Go Green On the Inside
It's not breaking news that there are toxins in the air we breathe, the food we eat and the things we use to clean our homes and bodies. Even with that knowledge, however, most people continue to go about daily life without living in fear.
In fact, most people don't even know what chemicals are plaguing their bodies. Sloan Barnett is not one of those people. She is one of the few individuals who have been given a body burden test, a rare blood screen that tests for chemical build-up within the body. The test, which requires 17 vials of blood, is rarely available. Even Barnett, a frequent "Today Show" contributor, had to plead to have the test done.
"There are only four labs in the world that do this testing," says Barnett, who published the results in her book "Green Goes With Everything" (Atria, 2008). "I had to beg and plead for three months to get someone to do it on me. They agreed when someone from the Harvard School of Public Health agreed to supervise it."
According to Barnett, only a small number of journalists who have done the test.
"It peaked my curiosity and I personally wanted to know what was inside of me, and show my readers I was willing to expose my blood results to the world," she says.
Barnett tested positive for bisphenol A (linked to birth defects and reproductive problems) and perchlorate (an active ingredient in rocket fuel found in contaminated food). Despite the findings, Barnett, in conjunction with the Environmental Working Group, is trying to show consumers that they do not need to change their lives drastically in order to make a huge difference in overall health.
"This is a health problem that we have control over. That's an empowering statement. Empower people to make simple changes in their life that have a huge impact," Barnett says.
In order to do so, the Environmental Working Group has provided a database of products on their Web site for easy reference. Additionally, when it comes to food products they have suggested a "dirty dozen" that are the foods consumers should always buy organic.
"These are foods that we have found to have consistently high pesticide levels," says Dr. Anila Jacob, the senior group doctor of internal medicine at the Environmental Working Group, Washington D.C. "Most of us right now are looking to save every dollar that we can, so we are saying, you don't need to buy everything organic, just from our dirty dozen."
Fruits and vegetables that are included on this list include are: apples, cherries, grapes, nectarines, peaches, pears, raspberries, strawberries, bell peppers, celery, potatoes and spinach.
"You don't need to buy everything organic," Barnett says. "Just the things that take the biggest hit from your body. Thin-skinned vegetables should be organic. In my book I talk about organic dollars, spending them wisely, and this is where they should go."
Barnett and the Environmental Working Group both advise consumers not to make drastic changes to their lives in order to maintain a healthier lifestyle. Barnett encourages people to make changes that they are comfortable with in order to achieve long-term results.
"Both men and women have been exposed to nine to 12 chemicals before they've gone out the door in the morning," she says. "Think about the chemicals you are exposing your family to and think about where you can make changes. People have to be comfortable with the way they smell, the way they look."
The EWG has done extensive research to pinpoint exactly which chemicals are the worst to have inside your body. Most recently, bisphenol A has been making headlines, Jacob says.
"Bisphenol A has estrogenic properties that have been associated with breast cancer, prostate cancer and early puberty," she says. "In order to avoid it, decrease use of canned foods, don't microwave foods in plastic and decrease the use of products [in plastic containers] with a seven at the bottom."
Additionally, Jacob suggests consumers avoid flame-retardants. However, she admits, "The research is ongoing. We don't need to have each individual tested. We have enough research that the public is being exposed to lots of those chemicals, maybe even hundreds."
Though the research continues, Barnett admits enough is known to empower the consumer to avoid harmful substances.
"We know enough to start to back off of these chemicals. More and more science is starting to point to these compounds that live inside of us."
Matthew M. F. Miller, author of “Maybe Baby: An Infertile Love Story” (HCI, 2008), is a syndicated fatherhood blogger
 |
