Archives

Well, we're still in blog limbo here, awaiting our new, updated one that all of you will absolutely LOVE! Had we already been posing on it, we'd be boasting some deliciously healthy and beautiful V-day-esque dessert that would put those chocolates you received to shame!!

But we're not.

So, we're using this Hallmark-made day as an excuse to pay tribute to our significant others...

To our Valentines:

Will...

Doug...

and Sam...

...thank you for loving us through your unconditionally support and belief in our mission. We think y'all are really neat...

And to all of our followers, without you, we'd just be talking to the www all day...! We love you!

"Dear friends, let us love one another, because love is from God, and everyone who loves has been fathered by God and knows God." John 4:7

Posted in healthy home By TB Admin

Haven't you all kind of wondered what goes on inside your body after you eat a meal and wish you could see it? Call me weird, but I do all the time! 

Well, thanks to Stefani Bardin, a fellow with TEDxManhattan, and gastroenterologist Dr. Braden Kuo at Harvard University we can get a glimpse at an inside look. The two conducted a clinical study using two different types of pill cameras that record inside the digestive tract. 

Bardin fed two subjects similar but fundamentally different meals. The first subject received gatorade, instant ramen, and gummi bears; the second subject ate handmade noodles (made of water, salt, and eggs and flour from the farmer's market), hibiscus tea, and pomegranate-cherry juice gummies. The digestion of these meals was recorded with the pill cams, demonstrating how differently the human body handles these foods during the breakdown process.

Take a look...

As you can see a healthy digestive system is highly dependant on the types of foods you put in your mouth. It's not just about calories anymore! 

Here is an article if you want to check out other tips for a healthy digestive system.... Happy digesting! 

Posted in healthy body By Kelly

Hi all, below is a recent press release from Stacy Malkan and the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics on the hundreds of lipsticks contaminated with lead. A new FDA study documents that the problem is much worse than previously thought.  Please circulate, post, tweet, however you want to spread the word to your female friends!

HUNDREDS OF LIPSTICKS CONTAMINATED WITH LEAD, reports new FDA study
Levels up to twice as high as previously reported; L’Oreal worst offender

(Washington, DC) -- A new analysis of lead in lipstick conducted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration reveals that the problem of lead in lipstick is worse and more widespread than previously reported. The new study  found lead in  400 lipsticks tested by the agency, at widely varying levels of up to 7.19 parts per million (ppm) -- more than twice the levels reported in a previous FDA study. 

Yesterday, the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics sent FDA a letter asking them to correct misleading statements on their website about the supposed safety of lead in lipstick:http://www.safecosmetics.org/downloads/DrLindaKatz_LeadLipstick_2.pdf. The agency has studied only the levels of lead in lipstick, and has conducted no health studies or safety assessments.

In January, an advisory committee to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a new report asserting that there is no safe level of lead for children, and stressing the importance of preventing lead exposure for children and pregnant women.  

“Lead builds up in the body over time and lead-containing lipstick applied several times a day, every day, can add up to significant exposure levels,” said Mark Mitchell, M.D., MPH, policy advisor of the Connecticut Coalition for Environmental Justice and co-chair of the Environmental Health Task Force for the National Medical Association.

“Lead is a proven neurotoxin that can cause learning, language and behavioral problems. Pregnant women are particularly vulnerable to lead exposure, because lead easily crosses the placenta and enters the fetal brain where it can interfere with normal development,” said Sean Palfrey, M.D., a professor of pediatrics and public health at Boston University and the medical director of Boston's Lead Poisoning Prevention Program. 

The FDA study of 400 lipsticks was quietly posted on the agency’s website in December. The most contaminated brand in the study, Maybelline Color Sensation by L’Oreal USA, contained more than 275 times the amount of lead found in the least contaminated, and least expensive, brand, Wet & Wild Mega Mixers Lip Balm -- demonstrating that price is not an indicator of good manufacturing practices. 

“How many millions of women have applied and reapplied lead-containing lipsticks since we first raised concerns about this problem five years ago? How many kids have played with their mom's lipstick?” said Janet Nudelman, interim director of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and policy director at the Breast Cancer Fund. “It’s time for L’Oreal to get the lead out of its products, and for FDA to set a safety standard for lead in lipstick.”

The FDA said it is currently evaluating whether to recommend an upper limit for lead in lipstick. The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics is urging FDA to set a maximum limit for lead in lipstick based on the lowest lead levels cosmetic manufacturers can feasibly achieve. U.S. Senators Barbara Boxer, John Kerry and Dianne Feinstein have also urged FDA to take action to reduce lead in lipstick.  

The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics is also calling on L’Oreal to make a public commitment to reformulate its lipsticks to ensure the lowest possible levels of lead. L’Oreal makes five of the 10 most lead-contaminated brands in the FDA study.  

Here is the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics press release and the quick links to:

press release: http://bit.ly/ArdqQb 

letter to FDA: http://bit.ly/xJUgEk

Take Action: L'Oreal: Get the lead out of lipstick! http://bit.ly/AebMl4

A BIG thank you to Stacy Malkan and all the people at Campaign for Safe Costmetics for working so hard to help all of us (and hopefully the companies!) make smarter choices! 

Posted in healthy body By Kelly

Hello! I know it's been a long time since we've posted on the blog (we promise that will change soon as we hope to get back to being regular bloggers in the near future!) but a friend sent me this video and I had to share.

We are HUGE fans of conocut oil. This video highlights a few reasons why you should be too. We recommend adding coconut oil to your foods, juices, smoothies and soups. Some personal favorites are to put it on an apple, spread it on some Alvarado St. Bakery sprouted toast with a sprinkle of sea salt, and to saute greens like kale it in.  

To read more about the benefits of coconut oil and to purchase a high quality brand, click here. 

Posted in healthy body By Kelly