Archives for February 2010

Alternatives to BPA in Canned Foods

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It’s not new news that the tin cans used for canned food is lined with a resin containing bisphenol-A (BPA).  The only new news is that every week there seems to be new research warning of BPA’s dangerous effects.  Unfortunately, avoiding canned food altogether is just not feasible for every family.  There are ways, however, to minimize your use of canned foods and the effect that BPA may have on you and your family.

1.  Buy tomato based products in glass or TetraPaks. Acidity causes BPA leaching and tomatoes have a lot of it.  You can get glass tomato paste and strained tomatoes from Bionaturae and crushed and diced tomatoes from San Marzano.  Trader Joe’s carries an Italian Tomato Starter Sauce in a TetraPak and Pomi has both chopped and strained tomatoes, along with a marinara sauce in TetraPaks.

2. Buy Eden Foods canned goods. According to their website, “All 33 Eden Organic Beans including Chili, Rice & Beans, Refried, and Flavored, are cooked in steel cans coated with a baked on oleoresinous c-enamel that does not contain the endocrine disrupter chemical, bisphenol-A (BPA). Oleoresin is a non-toxic mixture of an oil and a resin extracted from various plants, such as pine or balsam fir. Theshttp://mommygoesgreen.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=1985&action=edite cans cost 14% more than the industry standard cans that do contain BPA. The Ball Corporation tells us that Eden is the only U.S. food maker to date to use these BPA free cans and we have been since April 1999.”   Buy online.

3. Buy dried goods and cook them. Searching through my pantry, I find that many of my canned food purchases are beans – kidney, white, garbanzo or black.  I can buy dried beans and cook them for my meals, it takes about an hour in a saucepan or just minutes with a pressure cooker.

4. Grow or pick your own.  Spring is around the corner so start thinking about planting a fruit and/or veggie garden.  I promise it’s not a lot of work – start small with a few easy to grow veggies this summer and keep adding year after year.  It feels good to walk outside each day and pick the fruit of your labor (literally).  What you don’t eat can be canned (in glass) for the winter.  If you don’t want to grow your own, go to a farm and pick them.  Last summer, we picked over 30 pounds of blueberries that lasted all winter and enough strawberries to make freezer jam for a year.

5. Buy soups and broths in TetraPaks. You can find a great variety of soups and broths in TetraPaks from brands like Pacific Foods, Imagine Foods, and Trader Joe’s.

6. Buy frozen. Frozen may not be quite as good as fresh, but it’s a better choice than canned. Frozen, organic fruits and veggies are not that more expensive than conventional choices and they are much healthier and contain less pesticides.

What other kinds of canned foods do you buy and can you find an alternative?

 
Filed Under: Food and Drink Tagged With: , , ,

Where Does Storm Water Go?

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Stormwater drains are created to collect rain or melting soak that doesn’t soak into the ground.  Unfortunately, that water often collects other things while it flows down the road into the drain.  These pollutants include oil, leaves, chemicals like pesticides and fertilizers, and animal poop. 

Ever wonder what happens with water ( and pollutants ) that goes down the storm drain?  Do you assume it gets treated by the wastewater treatment plant?  Likely not!  It often goes directly into your local streams and rivers.

You can take several steps to make sure you don’t contribute to dirty waterways:

  • sweep your driveway and sidewalk and then recycle or compost the debris – don’t hose it down as the water runs into the storm drain
  • don’t wash your car at home – use a commercial car wash – they use water more efficiently and dispose of it properly
  • wash tools and toys over a grass or dirt area so the water can soak into the ground
  • don’t use chemical fertilizers or pesticides – use natural solutions
  • clean up pet poop and put it in the trash
  • if you drain or fill automobile fluids, make sure you catch it and dispose of it properly
  • educate your kids – don’t let them throw things down the drains 
 
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VOC Free Paint for Children’s Rooms

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VOC free paint isn’t cheap but it is worth it as the chemicals in paint can off gas in your house for over 3 years!   That’s over 1000 days of breathing in chemicals like formaldehyde, benzene, and perchloroethylene – not so good for the body and particularly not good for our little children’s bodies.  In the past couple years, several children’s furniture and decor companies have partnered with paint companies to design VOC free paint lines specifically for children’s areas.  The next time you need to paint, check out these safe, non-toxic options.

The Land of Nod and Mythic Paint – Mythic Paint is a VOC free, solvent free and carcinogen free latex paint.  In 55 colors with names like ‘Grass Stain’ and ‘Tutu’, your child can have fun picking out their next room color!  You can purchase online or at some Land of Nod locations.  4oz samples are available for $6.99 and 1 gallon cans are $44.99.

Pottery Barn Kids and Benjamin Moore Paint – Benjamin Moore’s line of VOC free paint is called ‘Natura’.  Natura is a waterborne acrylic paint that is VOC free both in the base paint and the colorant.  Natura is very low odor – I used it to paint my son’s nursery and with the window open for a day or two, the smell was gone (unlike other “low odor” paints I’ve used).  Pottern Barn Kids comes out with a new paint palette 2 times a year and you can pick up the current paint deck in their stores.  Their current spring/summer line has 15 cheery colors. You can purchase online or at Benjamin Moore stores.  8oz samples are $7.99 and 1 gallon cans are $49.99.

Restoration Hardware Baby & Child – The RH Baby & Child line of latex paint is VOC free and low odor.  Available in 6 signature colors, they perfectly match any of the bedding and decor items from Restoration Hardware.  Available in satin sheen and sold online only. 4oz samples are $4.25 and 1 gallon cans are $29.00.

 
Filed Under: Baby and Kids, Home

Christopher Drummond Mineral Makeup

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eyeshadow

Mineral makeup seems to have exploded in the last couple years but since I’m a little behind the times in the makeup department, it wasn’t in my makeup bag.  In fact, until several weeks ago, I hadn’t yet replaced most of my makeup with safer and chemical free products.  My favorite blush had “paraben” written all over the ingredient list, yet I hadn’t had time to find something new.

Mineral makeup was at the top of my “to try” list and then I read about a line of makeup created by Christopher Drummond Beauty.   One of the primary reasons I decided to test out the line was because the powders are free of titanium dioxide, bismuth oxychloride and zinc oxide – three ingredients found in many other mineral makeup lines and potentially irritating to your skin and even harmful.

Mineral makeup is exactly what it sounds like – comprised of finely ground minerals and free of perfume, talc, dyes and chemicals.  For instance, the Christopher Drummond foundation contains ingredients such as serecite, mica, organic cornstarch, and several organic essential oils.  

I typically do not have dry skin but on the first day I used the makeup, I happened to be getting over an allergic reaction to a face lotion I had used so my face had a small bumpy rash all over it, combined with a nice red glow.  Yah, it was pretty.  Fortunately, because mineral makeup is free of so many chemicals, it’s perfect for sensitive skin.  The makeup sat on top of the rash covering it up instead of highlighting it, like a cream based makeup would.  

I’m always nervous about picking new makeup colors without testing them out on my skin first – you never know what tone is going to match.  I have a favorite concealer I’ve used for years because the color matches my skin perfectly but I have to say that the Christopher Drummond concealer in ‘Light’ worked just as well.   Creamy but not cakey.  I don’t need any caked makeup under my tired eyes (my son is 9 weeks old and I’m tired). 

I used my EcoTools to apply the powdered makeup.  It’s a little tricky at first to get the application right as a little goes a LONG WAY!   I had to wash my face again after my first try with the blush – a LOT too much.  The Sateen Blush definitely added a light shimmer to my cheeks and I’ve found a new favorite Eyeshadow color.  Next time, I’ll definitely go with a lighter shade of  lipgloss (the Cinnamon was a little too dark for me), but I like that it’s free of petroleum, parabens, dyes and fragrance.

If you are looking to replace some of your makeup products with safer ones, I definitely recommend trying mineral makeup.  I’ve thrown out some of my old chemical filled makeup products and replaced them with the Christopher Drummond line.  Next up, I plan to try the bronzing powder.  I’m already dreaming about summer!

I have to mention that the packaging came with ‘green’ packing peanuts – I definitely appreciate it when a company takes an eco-friendly concept all the way!

WHERE TO BUY:   www.christopherdrummond.com

 
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