A list of fake organic and fake natural products!

I am reposting this blog from organicgal007 because I think it is a very good resource as we educate ourselves about what's going onto...and therefore into...our bodies. What is often marketed as one thing, may not be what it seems.  She has created an extensive list of products that claim to be "natural" or "pure" or "safe" and then reveals those products and companies who are just plain faking it...and the lists of toxic chemicals they're still using. We must be aware that the FDA does not regulate the terms "natural," "pure," or "safe."  The word "organic" can even be used as long as some of the ingredients are organic...but there is no regulation about the safety of other ingredients! These terms can be included on any label with no oversight.  Do not trust the front of the bottle. 

I'm a little sheepish to say I found some of my own products on this list. While I knew they weren't really 100% pure, I knew they were better than what I had been using. It is a process. When that bottle runs out, I'll use something else. 


The other reason this list is helpful is that she has also included, near the end of the list, some companies with genuinely safe/organic ingredients. This is a good place for us to start looking for real natural cosmetics to replace the junk.

As I have said before, the Food and Drug Administration does not regulate makeup, shampoo, hairspray, lotion, or any other cosmetics.  We must do our own research. I think this list is a good resource to help in this long and daunting research process.  It might also bring some surprises for those (like me) who are trying to make better choices but still had a little too much trust in the industry. Don't make that mistake!

cooking dry beans

If you told me a few years ago (heck, even one year ago) that I'd soon be passionately (or not) writing on the topic of cooking dry beans, I'd have laughed at you. Yet here we are. :)

I've been discovering lately that many of the staples of convenience, like canned foods, aren't always the best option. And I love eating beans and other legumes.  (Legumes definitely win the sexiest word contest, I think.) They're extremely healthy, and they provide lots of protein, especially when we don't eat acres of meat. Sure, it's easy to rinse a can of black beans and dump them into a burrito.  But for lots of reasons, I have been purchasing dried beans and cooking them up myself.  Come to find out I really enjoy it, and it's super easy, and there's not much reason NOT to do it this way.

Yep, this takes longer, at least the first time around before you have a nice convenient frozen stash. Most beans need soaking overnight or at least a few hours.  I usually put them in water when I go to bed, or when I get up in the morning and they'll be ready to eat by dinnertime.  I've really savored the realization that not all meals need to be made in twenty minutes flat, with no prior consideration. Sure, quick cookin' is a necessity sometimes, and my life isn't nearly as full as others' are, especially parents. I don't know how they do it.  But I decided to start doing this based on a few "mommy blogs" that recommended it. And if moms can do it, I should be able to find the time too.  Here are some of the reasons I've decided to go this route:

• Canned foods almost always contain bisphenol A (BPA), the dreaded synthetic chemical that the FDA is even starting to "suggest" we minimize our exposure to. (It has to be pretty bad for the FDA to say something.)  I've learned that it's found in many plastics and also in the liners of tin cans, from whence it leaches into foods, especially under high heat (like in the microwave for your plastic containers, or as the food is being canned at the factory).  BPA is a hormone disruptor, shown to cause problems including recurring miscarriages, male infertility and other reproductive problems, insulin resistance, greater risk of prostate cancer, and breast cancer.  One of the ways to reduce exposure is to minimize the use of canned foods.  It's also recommended to stop microwaving and dishwashing your plastics, as this also causes the chemical to leach into your food, especially if they are acidic like tomatoes. This could be a post all on its own!  (BPA is especially toxic to small children and fetuses.)
• Canned foods often contain preservatives, super high amounts of salt, and other random junk that isn't food.  So the food itself, apart from being contaminated by industrial chemicals, isn't always the most nutritious, either.
• Not surprisingly, the fresh stuff tastes way better. Like, a hundred times at least.
• Not that canned beans were ever cost-prohibitive, but dried beans are a fraction of the price of canned. I can buy organic dry beans for about half of what I was paying for off-brand, nonorganic canned beans.
• There is less waste. Even though our cans get recycled, I'd rather not use what we don't need. I take my tupperware containers (retired from the microwave and dishwasher and general use) to the bulk bins, fill'em up, and create NO garbage at all.

So the first step, after you've chosen your dry beans, is to lay them all out and pick them over. Take out anything that isn't a bean and throw it away.

Why Are Small Children's Ages Referred To In Months Instead Of Years?

Here is a mystery.  Why do people, moms in particular, always refer to small children's ages in months instead of years (once there's at least a year to count)?  They are always saying their child is 18 or 23 months old instead of the much simpler "year and a half" or "practically two," whatever.  I mean, isn't that why we have the unit of the year?  And whenever possible, don't we always use the unit of the Mile instead of the Foot, and the Dollar instead of the Dime, and the Gallon instead of the Pint? 

To me it is like an improper fraction, plain and simple. In the arithmetic lessons I was always so bad at, I was always taught to simplify the fractions as much as possible...and I was pretty freaking good at simplifying fractions. I was a fraction-simplifying MONSTER. Writing 10/3 is wrong...everyone is taught to write 3 1/3 instead.   

Even small children, when they have learned to count, choose the unit of years whenever possible. I remember telling people that my baby siblings were "zero" prior to their first birthday, and that was before I ever knew about fractions. Kids know.  Anyone who has had the same number of birthdays is THE EXACT SAME AGE AS YOU. If they turned 7 before you did, then for a period of time they were older, then you caught up once you had your birthday, and you were equals once again. Makes sense to me.