Written By: Gina

I have been hearing a lot about Vitamin D as it pertains to getting sun lately. Is it good for you? If so, how much and how many minutes in the sun are effective? When is a good thing too much? Or when is a good thing just a good thing?

I live in Southern California, so I am used to getting plenty of sunshine. I guess I took living here for granted in that regard- figuring I was getting what I needed just by walking to my car or driving to the market. And some studies have shown that I am correct in my thinking- that by not actively seeking out the sun, I am still getting the Vitamin D I need from my daily activities to keep me healthy.

"Hundreds of studies now link vitamin D deficiency with significantly higher rates of many forms of cancer‚ as well as heart disease‚ osteoporosis‚ multiple sclerosis and many other conditions and diseases. While overexposure to sunlight carries risks, the cosmetic skin care industry has misled the public into believing that any UV exposure is harmful. No research has shown that regular, non-burning exposure to UV light poses a significant risk of skin damage. Humans spend less time in the sun today than at any point in human history – which is why more than 1 billion people worldwide are vitamin D deficient." ~sunshinevitamin.org

I keep reading that there is a magic number of minutes to get sunshine per day. It has even varied from 15-20 minutes per day as if 5 minutes can make or break you! I do agree that there are a few things you can do to avoid over-exposure to UV rays from the sun:

• Wear protective clothing when outdoors including long sleeves and a hat to protect major areas that burn
• Know that if you are near water, sand or snow, the suns rays reflect dangerous UV rays causing an increased chance of sunburn
• Avoid tanning beds (however some claim to be UVA AND UVB safe, they still increase risk for cancer)
• Use the proper SPF. Although SPF 15 is usually recommended, even using SPF 8 can decrease dangerous UV rays by 95%! Sunscreen should be reapplied every 2 hours even if you are in overcast weather, and especially if you swim.

Dr. Mercola says, "Dr. Michael Holick was the first scientist to isolate the active forms of vitamin D, and he is responsible for redefining vitamin D deficiency, a concern that's now seen as a national epidemic. He fought against a number of entrenched ideas about sunlight over the past 20 years, warning that abstinence from direct sun exposure through sunblock use was leading to increasing vitamin D deficiency, with serious implications for cancer and other diseases." There is rumor that Boston College tried to fire Dr. Holick for going against mainstream medical thinking and challenging the issue...

I have come to the conclusion in my research that you need about 15 minutes of direct sun exposure at least 2 days per week to generate sufficient vitamin D levels in your body. While sunscreen helps prevent burning, there is varied opinion on what level SPF is necessary to protect your face and body from dangerous UVA and UVB rays. “Studies have not specifically linked the use of sunscreen by itself to a reduced risk of skin cancer or skin aging.” ~US Food and Drug Administration. Yes, that says US Food and Drug Administration.

Marianne Berwick, head of the Epidemiology and Cancer Prevention Program at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, takes a different view. “Sunscreen is probably effective against a type of skin cancer called squamous cell carcinoma,” she says, “but there’s little evidence that it prevents another type called basal cell carcinoma.” And there are no data showing that sunscreen protects against malignant melanoma, the most dangerous type of skin cancer. ~AARP Bulletin

So I guess, for me, I will continue to go about my daily activities knowing I am getting the vitamin D I need. I will not allow myself to burn if I go to the beach and will continue to wear sunscreen on my face daily and body when I over expose. It almost says "common sense," right? And the paranoid mother that I am, I will continue to use SPF 50 on my kids....toxin free of course! For a list of better sunscreen choices, visit www.ewg.org

Enjoy the sun!
Gina

Written By: Gina


I wanted to discuss pesticides as they affect our Summer fruits and vegetables and thought it would be great to give a list of the best choices to avoid these toxins.

Pesticides are toxins used to help prevent pests (i.e., insects, vermin, and even other plants) from destroying crops. They are designed to destroy living organisms. These hazardous materials are then passed on to whomever eats the affected grains, fruits, or vegetables.

Serious illnesses have been linked to the use of pesticides, ranging from respiratory problems (especially of those who work in pesticide-treated fields) to certain types of cancers and disruption of the endocrine system.

• Endocrine disruption can produce infertility and a variety of birth defects and developmental defects in offspring, including hormonal imbalance and incomplete sexual development, impaired brain development, behavioral disorders, and many others.
• Over two dozen pesticides known to disrupt the endocrine system, including many common pesticides like atrazine and 2-4-D, are currently in wide use. --In 1994, 1,332 pesticide related illnesses were reported to the California Department of Pesticide Regulation.
• More than 75% of these reported illnesses occurred in the workplace. A study of reported pesticide illnesses from 1983- 1990 found over 19,000 poisonings, including over 9,000 in non-agricultural settings.
• According to the US EPA, more than 70 active ingredients known to cause cancer in animal tests are allowed for use. (Quoted from: Pesticide Watch pesticidewatch.org) According to the US EPA, more than 70 active ingredients known to cause cancer in animal tests are allowed for use. (Quoted from: Pesticide Watch pesticidewatch.org)

Organic produce often looks less pretty, more blemished, than does regularly grown fruits and vegetables. Consumers have been conditioned over time to expect fruit and vegetables that are perfect in appearance; in fact, much of our fruit is so bland-tasting because it has been grown to look perfect, not taste good. Remember the old saying that it’s what’s inside that counts? That applies here, too!

Good News About Organics:

No synthetic pesticides. Organic produce doesn’t add to the already-vast quantity of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers used on conventional produce. Some people are concerned about their intake of pesticide residues on fruits and vegetables (even after washing). In 2006, Consumer Reports noted that some produce was more likely to retain such residues, while it was less probable that other varieties did so. Among those fruits and veggies more likely to retain these residues (which included apples, celery, cherries, spinach, strawberries, nectarines, potatoes and red raspberries), organic produce offers an opportunity for people to keep some toxins out of their bodies when eating such foods. People with chemical sensitivities can sometimes find relief from symptoms by eating organics. And those with compromised immune systems, or immune systems not yet fully developed (that means kids), may be more affected by synthetic pesticide residues than the general population. Again, organic foods, especially organic produce, may be an answer here, although the Environmental Protection Agency insists that conventionally-grown produce is safe for children to consume.


No GMOs. Organic fruits and vegetables are not permitted to be irradiated or modified genetically. Longtime readers of this column understand that I have some very serious concerns about GMOs, genetically-modified organisms. It isn’t that I automatically condemn GMOs as bad, it’s that many of them have created at least as many problems as they were supposed to solve, or simply haven’t worked at all. Sufficient research on the effect of GM crops has not been carried out, and, once the genetic modification is released into the environment, recalling it is impossible. The idea that GMO seeds are “intellectual property” and cannot be saved at the end of harvest to plant next spring is absolute, well, fertilizer, and it’s placing more and more poor farmers deeper and deeper in debt, even while corporations (such as Monsanto and Syngenta) and their investors reap ever-greater profits from that situation. And unintentional crossbreeding and genetic drift have both been demonstrated to be all too real. Again, organic agriculture is one of very few ways around these GMOs.


Soil Health. Organic farming is also a heck of a lot better for soil health than conventional farming. Goodness, how I do keep harping on soil condition! Maybe more people should; that’s how important soil is. According to the Tasmanian Department of Primary Industries and Water, soil condition “can be defined as the capacity of a soil to function, within land use and ecosystem boundaries, to sustain biological productivity, maintain environmental health, and promote plant, animal, and human health.” Is that crucial enough for you? So much of agriculture depends on soil health. Some would argue that agrichemicals can be used to restore soil health if any imbalances are found, but we already know that overuse of those chemicals is a major culprit in environmental problems these days. Monoculture, a common practice in conventional farming, is the repeated growing of just one crop in one area. It’s a sure-fire way to strip soil of nutrients vital for plant growth, and it supports populations of those pests specific to the crop, as well as weeds that like those particular soil conditions. Organic farming uses techniques such as crop rotation and diversity, composting and cover cropping (cover crops, usually annual grasses and/or legumes, can control erosion and weeds, aerate and loosen the soil, act as a living mulch and even restore soil nutrients) to enrich and preserve valuable topsoil. This form of cultivation is invariably gentler to the land.


Availability. There’s a lot of talk about organic farming supporting small family farms. Some of that’s true—but some of it isn’t. There are some “supersized” organic farms these days, especially in California. They have gone far past the “small family farm” stage, although most probably started out that way. And we’ve all read about large corporations buying up what were once independent organic producers. But there’s an odd twist to all that. When big corporations get involved in something, it generally becomes more available to more people, and it costs less. That’s happened with organics, too. Unquestionably, they’ve become more widely available, and that’s driven the price down to a degree. I’m not sure organic fruits and vegetables will ever qualify as inexpensive, but any price reduction for the consumer will result in more people buying the organic product. And there are small family farms out there growing organic fruits and vegetables; you might just have to do a bit of searching for them. (thenibble.com)

The Environmental Working Group is a nonprofit organization that advocates for policies that protect global and individual health. They currently tested 43 different fruits and vegetables, and found that these 12 carried the least amount of pesticides when grown conventionally:

Broccoli Eggplant Cabbage Banana Kiwi Asparagus Sweet peas (frozen) Mango

Pineapple Sweet corn (frozen) Avocado Onion

Of the 43 different fruits and vegetables tested, the following 12 carried the highest amount of pesticides when grown conventionally, and are therefore the most important to buy organic:

Peaches Apples Sweet bell peppers Celery Nectarines Strawberries Cherries

Lettuce Grapes (imported) Pears Spinach Potatoes (naturalnews.com)


The Full List: 47 Fruits & Veggies
click here to print the printer-friendly full list.
(EnvironmentalWorkingGroup.org)

So enjoy those fruits and vegetables this Summer! Knowing this list has changed my choices when shopping now.

Gina

Written by: Alicia

Did you know babies can get cavities? I took my son to the dentist for the first time yesterday. He is three and a half years old (I know, I procrastinated on this). The doctor checked him over and said, "His teeth look great. No cavities." I said, "No cavities?! Do kids usually have cavities this young?" He said, "I see kids at age two with cavities."

Wow. It kinda surprised me. I guess I never thought about cavities that young. I did some more researching and it appears babies from nine or ten months can be infected by cavity producing bacteria. Apparently babies that suck on a bottle all day and night have a higher risk of developing cavities. So, never leave a bottle in your baby's crib at night and once you see their first tooth, dentists suggest you start cleaning it (usually with just a finger brush or wet cloth).

I also read a disturbing fact that more and more kids are given soda starting at age two. Apparently a lot of toddlers are chewing on gummy bears and washing it down with a Coke.

My kids have food allergies so I have always been cautious about what goes into their mouths. They never drink soda and they don't eat candy. Some people have made rude comments about me not giving my kids candy; as if I am taking away part of their childhood or something. I think certain people associate kids and candy WAY too often. I feel like I am actually aiding in their development by not offering these products. Less sugar means more concentration. Less sugar also means I can go to a restaurant with 3 year old triplets and have a pleasant time.

My kids do get tons of sweets but they get them in the form of fruit. They will eat any type of fruit I put in front of them. And, they get fruit for breakfast, lunch and dinner. If I put candy and fruit in front of them I am 99% positive they will choose the fruit.

Now, back to cavities. I read that diets high in sugars and carbohydrates will increase your child's risk of developing cavities. I was not surprised by sugar but how do carbohydrates harm your teeth?

Certain carbohydrates, such as breads, cereals and chips are considered to be more of a "sticky" or starchy carb and therefore are left on or in-between the teeth more frequently. Bacteria that live in the mouth digest these foods, turning them into acids. The bacteria, acid, food debris, and saliva combine to form plaque, which clings to the teeth. The acids in plaque dissolve the enamel surface of the teeth, creating holes in the teeth.

Americans eat more processed carbohydrates now more than ever before. In fact, 50 percent of their daily intake is carbohydrates. Since my kids are on a gluten-free diet they only eat "non-sticky" carbs such as rice, potatoes and oatmeal (to name a few). I didn't know this diet was also good for their teeth; just another bonus.

I have since learned that fruits, vegetables, and nuts have been shown to reduce cavities. This is partly due to the increased fiber, but is also due to xylitol, a natural substance found in fruits and vegetables. Xylitol is said to help promote healthy teeth by reducing plaque.

So there you have it. If your kids eat a lot of processed carbs, make them brush right afterwards. If you want less cavities choose to feed your kids non-sticky carbs and give them more fruits and veggies.

Happy Brushing,
Alicia

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