January 27th, 2010 - Barbara Feiner
Skin irritations caused by chemicals found in toilet-seat cleaners appear to be making a comeback in pediatricians’ offices, according to a prominent Baltimore researcher.
“Toilet-seat dermatitis is one of those legendary conditions described in medical textbooks and seen in underdeveloped countries, but one that younger pediatricians have not come across in their daily practice,” says Bernard A. Cohen, MD, director of pediatric dermatology at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center.
“If our small analysis is any indication of what’s happening, we need to make sure the condition is on every pediatrician’s radar,” he says.
The causative culprits are harsh chemicals like phenol and formaldehyde, as well as exotic wooden toilet seats. Phenol has been associated with dermatitis and both second- and third-degree burns, while formaldehyde is a known health hazard and carcinogen.
Wooden seats—especially those covered with varnishes and paints—are a returning trend in bathroom décor, note Dr. Cohen and his colleagues in the February issue of Pediatrics.
Children can develop irritation after repeated use of a wooden seat or ongoing exposure to chemical residues. Dr. Cohen urges pediatricians to ask parents about home and school toilet seats and cleaners when treating a toddler or young child with irritated buttocks or upper thighs.
While dermatitis is relatively benign, many pediatricians may treat it incorrectly if they fail to pinpoint the source. This, in turn, can lead to persistent or worsening inflammation, with painful, itchy skin eruptions. Chronic skin irritation is also vulnerable to bacteria and may lead to more serious infections that require oral antibiotics.
“Some of the children in our study suffered for years before the correct diagnosis was made,” says lead investigator Ivan V. Litvinov, PhD, of McGill University in Montreal.
To prevent toilet-seat dermatitis, Dr. Cohen and his colleagues recommend:
- Use of paper toilet-seat covers in public restrooms, including hospital and school restrooms
- Replacing wooden toilet seats with plastic ones
- Cleaning toilet seats and bowls daily
- Avoiding harsh store-brand cleaners, which often contain skin irritants
Read More: Chemicals in Toilet-Seat Cleaners Linked to Skin Problems
Tags: chemicals, children, formaldehyde, green cleaning, Health, Parenting, phenol, skin care
Posted in Health, Parenting | 12 Comments »
January 21st, 2010 - Barbara Feiner
One-third of American children are either overweight or obese, signaling a disconnect in their relationship with food.
As a parent, you can teach your child to eat a healthful organic diet, but lecturing is not the way to go.
Here are some tips from James O. Hill, PhD, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Colorado, an adviser on obesity to the National Institutes of Health and coauthor of The Step Diet.
- Model good behavior. Practice eating until you’re satisfied—not full. Over time, this will become a family habit.
- Talk to your kids about wholesome ingredients. Involve them as much as possible in making dinner or breakfast. Kids are often eager to help, and they’re more likely to eat food they’ve prepared.
- Encourage your kids to help with meal planning. Take them shopping, and encourage their creativity. Children feel proud when they learn a life skill and understand the benefits of good nutrition.
- Move! Become more active, and encourage your children to make moving a habit. Find activities the whole family can enjoy.
Stories You May Have Missed
Read More: Cook With Your Kids
Tags: children, nutrition, obesity, Parenting
Posted in Organic Living, Parenting | 4 Comments »
January 4th, 2010 - Barbara Feiner
If your children enjoy Nickelodeon shows like SpongeBob SquarePants, Rugrats, Drake & Josh or iCarly, they’re getting more than an entertainment break.
As I reported in June 2007, 88% of Nick’s advertising (TV, magazine, character-related) promoted junk food, according to a study conducted by the Center for Science in the Public Interest. A new CSPI study reveals a negligible improvement: 80% of Nick’s ads encourage consumption of nutritionally poor foods.
While advertisers have pledged to produce more responsible advertising campaigns, their efforts remain lackluster, and studies show children are heavily influenced by fast-food branding.
“While industry self-regulation is providing some useful benchmarks, it’s clearly not shielding children from junk-food advertising, on Nick and elsewhere,” says Dr. Margo G. Wootan, CSPI’s nutrition policy director. “It’s a modest start, but not sufficient to address children’s poor eating habits and the sky-high rates of childhood obesity.
“Nickelodeon should be ashamed that it earns so much money from carrying commercials that promote obesity, diabetes and other health problems in young children,” she adds. “If media and food companies don’t do a better job exercising corporate responsibility when they market foods to children, Congress and the FTC will need to step in to protect kids’ health.”
For Your Child’s Organic Bookshelf
- Janey Junkfood’s Fresh Adventure
- Johnny’s Journey with His Junk Food
- Junk Food June
- The Race Against Junk Food
Read More: Nickelodeon Continues to Promote Junk Food
Tags: advertising, children, Junk Food, obesity, television
Posted in Health | 3 Comments »
November 23rd, 2009 - Barbara Feiner
I’ve taken a break from Thanksgiving menu planning to begin my eco-friendly holiday gift list.
The first item is Global Green Pals, five international-themed dolls made from organic cotton and stuffed with 100% post-consumer recycled plastic (i.e., PET bottles, usually used for soda and other beverages).
Each 12-inch, machine-washable doll wears clothing and accessories made from organic, natural and tested fibers, as well as low-impact dyes.
Both male and female Pals are available:
- Clean Air Kate wears a sweater, denim pants, a matching hat, hiking boots and a backpack. She’s a Chicago girl who rides a bike and plants trees with her family.
- Pink Coral Laurel is an Australian snorkeler who cares about marine life, coral reefs, climate change and global warming. She’s dressed in a pink swimsuit, matching swim shorts, flippers, mask and snorkel.
- Recycle Kyle is a Seattle skateboarder and dedicated recycler. He wears a T-shirt that sports a recycling symbol, shorts, sneakers and a recycling bag.
- Carbon Offset Chet is an English pilot who flies a solar-powered plane in his T-shirt, bomber jacket with hood, pants, red bandana and aviator goggles.
- Pani Rani is an Indian princess who helps conserve water. She wears a South Asian dress, sandals and hair bows, and she carries a fabric water bucket.
Each doll comes with an educational recycled-paper tag that explains his/her story. The company donates 1% of annual sales to One Percent for the Planet.
Read More: Global Green Pals
Tags: children, dolls, gifts, organic cotton, shopping, toys
Posted in Organic Living, Parenting | 4 Comments »
August 24th, 2009 - Barbara Feiner
As your child returns to school, you face the usual dilemma: Brown-bag it or rely on the cafeteria menu?
“Lunches served in school cafeterias are not always the best choice, and I recommend that sometimes lunches need to be packed,” says Mary Pat Alfaro, a registered dietitian at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.
A homemade lunch puts you in control of what your child eats, as well as portion size, she notes.
Here are some of Alfaro’s tips for a healthy lunch:
- Use the Food Guide Pyramid for preschoolers and elementary-school children to plan lunches. Include at least two servings from the bread group and one serving from each of the other food groups for a balanced meal. Go easy on fats and sweets.
- Aim for variety to provide different nutrients and beat boredom. Try whole-grain bagels, English muffins, crackers, pita bread or tortillas paired with your child’s favorite spread or sandwich filling.
- Find healthy alternatives to snack chips: trail mix, flavored rice cakes, pita chips and baked tortilla chips.
- Pack fruit that’s easy to eat: grapes, strawberries, melon chunks, apple wedges, berries and orange sections. Include a dipping sauce made with yogurt or peanut butter.
- Make raw vegetables like baby carrots, celery and bell pepper strips more appealing. Pack them with a container of hummus, salsa or ranch dressing.
- Pay close attention to beverages. Remember that even 100% fruit juice is loaded with sugar. Opt for plain or sugar-free flavored water.
- Experiment with different sandwich fillings. Top peanut butter with fruits like raisins, apples, bananas or pineapple instead of jelly. Make a burrito with refried beans, salsa, grated cheese, and chopped lettuce and tomatoes.
Editor’s note: We encourage you to choose organic foods, whenever possible, to avoid exposure to pesticides, preservatives and other chemicals.
Suggested Reading
Read More: Back-to-School Lunch Options
Tags: childhood obesity, children, Health, obesity, school
Posted in Health, Organic Food, Parenting | 6 Comments »
June 29th, 2009 - Leslie Billera
 I’m about to become a first-time mom at age 40. Literally, at any moment.
I don’t know how I will feel when I first see my baby (my guess is a post mortem cocktail of thrill and terror), but one thing I definitely do know: my time – and sleep – will be limited. That’s what everyone has been telling me for the last 10 months (yes, it’s actually 10 months, not 9…but that’s another blog subject!).
Soon, my husband and I will have less time to make buying decisions – but more pressure than ever to make the greenest and healthiest choices for baby. The hours I formerly spent clicking around eco product sites, languorously reading ‘about us’ and ‘press’ sections to try to discern a given product’s ‘true green value’ will be but a hazy memory.
To prepare, I’ve saved these green washing sites – green washing is misleading marketing about the environmental benefits of a product – that I now share with other busy moms, dads, or just busy people in general…
Green America’s Responsible Shopper
I’m a Green America Business Network member, so this one is close to my heart (as a copywriter, I’m Green America-Approved and have the seal to prove it!). This site ranks companies in 27 industry categories from best to worst based on research focusing on such key issues as human rights, social justice, environmental sustainability and more. Check out the user-friendly “Act” section in which you can join campaigns to battle corporate abuse, or sign up for instant emails to get actions delivered to your inbox.
Skin Deep Database from the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics
This searchable database matches the ingredients in more than 25,000 shampoos, makeup, deodorants, sunscreens and other personal care products with 50 toxicity and regulatory databases. It provides the most safety information anywhere about the products you put on your body – and on the body of baby too!
The Greenwashing Index
Enviromedia Social Marketing’s website asks consumers to send examples of both good and bad green marketing campaigns, which visitors then rank using a five point index that includes 1 for Authentic, 3 for Suspect and 5 for Bogus. Also includes “ripped from the headlines” exposes on worst offenders, i.e. the recent charge from the FTC that Kmart Corp., Tender Corp., and Dyna-E International are making false and unsubstantiated claims that their paper products were “biodegradable.”
Terrachoice
Check out the free report entitled the Six Sins of Green Washing and get tips on the top suspect terminology – i.e. the use of ‘chlorofluorocarbon-free’ even though these chemicals have been banned, by law, for years.
Laura Klein’s Green Club
Shameless plug here (I am the chief copywriter for Laura Klein’s green lifestyle membership site), but there’s no doubt that in addition to lots of good, green info and action-oriented tips, membership in Laura Klein’s Green Club gives you one-on-one consultation from Laura herself on any question relating to going green. It’s like having a personal eco consultant at your finger tips, so it makes for a truly great value.
Babies away!
Read More: Green Washing Mamma!
Tags: babies, children, grocery shopping, healthy eating, healthy living, motherhood, newborns, Organic Food, parenthood
Posted in Green Living, Health, Organic, Organic Food, Organic Food Recipes, Organic Living, Parenting | 1 Comment »
June 8th, 2009 - Laura Klein
 Last week, I blogged about the superior nutritional value of pesticide- and herbicide-free plant-based organic foods vs. their conventional counterparts, something I’m deeply passionate about.
This week, I’ve got more fuel for the fire.
A recent study about chronic exposure to low-levels of atrazine, the most heavily-used herbicide in the U.S., links it to myriad health issues in lab rats including:
- insulin resistance
- obesity
- a heightened risk of diabetes, especially when exposure to atrazine is coupled with high-fat diets.
We’ve all heard about our nation’s unfortunate obesity problem; is it any wonder when obesity-enhancing herbicides are ‘baked in’ to our food? Check out the opening comments of the study…
“ATZ (atrazine)-usage and obesity maps [in the U.S.] show striking overlaps, suggesting that heavy usage of ATZ may be associated with risk of obesity.”
When you opt for organic food, your choosing high doses of nutritionally rich flavors and cancer fighting antioxidants, which adds up to a healthy dose of preventative medicine. When you choose and consume conventionally grown foods you are consuming the toxic traces left behind from herbicides like atrazine…all the more reason to spend a bit more for them at the market – or you can get my free report: The Definitive Guide To Shopping For Organic Foods on a Budget” when you sign up for our free newsletter). Or better yet, grow your own organic favorites or visit your local farmers’ market where you’ll find many pesticide- and herbicide-free fruits and veggies at great prices.
I always advise budget-minded readers that if they have to choose only a few organic foods to invest in, they opt for the ones they consume the most.
What are your experiences with shopping for organic foods on a budget? Leave us a comment – we love hearing from you!
Source: THE SCOOP – May 2009 Organic Center Newsletter Study: Soo Lim et al., “Chronic Exposure to the Herbicide, Atrazine, Causes Mitochondrial Dysfunction and Insulin Resistance,” Plos One, Vol. 4, Issue 4:e5186, April 2009.
Read More: Eat Your Obesity-Enhancing Herbicides, Kids!
Tags: atrazine, childhood obesity, children, eating habits, healthy food, obesity, weight
Posted in Green Living, Health, Organic, Organic Food, Organic Living, Parenting | 5 Comments »
May 20th, 2009 - Barbara Feiner
 When I was growing up, my grandmother would buy me a new box of Crayola 64-count crayons each summer, with the cool sharpener built into the package. Like most kids, I happily threw my old crayons into the trash.
Today, children can turn their nubby old crayon pieces into perfect new specimens through the National Crayon Recycle Program, which has prevented 44,000 pounds of crayons from piling up in landfills.
How about partnering with your local school for a crayon recycling drive? Kids in every classroom can bring their old crayons to school, and the principal can coordinate a single shipment to the program. Just be sure to read the crayon-prep rules, which include leaving labels intact for easy identification.
Parents and schools can also purchase the recycled results, called Crazy Crayons (available in 26 colors). They’re a great way to teach your children about organic living and the importance of recycling.
Additional Resources
Crayola’s Go Green! site for kids
Downloadable environment-themed coloring pages
Tips for raising creative kids
Read More: Recycle Old Crayons!
Tags: children, recycling
Posted in Green Living | 1 Comment »
January 3rd, 2007 - Barbara Feiner
 As a parent dedicated to organic living, you play a crucial role in shaping your children’s exercise habits and attitudes.
Here are some tips on keeping kids active and confident in 2007 from Randy McCoy, curriculum director for The Little Gym International. The company’s gymnastics-based classes help kids ages 4 months to 12 years develop motor skills and self-confidence.
- Kids should try their best—but they don’t have to be the best. For most kids, success is about more than winning or losing; it’s about benefiting from the learning that occurs when taking on a challenge, trying their best and having fun.
- Positive reinforcement is a must. Kids thrive in environments where they feel supported and safe. Even more important, children who play and work out in these environments are more likely to continue physical activities later in life.
- Challenge your child. It’s healthy to present new challenges and risks, but do so without expectations. Let kids take challenges at their own pace.
Tune in tomorrow for Part 2 of this story.
Read More: Kids on the Move
Tags: childhood obesity, children, exercise, fitness, Health
Posted in Health | Comments Off
March 18th, 2006 - Barbara Feiner
Raising daughters? Then you’re all too familiar with their fixation with belly-baring pop stars and body image. You can certainly provide reassurance and help them eat nutritious organic food. But if your daughter becomes depressed, she may be at risk of developing a higher body mass index (BMI)—the measurement doctors use to determine obesity.
According to a study in this month’s Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, depression and anxiety disorders during childhood may be associated with a higher BMI into adulthood for women (but not men). The increasing prevalence of obesity among children and adults has become a public health crisis. Understanding the social and psychological conditions associated with obesity could help predict which children and adolescents are likely to become obese adults—something that will help physicians target treatment and prevention efforts. Previous evidence suggests psychological disorders may be one factor associated with weight gain, but studies have been limited.
Sarah E. Anderson, MS, and her colleagues at Tufts University in Boston recently evaluated the association between anxiety disorders/depression and weight gain from childhood into adulthood. The 820 individuals (403 women, 417 men—ages 9 to 18 at the beginning of the study, 28 to 40 at their most recent evaluation) were assessed four times between 1983 and 2003. At each assessment, researchers interviewed participants to determine whether they met clinical criteria for anxiety disorders or depression. The authors calculated BMI, adjusting it for age and gender based on national reference data.
During the study, 310 participants (119 men, 191 women) had anxiety disorders, and 148 (50 men, 98 women) were depressed. Women with anxiety disorders and depression had a significantly higher BMI. The earlier the onset of depression, the higher the woman’s adult weight. “An average-height woman diagnosed with depression at age 14 would weigh about 10 to 16 pounds more than a non-depressed woman by the time both reached age 30 years,” the authors write.
Depression during childhood was associated with an initially lower BMI among boys, but the weight difference in depressed and non-depressed men disappeared over time. Anxiety disorders did not appear to be linked to men’s BMIs at any point throughout the study.
Treating anxiety and depression in girls and women may be one strategy in the battle against obesity, the authors conclude. If your child or teenager is depressed, be sure to seek counseling.
Read More: Child and Adolescent Depression Can Lead to Obesity
Tags: childhood depression, children, depression, healthy living, mental illness, obesity, women
Posted in Health | Comments Off
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