Genetically modified sugar in Halloween candy

It is always important to know where are food is coming from and how it is processed. Food labels are more helpful these days as they include calories, ingredients and whether the food is organic or not. However, one area that is not being labeled is genetically modified ingredients. There are several products that are genetically modified (GM or GMO) such as corn, soy and now sugar beets. The manufacturers, specifically Monsanto, of the GM seeds are lobbying hard to prevent any labeling for consumers. This has been an ongoing issue for several years.

With Halloween around the corner, it was brought to my attention that there are two candy companies, M&M/Mars and Herseys who are ignoring a September 2009 ruling by a Federal Court that GM sugar beets should never have been approved for introduction into the food supply without better environmental impact studies. So, be aware that most if not all of the Halloween candies from these companies have GM sugar beets as an ingredient.

Be educated and be healthy.

Happy Halloween!

For more information:

Reuters news organization's article covering September ruling against GM sugar beets and Monsanto

SF Gate's November 2008 coverage of the upcoming 2009 GM sugar beets ruling

Seeds of Deception newsletter by leading expert on GM foods, Jeffrey M. Smith covering GM sugar beets in January 2008

Center for Environmental Health and Care2's coverage and petition against GMO sugar beets

Flu and Cold 101

With the school year in full swing and H1N1 is making its mark, it is time to think about germs again. With greater contact along with the change of weather, colds and flus show up again. Believe it or not, viruses and bacteria can live up to 2 hours or longer on surfaces such as cafeteria tables, doorknobs and desks. But, there are many ways to prevent germs from spreading to your household too often.

1. Advise your children to avoid close contact with those who appear sick.

2. If your children are sick, keep them home. They will feel better faster and you will not spread the infection. This is especially important with the spread of H1N1 since it seems to be contagious a lot longer than seasonal flu.

3. Teach your children to cough and sneeze into their elbows instead of into their hands. This will avoid spreading germs by hand contact.

4. Model effective and frequent hand washing - wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, or as long as it takes to sing "Happy Birthday" twice.

5. Have hand sanitizers available when washing is not possible. Keep them in your car, in your purse and in the sports bag. If your children have been playing soccer, gymnastics or any other after school sport and need a snack once in the car, you will need hand sanitizers first!

6. Teach your children to avoid touching their eyes, nose and mouth since these areas lead to the quick spread of germs.

Although flu vaccines are in short supply, call your healthcare provider to see if they have vaccines available, especially for your children who are considered high risk.

For more information, contact your healthcare provider and see the CDC web site for seasonal flu and H1N1 info.

Homemade fruit and vegetable wash

These days with all the pesticides and concern for contamination in fruits and vegetables, many people choose to use fruit and vegetable wash. However, it can be expensive if you use it with all your fruits and vegetables as I do. But, making your own wash allows you save money while ensuring your fruits and vegetables are as clean as possible for your family. Here is the recipe as found on about.com.

Items needed: spray bottle, white vinegar, water

Directions: Fill the spray bottle with equal parts of water and white vinegar. Spray your fruits and vegetables, rub the wash into them and rinse well.

Easy and cheap!

Swine Flu Concerns

It is hard not to worry about Swine Flu, now called H1N1, when everything you hear on the news, radio and on the internet is about this new type of flu. Health concerns always take priority in the family. It is now at a stage 5 of 6 due to the spread to several countries and face masks and anti-bacterial gels are selling out all over. Should we pull our kids out of day care and school? Should we treat this as with SARS and bird flu as a pandemic? Or will small steps such as hand washing, staying home if sick and monitoring symptoms such as fever, cough, sore throat and headach be enough? The good news is that there is an anti-viral medicine available for this flu - Tamiflu which can shorten the length of the flu. That makes me feel a little better. My philosophy with everything is do your research and balance the information and the source. Then, you make your best decision and judgments based on your maternal instinct with this info. That way, you know you are doing what is right for you and your family.

For additional information, see the links below:

http://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/features/swine-flu-what-parents-need-to-know?ecd=wnl_nal_042909

http://www.pandemicflu.gov/

Peanut Recall Concerns

The news is appalling. The Peanut Corp. of America was forced to close both the Georgia and Texas plants due to the outbreak of salmonella in peanut products produced in its plants that is believed to have caused up to 600 to get sick, half of whom are children, and nine to actually die from salmonella-tainted products. After one of the biggest recalls ever, more information has been revealed about this company - rodent droppings, cockroaches and a leaking roof onto processing equipment. The company knew all of this and continued to process its products. It is believed that they also knew of the salmonella tainted products. Where is the moral compass in corporate America these days? It makes me realize that we all need to be our own food advocates which includes buying locally and organically instead of from the big manufacturers that allow such unbelieveable lack of quality control and extreme negligence.

For more information, see the latest article on NBC Washington: http://www.nbcwashington.com/health/resources/The-List-Peanut-Butter-Products-Recalled.html where they also have a link to the most updated FDA list of recalled products.

The fact that the Peanut Corp of America had to file bankruptcy this week is the only consolation in all of this. They claim the recall has hit them too hard economically...well, hopefully being hit in the wallet will teach this company not to be remiss in maintaining the quality of their product in the future and jeopardizing the health of the public.

More News on BPA

Most of us are quite conscious of green products and those that may have health concerns. And, we are very aware about BPA or Bisphenol A these days - the additive used in many plastic products to make them shatterproof - and the health concerns related to it. But there is a new study that not only shows it gets stored in the body, but stays stored for longer than first believed. The researchers now say that we are either getting BPA from many more sources than anticipated and/or our body is storing the BPA and therefore, cannot get rid of it as quickly as first thought. We now have alternative products available for us without BPA as well as some affirmation from the FDA on the potential dangers of BPA which are both huge steps. It is still amazing to me that the FDA errs on the side of conservatism when it comes to their reputation but not when it comes to the safety of our population and especially small babies. But, it has taught me not to assume the FDA knows all, but that I need to read and research on my own for the health of my family. For a great site on BPA free products, see the earlier post: Concern of BPAs.

Tagless May Inflict Rashes

There seem to always be new issues raised that lead to health concerns. On October 24, 2008 the Consumer Product Safety Commission sent out an advisory warning that they have received reports of rashes related to tagless "heat transferred" labels including brands such as Carter's. The raised label can irritate sensitive newborn and infant skin specifically. If you notice a rash related to tagless clothing, the CPSC advises to use the link - http://www.carters.com/corporate/tagless_message.aspx or visit the CPSC web site for additional information - http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml09/09023.html.

Toxins in Baby Shampoo Now....

I am usually not an alarmist and I need to be convinced of things before believing them, but when it comes to my kids, I take as little risk as possible to their development. Better safe than sorry...as the motto goes. And, looking for more green products is also a goal for my family. A trusted source and friend told me about the following site to look for your shampoos, shower gels, lotions etc and the level of risk for cancer-causing additives, developmental toxicity, allergies and other concerns due to additives. As I believe, it is better to be informed and make educated decisions than be taken by surprise. Take the information for what it is worth...we do live in a toxic world today and we are ingesting and immersing our body in lots of chemicals that are most likely not good for us and that oftentimes we don't even know about. But, for that reason, isn't it better to minimize our exposure in the areas we do know about? If you want to examine possible health concerns with some products and more eco friendly products, Take a look - http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/splash.php?URI=%2Findex.php and make your decision.

The Concern of BPAs - bisphenol A

This is not necessarily a new concern, but has received revived attention as ABC news had recent coverage on BPAs used in plastics such as baby bottles, sippy cups etc. http://abcnews.go.com/WN/story?id=4258865. This story prompted me to do some additional research. We are all trying to go green and be environmentally conscious and ensuring our containers and bottles are BPA free is one way to do that. BPAs are added to most plastics so that they are shatter-proof. Baby bottles, cups and pacifiers are not the only places you find BPAs. Most food containers and water bottles have them too. But, studies have linked even low BPA dosages to diabetes, obesity and even cancer. When the plastic is heated, either in the microwave or by sterilization, BPA residue is released and mixes with the food and drink then placed in the plastic container.

Yes, some say that it is hard to really know the long-term effects yet. But, I figure why take the chance, especially with developing babies and children! The alternative? Glass (which may not be convenientor practical) or some manufacturers have BPA-free bottles, sippy cups and/or pacifiers. Sassy Mam is one of the companies that does not use BPAs in their baby bottles. Yet, interestingly enough, Sassy Mam pacifiers still have BPAs in the plastic so if you sterilize them, you may be releasing BPAs that are absorbed when your baby uses the pacifier. Playtex makes pacifiers BPA free. For more information and a list of manufacturers for baby bottles, sippy cups and pacifiers, visit this site: http://zrecs.blogspot.com/.

For drink bottles, the best alternative is non-leaching, stainless steel drink bottles such as Kleen Kanteen. I thought that our Nalgene plastic bottles would be BPA free, but I looked on the bottom and there was a 7. There are 7 types of plastics and if you look on the bottom of a plastic item, you will see a number in the recycle symbol. Numbers 1, 2, 4 and 5 are safe for food and drink. Numbers 3, 6 and 7 are not, with 7 including BPA...Hmmm. It is nice to be informed and not take things for granted.

UPDATE as of 5/19/08 - Here is another link for info on BPAs. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plastics Unfortunately, today plastic classification 7's include even non-BPA plastics as they are rapidly trying to add another number to include these more advanced plastics...so, it seems that the government cannot keep up with technology. The LA Times just had an article about this issue on Thursday, May 15th, Walmart will pull all BPA containing baby bottles from its shelves and Nalgene came out with a non-BPA water bottle line of products which became available at retailers in April. See zrecs.blogspot.com for a wallet sized short list of baby bottles, sippy cups, pacifiers etc. that are made sans BPA. This helps when you are shopping.