Happy Birthday!

Health Taken Seriously is turning one at the end of this month!  I will be out of town when the big day arrives, so I’m posting this early.
My first post was on August 31 of 2007 and discussed the dangers of BPA and phthalates.  I’m pleased to say that I feel like awareness of the [...]

Sweat update

Ahh, what a subject title.
It’s been about a week since I started seriously restricting my antiperspirant use.  I’ve used it maybe once or twice.  Instead, I’m using a natural deodorant made with baking soda.  So far, it hasn’t been as bad as I expected.  I’m definitely perspiring but as far as I can tell, I [...]

The 11th Hour

Sometimes documentaries on environmental issues can be downright depressing.  At the end, you feel helpless.  You think only policy change will make any serious difference.  You think it’s too late.  You think you won’t bother watching any more documentaries on the topic.
I feel like The 11th Hour flew under the radar.  I remember hearing about [...]

My antiperspirant addiction

I am addicted to antiperspirant.  I put it on at least twice a day.  I keep an extra one in my car in case I forget to put enough on at home.
And my antiperspirant is maximum strength.  That means that 20% of the ingredients are aluminum.  Aluminum clogs sweat pores to keep you from perspiring.  [...]

FDA says BPA is safe??

In April, the NIH’s National Toxicology Program concluded that there was “some concern” about the effects of BPA on children, babies, and fetuses.  I summarized that info here.  That report spurned the FDA to re-examine the safety of BPA.
Just this week, the FDA declared that BPA is safe.  However, there are some concerns that the [...]

Less plastic

I recently discovered a blog that follows the life of a woman trying to live without plastic called Life Less Plastic.  There are many reasons why one might want to reduce their own use of plastic:

The U.S. produced 27 million tons of plastic waste that ended up in landfills in 2005.
It takes hundreds of years [...]

Bill that bans lead and phthalates passed!

President Bush has signed the bill that I previously mentioned that would ban lead and phthalates from children’s toys.  Yay!

11 health foods

The New York Times well blog has listed eleven health foods that you may not have thought of before.  We all know that spinach and berries are super good for us, but you should also try adding some of these to your diet.
1. Beets
2. Cabbage
3. Swiss chard
4. Cinnamon
5. Pomegranate juice
6. Dried plums (aka prunes)
7. Pumpkin [...]

Peach season

The end of July through early Sept is peach season.  Our farmer’s market is chock-full of them.  We can even buy an eleven pound box of slightly bruised organic peaches for $11.  One of our favorite things to do with them is make them into a cobbler and serve with ice cream.  This recipe is [...]

Where do we go from here?

A friend of mine sent me an email about my previous post and I thought it was worthy of sharing here and responding to since her concerns are very valid.
Do you know if there is any focus on what the replacement materials will be?  If the phthalates were in the toys for a specific purpose [...]