Janie Grace Posted December 31, 2011 Share Posted December 31, 2011 I struggle to know what is important in terms of healthy choices. I'm not talking about whole grains and lots of fruits/veggies. I'm not talking about from scratch vs. prepared foods. We do the basic, obvious stuff to live healthily. I'm talking about organic or not, GMO or not, raw milk vs. regular, buying local or not, what additives to avoid, what oils are truly okay, etc. I also struggle re. environmental stuff... what cleaners are okay, what personal care products are truly harmful, etc. And then there's the world of homeopathy. So often the claims I read about natural cures seem hard to believe. I don't like the complete suspicion of science and medicine, as if scientists and doctors are in league with the devil. I picked up a book about natural cancer cures at a friend's house and there were cartoons comparing the FDA to Nazis. Come ON. I am turned off by self-published, error-ridden books that are written by people with no proven expertise. At the same time, I don't want to dismiss everything non-mainstream. I DO tend to think outside the box... natural birthing, not rushing for antibiotics, etc. I am the kind of patient that does a lot of research. I like to try holistic, natural things before medicating. So... I'm OPEN. A lot of people form opinions in a lot of different ways. If your natural lifestyle is based on personal testimonies, or hunches, or preference -- I am not knocking you. But I am a person who really needs facts... it's part of my personality type or something, I guess. I research stuff to death and I cannot sign on to something without feeling that it's totally logical to do so... esp. something requiring financial sacrifice and effort. So I guess what I'm asking is, if you are a homeopathy-using, natural-products-advocating, organic-only mama (or some variation), and you also HIGHLY VALUE RESEARCH (the kind of research that an academic would point to as well done) -- what resources have helped you come to your opinions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaxMom Posted December 31, 2011 Share Posted December 31, 2011 I enjoyed The Green Barbarians enough to check it out of the library twice. I don't recall any tinfoil hats being donned, which I also find off putting. (Not a fan, for instance, of Nourishing Traditions, for that reason) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thescrappyhomeschooler Posted December 31, 2011 Share Posted December 31, 2011 As far as eating locally is concerned, I really enjoyed Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeaganS Posted December 31, 2011 Share Posted December 31, 2011 :bigear:. This is me in a nutshell, so I'm going to be following this thread carefully. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janie Grace Posted December 31, 2011 Author Share Posted December 31, 2011 I enjoyed The Green Barbarians enough to check it out of the library twice. I don't recall any tinfoil hats being donned, which I also find off putting.(Not a fan, for instance, of Nourishing Traditions, for that reason) Thanks, I'll look at that. Yes, I feel the same way about NT. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janie Grace Posted December 31, 2011 Author Share Posted December 31, 2011 As far as eating locally is concerned, I really enjoyed Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. Thanks. I read that last year, and I agree -- it's inspiring/compelling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted December 31, 2011 Share Posted December 31, 2011 The authors I recommend for researched based info are Michael Pollan and Dean Ornish. Each of them synthesizes a lot of research, including some 'alternative' info and quite a bit of conventional, peer-reviewed study. For some of the difficulties in implementing this kind of thing, read "No Impact Man". It's light, and short, but pretty thoughtful. Personally, I find that everyone needs their own balance. You can drive yourself crazy with this stuff, or get very self-righteous, or feel guilty all the time, or you can make willing sacrifices and find that you like a new life style better. So much of this is deciding how far to go, and whether or not to feel good about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momof3littles Posted December 31, 2011 Share Posted December 31, 2011 (edited) Off the top of my head, what about sites like The Environmental Working Group's page (lots of info on personal care product ingredients, etc.) and Our Stolen Future? Both could be said to have an "agenda" by some, but considering how many industry-funded studies are out there on pesticides, plastics, etc it is nice to have the other side, and then wade through it all a bit. Our Stolen Future has a nice compilation of studies on their page about pesticides, BPA, etc. Skin Deep (part of EWG) isn't always perfect, but it gives you something to go on IMO, with at least a good amount of info on the science. Not perfect, but a good resource IMO. http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/'>http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/ EWG has also done a good job of drawing some attention to the connection between plastics manufacturers and the FDA for example. No matter what side of the issue you fall on, it is nice to see some of this called out so we can pay attention to what is happening behind the scenes. They've also called out some of the industry studies that do things like use rats that are less estrogen-sensitive when looking at hormone disruptors, because that masks some of the effects of what is being studied. I think even if you consider them having an "agenda," it is needed to balance out some of industry's influence and all of the industry-backed studies. http://www.ewg.org/ http://www.ourstolenfuture.org/ eta: they don't seem to update much any more but there's a nice compilation of science on their site that may be useful to you http://www.ourstolenfuture.org/New/recentimportant.htm OSF has a lot of links to studies on phthalates, BPA, flame retardants, pesticides, etc. For nutritional and health science, I'm a big Gary Taubes fan, but I'm not sure that's what you are looking for. Edited December 31, 2011 by Momof3littles Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janie Grace Posted January 2, 2012 Author Share Posted January 2, 2012 Anything else? I thought I'd get more book titles... I KNOW you crunchy mamas are readers. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justamouse Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 I liked Deidre Imus' work. Her Green This! Vol 1 is the first one I got. She doesn't give recipes, per se, but tells you why you want to make the changes. And, she greened the cleaning of Hackensack hosp, and made huge changes for the better there. I'm another Pollan fan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spryte Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 My doc recommends this one: Clean, Green & Lean by Crinnion. Great book about detoxing, why, and how. I think the subtitle implies that it's a weight loss book, but it's not. Or, I should say - it's much more. Excellent practical advice. Do you have boys? I found Boy's Adrift by Sax to be quite inspiring in cutting out bpa & living cleaner, but it's about more than just healthy living. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janie Grace Posted January 2, 2012 Author Share Posted January 2, 2012 My doc recommends this one: Clean, Green & Lean by Crinnion. Great book about detoxing, why, and how. I think the subtitle implies that it's a weight loss book, but it's not. Or, I should say - it's much more. Excellent practical advice. Do you have boys? I found Boy's Adrift by Sax to be quite inspiring in cutting out bpa & living cleaner, but it's about more than just healthy living. Yes, I do have boys -- will definitely check that out! I have one with some "issues" that I have wondered about (could they be environmentally/dietarily influenced?). Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaxMom Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 (edited) If you want some very amusing reading that makes your hair stand on end, I heartily recommend "Superwoman". It was written in the 70s and she has lots of cleaning recipes, many of which contain kerosene. :blink: Really, once you get past the Pollan-esque basics (eat food that actually contains food, etc), it's mostly a matter (for me, anyway) of always asking how I can do something better, identifying my assumptions and challenging them, finding my comfortable place. So, for me, I prefer glass drinking vessels. Stainless is good, too, but I take exception to bottles lined with proprietary chemicals (read: we won't tell you what. Just trust us.). Sometimes, though, plastic is the best option for an application so I go with that labeled BPA free. Or, in the quest to not use disposable paper products: we used cloth diapers, have reusable microfiber cloths instead of paper towels, cloth napkins, hankerchiefs, etc, but queue the screeching brakes at replacing toilet paper. I split the difference there by using brands that are made from recycled paper. Edited January 2, 2012 by MyCrazyHouse Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spryte Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 Since you have a boy with some issues (as do I), I'll throw out the other book recommendation from my doc: Healing the New Childhood Epidemics: Autism, ADHD, Asthma & Allergies by Bock. My kiddo has asthma & allergies with some ADHD tendencies & this book has helped. Dietary help along with supplements and an entire plan laid out clearly. My doc has known me for 6 years, and has only ever recommended this book & the Crinnion book. She is a Western doc, now becoming involved in environmental health as a result of my kiddo (her test case). She leans heavily on good, peer reviewed research. If you want specifics about what we've done for my kiddo, just pm me. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janie Grace Posted January 3, 2012 Author Share Posted January 3, 2012 Thank you all so much! I have just requested almost ALL of these books at my library (so glad we have a good system; they had every book I wanted!) and I am really excited to learn more. Esp. grateful for the last couple of recs related to helping kids with "issues". Thanks, guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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