With Earth Day just around the corner, I've been thinking a lot about how important making healthy decisions are for our kids - not just for their little bodies, but also for the earth and what that inheritance will look like in their future.
Of course there are so many related issues that contribute to the health of our children, from school lunches to exercise, but my focus is on the importance of eating clean, organic foods, and minimizing exposure to chemicals in our most controllable environment – home.
Children are sponges, as we know, absorbing information through all of their senses at a rapid rate. The same is true for their bodies: because children are small beings, growing and developing so quickly, they are more susceptible to suffering an impact to their health and development through chemical exposure. Potential damage comes their way on a daily basis through contact with pesticides, plastics, common personal care products, cleaning product residues and building materials.
It's not one chemical or another that can be isolated as doing the most damage, rather it's the accumulated exposure to a plethora of chemicals that has the most impact on growing bodies. Environmental exposure is linked to endocrine-disrupting toxins, which affect young girls in their pubertal development by wreaking havoc with their endocrine, or hormone, systems. It's also linked to neurodevelopmental disabilities, which include learning disabilities, ADHD and Autism, as well as more common ailments such as asthma, allergies and eczema.
The overall picture can be gloomy and overwhelming, which is why I think that it's critical to look closely to see how we can minimize risk to our children by making changes at the place where they spend the most time – at home.
First, make an commitment to buy as much organic dairy, meat and produce as possible. When we look at pesticides, it is sobering to read that even the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) allows that 33% of all pesticides are potentially cancer-causing, in spite of the fact that they are EPA-approved. Topping the list of foods that are most important to buy as organics are milk, meat, baby food, oatmeal, apples, potatoes, grapes, strawberries, peppers, peaches and pears. Click here for a link to a downloadable shoppers guide to fruits and veggies.
Second, clean up your home. Do you have a cabinet of household cleaners that is locked so that your children can't get into them? Why use household cleaners that are dangerous to your family in the first place? There a many safe, effective cleaners available – either premade in the natural cleaning section of the store, or at any co-op grocer. Natural alternatives can be made at home with as few ingredients as baking soda, lemons and vinegar. Click here for a helpful link of 10 things to do to make your home safer. (I'm teaching a class at Lakewinds Minnetonka on Green Cleaning on May 5 which gives recipes and ideas for greening your home).
Third, lead by example, and avoid using the most harmful beauty care products that you wouldn't want your children using. Toxins are found as synthetic ingredients in nail polish, perfumes, cosmetics, shampoos, and lotions. For everyday products, choose natural alternatives, but look closely at the ingredients to make sure that the label matches the claim (ie: no hidden synthetics), and avoid products with petrolatum, phenols, sodium laurel sulfate, phthalates, parabens, and propylene glycol - to name just a few. Follow this link to a shopper's guide to keep in your wallet as easy way to remember. Read about homemade skin care products in today's article in the StarTrib Variety section about the classes that I teach.
