What to Buy Organic (as much as you can!)--

I spend a lot of money on food. Not as much as some other folks I know, who dine on fancy cheeses and spreads (ahem, mom!), but we do spend more then I'd ever like to admit, or try to budget. This is in part because I inherited the gene from my father to stock the house for WWIII. Why have only one salsa, we definitely need three, just in case! And I can not, ever, resist a sale price on food at the grocery store, especially the vegetarian convenience foods. This year, we are trying to spend less, and eat more whole foods. I would love to shop only at our local co-op, and buy all organic, all the time. But the reality of our finances and some of our eating preferences have me alternating between shopping at our local grocery store (Shaw's) and our local co-op.

So, what should I absolutely buy organic, for the family? I have often visited the Environmental Working Group's Dirty Dozen site as a guide. It has a list of the produce with the most pesticide residue from their extensive tests. Why worry about pesticide residue? Many scientists are saying that pesticides can have an adverse effect on people, especially on developing fetuses and little bodies. Much is unknown about the consequences of repeated exposures to various pesticides. So, it seems the most prudent approach is to limit (if not eliminate) exposure to pesticides by not buying the produce that is most treated, leaving the most residue for our kids to consume. Hence EWG's handy guide. They have a huge list of all the produce they tested, and the score, or pesticide load, of each (here is the link). For a shorter, more handy version you can take with you, download the Pesticides in Produce shopping guide (you will see the option to do so at the top of the above linked page).

Here is also a short article about how to buy organic more cheaply. Do you have any other tips? Post a comment to share them with other Non-Toxic Kids readers.


Also, here is compelling list of reasons to buy organic meat and dairy when you can. This one is hard for our family, because while we mostly don't eat meat, we do consume quite a bit of dairy, and this can get expensive. This is an area for us to work on!

Hopefully I've shared some good food for thought (sorry, I couldn't resist!). Do you have other tips for buying more healthy food for your family? Share them! Sent a comment our way.

A Fantastic Food Allergy Resource from an inspiring mom--

Check out this story from the New York Times about Robyn O'Brien, who started AllergyKids.com, a site devoted to helping kids with food allergies. She has incredible resources on the site, including helpful forms and guides for daycare providers and schools, products with a clear graphic showing that your child has a food allergy, and information about how our corporate food system might be causing the increases in allergies in kids (and she discusses autism, ADHD and cancer as well). There is lots to read and take in on this site. I plan on bookmarking Allergy Kids and visiting often.

Here is the New York Times article.

Here is a link to her site, Allergy Kids.

And--check out my recent interview (it feels fancy to say that, thanks, Kris!) by Kris Underwood who blogs at Writing in the Mountains. She's posted it at Moms Speak Up and the MotherVerse blog.

New Advice on Kids' Allergies--

Ah yes, sometimes the news can be uplifting. Okay, rarely, but this article forwarded to me by my mom (thanks, Mimi!) gave me a moment to breathe and reach for the smoked almonds.

See, I have a daughter with a severe nut allergy (see this post for tips about feeding a nut allergic toddler), and when I became pregnant again, my daughter's allergist said not to eat any nuts during my pregnancy or breastfeeding. So that means another two years at LEAST without any nuts. We don't have them in the house, usually, but I do love to sneak some peanuts while driving. Everytime I did I felt guilty about it. I also felt like I may have acutally caused the allergy in my first daughter, because I ate a lots of nuts during my pregnancy.

Also, we gave our daughter peanut butter at one year old, because she is a vegetarian and we wanted to make sure she was getting enough protein. This is when she had her first (and thankfully only) serious reaction. Other parents told me that their children's doctors told them not to introduct nuts until their child is 3 years old. More guilt!

Not any more. Check out this recent article at the Washington Post. I feel lighter already!

Burt's Bees and Clorox?

When I had my first daughter, I wanted to use only the most gentle, non-toxic and natural products on her that I could find. Her skin was so fair, and seemed so easily irritated (as it turns out, she has developed multiple allergies). I of course gravitated to Burt's Bees products, which claim on the label to be free of many of the things that bothered me: parabens, lauryl sulfates, dyes and perfumes, to name a few. Most of their products get decent ratings over at the Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep database, and have worked well with both of my girls.

Fast forward a few months and I come across information that Burt's Bees nice little company was bought up by none other than the Clorox company. Not exactly the first company that comes to mind when you think "Green" or "Non-Toxic", huh?

This is the same company that manufactures Glad Plastic bags, STP auto products, Kingsford charcoal, and oh yeah, the bleach. Not the most ecologically responsible products, to be sure.

I did read the company's statement on their website, sharing their commitment to keeping their products natural and safe for families. We'll have to pay close attention to the labels and the reports on safety from the Environmental Working Group to be sure. Stay tuned.

It is upsetting to think that by buying Burt's Bees products my dollars have not been supporting a smaller, family based operation. Recently I've bought some California Baby products that have worked really well, contain only natural and safe ingredients (they receive good ratings in the Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep database), and it seems to be a smaller company run by a caring, thoughtful mom.