The Toxic Sandbox by Libby McDonald

I have to return this book to the library today because someone else has requested it. The Toxic Sandbox is about environmental toxins and how they affect our children's health. The author focuses her research on the following toxins: LEAD, MERCURY, certain chemicals in PLASTICS (phthalates, especially the three most potent ones, which are diethyl phthalate DEHP, dibutyl phthalate DBP, and benzylbutyl phthalate BBP, as well as bisphenol A), PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls), brominated FLAME RETARDANTS (PBDEs), AIR POLLUTION, and PESTICIDES.

Since February I have been trying to make small choices to protect my family and the environment, to live a more "green" lifestyle. It is overwhelming when I try to figure out everything at once. There is so much material in this book, for example, that I feel like giving up and burying my head in the "toxic" sand like an ostrich. But I must remember Baby Steps! So here is my assessment of what I'm doing in each of these areas.

LEAD. We live in a 1950s ranch, and I'm afraid it is completely contaminated with lead-based paint, dust, et cetera, but I don't know for sure. So far I have done nothing about this. McDonald suggests that I start by finding out exactly what I'm dealing with in terms of the lead in this house. I can find out by buying a home testing kit at the hardware store, or by hiring someone to come out and do a full assessment (look in the yellow pages under Environmental Products & Services). I think that needs to be my first step.

I feel less overwhelmed by the MERCURY thing. I've read the list of contaminated fish several times before today, and I at least know not to buy "albacore" canned tuna. After that I get confused about how much of each kind of fish is safe for each family member to eat. McDonald suggests a simple formula that I can remember: don't eat any of the high-mercury fish ever. Eat the moderate-mercury fish no more than once a month. Eat the low-mercury fish no more than once a week. There are a lot of fish on each of these lists, but the only ones we really eat are canned tuna, salmon, clams, shrimp, and fish sticks. Of those, canned albacore tuna is on the high-mercury list (don't eat ever). Canned light tuna is on the moderate-mercury/ once a month list. Clams, "Pacific" or "wild caught" salmon (NOT "Atlantic" or "farmed" salmon), shrimp, and fish sticks/ fish sandwiches are on the low-mercury list to be eaten no more than once a week. To keep track of when we're eating it, I'm thinking of instituting a Catholic fish Friday type of deal at my house. I've also switched from buying canned tuna to buying canned alaskan salmon (boneless skinless!) so that we can eat "tuna" salad sandwiches more than once a month.

As for the PLASTICS I've been thinking about this, but still feeling overwhelmed by it. I am trying to not buy anything new made of plastic. I'm turning my mind to glass, wood, and metal alternatives. This past Saturday I got rid of all of the plastic toys in the house that the children rarely use and took them to Salvation Army. I'm about to replace my dirty old vinyl shower curtain with a new one, and I'll make sure it is the safe kind. I've been thinking about storing leftovers in our glass containers instead of plastic ones, but I haven't done it yet. McDonald says that more harmful chemicals leach out of plastic when it is heated, so avoid putting hot things into plastic or microwaving plastic. It is probably time for me to just switch all hot foods or foods that I plan to heat up to glass, and use the plastic containers for cold things that will never be heated. I've been saving large glass jars from pickles, etc., instead of recycling them, to use for this purpose. Just FYI, before I move on to the next topic, the phthalates are in soft plastics, like vinyl. Bisphenol A is in polycarbonate, the hard, shiny plastic. Here are some helpful websites: For phthalate-free beauty products go to The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics; for phthalate-free toys and home products try Clean Production Action or Greenpeace. For a quick reference on plastic products check out The Green Guide.

For now, I don't have the time or energy to do a thorough reading about PCBs and flame retardants (PBDEs), so here is just a bit of info if you're interested. PCBs were banned by the federal government in 1977, but they are still around. To keep away from them, avoid farmed salmon, which includes all "Atlantic" salmon. Avoid the fatty tissue of meat and dairy products, i.e. choose low or fat-free options (or be a vegan like Michelle!). Get rid of dust around your home.

AIR POLLUTION in one sentence or less: drive less, beware of smelly school bus emissions, don't idle your car.

PESTICIDES can be reduced by buying organic foods. For more on this, see my post on Potato Girl in Michigan about the Dirty Dozen.

Well, that concludes my review of The Toxic Sandbox by Libby McDonald. Good luck, and please write in with any tips you may have for me.

Mid-Winter Break and The Value of Quarters

The last time the boys had time off from school (2 weeks over Christmas), I did no exercise of any kind and gained about ten pounds.  Yes, I can gain weight that easily.  So as we approached their one week long mid-winter break, I started thinking to myself, "I've just finally re-lost the 10 pounds I gained from not exercising at Christmas.  Do I really want to gain it back again from another week of not exercising?"  I made a plan that I would take the three kiddos down to the YMCA first thing every morning so that I could swim while they played together in Child Watch.  The only problem with my plan is that the boys don't like to go to Child Watch, and I usually give in to them when they complain long and loud enough.  So I decided to bribe them.  I offered each boy one quarter for each day that he went to Child Watch with Esther so that I could swim.  And you know what?  For the low, low price of $1.50, I was able to swim three mornings in a row!  On the fourth morning, Thursday, I shoveled Janie's gigantic driveway for exercise instead.  And then, conveniently, it snowed AGAIN, so I got to shovel my own 12 mile long sidewalk for exercise on Friday.  And that concluded my week of exercise while the kids had a break from school.  A smashing success, especially compared to Christmas!

Being Wasteful

Many years ago, when I was doing Weight Watchers, I had a group leader who loved cannoli. She would always tell us that if she were going to save up a bunch of calories to blow on a dessert, she wouldn't blow them on anything less than the perfect cannoli.  

I think I applied this principal successfully yesterday when Dan brought home two half gallons of ice cream for the family.  He brought me a bowl with some of each flavor in it.  I tried the first flavor (cherry cheesecake) and thought, as I was digging in to the second bite, "hmm...not so yummy." After the third bite it occurred to me that I was eating millions and millions of calories that weren't even that good.  So I stopped eating the less yummy flavor (!) and switched over to the other flavor (Mackinac Island fudge).  It was yummy, and I finished it.  Then I left my bowl on the counter with most of the first flavor still in it!  I just let all that "perfectly good" ice cream melt, and then this morning I washed it down the sink.  I am an ice cream bowl licker by nature, and it is unheard of for me to let ice cream "go to waste."  But as my friends Lisa and LL pointed out today, eating calories you don't need is even more wasteful than throwing those calories away.   Now that's something to think about.

The Salad Rule

I have a new rule I'm trying to follow when I find myself at a fast food place.  The rule is: order a salad.  I find that when I'm faced with a menu at a place like McDonalds, I want to order the cheapest thing.  That is never a salad.  It bothers me to pay $4 something for a salad when I could get a burger for $1 something.  It seems like I'm not "getting my money's worth", whatever that means.  But I've finally decided that it is better for me to shell out the "big bucks" for the salad than to be "thrifty" and get the lard-bomb hamburger with no redeeming value to speak of (other than price).

This rule has made ordering much easier for me.  Today at Mo's, for instance, there were only two salads on the menu, so I hardly had to think at all.   Not only was my decision easier, but my meal was yummy and I didn't feel sick afterwards.  

Do you have any rules that help you when you're eating on the go?

Napoleon Dynamite Boots

I thought I had my goal-setting class at the YMCA this morning.  Because my sister-in-law Jody was visiting, and because Adam wanted us to come to his school for NAAPID today, I decided that I would just have time to go to my class and then go straight to Adam's school.  So I left my swimming bag at home and went down to the Y in my regular winter footwear, a pair of black shearling Merrell boots.  When I arrived at my classroom, my teacher was in there with a big group of other people having a meeting.  I didn't know what to do.  Esther was playing happily downstairs in Child Watch, Jody was upstairs running on the track, and I didn't have my swimming stuff or any exercise clothes or shoes to wear.  I thought about my boots, and decided that if I can walk the boys to school in them on snowy days, I could walk around the track in them.  So I went up and did some fast walking for 50 minutes.  I felt sort of silly on the track in street clothes and winter boots, but more than that, I felt proud.  It seems to me that in order to fit exercise into my daily life, I have to be determined, flexible, and resourceful.  I have to make it one of my very highest priorities.  I sometimes have to be sneaky.  And today, I had to wear Napoleon Dynamite boots.

How do you fit exercise into your daily routine?  

Victory at Costco

Today I went to Costco with Janie.  In the past, I have always purchased myself a yummy (read fatty) lunch at the Costco food court after shopping.  A month or two ago I decided that for my health I would try to follow a new rule of only buying the Caesar salad at the food court, instead of my usual chicken bake or pizza.  After a few of those salads I realized that I didn't like them enough to waste the $3.79, and since then I haven't been buying anything at all.  Today Janie bought a chicken bake and I didn't buy anything!  Yay!  She offered to buy one for me, but I wasn't really hungry, so I said no thanks!  Yay!  I came home and had a spinach salad instead.  

Have you had a healthy victory recently?  Write in and let me know about it.

Getting Plastered

Last Thursday my friend Annie brought me some key lime pie from Applebees.  The first bite or two was really yummy, but then it started feeling a bit too rich and sweet and my stomach was sick.  I'm strong, though, and I was able to keep right on eating until it was all gone.

A day or two after that I was at Janie's and she had just made a big batch of white chocolate chip orange cookies.  Again, the first one I had was amazing, but I probably had another 5 or 6 (sorry Janie).  By the second or third cookie I was feeling sick but I kept eating them anyway because they were yummy.  But not as yummy as the first one.

On Sunday I was at Julie's and she had made M & M cookie bars for dessert. Again, I kept eating and eating them well past the point of feeling sick.

Last night I was remembering those cookie bars, so I went to the store at 9 p.m. to buy the ingredients to make them.  They came out of the oven around 10:30, and by 11 Dan and I (mostly I) had eaten half of the 9 x 13 pan.  They were nowhere near as yummy as Julie's, but I just kept eating them.  We finished them off this morning for breakfast.  I've felt sick all day from eating them.  But if there were more in the pan right now, I'd go put them in my mouth.

So what is the deal?  One thing that I've been trying to learn is that I need to keep desserts out of my house.  Even something as innocent as a bag of chocolate chips in the freezer or a box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch on top of the refrigerator is not safe.  I cannot stop eating sweets until they're gone, even though they make me sick.  And until the sweet food is gone, I won't eat anything else.  If I can keep from buying the yummy stuff at the store, I do pretty well.  The problem I have with that is when I tell myself that I am depriving my children (or husband), and that I need to make (or buy) them a special treat to show them I love them.  I end up eating almost all of the treat and they hardly get any. 

 Then there are always the kind friends that bring over a plate of cookies, or the lunches and dinners at other people's houses, complete with dessert! Not to mention refreshments at church events, Valentine's Day, Easter, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc. etc. etc.  

It feels sort of like I'm an alcoholic who can't control her drinking.  Some people can have just one, but I have to get plastered.  Is there a way I could learn to eat just one serving, and then stop, really stop, or will I have to learn to refrain completely?  Bingeing on desserts does not fall under the heading of healthy lifestyle practices.  Has anyone else out there had this problem?  Have you found anything that helps you?

Small Steps

I am taking a class at the YMCA right now that was developed by a team of Stanford University researchers to help people make healthy lifestyle changes.  The course runs for 10 months, and yesterday was our halfway point.  We were asked to re-evaluate our long term goals and write about what kind of progress we've made.  The long term goal I made 5 months ago was to lose enough weight to move from the "overweight" category on the body mass index (BMI) scale to the "healthy weight" category.  I am currently in the 170s, and for my height (5' 8") I need to get down to the 150s.  

I have made no progress (at least in terms of weight loss).  I was really hoping that by adding more activity to my day I could lose twenty pounds without changing the way I eat, so the goals I've been working on since the summer have revolved around walking more and swimming more.  I am walking about one hour a day 4 to 5 times a week, and trying to swim for 30 minutes every Saturday.  I get my walking done by marching the boys to school and back M-F.  Each leg of the journey is about 15 minutes, so that gives me an hour for the day.  In the warmer months I was taking Esther on long walks down by the river on the weekends, but since the weather has gotten colder, we haven't been doing that very much.  

What I admitted to my group yesterday is that I don't think that I will be able to achieve my goal of reaching a healthy weight without changing the way I eat.  But whenever I think about restricting my food in any way I am filled with dread.  As a teenager I was in great shape.  I ate whatever I wanted, but I also swam, did ballet, lifted weights, and rode my bike all over town.  I probably exercised 3 to 5 hours a day on average.  As a mother, it has been hard enough for me to get into the habit of walking 30 to 60 minutes a day, with a swim thrown in every now and then.  It is not realistic for me to expect to find the time to exercise as much as it would take for me to lose weight and continue to eat with abandon.  

Our teacher at the YMCA, Diane, reminded me yesterday that to lose one pound a week I only need to reduce my daily calorie intake by 500.  This could be 250 less calories consumed in food, and 250 more calories burned in exercise.  She pointed out that I may be feeling hopeless about changing my eating habits because I'm picturing a much more drastic change than I actually need to make.  I was reminded of a time a few weeks ago when I decided to eat a bowl full of roasted vegetables before eating my normal lunch of rice and beans.  The vegetables were delicious, and I was full after only 1/2 cup of my second course (I would usually eat a cup or more).  I rarely eat vegetables, and I know this is one of the biggest weaknesses in my eating habits.  So yesterday before lunch I ate a bowl full of frozen corn and peas.  And today for lunch I had a bowl full of edamame (soybeans in the pod).  Now I'm not feeling hungry at all, and I haven't even eaten my "real" lunch yet.  

I'm really hoping that by increasing the amount of vegetables I eat each day, I'll be able to reduce my total calorie intake without having to calculate and measure every single thing I put into my mouth.  That is exhausting and does not feel sustainable.  I am looking for changes I can make that are small enough to not be overwhelming, but will still make a difference for good over time.  I want to make changes that will last.  

If you have found any small steps toward a healthier lifestyle that have worked for you, I'd love to hear about them.  

French Toast

This morning I made french toast for the boys for breakfast.  I had some, too.  I feel sick now. Note to self: although french toast with butter, syrup, whipped cream and chocolate sauce looks and tastes yummy, it does not feel good to eat.