Make Your Own Natural Food Coloring

With the Easter holiday coming up, lots of families will enjoy the fun tradition of dying Easter eggs.  Spring and summer are also popular times for birthday parties and other celebrations that require colorfully decorated cakes, cupcakes and ice cream.  

Unfortunately, traditional food coloring dyes used in lots of foods and crafts are made from chemicals and color additives, such as yellow 5, red 40, blue 1 among others. Color additives are blended to create a brightness or intensity to the base color. The other basic ingredients of synthetic food coloring are propylparaben, propylene glycol and water.

Propylparaben is used in both cosmetics and in food. It is composed of white powder crystals that act as a preserving agent in liquids. Propylparaben prevents the growth of mold and fungus and has no taste or smell.

Propylene glycol is classified by the Federal Department of Agriculture as a food additive, but is also used in medicines and cosmetics. It is the result of a chemical reaction between propylene oxide and water, and is a liquid without color or smell. Propylene glycol is classified as a solvent that stabilizes the ingredients in a given synthetic product.

More information about the ingredients in synthetic food coloring and color additives can be found at: Ingredients in Food Coloring | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/about_5341387_ingredients-food-coloring.html#ixzz1qeZIrwqJ

Make Your Own Natural Food Coloring Using Fruits and Vegetables

Why spoil the fun of dying Easter eggs or frosting cupcakes by using a bunch of chemicals when there is a completely natural and healthy way to get the same fun colorful result?  It’s easy to make your own natural food coloring using fruits and vegetables (plus, your family gets the added nutritional benefit of consuming more fruits and veggies!)

In order to make homemade food coloring you will need:

·      Separate bowls to mix the colors

·      Fruit and veggies to make the dye

·      Juicer or food processor to puree the foods needed for the food coloring

Red

When making red food coloring you can use red berries, such as strawberries, raspberries or cranberries that have been pureed. These berries will add a delicious flavor to icing or food. If you need a liquid dye you can either juice a pomegranate or peel, dice and boil beets to get a deep red colored dye from the water that the beets are cooked in.  You can also boil cranberries to get a deep red color.

Orange

An easy way to make orange food coloring for either frosting or for dying Easter eggs is with carrot juice (homemade or store-bought). You can also use mangos, which require less work to juice if you get them very ripe.

Yellow

Yellow food coloring can be made with the spices saffron or turmeric. Since these spices have flavor, make sure you use a small amount and test the food before adding to an entire batch of frosting. For a liquid dye, you can just add saffron threads or ground turmeric to water.  If you want very little favor added to your dye, use the juice from a few yellow bell peppers.

Green

Green food coloring is easy to make and very quick. Mash some ripe avocados and mix them in with frosting to get green colored frosting. To get a green liquid dye or to get a darker green color to add into frosting, juice some kale, spinach or Swiss chard.  You can also steam the green leafy vegetables to get a dark green liquid dye from the water the greens are steamed in.

Blue

To make blue food coloring, juice some fresh blueberries.

Purple

Believe it or not, the best vegetable to make purple dye with is purple cabbage. If you juice the cabbage, you have an instant purple food coloring. If you don’t have a juicer, or want more of a liquid dye, you can boil the cabbage and then use the juice for the purple food coloring.

Pink

Pink food coloring can be made by juicing strawberries or raspberries.  If the berries produce too dark of a color, simply dilute the color with water or white frosting to get the shade of pink you want.  To get a liquid dye, or a dye that is not sweet, peel, dice and boil beets. This will give you a red dye, and then dilute it with water until you get a lighter color.

Brown

You can make brown food coloring by mixing cocoa powder with the frosting or food you are trying to color.  If you need a liquid dye, you can brew some strong coffee or espresso and use that. 

Healthy Eating: Starting Your Kids Off Right

 The following is a guest post from one of my dearest friends, Alice Seuffert. 

Alice is a St. Paul Mom, wife, full-time employee in education, food blogger and the Kitchen Star on the television show, Twin Cities Live.  You can access her blog that contains tons of fabulous original recipes at http://diningwithalice.blogspot.com/ and follow her on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/diningwithalice or Twitter: @aliceseuffert or @diningwithalice

I am a mom that likes to cook and make food fun and creative. 
I often get asked:

How I get my 2 ½ year old to eat everything I serve?

Is there a secret?

Does she really eat salad?

Do you puree veggies into regular food?

These are just a few of the many questions I receive.  I truly believe the investment you make early on in your child’s eating habits must be viewed as strong as any other child-rearing commitment you make.  It is an investment that will reap many rewards; teaching your child how to eat and enjoy a balanced diet as well as build a foundation of good health for now and later life. 

Here is my story-how I guided my daughter to a path of healthy eating with a few pokes and prods (rules) along the way. 

I chose to breast feed my daughter for 19 months.  When I decided to start solids, I talked to my pediatrician and was told it was really up to me on what to introduce first; veggies or fruit.  I actually did some homework and mapped out a plan for introducing the foods.  I read books and researched online about the introduction of various foods. Each week, I made a list of fruits, veggies, meats, nuts, dairy products and seafood and would plan my week of introduction.  It was fun to see the list grow on my fridge.  Plus, as an added benefit, it helped with daycare instructions as I could be specific on what she could and should not have.

I did not allow companies or grocers to dictate through baby food jars what I should be serving my child; I decided myself.  I followed the “Dirty Dozen” organic lists and I made my own baby food.   When making the baby food, I would use my breast milk as the liquid. 

When the time came around for finger foods, I opted for options outside of puffs, yogurt melts and cheerios.   Instead, I offered small pieces of fruits and veggies.   I also kept her away from squeezable packages of fruits and vegetables and offered her the real thing.  Even when on the go, I packaged her fresh foods in a neoprene lunch bag.  Onlookers gave me weird looks when they witnessed me handing my little girl brussel sprouts to gnaw on!  I should note too, she didn’t love everything the first time, but I didn’t give up, I continually offered her the food, and eventually she accepted it.

But everything changes when they are a toddler, right? It doesn’t have to.  Since toddlers are so independent and want to be big helpers, I let my daughter help prepare her meals (I decide what she is going to eat and she scoops it on her plate).   Recently I was making dinner and had a plate of asparagus sitting out that I was planning to serve with dinner and as I was cooking she “snuck” no less than 5 spears-she ate what was available.  Consider that when feeding your child, what is available in your house? If you only offer hot dogs, spaghetti os and macaroni and cheese each night is it any wonder your child sticks her nose up when you attempt to serve them a real “adult looking” meal?  Serve your child what you are having for dinner and don’t be a short order cook-if they know there are other options, they will demand those options.  Toddlers are all about choices too, “would you like tomatoes or peas with your dinner?”  Encourage choices but guide the options, bring them to the grocery store, “would you like meatloaf or spaghetti and meatballs for dinner?”  Trips to the grocery store can also be a lesson on colors, letters and numbers as you browse through the produce section.  If you have a farmers market close by, bring them along.  They will have fun picking their veggies!

Finally, as with healthy adult eating, you have to find a balance in life and there are “special” time foods.  Do we have sweets? Yes, I love to bake and cupcakes are her favorite.  In our house we don’t eat fast food and my daughter has no idea what McDonalds is but we do walk to our local burger restaurant for special occasions.  Again, you as the parent create the foundation and then determine when the time is appropriate for “special” foods. 

Below is a list of healthy eating rules I have established for our family.

Healthy Eating Rules:

·      Healthy eating rules need to be a practice by the whole family.  Both parents need to be on board and you must also include care providers-daycare as well as grandparents and babysitters.

·      Offer snacks that are real food-fruit, veggies, nuts, dried fruits, cheese (instead of puffs, yogurt melts and cereal) and be careful about when you offer the foods as to not fill up before mealtime.

·      Avoid using food as entertainment.  While it is tempting to offer food to avoid meltdowns during certain times, children can consume large amounts of “entertainment snacks” while you sit through church, wait for your meal to arrive or during your coffee meeting with a friend. After consuming so many snacks they won’t be hungry to actually eat a real meal.

·      Don’t offer flavored milk, I also avoid all juice except for smoothies.  Milk at meal times and water at all other times.

·      Offer fruits and vegetables in a manner in which you would like your child to enjoy them in the future (do you want your child to always eat fruit or veggies out of squeeze pouch or secretly mixed into food).  Along the same lines, avoid regularly saucing or putting cheese on veggies.

·       When eating at a restaurant share your meal with your child.  Children’s meal options are rarely healthy and sharing forces you to eat healthy too.

·      Give your child their entire meal at once.  It is tempting to give the meat and veggies first and bread and fruit after they eat the first two items but it is important for them to understand the food as a meal and that you expect them to eat what you have provided.  Toddlers are smart and catch on quickly when you show them veggies, etc aren’t preferred foods. 

·      Don’t be a short-order cook.  Make the meal and serve it, “this is what is for dinner”-don’t offer alternatives.  If the child doesn’t like what is served that is fine and they can get down from the table after you determine mealtime to be over.  Your child will learn that you as the parent determine what is being served (not them).  Prepare for a “hungry and more willing to try something new” child at the next meal. 

·      Avoid “children’s meals”-macaroni and cheese, hot dogs, frozen kids meals, packaged “toddler” meals, etc.  If you continually provide these foods as meals, children will expect them and introducing a cut up chicken breast with plain veggies will likely not go over well.

·      Avoid condiments unless it is dressing for a salad or part of a recipe.

·      Don’t say things like, “She won’t like that, she doesn’t eat broccoli” or “She doesn’t like spicy foods.” Most importantly, don’t say things like “I hate mushrooms” or “That doesn’t look good.”  When you make disparaging comments, your child uses that as a gauge and makes decisions about eating what is presented to them based on how you react.

Establishing healthy eating in your family is a marathon, not a jog around the block.  You need to take your time, prepare, train, and go with the ups and downs; every step is not necessarily predictable.  Take each meal one step at a time; something they hated yesterday may be something they love tonight. 

Eating Organic

When I was pregnant, my doctor told me to eat organic fruits and veggies in order to avoid ingesting pesticides, fertilizers and other toxins that can be found in conventional produce.  I was also told to eat meat that was not treated with hormones and other artificial additives and preservatives.  In order to avoid having my family ingest unnecessary toxins, I tend to buy organic produce as much as possible. Some organic produce I can buy at my local grocery store, Sendik’s Market (http://www.sendiksmarket.com), and other produce requires me to take a trip to my local co-op, The Outpost (http://www.outpost.coop).

Now that my daughter, Addison, is beginning to eat solid foods (well, sort of ‘solids’—more like purees), I am especially careful about remnants of pesticides and fertilizers in the food I feed her.  Being that my local grocery store doesn’t carry the variety of organic produce I want Addison to have, I wondered—is it necessary to eat all organic? Are there some foods that are safe to eat non-organic? Since eating organic is not always available, and can sometimes be more expensive, I did some research about what it means for foods to be considered organic, and what foods are especially important to buy organic, based on the saturation levels of pesticides and fertilizers.

Defining “Organic”

According to the United States Department of Agriculture National Organic Standards Board, in order for a food to be certified as organic and carry the USDA Organic Certification Label, the product must abide by the following definitions:

◦                 “Organic agriculture is an ecological production management system that promotes and enhances biodiversity, biological cycles and soil biological activity. It is based on minimal use of off-farm inputs and on management practices that restore, maintain and enhance ecological harmony.

◦                “‘Organic’ is a labeling term that denotes products produced under the authority of the Organic Foods Production Act. The principal guidelines for organic production are to use materials and practices that enhance the ecological balance of natural systems and that integrate the parts of the farming system into an ecological whole.

◦                “Organic agriculture practices cannot ensure that products are completely free of residues; however, methods are used to minimize pollution from air, soil and water.

“Organic food handlers, processors and retailers adhere to standards that maintain the integrity of organic agricultural products. The primary goal of organic agriculture is to optimize the health and productivity of interdependent communities of soil life, plants, animals and people.”

In order to ensure that products that claim to be organic are living up to the standards set by the federal government, organic food producers must pass regular inspections. 30,000 on-site inspections occur per year by certifying agents, and are performed to monitor compliance with USDA organic standards.  There is also a residue-testing program to verify that prohibited pesticides aren’t being applied to organic crops.

More information about the USDA’s organic certification program can be found at the following link: http://www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/pubs/ofp/ofp.shtml

Which Foods are the Most Important to Eat Organic?

According to the Environmental Working Group (www.ewg.org), the following fruits and vegetables are the most important to buy organic because they contain the highest levels of pesticide residue:

It is important to buy these foods organic, if you can:
 1.) Apples
2.) Celery 
3.) Strawberries
4.) Peaches
5.) Spinach
6.) Nectarines
7.) Grapes 
8.) Sweet Bell Peppers
9.) Potatoes
10.) Blueberries
11.) Lettuce
12.) Kale/Collard Greens


It is not as important to buy the following fruits and vegetables organic, because they contain the lowest levels of pesticide residue (and for many of them, you peel off the skin to eat them):


1.) Onions
2.) Pineapple
3.) Sweetcorn
4.) Avocado
5.) Asparagus
6.) Sweet peas
7.) Mangoes
8.) Eggplant
9.) Cantaloupe 
10.) Kiwi
11.) Watermelon
12.) Sweet Potatoes
13.) Mushrooms
14.) Grapefruit
15.) Cabbage

Reasons to Consider Using Cloth Diapers

Reason #1-No harsh chemicals on baby’s sensitive skin

Reason #2-You can save $1,200 by using cloth diapers instead of disposable diapers

Reason #3-You have to take out the garbage way less!! Cloth diapers prevent up to one ton of landfill garbage waste

Reason #4-Cloth diapers come in lots of fun colors and patterns (the newest ones I bought have math symbols on them!)

Reason #5-You can reuse them with multiple kids

Avoid Chemicals and Excess Landfill Waste

When I first found I was pregnant, my husband, Matt, and I took a class offered by a nurse at my OBGYN clinic about preparing to have a baby. One of the first things that we learned at the class is that the most popular brand of diapers—the type of diapers that are given to new mothers at the hospital—are actually the most chemically saturated diapers on the market.  This particular diaper company has actually had issues with the chemicals in their diapers causing rashes and chemical burns on the delicate, sensitive skin of babies.

At the time of my pregnancy, I was working for an environmental advocacy organization in Minnesota. As a result of my work, I was naturally concerned about my environmental impact. I originally became interested in cloth diapering because I did not want to contribute to landfill garbage that my child would have to deal with as she grows up. I did not immediately consider the toxic chemicals that were in the disposable diapers that are so commonly used by the majority of mothers. 

My own mother was also very concerned about the chemicals in most disposable diapers. She was so concerned about those chemicals coming into contact with her only grandchild’s delicate, sensitive skin, that my mom bought my baby her first set of newborn cloth diapers, and even agreed to do the diaper laundry for the first month of Addison’s life (fortunately for her, we had to move when Addison was two weeks old, so my mom was relieved of diaper laundry duty early ;-)

Explore Different Cloth Diapering Options

From looking at various cloth diapering options online, I felt totally overwhelmed and needed to see the different diaper options in person before I could settle on what I thought I would be most comfortable with, and what seemed easy to manage in the chaos that comes with having a newborn.

To learn about the different cloth diaper options, my mom and I ventured to a natural baby products store in St. Paul, MN where they have a variety of styles and brands of cloth diapers. One of the sales associates at the store was very helpful in explaining the different types of cloth diapers, including information about proper washing and care for the diapers.

I also learned about diaper laundering services (most diaper laundering services charge a monthly fee, and they provide you with unlimited diapers—commonly basic pre-folds diapers—and then the service picks the diapers up at your house to wash them once a week). After consideration of using a diaper service, I decided I would rather wash our own diapers 2-3 times per week rather than having dirty diapers sitting in a diaper pail in our house for a week—just personal preference. Also, I wanted to be able to choose the style and brand of cloth diapers we would use, and not be limited to using pre-folds.

Grovia All-In-One Newborn Diapers

Before Addison was born, we bought two-dozen Grovia All-in-One cloth diapers for newborns (https://www.gro-via.com/cloth/grovia-newborn-aio.html).  These diapers are made of cotton with an organic cotton liner that is sewn into the inside of the diaper to provide an extra layer of absorption.  You wash the dirty diapers in your washing machine once with cold water, once with warm or hot water, and then either hang to dry or put in a dryer for two cycles. Since the insert in the diaper is sewn in, the fabric is very thick and takes a long time to line dry. This is also why if you dry the diapers in a dryer, you must go through two dryer cycles.  Obviously, two wash cycles and two dry cycles uses a lot of water and energy, so these are factors to consider when buying these diapers. If you live in a warm climate, or have a baby during the warmer months, I highly recommend line-drying the diapers outside. First of all, you will save on energy costs, and secondly, the sun actually naturally bleaches stains out of the diapers.  Since Grovia’s newborn diapers only fit Addison until she was 12 pounds, she wore them for her first three months (7-12 pounds), and then we had to buy a larger size of cloth diapers.

Bum Genius One-Size Pocket Diapers

For our next set of cloth diapers, we bought Bum Genius one-size pocket diapers (http://www.bumgenius.com/one-size.php).  One great thing about these diapers is that they are adjustable in size so that they can grow with your baby between 10-35 pounds (they are advertised to fit babies at 7 pounds, but I think Addison would have been swimming in these diapers when she weighed 7 pounds). Another great thing about these diapers is that while you still have to wash them twice to get them clean, since the cloth inserts come out of the diapers, the inserts will dry after one cycle in your dryer. The outer shell of the diaper is not even supposed to go in the dryer, so I line dry mine, and they dry after a few hours, even in my basement in the middle of the winter.  One down side to these diapers is that unlike the All-in-One diapers that do not have multiple components to handle, when you are done washing and drying the diapers, you have to slide the cotton inserts into the diaper pockets. It’s not difficult, but it is an extra step in-between when the diapers come out of the wash to when they are ready for use on your baby.

Pre-folds (written by guest blogger Michelle Bonar Schiro, mother of Lucia-7 months)

I think one of the easiest and most affordable ways to cloth diaper is to use prefold diapers with a cover. I have a lot of success with this diapering system. You can simply fold your prefold diaper in thirds and lay into your favorite cover (mine are the Thirsties duo-fit). For a trimmer fit, try putting the prefold on your baby and "pinning" with a snappie (the modern diaper pin) followed by the waterproof cover. Prefolds are a great addition to your diaper collection, they wash up nicely and they dry quickly. Another great feature of this cloth diaper method is that your cover can be re-used multiple times in a day before being washed (so long as your baby has not pooped on it). This cuts down on the number of covers you have to buy. I love using cloth on my baby girl! Happy cloth diapering!

A Few Things to Keep in Mind with Cloth Diapers

You have to use special laundry detergent that is specific to the type of diaper you have. For our Grovia diapers, we used Tide Free (available at most major grocery stores and Target stores).  For our Bum Genius diapers, we were told not to use Tide Free, and instead use a detergent called Planet that is harder to find. There are other detergents that can be used, but you cannot use regular detergent, particularly detergent with any bleach or perfumes, as they degrade the fabric of the diapers and compromise absorbency and lifespan.  I recommend buying cloth diapers that have snaps instead of Velcro fasteners, because I have heard from many people that the Velcro fasteners irritate baby’s skin and doesn’t hold up well after lots of washing.

If you are considering using cloth diapers for your newborn, and your newborn weighs 9 pounds or less, keep in mind that you will have to buy a set of cloth diapers to fit your newborn, and they will quickly grow out of them.  Then you will have to buy a bigger size once they reach 11-12 pounds. You cannot use cloth diapers that are too big for your baby because they will not fit properly, and they will leak.

Finally, you have to change cloth diapers more frequently than disposable diapers, because they do not have the absorption chemicals that pull moisture away from your baby’s skin.  If cloth diapers do not get changed often enough, they will cause diaper rash due to moisture accumulation.  Once Addison started sleeping longer periods during the night, we began using disposable diapers at night so that any moisture was pulled away from her delicate skin for the hours she would have the diaper on. Believe it or not, there are disposable diapers that do not have the bleach, chlorine and other chemicals that are harmful to baby’s skin. We use (and love) Earth’s Best disposable diapers (http://www.earthsbest.com/node/59 ) at nighttime. Earth’s Best makes their products (diapers, wipes, formula, baby food, etc) using environmentally friendly practices, and uses renewable energy resources.  We have found that you can buy Earth’s Best products for a very competitive price when you order from www.Amazon.com or www.diapers.com .  We have also tried Seventh Generation diapers, which also do not have many of the harsh chemicals that leading diaper brands contain, but we have found Earth’s Best to have better absorption.  

Whatever you decide, I just had to let you know---we have fallen in love with our cloth diapers, and they are definitely worth the extra laundry!!

Chemicals to Care About

I think it’s important that us parents know what toxic chemicals are hiding out in many places, products and substances we use everyday in our homes and with our children. I also believe that some basic knowledge about the negative health impacts that these chemicals can have is crucial to raising healthy, strong, happy families.

These are just a few of the toxic chemicals that many healthcare experts, scientists, and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are concerned about:

Bisphenol A (BPA)

Most commonly found in plastics (including reusable water bottles, baby bottles, sippy cups, Tupperware, lining of canned foods, canned soda and beer, liquid infant formula), recycled paper and cardboard boxes (including pizza boxes).

BPA is harmful because it is a hormone-disrupting chemical that mimics estrogen (the female sex hormone essential for the development and functioning of reproductive organs). BPA can also interfere with the functioning of the thyroid hormone, which is important for the development of the brain and nervous system. Exposure to BPA has been associated with miscarriages and infertility, abnormal chromosomes, erectile dysfunction, diabetes, breast and prostate cancers and heart disease.

You can avoid BPA by looking for consumer product labels that say “BPA free” or “Made without BPA”.  You can also just try to avoid plastics all together by using products derived from natural fibers and sources, such as glass or wood.


Campbell's Soup just recently stated that they are planning to stop using BPA in the lining of their canned soup products. The highest concentration of BPA in Campbell's Soup products has been found in their soups geared towards kids (Disney Princess and Toy Story soups). Companies that do not use BPA in their food product packaging include Eden Foods, Muir Glen, Edward & Son, Trader Joe's, Vital Choice, Wild Planet Foods, Oregon's Choice Gourmet and Eco Fish.  Heinz, Hain Celestial Group and ConArga have announced that they are moving away from using BPA in their products.  More can be found about Campbell's products at the following link: http://www.jsonline.com/watchdog/watchdogreports/campbells-to-end-use-of-bpa-in-can-linings-fk4erbq-141529903.html 

Flame Retardants

There are a variety of chemicals that are in this category (ie. PBDE’s, brominated flame retardants, chlorinated flame retardants, TDCP and TCEP). These chemicals had the intended purpose to slow fires, and were originally most commonly found in baby sleepwear and couch cushions. Now these chemicals can be found in strollers, nursing pillows, couches, chairs, sofa beds, back coating of carpets and upholstery, cell phones, TV’s, computers, and automobile cushioning.

Flame retardant chemicals are harmful because they have been linked to cancer, reduced fertility, thyroid hormone disruption and lower IQ. Researchers estimate that children can ingest up to ten times as much of these chemicals as adults because of their tendency to put their hands and other objects in their mouth.  Also, children spend a lot of time on the floor, where these chemicals are commonly found in carpeting.

You can avoid flame retardant chemicals by replacing furniture that has ripped upholstery.  Buy furniture and textiles made from natural fibers like wood, wool or cotton (these materials are more naturally flame resistant than synthetic fibers, so they require fewer chemical additives to meet flammability standards).  Cut down on dust (the dust from household products that contains chemicals, also contains chemicals) by mopping and dusting frequently using environmentally friendly cleaning products. When purchasing electronics, ask for products from manufacturers that have pledged to phase out the use of flame retardants.

Formaldehyde

Formaldehyde is a toxic chemical that is colorless, flammable, has a strong aroma, and is generally used to preserve and embalm. When I first became a mom, I was astounded to find out that the same chemical used to embalm corpses is also used in many children and adult bath products! There’s not a better way to spoil fun bath time with your precious little one like finding out that your lathering up your baby with formaldehyde.  The word ‘formaldehyde’ is not commonly used on ingredient labels in these products, rather the chemical ‘quaternium 15’ is listed, which is a chemical that breaks down into formaldehyde.

Besides bath products, you can find formaldehyde in composite wood products used to make furniture, such as cribs and changing tables, cabinets, countertops, insulation, dish-washing liquids, fabrics and fabric softeners, wallpaper, glues and adhesives, paper, paint, plastic, upholstery and drapes.

Formaldehyde is harmful because it is known to cause upper airway cancer, leukemia, respiratory illness and asthma.

You can avoid products that contain formaldehyde and its derivatives by using exterior (rather than interior) grade pressed wood products, have good ventilation in your home and choose formaldehyde free insulation and wood products. Also, check to make sure the bath and soap products you use contain all natural ingredients.

Lead

Lead is a neurotoxin that can be found in paint, children’s toys, jewelry, make-up, imported candy, some juice boxes, hair dyes, bullets, fishing tackle and some industries, such as construction and demolition.

Lead is dangerous because it can cause brain, kidney, and heart damage in both adults and children.  Lead exposure can also contribute to low IQ, shortened attention span, and increase aggressiveness and hyper activity.

You can avoid lead exposure by checking interior house paint (especially if the paint job was completed before the mid-1970’s), test your tap water for lead by contacting your local department of health, test painted toys and jewelry with lead swabs sold at local hardware stores, and examine art supplies (such as paint, or pottery clay and glazes) for lead content.

Phthalates

Phthalates are a toxic chemical primarily used to make hard plastics more flexible, and act as an adhesive, dye, fragrance and solvent in products.  Phthalates are most commonly found in cosmetics and personal care products, such as cleaning products, perfumes, air fresheners, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, toys, food packaging, printing inks, vinyl shower curtains, and building materials, such as vinyl flooring and house dust.

Phthalates are dangerous because they have been linked to lower testosterone levels, decreased sperm count, malformations of the male reproductive tract and testicular cancer. They have also been associated with obesity, reduced female fertility, preterm birth and low birth weight.

You can avoid exposure to phthalates by choosing unscented or non-perfumed personal care/cosmetic and cleaning products, detergents and air fresheners. Manufacturers are not required to list phthalates on their ingredient list, so any product that has ‘fragrance’ or ‘perfume’ listed as an ingredient probably contains the chemical. Avoid buying plastics that may be treated with phthalates, for example, vinyl toys and shower curtains. If you have vinyl flooring in your home, damp mop it often since phthalates bind to dust on the floor.

Perfluorooctanoic (PFOA)

PFOA is a chemical that appears when non-stick pans are overheated, and can also be found in grease-resistant food packaging (such as fast food containers and pizza boxes). You can also find it in stain repellents for carpeting and furniture, water repellent for outdoor clothing, tents and boots, dental floss, cosmetics, nail polish and facial and eye moisturizers.

PFOA is dangerous because it has been identified as cancer causing. Also, scientists have linked the chemical to lower sperm count and thyroid disease.

You can avoid contact with PFOA by not using (and especially not overheating) non-stick cookware (including Teflon). If you use non-stick cookware, make sure you throw it away if the coating inside the pan starts to deteriorate.  Avoid stain-resistance treatments for carpets, rugs and furniture.  Choose clothing that is not stain or water resistant, unless the fiber is made from natural fabrics.  Stay away from fast food containers that are used to contain grease (including microwave popcorn bags).  Avoid using cosmetics that include ingredients with words like ‘fluoro’ and ‘perfuoro’.

Trichloroethylene (TCE)

TCE is a toxic chemical that was used in the 1970’s by doctors as an anesthetic for women during childbirth.  It was discovered that inhaling TCE is toxic, and is no longer used for medical purposes. At one point, TCE was also used in the process of extracting caffeine from coffee beans in order to make it decaffeinated. Because of the chemical’s toxicity, it is no longer used in that process. Now, TCE is mainly used in paint removers, rug cleaners, spot removers and drinking water from industrial runoff.

TCE is highly likely to produce cancer in humans. Drinking water contaminated with TCE may cause liver and kidney damage, damage to the nervous system, and could lead to birth defects.

You can avoid contact with TCE by checking labels on spot removers and paint thinners and avoiding household products that contain TCE.  Get you tap water tested for high levels of TCE, especially if you live near an existing or previous industrial area.

Much of the information contained on this posting is taken from the Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families website. More information, references and case studies with specific product information can be found at: www.saferchemicals.org

The Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families coalition represents more than 11 million individuals and includes parents, health professionals, advocates for people with learning and developmental disabilities, reproductive health advocates, environmentalists and businesses from across the United States.