What Deformed Frogs Say About Our Drinking Water

On Sunday, April 5th of this year, Thirteen/WNET’s Nature Series premiered Frogs: The Thin Green Line. Emmy award winning filmmaker, Allison Argo, blended poetic cinematography with masterful soundscapes in a disarmingly straightforward masterpiece delineating the relationship between sewage water and the growing number of frogs being born with defects.

“It’s uncomfortable to realize that we are part of the problem,” Argo explained to me in a phone interview on the topic, but “It’s also exciting and stimulating to realize that we are part of the solution.” Argo’s ability to maintain an optimistic perspective on this bleak situation is grounded, in part, by the day-to-day lifestyle adjustments she makes. She switched to public transportation for her travels between her Cape Cod studio and Boston, she has been swapping old light bulbs for more energy efficient ones, and she is building a frog pond in her yard this summer.

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Why See a Nutritionist?

Have you ever thought about seeing a nutritionist?  Most people think of nutritionists as professionals that you see when you want to lose weight.  While it is advisable for someone who is trying to lose weight to visit a professional, it’s useful for people of a healthy weight to see a nutritionist as well.  Even if your diet is balanced, a nutritionist can still reveal holes and patterns in your diet and help you feel your best.  There are other valuable reasons to visit a nutritionist besides shining a light on your diet.

Disease and prevention. If you have a preexisting condition, changes in your eating habits may help your body fight it and manage symptoms.  Thyroid disorders are very common and there are key foods to avoid, like soy, that a nutritionist can show you alternatives for.  If you don’t have any illnesses, take a look at your genetics.  What are you predisposed to?  Is breast cancer common in your family?  Then your nutritionist will recommend foods and supplements that may help you prevent your genetics from fulfilling themselves.

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Tell Congress: No BPA in Food & Beverage Containers

Today, I received the letter below from Clean Water Action.  Please consider sending a message to your Representatives and Senators in favor of the new BPA ban – you can easily do so by clicking here.  To summarize, BPA can be found in re-useable water bottles, the lining of your soup or soda cans, baby bottles, sippy cups, and other polycarbonate plastic products. It has been shown to leach from containers directly into food and beverages, especially when heated. Exposure to BPA  has been linked to to heart disease, breast and testicular cancers, reproductive problems, and other diseases reaching epidemic proportions in the United States.

Federal legislation has been introduced in Congress that would ban the toxic chemical BPA from food and beverage containers.

BPA, first developed as a synthetic sex hormone, can be found in re-useable water bottles, the lining of your soup or soda cans, baby bottles, sippy cups, and other polycarbonate plastic products. It has been shown to leach from containers directly into food and beverages, especially when heated. Why is this a problem?

More than 200 studies have found that low dose exposures to BPA are linked to heart disease, breast and testicular cancers, reproductive problems, and other diseases reaching epidemic proportions in the United States. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention conducted research that revealed detectable levels of BPA in the bodies of 93% of Americans.

And how is the industry responding? An internal memo leaked to The Washington Post last week describes their strategy of attempting to block progress through a range of PR ploys including an ad campaign starring a pregnant mom actress discussing BPA benefits.

This despite mounting research showing that extremely low levels of BPA can harm health, particularly during early infancy. And despite the availability of safer alternatives, such as stainless steel, glass, and other containers that don’t leach hazardous chemicals.

Urge your Representative and your Senators to support the Poisonous Additives Act (HR 1523/S 593) co-sponsored by Representative Ed Markey (D-MA) and Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-California).

Iodine: What is it and Why Worry About It?

For most people, Iodine is something studied in science class and maybe noticed on the salt container.  Iodine is an essential element in humans.  It is crucial for thyroid hormone production, which is a significant player in metabolism and other hormone function.  Children with iodine deficiencies can be at risk for stunted growth and mental retardation.  It’s especially risky for pregnant women as well, as they are at greater risk for miscarriage and stillbirth.

For most Americans, getting enough Iodine is no problem.  It’s naturally occurring in most fish, mayonnaise, some cheese, eggs, seaweed, and other sources. But, if you’re like me and don’t eat most of those things, what can you do?  Iodized salt solved the deficiency problem in the early 20th century, but people are using iodized salt less and less.  Salt isn’t the healthiest ingredient and some people are turning toward the more interesting un-iodized salts—sea salt, black salt, etc.

While other nutritional deficiencies can be easily supplemented—B12, iron, calcium, etc.—Iodine supplementation is not so simple.  Over supplementing Iodine can also lead to thyroid problems just as easily as deficiencies.  And even worse, specific thyroid disorders are not linked to a deficiency or an over-supplementation, so you can’t tell on your own what you’re doing wrong.

Some experts recommend getting a urine test before supplementing to be sure that it’s necessary.  Seaweed has very high levels of Iodine, so be careful not to overdo it.  In addition, many multivitamins add their own Iodine, so you may be getting plenty through your daily vitamins.  You can talk to a dietitian or endocrinologist about getting tested, but don’t be surprised if he or she says it’s unnecessary.  If you’re really concerned, stand your ground or find someone who will administer the test.  Consult your doctor or nutritionist for more information.

Green Cleaning this Spring: Healthier and Still Cost-Effective

Still have some spring cleaning to do? Maybe you’re just obsessive compulsive and follow guests, pests and everything else around your home with a Swiffer and bleach to keep things squeaky clean. Whatever your weapon of choice may be — bleach, Windex, knee pads and a toothbrush — the point here is that standard cleaning products can be harmful to both you and the environment. What to do? Well, let’s have a look at how you can clean green without spending too much green…

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Is Soy Really So Healthy?

As a vegan, I rely on soy as a great source for meat and cheese substitutes, not to mention tofu and the oh so delicious edamame.  Even if you don’t eat a lot of tofu and soy products, trust me, you’re eating soy somewhere.  It’s in breads, cereals—many products you wouldn’t think have soy contain it.  While some say that soy is healthy and beneficial, other people are starting to speak out otherwise.

When a food crop is subsidized, like soy and corn are, it can be hard to find accurate information about the health benefits of the food.  Also, when a food is subsidized, it shows up in everything.  You wouldn’t think corn could be in so much food, but everywhere you look you see some form of it, predominantly as high fructose corn syrup.  Ever seen a commercial where one housewife makes fun of the other one for saying high fructose corn syrup was unhealthy?  Guess who paid for that?

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Farm Sanctuaries Offer Fun Volunteering Opportunities

Summer is a great time to start volunteering.  With increased hours of daylight, there’s more time to do charity work and now more than ever is a great time to give back.  There are countless opportunities to get your hands dirty while helping a cause.

Are you an animal lover?   There are many ways to help animals in need, and farm sanctuaries are one of them.

Last weekend I toured Peaceful Prairie, a farm sanctuary 50 miles east of Denver.  Farm sanctuaries rescue abused and exploited animals and give them a life of freedom and care.  These sanctuaries will care for the animal for the rest of its life.  The tour began at the main house, which demonstrated a vegan grocery store.  Vegans don’t eat any animal products; no dairy, honey, butter, milk, cheese, eggs, etc.  They believe that the vegan lifestyle is the only one that can ensure no animal harm or exploitation.  Some think that eating vegan can be very expensive because the processed faux meats and soy yogurts are a little more pricey.  However, most healthy vegans I know, including myself, eat in a way that costs less.  For instance, most dinners include veggies, a grain (bought in bulk), and beans.  All of those are healthy and inexpensive ingredients.

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