Ingredient Matters | Tips for Sun Safety

Photo Credit:  Healthy Living Magazine

It's that time of year again.  SUMMER!!!  With lots of long leisurely days spent outdoors, its time to replenish your sunscreen supply.   Key things to keep in mind when choosing sunscreen:

- Physical blocks with zinc oxide over chemical blocks with ingredients such as oxybenzone which is hormone disruptor or retinol or its derivatives (retinyl palmitate and retinyl acetate) which is believed to increase sun sensitivity.
- Select suncreens with SPF between 15 and 50 and has broad spectrum so you are protected from both UVA and UVB (phyical blocks with zinc oxide protects from both).
- Avoid sprays since it might be inhaled and also difficult to gauge how much of the product actually makes it onto the skin.

Check out a previous post on Sunscreen Basics for more info on the ingredients.  The ones that we use daily are Badger All Season Face Stick for the face (very easy to apply) and either Thinkbaby Sunscreen or Badger Broad Spectrum for the body.

Sunscreen alone is not enough, other things to bear in mind for sun safety during this summer:

- Apply sunscreen 20 minutes before and reapply every two hours.
- Apply a huge dollop (golf ball size).
- Try to stay indoors when the sun is the harshest - 10 am to 2 pm. 
- Accessorize with sun hats (4" brim), sunglasses, and rashguards.

Practicing sun safety early reduces the risk of melanoma later in life so it's never too early to start.  Check out Environmental Working Group's 2013 Sunscreen Guide for more info on individual sunscreens and their safety rating.

Happy Summer!!

Ingredient Matters | Beware of Carrageenan in Foods

My family and I have been following a mostly whole foods diet where we cut out processed foods, limit our consumption of dairy, sugar, grains / legumes and eat lots of fruits & vegetables, meats (free range & grass fed) and seafood (wild caught).  With this shift in eating, we have also started substituting dairy milk with non-dairy alternatives such as almond milk or coconut milk.  Although, it turns out that going with a milk substitute may not have been as healthy as a choice as I originally thought since many non-dairy milks contain a controversial ingredient - carrageenan.

Carrageenan is substance extracted from red seaweed (sounds harmless enough) but despite its natural origins, it is highly processed and believed to cause gastrointestinal inflammation.  Individuals with gastrointestinal disorders are advised to avoid this ingredient as it can make symptoms worse.  However, even if you don't have gastrointestinal disorder, this ingredient can still cause cause intestinal inflammation and studies have shown chronic inflammation to be a root cause of many serious diseases including heart disease, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and cancer.  In fact, the International Agency for Research on Cancer has formally classified it as a potential human carcinogen.

Despite this classification, carrageenan is a commonly used additive as a thickener, stabilizer, and emulsifier in both conventional and organic products.  It is used in dairy products (ice cream, yogurt, sour cream, whipped cream), non- dairy alternatives (soy milk, almond milk, coconut milk) and even toothpaste to keep the mixed ingredients from separating, improve texture or in low-fat / non-fat foods and deli meats as a fat substitute.

For more information on the health impact of carrageenan, take a look at the research done by Cornucopia and make your own informed decision. There seems to be a lot of debate surrounding carrageenan that for now, I am adding this to my list of ingredients to avoid.  Luckily, there are manufacturers that have voluntarily eliminated this ingredient and are using safer alternatives.  Click on this shopping guide for a comprehensive list of brands and products made without carrageenan.

Ingredient Matters | Sunscreen Basics

Summer has arrived and the girls have now been spending a lot of their time outdoors so we've been going through quite a bit of sunscreen.  Here are a few key things we look for when choosing our sun protection:

• Mineral based sunscreen - Mineral sunscreens are much safer than chemical based ones.  Most chemical sunscreens contain hormone-disrupting chemicals like oxybenzone, retinyl palmitate (which is a form of Vitamin A and are not safe when exposed to sunlight), parabens, and phthalates.

• Zinc Oxide -  In choosing mineral based sunscreen, we opt for zinc oxide.  It not only provides protection from both UVA and UVB rays, it is also a safer choice than titanium dioxide.  Recent research shows that titanium dioxide has the ability to cause DNA damage in human cells and is potentially a carcinogen.

• Micronized - We look for micronized zinc oxide and avoid nano-sized to prevent any from potentially penetrating the skin and entering the blood stream.  Mineral sunscreen always leave a tell-tale white, chalky look.  If it's a mineral sunscreen and not leaving a white haze, then it is most likely using nano-sized mineral.

• Lotions - There are quite a few new formulations out there and while slathering sunscreen on two energetic girls can be a laborious effort, I prefer lotions to sprays because it ensures better coverage.  Additionally, I know that they are not inhaling any of the tiny particles from the spray which can lead to lung damage.

• SPF -  We usually choose one with SPF 30, not for any particular reason.  While it may make sense to go for a higher SPF; it does not always mean better protection - increases in SPF only marginally improves the protection.  For example, SPF 30 blocks about 97% UVB rays whereas SPF 100 blocks 99%.   Instead, it is more prudent to be liberal with your application to ensure you're receiving the full SPF protection - it turns out if you only apply 1/2 the recommended amount, then you are only getting the square root of the SPF ( so instead of SPF 25, you are only getting SPF 5).  For best protection, regardless of SPF you choose, just apply liberally and frequently.

As to which brands are the safest and most effective sunscreen, EWG's latest 2012 Sunscreen report is a good place to start.  For more information about nano-particles in sunscreen, Healthy Child Healthy World also some good articles.

Ingredient Matters | How about a side of arsenic with your rice?

photo from theKitchn

As parents, we do what we can to provide the best for our children.  We buy organic foods;  we read labels, and avoid foods that contain artificial coloring, high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils or essentially anything that you can't pronounce.   We try hard to make healthier choices so when studies like the one that came out last week about about finding arsenic in organic baby formula and cereal bars are published, we get thrown for a loop.

This study was particularly concerning because the arsenic found was linked to organic brown rice syrup and rice products such as rice flour, rice grain, or rice flakes.  These ingredients are ubiquitous in foods that are considered "healthy".  Foods that opt for organic brown rice syrup in lieu of high fructose corn syrup and rice flour, rice flakes instead of wheat for those following a gluten-free diet.

How is arsenic getting into these foods?  According to Environmental Health Perspective, the arsenic can be traced back to the soil where rice is grown.  Much of the rice grown in the US are in fields where cotton once grew and where arsenic-based pesticides were allowed to control boll weevils.  The pesticides seeped into the soil and residues of the arsenic can still be found in the soil today.  Rice plants are more efficient in absorbing the arsenic from the soil than other grains and brown rice tends to have a higher concentration of arsenic than white.  Not surprising given that brown rice only removes the outer husk whereas; white undergoes additional processing to remove rest of the husk and the germ.  However, the level of arsenic varies depending on which region it is grown.  In a 2007 study published in Environmental Science & Technology, Andrew Meharg states that rice grown in south central region (Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, Missouri, and Florida) had 1.78 times more arsenic than rice grown in California.  

Arsenic is naturally present in water, air, food, and soil in small concentrations so do we really need to be worried?  FDA defines the safe levels of arsenic in water (10 parts per billion) and juice (23 parts per billion) but they have yet to define the levels considered safe for rice and rice products.  The levels found in the formula were 6 times the acceptable levels in water and the cereal bars were 60 times higher.  There is still a lot of research that is required and until all of this is sorted out, there are things we can do to ensure the health of our children:

• switch from formulas that continue organic brown rice syrup as a main ingredient 
• avoid cereal bars that lists rice products as its first 5 ingredients
• do not let rice be the primary source of nutrition for your babies
• purchase rice grown in California
• always wash rice extra well prior to cooking or even soak it for 1/2 to 1 hour in cold water and drain the water prior to cooking
• cook rice with extra water (6 parts water to 1 part rice) to lower the arsenic levels
• mix up your rice grains - no need to switch from brown rice since it has so many nutritional benefits; add either basmati rice from India or Pakistan and or jasmine rice from Thailand since both contain lowest levels of arsenic

These studies really bring to light two key things for me - 1) safety levels are required in all food and beverages - both conventional and organic and 2) as a parent, you need to scrutinize all food labels and not just assume buying organic means you are making the best choice.

For additional reading on this study, check out Healthy Child Healthy World, Safbaby, and
The Soft Landing.

Green Steps | 2011 EWG Dirty Dozen & Clean 15

I'm kind of a list girl, so I have been using EWG's Dirty Dozen list for a while now to keep me on track in reducing pesticide exposure for my family.  EWG just released an updated 2011 shopper's guide and there are a few things to note:

- apples have now moved to the top of the dirty dozen
- cherries are no longer on the list (yay, organic cherries were not easy to find)
- cilantro for the first time made an appearance on dirty dozen - good thing I'm growing my own cilantro this year
- sweet potatoes are on the clean 15
- mushrooms are on the clean 15 for the first time

The Dirty Dozen list is made up of produce that has the largest concentrated amounts of pesticides and the Clean 15 are the ones with the least.  So when I shop, I use these as guides to help me choose which fruits and veggies I definitely buy organic and which ones I can buy conventional without feeling guilty.

Ingredient Matters | Here comes the Sun(screen)

School is officially out for the summer and the sun is finally making a presence here in the Bay Area ... it's time to start slathering on the sunscreen for those long days spent in the sun.  But which one is safe to use? 

Best bet is to look for natural sunscreen products made with natural ingredients and avoid ingredients such as oxybenzone (potential hormone disruptor), retinyl palmitate (form of Vitamin A which may not be safe when exposed to sunlight), parabens, and phthalates.  You should also take into consideration whether you prefer titanium dioxide or zinc oxide ... my preference is zinc oxide since some studies have classified titanium dioxide as carcinogenic.  And whether you want micronization or nanoparticles - Healthy Child Healthy World has a good article on understanding micronization and nanoparticles.

You can keep the above in mind and do your own research or you can go to:  SafeMama's 2011 Sunscreen Cheat Sheet or EWG's 2011 Sunscreen Report. They do all the research for you and provide you a curated list for you to choose from.  Easy peasy ... now you're armed and ready for the sun.

Ingredient Matters | Avoiding the muck in food

As moms, we strive to make healthy choices for our family.  We know it's better to eat whole unprocessed foods but sometimes, when we are in a pinch and short on time, it's hard to not reach for something packaged or frozen so that we can get dinner on the table.

So for those times when processed foods inevitably finds it's way into my shopping cart, how do I make sure that I'm still making good choices?

There are a few basic rules I go by when purchasing processed foods:

- Read the ingredient list and steer clear if I see anything of these on the list -

• artificial food coloring (easy to spot because food coloring names usually has a numerical value in it - Red 3, Yellow 5, Blue 2)
• trans fats (partially hydrogenated oils)
• high fructose corn sugar
• bleached white flour
• monosodium glutamate (msg)
• sodium nitrates

- Avoid if there are more than 5 ingredients, if there are too many items listed that I can't pronounce or anything with a cartoon on the package

- Shop the perimeter at most supermarkets and only purchase processed goods from places like Trader Joe's or Whole Foods where they make a concerted effort to not allow items with artificial coloring, flavoring or preservatives on their shelves.

I try my best to to make good safe choices for my family when it comes to products and foods but like most busy moms, there are times when I become overwhelmed with the choices and draw a complete blank .... so keeping these basic things in mind helps me preserve my sanity and still make good choices.