Change Becomes Change

Lead Found In Children's Fruit Juice and Snacks

 

 

Each day, our children enjoy a cup of juice with breakfast and I like that they start the day with at least one serving of fruit. I know that whole fruit is a healthier choice but they have about 5oz, and it's the only beverage they typically have other than water and milk. I've not given much thought to our juice since it's organic or local, and always without added sugars or additives. I've assumed it's nothing but goodness for our children. 

Boy, I was was wrong.

The Environmental Law Foundation has recently found dangerous levels of toxic lead in children's juice products that far exceed a California state law -- and in some cases also exceed federal levels for young children. According to their findings, 125 out of 146 items contained enough lead in a single serving to warrant a warning label under California’s Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986.

The items tested include apple and grape juice, packaged pears and peaches, and fruit cocktail. When I first read the report, I had a sigh of relief for my own family since we buy organic fruit juice but the study indicates that some organic labels didn't pass the test either.

The problem with lead.

The Federal Drug Administration who overseas these types of issues, has indicated:

A spokesman confirmed that the federal limits for lead were last updated nearly two decades ago. In the meantime, many scientists, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, now say that there is no safe level of exposure to lead.

Lead has a cumulative effect as it builds up in the body and children, due to their smaller size, have a tendency to experience greater effects from most toxic chemicals. There is strong evidence linking lead to cardiovascular, brain and nervous system concerns and children are at high risk.

What's a concerned parent to do? The full list of all the products tested, broken down into the categories of those with samples exceeding and not exceeding the California limit can be found RIGHT HERE.

Sadly, our current brand of apple juice did not meet levels that pediatricians (or myself) feel comfortable with so we'll be switching this week. We've had Tree Top and R.W. Knudsen Organic apple juices before so we'll likely return to those. We like the Santa Cruz Organic lines of juices and are disappointed to see their grape juice not make the cut. I hope that these food companies look into this and make the changes necessary to get back on our family list. 

To learn more about healthy choices for your family, visit Feed Our Families.

FTC Tells Kellogg "Rice Krispies Don't Improve Children's Health"

Back in November I shared a story with you about Kellogg's Cocoa (Rice) Krispies' claim to "boost immunity" through added nutrients in the cereal which is heavily marketed to children. Since many of the usual suspects who cover these kind of marketing tactics blasted the claims, I expected to see these boxes removed from shelves. But they're still right there next to Fruit Loops and Frosted Flakes.

Well, those boxes are getting a face lift soon and won't have those health claims unless they can be fully backed and substantiated. 

Last year the FTC cracked down on health claims from Kellogg that Frosted Mini-Wheats was “clinically shown to improve kids’ attentiveness by nearly 20 percent”. They didn't learn their lesson apparently, and kept the Rice Krispies claim on cereal boxes. Without clinical studies to back it up.

From the NT Times article today:

Jennifer L. Harris, a psychologist who studies food marketing at the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale, said the agreement highlighted the need to tighten requirements so that all health-related claims on packaging are based on scientific evidence, which is not the case now.

“As parents become more health-conscious, these claims try to make high-sugar cereals healthier than they really are,” she said. 

Parents want to make healthier choices for their children but struggle to know what's best once they're standing in the grocery store. Health claims and marketing messages make it challenging, at best, to navigate the sea of information out there.

Food manufacturers don't always help the confusion.

• In November 2009, Yale University's Rudd Center shared a new study indicating that cereals marketed directly to children have 85% more sugar, 65% less fiber and 60% more sodium than cereals marketed to adults.
• We all know that low-fat dairy can play an important role in our childrens' diet but advertising cookies on a milk jug doesn't help parents say no to the sweets.
• Kraft, who promised not to advertise to children under 12, launched a promotion with this fun "alien invasion" video for kids to vote for their school to win a field trip.

As a parent, have you walked down the cereal, snack or cookie aisle with 8 to 10 year old children? Talk about a bad case of the "gimme's".It's all so truly tempting.

Parents need help. And there are a variety of groups and initiatives coming together to do so, even on the food manufacturer and grocery side. I'm glad to see the influence and passion of folks like Jamie Oliver and Michelle Obama involved. They're getting people thinking and talking about what we put into our bodies, and especially what we're feeding our children. It's time for some change.

To learn more about healthy ways to start your day, check out The Importance of Starting the Day Right at Feed Our Families.

 

Teens Gone Wild: Can They Give Up Fast Food?

If you've seen any of the food documentaries like Food, Inc., FRESH, or Fast Food Nation, then you understand the inspiration that follows. The inspiration that takes exposure from an idea and turns it into passionate energy that drives you to make changes you never even imagined. Like a Food Revolution. It's powerful. Or at least, it can be.

Like it was for Mrs. Kerrie Savage's writing class at McMinnville High School just south of Portland.

In Mrs. Savage's class, freshmen watch Food, Inc. to study the industrial revolution, while juniors view it paired with the book Fast Food Nation as part of their nonfiction reading requirement. This spring the studies led to powerful changes from a group of passionate students who set out to remove fast food eats from their lives for 30 days.

From the Take Part's story this month:

"The kids were very inspired by [the film]," says Savage, "and they had an idea that we could try giving up fast food for 30 days, just to see if it was challenging, or even if we could do it."

So they initiated a 30 day fast food boycott. The rules were simple:

1. Sign the petition to boycott fast food for 30 days.
2. No food or drink shall be consumed from a fast food establishment, whether purchased or given by another individual.
3. When in doubt, refer to the list provided in Doc Savage’s room.
4. Record any fast food relapses in a diary, but do not give up on the rest of the month (keep going until the end).
5. Hold each other responsible; use the buddy system.
6. Don’t give up!!!

They defined fast food as "any food establishment that uses an assembly line to produce food faster for customers, gives you the opportunity to receive food through a drive-thru window and/or features a dollar menu."

Sound easy? Reflect back on your days in high school. Mine offered options of vending machines with snacks or sodas, the cafeteria that sold the same five rotating "meals" called lunch every week or the ultimate...the variety of drive-thrus within a five minute drive of school where we could pick up burritos, burgers and sloppy sandwiches. Having spent almost half my career marketing fast food giants I now understand the magical spell they had then...and now.

I say, kudos to these high schoolers who have held onto their values and promise to each other to not take the easy way out of lunch. I'm proud of them for taking some tough steps towards change in the food industry.I think Mrs. Obama and her Let's Move campaign team would be too!

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Soda, Sugar and Our Nation's Health

Growing up, a gallon of low fat milk adorned our dinner table every night. I really don't recall when I was first introduced to a soda but I'm pretty certain it was not earlier than high school. And I wasn't particularly fond of it. Thankfully my own children have no interest in trying soda - or anything "bubbly" as they call it.

But I know that many young children are drinking sodas - brown, orange and clear - potentially on a weekly basis. It's especially hard when you dine out and the options at the self-serve fountain are soda, soda and soda.

Earlier this month, NPR took a look at Soda Consumption in America through conversations with Gail Woodward-Lopez of the Center for Weight and Health and Maureen Storey, senior vice president for science policy at the American Beverage Association. Some of the more interesting highlights include:

On the health ramifications of soda consumption from Gail Woodward-Lopez: Americans are actually getting as much as 9 to 13 percent of our calories from soda and other sweetened beverages. ...as Americans have consumed more sugary drinks, obesity rates have soared.

We have very strong evidence linking those two trends. And those two trends are so startlingly parallel. If you looked at a graph, the rise in sweetened beverage consumption would be in exact parallel with the increase in obesity rates.

When asked what it is about soda that contributes to weight gain (ingredients or the amount of soda), she explains that it's a combination of both. Americans are drinking more soda, and when we do so, we're not consuming healthier beverages like low fat milk or water, but we're also not cutting back on calories elsewhere. So we'll get calories from our beverage and our meal. It's an unhealthy case of double-dipping.

Points made on behalf of soda by Maureen Storey, with the American Beverage Association include:

A full-calorie soft drink has 90 percent water, and a diet soft drink is 99 percent water. Water is the most important nutrient that we have. And if we are active and need a refreshing beverage after a nice, long walk or a run, you can have a beverage and quench your thirst and stay hydrated.

When asked about her thoughts on how nutritionally sound a refreshing beverage with 22 to 34 grams of sugar is, she replied:

I don't think it's nutritionally unsound. There are some studies that show that particularly with children, children who have been exercising may not drink enough water to get back to the hydration point that they need to be at. So with a little bit of flavoring and a little bit of sweetness, they will drink enough, then, to get back to where they need to be. 

So, what do you think? Can sodas be an acceptable beverage for your child after PE class or a soccer game? Have you considered taking steps to decrease the amount of sodas you drink? Is taking sugary juice and sodas the answer? Share your thoughts below in the comments.Thanks

The New Dirty Dozen: What To Buy Organic

Whether you're standing in the produce aisle at the grocery store or in a stall at the farmer's market, it can be a challenge to prioritize what we should buy organic and where we can save some money with non-organic items. As we seem to learn each week, reducing pesticides from the foods we eat is becoming increasingly important.

Good news...The Environmental Working Group (EWG) just published their updated list of Dirty Dozen (12 foods to buy organic because they contain the most pesticides) and the Clean 15 (the fruits and vegetables that contain the least amount of pesticides). We've bought organic produce for years, but it wasn't until this time last year that we were introduced to the Dirty Dozen. Since then, we keep the list handy and make sure that we start there and spend our dollars on those organics...and more when we can.

The EWG partnered with Dr Andrew Weil for this short video that so simply explains why we should care about pesticides and how to avoid them.

My suggestion: download the Dirty Dozen/Clean 15 wallet card and keep it nearby your shopping list or in your wallet. It's a valuable piece of paper to make it easier to keep pesticides out of your family.

Tell us...how do you decide what to buy organic?

 

If you're reading this article in your email or reader and can't view the video, please click here...and enjoy!

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Are Pesticides the Missing Link to ADHD?

There was big news today coming from a recent study that links common pesticides used in growing the fruits and vegetables our children eat to ADHD. Worrisome? Oh yeah.

These pesticides are manufactured to work by interfering with the nervous system of insects but have a similar response on mammals...including humans. Considering that children are found to have a high penetration of pesticides based on their body weight, these findings are disturbing. Frightening. Quite honestly, this is the reason we switched to mostly organic produce when our youngest was about the size of a rodent.

According to one of the authors of the study, Maryse F. Bouchard, a researcher at the University of Montreal in Quebec:

...Children are at greater risk from pesticides because their young bodies are still developing and may not metabolize chemicals as well as adults'.

The most alarming finding was a near-doubling in odds of ADHD diagnoses among kids with higher-than-average levels of the most common of the six (pesticide) metabolites detected. Kids with high levels of dimethyl thiophosphate were 93 percent more likely to have the disorder than children with undetectable levels of the marker.

From Reuters:

"There is growing concern that these pesticides may be related to ADHD," said researcher Marc Weisskopf of the Harvard School of Public Health, who worked on the study.

"What this paper specifically highlights is that this may be true even at low concentrations."

Although the study didn't look at how these children were exposed to the pesticides, young children are typically exposed through the foods they eat, the water they drink or the air they breathe. According to Maryse Couchard,

"Exposure is practically ubiquitous. We're all exposed,"...people can limit their exposure by eating organic produce. Frozen blueberries, strawberries and celery had more pesticide residue than other foods in one government report.

The Huffington Post sheds light on possible solutions to minimize pesticide exposure for children:

A 2008 Emory University study found that in children who switched to organically grown fruits and vegetables, urine levels of pesticide compounds dropped to undetectable or close to undetectable levels.

Since we made the move to organic produce six years ago, more research has supported what was a parental gut-following for us, that confirms we made the right decision for our family and we'll continue to be even more vigilant given this new study. Yes, organic produce often costs more but we try to look at it as an investment in our children's health. And they are certainly worth it.

What do you think...will you think twice about the fruit and vegetables you buy? Are you already buying organics?

A Little BPA with Your Coke?

There's been a lot of discussion and activity on the BPA front lately and I'm working on an overview for you of all the recent news. I'm learning this isn't an easy task since there's been so much activity. Some of the decisions and updates aren't always as meaningful as others to our everyday lives (although still important), but when there is such news, I want to share it with you.

Just today I read this news on Coke and their perspective on BPA over at Mark Bittman's new site MarkBittman.com (written by Former Gourmet food politics reporter Barry Estabrook, who writes on the world of food politics and policy):

Last month 22 percent of Coca-Cola’s shareholders supported a resolution asking the soft drink company to disclose how it is dealing with concerns about the safety of bisphenol A, a plastic coating used to line the inside of cans. The company refused to provide the asked-for information, saying that it would not be “useful to our shareholders,” according to Food Quality News. The company said it would continue to take its guidance about the chemical’s safety from regulatory agencies.

 Maybe the Coke execs should take a look at the latest information from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which recently ordered new studies into the chemical’s safety. In a January update to on BPA, the FDA said that it shared “the perspective of the National Toxicology Program that recent studies provide reason for some concern about the potential effects of BPA on the brain, behavior, and prostate gland of fetuses, infants and children.”

It also said, “In addition, FDA is supporting reasonable steps to reduce human exposure to BPA, including actions by industry.”

If you're a die-hard Coke lover, I'm not sure this will change your habit but maybe you'll think about it the next time you vote for them with your dollars. Unfortunately, the other soda brands have yet to get involved in eliminating the use of BPA cans for their consumers so choices aren't readily available. If you're lucky to live in the Northwest, HOTLIPS All Natural Soda comes in a glass bottle and is likely the "healthiest" soda choice out there. Your local Whole Foods or other natural market might have glass bottle choices as well.

Or...you could kick the soda habit instead. Enjoy

Help Us End Childhood Hunger With Cupcakes

Last month I shared with you a bake sale that I was planning to help raise funds to end childhood hunger - a cause so very near to my heart because every child deserves a healthy future. Well, for a long list of reasons out of my control, the bake sale has changed...a bit.

We are absolutely still raising funds for Share Our Strength's Great American Bake Sale which will come back to help Oregonian children in summer programs. Here in Oregon they contribute funds to our St. Vincent De Paul Society, Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon and the Oregon Food Bank. 

The biggest difference is that there won't be a physical bake sale...but there's still a bake sale!

In exchange for your online donation at THIS SECURED PAGE, you'll receive a virtual cupcake customized just for you by my favorite four year old baker (yep, my daughter) as a small token of our personal appreciation.

And, really, isn't that easier for you? There's no driving to a location, waiting in line, potentially in the rain or making sure you have cash since no one really carries that anymore, right? Your waist will thank you too.

As will the many children your donation will help feed through the local summer programs. And that is really what this is all about. Making sure our children are getting the food they need.

Want to know how you can help?

I hope you'll visit our Great American Bake Sale site and make a donation in exchange for a virtual cupcake. We're going to accept donations through April 24 - just two weeks. The total goal for Share Our Strength's Great American Bake Sale is $1,800,000 and we can't make it without everyone giving a little bit.

Remember...small steps, small donations, do add up.

I Don't Want Compromises. I want Solutions.

Through the many trade articles I read each day, this one on a segment of mom's that one food manufacturer calls "chaotic compromisers" caught my attention. Likely not the way they intended.

Like the target mom's described in the article, I'm also a hardworking mom that wants to feed her children a breakfast they'll like...and will eat in the short amount of time that we often have in the morning. But compromise with frozen overly-processed foods?

Weekday breakfast in our home is typically an assortment of:

• Organic yogurt + granola (which is full of dried fruit and protein from nuts)

• Cereal + natural sausage + fruit

• Oatmeal + fruit + trail mix

• Eggs + bacon + fruit

• Waffles + peanut butter + fruit

Our compromises? We do buy frozen waffles when we don't have frozen leftovers from a weekend batch but they're organic gluten-free and not processed much more than our own homemade ones. We're using organic and natural ingredients, fresh fruit or what we still have canned or frozen from our harvest adventures last fall, cage-free eggs and natural bacon. You won't find high fructose corn syrup, food coloring, nitrates or nitrites, additives or preservatives on our menu.

Breakfast is said to be the most important meal of the day and everything I've ever read totally supports that - especially for kids. It's critical that they start their day right with protein and without food additives and trans fats (not that any time of the day is a good time for these). I looked at some of those frozen processed breakfast items and the sodium, cholesterol and fat content is often more than healthy, young kids should have all day.

For many kids, breakfast might be the only meal they eat at home. It might be the only opportunity we, as parents, really know what they're eating since we're likely not in the school cafeteria. Is this really where we want to compromise?

How do you start your day?

For more ideas on the most important meal of the day, check out The Importance of Starting the Day Right with Breakfast at Feed Our Families.

Eco-Friendly Water Bottles

Are you still drinking bottled water?

There's many reasons most people made the switch to a reusable bottle that range from environmental to health reasons (remember BPA? and it's health concerns?). And when we did, sales of bottled water tanked. As you could imagine, the big guys that bottle up water would prefer we buy their product instead of using our reusable bottles with tap or filtered H2O. What's a beverage company to do?

Well, the Denver Post shared news that these beverage companies are preparing to launch some greener options for bottled water fans. Here's a snipit from their story:

Last year, Atlanta-based Coca-Cola Co. unveiled a new plastic bottle made partially from plants. The Dasani bottle, made from a blend of petroleum-based materials and up to 30 percent plant-based materials, is now rolling out in select markets.

The Eco-Fina half-liter bottle for PepsiCo's Aquafina brand uses 50 percent less plastic than a similar package made in 2002.

Meanwhile, Nestle Waters is touting its next-generation Eco-Shape bottle as one of the lightest half-liter plastic bottles available today. It weighs 9.3 grams on average and uses about 25 percent less plastic than the Eco-Shape bottle launched in 2007.

Niagara Bottling LLC, which bills itself as the largest private-label water producer in America, sees "lightweighting" as a way to keep its prices low.

Are these changes enough for you? Will these innovations persuade you to make a change? Or is it too late - you're happy with your reusable bottle? Share your story with us here in the comments below.