©iStockphoto.com/monkeybusinessimages

The economy may be lagging, but organic food sales are booming. In 2009, sales of organic food and beverages were up an estimated 5.1 percent over 2008—a grand total of $24.8 billion in sales; organic fruits and vegetables alone increased 11.4 percent compared to 2008. Sales of organic baby food have trended upward as well, with a whopping 21.6 percent increase between 2006 and 2007. It is estimated that by 2012, organic baby food will be a $2.26 billion business.

Parents who give their babies organic foods typically do so because they believe they have higher levels of vitamins and minerals,…

read more

©iStockphoto.com/JoeBiafore

Parents already have plenty of reasons to choose organic foods for their babies, given the potential health risks–including cancer, Parkinson’s disease, and mental illness that have been linked to the pesticides found in non-organic foods. While many of the health risks related to pesticides are unproven, some experts believe pesticides pose the greatest risks to infants and children.

A recent study linking pesticide levels in children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, better known as ADHD, gives parents one more reason to choose organic.

Research
The purpose of the study, conducted by researchers from Harvard University and the University of Montreal and published in the May…

read more

©iStockphoto.com/jfmdesign

Ignorance is bliss. Or so they say. Remember the good old days, when you didn’t worry about what your baby’s bottle was made from? Glass, plastic…it didn’t seem to make a difference other than the look, feel, and style. That all changed in 2008, when the National Toxicology Program released its report on bisphenol A (commonly known as BPA), a chemical found in plastics. At that time, the government agency stated a series of concerns about the chemical used in many plastic food containers, including baby bottles. Among those concerns was that human exposure to BPA could cause brain, behavior,…

read more

©iStockphoto.com/chesterf

As we recognize the 40^th anniversary of Earth Day, we need to reflect on the pollutants all around us—at home, in the environment, even in our bodies.

If there are pollutants in our environment, does that cause us to have pollutants in our bodies? What about our breast milk? Does that mean it’s not safe for our babies?

Pollutants are everywhere and everyone is affected: pregnant or not, breastfeeding or not, male or female, young or old. Even infants have tested positive for common contaminants immediately after birth.

The question we need to ask ourselves is this: If a mother’s milk, produced inside…

read more

Choose toys wisely: Avoid phthalates found in soft plastics (like teethers and rubber ducks). ©iStockphoto.com/cujo19

Mom’s job is to protect baby. Feed him, clothe him, keep him warm and dry. Buy the safest toys and the healthiest foods. I thought I was doing plenty by choosing organic food and BPA-free bottles. As it turns out, that wasn’t enough. By digging deeper into the countless products that surround all of us, including our children—common household products, even—it is evident the list of harmful chemicals is exponential. Thankfully, this month, one U.S. senator introduced legislation to reform our nation’s outdated policies on the control…

read more

©iStockphoto.com/loooby

Most moms would agree that staying healthy and setting a good example for their kids is a top priority; however, keeping up with all those annual health screenings isn’t always at the top of every mom’s to-do list. Help is here—at least when it comes to the annual skin exam (yes, everyone should be getting one each year). The Skin Cancer Foundation just kicked off their Road to Healthy Skin Tour. From now until the end of September, dermatologists will drive around the country in the foundation’s customized RV to provide free, full-body screenings for skin cancer, the most…

read more

©iStockphoto.com/BlackJack3D

As you’re planning your activities for this weekend, you might want to add Earth Hour to your Saturday schedule. Beginning at 8:30 p.m. local time (wherever you are) on March 27th, participants will turn off their lights to raise awareness for energy conservation and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

Earth Hour began in 2007 as a cooperative effort between World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the city of Sydney, Australia.  In 2008, the event went global, and videos on the event that year and the event in 2009 impress with displays of candlelight celebrations and renowned landmarks going dark worldwide.

We can’t think of a better excuse to…

read more

©iStockphoto.com/SensorSpot

I cultivated my sweet tooth at a young age, born into a family where Hostess Sno Balls and Twinkies were the preferred after-school snack. I could have/should have washed down the crumbly treats with a glass of milk, but chose instead an ice cold Coke—21 teaspoons of sugar, the equivalent of 90 grams or 450 calories. Is it any wonder that my siblings and I struggle with weight gain?

The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends that women consume no more than 6 teaspoons of added sugar a day (100 calories or 25 grams). For men the recommendation is no more…

read more

The day will come when U.S. mothers can truly feel safe breastfeeding their babies and young children anywhere, anytime, anyplace. I likely won’t live long enough to see the culmination of the cultural transformation that is currently underway in America, but I am confident that my children will one day view breastfeeding not as best, optimal, perfect, or ideal, but simply as normal. And I know that ultimately their children, my grandchildren, will reap the benefits.

While many find the slow pace of change frustrating, age confers a level of patience and confidence in knowing that measured, thoughtful change is more often…

read more

©iStockphoto.com/nycshooter

First Lady Michelle Obama put eliminating childhood obesity at the top of her To Do list with the launch of Let’s Move, her much anticipated anti-obesity campaign. Mrs. Obama is hoping to reverse a dangerous and costly trend. Currently, one out of three U.S. children is overweight or obese. Among black children the rate is even higher, affecting one out of two children. For the first time since 1968, life expectancy is projected to decline.

Several high profile organizations and industries have agreed to join forces with the First Lady. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) announced that from now on…

read more

Perhaps Andrew Wakefield, MD didn’t realize that his 1998 study erroneously linking vaccinations to autism would ignite a decade long controversy. But he should have. If not for the media frenzy fomented by high profile celebrities, the scientific method might have triumphed long ago. Journalists should know better. Yet given the scope of the damage, any claim of vindication would ring hollow. In the end, science prevailed, but at what cost?

After the United Kingdom General Medical Council (GMC) described the actions of Andrew Wakefield, MD, and two of his colleagues as dishonest and irresponsible, The Lancet, a respected medical journal,…

read more

Breastfeeding keeps babies healthy, but breastfeeding can also make babies sick. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in 2008 estimated that 430,000 children under the age of 15 were newly infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Most infections were transmitted from mother-to-child during pregnancy, labor, birth, or while breastfeeding. It is estimated that breastfeeding may account for one-third to one-half of all cases of mother-to-child-transmission.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend that HIV-infected women in the United States not breastfeed. However, in countries where safe alternatives to human milk are scarce and the risk of infant death from…

read more