KV Organics

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toxins

3-Day Detox

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Guest post by Erin Demory, from ClearOrganics.com

With the new year in full swing and a new season upon us, many people want to shed pounds, eliminate built-up environmental toxins, ditch unhealthy habits, and clear the mental fog that may be contributing to a sluggish body and out-of-sync feeling.  Revitalizing and cleansing our bodies can be done through various types of detoxification processes. Detoxification is about resting, cleaning and nourishing the body from the inside out. By removing and eliminating toxins, then feeding your body with healthy nutrients, detoxification can help protect you from disease and renew your ability to maintain optimum health. Some of the benefits of a good detoxification plan are: improved organ function, healthier skin, increased energy, reduction in allergies, a kick-start to weight loss, and improved mental clarity. Our bodies already have a built in system in place for detoxing – through breathing, perspiration, urination, and bowel movements – however these days, most people are exposed to such excessive amounts of environmental pollutants, stress, and diets heavy in processed foods, that our bodies could really use some extra help.

Where to start? Many experts recommend that all of us detox at least once a year. Some people even find it beneficial to detox 2-4 times a year, for example, at the onset of a new season. But, with so many different plans, methods, and theories on detox out there, it can be overwhelming to know the best route for you. For example, plans can last anywhere from 3 – 30 days, they can be liquid only diets, fruit and veggie only, or elimination detox (commonly used for identifying allergens), and some plans include special supplements or herbs, colonics or laxatives.  The majority of us have fast paced, busy schedules filled with family, work, extracurricular and community activities. If you are like me, you probably don’t want to make huge sacrifices and disruptive changes to be healthy, such as starvation diets, difficult meal plans, or regimens that require staying close to the house for several days (or close to the bathroom rather). The good news is that none of that is necessary to perform a healthy body detoxification.  A simple super-clean eating plan that focuses on whole, clean foods can do wonders for your body, and it is absolutely possible to do it in just three days, such as over the weekend. If you can stretch it out over 5 days, you’ll be feeling even better results!

First, here are some good ground rules for any effective detox plan.  Note: hopefully some of you are practicing these year-round already, and if you aren’t, maybe after introducing them via the detox you will chose to continue on with them – you really will feel so much better if you incorporate them into your lifestyle.  🙂

1.      Lighten the toxic load on your body: Try eliminating caffeine, tobacco, refined sugars, saturated fats, and processed foods. All of these are obstacles to cleansing, healing, and feeling your best. Also, reduce or eliminate your exposure to chemical based household cleaners and personal care products which are laden with harmful toxins that can build up in your body and potentially create a burden to your organs and even long term damage. Instead, try making your own cleaners with simple, inexpensive, and effective ingredients such as vinegar, baking soda, lemon juice, and essential oils. Recipes are easily found on the internet. For your skin, hair and body, consider products that are completely free of harmful, synthetic chemicals and try to chose certified organic to the highest standard, such as those available through Miessence Certified Organics (please ask your personal Miessence Rep for more details). Not only will you be doing your body a favor, but also the earth!

2.      Reduce the level of stress in your life: stress creates hormones which are released into your body, and in large amounts the hormones can be toxic. It is recommended that during a body detox period, we also detoxify ourselves of stressful life situations. Meditating, Yoga or other exercise for 1 hour a day, and a concentrated focus on positive thinking can help reduce stress. Very strenuous exercise should be avoided during detox.

3.      Drink Water and Flush Toxins: Drink plenty of water – 64 oz or more a day will help to keep your body hydrated and assist in flushing out the extra toxins that are being kicked up. Some people also like to visit a sauna, practice hydrotherapy, or use detox foot baths to further assist their bodies with the drawing out the toxins.

4.      Rest: During detox your body is working hard to eliminate those built-up toxins from your organs and tissues. So don’t be surprised if you feel a little drained and not at your best. Rest assured,  you will soon! Help your body out during this time by allowing it plenty of rest.

Now for meal suggestions. As I said before, focusing on whole, natural, clean foods is the key. That means first and foremost staying away from processed! Additionally I would suggest choosing organic whenever possible, so as to ensure that you are not exposing your body to pesticides and GMO’s from conventional foods. Below are 3 or more options for each meal to take you through a 3 day plan:

1.      Breakfast Options: steel cut oats topped with nuts and fresh berries; egg white omelet with fresh veggies inside; Greek yogurt topped with flax seeds and fresh fruit.

2.      Snack Options (2x per day): fresh apple, orange or other fruit of choice; ½ cup yogurt topped with nuts and banana; slice of whole grain bread topped with butter of your choice (peanut, almond, sunflower, etc…); hard boiled egg; handful of baby carrots; ½ cup of raw nuts.

3.      Lunch Options: Fresh baby spinach salad topped with grape tomatoes, red onions, nuts and a dressing consisting of lemon juice and olive oil (or flax seed oil if on hand); wild caught salmon or tuna fish (may opt for canned for ease/convenience) over dark greens with  ½ cup garbanzo beans and lemon/oil dressing; whole grain bread or tortilla wrapped up with fresh avocado, dark greens, tomatoes, red onion and a tsp of Dijon mustard.

4.      Dinner Options: Talapia (or your choice of healthy and sustainable fish from the smart seafood guide provided by the Food and Water Watch organization), seasoned with lemon and olive oil, served with brown rice and steamed broccoli; lean ground turkey burger topped with sauteed mushrooms and onions (if you feel you need bread, make sure it is whole grain) served with a large green salad with balsamic vinegar and olive/flax seed oil; boneless, skinless baked chicken breast with fresh lemon juice, 2 tsp olive oil and 1 tbsp of capers or green olives served with steamed greens such as spinach, kale or collards (if desired, add a little garlic,onion, and homemade veggie or chicken stock for flavoring greens).

In addition to following the above meal options, I would also suggest doubling your daily dosage of Miessence Superfoods during the detox period. After all, these supplements are simply certified organic, raw, vegan, and whole-food based supplements which are packed with important benefits to your body. They are both the perfect addition to a detox plan AND great for normal daily maintenance. If you have not yet tried the Miessence Superfoods, consider taking the 10 day Vitality Challenge (ask your Rep for details) which is a wonderful introduction to the Fermented Foods Probiotic, Alkalising Deep Green, and Berry Radical Antioxidant Superfoods.

Happy detoxing everyone – wishing you an abundance of good health and wellness!

 

Baby Wipes

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Last week, we hit the store with three different school supply lists for the elder three kiddos, and it was a really strange feeling buying all the disposable paper goods.  It’s been a while.  The hardest one for me was the baby wipes.  I haven’t found a disposable wipe yet that I really like, which I guess is why we use cloth wipes as much as possible.

And before we go any further, this post isn’t just for people with babies.  Lots of people use baby wipes for all sorts of purposes.  But is there a really good disposable wipe out there that takes best possible care of people and planet?

A few months ago, at the request of a friend, I dug a little deeper into baby wipes, only to be left more compelled toward cloth than ever.  I had already known about many of the questionable ingredients in the solutions in which commercial wipes are soaked, but I had never realized that the wipe material itself is often made out of non-biodegradable polypropylene.  While this type of plastic can often be recycled in container forms, it can’t be recycled in its used wipe form – especially not if it’s smeared with baby poop.

Goodguide.com ranks Natracare and Seventh Generation as the top two options.  But I was surprised to see ‘parfum’ and some of the other synthetics in Natracare’s solution ingredients – it appears to be the cotton wipe that’s organic, not the solution.  The 7th generation wipe has a better solution, but the wipe is plastic.  Poking around online some more, Walmart has an organic cotton wipe, but the solution has propylene glycol, PEGs, formaldehyde-donating ingredients, etc.

Cloth wipes are SUPER easy.  We found the easiest option was to cut up a flannel receiving blanket (the kind you swaddle newborns in) into small squares.  And most of the time, we just use water to wet the wipes.  We only use a ‘potion’ when there is a touch of irritation (the Miessence baby bottom cleansing gel works really, really well.  Clears up irritations quickly and lasts a long time since a little goes a long way and we use it sparingly anyway).

We’ve gotten pretty used to taking our cloth wipes out with us on the go, but there are times when disposable wipes come in handy.  Has anyone out there found a disposable wipe that is both organic cotton / biodegradable and free of all the synthetic chemicals – either for personal use or to send in as an alternative for filling the school supply lists?

Tricksy Triclosan

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OK, yes, I said ‘tricksy’ and, yes, I love The Lord of the Rings (my little tribute to Gollum).

Another silly tidbit about me:  Prior to beginning this post, I spent nearly 20 minutes debating whether or not to first recategorize all my old posts according to this revamp plan I’m following.  As laid-back and wingin-it as I have become with four kids, that detail-oriented, and uber-organized, pre-motherhood nature still likes to poke through now and again.  I decided I’d better silence that voice and get on with my ‘Week 1: Ingredients’ post for now.  Will sleep on the idea of bothering to recategorize at some point or not – let alone figuring out how!  🙂

I suppose it’s incorrect to somehow suggest that I’m not still detail-oriented.  That’s the part of me that digs into labels and researches to find the hidden impacts of the choices we make – on ourselves, our neighbors all over the world, and the planet on which we all depend together.  You might think that this is obsessive and unhealthy, but I actually find it quite freeing and exciting.  More on that in a couple weeks, when I touch on the ‘Deeper Whys’ of green living.

For this first week of August, in our official ‘new and improved’ (hee-hee) category around ingredients, let’s talk about Triclosan.  This is a very common ingredient in antibacterial hand soaps and wipes.  It’s also used in toothpastes, antiperspirants, and other non-personal care items such as clothing, bedding, and more.  It is an endocrine disruptor and a good example of an ingredient that is problematic both via its journey through our skin (it’s in clothing and bedding, too?!  sigh…) and down our drains.

As an endocrine disruptor – meaning it messes with our hormones – there are looming concerns over triclosan’s potential toxic and carcinogenic effects on people.  And it is highly toxic to marine life – aquatic systems on which I might remind you, in case you haven’t thought about grade school science for a long time (as I hadn’t until a little over a year ago), we are dependent.

Truth is, we don’t need all this antimicrobial stuff.  It may be weakening our immune systems and creating super bugs (which we then can’t defeat) all at the same time.  If you don’t want all the details, just know to read your labels and avoid Triclosan (and its cousin Triclocarban).  If you want more information, here are a handful of good resources.

Breast Cancer Fund on Triclosan
Dr. Mercola’s recent article on Triclosan’s damaging effects to people and planet.
Triclosan’s MSDS (material safety data sheet)

For natural alternatives and defenses, check out things like essential oils and probiotics.  In our home, we make our own hand sanitizer (2/3 aloe gel, 1/3 water, tea tree oil and an aromatic oil of choice – peppermint, eucalyptus, lemon, orange, whatever you prefer.  How many drops of oil depends on your container size).  Oregano oil is amazing for so many things. We really enjoy Miessence’s certified organic (entirely untouched by synthetic chemicals) foaming hand soap and its refill concentrate.  We also really like their dish soap, which is so effective, concentrated (a little goes a long way), and contains only one synthetic ingredient – the biodegradable, corn and coco based surfactant.  And of course, their probiotics (my kids prefer this one).

I’ve heard that somewhere around 80% of your immune system is in your gut.  If your gut is healthy and functioning well with friendly good bacteria being fed nutritious real foods, then you’ll be able to fight off the bad bugs you come in contact with here and there.

I used to be quite the germophobe.  Hand sanitizer, antibacterial soaps and wipes, the whole works.  While I’m still no big fan of slimy trash cans and less-than-clean public toilets, I feel so much more comfortable with the world around me – all the bad bugs included – now that I know how the immune system works, how to keep it healthy in my own body and the bodies of my kids, and natural germ fighting methods that aren’t toxic to our bodies or the waterways.  And I’d say, anecdotally and thankfully, we’ve been a lot healthier since making these changes.

Skip the Triclosan.  🙂

Replacing Parabens

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Parabens have pretty much been black-listed in the public’s mind at this point.  But what are companies doing to get rid of them?  What alternatives have they chosen?  Have you noticed?  What do you see on your labels?

Some companies insist that paraben concerns are unproven, hype-based fears, and they continue to use this family of synthetic preservatives in their formulations.  Methyl, ethyl, propyl, and butyl paraben.

Some companies are removing parabens not for the sake of human health, but rather brand health.  The mounting evidence against these ingredients hasn’t convinced them – they just want their products to keep selling, and they know that parabens are a pox on their products that will lead to declining sales and brand death if not addressed.

Still other companies have carefully considered the growing research (see Breast Cancer Fund for a brief summary) and have responsibly chosen to remove parabens from their formulations.

But what are they doing differently instead of using parabens?  Are they finding ways to create quality, shelf-stable products without the use of synthetic preservatives?

Sadly, in most cases, the answer is no.  The vast majority of companies who have removed parabens from their formulations, and now proudly display “paraben free” in their marketing, have simply chosen to replace them with other synthetic preservatives.

Read your labels.  The most popular paraben replacement that I am seeing on labels these days is phenoxyethanol.  But check out the MSDS on this synthetic chemical preservative.

 

Do you see that?  Extremely hazardous to the eyes.  Very hazardous to the skin, lungs (when inhaled), and digestive system (when ingested).  Toxic to kidneys, nervous system, and liver.  And note the words “not available” next to carcinogenic, mutagenic, teratogenic, and developmental effects.  Do you know what that means?  It means that this data is not available.  The studies haven’t been done.  Like 89% of the 10,000+ synthetic chemicals used in the personal care industry, phenoxyethanol has not been fully evaluated for safety yet.  (For the full MSDS, click here).

To be fair, the MSDS is typically for the folks working with a chemical in large batches at a lab.  However, is not daily use, often multiple times a day, also “repeated and prolonged exposure” to an ingredient?  As they do with most synthetic chemicals, many formulators will claim that because phenoxyethanol is used in such small amounts in their products, it must be safe.  But that’s what they said for decades about parabens, too.  Is history going to repeat itself on this issue?

Nowadays we know better.  We know that chemicals can have cumulative effects in the body from minute daily exposures over time.  We also know that chemicals act on the body in different ways when combined with other chemicals.  Even if phenoxyethanol were proven completely safe in isolated studies, research would still need to be done on its combined effects with the other chemical ingredients in the products you use daily.  But a quick glance at the current MSDS already shows us that it’s a hazardous material.

I used to believe that synthetic preservatives were necessary for product stability.  And for years, it was a trade off I was willing to accept as a customer because naturally occurring molds and rancidity are certainly not safe for my family either.  Most truly natural options I had seen, including DIY (do it yourself), were prone to going funky halfway through the jar or bottle.  And if it were still the case today that there was really no way to have a shelf-stable, quality product without synthetic chemical preservatives, I’d probably say to myself, “Well, OK, if this is the best option, I guess I’m not going to obsess and worry about it.”

But the truth is, thanks to advances in ‘green’ chemistry, today there are options out there that are completely free of synthetic preservatives and still have a great shelf-life.  And there have been for years now, it is just taking time for this information to get out there and combat the chemical fairy we’ve been listening to and trusting for decades.  The educational and product development efforts of Miessence first opened my eyes to this fact, and a relative handful of other companies are now following their lead to move in this totally different direction, swimming upstream against the masses who are simply looking for a more socially-acceptable (because we don’t yet recognize the ingredient names), quick-fix, synthetic ingredient swap.

Instead of choosing products that have merely swapped one hazardous, synthetic ingredient for another, look for the brands that have gone above and beyond the use of synthetic chemical ingredients.  If other effective, truly natural choices now exist, the precautionary principle would ask, “Why risk it?”

 

Hormonal Make-up

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It may seem “hormonal” and paranoid to even suggest it, but did you know that the chemicals in your makeup and other personal care products could very well be affecting your hormones and consequently, your health?  Or the health of your daughters?

No, I’m not crazy, overly concerned, or making a mountain out of a molehill.  It’s true.  Puberty is starting earlier for girls than it did just a few decades ago.  Female cancers are on the rise.  All cancers are on the rise.  Did I recently hear that 1 in 3 adults today, statistically speaking, will get cancer in some form or another?  1 in 3?!  How can we not stop and look for the environmental causes behind these serious health issues?

There are many factors, perhaps the biggest one being the use of hormones in our meat and dairy supply; however, one cannot overlook the impact that personal care product chemicals play in this puzzle.  Many of the chemicals used in these everyday products are endocrine disruptors, and are having an impact on today’s teenagers, among other age groups (check out this ‘oldy but goody’ article).

The evidence is there – what can we do about it?  In our household, we have chosen to use certified organic personal care options that have been entirely untouched by synthetic chemicals.  (And drink raw milk sans the hormones and other nasties!)






Good Guide

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Taking a little break from my e-fast reflections…

Have been meaning to do a post on Good Guide for some time now.  What a helpful resource!  It’s also part of the reason I fell in love with Miessence.  Check out this article on Good Guide.  It begins:

“One sunny morning in 2004, Dara O’Rourke was putting sunscreen on his 2-year-old daughter’s face when he had a disturbing thought. As a professor of environmental policy at the University of California, Berkeley, he’d spent years studying the global supply chains for products like electronics and shoes. But he had no idea exactly what he was smearing on his daughter.

The thought spurred O’Rourke—who’d made headlines in 1997 for exposing problems with Nike’s labor practices—to action. Back in his lab at Berkeley, he found that the sunscreen—a top-selling brand—included a hormone-disrupting chemical, a suspected carcinogen activated by sunlight, and several skin irritants. “I’m a total nerd—I not only read ingredient lists but study factories in China, Vietnam, El Salvador,” he says. “Yet I still didn’t know what I was bringing into my house every day.”

Continue reading here.

Have you used Good Guide yet?  What have you found most helpful about it?
















Healthy Homes

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So sad to be missing the “Healthy Homes in Toxic Times” event tonight at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philly…  Had registered hoping to go, but knew fully well that it would be a last minute decision to really go or not…  As the day progressed, it became apparent that it would just be too much to try and schlep myself and a ravenous four-week-old nursling into Philly on a cold winter night.  However, I have instead spent a little time surfing the websites of the groups presenting at the forum.

Here is a summary of the event from the ANS website:  “In a large city like Philadelphia, pests, air pollution, and other sources of detrimental environmental exposures impact the quality of our daily lives. The methods we choose to control pests, the cleaning and personal care products we purchase and use, and how we care for our immediate home environment can have consequences on our health. As we navigate our weekly routines, we can all find ways to reduce harmful exposures and enhance the health of our home environments.”

If anyone doubts the toxic effects of everyday products and pollutants on our health, here are more voices calling out and asking you to consider the issue again – for the sake of your own health, the health of the planet on which we’re all dependent, and the health of future generations.  Your everyday choices really do make a difference.

Women’s Health & Environmental Network (WHEN)
Pennsylvania Integrated Pest Management
National Center for Healthy Housing

And an article on personal care products, quoting WHEN founder and Temple University professor, Julie Becker.




Energy Choice

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We first ran into this topic in August 2009 when a door-to-door salesman for an alternate gas supplier came by.  We decided to give it a shot, signed up, and then forgot about it.

In August of this year, we started getting various offers from alternate electricity suppliers also.  This prompted us to go back and check our bills from the previous year of alternate gas supply, which left us quite skeptical because it turned out to have cost us an extra $129 over the year.  However, since we had also been learning more about energy conservation and green energy, that skepticism drove us to research the topic more thoroughly instead of just tossing our hands up and staying with the utility out of fear of the unknown.

One of the questions a friend (who owns a very successful energy consulting firm in Philly) told us to ask was whether a company was a licensed supplier or a broker.  As I understand it, broker companies are not necessarily bad, but they generally drive the price up because they’re an extra link in the chain getting a cut of the profits.  Turns out the alternate gas company we had said yes to was a broker company…  Ah-ha!  Check – look for a licensed supplier (and verify it with a third-party resource, such as a list of alternate suppliers found on your local utility’s website).

In early November, while still researching energy choice options, we came across Viridian and were really impressed.  Although I have seen some hype and accidental misinformation out there from their independent sales force (which is a risk of using the otherwise solid direct sales model), the company itself is straightforward in its message and mission, and they resonated with us as potential customers because of their green energy focus at a savings.

We decided to become Viridian customers ourselves, and since 1- energy conservation and renewable energy is something we’re also passionate about, 2- it ties in on some level to the work I already do in organics, and 3- I had researched it a great deal and felt I could help answer people’s questions about energy choice in general and the company specifically, I decided to do a little consulting work for them on the side.  My purpose in this is to add a realistic, no-hype voice into some of the confusion & misinformation out there in the popular buzz about both Viridian and energy choice companies in general, and to help people figure out if Viridian specifically would be a good fit for them or not.

So, if you’re looking into alternative energy suppliers, here are a few other things I’ve learned to ask in general, in addition to the licensed supplier vs broker question…

1- Is it a fixed or variable rate plan?  You might be surprised to learn that variable is often better than fixed, though it can depend on your preferences.

2- Are there sign-up fees, lengthy contracts, early termination fees, hidden fees? Can you cancel at any time?  We loved that Viridian was “cancel at any time with no penalties.”

3- If you also care about long-term sustainability and air quality issues (which tie closely into stewardship, pollution, and health issues), ask about a company’s “energy content,” or percentage mix, of “dirty/brown” energy vs “clean/green” energy sources.  For example, our local utility currently uses only about 7-8% renewable sources.  And many of the 3rd party suppliers who are not necessarily “green-focused” in their company vision statements offer about the same.

4- If you want to buy/support greener energy, find out the percentage vs cost. For example, we found that Viridian offers the highest percentages of greener energy at lower prices compared to other green options we’ve seen so far.  Their basic option is 20% renewable energy generally below your cost from the utility (who almost certainly has a much lower percentage of renewable content).  So, their “everyday green” option supports a higher percentage of green power while saving you money at the same time.  And their 100% renewable energy option costs only slightly more than the utility rate, instead of a higher ‘premium price’ for 100% renewable content that other green suppliers are offering.  For example, one company we looked at would have cost us, on average, $24 more per month for 100% renewable energy, whereas with Viridian, we could do their 100% “pure green” option for an average of just $5 more per month.

5- If anyone is showing you an example bill, or when you begin looking at your own bill to compare prices, please make sure you know what you’re comparing.  Supply portion only.  I have seen a handful of reps for Viridian accidentally comparing the wrong two parts of the bill, which made the savings look bigger than it is.  They were very nice people, not being intentionally deceptive at all – they just misunderstood.  The savings is still there, just not as amazing as it may look if you’re not comparing the right things… and it will also depend on whether you’re a low or high usage household.  If you’d like someone to go over your bill with you to help you understand what to compare, get a realistic idea of your potential savings, and figure out if an alternate supplier would actually make sense for your situation or not, I can help you with that since I’ve gone through it myself.

If you want more details on any of the above, feel free to contact me.  There is also a good list of FAQs under the “Energy Service” section of their website.  While obviously Viridian-specific in the answers, these FAQs are good to ask any company you may be considering.

If you decide to you’d like to become a Viridian customer, as we did in our home, would you please consider calling them at 866-663-2508 to sign up (instead of signing up online) and giving them my referring ID#11636?  Disclosure statement – I am not actively growing a business with Viridian, but yes, I will get a small commission for referring you.  Thanks!  🙂

 

 

Cosmetic Cancer

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One of the simplest yet most profound quotes I’ve read regarding the ever-increasing cancer epidemic is from the introduction of Nancy Sleeth’s book, “Go Green, Save Green.”  Nancy quotes her husband, Dr. Matthew Sleeth: “It’s time to stop ‘running for the cure’ and start looking for the cause” (page xiv).

The Breast Cancer Fund is among a growing number of organizations rising up to bring greater attention to fighting the environmental causes of cancer, rather than focusing narrowly on the search for medical cures to be applied once the disease is found.  In reality, pharmaceutical and surgical ‘cures’ can only be temporary.  The real cures lie in finding and preventing the root causes of all cancers.  And the evidence is mounting every day to prove that the root causes are environmental factors such as toxic synthetic chemicals and the decreasing quality of food.

Below is a link to the Breast Cancer Fund’s page about choosing safe cosmetics.  I am not making this stuff up myself when calling attention to these issues.  And as you can see on their site, products that are certified organic to food grade standards are the purest of the pure.

To view the Breast Cancer Fund’s page on selecting safe cosmetics, please click here.

If you would like information on the general criteria I use to select the safest possible products for my family and the planet, based on all my research, please click here.

If you would like information on the products that I have personally chosen for my family  and now also happily represent, which are the world’s first to have been certified organic to food grade standards (2001), please click here.