brain overload

Edited again to show another link on BPA at the end
Edited to fix the link on bottles!

So, on our little getaway this weekend (see below) we talked about wanting to change some eating habits, and we're going to try for the month of March to eat only real or "whole" foods. Meaning, no processed food, and possibly more organic ingredients. So, I've set out on the world wide web, to check things out. WHOA. My brain aches.

I went window shopping at Trader Joes (love that place), which has fairly reasonable prices, but a limited selection. Then I went to Wild Oats, which I loved, but...seriously, 1.99 per lb for "organic" head of iceberg lettuce! Ouch.
The more I learn about foods and products, the more I want to go organic and green. My couponing self and my tree huggin self are in conflict.

So, a few major things I've learned this week:

Most baby bottles and many sippy cups (and...ugh, Nalgenes)are made from polycarbonate plastic (playtex,avent, most of the big brand ones). In that plastic is an ingredient called BPA (Bisphenol-A)can act like estrogen, and has been linked to a variety of things like early onset of puberty, childhood obesity, others and possibly prostate/breast cancer (in lab animals). Ok, Ok, I won't go crazy trying to describe it here, since I wont' do it justice. If you want more info go here to zrecs, I found a great blog that was really helpful. I am not freaking out, thinking I've poisoned my kids, but I am getting rid of my bottles with this stuff in them, and I'll be buying these kind next time.

If you want to learn about what ingredients are in your costmetics, oral care, nail care and baby care items and what ingredients are important to avoid, go here to the cosmetics database. Warning: it can be a little disturbing to learn about the junk in things we put on our skin everyday (and our babies behinds!)

On a happy note, since last week at moms, there has been a chain reaction of cloth diapering tree huggers! Yahoo! I'm not really turning into a freak, you guys, but I am super happy to see my friends saving $$ and putting less junk into the local landfills!(Props Mere!)

Ok, now I'm getting off my soapbox and going to watch american idol.Good Night!

Link on what BPA is