Back in early 2008, both my colleague Andrea Page, our FitMom and parenting expert, and myself, wrote on the issues surrounding Bisphenol-A, commonly known as BPAs, sinisterly known as bad plastics. Andrea’s article focused on how BPAs might impact mothers in feeding and food prep of their young, and mine on the the hazards of all these plastic water bottles. Recently the FDA has concluded that BPA is now safe (even though they will continue to monitor the BPA situation), but the outside authorities once again found that the FDA should not be expressing that this is the case. (more…)
After writing about genetically modified organisms (GMOs) back in August, the importance of really reading food labels seems a vital and natural tie-in. I know navigating all the jargon around food is a difficult one, and now adding in the GMO factor might make one feel overwhelmed about choosing safe, healthy food options. But fear not! (more…)
Continuing our look at various chemicals in skin care products in our Healthy Skin Care Series, beYOUmag.com looks this week at propylene glycol and its impact in your skin care products and some healthy alternatives.
What is propylene glycol?
Propylene glycol is in the alcohol family and is a clear, viscous type compound used primarily in skin care products as a moisturizer, emulsifier, lubricant (as in personal care), and is one of the main ingredient in deodorants. (more…)
My readers know I’m a huge fan of the Environmental Working Group (EWG), a non-profit organization, founded in 1993 by Ken Cook and Richard Wiles, whose sole mission is to “…use the power of public information to protect public health and the environment…” How great is that? I cannot stress enough how much information is on this site, but organized in a user friendly and intuitive way. One subject or topic of interest can take you deeper and deeper into more information. One of my favorite tools on their site is Skin Deep, a cosmetics safety database which is a safety guide to over 25,000 products. (more…)
In keeping with our model of fully informing our readers as much as we can, when I wrote about sweetener alternatives yesterday, I mentioned that I would circle back and fill you in on Stevia, the herbal based sweetener. Since yesterday’s piece was about natural, whole sweeteners — agave, honey, raw unrefined cane sugar — Stevia does come from a plant source, but according to the FDA, it is classified as a dietary supplement. Well, after some of my recent posts on the FDA, you know I’ve been outspoken on a few topics — mainly having to do with cows — but maybe the supplement classification has been due to some negative press on Stevia as well. (more…)
Missed a breaking story this week or just looking for some great ways to go green and relax? No worries, here’s our weekly recap to ease you into your weekend!
FDA Beef Recall - 143 Tons. How did this happen? Seriously, how did it happen?
FITMOMS Feel Better - Welcome pre/post natal expert, Andrea Page, to the beYOU.tv family
FDA Beef Recall - Why do our kids get less than sub-prime food? Eating healthy should not be a luxury.
Going Green - Small steps can make a big difference in your health and home. See how one major consumer company is taking the lead in going green.
Take Your Weekend Back - Step awaaaay from the computer. Put your hands up and off your Blackberry.
Have a great weekend. Go discover You!
Bob
Now that we’ve settled into the initial shock of witnessing the Nation’s largest food recall in her history, and the world has turned it’s attentions to Fidel Castro’s resignation, my focus has now shifted to where this meat went and why there are no checks and balances to the point where 143 million tons of unfit food gets out into the marketplace, and most shockingly, into the public school system.
The meat that was recalled was part of a variety of meats provided through the USDA’s National School Lunch Program (NSLP) which keeps prices low and the meat in question was primarily used by schools, according to the Food Safety and Inspection Service. (more…)
If you can imagine, this is my third piece on the FDA in a month and none of it is positive. This saddens me deeply. 
First, we had the use of cloned animals for food product, then the safety review of Botox®, which has now been used widely and rampantly for years, now we have the FDA recall of 143 million tons of beef that has been out on the market since February 2006 from the Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Plant in Chino, California. So unless you have a deep freezer and hoarding food since 2006, and you buy supermarket ground beef, you could have already ingested it. What is so disturbing about this recall is that they were slaughtering non-ambulatory cows, which is against the law and inhumane, hence the Humane Society of the United States got involved, with undercover cameras. (You can see the footage on their site.)
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Don’t worry, I’ve not become an FDA watchdog. With my last post on the FDA’s approval of cloned animals for food product, you might think otherwise. This again is just me trying to keep my dear readers informed with thought provoking information.
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