The Building Blocks of Nutrition, Part Two

Carbohydrates are arguably the most important solid food group in that they make up our main source of energy and, depending on who you listen to, should constitute 50 to 60 percent of your diet. Now, that doesn't mean 50 to 60 percent of what you eat should be bread; as I'll explain below, carbohydrates include both sugars AND starches...and, not to confuse you again, but sugars don't mean cakes and candies. I mean the natural sugars found in fruits and even some vegetables. Let me explain all of that in a bit more detail, because I already feel like I've lost some of you!

• Starches are exactly what you think they are — bread, potatoes, pasta and rice are probably some of your favorites. What's important to keep in mind here, however, is that not all starches are created equal — whole-wheat bread knocks the socks off of its refined white-flour counterpart, as you should have learned yesterday; a sweet potato is better than a regular potato because of the extra iron and anti-oxidants packed in the beautiful orange-colored flesh. Pierce it and microwave it for 15 minutes, or bake in the oven for 45 minutes to an hour and top with butter for a healthy real-food treat. (Babies love a good mashed sweet potato, too!) Choose whole-wheat versions of your favorite kinds of pasta, also, and pick brown rice rather than white, which is essentially a plate of empty calories. You might as well drink a can of soda.
• Sugars, again, as a building block of nutrition can sound deceiving — but if you're not kidding yourself you know that Snickers bars and scones are not exactly a food group. If you're really counting your carbs, know the following: Carbs, in the form of sugars, can be found in everything from grapes to milk and beer. If you're smart, you'll get your natural sugars from a variety of sources every day, and as the seasons change — use 2% milk for your latte in the winter and your iced coffee in the summer, and vary your intake of fruits and vegetables according to the calendar. With all of the sugars found naturally in foods like pineapple and carrots, there's absolutely no need for you to travel outside the realm of healthy nibbles to get refined sugar from artificial additives and processed foods.

Your recommended intake of carbohydrates and all foods, really, depends on a variety of factors, such as age, weight and if you're pregnant or breast feeding, so visit ChooseMyPlate.gov for a personalized breakdown, including printable reminders and tips about how to eat well on a budget. I think our food "pyramid" is still light years behind what they use in Mediterranean countries, for example, but if you're just beginning your health journey it's a good place to start. The main point is to fulfill your nutritional needs naturally, because it's in the adding on of all the extras we've become so accustomed to — cookies, chips, French fries — that you also add on fat, pounds and the risk of developing various types of diseases. Understanding that you can get your carbohydrates from plenty of other sources besides the bread basket is just one way you can break out of an eating rut today!

Next up: How to Part Ways With Phthalates — BPA's Partner in Crime

One Change You Can Make Today — Switch to Whole Grains

Just hearing "whole grain" makes me think of those cheesy Cheerios commercials where women are always the target of the "I lost weight by switching to whole grains" marketing ploy. Yes, switching from white bread to whole wheat could help you lose weight, but that shouldn't be your motivation. You'd be surprised to hear how bad white bread/flour/cakes/cookies are for you...so, of course, I'm going to tell you!

Junk foods, like soda made with sugar and, in this case, scones, brownies, white bread and crackers made from white flour contribute to the rise in diabetes in our country, for one thing. And sure, you can be genetically predisposed to the condition, but these genes only get turned on when you eat the white stuff. If you're at risk for diabetes, that should be enough right there to make the switch. But I'll keep going.

There's a reason for the saying "The whiter the bread, the quicker you're dead!" — and if you haven't heard it said before, now you know that white flour can also raise your level of "bad" LDL cholesterol, in turn increasing your risk for blood clots and high blood pressure. So again — anyone who has high blood pressure should be tossing the Wonder Bread in the trash right about now. Feed it to the squirrels or ducks or drop any unopened packages off at a food pantry so at least you don't have guilt about "wasting food because there are starving children in Africa." There are starving children everywhere, I might add.

If you're still in doubt because you don't think you're at risk for diabetes OR high blood pressure, I strongly urge you to pick up a copy of Gary Taubes' book Good Calories, Bad Calories. In it you'll find that refined (white) flour can also contribute to higher rates of cancer, heart disease, Alzheimers and a lengthy list of other ailments both minor and major.

Can I spell it out for you any further? Let me also challenge all of your excuses. My kids don't like whole-wheat bread. Cry me a river. Trust me, they won't starve if you make the switch. THEY WILL GET USED TO IT. They may even start to like it. Is it the husband or wife who's stubborn on the issue? Make them read this and give them a swift kick in the pants. Tell them you want them to be around to see your grandchildren get married, not just your children. Think it's too expensive? Believe me, if you're leaving the refined-flour crackers, cookies and coffee cake in the grocery store you'll have much more room and funds for the whole-wheat bread instead. And don't even try to make the excuse that whole-wheat products are hard to find, because that's just not true any more. Just don't be fooled by something that says "wheat" or "made with" whole grains — it has to be labeled 100% whole grain, and turn the product over to check the label, too. Lisa Leake at 100 Days of Real Food has a great article on this if you're still hungry for more information.

I admit, my excuse I sometimes don't even realize until in hindsight — that a recipe calls for "four thick slices of country bread," and something like that IS hard for me to find in a whole-wheat version. So in my case now I've learned to read the whole recipe. What is the bread being used for, bread crumbs? Whole-wheat bread crumbs DO exist, honey, and I'll even go so far as to say that Whole Foods carries a kind that is super crunchy and delicious and would make a great crispy topping or binding agent in any meal. So even when you're doing a good thing by cooking at home, NOW you need to take that extra step also and convert the recipe to whole grains. We'll move on to sugar and saturated/trans fats in future posts, but for now keep taking this one step at a time. Let me know how you've learned to swap out white flour in recipes or what great whole-grain products or purveyors you've fallen in love with. It feels good to make the switch — eliminating white flour can also reduce bloat and, as insinuated above, assist in weight loss. So if you can't JUST do it for your health, do it for vanity. I don't care what your motivation is to start, because you'll reap the rewards either way in the end.

Next up: The Building Blocks of Nutrition, Part Two — Carbohydrates

The Building Blocks of Nutrition, Part One

If you've heard it once, you've heard it a thousand times: Drink More Water. But do you really know why? It's important to stay hydrated, but why? And how do you know if you're hydrated enough or not?

Individual water needs vary from person to person, but the bottom line is that we all need it because water is the medium in which all other nutrients are found. What that means is that water is responsible for transporting nutrients and oxygen into the cells in your body, protecting vital organs and helping to absorb and metabolize those nutrients efficiently. In addition, water regulates body temperature, detoxifies and protects/cushions your joints. Every cell in your body needs water to function optimally, and yet we all find it so difficult to get our daily intake anywhere near the standard recommended 8 eight-ounce glasses a day...right? I know I do, and it's even more important for pregnant women. I tend to get super thirsty at night these days, which I don't think is just a reflection of the dry winter air — I think it means I'm not hydrating enough during the day. In fact, I'm sure of it. So let's go over some tips that I myself need to put into practice in order to get an adequate amount of the clear stuff in my system each day:

• Make it pretty. I still remember seeing a picture in an issue of Martha Stewart Living that went along with some caption about how she keeps pitchers of water wherever she goes — at her desk, in her kitchen, backstage, et cetera — and they were these tall, beautiful, clear glass vessels that made me want to be her. I've yet to pick myself up something similar, but there is something more appetizing to me about drinking out of glass rather than plastic. Serve your glass of water in a goblet at home, or get a SIGG water bottle with a cool new design that you want to show off. If it's more appealing visually, you may find it more fun to drink in terms of satisfaction. 
• Make it tasty. Think beyond lemons, people. Infuse your water with cucumber slices, mint, muddled berries, limes or whatever floats your boat. Try new combinations, and I recommend keeping it cold — it's a lot more refreshing and thirst-quenching that way, and you can even try adding your flavors to water and freezing pretty little ice cubes. Good for entertaining, too!
• Get your water from food. Summer fruits like melons are great hydrators, but in the winter you'd probably be better off opting for broth-based soups, potatoes and squash. As long as they are prepared healthfully, there's no shame in adding more fruits and veggies to your diet! If you struggle to drink it all up, serve it up on a plate instead.
• Guzzle before eating. If you can get into the habit of making yourself drink water before you sit down for each meal and snack, I bet you'll even start to eat less. Thirst can easily be mistaken for hunger by the body, because you just feel "empty" — but running on fumes may just mean you need a drink, not a power bar. Wherever you are, quickly grab a cup of water, stop at a drinking fountain or sip some of your coffee or tea before you dig in. It will become second nature, and the benefits are twofold as you both hydrate and cool the jets on your appetite.
• Try and try again. Try downing a glass of water every hour on the hour. Try a new water filter to see if it improves the taste (and quality!) of your home supply. Try hot water with lemon first thing in the morning. The point is to keep at it and to not give up on Day 2 if you didn't manage to drink your 64 ounces the day before — experiment with different ways to get all your liquids in, and know thyself: If you guzzle at the gym, try to go more often! If you're super thirsty in the morning, double what you're drinking now. Fit it into YOUR personal lifestyle and habits, and share any tips you have with the rest of us!

Water can give your skin a supple, youthful glow; it can treat dry mouth and its associated symptoms; it can even cure headaches and constipation (sorry, but I had to go there — it's true). Don't let this be just another post that tells you to drink more water; actually try it this time! Get up from your desk, take a little break and make yourself a cup of tea. Associate your new habits with a better, more healthy you, a new way you're taking care of yourself more than ever before...your body will thank you in so many ways, which will do wonders to reinforce the task at hand.

Next up: One Change You Can Make Today — Switch to Whole Grains

Building Another Healthy Habit: Eliminating BPA

Great, this makes my day, another report on federal regulators failing to act on a potentially (potentially? try proven) toxic chemical: Bisphenol-A, or BPA. BPA, for those of you who continue to live under that nice comfy little rock of yours, is a nasty, hazardous chemical found in many different types of plastics — from baby bottles (could there be anything worse?) to water bottles (even some of the reusable kinds) to cans of food and receipts at the grocery store. Yep, it's everywhere.

What's so bad about this is that BPA imitates estrogen in the body, confusing the heck out of your standard endocrine and/or reproductive system, which is linked quite clearly to higher rates of breast cancer. But this is not just a concern for women; BPA can also damage your kid's brain, yielding latent neurologic effects on men, women and children. The stuff stinks, frankly, and as a now-educated and responsible adult, you should be doing everything possible to avoid BPA. How? Let me count the ways:

• Avoid plastic. Yeah, sounds pretty drastic, I know. Food-storage containers, bottled water, children's toys, cups you drink out of — it's all plastic, and it's NOT all safe. Get rid of your plastic drinking glasses like I did, replace food-storage containers with glass when you can, and seek out greener, more natural types of entertainment for your little one to suck on. The idea is to do what you can, when you can. I know not many of you will be ripping the plastic joystick out of your son's hand as he practices his tennis swing on the X-Box, but there are about a zillion ways you can start weaning yourself from plastic in your daily life so keep your eyes peeled for a more detailed post on this in the future. It's simply too much to address in one sitting.
• Buy frozen, not canned. Because just saying "don't buy canned food" would have come off too harsh, right? If you try to save on fruits and vegetables when out of season by buying the canned kind, skip it. Eat what IS in season or buy it frozen (preferably organic in the case of berries, for example). BPA can leach into your food while it's sitting in the can (it's even found in some canning lids if you do it yourself!), and whether or not YOU use it the very day you buy it, you have no idea how long it's already been on the shelf, potentially contaminating the food you and your family are about to eat. Just. Skip it. Look for alternatives whenever possible, like boxed stock and soups or homemade fruit salad rather than fruit cocktail — which is almost always sold in plastic or cans. Even baby formula is said to be unsafe when it comes in a can...unbelievable.
• Wash your hands after handling receipts. During cold and flu season it should become a habit to wash your hands after coming home from practically anywhere (skip the hand sanitizer, dummy, and if you didn't read yesterday's post, do so now!), but wash up especially enthusiastically after shopping whenever you keep the receipt. Shove it in your wallet and get it off your skin as quickly as possible.
• Take action. The government is clearly taking their sweet time banning this harsh chemical in the USA, so click here to be directed to a petition that you can sign asking Congress to get rid of it. Seriously. It takes 30 seconds, people. Just fill out your basic info and click "sign now." Easy!
• Read labels, but cautiously. BPA-free has almost become a buzz word these days, like "green" or "eco-friendly." Just because something is BPA-free doesn't mean it's safe; you don't necessarily know what the company replaced the BPA with during the manufacturing process and if it's any better for you than what they removed in the first place. Be a conscious shopper and support companies you trust; it becomes second nature to walk through stores as if you had blinders on when you know you don't need another plastic sippy cup for Bobby or a quick bottle of Coke to go.

This is an ongoing issue, so be vigilant. In fact, be suspicious. You can never be too careful, but take baby steps and it won't seem so overwhelming. Replace plastics with glass when they become damaged or dinged. Cut out the canned soda and bottled water and get yourself a cute aluminum to-go bottle. Make your own lunch instead of heating up a TV dinner. Get the picture? Good. I don't like explaining myself twice.

Next up: The Building Blocks of Nutrition, Part One

You Think That's a Healthy Habit? Debunking a Cold- and Flu-Season Myth

Thanks to Activia, we all know the difference between "good" bacteria AND "bad" bacteria...right? Great. So we're all together here on page 1. Now let me see if I can't knock your socks off with some more basic but mind-bending facts (at least to me) that may just make you angry, confused and determined to make a big change during this winter's cold and flu season.

Continuing my way through the latest Skinny Bitch book I mentioned earlier, I came across the section on a "sick rumor" about bacteria, regarding the use of antibacterial gels. You know, the stuff you squirt on your hands because it's faster than washing them (otherwise known as hand sanitizer)? Maybe you have a bottle on your desk, or you work somewhere that has those little bottles hanging from the walls everywhere that shoot out a foul-smelling foam? Now let's keep the plain English going. This is "anti" "bacterial" gel. Right? Right. You're still with me. I can feel it.

But you know that when you catch a cold or the flu, you're catching a virus...right?

Ding ding ding! You must be as befuddled as I was when I first saw the light.

I'd heard about the potential dangers of antibacterial gels in the sense that they could contribute to the formation and spread of "superbugs," but in all honesty, that always seemed so far-removed and "that won't happen to me." I mean, I'm taking it a bit more seriously now, but what really gets me here is how duped I feel by a $45 billion industry that's actually making us sicker, not keeping us healthy like they're trying to make us think!

So my message today is short and sweet: Freecycle that hand sanitizer, baby, or at least stop using it so psychotically because you think the snot running down your niece's nose won't "get you" that way. It's a virus, sweet pea. Save the hand sanitizer for the diaper bag, wash your hands more often (with soap!) and stop contributing to what could end up being a major health crisis during our time. Stay healthy with all my latest tips and tricks and you won't wind up in the hospital — where MRSA first cropped up, due to a built-up resistance to what? Antibacterial cleansing wipes. Doesn't get much more convoluted than that, now, does it?

Next up: Building Another Healthy Habit: Eliminating BPA

Breaking Another Fast — Improving Your Spiritual Health

I think maybe because she has such a cult following I've actually been compelled to rebel and NOT get on the Oprah bandwagon, but my free Oprah's Lifeclass journal arrived in the mail the other day (long after the series ended, and I don't even have the OWN channel in the first place) — just another one of those random free things I sign up for when I remember to — and it inspired me to locate the webcasts on her site and start watching them. Well, surprise! I'm loving every minute of it, and I take each class very seriously.

Not exactly where you might expect a post on spirituality to start, but it reinforces the point I'm intending to make: that, at least to me, spirituality and religion are two different things, and it's up to you to mix and match what you believe in, how you want to spend your time, what you need in your life at any given moment and how both (or one or the other) can nurture you and help you grow during the hard times and the easy ones.

It's difficult sometimes among the many roles we all play, whether you're a father, mother, employee or employer, to always feel authentic, always feel like you're living your truth, your best life and sticking by what you believe in. Heck, sometimes it's hard to even KNOW what you believe in. Which is why I have these tips to wake you from your spiritual (or religious) slumber, at a time when I'm sure we can all use them:

• Think outside of the box. For years and years I had guilt about not attending church as often as I felt I "should" — until a very wise woman told me, Don't go to church because you think you should, or because so-and-so goes, or because you were brought up a certain way; go to church when you WANT to. When you want to connect, talk with God, have a conversation with Him. And you know what? No one had ever said that to me before. Suddenly church is not a chore, and I go when I want to go. The rest of the time I may spend in prayer alone, and I feel okay with that — but that's my truth, so it may not fit you. The idea here is to realize that not doing "the norm," or going against the grain, just might fit you. Once you find comfort, you'll know it's right.
• Do some research. The internet is a great place for learning about all kinds of things, but in this instance I would recommend picking up an actual book. Read about Buddhism, spirituality, Catholicism, whatever it is that has always interested you or frightens you or seems way too "out there" for you, and explore it. You've got nothing to lose, and opening your mind to new expressions of religion and spirituality can strengthen the beliefs you already have or bring you new ideas and inspiration if you're starting from scratch. We all need to feel that sort of connectedness to some greater purpose or being, no matter how much you may wish that weren't true.
• Feel the fear. Even just talking about this on the blog feels strange to me, but one of the things I learned from Martha Beck on her webcast this week was that if you feel uneasy about doing or saying something, it may be because you're actually telling yourself some sort of lie about your beliefs and how they relate to that action — in this case, that it's "wrong" or "stupid/silly" to write about this topic on a so-called food or diet blog. Wrong? Stupid? I challenged that belief, and I decided to do it anyways, because it wasn't something I was truly dreading inside; it's more of an invigorating sort of fear, which I know I should push through because, honestly, the judgment or the reaction doesn't matter. In the same way, finding your comfort in spirituality or religion should be just that — yours — and although it may be tough at times, you shouldn't let other peoples' comments change your mind. What do you feel when you're engaging in the spiritual or religious activity of your choice? If it's comfort, but you feel uncomfortable talking about it to a friend or a relative, it may just be that you're telling yourself that person will reject you because of your beliefs, so you must be wrong. That's the lie. No one can say what's right or wrong in this instance about your relationship with God or The One or The Universe or whatever you choose to believe in. Feel the fear, or the discomfort, or the judgment, and challenge it until you discover the comfort and the truth.
• Enlist a friend. If there IS someone who shares your curiosity, invite him or her to an event with you, whether it's a church service or a yoga class. There are a million options out there, and sometimes going through an experience like that (especially if it's your first time) can create deeper relationships. Plus, you'll always have someone to bounce your subsequent thoughts and reactions off of. That way, in discussing it with each other, you can also establish whether the activity is good for the both of you or if you need to part ways and strike out on your own. The moral support and familiarity to start, however, may bolster your confidence to get out there and explore.
• Take it slow. It can be tempting when embarking on any new routine (think exercise) to go all out from the start, and I wouldn't consider this area to be any different — but asking yourself too many questions and challenging too many beliefs too soon can be more stressful than it is eye-opening. My natural tendency is to plow through everything just to get it done, check it off my to-do list, but that's the exact opposite approach to take here. It's a constant journey with peaks and valleys as you find forms of spiritual expression that do and don't agree with you. If any of you have a vision board going, I would even suggest considering transforming it into a "journey" board instead — this is something I just decided to do myself.

It really is a journey, and that's not something you can take with you when you go — so do your best to feel your way through it without attaching yourself to any end result or outcome, like proving that you don't have to go to church every Sunday or confirming your belief that meditation is a crock. Separate yourself from your ego as you explore each next step, and your enjoyment will be much more deep, profound and enlightening. Doesn't that sound fabulous?

Next up: You Think That's a Healthy Habit? Debunking a Cold- and Flu-Season Myth

Clean Up Your (First) Act — Breakfast!

Because I'm really enjoying this one-step-at-a-time philosophy I've been allowing myself to bask in lately (instead of my usual "everything, now, fast"-type approach), instead of forcing myself to cut out things like sugar, my half-cup of coffee, a small dessert once or twice a day and junky crackers as an occasional snack (really, that about sums up my devilish daily diet fails, which isn't that bad, right?) all at the same time, I'm slowly trying to improve upon one meal at a time, once choice at a time, swapping in one healthy alternative for something less virtuous each day. So why not start with the most important meal of the day (arguably only because it's the first one, in my opinion), breakfast?

To me, breakfast comes in two categories: Sweet or savory. Being the sweets person that I am AND being with child, it's pretty hard for me to not just want cookies and a fake mocha every morning. So although that does happen from time to time, usually what I actually have is a piece of 5-ingredient honey whole wheat toast and a half a cuppa. I'm sure to use 5-ingredient (or less) jam sweetened only with fruit juice and/or almond butter or regular butter, but clearly my breakfast is still lacking — um, fruit, anyone? I don't like to cook so early in the morning (baby sleeping, hungry dog wandering the house, not to mention my strange pregnancy appetite issues), so eggs are pretty much out of the question for me right now, unless I get creative. Here are some ways YOU can get creative (and HEALTHY!) with your breakfasts, quickly and easily.

• If you are a waffle or pancake kind of person, try this whole-wheat recipe that you can make a big batch of and freeze/heat up during the week. Be sure to use only real maple syrup, and top them with fruit — strawberries, blueberries and/or bananas are some of my favorites to combine with waffles — and a pat of real butter if necessary.
• If you're not a breakfast eater at all, definitely try starting with something simple, like me — a piece of toast, preferably with some sort of protein like cheese or a nut butter, and an easy fruit if you need to take it to go — a washed apple or a banana. Once you get used to eating something in the morning, you may find you can work your way up to bigger and better things, like eggs, yogurt or the waffles mentioned above.
• Savory breakfast eaters, hopefully you're already on the right path — a couple eggs, egg whites or even some sort of breakfast sandwich would be great, but make it yourself. Don't fall prey to the boxed "light" breakfast sandwiches with tons of ingredients, half of which you can't even pronounce. I'm the first to admit I was pretty addicted to one of the frozen kinds at the beginning of my pregnancy, but I've opted out of the processed-food group and I feel much better about it. Even if a 5-ingredient English muffin doesn't exist, you can still pile some scrambled eggs and Parmesan cheese on whole-wheat toast — cut the bread with a biscuit cutter if you really need that fast-food feel!
• If you usually just walk out the door with a cup of coffee, I'm assuming it's not decaf — and if it is, switch to regular. Please. Most decaf coffee has the caffeine removed using methylene chloride, which is also used in paint stripping and polyurethane foam manufacturing. Workers exposed to this chemical are at a greater risk for developing cancer. Great. Add some milk for protein, and if you're up for it try the mocha drink I mentioned above and see if you're not totally shocked you're drinking coffee without refined sugar, which I was when I first tried it. Next to this concoction I think tea with honey is probably your best bet if you need something hot to wake you up in the morning (avoid decaf here also), or just try hot water with lemon — it is said to have amazing cleansing properties if taken first thing in the morning.
• If you're a cereal person, try switching to oatmeal — old-fashioned rolled oats or steel cut, not the pre-packaged kind with fruity flavors. It's really a blank canvas for any (healthy) flavors you want to add to it, like non-dairy milks, maple syrup, chopped fresh fruit, dried fruit, nuts or all of the above — if you add enough fun stuff in there I'm telling you it will keep you full for hours. I once ordered oatmeal at a restaurant with all of their offerings "minus the walnuts" because of my allergies, and although I got a strange look from the cashier it was SUPER delicious and I'd order it a million times over if we frequented the place more often. Whole grains are your best bet, and oatmeal is much better than sugar-laden, processed, boxed cereals.

So tomorrow morning I am going to incorporate fruit into my morning routine. Cutting it out of even just one meal or snack ensures you're NOT going to get enough throughout your day, so it's important to include some sort of fruit or vegetable (if you're a savory breakfast eater) as often as you can. A diet rich in fruits and vegetables can lower blood pressure, reduce your risk for cardiovascular disease, stroke and cancer AND keep tabs on your appetite and hunger levels...all significant ways you can try to outweigh some of the negative effects modern life has on our bodies, like stress, chemicals and not enough sleep. Start out with something you know you like, be it turnips, apples or pear juice, and work your way out, trying new things and experimenting with new preparations. You've got nothing to lose and better health to gain.

Next up: Breaking Another Fast — Improving Your Spiritual Health

Spend on Milk, Save on...Bleach?

Ah, new-car smell.

How nice! New-carpet smell.

Sigh...not often that I get to relish in this amazing clean-house smell.

Okay, you got me. I kid, I kid; if you know me at all you know where this post is headed. Why do all these fancy smells always give me a headache, make my husband sneeze and generally just cause an uneasy feeling in our house? Because chemicals are everywhere these days, from our cars to our carpets to the products we use to "clean" our floors, tubs, kitchen sinks and more. Well, since I — ahem — urged you to spend a little more on your good old milk cartons in my most recent post, in this post not only will I convince you to switch from conventional cleaning products to more natural versions, but I'll also show you how you can save a buck or two while you're at it.

Since there are so many different types and categories of cleaning products out there, from furniture polish to glass cleaner to what you use to "wash" your dishwasher, I figured I'd take this one step at a time and start with what was most difficult for me to part with as I started getting rid of all my conventional cleaning products during the holidays this year — bleach.

I don't know about you, but I'm not the best at scrubbing my tub. (Okay, I'm not that great at sparkling the sink, either, or washing the floors, or organizing closets — why am I telling you this again?) And although I have no idea how it compares in germs to, say, my keyboard, the space under my bed where the carpet meets the wall or the bottom of my son's shoe, which tends to end up in his mouth, it often looks pretty icky. A dark spot here, some pink streaks there and once again I realize it's been WAY too long since I got down in there with the Clorox bottle. I had a bad case of Gunk Guilt, and it sprung up like a weed at every bath time until I finally remembered to spray the whole mess down before leaving the house for a few hours on the weekends — that is, until I started reading Kim Barnouin's "No-Nonsense Guide to Cutting the Crap Out of Your Life." Not because I don't have to worry about how clean (or not) my home is, but because I really shouldn't be bleaching the heck out of anything anyways.

Why, you ask?

In simple terms, bleach (otherwise known as chlorine bleach, hypochlorite, sodium hypochlorite or hydrochloric acid) is to blame for most household poisonings in the United States. It can cause throat irritation, respiratory issues, inflammation of the mucous membranes, itchy/watery eyes, even damage to your tooth enamel if you use the stuff enough. Now, I know what you're thinking — what do I have to worry about if I never remember to use it in the first place? Well, personally I don't care to take my chances, and if YOU are even the tiniest bit better about spiffing up your own place, you probably have a few tubs of Clorox wipes under the sink, bleach next to your washing machine, a chlorine spray cleaner or scrub for the tub and/or bathroom tile work and maybe even a handy-dandy little bleach pen for when you just so happen to spill a little ketchup on your plain white tee.

That's a lotta bleach.

I'm sure now thinking back you can remember a headache or two after cleaning the bathroom, so let's be honest here — what have you got to lose, if I'm also promising you that switching to natural-based cleaners will be even cheaper to boot, not to mention better for you? Let's look at the following options:

• Distilled white vinegar (sold in huge [CHEAP!] jugs in Target, I recently discovered) can not only get grass stains out of carpet (who knew?), it can also fend off mold and mildew in the shower if you mix it with water or, for the dirtiest of jobs, just spray it right on whatever surface you're concerned about. Don't have any clean spray bottles lying around? Join your local freecycle group — you'd be surprised what people are willing to part with if you just ask. (The site is meant for giving away what you don't want, but at least in my area you can also ask around to see if anyone has a spare queen bed frame, for example, or a hand-held neck massager. Don't ask why I know this.) A gallon (128 fluid ounces) will cost you between $2 and $3, whereas only 32 ounces of Clorox Clean-Up at Walmart will cost about the same.
• Grapefruit seed extract, sold on Amazon or at health-food stores, also attacks the mold and mildew that normally collects around the bottom of your tub or in the tiny cracks between tiles. If you buy the kind without additives like parabens and propylene glycol, grapefruit seed extract is all-natural, nontoxic and completely odor-free. (I will take a moment to mention that if you LIKE adding some sort of scent to your ambience to remind yourself and others just how much you deserve the Mrs. Clean award, just add a few drops of essential oil to your bottle and, voila, pretty smell. Healthy smell!) This may be more of an "investment" up front — say, about $14 — but you're only using between 5 and 60 drops, depending on what you're using it for (never full strength; always mix with water) so it lasts forever.
• Tea tree oil has a special place in my heart because the smell of it reminds me of some amazing Body Shop shampoo I used while on vacation in Denver years ago...haven't shopped there in a while, but come to find out the essential oil also kills mold and mildew. It's a little more expensive than something like vinegar, which you may already have in your kitchen, but you get more bang for your buck in this instance because tea tree oil is also a natural antiseptic with germicidal, antifungal and immune-boosting properties. (Did I mention it smells good?) A small bottle will cost between $5 and $15, but again, you're only using a small amount — for example, 2 teaspoons to make a whole bottle of cleaner. A little bit goes a long way. 
• Hydrogen peroxide sounds scary, but it's actually much safer to use than bleach or ammonia. You may recognize it as something the evil stepsister put in her pretty counterpart's shampoo bottle in a young-adult horror story (or is that just me?), but hydrogen peroxide can also eliminate soap scum and shower mold or brighten your whites in the washing machine. It's really a pretty equivalent swap for chlorine bleach, and it's another cheap drugstore item you can feel good about buying. A 16-ounce bottle is only $1.50. 

Now don't go swishing all your bleach down the drain, sweetheart. If you're not pregnant, go ahead and use up what you've got but swear it off in the future. Or, better yet, give it to someone who doesn't care about headaches, itchy eyes and a scratchy throat (they'll probably just think the bleach didn't work and they're getting a cold anyways). There's no sense in being wasteful if there IS someone out there who'll use it, and although you're preaching to the choir if you're thinking that's being a bit irresponsible, some people never listen. Don't be one of those guys. Try some of these alternatives as opposed to your trusty bottle of Soft Scrub or Clorox bleach, show off to your significant other how handy and domestic you can be, and maybe even have some fun at the health-food store picking out yummy-smelling oils or discovering other new products. Clean, green, happy, healthy. Win-win!

Next up: Clean Up Your (First) Act — Breakfast!

"Baby" Step Number 1 — Changing the Milk that You Drink

"It's my opinion that if a pregnant woman is going to make one organic choice, that choice should be milk products."

— Barbara Kingsolver, author, organophile and mom

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Non-pregnant women and men, don't think that counts you out from reading the rest of this post.

In the wake of the ongoing organic milk shortage, I thought it would be appropriate to address why, now more than ever, it's important to maintain this staple as the one organic item you adhere to if that's as far as you're willing to go. Just in case you've been living under a rock, buying USDA-certified organic milk means that you're buying a product that is free of synthetic growth hormones, pesticides and antibiotics. This is explained on the USDA website, in books written by authors I trust and is oftentimes even clearly spelled out right on the front of the milk jug or carton you pick up at your local supermarket.  So what, you might ask, is the big deal with growth hormones, pesticides and antibiotics? Man. Got a few hours?

I'll try to give you the long and short of it without rewriting the entire transcript of the movie Food Inc (which, by the way, if you haven't seen, you most definitely ARE living under a rock, in which case I wouldn't expect you to have a television, DVD player or the internet, all places where you can watch this shocking documentary that would probably be burned into your brain immediately after watching otherwise. Lucky you). Let's just try to break it down one by one, shall we?

• Synthetic growth hormones

Although it may not need much explanation if you're able to read this blog and thus understand and comprehend the ins and outs of the English language, a synthetic growth hormone is exactly what it sounds like: A synthetic (not natural; made-made) hormone, or a chemical in the body that sends out signals to other cells and chemicals in your body, affecting endocrine functions and, in this case, milk production in cows. Putting two and two together, you should be grasping the fact that factory farmers use rGBH, the cow growth hormone, in simple terms to make the cows produce more milk. Faster. Bigger. Better. More. Sounds great, right? Well, turns out it may not be so great for your health, because milk from rGBH-treated cows contains higher levels of insulin growth factor-1, an important protein in the bodies of both children and adults. Higher levels of this protein have been linked to breast cancer and colon cancer. Need I say more? I can, if you want. Really. I could go on for hours.

• Pesticides

While this is a huge group of substances intended to prevent, destroy or repel pests of many kinds, from that trusty old can of Raid under your sink (ew, cockroaches) to what factory farmers use to spray their once-delicious peaches and strawberries, in the case of milk, you might be thinking Wait — isn't part of this whole problem the fact that cows are fed corn and grain instead of grazing on grass? (If you know anything about anything, of course.) Well, you're right. According to a report from The Organic Center, an organization dedicated to the conversion of agriculture to organic methods based on science, health and environmental benefits, DPA, a high-volume industrial chemical found in 98% of conventional milk samples, is most likely taken up through drugs administered to the animals (see below), rubber and/or plastic products used in factory farms or ingredients used in milk cartons and other types of conventional packaging. However it gets in there I don't really care — it's in there, among other pesticides, and in their totality the pesticides found in milk can contain more carcinogens, developmental or reproductive toxins, more suspected hormone disruptors and neurotoxins. Now I'm no scientist, but none of that sounds delicious and wholesome to me.

• Antibiotics

Without sounding completely condescending and mean, no, honey, not all antibiotics are good things. And in your milk? Ha. Think about it this way: Do you take amoxicillin or penicillin every time you get a runny nose? Do you go to the doctor for every single cold and virus you get, and is your MD actually willing to prescribe you something at each visit (other than pushing chicken soup and fluids)? Then why would you want to drink drugs every time you throw back a glass of milk with your cookie, pour it on your cereal or, hello, drink your daily grande latte? I'll tell you why, and in part it's the same reason why your doc is so hesitant to pump you full of pills each time: for one, antibiotics in milk could cause bacteria resistant to the same antibiotics she prescribes when you do actually need something for an infection. In addition, exposure to unnecessary antibiotics could cause the development of new allergies, or reactions in people who already suffer from allergies (like me). Does anything about this sound appealing?

I know what some of you are thinking — organic milk is more expensive; I can't afford it; I can't even find it on store shelves any more; why bother. Well, if you're not convinced after reading my little speech, fine. Google "organic milk versus regular milk," read the New York Times, ask a friend, order some educational materials off of Amazon. Whatever you choose to do, don't just make excuses to ignore the issue. And might I add, there are plenty of small-farm operations that sell milk in stores or deliver it to your door that may not be organically certified but are probably better than factory operations and even some "organic factory farms." If you're at all interested in the issue, do your research and pick a milk that you feel good about drinking. Factor in how the animals are treated, what they eat, if they're allowed to pasture when the weather permits and, if you can get anyone to tell you, what the somatic cell count is in the product (this is an indicator of the quality in terms of how it relates to bacteria and pathogens found in the cows). At the time of posting, only Organic Valley and Oberweis (a small local dairy, although not USDA certified organic) provided any information on this number in particular, even after multiple attempts to contact people at both small farms and larger organic companies. Not exactly confidence boosting, but I'm allergic to soy, I don't like the taste of almond or rice milk and thus far I still believe in the health benefits of drinking milk from well-cared-for cows.

Wherever this discussion leads you, keep in mind that it's not all about you. I don't know about your kid, but mine guzzles milk like there's no tomorrow, and his health is kind of majorly important to me. I also don't like the footage I've seen of the poor cows on huge factory farms, and by now we should all know that synthetic pesticides are no good no matter which way you see the issue. So if the only thing still standing in your way is the cost difference (I for one have had no problem getting local or organic milk during this supposed "shortage") — which can be anywhere from one to four dollars a gallon, I know — why don't you leave that box of crackers on the shelf and put the money toward your health? (Or the ice cream, or the donuts, or the frozen pizza — maybe not everything, but ONE THING?) I know, I know — now that I've said it, the rebel in you is going to fill your cart with all that junk and, just to spite me, a jug of regular milk. Fine — it's your decision, and it comes down to what you believe. I'm happy even if just one conventional milk-drinker tries organic "just in case" or "when I can"; I've done my part — for today.

Next up: Spend on Milk, Save on...Bleach?

Back in the saddle

You: Welcome back!

Me: Why, thank you! Sorry for the hiatus. I've been busy creating another little human being inside my belly.

You: Aw, congratulations!!!

Me: Thanks. I'm not making any ambitious promises about consistent blog posts just yet, but you might want to stick around anyways — your health and happiness will thank you (keep reading).

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Yeah, so I've been slacking off lately...but clearly, with good reason! I'll skip all the boring parts and just tell you that the first trimester sucked again, the second is going well except I already can't sleep comfortably, and I'm due in the spring just like with my first. SO. EXCITED.

But, and there's always a but, you know, that's not the only reason why I've been re-prioritizing around here lately — we've had a bit of a health scare in the family, okay, not just a scare but a real life-changing event, and I've had to start to sit back and digest it all. Slowly. It's a daily process, really. I'm not going to go into detail to protect the identity of blah blah blah, but I will say that I just realized on Monday (after agonizing over whether to change the name of my blog AGAIN) how the name and theme actually still apply. No, I'm not going all crazy and vegan on you, although you probably remember that I've considered it in the past. Really, I'm talking about being at peace with food not just in terms of how it relates to past topics we've dealt with like guilt about fat and calories but now, also, more of how it relates to my health conscience. The part that knows that I should avoid eating another cookie not because of the moment-on-the-lips, lifetime-on-the-hips factor but because of its sugar content and what exactly sugar does once it's inside of me. The part that recognizes a company that mass produces meat or cheese or whatever it may be without a second thought to the health of the animals and how that may affect the health and safety of all us consumers in the United States and elsewhere. The part that is somehow happier not having anything at all instead of having decaf tea processed with chemicals or lunch meat that should really be heated to 165 degrees in order to be "safe" for pregnant women to eat.

Yes, this is a new reality for me. A season of continued change, little by little, step by step, and I'm going to convince you, too, to make changes. Not just with witty remarks and snarky comments, but with links to the latest articles on what's really getting under my skin in the health world these days, simple options for you to swap out in order to make your work and home environment more healthy and, perhaps, even some facts and tidbits that are so disturbing and shocking that you may actually think I've gone off the deep end. But trust me — I've learned a lot in the past few weeks. I've become more hungry for adding to the knowledge I've gained than I am for my son's junky crackers and apple juice (like a drug for me in the second trimester, apparently), and I really want to share it with people who might be able to make the same small (and large) changes I'm making (that's you!), for the betterment of your health and happiness. It's a scary world out there — but even on days like today when it's 10 degrees outside, we still have to go out and live in it. Hopefully some of the content I have up my sleeve will present some healthier alternatives to what we're all used to, and together we can feel a little bit better every day about the choices we make, from breakfast through dinner and beyond. Thanks for staying tuned.

Next up: "Baby" Step Number 1 — Changing the Milk that You Drink