Franken-Scents

We have many senses, and the sense of smell is one of the strongest. It can conjure memories and rile the imagination within seconds. One whiff of your favorite perfume can bring you back to a magical moment or create a sense of excitement for the future. My first strong association with a perfume was actually that of a cologne, Calvin Klein Eternity. I was 13 and on my first date (a double date). My date was wearing said cologne and chewing mint gum. I can't even tell you what movie we saw, but what I do remember is the distinct aroma of CK Eternity mixed with spearmint gum. To this day, if for some weird chance I encounter that musky scent mixed with minty gum, I am whisked back to that dark movie theater and for just a fleeting moment the butterflies in my stomach return. 

Other times, I might be out at the beach and the smell of suntan lotion mixes with the smell of barbecue and all of a sudden an intense childhood memory slams into me, causing momentary pause.

As I've gotten older though, I've realized just how sensitive I am to perfumes. When I lived in New York and took the subway every day to and from work, I would sometimes end up sitting next to a woman wearing a particular scent and found myself feeling incredibly nauseous the entire ride. I told myself it was the floral aroma that didn't agree with me. But as I've come to learn, it was less likely the fragrance choice and more likely the ingredients that effected me.

Our olfactory senses are pretty powerful and at the mercy of the corporate Perfumers. There are so many to chose from. Any woman entering a mall is aware of this. What department is on the ground floor begging sampling of any one scent out of a hundred? The perfume counter meanders it's way through the cosmetic department and presents poised, perfect women holding beautiful crystal bottles of scented elixir just waiting for you. Some are floral, some are fruity and some are musky. Some are endorsed by celebrities, others have exotic names and images. The one thing most all have in common is that they contain toxic chemicals that absorb directly into your skin and stay with you for a lifetime. 

Believe me, I feel horrible with each one of these posts. You may think I secretly enjoy this, but honestly with each article I encounter that dashes yet another beauty/health fantasy I am crushed. The thing is, I also get very angry and that's what prompts me to write these posts. The idea that companies knowingly produce and sell product that is harmful, and I trustingly spend my hard earned money on that product, leaves me frustrated and feeling powerless.

Which is why after reading this article put out by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics I decided to write this post. It explains just how toxic most perfumes are. As I've mentioned in past posts, the cosmetic industry pretty much runs unchecked by the FDA. This article outlines how a study was commissioned by the Environmental Defense and Campaign for Safe Cosmetics that shows that there are many perfumes that contain dozens of what it calls "secret chemicals" that are not required by law to be listed on labels. The study reviewed 17 name brand perfumes, including: Jennifer Lopez J. Lo Glow, Britney Spears Curious, Victoria's Secret Dream Angels Heavenly, Halle by Halle Berry, Coco Mademoiselle Chanel and Clinique Happy, to name a few. 

Galaxolide and tonalide, two synthetic scents that were found in 16 of the 17 perfumes tested,  have shown up in umbilical cord blood samples of new born infants. This means that the babies are exposed to these chemicals while they are in the womb, and these chemicals get into their system and stay there. Galaxolide and tonalide are not only used to scent perfumes, but also soaps and detergents.

DEP, another chemical found in 12 of the 17 perfumes tested has been linked to abnormal development of reproductive organs in baby boys and sperm damage in adult men.

Due to a trade secret loophole, half of the ingredients in the products tested were not listed on labels because they are allowed to fall under the generic heading 'fragrance' in order to protect their secret formula. But all is not hopeless, there are responsible companies out there and actions we can take as consumers.


Here are 3 easy things you can do to make a difference:

1. Buy natural perfumes:

• Use the Skin Deep advanced search to find products that do not include synthetic fragrances  and nasty chemicals.
• Check out the Whole Body section of Whole Foods where they offer essential oils that give you the same range of scents that you can find at the perfume counter.  
• For a more crafted perfume, search for all natural scents such as Aftelier Perfumes, which offers beautiful fragrances at  no cost to your health.

2. Help pass smarter, health-protective laws not only requiring companies to list all ingredients on the packaging, but also to help eliminate harmful ingredients altogether:

• Sign this petition to Congress to voice your support! 
• Sign a letter to the celebrities whose fragrances were tested – Jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears, Halle Berry and Miley Cyrus – and ask them to show their true leadership by taking a stand against toxic chemicals in personal care products, beginning with their own fragrance lines. 

3. Support companies that fully disclose ingredients in their products (see page 36 of the attached report).



Here's to safer, sweeter spritzing!

McDonalds a Huge McLoser?

A resounding 'Yes'!! This post is an unfortunate follow up to a past post, Cracking the Egg Industry. I was alerted by a friend about this and also read in this article from Tree Hugger (and don't let the very liberal source scare anyone off, this was also reported in the NY times, AOL news, etc.), explaining that McDonald's board of directors has rejected a request from the Humane Society to purchase a mere 5% of it's eggs for it's North American operations from cage free facilities!

Taking into consideration that to stay in compliance with the E.U.'s ban on battery cages McDonald's has committed to going 100% cage free by the end of this year for all of it's European operations, the Humane Society issued a plea to McDonald's to switch just 5% of their egg use to eggs from cage free hens for their U.S. operations. This April McDonald's board of directors rejected the request and is urging it's share holders to also vote against the proposal. As reported in the NY Times' Green, Inc. blog, McDonald's is claiming there isn't enough scientific backing to make the switch:

“As we have examined this issue over the years, we have determined that there is no agreement in the global scientific community about how to balance the advantages and disadvantages of laying hen housing systems, it said in a proxy statement.

So, unfortunately it looks like, fueled most probably with profits in mind, McDonald's will not make the switch to cage free eggs in the near future. I am sure at some point they will have to, either from consumer and animal welfare association pressure, or at least make some adjustments to stay in compliance with Prop 2, which mandates all factory farm hens in battery cages have the space enough to turn around and spread their wings by 2015.

So if you absolutely cannot live without your Egg Mc Muffin or Mc Griddle in the a.m., at least consider signing this petition asking them to use eggs from cage free hens. Or if you can't break the fast food chain altogether, and I know for any true McDonald's junkie this may be unthinkable, consider patronizing one of the other companies who have made the applauded commitment to use cage free eggs. Carl's Junior, Wendy's and Burger King all use cage free eggs in the U.S.

Ok McDonalds let's make it a real 'happy meal' and go cage free!

Happy Nails

There's nothing quite like getting a manicure. Whether you have a standing appointment every Saturday or reserve it for a special occasion, it leaves you feeling beautiful and totally together (until you decide not to wait those last two minutes under the dryer and go for your keys, smudging at least two nails in the process).

When I get a manicure and the color I've chosen is absolutely spot on, the coating is perfectly even and not a smudge to be found, I leave the salon on top of the world. I've actually caught myself in meetings, completely oblivious to my surroundings, holding my hand out and admiring my own manicure....the way the light makes the nail shimmer, my sublime choice of color....please tell me I'm not the only one!

But, what I didn't know until recently, is that beautiful color just might be the bearer of much evil! As is the theme with most of my posts, you can imagine how upset I was when I started reading about what was actually in that beautiful, glossy coat bejeweling my digits! Of course I never pretended to assume nail polish was a health product, but what I didn't know is that it potentially contained a cocktail of very harmful chemicals! And, like your skin, your nail bed absorbs anything that's on it directly into your blood stream.

When I started to really think about it, I realized how many times in one month I was wearing nail polish and wondered just what kind of chemicals we were talking about. I did a little research and found out. Let me start with some of the biggest offenders:

Toluene: This is a nervous system toxin that helps nail polish go on smoothly. It's also used as an octane booster in gasoline. It can cause eye irritation, headaches, dizziness, nausea and, in high exposure situations, liver and kidney damage and possibly birth defects.
Formaldehyde: I think we all have a pretty healthy negative association with this chemical...but if for some reason it doesn't conjure images of pickled animals in jars.....it's a known carcinogen and in low doses can irritate the nose, throat and skin.
Dibutyl phthalate (DBP): A phthalate which adds flexibility and a moisturizing sheen to the polish, and helps dissolve other cosmetic ingredients. DBP is a reproductive and developmental toxin that has been linked to feminizing effects in baby boys.

It turns out the industry has acted responsibly and most major brands have removed many of these harmful ingredients. A few years back OPI nail polish was identified as being one of the most toxic brands on the market and was pressured by The Campaign For Safer Cosmetics to remove DBP and reformulate their product to use safer chemicals. OPI was already making safer products for the European market in compliance with EU law (which had banned DBP years before), but was resistant to making the change for the US. After enough pressure though, they announced they were removing DBP from their products.

The great news is today OPI offers polish free of DBP, toluene and formaldehyde. Almost all major brands now offer polishes that are free of the 'toxic trio'. But you should always check the label to make sure.

There are also brands on the market which are not only free of the 'toxic trio' but are also water based, which means they are made up primarily of water instead of other chemicals. That means when the nail polish dries there are way less chemical vapors let out into the air. Some good brands are: Suncoat, Zoya, Priti NYC, Acquarella and Safe Nail Polish.

Honestly, once I started researching this topic, I found there is no easy solution. Although most products are free of the 'toxic trio', and some are water based and try to use less chemicals, it seems the general consensus is that nail polish, any way you paint it, is not the best thing to be wearing. No matter what, there are going to be some chemicals in it that will either absorb into your skin, or evaporate into the air. We've all noticed the overwhelmingly chemical smell in the air at our favorite nail salon, and there definitely is a reason for that. But, what we can do is always make sure we buy polish that is free of the 'toxic trio' and try and support brands that are taking steps to provide cosmetics without a cost to our health.

There are also a number of salons popping up that offer not only less toxic nail polish options, but organic and chemical free nail polish removers, cuticle treatments, lotions, and waxes. Here are some quick links to salons in a city near you:
LA
http://www.ecovian.com/s/losangeles/nail-salons

San Francisco
http://www.ecovian.com/s/sanfrancisco/nail-salons

New York
http://www.ecovian.com/s/newyork/nail-salons

San Jose
http://www.ecovian.com/s/sanjose/nail-salons

Portland
http://www.ecovian.com/s/portland-or/nail-salons

Unfortunately the FDA is pretty lax at regulating what chemicals go into our cosmetics. The European Union has outlawed many chemicals that the U.S. currently allows. You can participate in urging the FDA to get more serious about the safety of our cosmetics by signing this petition at The Campaign For Safer Cosmetics. Another great site is Skin Deep, where you can get information and health safety ratings on almost all beauty products.

In the end, it's not easy, but it seems the best solution is to take a little time and research the products you are buying. Change is possible, as seen by the positive steps OPI took and the result of the rest of the industry following suit.

Here's to happy, polished and safe nails for all of us!

The Not-So-Sweet Side of Chocolate

Just wanted to re-post a link to an important article about slave labor in the cocoa industry...If anyone has anymore info on this pls don't hesitate to share!

Cracking the Egg Industry

In light of the recent Easter holiday, I would like to pay tribute to one of it's major stars...no, not Jesus,...the next most important player...the egg. Remember the tagline from the campaign put out by the egg industry in the 90's, 'The incredible, edible egg'? The campaign that brought the public back from it's all encompassing fear of the egg and it's heart-stopping cholesterol levels? They did a fantastic job, the idea of the egg as a killer is a thing of the past.

Now it's touted as a pumped up protein vehicle delivering your body all of the nutrition it could possibly need! Truth be told eggs are a fantastic source of protein, vitamins, minerals and omega 3 fatty acid. They are easy, delicious and affordable. And if you are a vegetarian or infrequent meat eater they are your go-to source for protein.

Eggs are incredible, but, unfortunately the egg producers responsible for delivering those 'farm fresh' eggs to our local supermarkets are not incredible at all. The egg industry is fraught with factory farms that practice inhumane egg production.

The two most common ways to house hens are in battery cages or Cage-Free. Battery cages are truly a horrible life for a hen. They are placed in a small cage with 5-11 other hens, they can't spread their wings and often have their feet or heads and necks caught in the cage wires and die a slow death, being trampled, clawed and pecked by their cage mates and unable to reach food or water.

They become sick and stressed losing their feathers and sustaining injuries that don't heal. In order to keep the hens laying eggs beyond their natural cycle, they are starved of food and water for up to two weeks to induce molting. Often the dead birds remain in the cage with the live birds for weeks before an employee removes them.

An undercover video and report has recently been released showing a true look at the conditions and abuses of two of the largest egg producers in the country, Rose Acre Farms and Rembrandt Enterprises. I encourage you to watch this video, it isn't the most pleasant thing to see but it's worth watching. I think it is truly important for consumers to understand the reality behind the products they are buying.

Cage-Free is a term most of us are used to hearing and offers many of us some comfort when we make our egg purchase. But unfortunately this term doesn't truly mean the chicken's life is comfortable. The factory farms often get their hens from hatcheries where the male chicks are routinely discarded without being killed and the hen's are de-beaked, a painful mutilation where a portion of their beaks are cut off. Also Cage-Free means they are not in cages but are still crammed in large hen houses with no access to the out-doors. Here's a great link describing the basic differences between battery cages and cage-free.

Regardless of your position on animal welfare in the factory farming industry,
I would hazard a guess that no one would like to eat an egg that has rolled past, or perhaps over, the carcass of a dead bird (as seen in this picture taken from a video on the Humane Society website).

This image is just so contrary to the images we have of happy hens in front of a red farm house. And personally, I prescribe to the belief that because my food is energy, and it has come from a live animal or plant, it contains the energy of it's creator. If the bird that laid my egg lived a life full of pain and fear I honestly have to question if that effected the quality of the egg that I am putting in my body.

It's very challenging to truly know what you are getting when you buy your food. The messages on the packaging can be incredibly misleading. Here is a link though that can help you to decipher the different call outs on egg packaging, from 'Cage Free' to 'Natural'.

Don't forget too that the egg industry is no different than any other, and is looking to make a profit. This article is over a year old but is pretty disturbing. It discusses an allegation that the United Egg Producers were price fixing eggs by creating bogus animal welfare certification standards that allowed them to charge more for their product by misleading customers into thinking the product was more ethical than it really was.

Also, if you watched the video, you may choose not to purchase eggs from Rose Acre Farms until they make some changes. Here's a list of some of their brands to avoid. In the meantime many large companies like Mc Donalds and I-HOP are being pressured to switch to Cage-Free eggs. A cage-free life is by no means a good life for a chicken, but at least it's a step in the right direction and is better than a battery cage. You can call or write to any of these companies urging them to make the switch to Cage-Free eggs.

I believe humanely produced eggs are out there. I think it just requires a little bit of research. Go to your local farmers market and ask the farmers questions directly. Find out if they sell to local grocery stores if you aren't able to make it to the farmer's market. You can also ask if they supply to any local restaurants in your area.

I go to the Santa Monica farmer's market on the weekend to purchase my eggs. I buy from two different farms who sell there, Lily's Eggs & Healthy Family Farms and pay $4.25 - $4.50 for a dozen. This is a bit pricey, but I would rather pay more and eat less to keep smaller farms who are treating their animals with compassion in business, and provide myself with good karma food!

And if all of this hasn't convinced you yet, check out this site that lists the many benefits of eggs from pasture raised hens as opposed to factory farm confined hens!

This was a long post, but I feel it's an important one (aren't they all ;). Egg laying hen's are some of the most abused animals in the factory farming industry. I think this can change if we do a little research and as always, speak and vote with our dollars.

So, here's to healthier eggs and happier healthier hens!

Enjoy!

The Not-So-Sweet Side of Chocolate

The ethics of food is something that I've become very interested in lately. I think it's both fascinating (at times horrifying) when you start to understand the series of events and string of people that bring your tomato to your grocery store, or the chocolate in your grande non-fat mocha to Starbucks.

I first heard about the child labor abuses surrounding the cocoa trade not too long ago and made a conscious effort to curb any random chocolate binges and try and do a little research. I stumbled across this article and think it's a very important issue to become aware of. Basically the industry leaders in chocolate production (think Nestle & Hershey's) have dominated the market and driven the price of cocoa in West Africa down so significantly that cocoa farmers are using child slave labor to work the farms.

If you read the article and want to speak out, you can send U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack an email urging the Department of Agriculture to use it's influence to stop the practice.The bright side is there are companies who are trying to make a difference, check them out here at the 2009 chocolate score card. One of the companies listed you can feel good about (for more than just chocolate) is Equal Exchange.

Here's to organic, fair trade chocolate bunnies in all of our futures!

Do-right dairy

I love a little milk in my coffee in the morning, yogurt for breakfast and occasionally I like to buy a good cheese. I buy cheese from Spring Hill Cheese Company at the Sunday Santa Monica Farmer's market and Straus Family Creamery milk and yogurt from Whole Foods. I had researched Straus and it looked like a company that valued it's cows and the quality, as opposed to quantity, of milk and yogurt it produced. But the other day I decided to do a little more research and in doing so came across the site Cornucopia (which helps promote small scale farming), where I found a great score card of tons of different dairies. It turns out Straus rates a little lower on their scale than I would have thought. Now I have a few new dairies to try out. I found it really helpful in getting a better sense of the farms I'm considering buying dairy from.

Enjoy!