Worst baby-making months May 23, 2007

Joni Mitchell said it best, “…Hey, farmer, farmer, put away that DDT now. Give me spots on my apples, just leave me the birds and the bees, please!…” Now we can add to the birds and the bees line, babies and brains too!

News this week? Babies conceived in the summer months don’t do as well in school as those conceived at other times of the year. Neonatologist Paul Winchester analyzed the scores on standardized tests and found that children who were conceived in June, July, and August were significantly less proficient in language and math. He attributes the effect to high levels of environmental pesticides during the most crucial months of nervous system development. “The pesticides we use to control pests in fields and in our homes and the nitrate we use to fertilize crops and even our lawns are at their highest level in summer,” Winchester says. He suspects that pesticides are causing higher rates of hypothyroidism in pregnant women, a condition known to affect brain development in growing babies. Not only that, pesticides and fertilizers are also blamed for premature and preterm birth.

So, no more makin’ whoopie in the summer time! Well, scratch that. But if you’re pregnant or trying to get pregnant this summer, I’d say it’s high time to start buying organic produce, and limiting the chemicals you use in and around your home. Switch to natural cleaning products (or a natural maid service, like… need I say? Broom Huggers!), see if you can manage your lawn and indoor pest control without pesticides and fertilizers. And most definitely, buy yourself some organic 2% milk (miscarriage rates rise a bit in women who drink skim), and limit your beef intake.

Why bother with organic cotton? April 2, 2007

Cotton accounts for less than 3% of farmed land globally but consumes about a quarter of the pesticides. Isn’t that mind-boggling? That statistic won’t change until we let cotton farmers know, through our purchasing habits, that we object. Think about it.

Kermit’s wisdom March 30, 2007

As it turns out, Kermit was quite right. It’s not easy being green. Check that. If you’re living on a budget, it’s not easy being green. Environmentalists tend to be upper-middle class folks who can afford the luxury of being green. Check out this article from the Washington Post today. And the author has a point. Compare $3.09 for a gallon of whole milk to $3.89 for a half gallon of organic whole milk. Or $2.49 for Formula 409, versus $4.60 for it’s ecologically-friendly equivalent at a specialty store. It’s true. It’s not easy being green.

I’d like to add to that and say that eating nutritiously also isn’t easy if you’re living on a budget. Look at the eating habits of the lower middle class. My first job was a grocery store cashier. I was always amazed that the people coming through with nice jewelry and expensive cars bought health food. And the folks who were using food stamps and WIC filled up their shopping carts – more often than not – with junk food and very little that was nutritious. But hey, iIt’s cheaper to buy soda than milk. You can fill up your grocery cart with chips and cookies, and spend less than you would on a little hand-held shopping basket full of fresh produce. It’s even cheaper to buy that powdered mac & cheese mix than it is to buy regular pasta. So, if you’re trying to feed your kids without breaking the bank, junk food is a natural choice. No one goes hungry. And hey, the kids like what they’re eating too.

I don’t know what the solution is. I guess it all starts with education. No one is going to buy a pomegranate if they don’t know how to eat one or what the benefits are.  But as far as making it financially accessible? Food stamps and WIC help – for those who fall into that category. And there are food co-ops that are moving in the right direction. But I don’t know how to conquer the discrepancy between cheap soda and expensive milk or between sodium-filled convenience foods and fresh steamed veggies. Any ideas out there?

Check out Ovie! February 21, 2007

Organic Valley, whose organic milk is currently sharing space in my fridge with a leftover peice of strawberry pie, has a super cool website that I just found. They have games for kids (check out Ovie’s Underground in the Get Cultured! section), you can meet their farmers, and they have recipes – I can’t wait to try the Organic Mama Veggie Fritatta! Take a few minutes, look around, and read some real life stories of the farmers who are trying to make a difference.

Organic milk – worth the premium? February 18, 2007

There’s been a lot of discussion out there about whether or not organic milk is worth what we pay for it. It’s one of the organic foods that has fully entered the main stream. All the grocery stores around me carry at least 3 different brands of organic milk, and US demand has actually become so high that many producers are augmenting their supply with imported organic milk from New Zealand and other countries. So the big question, is it worth it? I just came across a study published in a BBC news report (by no means recent – it’s from 2005) that says organic milk is higher in vitamins.

According to the report,  organic milk is higher in vitamin E, omega 3 essential fatty acids, and antioxidants. It also says that you probably get enough of these in your diet even if you don’t drink organic. But for me, the combined benefit of higher nutritional content combined with the lack of BGH (bovine growth hormones), pesticides, and antibiotics makes it a worthwhile expenditure – at least for my kids’ growing bodies. But regardless if it’s organic or not, milk – it does a body good!

Top foods to buy organic February 14, 2007

Sure, if I could buy everything organic, I’m sure I’d feel better and have improved health. But we can’t all do that, either because of the increased cost of organics, or local availability. My local supermarket carries a few types of organic produce and dairy, but to get a good selection I have to drive 15 miles or so and then subject the kids to sitting in regular shopping carts (the places with good organic selection do not have the race car shopping carts – go figure!). So, to help consumers navigate the waters, the Environmental Working Group publishes a helpful guide to the “Dirty Dozen” (foods highly effected by pesticides) and the “Cleanest 12″ (foods regularly tested as clean). You can find more information here.

The Worst Offenders: Peaches Apples Sweet Bell Peppers Celery Nectarines Strawberries Cherries Pears Grapes (Imported) Spinach Lettuce Potatoes

The Clean List Onions Avocado Sweet Corn (frozen) Pineapples Mango Asparagus Sweet Peas (frozen) Kiwi fruit Bananas Cabbage Broccoli Papaya