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GoddesJourney
March 9th, 2010, 12:27 AM
My dad sent me this article about eating organic and studies about the chemicals and hormones in food leading to obesity. I know a lot of such things can probably be found in skin and hair products, too, so I thought to post it here to share with you all.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35315651/ns/health-diet_and_nutrition// (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35315651/ns/health-diet_and_nutrition//)

It makes me wonder if my time in Brazil (just a few months but I put on 15-20 pounds) had an effect on me. I've been having such a hard time getting the weight off and I never have before. I know there are a few key factors but they really spray a lot of pesticide everywhere, even straight into the air, to control mosquitos.

I've been really thinking about what I put in/on my body lately. I think I'm switching to clean skin and hair products even if it costs me more money. I don't want to anyone to find parabens in my breast cancer or something one day (I've heard of this actually happening). Eeeek!

Star Eagle
March 9th, 2010, 12:39 AM
I think you are very smart.... I read all labels of anything that is in a package to eat. If it has any hydragened oils I don't buy any High fructose corn syrup I don't buy... and any word that is too long... I eat most fresh organic fruits and vegetables .... and no sugar...

GoddesJourney
March 9th, 2010, 12:51 AM
Yeah, there was a time when I thought eating all organic was just going overboard being paranoid. In recent years, I've started to open my eyes. I loved it when my mom used to grow tomatoes and snap peas and such in the back yard for us when we were little.

Suszi
March 9th, 2010, 01:12 AM
Interesting read. They talk about obesity but I wonder what problems the chemicals can cause.

jera
March 9th, 2010, 01:24 AM
I prefer organic food and a chemical free envirnoment as well. I'm sure organic eating helps keep me slender. And no high glycemic foods. Period. :p

CherrySilver
March 9th, 2010, 08:04 AM
Eating organic vegetables is great if you can, but not always cheap or readily available. Best to *always* wash produce off to remove any pesticides of chemicals.

However, organic beef/chicken/eggs (wild fish, too) is really important to avoid those hormones. I'll pay the extra money for this over vegetables any day.

Likewise with any shampoo, conditioner or cosmetic products -- avoid anything with parabens and the fewer chemicals, the better.

Probably one of the worst killers and contributors to obesity is sugar, trans-fats and processed foods. I cringe in horror whenever I walk thru the cereal and other aisles in the supermarket. Worse, I am one of those people who will look in your shopping basket and will turn my head away so you can't see the look on my face.

Sadly, I have a sister who's overweight who doesn't watch her diet at all. Her beautiful 21 y.o. daughter is morbidly obese. Another sister can't be bothered to cook and feeds her kids mostly prepared foods. I'd love to clean out their refrigerators and pantries, but there wouldn't be much left. This has been the source of much consternation, but you can't force the issue too much. For the sake of the relationships I keep my mouth shut and bring over healthy food when I come (which they love, but can't be bothered making).

sally_neuf
March 9th, 2010, 08:09 AM
Just wanted to say that I'm from venezuela (just above brazil!) and we use LOTS of pesticides to in the air to control the mosquitos, but still we don't have high obesity rate like, let's say, USA.
I would say that affects more the change of diet, than air pesticides

Juanita
March 9th, 2010, 08:20 AM
I buy organic for preference when I can. Will not buy food from countries that irradiate food to lengthen shelf life. Keep away from GM products. I am a vegetarian. We grow some of our veges and herbs for our consumption. I use organic products on my hair and body.
But chemicals like DDT that were banned for use fifty years ago can be traced in human breast milk still. Cows and other animals are still being contaminated by land that had this pesticide used on it.Chemical use is a huge problem.

Babyfine
March 9th, 2010, 09:05 AM
I've been trying for years to minimize the chemicals in our life for my family.
We try to use organic hair and skin products(though I still use Oil of olay which isn't organic.)I'm trying to switch to Aubrey's.
We have a garden and eat fresh during season and freeze/can for the winter.
We have an apple tree so apples come from the tree during season.
Otherwise I'm just careful to really wash any fruits and vegetables that come from the store.
We buy our chickens and beef from a farmer that uses no hormones for his livestock. We get our bread from a bakery with no preservatives.
However I don't stress about it if I eat out.
I would love to avoid GM foods- I don't know if they're even labeled here in the US- if they are GM-Anyone know?
They do spray for about 10 weeks once a week for mosquitos here in the summer only from about end of June through end of August. They only do it once a week late a night at the same time so I run around and shut all the windows before the sprayer comes. Especially in my sons' room.
I have mixed feelings about that -the mosquitos here would be so bad if they didn't spray that they could pick you up and carry you away!!
Also we had some cases of west Nile Virus, in which some died, so they want to spray for those reasons.
I'm glad it isn't year round-The winters are so cold here no insects could live!

aililiú
March 9th, 2010, 11:52 AM
i also try to eat organic-- 'twas much easier when living with my parents, now that im all poor, well, i do what i can :) but i dont eat any "junk" food, and no sugar or refined carbs etc.

it is true that your skin can absorb chemicals. i went through quite a phase where i wouldnt put anything on my body that i wouldnt eat :) however, i have intense dandruff and i now use head & shoulders every few washes, just a bit, as it really does help, and i use a herbal anti-dandruff 'poo in the mean-washes. i wouldnt eat that either, but i do feel confortable using it on my body :) i use all natural lotions, tooth powder, soaps, cleaning products, laundry detergent, mineral makeup etc. im an artist and my supplies are full of chemicals, alas, so i figure thats my evil and i'll try to be clean on everything else :o im not as strict as i used to be, but i still feel pretty good about where i'm standing, and i know that once i have more income i'll be able to do even better :lol:

but yes-- organic-- support your local organic farmers! :laugh:
really, they are going to save us in the end ;)

farewell_nancy
March 9th, 2010, 12:41 PM
Good article. I hadn't been interested in switching to organic because the reasons presented to me had been heavy on sentiment rather than science, but this really does give good reasons and advice on when and where you ought to alter your' eating habits.

Avoiding plastic packaging could be really hard though. What are you supposed to use when you need to take a water bottle to the gym?

@Sally Neuf I used to live in Florida and when I was a kid their used to be trucks that would drive around and spray the air, sometimes little cropdusters. My mom always told us to run inside if we saw them. It was pretty gross. I think they gave up the spraying fairly quickly though since it didn't seem to give the mosquitos pause.

LucyHope
March 9th, 2010, 02:22 PM
Avoiding plastic packaging could be really hard though.

It's not. Personally, I find being surrounded by useless plastic and having excess rubbish/recycling on collection day to be really hard, but hey - YMMV. :p :)


What are you supposed to use when you need to take a water bottle to the gym?

Something like these (http://www.time.com/time/travel/article/0,31542,1865754,00.html).

Personally, I use an ECOtanka, (http://www.ecotanka.com/view/MiniTanka.aspx)a Tupperware sports bottle (http://www.tupperware.com.au/wps/wcm/connect/AUS/website/productgallery/productcollections/onthego/kids+sports+bottles), and an Ecocup (http://www.iamnotapapercup.com/).

And it's not just drink bottles either, but all food containers - Why? (http://www.ecotanka.com/view/HelpProtectOurEarth.aspx)
Because I'm a waste-not-want-not, earth-friendly, logical INTJ who wants things as EFFICIENT as possible! :D :cheese:

MandyBeth
March 9th, 2010, 02:41 PM
Having been other countries -

US has the problem with obesity because we eat a crazy amount of absolute crap. Now granted, not eating crap (Cheetos are not supposed to be part of the daily diet) would also in turn means you aren't eating as many chemicals.

Given Monsanto's dictatorship over certain crop markets, the avoidance of Genetic Modified food is harder now.

ETA - Skeeter spray. It doesn't do any good if you have standing water. ANY standing water. Even like in the bottom of a planter or in a tire or in a kid's sand bucket. Vile little beasties. Tho they are fun to get the eggs in a bottle, put a little bit of water over them and shake it up - they'll hatch almost right away. Then pour 'em out and smash the worthless pests.

Fractalsofhair
March 9th, 2010, 02:46 PM
I don't think pesticides are likely to cause weight gain, but I do think eating too much on vacation can. I think they could mess with hormone levels possibly, which might make it easier to gain weight, but in reality, Brazilian food is tasty. It's not a wonder you gained weight! I try to eat organics(though most of the certified stuff still uses harsh chemicals, so I generally ask local farmers, for veggies in the summer. I'd love to grow my own, but my yard is too small.)and mainly natural foods. They make organic cheetoo type stuff with "natural" flavorings. That's just as bad as normal junk food. My rule of thumb is if nobody 200 years ago would have known what sort of food it is, it's probably a bad idea to eat it. GMOs are great for developing countries, if the place has very poor soil, but it's wrong IMO to waste them in the US, where we have good soil.

Kirry-Folk
March 9th, 2010, 03:48 PM
I don't want to offend anyone, but the term "organic" is misleading and often times false, particularly with meat (no standards, can often mean your chicken only receives antibiotic-laden feed once per week rather than every day) and produce (rotenone and pyrethrin are both pesticides approved for organic use, but both are known carcinogens). Let's not even get into snack foods.

I've never bought into the organic trend because there is no way of knowing what's in your food unless you've grown/raised it yourself or you're living near the farm it came from. The organic movement is a silly, feel-good trend that robs a person of twice the amount of money the same product WITHOUT the organic label costs.

However, I am in favor of shopping locally (I get everything but grains and a select few roots/herbs from the local farmer's market), because most decent farmers are happy to let you visit their farms and see what it is they do and under what conditions the animals and vegetables are kept/raised/grown.

Again, I don't wish to offend or upset anyone, just sharing my perspective on the matter.

:twocents:

LucyHope
March 9th, 2010, 05:05 PM
I agree a little, but with the caveat that it really does depend on where you are, and what their laws are regarding organic certification. Some countries make certification impossible to get, so no-one bothers, others make it pointlessly easy and hand organic certs out like lollies to people using all manner of techniques and materials.

Personally, I feel healthier and fuller-longer if I err toward organics, but usually, when cost is a factor if I have to pick between organic or Fair Trade, I go Fair Trade - though luckily, they're often the same thing. :)

(There are also people out there who prefer organics for religious/spiritual reasons, not just chemical paranoia or feel-good eco-tokenism. Just a thought.)

I have to agree with the snack foods thing though - just because a sugary, fatty, mostly-processed "health" bar has 2 or 5 or 10% organic flour doesn't make it good for you! :p

Bellalalala
March 9th, 2010, 05:40 PM
This article is disgustingly misleading and it is one GIANT advertisement for a book that is linked on every single page.

Having just finished the med school unit on metabolism, I can't even believe this kind of garbage gets published.

Yes, there are known negative effects of estrogens and pesticides in food, but the absurd misrepresentation of these facts and tenuous conclusions are downright irresponsible.

I HATE HATE HATE the diet industry. It is pure evil and completely exploitative.

ravenreed
March 9th, 2010, 05:57 PM
I am not surprised... Any time I see a website crying out how X,Y or Z is HORRIBLE for you - Here buy this book to read why -or -Buy this pill to fix it- etc, I get a bit suspicious.

So what do you think about the studies being done on intestinal flora/fauna in mice and how that can affect their weight? I don't have a link offhand, just thought maybe you had discussed it in class?


This article is disgustingly misleading and it is one GIANT advertisement for a book that is linked on every single page.

Having just finished the med school unit on metabolism, I can't even believe this kind of garbage gets published.

Yes, there are known negative effects of estrogens and pesticides in food, but the absurd misrepresentation of these facts and tenuous conclusions are downright irresponsible.

I HATE HATE HATE the diet industry. It is pure evil and completely exploitative.

kwaniesiam
March 9th, 2010, 06:03 PM
I don't want to offend anyone, but the term "organic" is misleading and often times false, particularly with meat (no standards, can often mean your chicken only receives antibiotic-laden feed once per week rather than every day) and produce (rotenone and pyrethrin are both pesticides approved for organic use, but both are known carcinogens). Let's not even get into snack foods.

I've never bought into the organic trend because there is no way of knowing what's in your food unless you've grown/raised it yourself or you're living near the farm it came from. The organic movement is a silly, feel-good trend that robs a person of twice the amount of money the same product WITHOUT the organic label costs.

However, I am in favor of shopping locally (I get everything but grains and a select few roots/herbs from the local farmer's market), because most decent farmers are happy to let you visit their farms and see what it is they do and under what conditions the animals and vegetables are kept/raised/grown.

Again, I don't wish to offend or upset anyone, just sharing my perspective on the matter.

:twocents:

THIS! Thank you! :flowers:

The "organic" industry these days is extremely misleading and there is no real scientific evidence that organic produce is better for you OR the environment. Most organic produce is not grown locally unless stated, but chances are the organic products from your grocery store are imported. I'm all for supporting local farming but most of the time that just isn't the case.

I highly suggest anyone curious to watch the episode of Penn & Teller: Bullsh*t! on the subject. It was extremely eye opening for me and I hope you as well. Here is a link to where you can watch the episode, nsfw due to language. http://www.megavideo.com/?v=DZT6RLNG

GoddesJourney
March 12th, 2010, 01:32 AM
I don't think pesticides are likely to cause weight gain, but I do think eating too much on vacation can. I think they could mess with hormone levels possibly, which might make it easier to gain weight, but in reality, Brazilian food is tasty. It's not a wonder you gained weight! I try to eat organics(though most of the certified stuff still uses harsh chemicals, so I generally ask local farmers, for veggies in the summer. I'd love to grow my own, but my yard is too small.)and mainly natural foods. They make organic cheetoo type stuff with "natural" flavorings. That's just as bad as normal junk food. My rule of thumb is if nobody 200 years ago would have known what sort of food it is, it's probably a bad idea to eat it. GMOs are great for developing countries, if the place has very poor soil, but it's wrong IMO to waste them in the US, where we have good soil.

Actually, I hated Brazilian food. I was brought up without a taste for fried food, so it really made me sick. I wasn't on vacation, either. I was spending a few months there with my husband who was waiting for his visa to come here. I guess I get all backwards with the obesity thing. When people talk about Americans all being so obese, it's confusing to me. I'm from an area of S. California that is very health conscious. We like to excercise and eat healthy food. Most of the people around here are in pretty good shape except for those who come here from other places to go to school. Also, while I was in Rio de Janeiro and a couple of neighboring places, I found that there is *a lot* of obesity. The wealthier are often in better condition, but they are also the highest consumers of diet pills in the world. I was a little confused to find out that this is completely normal and acceptable at least in that city. My husband thinks I'm crazy for getting all upset about diets and pills and surgery. The extremely poor are obviously quite skinny as well because they don't have the money to eat. Most everyone else I met or saw on my way to the bus or beach was at least chubby if not flat out obese. Just not the people you see on tv.

On the upside, they're much more accepting of weight on a person. It's perfectly acceptable to be quite obese and still wear a tiny bikini on the beach if it makes you happy. That's nice. No one seems to notice or care. Over here, I think it wouldn't be long before someone would give a rude stare or something. The hot weather there definately influences the culture such that it's okay for someone my mom's age to wear a little strapless dress. Very nice.

cellardoor
March 12th, 2010, 11:38 AM
What a great article! Thanks for posting it. I find it very scary how many unnatural things go into our bodies now days, it's nearly impossible to find anything without weird chemicals on the label.