Natural Moms Podcast #81
May 1, 2008 | 5 Comments
My guest this week is Aurore Adamkiewicz, ND. She is a nursing student turned naturopath. Interestingly she found some of the same idiocies in traditional medicine in alternative medicine, such as hysteria. She favors more balance, less scaring in her approach to wellness, which includes color therapy.
One of her concerns with the widespread use of CFLs is who is promoting them - the same people who are pushing nuclear energy. As many people know, CFLs are difficult to dispose of properly. Few people are going to go to the proper lengths to deal with them safely.
In Aurore’s work with color therapy, she notes that incandescent bulbs are closer to the natural spectrum. Some research shows that kids with ADD symptoms get better away from fluorescent lights.
The next best thing to incandescent when it comes to the quality of light is LED. LEDs last longer than incandescents and are smaller bulbs. They are closer to the natural light spectrum. Gaiam is one source of LEDs.
Researchers who were uncovering the truth about CFLs were really excited about it and they knew about the dangers of CFL, but when push came to shove they wouldn’t publish it. Aurore believes that the CFL’s are involved with a mass money making scheme-much like vaccines.
Natural Moms Podcast #80
April 21, 2008 | 2 Comments
This week on the show, I spoke with Jeremiah McNichols of ZRECS . Jeremiah and his wife Jennifer are bloggers and parents of a 3 year old daughter. Their website offers the “BPA Mobile Project” to consumers for free - all it costs is whatever your texts cost you based on your cell phone plan. Z Recommends foots the bill for the service!
The problem with trying to find out which products are BPA free on your own is that the information from the companies is not always clear or easy to obtain. ZRECS provides a valid source of info about what products contain BPA.
If you want to know what companies you can trust, their text messaging service instantly educates parents and guides you to BPA free product choices. To use the service, simply text zrecs and the company name to 69866.
If you’re unfamiliar with BPA, here’s the scoop. BPA (Bisphenol A) is an ingredient of many common plastics - plastics used to make bottles, milk containers, and water bottles. It’s also used for the lining of food and drink cans, styrofoam and PVC products. The problem with it is that it’s a hormone mimic that upsets natural hormone levels and causes genetic damage and miscarriages in lab rats. BPA leaches from plastic bottles into the food or drink inside. Researchers have known since the 30’s that BPA mimicked estrogen!
(Reference: Organic Housekeeping )
More on BPA: BPA in Baby Bottles - what’s the danger?
Foogo BPA Free Sippy Cup Review
Natural Moms Podcast #79
April 14, 2008 | 8 Comments
Lynne Eldridge M.D. is a Mom of 4 and author of the book Avoiding Cancer One Day At a Time.
She shared some interesting information about the unique risks women and their children face and what we can do about them. For instance, did you know that women who work from home are 50% more likely to get cancer? This might be due to poor indoor air quality. Moms need to be careful to use non-toxic cleaners.
Keeping houseplants is also a simple way to clean indoor air and they’re very aesthetically pleasing.
Radon is a major cause of lung cancer - have you tested your home? The test kits are not expensive.
Arsenic treated wood is present on 90% outdoor play structures built prior to 2003. If you have one, seal it once a year with a water based polyurethane sealant and have kids wash their hands after playing. This is also true of playground equipment your kids play on at the park or at school. Another way to avoid this risk is to place tablecloths on picnic tables to make eating from them safer.
Another risk to be aware of is that of radiation exposure, especially in kids. If your child needs an X-ray, ask if the machine is set for child dosing. Be sure that the X-ray is medically necessary.
Did you know that increasing your fruit and vegetables to 7-9 servings can halve the risk of cancer? Be sure you’re drink clean water: test your well water for contaminants.
If your kids use cell phones, be sure they are for emergency calls only. There is some evidence that cell phone use may increase certain cancers.
Download the mp3 here to listen to the interview.
Natural Moms Podcast #78
April 7, 2008 | Leave a Comment
With his eco-inspired clothing line, Gary of The Green Path Company hopes to encourage people to think about their choices and how they impact the planet.
It’s easy being green - instead of getting overwhelmed, pick a few eco-friendly changes you can make in your life and implement those first. Make it easier on yourself by scheduling reminders on your calendar. For instance, mark your calendar to remind you to check your tire pressure on a monthly basis. This will make your car burn less gas. Leverage the power of routine. Another idea is to replace your showerheads with low flow versions.
Having a grandchild got Gary thinking about what kind of planet she would inherit. When he lost his job he decided to launch a company that offers T shirts with green - inspired slogans to raise awareness about the environment. He also started a volunteer group that cleans up the nature trails in his area.
Making greener choices benefits more than the environment - it also typically saves you money and makes you feel more self sufficient and confident.
You can listen to this week’s show on the natural moms podcast site or download the mp3.
Natural Moms Podcast #77
March 27, 2008 | 1 Comment
After becoming a mom, Kathy Cozonac of Broomhuggers switched to natural cleaning products. Then she started a business to meet the needs of people who only want non-toxic, safe products in their homes. Some of her customers have chemical sensitivities, others just want to minimize their exposure to harmful chemicals.
Kathy likes the Shaklee line of cleaning products and also makes other recommendations on her blog.
To increase speed and effectiveness with cleaning, use the right tool for the job. Homemade cleaners are fine for light, frequently cleaned areas, but for deeper cleaning or for neglected areas, a commercial product is often more effective.
Kathy mentioned that apple cider vinegar has been proven more potent at killing germs than white distilled vinegar.
You can listen on the site or download the mp3.
Natural Moms Podcast #76
March 13, 2008 | Leave a Comment
This week on the show, Monica Salazar of Familia Libre again joins us to talk about fridge free living with a 
pot-in-pot.
Pot in pot is a refrigeration system that works with simple physics. Building a pot-in-pot is inexpensive and easy. It can be used to store food as well as medicine. Using a pot-in-pot saves money on utilities, so it is ideal for families who are on a tight budget as well as anyone who wants to be more self reliant.
I
t also provides a learning opportunity for kids, who will ask questions about how the pot-in-pot works. Similar to the human body, the pot-in-pot cools by a process of evaporation. When the water inbetween the two pots evaporates, it cools down the inner pot where the food is kept.
It’s important to use unglazed pots. Your pot-in-pot can be large or small. More important is how large the gap is where the sand is (evaporation area) and make sure you keep the sand wet. Keeping the pot-in-pot in a dry location where there is a breeze is also a good idea.
More information:
Mohammed Bah Abba revolutionising lives in Nigeria with pot-in-pot
Pot-in-pot was used in ancient times by the Egyptians and Abba has brought it back into popularity among his fellow Nigerians. This simple technology is producing some pretty incredible results in their lives.
Thanks to Monica for the pot-in-pot pictures and instructions (in Spanish)
You can listen to the interview at the natural moms talk radio site or download the mp3 link here.
Natural Moms Podcast #75
February 27, 2008 | 1 Comment
This week on the show I am joined by Cheryl Wenzel of New Mom Central. Cheryl aims to provide support and information to new moms to help them ease the transition to new motherhood.
Often, there is a big disconnect between what a woman envisions and what her postpartum experience is actually like. This can lead to feelings of surprise and let down. Cheryl shares her own personal experiences during the early months - as a mother of twins no less! - and shares some valuable advice to help women prepare as best as they can for becoming a mom.
We also discussed the many facets of postpartum depression and how pregnant moms can take steps now to have a healthier entry into motherhood.
Mom’s groups are becoming more popular and they can help new moms connect and get out of the house, but there is also a danger that Cheryl refers to as “culture of motherhood” in which moms are scared to be honest about their struggles.
You can listen on the site or download the mp3 here.
Natural Moms Podcast #74
February 18, 2008 | Leave a Comment
This week we are joined by Monica Salazar of Familia Libre. Monica is an Urban Geographer from Quito, Ecuador. She is a natural parenting advocate, online business owner and mother of a 3 year old son.
On the show, Monica shares the benefits of avoiding age-spatial segregation. By wearing our babies and letting our young children accompany us as we interact through life, we can teach them how to behave appropriately in our culture and they gain important social skills.
She also relates the dangers of age segregation and points to the abuse suffered by children at the hands of their parents as well as the behavior of many teenagers as evidence of this. Integrating children and older people leads to more understanding, empathy and respect. It also gives others an opportunity to observe good parenting in action, which has obvious benefits for the younger generation.
Listen on the natural moms talk radio site or download the mp3 here. Read the transcript of Children and the Urban Environment here.
Chocolate Amargo
February 15, 2008 | 3 Comments
Well I just spent the last ten minutes learning that there is no Spanish word for blog.
I was going to get all fancy and name this post “blogging for chocolate” in Espanol, but that’s a little hard to do when you:
- 1) had about 15 minutes of Spanish class in 7th grade and
- 2) there’s no word for it anyway!
- Well, I’m sure the cool babywearing mom on the left would know how to say it. Maybe it’s something like “online journal” or “website diary” or something. And I found that picture at stock.xchng and have been waiting for just the right post to publish it in! Yea me.
And you know the best hot chocolate has a little cayenne pepper in it? Same for chili (served up with a little cocoa powder in it, that is).
- But I don’t know the Spanish word for blog, so, this post is simply titled “plain chocolate”.
Here goes.
Show that inspired this post: Marie Ynami’s show with yours truly at Mommy Community
100 words: Marie was a sweetie and invited me to talk about my Ultimate 365 Salad Cookbook.
Which, incidentally, has at least 5 Mexican/Latin inspired dishes. Including Mexican Green Bean Salad. And Mexican Beef Salad. And Jicama Cole Slaw. And California Chicken Salad featuring tomatillo. Say it with me. TOE-MAAAHH-TEEEE-YO. And Mexican Pasta Salad. And other recipes featuring Spanish olives.
So, go buy it. Ahora!
Link to Moms Talk Radio
Soul Food and Chocolate
February 14, 2008 | Leave a Comment
LaTara of Vegan Family Living talked about soul food on her show last week.
I grew up eating soul food like black eyed peas and collard greens, fried chicken, sweet potato casserole, squash casserole (one of my favorite foods in the world), fried okra, cornbread and dressing, pinto beans, with chow chow on the side….. mostly I got these delicacies at my Grandmother’s house (my Mom was a great cook but she’s from out west, she didn’t cook “Southern” so much).
A lot of these dishes are actually quite healthy. Southerners like my Grandparents ate a lot of vegetables and beans. People make fun of Southerners because of the way they eat, but most of the older people I know who ate bacon with breakfast every morning were eating vegetables they had grown themselves in their gardens, meat they raised by hand, eggs from chickens that were pets. In my opinion their diet was far superior to a lot of people’s today. They also worked very hard and burned off all that fat.
I am amazed that LaTara can make vegan “fried chicken”! But, I’m probably never going to eat chitterlings.