Researchers at the Indiana University School of Medicine did a study this year that showed that children conceived during the spring and early summer have a higher risk for a wide range of birth defects, including Down syndrome, cleft palate, and spina bifida AND later on these children scored lower during math and language tests than children conceived at other times. While the reported increase in birth defects was modest it still coincided with a groundwater pesticide level spike that occurs during the spring-early summer planting season.

Indiana University School of Medicine neonatology professor Paul D. Winchester, MD, the study author noted that “There appears to be a season of conception in which the risk of having a child with a birth defect is higher.” Winchester also notes that eating fewer pesticides could be a smart move,  “It would seem reasonable to reduce pesticide, nitrate and other contaminant exposures wherever possible. This is especially important during pregnancy, when we have such a critical period of development in the first few months.”

Combine this with the fact that pesticides may be passed on through generations and it starts looking like a greener pregnancy is a super keen idea, both for you and your baby.

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Eat Organic for a Healthy Baby

WHY MAKE HOMEMADE FRUIT SNACKS:

For health: Almost all store bought fruit snacks come with gross additives like high fructose corn syrup, fake chemical colors, and other icky stuff your kids don’t need. Homemade organic fruit snacks are chemical, pesticide, and preservative free. Plus, while fruit snacks aren’t exactly health-food, homemade fruit snacks have less sugar and are a healthier alternative to store bought.

For the planet: Store bought fruit snacks come in little plastic or foil wraps which are then packaged into bigger boxes. Such a waste! And don’t forget about all the manufacturing and transport energy used.

For fun and education: Cooking green with kids is the perfect intro to green. Green cooking is easy, fun, and you can work in topic discussions like creating less waste, health, organics, and more. These are also fun to make for a child’s birthday party activity.

INGREDIENTS FOR HOMEMADE ORGANIC FRUIT SNACKS:

• A pound of assorted dried fruit. Grab a reusable bag or container and hit your local co-op or the natural bulk food section at any grocery store. Look for unsweetened, organic, bulk dried fruit. Dried fruit we’ve tried at my house includes; blueberries, pineapple, papaya, apricots and more. we’ve never tried super crunchy dried fruit like bananas or strawberries – I’m not sure that would work. You can also build your own solar food dehydrator and make your own dried fruit.
• Organic orange juice. You can buy a tiny carton of organic or squeeze your own fresh. FYI: My son is allergic to oranges so we make our fruit snacks with mandarin or lemon juice which is a little more tart but it works.
• Citrus rind – about as much as you’d get from one medium to large sized fruit.
• Optional – Finely ground nuts of any flavor. We don’t like them with nuts at my house, but my pal’s household loves these fruit snacks with nuts. Experiment to see what your family enjoys.

MAKING YOUR HOMEMADE ORGANIC FRUIT SNACKS:

1. Grind up dried fruit in a blender on chop, then grind. A food processor might do the job better, but I refuse to buy an extra appliance for fruit snacks, so we use the blender.
2. Add the citrus rind and grind until nicely combined.
3. Slowly add the citrus juice. You want the mixture to be a sort of sticky mass that will hold together but you don’t want it watery.
4. Have your kids grab a nice spoonful of the sticky mixture. Roll with hands into small balls. Alternatively you can roll the mixture out with a rolling pin and cut into bite sized squares or other fun shapes with a cookie cutter.
5. If you made sticky ball shapes and are using nuts roll the balls in the nuts.
6. You can munch these right away or store them in an airtight container.

Safety Note: These are chewier than store bought fruit snacks and could pose a sticky choking hazard for little ones under the age of three to five years. Use your best judgment and your child’s chewing ability as a guide when it comes to offering sticky treats and never leave your tot alone with food.

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Post from: Blisstree

Homemade Organic Fruit Snacks

The site features facts about pesticides, such as how much is too much for a human body and the different ways we’re exposed. You can look up foods and drinks to see what sorts of pesticides are found in the item. For example, click on “Honey” and what comes up is a cumulative number of pesticides found in honey (six), the names and human health effects of each pesticide, and a conventional vs. organic comparison. Since some foods are worse than others in conventional form, this site could help you to decide where your organic food money should go.

Data shown at What’s On My Food is a mix of info gathered from the USDA’s Pesticide Data Program (PDP), toxicology1 data from EPA, and other authoritative listings.

Visit What’s On My Food to see what you’re actually eating.

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Are there pesticides on your food?

How to be the next (well, first) Organic Idol:

Through May 31, visit the Organic Institute’s YouTube group and submit a 30-second video explaining “the moment you realized organic was worth it.” Heartfelt, creative and quirky videos are welcomed and encouraged. I’d get your kids involved if I were you – organic littles are cute!

Here are two examples; the first video I like in spite of the cheesy elevator music because Mr. Joseph gets his point clearly across without a lot of fluff. Note the music is REALLY bad. I kept waiting for something hilarious and melodramatic to happen.

This second video I also like because this gal has a good media personality I think. She seems chill and I like that she went to a Farmer’s Market.

I really wanted to see a super funny video but alas, no. Most folks seems serious or nervous in their videos so far OR discussed stuff outside of organics. My point – if you’re a kick ass video star, with a great personality, you’ve got a shot at winning.

After you post your video…

• Once your video is posted, tell your friends to view it. The Organic Institute’s board will consider the top 12 videos with the most views by May 31 as the initiative’s finalists.

• At the All Things Organic trade show in June in Chicago, members of the Organic Trade Association will select from the 12 finalists who they feel is the best fit as the consumer ambassador.

What you’ll win:

Of course you get to be an organic idol but you’ll also score a trip to Washington, D.C. (with a guest) to visit the U.S.D.A.’s organic People’s Garden and participate in other activities. Plus you’ll be featured in the Organic Institute’s next consumer education campaign, currently set for fall 2009.

Click here for official contest rules or learn more.

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Are you the next “organic idol?”

What’s the Green Restaurant Association (GRA) all about?

GRA is a national non-profit organization who provides “Services in research, consulting, education, marketing and community organizing.” Restaurants represent about 10% of the U.S. economy, and the GRA’s goal is to help make them as sustainable as possible.

The GRA serves both restaurants who’d like to become green or greener, and consumers looking for a green place to dine.

Services for consumers include…

• You can search a list of Certified Green Restaurants. You can search by category, i.e. coffee shop, cafes, caterers, and more,  search by location, or search by keyword. You can also simply browse the listings.
• You can learn more by reading Dining Green: A Guide to Creating Environmentally Sustainable Restaurants and Kitchens or see a page that nicely explains eco-guidelines for restaurants.
• Suggestion cards are available to print out and leave at your fave restaurants. The cards are a no-fuss way to encourage your favorite restaurants to become more sustainable. You can also print a thank you card for green eateries you already love.
• You can take a quiz to assess the eco-perks (or not) of your favorite restaurants.

What makes a green restaurant?

In order to achieve Certified Green status, a restaurant needs to meet the following goals…

1. A comprehensive recycling system must be followed (depending on area product recycling laws).
2. The restaurant must be free of all Styrofoam products.
3. Each green restaurant needs to commit to completing four eco-steps annually.

Of course being a green restaurant is an in-depth process. The eco-steps cover these issues better than the general goals, if you’d like to read them.

So if you’re curious about all the green restaurants out there, or need some ideas for dinner tonight, check out the Green Restaurant Association.

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Looking for Eco-friendly Restaurants?

That 2 hours before bed seems to be the magic key to weight loss. Well, that’s a little simplistic, because I made all the other changes first over the last year-and-a-half. - drinking water, extreme amounts of exercise, whole grain bread and noodles, baked not fried, and adding breakfast and healthy snacks.

In Bob Greene’sThe Best Life Diet you can’t eat 2 hours before bed. It took me 16 months to lose about 20-25 pounds doing all the other stuff put together.  That’s what? 1.4 pounds a month?

But, in one month, actually 5 weeks, I lost 7 pound by not eating after 8 pm. Plus all the other stuff.

At least I think so. Maybe. I dunno if I believe it.

There are two significant variables:

• Weighing the day before my period in August, but weighing the day AFTER my period in Sept. That could be 5 pounds right there. What’s the menstrual weigh-in rule?
• The scale at the gym was serviced (they adjust the balance periodically) between my two weigh-ins. Maybe the scale was off the first time and it’s saying I lost 7 pounds and I lost 2? How can I know?

With everything going on in my life, new school schedules, coaching soccer, mentoring, working from home, mothering, marriage issues, book club . . . I don’t really feel ready to move to Phase 2. If I’m losing 7 pounds a month, I’m okay with not amping up the dieting right now. I think I’ll just hang out in Phase 1 for at least a month. Seven pounds a month is acceptable, even if it’s not true.

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Weigh-In

I didn’t know it but High Fructose Corn Syrup is my favorite food on the planet. I’m actually unsure if it’s possible not to eat it. Maybe if you have access to a lot of health food stores in a big-city you might be able to do it, but I’m questioning whether in a meat-n-potatoes small town it’s even a viable and affordable option.

Some of the thing I previously believed were healthy enough.

• Peanut Butter
• Salad Dressing
• Whole Wheat Bread
• Granola Bars
• Crackers
• Instant Oatmeal
• Shredded Wheat Cereal

Get rid of Partially Hydrogenated Oil and what is left? Not much. Ever noticed how much less expensive the HFCS and PHO foods are in the grocery store? Between .30 and $2 per item, by my estimation. If it’s even available.

I’m still deciding whether it’s something I am able to give up.

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High Fructose Corn Syrup – YUM!