was such a powerful day and he wanted to support Lisa as she worked hard to get her 50 miles in that day in Dallas.

The three people on the right are Sister Mary Beth, my husband, and my son

Lisa (in purple), Sister Mary Beth, my husband and son, and part of the TX group

our son, making himself at home with Lisa and Sister Mary Beth

coming in for the finish, my son joined them!

my son, Lisa, and my husband

Consider Walking/Running with Them

Running 50 miles a day is tough, physically and mentally, and they could use your help and support. If you live near one of their scheduled towns, please consider coming by for part of the day. Much of their pace is walking or slow jogging. You can also be there and go on your own at your own pace. I really recommend coming out for some of the day with your family to share in this great event.

Complete schedule

Consider Donating

Lisa’s goal for Running Hope Through America is to raise $1 million. Are you willing and able to help her help orphaned children? If so, please visit their donation page and give generously and with an open heart.

• Donations are tax deductible
• 100% of donations are dispersed among the three charities mentioned above

Since this is the year of ’50′ for Lisa, wouldn’t a contribution of $50 be great?! If you can give more, please do!

Lisa, my husband, Sister Mary Beth all done (for the day)

Dreamchaser Foundation’s Mission

The Dreamchaser Foundation was established in 2008 to encourage amateur and professional athletes alike to use their passion for sports for charitable ends. The Dreamchaser mission:

The Dreamchaser Foundation seeks to improve the lives of women and children from around the world. By empowering people to achieve their goals and dreams in athletics, the Dreamchaser Foundation raises public awareness of the hunger, exploitation, illness, and suffering of children around the world.

The Dreamchaser Foundation is dedicated to raising funds to help women and children in need survive and succeed, to improve the quality of their lives and dramatically change their future and the future of the next generation. We encourage athletes in all sports to fund raise while fulfilling their own dreams.

Help Children, Help the World

“How we treat the child, the child will treat the world.” – Pam Leo

Helping women and children is very important to us. You may know we are also big supporters of Hands to Hearts International, another organization dedicated to helping disadvantaged women and orphaned children around the world. If Lisa’s message and cause resonates with you, please consider getting involved however you are able. Together we can achieve so much more than we can alone.

Wendy – Parentingtips365.com

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Does it concern anyone else that the government chooses to subsidize foods we’re supposed to eat less of? Imagine if the government actually did ‘put their money where their mouth is’ and supported the food industries that they say we should be eating. Would more people actually choose fresh fruits and vegetables and real, whole foods to eat instead of processed and fast food? Many people cite cost as a reason they don’t eat more fruits and vegetables, especially organic.

The Economix Blog @ The New York Times shows the following chart that shows how the prices of different food groups have changed relative to their pricing 30 years ago:

You can see that fresh fruits and vegetables cost more than sodas, beer, and cookies.

Another interesting chart from the Economix Blog @ The New York Times appears to show a relationship between the time the average person in a given country spends eating and that country’s obesity rate (as measured by the percentage of the national population with a body mass index higher than 30).

While that may or may not be entirely true, I think it has a lot of credit and is something to think about. I know many people who only think of food as a way to get rid of hunger and do not want to spend time making food or eating it, thus the prevalence of our fast food society. And we know how nutritious fast food … isn’t.

Wendy – ParentingTips365.com

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I’ve been a fan of Kids Konserve waste-free products for awhile now. They have many products that are meant to be reused – no more waste! Here are just a few of their items:

• Lunch kit (recycled cotton sack, cloth napkin, stainless steel bottle, food kozy, and two stainless steel food containers)
• Insulated lunch sack
• Non-toxic ice pack
• Thermos
• Nesting stainless steel food containers
• Mini stainless steel food containers

Why I Love Kids Konserve

Their products aren’t just reusable, they are safe and non-toxic! Their complete line of reusable waste-free lunch packing products are made from the safest, non-leaching, non-toxic, BPA, PVC, phthalate, and lead-free materials.

I’ve used the stainless steel food containers for a long time for my son’s snacks. We buy items in bulk and then when we head out, I put a few things in the containers; no waste from individual snack packaging. I have name stickers for him and I label all his items. I have sent these with him to preschool with him and have never lost them.

Party Pak

Next up on my list to purchase is the Party Pak. This kit contains reusable plates, cups, forks, knives, and spoons. Party Paks come in two sizes (25 of each piece or 12 of each piece). What a great solution for all the waste from birthday parties, class parties, picnics, and school events!

15% Discount

Now that you have a feel for all the great products they offer, here is a little treat. Enter the coupon code earth15 to receive a 15% discount on your order. But hurry, this offer expires April 30, 2010. And let me know what you get!

School Fundraiser

Also, while you are browsing their site check out the great offer they have for school fundraisers. You can raise money for your school, reduce trash on your campus, and eat lunch in style. All at the same time! And 15% of each sale will be given back to the school.

And don’t forget to follow them on Facebook and Twitter! Follow me, too, if you aren’t already!

Wendy – ParentingTips365.com

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The typical American home contains 3-10 GALLONS of toxic materials, and uses and stores more than 60 hazardous household products; everything from glass and bathroom cleaners to garden pesticides and fertilizers.

Why Should You Care?

Chemicals in common household cleaning products pollute the air inside your home and have serious health effects, including:

• Respiratory problems
• Eye irritation
• Skin irritation
• Cancer
• Birth defects
• Disruption of the endocrine system

Another scary fact is that between 5-10 million household poisonings are reported each year and many of these are fatal and involve children.

The most vulnerable period of a child’s development is while they are in the womb, and it is essential to minimize exposure to any possible toxins. If you are pregnant, it is especially important for you to understand the risks of these household toxins to your children and to find natural, eco-friendly, and safe alternatives for cleaning.

In addition to these health concerns, there are environmental concerns regarding toxic household cleaning products as well:

• Creation of hazardous waste.
• Contamination of soil and water, including aquifers, lakes, rivers, streams, and oceans,
• Ecosystem imbalances, including loss of biodiversity and reductions in natural animal habitats
• Phosphates promote excessive growth of algae, which robs the water of oxygen, which negatively affects fish and other aquatic wildlife
• Some chemicals “bio-accumulate” up the food chain.

Dangerous Chemicals

Some of the dangerous ingredients to look for include:

• Phosphates: cause algae proliferation in bodies of water, killing marine life
• Nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPE’s): cause reproductive defects, liver and kidney damage
• Phthalates: cause sperm damage and reproductive defects in boys
• Volatile organic compounds (VOC’s) (including 1,4-dichlorobenzene): cause nose and throat irritation, dizziness, asthma
• Petroleum distillates such as benzene, or 1,4 dioxane, both of which can cause cancer.
• Sodium laurel sulfate and alcohol ethoxylate: both release 1-4, dioxane.
• Ethoxylates
• Sulfates
• Parabens
• Glycol ethers
• Ammonia
• Chlorine
• Ethanolamines
• Dyes
• Fragrances

Natural chemicals that can cause allergic reactions, and should also be avoided, include:

• Limonene (a citrus-based oil)
• Pine oil
• Coconut diethanolamide

What Are Your Options For Eco-Friendly Safe Cleaning?

You can reduce your chemical exposure by eliminating chemicals in your home and using only natural cleaning products that are plant based.

1. Buy Natural Household Cleaners

As more people become aware of the dangers of common household cleaners,  more “green”, environmentally friendly options have have appeared with a growing number of companies offering their own versions of eco-friendly cleaners.

Unfortunately, the terms “green” and “natural” are nothing more than marketing terms; they’re not absolute terms of science, and they do not automatically equal safety. Therefore, you need to be aware of the dangerous chemicals to avoid, read all ingredients labels, and look for third-party verification of a product’s green claims.

Some safer cleaning products are Biokleen, Ecover, Mrs. Meyer’s, Seventh Generation,Sun & Earth, and Earth Friendly Products Orange Plus. They are more expensive but more concentrated, and a bit safer.

What to look for in natural household cleaning products:

• Biodegrade rapidly in the environment
• Made with plant-based ingredients
• Contain few additives and little, if any, fragrance
• Cruelty-free

2. Make Your Own Natural Cleaning Products

Some natural cleaners still contain petroleum distillates as well as other less-than-perfect ingredients. Also, cleaning product manufacturers (green or otherwise) are not required by law to disclose all of their ingredients on their labels. That makes it difficult to tell exactly what you are getting.

After researching this topic years ago, we initially purchased some natural cleaning products but now we have switched to making our own cleaning solutions. I’m pretty picky about ingredients and am not thrilled with pretty much any of the commercial green cleaning products, including those listed above. Thankfully it’s SO easy to clean your house with the natural ingredients listed below – you can’t get much more simple and pure than that! Not only is it easy, it’s inexpensive, too!

What You Need to Clean Naturally

The things you will need you most likely already have around the house. To clean your house naturally, all you need is:

• Baking soda
• Vinegar
• Borax
• Hydrogen peroxide
• Liquid castile soap
• Lemon juice
• Organic essential oils (optional)
• Mixing bowls
• Spray bottles
• Microfiber cloths

Benefits of Homemade Cleaners

• Less packaging waste because you are not buying new bottles again and again.
• Less expensive, especially if you can buy ingredients in bulk.
• Less harmful (often not harmful at all) to humans, animals, and the earth.

What Next?

Over the next few days, weeks, and throughout this Healthy Living series, I will share specific cleaning recipes and ideas for safely cleaning each area of your house.

Until then, look at your current cleaning products and consider switching to something better for you and the environment. If you don’t already have the basic cleaning ingredients listed above, go out and get them.

But before you just toss out your current supply of cleaning products, read about how to safely dispose of toxic cleaners. There is a proper and safe way to do this.

Wendy – ParentingTips365.com

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• How to Have an Eco-Friendly Laundry Room: Non-Toxic Detergents and Energy-Saving Tips
• Natural Ways to Clean Your Bathroom Using Simple Homemade Cleaning Solutions
• Natural Cleaning Tips for Your Kitchen: Sharing Homemade, Inexpensive, Non-Toxic, and Eco-Friendly Recipes

Reduce or Eliminate Soda

The leading source of calories in the average American diet now comes from soft drinks and sweet drinks. The American Medical Association says to limit the amount of all added caloric sweeteners to no more than 32 grams of sugar daily. Most sodas contain about 40 grams of high fructose corn syrup. So if you can reduce (with the goal of eliminating) your soft drink consumption, you would take a huge step in reducing your HFCS intake.

Find Natural Sodas

If you can’t stand the thought of giving up your soda, another option is to find natural sodas that are sweetened with cane sugar instead of HFCS. Yes, it’s still sugar but I believe it’s better than HFCS. Health food stores normally carry many brands of natural sodas, as well as the natural or gourmet section of regular grocery stores. A few common brands are Blue Sky, Hansen, Boylan, Cricket Cola, GuS (Grown Up Soda), and Reed’s. (Reed’s Root Beer is yummy! Check out their store locator so you can try some yourself!)

Read Ingredients List on Food Labels

I can’t stress enough how important it is to read the labels of all the food you buy. If you only read the labels for fat and calorie information, I recommend you start reading the ingredients list as well. That’s actually the first (and usually only) area I read. Become aware of which food items contain HFCS. Once you are aware of its existence, you can start to make changes.

This may mean you have to switch brands of pasta sauce, juice, or salad dressing, but you can do it! If you live near a health food store, it may be even easier to find many of the same types of products you like, but with better ingredients. (Just because it’s a health food store, though, doesn’t mean you don’t need to read labels. Read them everywhere!)

Cook and Eat More Meals at Home

Eating out in restaurants throws a hammer into your healthy living plan. Most restaurants serve cheap, processed food with many food additives and preservatives. If you make most of your meals at home, and you use good ingredients, you are doing a great deal to improve your health.

I recommend planning your meals ahead of time. I make meal plans for two weeks at a time. If you grocery shop every week, then plan a week at a time. By planning ahead you can have all the ingredients on hand to make a meal, and hopefully avoid those last minute “there’s nothing to eat” or “I don’t know what to make” situations.

Find Healthy Restaurants

You could also find restaurants that do not have high fructose corn syrup in their food. Many restaurants have ingredients lists in their stores or online. We love Jason’s Deli! They have completely removed HFCS from their entire menu, with the exception of soft drinks. (They’ve also removed trans fats and MSG as well.)

Reduce / Eliminate Processed Foods

Yes, it may sound like an incredibly difficult task but the best way to remove HFCS from your diet is to reduce, with the goal of eliminating, all processed foods you eat.

From Mercola.com:

Americans spend about 90 percent of their food budget on processed foods, which contain a staggering number of artificial food additives, preservatives colors, and flavor enhancers. That your health suffers as a consequence of this assault should come as no surprise.

The majority of your food should be real food. Fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, etc. Try shopping the perimeter of your grocery store, not the aisles. Save the money that you spend on unhealthy items like cookies, chips, ice cream, and frozen dinners and buy fresh fruits and vegetables instead.

Reminder About Picking Your Poison

Now that you are going to remove HFCS from your diet, here is another reminder to avoid artificial sweeteners. HFCS is something you should avoid, but if you had to choose one I would choose HFCS over artificial sweeteners (which damage your health more rapidly).

Your Health Actions For The Month

It’s action time! This month your health actions are:

1. Replace one can of soda with a glass of pure water. Try to gradually increase your water consumption and reduce soda consumption.
2. If you must have a soda, find a natural soda (online or in a store) and give it a try.
3. Find a couple items in your pantry that contain HFCS and replace them with non-HFCS items. Start by looking at your bread, pasta sauce, soda, snack crackers, and cookies.
4. Cut back restaurant visits by 25%.
5. Replace one processed-food snack with an apple and a few nuts.

Once you have taken a few of these health actions, let me know about it! Post a comment with your successes, challenges, or questions.

Yours in good health,

Wendy – ParentingTips365.com

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Related Articles:

• What Not to Eat: The Dangers of High Fructose Corn Syrup
• Cheesy Lentils: Easy Vegetarian Recipe
• 5 Foods Your Kids Should NOT Be Eating
• 15 Reasons Not to Drink Soda Pop of Any Type: Regular, Diet, or Natural
• Simple Tips for Living a Healthy, Green, Eco-Friendly Life

Before I get started explaining to you exactly why HFCS is bad for you and why you should avoid it at all costs, here’s a thought to ponder. Isn’t it odd that a food product is spending up to $30 million to convince you it’s safe to eat?

Did You Know?

• High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) is the number one source of calories in the U.S. and causes far more damage than white sugar. (Mercola.com)
  
• HFCS is the most popular sweetener in many pre-packaged products because it has a sweetness similar to table sugar but is cheaper to produce, easier to transport, blends into other foods more easily, and gives products a longer shelf life. (NaturalNews.com)

What Foods Contain High Fructose Corn Syrup?

Carbonated sodas are sweetened with HFCS, as are candy bars, cookies, jams and jellies, bread, salad dressings, pizza sauce, fruit drinks, breakfast cereals, food bars, peanut butter, ketchup, dairy products, canned fruit, and thousands of other grocery items. It seems HFCS is used in almost everything! Check the labels on the food in your pantry. What do you see?

What Does High Fructose Corn Syrup do to Our Bodies?

• HFCS is linked to diabetes in children.
• HFCS is linked to diabetes, obesity, and metabolic syndrome.
• HFCS has been implicated in elevated blood cholesterol levels and the creation of blood clots. It also inhibits the action of white blood cells so that they are unable to defend the body against harmful foreign invaders.
• HFCS converts to fat in your body faster than any other sugar.
• HFCS causes severe liver damage.
• HFCS is linked to kidney disease.
• HFCS may raise bad cholesterol levels.
• HFCS is linked to ADHD.
• HFCS robs the nutrients of anything beneficial you may consume.
• HFCS may contain mercury. (I wrote an article about this last year.)
• HFCS affects taste receptors, imprinting both the tongue and the brain with a stronger desire for sweet foods throughout life.
• HFCS interferes with the heart’s use of key minerals like magnesium, copper, and chromium.
• HFCS modifies the brain’s appetite-regulating centers thus leading to more eating and weight gain.
• HFCS produces the toxic chemical hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) when heated. HMF has been linked to DNA damage in humans.
• HFCS is almost always made from genetically modified corn, which has its own well-documented side effects and health concerns, such as increasing your risk of developing a food allergy to corn.
• Fructose interacts with oral contraceptives and elevates insulin levels in women on “the pill”.

High Fructose Corn Syrup is Not Natural

The Corn Refiners Association insists that HFCS is a “natural” ingredient, and therefore you should be comfortable eating it.

I love how Christopher Wanjek, Bad Medicine columnist for Live Science, puts it:

High-fructose corn syrup could be all-natural if cornstarch happened to fall into a vat of alpha-amylase, soak there for a while, then trickle into another vat of glucoamylase, get strained to remove the Aspergillus fungus likely growing on top, and then find its way into some industrial-grade D-xylose isomerase. This funny coincidence didn’t happen in nature until the 1970s in a lab somewhere in Japan.

The FDA recently changed their stance and now says that HFCS cannot be considered ‘natural’, although they still do not have a formal definition of the term ‘natural’.

What Now?

Now that you’ve learned about the dangers of HFCS, you’ll want to learn how to eliminate it from your diet. Take a few days to let this information soak in. Read some of the links in the article and below under ‘References’ for even more information. Start looking at the foods in your pantry and start reading the food labels on everything you buy in the store. Start replacing items containing HFCS with those that do not.

In a few days I will have a supporting article to share with you titled “How to Remove High Fructose Corn Syrup From Your Diet“.

Pick Your Poison

Dr. Mercola offers this advice regarding HFCS and artificial sweeteners:

Even though HFCS is clearly something you want to avoid, it is not as bad as artificial sweeteners, which damage your health even more rapidly than HFCS. (I spent several years researching artificial sweeteners for my book Sweet Deception, which goes into these issues in great detail).

So, for example, if you have to choose between soda sweetened with HFCS (regular soda) or artificial sweeteners (diet soda), choose HFCS.

I will provide more information about the dangers of artificial sweeteners in an upcoming post.

References

Three of my favorite websites for natural health information are Mercola.com, NaturalNews.com, and WestonAPrice.org. Specifically on high fructose corn syrup, here are a few articles I recommend:

• Corn Syrup’s New Disguise on Mercola.com
• Debate About Dangers of High Fructose Corn Syrup on Mercola.com
• Fructose is No Answer for a Sweetener on Mercola.com
• How High Fructose Corn Syrup Damages Your Body on Mercola.com
• New Research Links High Fructose Corn Syrup to Diabetes in Children on NaturalNews.com
• High Fructose Corn Syrup and Diabetes: What the Experts Say on NaturalNews.com
• The Dangers of High Fructose Corn Syrup on NaturalNews.com
• The Murky World of High Fructose Corn Syrup on WestonAPrice.org

You can also become a Facebook fan of each of those websites for great health information sent right to your news feed!

Disclaimer: This information is for educational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. It does not replace the advice of your health care practitioner.

Here’s to the start of a healthier year for you and your family!

Wendy – ParentingTips365.com

Read all the posts in the Healthy Living series by clicking on the icon on the left.

©2012 Parenting Tips 365. All Rights Reserved. This feed is for personal, non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, the site you are looking at is guilty of copyright infringement.

Related Articles:

• March is National Nutrition Month®: ‘Nutrition From the Ground Up’
• How to Remove High Fructose Corn Syrup from Your Diet
• Cheesy Lentils: Easy Vegetarian Recipe
• 5 Foods Your Kids Should NOT Be Eating
• 15 Reasons Not to Drink Soda Pop of Any Type: Regular, Diet, or Natural

ME!

That’s right, consider me your personal healthy living assistant! I’m going to share some simple tips that you can implement in your busy family’s life; tips that will help get you on track to live a healthier, eco-friendly life.

I am going to cover many areas of healthy living:

• Learn what foods and food ingredients to avoid (and learn healthy alternatives).
• Learn non-toxic ways to clean your house, clothes, and body.
• Learn simple things you can do to protect our environment.
• Learn about natural health and wellness options.

My goal is to provide simple tips (maybe monthly) that you can incorporate into your life. As we all know, if you want to make changes permanent, they key is to change slowly. Try one new thing in your life and make it a habit. Then add another. Before you know it, you have made major steps toward a healthier life for you and your entire family!

How to Receive the Healthy Living Tips

There are several ways to know when I write a new post to this blog:

• Subscribe to this blog in a feed reader (like Google reader).
• Subscribe using email (get an email sent to you containing the blog post). Look on the top right side of my home page.
• Become a fan of my Facebook page and receive new blog post updates conveniently in your news feed.
• Bookmark this page and come back often. Click on the “Simple Tips for Living a Healthy, Green, Eco-friendly Life” picture on the right side of the page (or below).

I’d love to hear from you! As you start out on this journey, let me know how you are doing. Ask me questions. Give me updates. I want to help you in the best way I can!

Click on the icon on the left to see all posts in this series.

Wendy – ParentingTips365.com

©2012 Parenting Tips 365. All Rights Reserved. This feed is for personal, non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, the site you are looking at is guilty of copyright infringement.

Related Articles:

• Cheesy Lentils: Easy Vegetarian Recipe
• The Secret to Easy, Quick, and Healthy Home-Cooked Meals
• 6 Tips to Help Busy Families Enjoy Healthy Meals at Home
• 5 Foods Your Kids Should NOT Be Eating
• Love Your Earth Home: 18 Things You Can Do This Week to Help the Environment