my friend shared this article on the chick-fil-a debacle via facebook. thought it was interesting. regardless of your stance, i can think of a hundred different health reasons to avoid chick-fil-a.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-badash/chick-fil-a-5-reasons-it-isnt-what-you-think_b_1725237.html

where's your beef from?

my csa posted this on facebook today and i found it interesting. my dad always wonders why i preach grass fed, organic, free range and local. this is a great and quick explanation for beef. when my dad was in his youth, the grass fed beef column was the norm. will we ever get back there?

good read

i really enjoyed reading this article, 10 things i want my daughter to know before she turns 10, that a friend posted on facebook. words every mother could and should share with her young daughter.

the dark side of soy

another good article to reference. read it HERE.

cow, soy, almond, rice... headache...

we suspect that olivia is lactose intolerant. since birth she has been on special formula and soy formulas for colic. recently after her first birthday we switched her to cows milk only to have a fussy, gassy and, well, poopy baby on our hands.

our pediatrician recommends we switch her back to a soy milk but i am having some hesitations. i've heard too many bad things between the soy and estrogen relation that i am worried about blindly going back to soy without doing my research.

i did find an article from the la times that i found interesting and thought i'd share it HERE mainly as a place to bookmark it for myself but hopefully it may be a resource to you as well. and HERE is a graphic breaking down the nutrients in all of the milk options.

Food Dyes Suspected Of Causing Behavioral Problems In Kids. Read the article HERE.

just sayin'

Sharing and Empathy with Toddlers: Why I don’t tell my kid to share

When Ozzie and I started a cooperative preschool last year, his preschool teacher said something to me at "Meet the Teacher Day" that almost knocked me off my feet. She said that she does not teach toddlers how to share. WHOA! Come again? Doesn't that go against every childhood lesson you have EVER learned? In fact, sharing and other social skills were the whole reason I started Ozzie in preschool at two years old. Being a summer baby and a boy, I figured he needed the head start.

After I picked my jaw up off of the floor, I asked her to explain. She did and it makes a lot of sense to me. She has been teaching preschool since 1979 so I'm guessing her practices work. The article below explains it far better than I can. It is a good read, I hope you enjoy it.

Sharing and Empathy with Toddlers: Why I don’t tell my kid to share

Foods With Highest Nutritional Value

I thought this list of foods with the highest nutritional value from Eat Right America and Whole Foods was a simple and organized way to showcase these super foods. Perfect for hanging on the fridge or memory board as quick reminder when meal planning.

Click HERE and HERE for the list and more information.

New iPhone App from FBI

The FBI has released, Child ID, a free iPhone app that can be used if your child goes missing. "The app provides a convenient place to electronically store photos and vital information about your children so that it's literally right at hand if you need it," according to an FBI press release. Let's hope we never have to use this app, but if we do there is some comfort in being prepared.  

Click HERE to read the FBI press release. 

REALLY High Fructose Corn Syrup

One of the pages that I follow on Facebook posted an article from the LA Times regarding the real amount of high fructose corn syrup in soda. After reading it I was furious and wanted to vent about it on my blog.

I know, vent about soda? Aren't there other more important causes I can find worthy of a good rant? After all, we all know that soda is bad for us and that we shouldn't drink it. Fortunately our family doesn't drink soda or much juice for that matter. We are lucky that Ozzie loves his water. But here is why I was am upset.

"Fructose and glucose are simple sugars. Fructose is sweeter than glucose and has been shown to do more damage to your metabolism. Sucrose – better known as table sugar – is a 50-50 combination of fructose and glucose. The HFCS used in soda is supposed to contain no more than 55% fructose and 45% glucose, according to the Corn Refiners Assn. (Another popular formulation is 42% fructose and 58% glucose.)"

Researchers found that the sweeteners in Coca-Cola and Pepsi contained as much as 65% fructose (and only 35% glucose), and Sprite, the soda that parents feed their kids in order to feel slightly less guilty, registered as much as 64% fructose (and 36% glucose).

Okay so the soda manufacturers lied- big surprise there. BUT here is the kicker- "The U.S. Food and Drug Administration allows for some wiggle room on nutrition labels. Sodas are allowed to have as much as 20% more of a nutrient – including sugar and HFCS – than is indicated on the side of the can. Even Cokes and Pepsis with 65% fructose instead of 55% are only 18% higher than advertised."

Once again the FDA sides with big business, aka big money, at the expense of its citizens. A 20% wiggle room on food nutrition labels? I'll say that again 20%!

Imagine if everyone was able to fudge 20% of their job. Today I will make sure Ozzie gets 20% less sleep than the recommended amount for his age, or give him 20% less milk than he needs for his health, or 20% more food (in the form of sugar) than he should eat- ridiculous!

How long can we continue to allow our government agencies that are supposed to protect us hurt us for their own financial gain? More importantly what, as the average citizen, can we do to stop it? I really do not know the answer.

And that's the end of my rant. Click HERE to read the full article.

Important Read

A friend on Facebook posted a link to this article and I thought it was a good one to share. Although the author is talking to dads I think the message can be applied to moms as well. Please read it if you are a parent. It is a reminder that parenthood is not easy but is the most important job we will ever have.

PSA: Sunscreen

A new study by the Environmental Working Group finds that almost half of the 500 most popular sunscreen products may actually increase the speed at which malignant cells develop and spread skin cancer because they contain vitamin A or its derivatives retinol and retinyl palmitate.


Read more HERE and HERE.


With summer (hopefully) around the corner, the results of this study could not have come at a better time.


Is your sunscreen on the list?