Blog Posts by HealthyChild.org

I will openly admit I love cheese puffs, cheese curls, pretty much any kind of baked cheese snack - the more neon in color, the better. I also really love artisanal cheeses - and, oddly, cheese puffs, cheese curls, and their brightly colored cousins really taste nothing like any type of real cheese. How do we come to crave these fake flavors? (I know I'm not the only one). More importantly, when did food become so un-natural?

And, our food hasn't simply become more synthetic than ever before, it's also laced with ingredients and contaminants that pose distressing health risks. They aren't like salmonella, e-coli, or other pathogenic pollutants that can cause immediate illness or even death. These toxic impurities are more insidious - subtly causing harm over time.

Reduce your exposure to unwanted ingredients by following these 10 tips to detoxify your diet.

1. Ease up on animal fats. Animal products can contain synthetic hormones, antibiotics and organochlorine chemicals, such as

During autumn, I love to fill the house with the scents that remind me of the season, especially of my childhood home. Fragrances like cinnamon, pine, ginger bread, and cranberry never fail to put me into a festive holiday mood.

In the past, I would stock up on holiday-scented candles to create the ambiance of flickering light across a window sill or mantle. But buying scented candles meant I unknowingly brought chemicals into my home. While perfuming the air with Christmas fragrance, they also compromised my indoor air quality.

Candles warm a room literally and metaphorically, but can be lousy for our health. Consider this:

• Conventional candles are made of paraffin wax, a byproduct of petroleum. When burned, this candle wax can be a respiratory irritant.

• The artificial fragrance in most candles and potpourri is made from a toxic soup of synthetic chemicals. Artificially scented candles release toxic chemicals (such as formaldehyde and benzene - both of which are linked to

Sometimes the stress from holidays can result in big headaches. But, a lot of other things about the holidays can impact your health as well. Follow these simple steps to make this year's holidays your healthiest ever.

1. Indulge in the only the best food by going organic. Special occasions call for scrumptious goodies. But indulging doesn't have to mean sacrificing your family's health. This year, strive for very special holiday meals made of the freshest organic foods. Today, you can find organic ingredients for every type of celebratory food, from free-range turkey to a mouth-watering apple pie. Look for the USDA Organic seal to be sure that you are buying foods produced without synthetic pesticides, antibiotics, growth hormones, genetic engineering, irradiation and petroleum- or sewage sludge-based fertilizers.

2. Watch out for those brightly colored foods and candy! Holiday treats like candy canes and other goodies can be hard to resist. But many of our favorite sweet treats are

Has a trip to the grocery store ever left you wondering: Is buying organic really worth the higher price? And what does "all natural" really mean anyway? The variety of "green" products has skyrocketed with options ranging from organic skincare lines to biodynamically grown jams. No wonder consumers are confused by the terminology and benefits of these products. Is this just another fad?

What is "organic"?

Organic food is generally described in terms of what it is not. It is not produced or grown with the use of synthetic chemicals, fertilizers, antibiotics, growth hormones, genetically modified seeds (GMOs) or pesticides. On the other hand, conventional farming, with its focus on producing large quantities of food as cheaply as possible has led to a pesticide-laden food market. Organic farming is more labor-intensive and less efficient than modern conventional farming and this usually means higher prices at the grocery store. But despite the higher cost, many people, me included,

You ask, we answer. Find all of our frequently asked questions or ask your own by visiting Get Answers.

QUESTION:

With the holiday season approaching and trying to live non-toxic for the first time, how do you feel about live Christmas trees? And if they are OK, how to decorate them?

ANSWER:

I always get a fresh-cut tree myself, though a live tree is even better as you can plant it after the holiday. For nontoxic ornaments, you can use regular glass ornaments, home baked gingerbread cookies, popcorn strings, wood ornaments, fabric ornaments, paper chains--anything natural. I would just stay away from plastic ornaments.

Personally, I just decorate my tree with white lights and put a metal gold star on the top. It's very simple, but always magical for me.

That's the short answer. But there are many details to consider about the health and environmental effects of a Christmas tree.

A good place to start is with my Christmas Trees excerpt from the new revised edition

Are you carrying around hand sanitizer yet? During cold and flu season, especially during these days of pandemic flu, it's a smart, preventive tool to protect your health. But, what exactly is it? Are there any risks you should be aware of? Are some options safer than others? Read on to find out.

Alcohol-Based Hand Sanitizers

Most hand sanitizers are made from 60-90% ethyl alcohol (to be effective, the alcohol content must be over 60%.) Ethyl alcohol is an anti-microbial that's been recommended as a hand sanitizer for over 100 years and it's preferable to other alcohols because it doesn't dry out skin as badly.

Should you worry about applying alcohol to your skin? When used as directed, the alcohol in hand sanitizers poses no risk. What's absorbed into the blood is comparable to a tiny sip of wine and you don't have to worry about residue on your skin because it evaporates within seconds of drying. However, alcohol-based hand sanitizers can pose a serious poisoning issue to

Have no fear! Help is here! After scouring the web for the best toys for kids that don't contain questionable chemicals like phthalates and BPA or heavy metals like lead, I present you with the ultimate gift: a guide to save you tons of time this holiday season. Forget paging through catalogues (do people still do that in the digital age?) or spending hours traipsing from store to store. You will find everything you need for everyone on your shopping list right here. So, bookmark this page and start amassing the amazing gifts that will light up your child's eyes this season (with the durability to last for many more).

My Healthy Child Amazon.com Wish List

I have to admit, I had such a great time compiling this list of almost 200 gifts! There are so many more options today than when my girls were first born. And, there are so many that are actually affordable! The majority of the gifts in this list are under $30. Amazing. And, these toys are soooo beautiful. The craftsmanship, the

When the weather starts to cool down, nothing brings warmth to your home and body faster than a good soup. And, homemade soup is truly easy to make and so much tastier and healthier than store-bought (especially considering that canned foods have bisphenol-A in them). By making it yourself, you can also go organic for much less money.

Make this vegetable stock in bulk and store in small batches in your freezer. Then, when the craving strikes, you'll have the perfect base for an almost limitless amount of soups.

D.I.Y. Vegetable Stock
 makes 2 quarts

1. Finely chop about 4 cups vegetables (a mixture of onions, celery, and carrots). You can also experiment with adding other flavors like tomato, mushroom, or any other vegetables you want to sneak in. Just make sure you're keeping your water to vegetable ratio at about 2:1.

2. Add to a pot with 2 quarts water.

3. Simmer uncovered for about an hour.

4. Strain out the vegetables using a fine mesh strainer. Press hard on the vegetables to