Unintended Side Effects of Goal #6

A few days ago I went in for a dental cleaning. I may not have the straightest teeth, but I feel lucky that I am blessed with good dental genetics- the dentist always raves about my deep roots ( he once told me "you know, we never get to see teeth like yours in real life, only in text books when we were in dental school"). Maybe because of this, I work hard to take care of my teeth, and make brushing and flossing a priority. In January when I gave up chewing sugarless gum, I was a little concerned that it would decrease my dental health. I have read that chewing gum stimulates saliva production, which is helpful because saliva minimizes bacteria in your mouth and also contains substances that help prevent tooth decay and gum disease. When I gave up sugarless gum, I was also worried about having bad breath. I drink coffee and eat lots of fragrant foods, so I decided to carry a toothbrush and toothpaste in my bag and brush whenever I felt like I had yuck mouth (on average I'm probably brushing twice a day more then I used to). Fast forward six months, and as the hygienist starts to clean my teeth, she says "have you changed your dental routine since your last cleaning? Your teeth have virtually no stain or tarter on them at all. They look really great.". What exciting news to find that in giving up sugarless gum, I also unintentionally improved my dental health! Looks like I can keep smilin' and keep saying no thanks to artificially sweetened gum.

The Elusive Perfect Sunscreen

This week's goal (number 24) is to wear sunblock every day, especially on my face, chest, and arms.  This goal is a little bit of cheat since I have already been doing this for a couple of months, but I'm adding it to the list because I want to make sure I keep doing it. When I made Goal #17 (to check the Skin Deep database for toxicity/product safety information), I knew that finding a sunscreen that I liked that also met my safety standards (below a 4 on Skin Deep's rating system), was going to be a challenge. The sunscreen I was using at that time is rated a 6, and it smells great, rubs in easily, and does a great job of keeping me from getting burned. I really loved it, but at a 6, it's a little high for me to want it to put it on my skin every day. I finally used most of it up, and decided it was time to try to find some new, safer sunscreens.
Badger Sunscreen Lotion SPF 16 (Skin Deep rating of 2) is new, and unlike other Badger sunscreens I've tried, it rubs right in and leaves my skin soft and silky (not greasy). When I fist put it on, the smell reminded me a little of mayonnaise, and looking at the ingredients, I realized that's because the second ingredient is olive oil! While is doesn't smell as delicious as the sunscreen I used to love, it also doesn't taste disgusting when I get it on my lips. At this point, it has also replaced my daily facial moisturizer and is doing excellent double duty as a sunscreen/moisturizer. It doesn't have quite the SPF I would ideally use, but for my daily life it's adequate.
The other sunscreen I'm trying, Alba Botanica's Fragrance Free Water Resistant SPF 30 (Skin Deep rating of 2), is the one I'm using when I'm spending lots of time outdoors (paddling, yardwork, etc.) and expect to be sweating. It definitely performs like I'd expect a "natural" sunscreen to: it's fairly greasy, makes your skin white until you rub it in thoroughly, and is a little tough to apply to hard to reach spots like your back. Still, the few times I've tried it out recently, it has done an excellent job of keeping me from getting burned, even without reapplying, and despite its name, it has a nice, nutty smell.
Have I find the perfect sunscreen yet? Nope, and maybe I never will, but at this point I'm happy to have found a couple of sunblocks that are a lot safer than what I was using before and also work fairly well.

Skin Deep

As is evident from previous posts, I think a lot about the food I put into my body. I prioritize eating food that is high quality, organic, and minimally processed. As far as I'm concerned, the fewer ingredients in a food product the better; if I don't know what something is, I don't want to eat it.

So why is it that I haven't given the same attention to the body care products and cosmetics I use on the outside of my body? While I do tend to buy "natural" body care products, many of them have long lists of ingredients that I know nothing about. I also have at times purchased products that I know are likely to be full of chemicals that aren't good me. For a long time, I have wanted to be more aware of what's in the products I use, and make better, safer choices for myself and for the environment (after all, the issue is not just putting harmful chemicals into your own body, but also that harmful chemicals continue to be manufactured due to the demand for products that contain them).

A few months ago I found a website to help me in achieving my goal to make better decisions when purchasing body care products- it's the Environmental Working Group's cosmetics database Skin Deep. This database examines and rates nearly 80,000 body care products and cosmetics based on the safety of their ingredients. According to this website, in the United States public health law allows:

Almost any chemical as an ingredient in personal care products

Misleading and incomplete labeling of ingredients

Unsubstantiated claims about product benefits

No required safety testing of products or ingredients

When I checked out some of the products I was using, I was shocked to discover that the haircare product I was using received a score of 9 (with 10 being the most dangerous rating). Wow, that was a wake-up call! The database has a lot of great information about how to choose safer body care products, specific chemicals to avoid, and a section that is organized by common (and dangerous) chemicals in products for specific parts of the body (teeth, hair, etc.).

So adding to my list of goals for the year, I'm going to check the database for information about body care products before I buy them, and try not to purchase anything with a rating over 4. Why 4? While I would ideally love to eventually get to a place or using products that have scored only a 1 or a 2, I think I will have better success tapering off gradually, and a 4 seems like a realistic starting place for me.

Goodbye Sugarless Gum

Goodbye Old Friend

 Today I was talking with a friend about artificial sweeteners and the controversy surrounding their impact on human health. There have been some studies (see here and here) that have shown a slight increase in cancers and auto-immune disorders in people who use artificial sweeteners (not to mention reports of headaches, joint stiffness, and dizziness). There is also some evidence to suggest that  artificial sweeteners may actually contribute to weight gain. The Center for Science in the Public Interest also has a great list of food additives that includes information about artificial sweeteners by type.

While the evidence isn't conclusive, I generally try to avoid artificial sweeteners, and since I eat a largely whole foods diet, this isn't too hard for me. There is one product I use regularly, however, that contains artificial sweeteners, and that is sugarless gum. And when I say regularly, I mean really regularly, as in a couple of times a day. Yikes, that's a lot of artificial sweetener! 

So goal #6 for the year is to give up gums that contain artificial sweeteners. We sell a few gums at the Co-op that are sweetened with xylitol, a more "natural" sugar substitute that is usually derived from hardwood, corn, or fruit. Other then causing diarrhea when eaten in large quantities, xylitol hasn't been shown to cause health problems in humans (xylitol is extremely toxic to dogs, though, so be sure to keep it away from pets). In general I haven't found xylitol gums to be as tasty or breath-freshening as my old friend pictured above, and while I might try them from time to time, I think for now I'll be quitting gum cold turkey. 

This is going to be a hard one. Wish me luck!

Drink More Water

A goal that is always in the back of my mind is to drink more water. When I drink enough water, I feel calmer, and I also find that I do less snacking/stress-eating. I think this is because I often mistake my body's signals for water as a need for food. Drinking plenty of water keeps my skin looking good,  contributes to a healthy urinary system, helps me avoid headaches, and seems to lead to speedier muscle recovery after work-outs.

On days when I do vigorous exercise, I have no problem drinking plenty of water. On days when I'm working or doing gentler physical activities (walking, yoga), however, I sometimes find that I have gone for 8 hours or more without drinking any water! My goal is to drink at least 1 quart of water every day. That's not really enough water for an active adult, and I'll probably drink more than that, but it seems like a good place to start.

As you can probably guess, I won't be drinking bottled water due to the concerns I have about chemicals used in plastics leaching into food/beverages. Even if you don't believe that drinking out of plastic water bottles is bad for your own health, I would strongly encourage you to watch the documentary Tapped, so that you can get an idea of the environmental impacts that plastic water bottles have in the United Sates. This is a documentary that made me stop and think about my own actions, and realize how easy it is to contribute to real and tangible harm to the planet and people, even when you are trying to do something healthy, like drinking more water. If you, like me, want to increase your water consumption, use a glass or get a safe, reusable water bottle.

 The Klean Kanteen, which is the water bottle I have, is great. It is made of non-toxic stainless steel, which is light and easy to clean, and also has a separate coffee-cup style lid so it doubles as a travel mug (despite the claim on their website that the bottles don't absorb flavors, I do sometimes end up with slightly coffee-flavored water, but that's ok since I love coffee). I already carry it with me pretty much all the time- now I'll just be filling it with water sometimes instead of coffee. If you live in Olympia and want to buy one locally, Compass Rose carries them in a wide range of colors and has a few different sizes available. We also sell beautiful glass water bottles like these at the Co-op, and the people I know who have them love them.

Freezing Soup

In order to help me stay on track with taking lunch, I thought it would be helpful to start freezing some of the soup I make. That way, I can be sure to have plenty of variety, and have some ready to go when I need it. In the past when I've frozen soup, I used plastic freezer containers with screw-on lids. As I said in a previous post, I'm trying to avoid eating out of plastic when possible, so I want to freeze in glass. I looked at some freezer-safe glass bowls with locking lids recently at a housewares store and they were $9 each! That's a little steep for my budget, so I decided to ask some of my co-workers (many of whom are avid food preservers) for advice. Everyone I talked to said that freezing in glass canning jars usually works fine as long as you observe the following rules:

1. Cool the soup before filling the jars
2. Leave at least an inch of head room at the top
3. Screw the lids on gently and don't over-tighten
4. Don't try to freeze cream-based soups in glass

One co-worker mentioned that she has occasionally had a jar shatter in the freezer, so I think I will store them in some kind of tub to contain the mess if this happens. The jars I'm using are Ball wide-mouth pint jars, and they do say "freezer safe" on the package. At $13 for a case of twelve, glass jars are going to be a much more cost effective solution for me, and I hope they will help me keep up with my goal of taking a healthy lunch.

Soup Recipe #2

Yes, it's true I'm posting another recipe for "soup for dinner and lunch". This one is a delicious and slightly spicy black bean soup. The recipe comes from epicurious.com, one of my favorite go-to recipe websites. The recipes come from a variety of sources, and all have ratings and comments, so you can know what to expect, and see changes that other people suggest to make the recipes even better. Epicurious is awesome!

• 
  
• This soup is what I'd call a convenience soup, meaning it's made with canned beans and tomatoes. I use canned beans on a fairly regular basis since they are so much quicker than cooking dried beans, and allow for a lot of spontaneity and last minute dinner planning. Flavor-wise, they are no substitute- beans cooked from dried have such a nicer texture and flavor, and in general are much lower in sodium. However, when I'm in a hurry and need a high-protein soup, canned beans work just fine. This recipe calls for using the beans undrained, but in general I rinse beans before I use them to reduce the amount of sodium. I'd also suggest using canned foods that are in PBA-free cans if you can find them. Even though cans are made of metal, most of them have linings on the interior that contain BPA, a chemical that has been found to increase the risk of chromosomal and reproductive system abnormalities, impaired brain and neurological functions, cancer, cardiovascular system damage, adult-onset diabetes, early puberty, obesity and resistance to chemotherapy. This info comes from a good article about the basics of why it is best to avoid BPA. The FDA also has a fairly decent write up about it on their website.

Anyhow, I hope you enjoy this soup! It's a good winter warmer and goes nicely with a crisp salad. 

• Black Bean Soup with Cumin and Jalapeño
• Bon Appétit  | August 2004
  
  
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 to 2 teaspoons chopped jalapeño chile with seeds, divided
• 2 15- to 16-ounce cans black beans, undrained
• 1 15-ounce can petite diced tomatoes in juice
• 1 1/2 cups low-salt chicken broth
• 
  

• Chopped fresh cilantro
• Chopped green onions
• Crumbled feta cheese

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrot, and garlic; sauté until vegetables begin to soften, about 6 minutes. Mix in cumin and 1 teaspoon jalapeño. Add beans, tomatoes with juice, and broth; bring soup to boil. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook until carrots are tender, about 15 minutes. Transfer 3 cups of soup to blender and puree until smooth. Return puree to pot. Simmer soup until slightly thickened, about 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and remaining 1 teaspoon jalapeño, if desired.

Ladle soup into bowls. Pass cilantro, green onions, and feta cheese separately