Creating Healthy Environments for Children
Would you do whatever is necessary to prevent harm to your child? Are you aware of the invisible risks that are difficult to identify and prevent? Risks right in your own home and backyard?
What could be causing such a dramatic shift in children's health today? Fifty years ago children weren't overwhelmingly afflicted with diseases like cancer, ADD/ADHD, obesity, diabetes, autism, asthma, or birth defects. Perhaps a major difference between our current lifestyles and those of our parents and grandparents is the increased number of chemicals being used to develop products that are being used everyday in our homes and in our surrounding environment. There are currently over 82,000 synthetic chemicals registered for use in the US, most of which did not exist more than 60 years ago. Less than 20% of those chemicals have actually been tested for harmful side effects, but are still being used in the products that we purchase so often to paint our walls, clean our kitchen counters and bathrooms, clean our cars, wash our hair, and brush our teeth.
Follow these 5 easy steps to creating a healthier, safer home:
1) Avoid Pesticides: Use non-toxic or least toxic pest remedies like using soapy water to kill ants or boiling water to kill weeds. Prevent pests through good sanitation and food storage habits.
2) Use Nontoxic Products: Read labels and ask questions about what chemicals are in products you buy. Try making your own cleaners. Use fewer body care products and those made from plant-based ingredients.
3) Clean Up Indoor Air: Ventilate your home by opening windows. Naturally cleanse air with indoor plants. Vacuum regularly using HEPA filtered vacuum and dust often.
4) Eat Healthy: Start making food instead of buying prepared foods to reduce exposure to synthetic additives found in processed foods. Eat a variety of fresh produce and whole grains. Opt for organic when possible.
5) Be Wise With Plastics: Avoid using plastic in the microwave or with warm foods and beverages. Avoid PVC/vinyl, Polystyrene/styrofoam, and polycarbonate/PC. Choose safer plastics or opt for natural materials like glass, steel, wood, or cotton.
