Mambo Sprouts

“It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.” ~ Antoine de Saint-Exupery

As Valentine’s Day approaches, are you considering a gift for someone special? Celebrating your love for others─including sweethearts, parents, siblings, kids, and pets─is both heart expanding and wellness boosting. You can make your gift even more meaningful by choosing fair trade. In doing so, you’re not only treating your loved ones, you’re also supporting social justice, empowering communities across the globe, and encouraging healthy environmental practices. For example: Read the rest of this entry »

If you like the concept of fair trade─a market-based system that ensures better trading conditions for producers in developing countries─you may want to choose fair trade options over others when given the chance. Fortunately, more stores are carrying fair trade products than ever before, and there are numerous on-line sites as well, offering items ranging from coffee and tea, to body care products and apparel, to home décor and jewelry.

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Many Americans are hearing more about fair trade these days, which is fortunate, given the tremendous benefits this system offers to people and planet. Fair trade is both an organized social movement and a market-based approach that aims to create better trading conditions for producers in developing countries.

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Did you know that the average U.S. consumer uses up to 10 cosmetic products each day, including makeup, soap, shampoo, lotion, hair gel, and fragrance? As a result, according to Lisa Archer─national coordinator for The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics─people may be exposed to 126 different chemicals daily, many of which haven’t been properly tested for safety.

While health-conscious individuals might purchase organic food to reduce their exposure to harmful pesticides and other chemicals, they don’t always consider personal care products. Yet, the same principle applies, since your skin absorbs up to 64% of what you put on it.

You know about the Environmental Working Group’s (EWG) “Dirty Dozen” list for fruits and vegetables, right? Well, Ann Louise Gittleman, author of The Living Beauty Detox Program: The Revolutionary Diet for Each and Every Season of a Woman’s Life, created a separate “Dirty Dozen” list for beauty product ingredients, which includes:

• Methyl/propyl/butyl/ethyl parabens
• Imidazolindyl urea
• Diazolindyl urea
• Petrolatum
• Propylene glycol
• PVP/V copolymer
• Sodium lauryl sulfate
• Stearalkonium chloride
• Synthetic colors
• Synthetic fragrances
• Phthalates
• Triethanolamine

Contrary to popular belief, the U.S. government doesn’t regulate cosmetics for safety, long-term health impact, or environmental damage. Many common cosmetics ingredients─such as those listed above─may be harmful to both people and the environment.

One way to minimize your exposure to toxic ingredients in personal care products is to target USDA certified organic items. If a personal care product meets the USDA National Organic Program (NOP) production, handling, processing and labeling standards, it may be eligible for certification under the NOP regulations.

Many─though not all─USDA certified organic personal care items exclude potentially harmful chemicals, helping to ensure a reasonable degree of safety. And it’s a safeguard we need, given that marketing can be deceptive. Words like “herbal” and “natural” on beauty products have no legal definition, and many items with questionable ingredients feature these terms on their labels.

The Organic Consumers Association’s Coming Clean Campaign has been working to stop this type of fraudulent marketing since 2004. The goal of Coming Clean is make sure that personal care products that claim to be organic are, in fact, certified to USDA organic standards. Meanwhile, perhaps the best resource to help you find safe options is the EWG “Skin Deep” database. This on-line safety guide for cosmetics and personal care products was launched in 2004 to help people find safer, less toxic alternatives─whether or not they’re certified organic.

Skin Deep combines product ingredient lists with information in more than 50 standard toxicity and regulatory databases. This comprehensive resource provides easy-to-navigate safety ratings for literally tens of thousands of personal care products.

The thought of revamping your entire beauty regimen can be daunting─especially if you’ve invested in costly products. And you certainly don’t have to. But the more informed you get, the more you can access the safest, healthiest options in future. Now, that’s a beautiful concept.

Do you have an organic household? This might be defined as a home that goes beyond organic foods to include other non-toxic, organic, and/or green alternatives. These 3 keys to creating a healthier, safer living space are easy, don’t cost much, and can really make a difference: Read the rest of this entry »

If you’re committed to providing your family with organically grown/produced foods, but worry about the higher price tag compared to conventional items, take heart. The cost of USDA certified organic foods will eventually come down. Meanwhile, there are clever ways to save along the way. Read the rest of this entry »

Many families are selecting organic foods on a more regular basis, which is especially good news for kids. According to the National Research Council (NRC), children are not adequately protected from pesticides in their diet. Here are 5 ways children benefit from eating organic whenever possible:
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People who regularly purchase organic foods often find them to be more expensive than similar conventional items. However, not everyone understands exactly why producing food in a more sustainable, environmentally friendly manner should cost more. We hope to shed some light on this. For example:

• The price of organic foods reflects the production costs involved. Clearly, more labor and management are required when farmers don’t use chemicals to manage weeds and pests. Read the rest of this entry »

If you’re not always sure what you can expect when purchasing organic foods, you’re not alone. Part of the confusion may stem from the fact that not all items featuring the word “organic” are held to the same standards. Our recent post entitled “What Does the Organic Label Really Mean?” was aimed at clarifying that.

As it relates to genetically modified organisms (GMOs), you can rest assured that items labeled 100% organic with the USDA organic seal are completely GMO-free by government regulations. On the other hand, foods that are labeled “Made with Organic Ingredients” or simply “Organic” are not as tightly regulated─and may contain GMOs. To be sure your food is GMO-free, buy USDA certified 100% organic food.
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Are you clear on what the term “organic” actually means? It’s a confusing topic for many health-conscious consumers─especially with the many changes associated with this term in recent years. This update can help clarify matters:

As you may know, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has established an organic certification program strictly regulating how these foods are grown, handled and processed. Any farmer or food manufacturer who labels and sells a product as organic must meet these government standards to be USDA certified. Only producers who sell less than $5,000 a year in organic foods are exempt from this certification. Read the rest of this entry »