Another Benefit of Organic Diary

In a new recent study, researches found that CLA's and omega 3 Fatty-acids help prevent the build up of abdominal fat in young obese individuals. The study's findings do not support the same outcomes in lean individuals or older obese individuals. However, this research can be very helpful to those who are young and obese.

Organic diary products have more CLA's and omega 3 fatty-acids. So an increase in organic diary products can not only help in the prevention of cancer and reduction of cardiovascular disease, but it can greatly assist in weight management. So next time you reach for your yogurt, reach for an organic brand!

Pesticides and Childhood Cancer

Having a background in pediatric oncology, I am always interested to find out the links, risks and possible causes of childhood cancer. In two recent studies, scientists researched over 25 million children up to the age of fourteen. In these studies, scientists found that there were elevated risks for several types of cancer in those children living in areas with increase pesticide use. Elevated risks of cancer were found for Hodgkin lymphoma, Wilms' tumor, renal carcinomas, Ewing's sarcoma, thyroid cancers, and malignant melanoma. Organic produce and foods dramatically reduce the exposure to pesticide use. It's a point to think about for sure. For more information, you can look up the research articles:

S.E. Carozza et al., "Risk of Childhood Cancers Associated with Residence in Agriculturally Intense Areas in the U.S," and

H.R. Andersen et al., "Impaired Reproductive Development in Sons of Women Occupationally Exposed to Pesticides during Pregnancy," Environmental Health Perspectives, Vol. 116, No. 4, April 2008.

I believe that it's always important to be aware so that you can make educated choices in your individual lives.

GE Foods

Some visitors to our blog have asked about identifying GE (i.e. Genetically Engineered) foods in the supermarket. My favorite tool in this respect has been a pocket guide published by The Center for Food Safety. You can download a free copy at http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/.

Basically any whole foods, almost all fruits, vegetables and grains are NOT genetically engineered. On the flip side, the four worst offenders are: corn, soy, canola and cotton. The byproducts of these crops are what you need to be wary of: corn oil, corn meal, cornstarch, corn syrup, soybean oil, soy flour, soy protein, soy lecithin, canola oil, and cottonseed oil.

Check out the Center for Food Safety's book "Your Right to Know" for more detailed information on the danger of genetically engineered food.

Green Mom

With Mother's Day fast approaching, here are some websites that promote the greener side of motherhood, check them out!

eco-chick.com

greenandcleanmom.blogspot.com

treehugger.com

grist.com has a popular online column "Ask Umbra," where the author weighs in on matters such as whether it is better to buy leather shoes or "pleather" ones that could contain solvents.

Green Schools Initiative, a nonprofit in Berkeley, developed green guidelines for shopping, like buying chlorine-free cleaning products, low-formaldehyde furniture and toys made of natural materials. Some of their findings are just as applicable in the home as they are in the schools.

Earth Day Ideas for the Young and Old

So it's been a while since we've posted, but now it's crunch time until Earth Day! Earth Day is here to help us remember how important this land and air is that surround us. We've included some ideas on how you can help celebrate and give back to the earth. Whether you are single, married, a parent or a grandparent- there is something you can do! One can either teach a young child about the importance of keeping our earth clean or one can celebrate on their own this special Earth Day 2008!

For Young Children:
Recyled Crayons

Create uniquely shaped, multi-colored crayons by recycling crayon stubs!

You'll need to peel all of the paper off of the crayons, and place them in a non-stick muffin pan, filling to ½ inch from the top of the muffin molds.

Put the muffin tin in 250 degree oven. Turn off the heat when crayons have melted, but do not remove the tin! Allow the oven to cool completely before removing crayons. For the best rainbow effect, do not move the muffin tray until crayons have cooled completely .If colors mix while hot they become one muddy color instead. Tap the bottom of the tin to make the crayons pop out.

If you'd like solid color crayons, then place only 1 color in each muffin cup.


Recommended Earth Day books:

"The Great Trash Bash" by Loreen Leedy
"The Earth And I" by Frank Asch
"The Lorax" by Dr. Seuss
"Dinosaurs to The Rescue" by Laurie Krasny Brown and Marc Brown

For Everyone Else!

• Go through your house and find all your extra, unused paper or magazines and recycle them!
• Start a trash can just for recyclable cans and glass.
• Find your extra or unused phones, computers or other electrical gear and give them a company such a Recylcing for Charities.
• Take a walk to the store, work, or restaurant instead of driving.
• Make sure you turn off all unused lights, TV's or computers when you are done using them.

Happy Earth Day!