Change Becomes Change

Let's Keep Lead Out of Children's Toys

Or...More On Our Exposure to Lead.

Yesterday we talked about lead in our fruit juices. Well today's headlines are about lead and children's toys.

USA Today ran an article that details the impact to small businesses that are felt by legislation meant to keep lead and other toxins away from products for children.  We know that toxins like lead and phthalates are used in many manufacturing processes, so the government places the responsibility on companies selling these products to ensure their safety. Testing these items can be timely and expensive and the small business may face costly exposure if their goods turn out contaminated.

Some companies take preventative steps by contracting only with suppliers and factories that guarantee they, and their products, will meet U.S. strict safety laws and test their products regularly to prove so. As a former product buyer and importer, I have conducted many quality visits to factories to make sure they were upholding their end of our agreement and understand how things can inadvertently "slip" if precautions aren't taken seriously. 

But I'm a parent now, and I expect the manufacturers to put a portion of the cost of their goods to take every precaution possible and necessary to help me keep my children safe from toxins.

Are my expectations unrealistic?

We tend to buy toys and other products for our kids and as gifts from companies who don't manufacture their items in China, use wood or other sustainable and safe materials, and follow other eco-friendly practices. I wish it were easier to find these companies and less expensive to buy their products so that more consumers would make these choices. And someday it will. These types of items are beginning to show up on the shelves of mainstream retailers like Target and Toys R Us, as shoppers vote with their almighty dollar for the green choice.

What steps are you taking to avoid (or minimize) your family's exposure to toxins? How do you find products that meet your standards?

 

Plan Toys Chalet Doll House

I have to say, we love Plan Toys and have many of their toys including this doll house, parking garage, airport, barn and many accessories. We've been buying and giving this brand for years and our kids love them all. The doll house is made from organic, recycled rubber wood and the paints have passed safety tests which means it's good for the environment and good for my children.

Lead Found In Children's Fruit Juice and Snacks

 

 

Each day, our children enjoy a cup of juice with breakfast and I like that they start the day with at least one serving of fruit. I know that whole fruit is a healthier choice but they have about 5oz, and it's the only beverage they typically have other than water and milk. I've not given much thought to our juice since it's organic or local, and always without added sugars or additives. I've assumed it's nothing but goodness for our children. 

Boy, I was was wrong.

The Environmental Law Foundation has recently found dangerous levels of toxic lead in children's juice products that far exceed a California state law -- and in some cases also exceed federal levels for young children. According to their findings, 125 out of 146 items contained enough lead in a single serving to warrant a warning label under California’s Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986.

The items tested include apple and grape juice, packaged pears and peaches, and fruit cocktail. When I first read the report, I had a sigh of relief for my own family since we buy organic fruit juice but the study indicates that some organic labels didn't pass the test either.

The problem with lead.

The Federal Drug Administration who overseas these types of issues, has indicated:

A spokesman confirmed that the federal limits for lead were last updated nearly two decades ago. In the meantime, many scientists, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, now say that there is no safe level of exposure to lead.

Lead has a cumulative effect as it builds up in the body and children, due to their smaller size, have a tendency to experience greater effects from most toxic chemicals. There is strong evidence linking lead to cardiovascular, brain and nervous system concerns and children are at high risk.

What's a concerned parent to do? The full list of all the products tested, broken down into the categories of those with samples exceeding and not exceeding the California limit can be found RIGHT HERE.

Sadly, our current brand of apple juice did not meet levels that pediatricians (or myself) feel comfortable with so we'll be switching this week. We've had Tree Top and R.W. Knudsen Organic apple juices before so we'll likely return to those. We like the Santa Cruz Organic lines of juices and are disappointed to see their grape juice not make the cut. I hope that these food companies look into this and make the changes necessary to get back on our family list. 

To learn more about healthy choices for your family, visit Feed Our Families.

The Ways Kids Amaze Us

My youngest is adorable, sweet and makes us laugh with her clever ways of expressing herself, but tonight she really surprised me.

Here in Portland, there's a little boy who lives not far from us that has been missing for over ten days. He's just seven years old and in many ways reminds me of my own son, which may be part of the reason that his disappearance has really hit me hard. I learned about Kyron Horman on a Friday night during the 10pm news and, although I was cozy in bed, his story brought tears to my eyes and this strong desire to get dressed and head out to the west hills to help find him. My husband quickly reminded me that I'm not really equipped to do such a thing so we've found other ways to help. It just never feels like enough.

But we haven't talked much about the situation in front of our children since we really weren't sure how much they'd understand and what might really frighten them. We've been talking about safety topics and my son has been praying at school for Kyron but that's been the extent of things with them.

Both our children have journals that they've just started using in different ways. Being only four years old, my daughter likes to draw pictures in her journal that tell a story for her. Some days I can't really translate what she's drawn but there's typically an elaborate story she'll tell.

Tonight I asked her to work in her room alone while I spent time sorting through some tough emotions with my son in his journal. About 20 minutes later she came in and asked to share her story with me. But I had to go in her room. She wanted my full attention.

Wow. I don't know where this came from. The picture  below, she tells us, is Kyron and a man finding him. She also drew a leaf for the "forest where he's been hiding". 

They say that children sometimes have a six sense. Tonight, I choose to believe that. We all hope Kyron comes home soon.

 

Kyron was last seen wearing a black "CSI" shirt and dark cargo pants. If you have any information on Kyron's disappearance, please call the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office tip line at 503-261-2847.

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Little Things We Can All Do To Help The Big (Oil) Spill

Whether you're watching the nightly news or reading the stories online, the continually growing oil spill travesty in the Gulf is distressing to us all. This crisis will hurt our nation in multiple ways from the economy, the environment and our health, for years to come, possibly even future generations. 

From National Wildlife Federation's (NWF) Dr. Doug Inkley:

"Words like 'tragedy' and 'disaster' do not do justice to what is happening to the people whose way of life is being disrupted and destroyed. My heart goes out to the fishing guides, the shrimp fisherman, the oystermen, and others whose lives are being destroyed. At the same time, it was inspiring to see so many people willing to help."

The NWF has sent a team of wildlife experts to asses the devastating impact of this tragedy on the communities, wildlife, marshes and wetlands throughout the area. They are collaborating with BP and other industry representatives, local and national nonprofits, and state and federal government agencies to help coordinate a meaningful volunteer response to the catastrophe.

While it's easy to feel overwhelmed by the magnitude of the disaster and mounting clean up that needs to happen, everyone that I talk with wants to help in some way. We just don't know how. Like me, most of us can't take a week off from our work or family obligations to clean pelicans but there are ways that we can all help. Easy, simple ways that collectively add up to impact.

Here are just a few ways we can help support the National Wildlife Federation's efforts in the Gulf:

1. Donate to the NWF's Gulf Oil Spill Restoration Fund. The money donated to this fund will go toward supporting NWF's immediate response and longer term on-the-ground work to safeguard wildlife affected by this tragedy.
2. Use social media to help spread the word about NWF's clean up efforts. Whether you share on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or your own website or blog, they've listed messaging, links and graphics to make it really easy to get the word out.
3. Tell your senators that now more than ever we need to pass comprehensive legislation that provides America with cleaner and safer energy choices.

For us parents, the editors of Ranger Rick magazine have put together this great article on How To Talk To Kids About The Oil Spill. This is a great resource to help them understand what happened, how it's impacting  the environment and how they can help their family be a little greener.

NWF is also sharing inspirational stories of children across the country doing their part to help in creative ways. These unique, and fun, fundraising ideas are a great way to encourage our children to take their emotions and desires to help one step further into action.

For those of us in other parts of the country, it might be tempting to not think of this as "our" problem, but it truly is. The Gulf region's waters and the animals that call this area home, are major contributors to our U.S. economy. Health issues that have begun to plague workers in the region have the potential to be passed down to future generations. No one can even begin to estimate the resulting environmental damage our world will be left with. 

If we all do one thing today to help National Wildlife Federation's clean up efforts, we can make a big difference in the Gulf region, and future generations.

Photo: Saul Loeb - AFP/Getty Images

FTC Tells Kellogg "Rice Krispies Don't Improve Children's Health"

Back in November I shared a story with you about Kellogg's Cocoa (Rice) Krispies' claim to "boost immunity" through added nutrients in the cereal which is heavily marketed to children. Since many of the usual suspects who cover these kind of marketing tactics blasted the claims, I expected to see these boxes removed from shelves. But they're still right there next to Fruit Loops and Frosted Flakes.

Well, those boxes are getting a face lift soon and won't have those health claims unless they can be fully backed and substantiated. 

Last year the FTC cracked down on health claims from Kellogg that Frosted Mini-Wheats was “clinically shown to improve kids’ attentiveness by nearly 20 percent”. They didn't learn their lesson apparently, and kept the Rice Krispies claim on cereal boxes. Without clinical studies to back it up.

From the NT Times article today:

Jennifer L. Harris, a psychologist who studies food marketing at the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale, said the agreement highlighted the need to tighten requirements so that all health-related claims on packaging are based on scientific evidence, which is not the case now.

“As parents become more health-conscious, these claims try to make high-sugar cereals healthier than they really are,” she said. 

Parents want to make healthier choices for their children but struggle to know what's best once they're standing in the grocery store. Health claims and marketing messages make it challenging, at best, to navigate the sea of information out there.

Food manufacturers don't always help the confusion.

• In November 2009, Yale University's Rudd Center shared a new study indicating that cereals marketed directly to children have 85% more sugar, 65% less fiber and 60% more sodium than cereals marketed to adults.
• We all know that low-fat dairy can play an important role in our childrens' diet but advertising cookies on a milk jug doesn't help parents say no to the sweets.
• Kraft, who promised not to advertise to children under 12, launched a promotion with this fun "alien invasion" video for kids to vote for their school to win a field trip.

As a parent, have you walked down the cereal, snack or cookie aisle with 8 to 10 year old children? Talk about a bad case of the "gimme's".It's all so truly tempting.

Parents need help. And there are a variety of groups and initiatives coming together to do so, even on the food manufacturer and grocery side. I'm glad to see the influence and passion of folks like Jamie Oliver and Michelle Obama involved. They're getting people thinking and talking about what we put into our bodies, and especially what we're feeding our children. It's time for some change.

To learn more about healthy ways to start your day, check out The Importance of Starting the Day Right at Feed Our Families.

 

Teens Gone Wild: Can They Give Up Fast Food?

If you've seen any of the food documentaries like Food, Inc., FRESH, or Fast Food Nation, then you understand the inspiration that follows. The inspiration that takes exposure from an idea and turns it into passionate energy that drives you to make changes you never even imagined. Like a Food Revolution. It's powerful. Or at least, it can be.

Like it was for Mrs. Kerrie Savage's writing class at McMinnville High School just south of Portland.

In Mrs. Savage's class, freshmen watch Food, Inc. to study the industrial revolution, while juniors view it paired with the book Fast Food Nation as part of their nonfiction reading requirement. This spring the studies led to powerful changes from a group of passionate students who set out to remove fast food eats from their lives for 30 days.

From the Take Part's story this month:

"The kids were very inspired by [the film]," says Savage, "and they had an idea that we could try giving up fast food for 30 days, just to see if it was challenging, or even if we could do it."

So they initiated a 30 day fast food boycott. The rules were simple:

1. Sign the petition to boycott fast food for 30 days.
2. No food or drink shall be consumed from a fast food establishment, whether purchased or given by another individual.
3. When in doubt, refer to the list provided in Doc Savage’s room.
4. Record any fast food relapses in a diary, but do not give up on the rest of the month (keep going until the end).
5. Hold each other responsible; use the buddy system.
6. Don’t give up!!!

They defined fast food as "any food establishment that uses an assembly line to produce food faster for customers, gives you the opportunity to receive food through a drive-thru window and/or features a dollar menu."

Sound easy? Reflect back on your days in high school. Mine offered options of vending machines with snacks or sodas, the cafeteria that sold the same five rotating "meals" called lunch every week or the ultimate...the variety of drive-thrus within a five minute drive of school where we could pick up burritos, burgers and sloppy sandwiches. Having spent almost half my career marketing fast food giants I now understand the magical spell they had then...and now.

I say, kudos to these high schoolers who have held onto their values and promise to each other to not take the easy way out of lunch. I'm proud of them for taking some tough steps towards change in the food industry.I think Mrs. Obama and her Let's Move campaign team would be too!

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Soda, Sugar and Our Nation's Health

Growing up, a gallon of low fat milk adorned our dinner table every night. I really don't recall when I was first introduced to a soda but I'm pretty certain it was not earlier than high school. And I wasn't particularly fond of it. Thankfully my own children have no interest in trying soda - or anything "bubbly" as they call it.

But I know that many young children are drinking sodas - brown, orange and clear - potentially on a weekly basis. It's especially hard when you dine out and the options at the self-serve fountain are soda, soda and soda.

Earlier this month, NPR took a look at Soda Consumption in America through conversations with Gail Woodward-Lopez of the Center for Weight and Health and Maureen Storey, senior vice president for science policy at the American Beverage Association. Some of the more interesting highlights include:

On the health ramifications of soda consumption from Gail Woodward-Lopez: Americans are actually getting as much as 9 to 13 percent of our calories from soda and other sweetened beverages. ...as Americans have consumed more sugary drinks, obesity rates have soared.

We have very strong evidence linking those two trends. And those two trends are so startlingly parallel. If you looked at a graph, the rise in sweetened beverage consumption would be in exact parallel with the increase in obesity rates.

When asked what it is about soda that contributes to weight gain (ingredients or the amount of soda), she explains that it's a combination of both. Americans are drinking more soda, and when we do so, we're not consuming healthier beverages like low fat milk or water, but we're also not cutting back on calories elsewhere. So we'll get calories from our beverage and our meal. It's an unhealthy case of double-dipping.

Points made on behalf of soda by Maureen Storey, with the American Beverage Association include:

A full-calorie soft drink has 90 percent water, and a diet soft drink is 99 percent water. Water is the most important nutrient that we have. And if we are active and need a refreshing beverage after a nice, long walk or a run, you can have a beverage and quench your thirst and stay hydrated.

When asked about her thoughts on how nutritionally sound a refreshing beverage with 22 to 34 grams of sugar is, she replied:

I don't think it's nutritionally unsound. There are some studies that show that particularly with children, children who have been exercising may not drink enough water to get back to the hydration point that they need to be at. So with a little bit of flavoring and a little bit of sweetness, they will drink enough, then, to get back to where they need to be. 

So, what do you think? Can sodas be an acceptable beverage for your child after PE class or a soccer game? Have you considered taking steps to decrease the amount of sodas you drink? Is taking sugary juice and sodas the answer? Share your thoughts below in the comments.Thanks

The New Dirty Dozen: What To Buy Organic

Whether you're standing in the produce aisle at the grocery store or in a stall at the farmer's market, it can be a challenge to prioritize what we should buy organic and where we can save some money with non-organic items. As we seem to learn each week, reducing pesticides from the foods we eat is becoming increasingly important.

Good news...The Environmental Working Group (EWG) just published their updated list of Dirty Dozen (12 foods to buy organic because they contain the most pesticides) and the Clean 15 (the fruits and vegetables that contain the least amount of pesticides). We've bought organic produce for years, but it wasn't until this time last year that we were introduced to the Dirty Dozen. Since then, we keep the list handy and make sure that we start there and spend our dollars on those organics...and more when we can.

The EWG partnered with Dr Andrew Weil for this short video that so simply explains why we should care about pesticides and how to avoid them.

My suggestion: download the Dirty Dozen/Clean 15 wallet card and keep it nearby your shopping list or in your wallet. It's a valuable piece of paper to make it easier to keep pesticides out of your family.

Tell us...how do you decide what to buy organic?

 

If you're reading this article in your email or reader and can't view the video, please click here...and enjoy!

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Are Pesticides the Missing Link to ADHD?

There was big news today coming from a recent study that links common pesticides used in growing the fruits and vegetables our children eat to ADHD. Worrisome? Oh yeah.

These pesticides are manufactured to work by interfering with the nervous system of insects but have a similar response on mammals...including humans. Considering that children are found to have a high penetration of pesticides based on their body weight, these findings are disturbing. Frightening. Quite honestly, this is the reason we switched to mostly organic produce when our youngest was about the size of a rodent.

According to one of the authors of the study, Maryse F. Bouchard, a researcher at the University of Montreal in Quebec:

...Children are at greater risk from pesticides because their young bodies are still developing and may not metabolize chemicals as well as adults'.

The most alarming finding was a near-doubling in odds of ADHD diagnoses among kids with higher-than-average levels of the most common of the six (pesticide) metabolites detected. Kids with high levels of dimethyl thiophosphate were 93 percent more likely to have the disorder than children with undetectable levels of the marker.

From Reuters:

"There is growing concern that these pesticides may be related to ADHD," said researcher Marc Weisskopf of the Harvard School of Public Health, who worked on the study.

"What this paper specifically highlights is that this may be true even at low concentrations."

Although the study didn't look at how these children were exposed to the pesticides, young children are typically exposed through the foods they eat, the water they drink or the air they breathe. According to Maryse Couchard,

"Exposure is practically ubiquitous. We're all exposed,"...people can limit their exposure by eating organic produce. Frozen blueberries, strawberries and celery had more pesticide residue than other foods in one government report.

The Huffington Post sheds light on possible solutions to minimize pesticide exposure for children:

A 2008 Emory University study found that in children who switched to organically grown fruits and vegetables, urine levels of pesticide compounds dropped to undetectable or close to undetectable levels.

Since we made the move to organic produce six years ago, more research has supported what was a parental gut-following for us, that confirms we made the right decision for our family and we'll continue to be even more vigilant given this new study. Yes, organic produce often costs more but we try to look at it as an investment in our children's health. And they are certainly worth it.

What do you think...will you think twice about the fruit and vegetables you buy? Are you already buying organics?

Help Your Favorite Charity Win $200,000 With One Click

What do you feel especially passion about? Do you have a favorite charity or cause that you motivates you into action? What if you could help make a difference with just a vote? Would you take two minutes of your time to help a charity receive $200,000?

Then go to Take Part right now (or at least before May 24th), register (takes less than one minute and there's no requirements) and vote for your charity. Take Part and American Express are going to give one charity in each of the categories below $200,000 - the charity with the most votes in each section wins!

• Arts & Culture

• Community Development

• Education

• Environment & Wildlife

• Health & Wellness

What are you waiting for? This is one of those really easy ways we can help make a difference - no cost, no commitments...just easy money for organizations doing amazing work! Vote today and vote again next week until the May 24th deadline. 

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