MSG or monosodium glutamate is widely used in many food choices including meals at restaurants, snacks, microwaveable dinners, especially in instant noodles. Even if the usage of food additive products like Ajinomoto are practiced into a minimum, every individual in the world will still have a taste of it as it is present in fish, chicken, beef, pork, tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, leeks, cabbages, mushrooms, and in dairy products like milk and cheese. To confirm this claim also, comparison of glutamates found in MSG and those glutamates found in crops and produce are 100% identical. This indicates in summary that use of this savory flavor enhancer is safe to use.

There have been worries that MSG is attributed to so many diseases such as obesity, arthritis, rheumatism, fibromyalgia, Alzheimer’s disease, memory loss, and more. All of these have been attributed beginning from the “Chinese Restaurant Syndrome”, which was reported and shared by Robert Ho Man Kwok after ate in an American-Chinese meal, and experienced the MSG symptom complex. He had tasted wine in cooking, sodium, and glutamate seasoning, but the focus was only on monosodium glutamate and disregarded other factors. Since then, the umami food additive has been the subject of research for so many years, and was questioned since its founding in 1909.

In as early as 1950, the Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JEFCA) has been created by the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) along with the World Health Organization (WHO) in addressing the rising number of countries using processed foods. In 1970, 1973, and 1987, the International Programme on Chemical Safety has published a report “Toxicological Evaluation on Certain Food Additives” has placed Monosodium Glutamate in the “Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) not specified” category, not indicating any risks in minimal intake. After the said evaluation, Commission of the European Communities also issued a report in 1991 of the same ADI result. The American Institute of Nutrition also marked ADI for MSG in 1995, even backed up by the Food Standards Australia New Zealand in 2002. All of these groups have done the research independently, proving that Monosodium Glutamate is still safe to use today.

Roppongi dogs

Remember that awful pet food poisoning scare a couple of years ago? Luckily, none of our pets (5 dogs, 7 cats) were victims of the poisoning, but many people I knew lost their beloved pets because of it. One good thing to come of the tragedy though, was that organic and natural pet food sales rose as more people decided to switch.

I am one of those people, and though I often wondered what was in the usual brands like Alpo, Pedigree or Whiskas, I never really bothered to really look. Well, according to Newman’s Own Organics, whose organic pet products I love and use (and their people products too!),it’s pretty disturbing, such as poultry “by products”:

“Ground, rendered, cleaned slaughtered poultry carcass parts such as necks, feet, lymph nodes, undeveloped eggs and intestines (and a small amount of feathers). The quality is very inconsistent between batches. Note: By product meals are often derived from 4-D meat sources – defined as food animals that have been rejected for human consumption because they were presented to the meat packing plant as “Dead, Dying, Disabled or Diseased”.

Ugh. Would you honestly feed this stuff to your cat or dog? If your pets are considered part of the family, as ours are, it makes total sense to put as much thought in their food as you do yours. Yes, it can cost much more to buy organic or holistic pet food, but there is an alternative. Make it yourself. Here’s a great book I found, The Natural Pet Cookbook (pictured above), which will help get you started. Not only will you be happy in the knowledge that you are feeding your pets healthy, natural food, but you’ll also notice the change – healthier, happier pets!

Photo via Dog Idea

Using organic skincare products is more than just saving your skin from possible chemical irritation—it’s also saving the earth from home. However, that is only if you are using the real organic skincare.

Why Use Organic Skincare?

Organic skincare products are made up and processed without using any chemicals like synthetic fertilizers, pest killers, and preservatives. Thus, supporting organic skincare brands means encouraging chemical-free farming and processing.

That’s less pain for the earth and less damaging effects for the environment. As for your skin, that means less irritation, less potential damage, more natural glow, and more youthful appearance.

Beware of Some “Organic” Skincare Products

The dramatic increase of environmental concerns is taken advantaged by manufacturers. Adding the words “natural,” “organic,” “eco-friendly,” etc. on the label can instantly transform a poorly sold product into a market hit.

As a consumer, you need to be vigilant. Otherwise, you might only be contributing harm to the environment despite your desire to help. And the most painful part is, you are not aware of it.

Organic Skincare Labels

All products can say that they are “organic skincare.” But only few can have the real seal of being organic.

There are groups that are responsible for certifying that organic skincare products are really organic like the Australia’s Organic Food Chain, ECOCERT, USDA, UK’s Soil Association, and Germany’s BDIH.

They give certification depending on how organic an organic skincare product is. For instance, those with “Certified Organic” seal have at least 95% organic ingredients while those with “Made Organic” have at least 70%.

In the end, making your own organic skincare recipe is still the best way to make sure that you are using organic. But with the hectic lifestyle, using trusted organic skincare brands is a better and more comfortable way to save your skin and the environment.

The night after her baby brother’s birthday party, my 6-year-old daughter came into our bedroom at around midnight saying “Mom I feel si….” and promptly projectile vomited in the middle of our doorway. The next 24 hours were awful, she couldn’t hold anything down, had a fever, and felt absolutely terrible. Classic symptoms of gastroenteritis. And what I find most annoying is that earlier in the week I had received a letter from her school saying that there were multiple cases of gastro going around the school, and it gave necessary measures on how to avoid it – washing hands, keeping clean, etc. Obviously not easy to do for 6-year-olds in the playground or school canteen.

So now that she had indeed caught the bug, the only thing I could do was to protect the rest of the family, especially her two little brothers. Aside from issuing a strict handwashing policy at home, I took on the task of disinfecting crucial areas like the kitchen, toilets and places my daughter used. I resisted the urge to buy the heavy-duty Lysol, and instead found a website which had some great information on how to make your own less-toxic disinfectants – so you save money, save the earth, keep healthier and hopefully kill a few germs while you’re at it.

Home-made Alternatives

Disinfecting/Deodorizing Cleaner
Add 1/2 cup of borax to 4 litres of warm water.

One hospital used this formulation for cleaning for a year. The monitoring bacteriologist reported that the solution satisfied the hospital’s germicidal requirements. (Dadd)

Disinfectant
Mix 2 teaspoons borax, 4 tablespoons vinegar and 3 cups hot water. For stronger cleaning power add 1/4 teaspoon liquid castile soap. Wipe on with dampened cloth or use non-aerosol spray bottle.

Tea Tree Disinfectant
20 drops tea tree oil (approx. 1/5 tsp. or 1 ml)
20 drops emulsifier
1 cup water or vinegar
Put emulsifier in container. Add oil and blend. Add 1cup water or vinegar.

Cinnamon Disinfectant
12 drops cinnamon oil (approx. 1/8 tsp. or 0.6 ml)
12 drops emulsifier
1 cup water or vinegar
Put emulsifier in container. Add oil and blend. Add 1cup water or vinegar. Shake before using.

One of the mantras in my household is “Wash your hands please”. When the kids get home from school, before mealtimes, before cooking, after playing, after touching the pets and so on. But when you’re out of the house, using water and soap obviously isn’t the most convenient thing. And the solution a lot of people have been using come in the form of antibacterial gels, which are cheap, plentiful and found just about anywhere. The problem with it though, is that terrible ingredient, triclosan, an antibacterial agent found in a lot of products nowadays, from soap to socks! But the fact remains: Triclosan is no better than plain soap.

Several months ago, I read a very disturbing article by a Mom, aptly called: “Cancer or Germs? I’ll Take the Germs!”. She took the time out to do research on the stuff (the things a Mom will do!- bravo) and it made me ban triclosan from my household forever – why? because among other nasties, it causes cancer and is bad for the environment. Enough said. If you want to know more about it, or what products contain it, please go here.

Okay. So we know antibacterial gels with triclosan are bad, but that doesn’t really solve our problem about killing germs while we are on the go. Mind you, soaps have it too, so be wary and always read labels. Well, the best solution is to buy the natural stuff (like Clean Well), or better yet, make it yourself.

Here are some ideas:

Grapefruit seed extract: diluted with distilled water, makes a great all-around germ-killing spray for hands, air, surfaces and even wounds!

Vodka and essential oil: Mixing vodka, essential oil (like lavender) and distilled water, is another easy and cheap alternative. Put it in a spray bottle and keep it handy.

Essential oils and water: Simple yet effective, take your favourite essential oil and mix it with water to create a very natural antibacterial. The most potent are: cinnamon, cloves, verbena, lavender, angelice, juniper, sandal, cedar, thyme and lemon.

In the news again were some chilling findings that a slew of everyday bath products made for kids had dangerous levels of carcinogens. Like any Mother, my reaction is deep resentment and anger for these big companies that let things like this happen for years, and how lethal ingredients like formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane is found in every day items we put on our bodies. Both substances are known to cause cancer, so when you think about it, it somewhat explains why so many people in the world today have the terrible disease.

What I find especially disturbing is that in the list are brands that most families like mine have trusted for years, believing they were safe for our children. Products like Johnson’s Baby Shampoo, which my husband still loves! The group who uncovered the dirty facts were non-profit Campaign For Safe Cosmetics, and here’s some of what they said:

” Despite marketing claims like “gentle” and “pure,” dozens of top-selling children’s bath products are contaminated with the cancer-causing chemicals formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane, according to the March 2009 Campaign for Safe Cosmetics report, “No More Toxic Tub.”

This study is the first to document the widespread presence of both formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane in bath products for children, including baby shampoos, bubble baths and baby lotions. Many products tested contained both chemicals.
The chemicals were not disclosed on product labels because they’re contaminants, not ingredients, and therefore are exempt from labeling laws.

Formaldehyde contaminates personal care products when common preservatives release formaldehyde over time in the container. Common ingredients likely to contaminate products with formaldehyde include quaternium-15, DMDM hydantoin, imidazolidinyl urea and diazolidinyl urea.

1,4-dioxane is a byproduct of a chemical processing technique called ethoxylation, in which cosmetic ingredients are processed with ethylene oxide. Manufacturers can easily remove the toxic byproduct, but are not required by law to do so. Common ingredients likely to be contaminated with 1,4-dioxane include PEG-100 stearate, sodium laureth sulfate, polyethylene and ceteareth-20.

The key bit there I think is: “Manufacturers can easily remove the toxic byproduct, but are not required by law to do so.” So when the group conducted the study, they found that there were still large amounts of the toxins which meant that the companies didn’t bother to remove the poisonous byproducts. WHY?

Around the world, several countries have already taken measures to ensure that their baby products are safe, like in China, where they are being removed from supermarket shelves and undergoing more testing. Japan and Sweden have already banned formaldehyde from personal care products.

Aside from 1,4-dioxane and formaldehyde, watch out for these baddies too:

peg-100 stearate, sodium laureth sulfate, polyethylene and ceteareth-20, quaternium-15, DMDM hydantoin, imidazolidinyl urea, diazolidinyl urea and sodium hydroxymethoylglycinate.

For the full list of tested products as well as more information, check out the article here.

Effects Of Cell Phone Radiation With Green Planet Armour

For years, my spouse, an anti-technology dinosaur, has been preaching the danger of cellphones. He’s always owned one though (pre-paid), rather begrudgingly, never turning it on unless absolutely necessary, much to my annoyance. Well, the other day he told me it was time I did some research on the dangers of cellphones and do a post on it on YURTO as he reckoned most people use their cellphones at home even if it was invented for use outside of the home.

What I found was basically that cellphones emitted radiation, which when given in large doses, is indeed dangerous. In fact, I read this very disturbing article in the UK Telegraph, wherein a noted brain specialist says that “mobile phones are more dangerous than smoking” and was the reason for the rise in brain tumors.

Mobile phones could kill far more people than smoking or asbestos, a study by an award-winning cancer expert has concluded. He says people should avoid using them wherever possible and that governments and the mobile phone industry must take “immediate steps” to reduce exposure to their radiation.

The study, by Dr Vini Khurana, is the most devastating indictment yet published of the health risks.

It draws on growing evidence – exclusively reported in the IoS in October – that using handsets for 10 years or more can double the risk of brain cancer. Cancers take at least a decade to develop, invalidating official safety assurances based on earlier studies which included few, if any, people who had used the phones for that long.

Obviously, the mobile phone people has dismissed the professor’s claims as baloney, and a large study in the UK has shown little evidence, BUT it also said:

Professor Challis, emeritus professor of physics at the University of Nottingham, said: “It all sounds pretty reassuring and that is good. But we cannot rule out the possibility that cancer could appear in a few years. The epidemiological evidence is not good enough and most cancers take longer than 10 years to develop.

So I am inclined to agree with hubby, but am not quite prepared to give up my phone (what if there was an emergency with the kids while I was out?). Luckily, there is a company addressing this, and their product is something we should all get, short of giving up your portable.

Green Planet Armour is a nifty little product you can easily connect to your electronic device which uses nano technology to combat the ill effects of radiation. Check out their website today.

The past year has been a pretty terrifying time in terms of the huge amounts of toxic toys (and milk!) found in the market. And if you’ve think the worst is over and the most dangerous toys have already been weeded out in time for Christmas, you are sadly mistaken. According to the non-profit group Ecology Center, one in three of more than 1,500 of the most popular toys in the market, have unacceptably high levels of toxic chemicals, which can cause the following in our children: reproductive problems, developmental and learning disabilities, hormone problems and cancer.

And its NOT just toys from China, nor is it just lead. And according to their studies, children’s jewelry has the highest amount of chemicals. Horrifying since it is what is most likely to come into contact with our children’s skin!

So be safe this Christmas and before you buy, read up on what’s safe here at Healthy Toys where you can search by brand, “worst toys”, “best toys” and so on. The site also lets you make a “holiday list” which can be emailed to family and friends – a wonderful way to make sure the kids you care about are protected.

Please join the fight to stop chemicals in toys completely and check out some of the ideas listed in the Healthy Toys or Ecology Center‘s website – as Mike Shriberg, Ph.D., Ecology Center’s Policy Director rightly said:

“There is simply no place for toxic chemicals in toys….Our hope is that by empowering consumers, manufacturers and lawmakers will start phasing out the most harmful substances immediately, and change the laws to protect children from toxic chemicals.”