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Clean Up and Clean Out
Anna Getty
Wednesday, May 06, 2009
I recently learned that on average babies are being born with over 200 chemicals in their systems, a discovery made by studying the cord blood of newborns. This is not meant to scare you, although it may. This bit of information is meant to get you to be proactive at any stage of parenthood. Whether you are deciding to conceive or are recently pregnant, about to give birth or have young children already, it is not too late to be proactive, to educate yourself and make different choices.
For example, I am often told that eating small amounts of tuna during ones pregnancy is safe. Well, The Environmental Working Group recommends that women of child bearing age and young children under five do not eat any albacore tuna at all. Most albacore has very high levels of mercury. My doctor often asks me “if I were to hand you a class half full of poison and a glass full of poison, which would you drink?” My response is always a resolute, “neither.” So why chance it with albacore tuna fish when you have a vulnerable developing baby growing inside you? Avoid albacore intake and opt for safer seafood choices.
Another study recently revealed that some infant formula has the ingredient perchlorate found in rocket fuel. Again, the point is not to terrify you but to remind us that we are indeed living in a toxic world and it is up to each and everyone one of us to do our research and seek out reliable sources to help us decipher the toxic from the healthy. Eat organic food whenever possible, get rid of beauty products and household cleaners filled with chemicals and begin to take care of the temple that your body is. We will pass our good health onto our children.
P.S. Pick up a copy of Sara Snow’s Fresh Living: The Essential Room-by-Room Guide to a Greener, Healthier Family and Home.
P.P.S And of course the new paper back edition of Healthy Child Healthy World: Creating a Cleaner, Greener, Safer Home by Christopher Gavigan.
Posted by Clara on 05/07/2009 at 12:13 PM
It’s really crucial to find products that are toxin-free for infants. It may not seem like a big deal, but babies are much more sensitive to perfumes and dyes found in typical products.
More comments:
Posted by Anna Getty on 05/07/2009 at 11:15 PM
Clara, I could not agree with you more.