Sometimes our plant-based, natural food diet causes a wrinkle for the school, but I have found them to be very responsive and supportive of our food choices. (I guess I should say MY food choices – L would probably love to eat ice cream all day long!)

A few weeks ago the teachers posted a sign-up sheet for us parents to get involved in a fruit salad project. Parents signed up to bring in different fruits of different colors. Great! I thought – fruit salad! What a great cooking project!

And then I realized most of the foods on the list are on the Dirty Dozen list - the most sprayed, highest pesticide-residue foods available.

Gulp.

What’s a natural-leaning mom to do? I decided to take action. I printed off 30 copies of the Dirty Dozen/Clean 15 produce lists and put them in every kid’s mailbox so their parents would see which foods should be purchased organic. Then I posted one next to the sign-up sheet that parents saw as they reached the classroom.

The next issue at hand? The teachers also wanted a parent to bring in whipped cream and food coloring to top off the fruit salad! Ugh. My first thought was “why??!!!”

Why teach our kids to top off sweet fruit with sugary whipped cream, colored with man-made, possibly toxic food coloring?

Here’s my problem with artificial food colorings:

Many studies have determined a link between artificial food coloring and cancer, brain tumors, ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), and other behavior disorders, especially in children. It’s probably the tar and hydrocarbon derivatives as well as petrochemicals used to manufacture artificial food coloring.

I decided to take the middle road. I put my name down on the line for “whipped cream/food coloring” and rushed to the phone. I called the good people at www.naturalcandystore.com and asked them to send me their           natural food coloring kit,

so I could give it to the school. Then I bought some

Soyatoo Rice Whip from www.veganessentials.com for the class to mix up with the food coloring – it’s not the healthiest thing on earth, but it’s a lot better than Cool Whip, and it’s dairy- and HFCS-free.

See…I can compromise! I thought it was better to bring in alternatives and show the other parents that there are alternative products for their families, too.

The coolest thing? The teachers loved what I brought in! Now they’re using the natural food coloring to make playdough with the kids, and the director is aware of the websites and alternative products. It’s all working out in the end.

We’ll eat extra broccoli to make up for the whipped rice-cream…

So what’s a former cheese addict to do?

Until recently, dairy-free folks have been forced to go without, indulge in secret and then pay the price for the after-effects, or try enjoying the fake cheeses on the market. Sadly, those other cheeses didn’t melt or taste good, so what was the point?

Now, the game has changed. Now, there’s Daiya!

I’ve been testing recipes for my next book with this amazing, soy- and dairy-free stuff, and I’m pleased to say the results are killer: good taste, good melt.

Recently my local food co-op started selling the small bags of shredded Daiya, for which I am grateful. Before it was only available in huge 5 lb. blocks.

I recommended that my “detox divas” give it a try during my most recent detox group, and one member, a Canadian journalist, was so excited she wrote an article on this Canadian-made miracle food:

The take-away? It’s made in Canada, but hard to find there!
Read the article in MaClean’s here:

Can’t find Daiya in your local health food store yet? Order it here from www.veganessentials.com

Happy Nachos!
Alexandra

So naturally, women turn to over the counter products like Metamucil, which brands itself as the “#1 Doctor Recommended” product to counteract constipation. This product is mainly psyllium husks, which come from plant husks.

Did you know that Metamucil products ALSO contain:

Gelatin (animal source), Polysorbate 80, Caramel Color, Red 40 Lake, Blue 1 Lake, Yellow 6 Lake, Titanium Dioxide, Polysorbate 80, Caramel Color, Red 40 Lake, Blue 1 Lake, Yellow 6 Lake, Natural and Artificial Orange Flavor, Aspartame, FD&C Yellow No. 6, Acesulfame Potassium, Aspartame, FD&C Red No. 40, FD&C Blue No. 1.

Many of these food colorings are directly linked with hyperactivity, learning disorders, digestive disorders, AND hide dangerous toxins.

These colorings are not safe, although they are approved by the FDA.

They are certified to contain no more than the amount of lead, mercury, arsenic, benzidine, and other contaminants that the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) considers acceptable.

In my opinion, none of these dangerous ingredients should be allowed in our food supply.

According to the good people at Feingold.org, a dye and additive free diet organization that counsels people on how to clear up disorders like IBS, ADD and ADHD:

“All the synthetic dyes are allowed to contain harmful contaminants like lead, mercury, arsenic, and benzidine (a carcinogen). Lead usually targets the oxygen-carrying protein in red blood cells first, eventually attacking your nervous system. The primary effects of mercury on infants and children are to damage neurological development. Arsenic can cause several kinds of cancer, as well as headaches and confusion. While it is true that colorings don’t have large amounts of any of these contaminants, there is no good reason to consume them…

Yellow #5 & Yellow #6 are each allowed to have 1 ppb (parts per billion) of benzidine. That is a really tiny amount; benzidine is known to cause cancer but it apparently can’t be easily removed from the dye, so the FDA decided to allow it at that amount…

One major characteristic that seems to apply to all chemically-sensitive people is that they get upset, anxious and agitated very easily. Whether the person is 3-years-old or 33, they have a short fuse.”

I know women who have been taking Metamucil almost daily – for years. Can we know how much lead, benzidine, and other toxic synthetics are lurking in their bodies because of the “healthy” product their doctor recommended?

The synthetic “D&C” colors are allowed to contain 10 ppm (parts per million) of lead.

According to the Mayo Clinic, “Lead poisoning occurs when lead builds up in the body, often over a period of months or years. Even small amounts of lead can cause serious health problems.”

Low-grade exposure to small amounts of lead may not show symptoms for years, but can increase the risk of high blood pressure and mental illness and decline in the future. Adult symptoms of lead poisoning can include:

• Pain, numbness or tingling of the extremities
• Muscular weakness
• Headache
• Abdominal pain
• Memory loss
• Mood disorders
• Reduced sperm count, abnormal sperm
• Miscarriage or premature birth in pregnant women
• Fatigue

My recommendation for constipation issues is to stay away from any product that contains synthetic colors and preservatives. Instead, eat a diet of whole grains, beans and legumes, nuts, seeds, fruits and vegetables. Try my favorite Detox Drink recipe seen here.

To boost your elimination naturally with a toxin-free product, try:

-       Freshly ground flax seeds (on sale here)

-       100% Psyllium Husks (on sale here)

For more information on the Feingold Diet and how it has been used to help clear up ADD/ADHD symptoms:

http://www.feingold.org/

now - a great night in the sheets is better then ice cream, right?

Sex toys and products are fun and spark the imagination wether your single, married or just playing the field. The only problem is that many of those products contain ingredients that should never be used in your most sensitive, sacred area. Call it your noni, vag, hoo-ha, or the old-school vulva, our female privates are porous places and shouldn’t be exposed to toxic ingredients like petrochemicals.

According to Good Clean Love’s founder Wendy Strgar “over 90% of the OTC [over the counter] lubes available are made with chemicals designed first for cars or oven cleaner.” Yikes! Don’t put that THERE!

Wendy is a sexual health expert and has been creating and promoting safer sex products from her base in Eugene, OR for years. As a special Valentine’s Day gift to my readers, Wendy has given 2 of her fabulous gift-sets to my blog readers! Leave your comment here about sexual health, exploration or what you plan on using these goodies for on Valentine’s, and you could win 1 of the 2 gift sets!

To see what the Cupid’s Travel Kit contains go here:  http://www.goodcleanlove.com/Cupids-Travel-Kit.html