Toxins – Small Amounts Matter

Why should the average person be worried about toxins in their home, additives, preservatives and contaminants in their foods.

Even if we are being exposed.  The exposures are so limited.

They can’t  be of any consequence.  Right?

Are you sure?

Toxins are measured in measured in parts per billion.

One part per billion has been illustrated recently by the chemical companies as the equivalent of a single pancake in a stack of pancake 4000 miles high.

Surely limited amount wouldn’t impact our bodies.  It’s “too low” to matter the to chemical companies argue.

The EWG studied to blood of an Sustainable Furniture Maker named Jesse who lives in New York.

He is arguably an average American.  This is what was found in his blood.  Measured in parts per billion (ppb):

The Blood Content of our “Average American”

• 97.5 ppb – Badge 40H (Liner in canned foods)
• 45    ppb – PFC’s
• 21     ppb – Lead
• 1.11  ppb – Mercury
• .29  ppb – PBDE’s

Common Drugs that impact our  body, as they measure in our blood as parts per billion (ppb):

• 30 ppb – Cialis (one dose)
• 30 ppb – Paxil (one dose)
• 2.1 ppb – Albuterol (one dose)
• 35 ppb – Nuvaring – birth control

At small doses – Cialis side effects include a sudden decrease in hearing or vision. Users are directed to call their doctor taking Cialis if they get an erection lasting more than 4 hours.
Drugs are effective at the very same parts per billion that the chemical companies claim are inconsequential in their product.  Drugs are designed to be effective at low doses.
Chemicals are not tested to ensure their safety or their absence of side effects at low doses.
Chemicals are consumed without unknowingly and we don’t know if we are putting ourselves, our families and our unborn children at risk.
The evidence is gathering that we are putting them at risk.

We are seeing an alarming increase in disease that can’t be explained by better diagnostics:

• Hypospadias has doubled  from 1968 – 1993 – 1 in 125 baby boys
• 62% increase in acute lymphocytic leukemia over short period of time
• 40% increase in Brain Cancer – this is not a matter of better diagnostics, we didn’t miss brain cancer in the 1960’s, 70’s, 80’s & 90’s.
• 1-150 Children – if this is due to better or more frequent diagnosis -  where are the  Autistic adults?
• Fertility difficulties are rising in women under the age of 25.
• We have the highest rate of cancer in the world and if someone moves here from another country their likelihood of cancer increases – according to the American Cancer Society.

Over and above the Human Cost there is a monitory Cost of  to Disorder

• $ 43.4 Billion – Lead poisoning
• $ 9.2 Billion – Neurobehavioral disorders, autism etc.
• $ 8.7 Billion – IQ loss from mercury
• $ 35 Billion – Asthma in Children

What can we daily to lower our exposure?

Buy organic

Eat low mercury fish

Drink filtered tap water

Use Cast Iron and Stainless Steel Cookware instead of Non-stick

Avoid “fragrance”

Kid Safe Chemical Act:

Requires that chemical has to be safe from children and other who are sensitive before they are allowed in the market.

Assumes chemicals are harming people until proven otherwise. Place the burden on the chemical companies to prove the chemicals are safe.

Prioritizes safety reviews, bans and phase-outs based on the chemicals found in people’s blood/tissue and known to be hazardous.

Chemicals found in Cord Blood are presumed to be unsafe.

Help Get it passed!

SIGN THE PETITION TODAY!

GET INVOLVED.

Most of the figures for this article came from a presentation by EWG president Ken Cook ~ 10 Americans. It’s a great presentation, well worth the time it takes to watch.

Toxins – Small Amounts Matter

The Twinkie Report: Sodium Nitrate

The Twinkie Report is PND’s investagation into the most important additives and preservatives to avoid in your diet.

We’ll also offer suggestions for ways to avoid them.

Hot Dogs, Bologna, Turkey Breast, Ham, Salami.  Unless you are a champion label reader you are likely bring home a cartload of nitrates with these foods (and others like it) from the supermarket.

Sodium Nitrite is used to preserve, color, and flavor meat products. It is commonly added to cured meats like; bacon, ham, hot dogs, luncheon meats, smoked fish, and corned beef. It helps to prevents growth of bacteria.

So what possible dangers does this preservative present?  The list is quite extensive, some links are more conclusively proven than others… a number of cancer’s top the list:

- Colorectal Cancer – 50 % higher risk for lower colon cancer – American Medical Association.
– Stomach Cancer: 38 % increase in stomach cancer for people who ate an increase of 30 grams of processed meat.
– Pancreatic Cancer: 68 % increase risk in pancreatic cancer for groups who consumed high quantities of processed meats – National Cancer Institute.
– Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
– DNA Mutations
– Increased risk of colon cancer.
– Increased risk of Brain Tumors in Children

ADDITIONAL SOURCES OF SODIUM NITRATE

In addition to exposure from cured meats (and such) we are also exposed eating nitrates from leafy & root vegetables.  But don’t think that means you should avoid these vegetables, the belief is the compounds in natural nitrates actually inhibit the development of disease, rather than cause it.

Nitrites are found some drinking water due to fertilizers, manure, animal feedlots and other environmental pollution sources.  I know our water filter lists nitrates as one of the elements it removes from the water, it may be worth confirming that yours does the same.

THE GOOD NEWS

I don’t know about you, but my kids love sausage and hot dogs.  I don’t want to deprive them completely and most veggie dogs don’t quite measure up.

The food industry has responded.  If you read labels carefully you can find cured meats that are free of Sodium Nitrates and other things you want to avoid too.  My rule of thumbs is not to buy it if I can’t pronounce it.

Items we’ve found that taste great and are Nitrate Free and free of most other nastiness:

• Aidells Smoked Chicken Sausage – We like the Roasted Garlic & Gruyere Cheese.
• Trader Joe’s Smoked Fresh Turkey Kielbasa (This one has a tough casing, I freeze it and peel the casing while the meat is frozen).  Very lean and with an ingredient list of Turkey, Water, Sea Salt, Spices, Paprika, Dehydrated Garlic and Beef Collagen Casing – worth the trouble.
• Trader Joe’s Uncure Turkey Bacon
• Trader Joe’s – Uncured All Beef Hot Dogs
• Applegate Farms Certified Organic Sunday Bacon

This list is by no means complete, it’s a sampling of what was in the diva home at the time I wrote this post.

As a rule these meats are still going to have a higher sodium content. We don’t typically use them as a main course, rather as a side to a meal or a flavor enhancer.

Don’t forget to consider the meat that was used to make the product.  Is it organic, raised without hormones, antibiotics, vegetarian fed, etc.

Some sources used for this article include:

SixWise
MSN ~ 12 Preservatives to Avoid
Center for Science in the Public Interest

The Twinkie Report: Sodium Nitrate

Diva Fair Trade Review ~ Santa Cruz Organics Iced Tea

By Tania Reuben

Santa Cruz Organics, known for their wonderful juices has created a line of yummy organic, fair trade brewed teas.  The teas are flavored with real fruit.  I enjoyed it in mango, raspberry, and lemon flavor. It also comes in peppermint, which was decidedly not my favorite. Odd, because peppermint tea is delightful to me hot.  Organic Juices are a natural flavor source and sweetening component. I say component because like most ready to drink teas, they do have added sugar, which I’d love to see eliminated all together or replaced with agave.

Have you ever read the ingredients in Lipton Ice Tea (Lemon for this analysis); water, high fructose corn syrup, citric acid, sodium hexamet(something), ascorbic acid, honey, natural flavors, phosphoric acid, sodium benzocte, potassium sorbate, calcium disodium edta, carmel color, yellow 5, blue 1.

Compare that to Santa Cruz Brewed Mango Tea (water, green, black and white tea, organic evaporated cane juice, organic white grape juice concentrate, organic mango puree, organic pineapple juice concentrate, organic natural peach flavor and citric acid.

These teas are a much better choice for Snapple and Lipton Ice Tea fans from the perspective of ingredient analysis.

I love that the teas are fair trade certified.  Additionally they contain green tea, which is renowned for it’s health benefits.  If you are going to enjoy a glass of ice tea, why not get a few health benefits too. Green Tea has been studied to be effective as an anti-carcinogen, lowering stress levels and boosting immune function, to mention a few.

If you don’t have time to brew your own ice tea, this is marked improvement over conventional selections.

A 32 oz bottle retails around $3.

In celebration of fair trade month Santa Cruz Organics is giving 3 lucky readers a prize pack of Tea. Each winner will receive two bottles of each of Tea Flavor (lemon, peppermint, raspberry and mango).

THE WINNERS – Dymphna, Tamara & Vicki – Congratulations!!!

Santa Cruz Organic Tea

HOW TO ENTER:

There are a few ways you can enter, leave separate comments for each entry.

Mandatory:

Become a Confirmed Email Subscriber to PND using the form in the sidebar.
- New Subscribers will receive an email that you must confirm for your subscription for your entry to be valid.
- Already a confirmed Subscriber. Complete any one of the additional entries options – Leave a comment letting Diva know you’re subscriber name and the entry option you selected.

Additional Entries

1. Go to the Santa Cruz Organics – CLICK HERE website and share something you learn.

2. Stumble this post. Leave a comment with your name and the link to the stumble.

3. Follow @purenaturaldiva on twitter (use link on the sidebar). Leave your twittername in a separate comment.

4. Become a Fan of Pure Natural Diva on Facebook and post this giveaway as an update, leave your FB Name or Name with a copy of your update in a separate comment. One entry for each.

5. Tweet this giveaway. Copy and paste “@PureNaturalDiva Fair Trade Giveaway from Santa Cruz Organics http://bit.ly/3mPJAt”. Then come back and leave the direct link to your tweet (go to your twitter account, click on the words when your tweet was sent (ie. 5 seconds ago) and copy and paste that link in comments.

6. Write a post on your blog linking to my blog. Good for two entries. Leave this comment twice so you get both entries!

This giveaway will run through midnight on October 27, 2009 PDT, with winner being announced by the morning of Oct 29, 2009. Winner will be chosen using Random.org from all valid entries and notified via email. Winner will have 48 hours to contact me before another winner is chosen.

Giveaway is open to residents of the U.S.

Diva Fair Trade Review ~ Santa Cruz Organics Iced Tea

The Twinkie Report ~ 12 Preservatives to Avoid

By Tania Reuben

PND recently found an article on MSN Health and Fitness 12 Preservative to Avoid, it seemed worth sharing.  The article briefly lists MSN Healths picks for the top 12 additives and preservatives to avoid and briefly explains why.  This list has inspired PND to create a new series.

We’re calling it ~ The Twinkie Report.

The 12 preservatives to avoid:

Sodium Nitrate

Propyl Gallateu usually used in conjunction with BHA (Butylated hydroxyanisole) and BHT (butylated hydrozyttoluene)

Propyl gallate

MSG – Monosodium glutamate – AKA Natural Flavorings

Trans fats

Aspartame

Acesulfame-K – Another Sweetener

Food colorings: Blue 1, 2; Red 3; Green 3; and Yellow 6

Olestra

Potassium bromate

White sugar

Sodium chloride

Over the next few weeks PND plans on going through each preservative on the list to learn even more about why we should be avoiding them.

Some questions we’ll ask:

What is it?
Why Should we avoid it?
Where is it used/Which Foods?
What can we do/use instead?

We’re not sure exactly why we’re picking on the Twinkie, except when thinking about the ultimate in non food, preservative laden food ~ The Twinkie comes to mind first!

Then we found this picture, which keeps making us laugh.  On side note I don’t think we’ll be doing any hostess giveaways in the near future.  Apologies to our readers.

What exactly is in the Twinkie – not much that can be considered real food from our research.

Digging a little deeper the top ingredients are:

1. Enriched Wheat Flour – enriched with ferrous sulphate (iron), B vitamins (niacin, thiamine mononitrate [B1],ribofavin [B12] and folic acid).
2. Sugar
3. Corn syrup
4. Water
5. High fructose corn syrup
6. Vegetable and/or animal shortening – containing one or more of partially hydrogenated soybean, cottonseed or canola oil, and beef fat.
7. Dextrose
8. Whole eggs

According to Steve Ettlinger’s book, Twinkie Deconstructed, five ingredients come from rocks and other ingredients like cellulose gum, Polysorbate 60, and calcium sulfate… These ingredients are also used in sheet rock, shampoo, and rocket fuel.

We’re looking forward to learning more and sharing with you over the coming weeks.

First up ~ Sodium Nitrate.

The Twinkie Report ~ 12 Preservatives to Avoid

Genetically Modified Organisms – GMO – What are they and why should we be concerned?

By Camille Frazier

Not enough is known about the environmental, social, and health effects of GMOs, and they remain an extremely controversial issue. GMOs, or genetically modified organisms, are created by injecting DNA from one species into another, in a laboratory.  The process creates combinations of plant, animal, bacteria, and viral genes that do not occur in nature or through traditional cross-breeding. The two most common traits are insect resistance and herbicide tolerance.  So, genes are bred into the plants that make them produce their own pesticide, or withstand repeated high doses of chemicals like Round-Up.

What little independent research has been done suggests that GMOs have dangerous consequences for our health. For example, a long-term feeding trial commissioned by the Austrian government found mice fed on GM corn or maize had fewer offspring and lower birth rates than the control group. Other feeding studies in animals have shown potentially pre-cancerous cell growth, damaged immune systems, smaller brains, and higher death rates, among other things (for more details, please see http://www.nongmoproject.org/consumers/links-and-resources/). Clearly, more research is needed to fully understand the impact of GMOs on human health.

In more than 30 other countries in the world, including the European Union, there are significant restrictions or outright bans on GMOs, because they are not considered proven safe. In the U.S. on the other hand, the FDA approved commercial production of GMOs based on studies conducted by the companies who created them and profit from their sale. Many health-conscious shoppers find the lack of rigorous, independent, scientific examination on the impact of consuming GM foods to be cause for concern.

In the U.S., GMOs are in over 80% of the products in an average grocery store. Even though there are only a handful of crops that have commercially produced GMO varieties, they’re crops that get used in the majority of processed food (like corn and soy).  In 2007, 73% of the U.S. corn crop, 91% of the U.S. soy crop, 87% of the U.S. cotton crop and over 75% of the U.S. canola crop were planted with GMO varieties.  GMO Hawaiian papaya as well as several types of GMO squash were also grown, and Canada and Australia recently approved the commercial production of GMO wheat, beginning as early as 2010.

Despite these high levels of GMOs, Polls consistently show that a significant majority of North Americans would like to be able to tell if the food they’re purchasing contains GMOs (a 2008 CBS News Poll found that 87% of consumers wanted GMOs labeled). And, according to a recent CBS/New York Times poll, 53% of consumers said they would not buy food that has been genetically modified. This is where the Non-GMO Project comes in. The Non-GMO Project’s seal for verified products will, for the first time, give the public an opportunity to make an informed choice when it comes to GMOs. (perhaps a break here? Could say something like, “Look for more on the Non-GMO Project next week. In the meantime, please visit www.nongmoproject.org <http://www.nongmoproject.org> )”

The Non-GMO Project
The Non-GMO Project is a non-profit organization committed to ensuring the sustained availability of non-GMO options. Our shared belief is that everyone deserves an informed choice about whether or not to consume genetically modified products, and our common mission is to ensure the sustained availability of non-GMO choices.

The Project began as an initiative of independent natural foods retailers who were interested in providing their customers with more information regarding the GMO risk of their products. As the Project evolved, it became clear that in order for the initial vision of standardized labeling to be possible, a 3rd party verification program was needed that would identify products compliant with a uniform, consensus-based definition of non-GMO. With the help of technical consultants FoodChain Global Advisors, and fueled by the passion of a dynamic array of industry leaders, the Non-GMO Project has successfully created a collaborative non-GMO verification program that began enrolling products in the fall of 2008. Working at every level of the supply chain, all the way back to the seeds, the Project’s role is to inspire and ensure viable non-GMO alternatives long into the future.

Where we are today
For the last two years, we’ve been refining the technical details of the program, seeking input from as many stakeholders as possible. Products are assessed for compliance to the Non-GMO Project Standard, which includes criteria for traceability, segregation, and testing at critical control points. We’ve held 4 public comment periods on our Standard and have scheduled those to recur every fall and spring, so that there is consistent opportunity for everyone to give us feedback. Our Standard is available at http://www.nongmoproject.org/industry/non-gmo-project-standard/. The many years of collaboration have paid off, as starting this fall, the “Non-GMO Project Verified” seal will begin to appear on packaging.

There are already over 800 products are currently enrolled in the Product Verification Program, and Whole Foods recently announced its plan to enroll its entire private label product line.  You can find a complete list of enrolled products at http://www.nongmoproject.org/consumers/search-enrolled-products/ Finally, consumers will have an informed choice when it comes to GMOs!

The Non-GMO Project depends on the support and collaboration of manufacturers, retailers, processors, distributors, farmers, seed breeders and consumers. To learn more about how you can get involved, please visit our website, www.nongmoproject.org. From there, you can download our Shopping Guide, learn more about the Product Verification Program, or sign up as a Supporting Retailer. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to fill out an online questionnaire or contact me directly at outreach@nongmoproject.org. We look forward to your partnership!

Become a fan of the Non-GMO Project on Facebook.

BIO:
Camille Frazier is the Outreach Coordinator for the Non-GMO Project. She joined the Project in May after a semester as an intern and has been working on outreach projects such as the Supporting Retailer program, letters to seed companies, and follow-ups with manufacturers. You can reach Camille directly at outreach@nongmoproject.org.

Genetically Modified Organisms – GMO – What are they and why should we be concerned?

Organic Wine & Wine Making – The basics

By Tania Reuben

Grapes are near the top of the list of produce to buy organic. Wine’s number one ingredient is grapes. So, it seems logical to put wine on the list of product that we strongly consider buying organic.

Until a recent visit to my sister in Santa Fe, NM, I hadn’t actually purchased any organic wines. One reason – my husband is the person in our home who buys the wines.

He still hasn’t grasped the concept that at the most basic level organic only means something was grown without pesticides. Not that it’s healthier for you, better for you, worse for you – just grown without pesticides. In his mind it means it tastes bad and I keep trying to remind him that is a result of a recipe he doesn’t like and not the absence of pesticides.

The likelihood of me asking him to select organic wines and not having him stomp out of the room is low.

In Santa Fe I found myself with 3 hours to kill in the Whole Foods (waiting for a hole in my car windshield to be repaired – I digress). While I spent most of the time in beauty section, I did carve out some time in the wine section. I managed to select a couple of decent organic wines (with some help) priced from $8-17.

This experience compelled me to come home and do a little research on Organic Wines.

Organic Wine labels can be a little confusing. The source of the confusion stems from Sulfites.

You’ve probably heard of them before, but what are they and what’s the big deal? Sulfites occur naturally in the wine making process. They are also be added to wine to help the wine age better in the bottle, give the wine better color and prevent the wine from oxidizing (going bad) once the bottle has been opened. Reputable wineries use them minimally and they are not know to be linked to cancers or other health risks.

So, what is the problem with Sulfites? Some people are allergic to them. Consequently people that are allergic will need to avoid them.

What does all this have to do with Organic Wines? Well, in order for a wine to be labeled Organic in the US, it must not have any added sulfites. This is a problem for wine makers. There is no “better” substitute for sulfites in the wine making industry, leaving winemakers with fields of organic grapes out of organic wine making.

Wines made with organic grapes will be labeled “wine made with organic grapes”.

Digging deeper we could look for how organic the wineries process is, are they manipulating the wine with reverse osmosis, using excessive filtration? Are they using Oak Chips to flavor the wine (as a flavor additive)?

Yeast is used in wine making too. Many organic wineries will choose wild yeast for fermenting their wines.

Ideally winemaking techniques would be organic as well; little or no manipulation of wines by reverse osmosis, excessive filtration, or flavor additives (such as oak chips). Many organic winemakers also prefer wild yeasts for fermentation.

Other areas to consider would be the sustainability of the wine making practices, but there are not standards in place for measuring this, so if you encounter it on a label, you’ll have to take their word for it.

Any time you really delve into the wine making process it can feel overwhelming very quickly.

Start out by looking for wines made with organic grapes. Chances are those wineries are looking at all the areas they can improve upon on their own and at the very least you know the grapes are grown without herbicides, fungicides or pesticides.

More Information:
Organic Consumers
Wines and Vines

Coming Soon:
I’m hoping my longtime friend and Wine Maven Antonia will create a nice wine list for us to sample from. Cross your fingers that she’ll say yes.

Organic Wine & Wine Making – The basics