GalleryPhthalates are a class of toxic chemicals that are used as softeners or lubricants in products that we use every day and are the most commonly used plasticizers in the world. These chemicals are commonly used with PVC, a known carcinogen, and some other chemicals to make cosmetics and personal care products, medical devices, food and water containers, footwear, solvents, wires and cables, automotive components and children’s toys1,2.
Questions have been raised over the safety of the use of phthalates. Studies have proven that of the 20 types of phthalates commonly used, some are detrimental to our health, with children being more easily affected than adults3.
Babies and young children are at higher risk because of their extensive chewing or sucking on toys. Research was conducted by Australia’s National Industrial Chemicals Notification and Assessment Scheme (NICNAS) into children’s plastic products. It found that if levels of DEHP, a common phthalate were higher than 1%, there was an increased risk for reproductive system toxicity in children up to 36 months of age who chew and suck objects on a recurrent basis for more than 40 minutes per day1.
As babies and toddler are still rapidly growing and their nervous system maturing they are at higher risk for the harmful effects of phthalates. Since 2011, Australia has banned children’s toys, childcare articles, eating utensils and plates containing DEHP in excess of 1%.
Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate in particular, is listed in Tox Town, the US National Library of Medicine web site, as a substance “reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen”. Male newborn babies who had medical tubes or other plastic devices inserted, especially for feeding, breathing or medication have been found to suffer from adverse effects2. Recently, research has shown that […]
My Top 5 Tips for Reducing Exposure to Phthalates
Modern Day Mothers and their Stone Age Babies
I have been studying Infant Sleep Consultancy over the last 3 months and have delved into dozens of parenting books as well as what the research has to say about this confusing topic. As a mother of a 20 month old who never slept through until 14 months, I often wondered what was the “norm” for babies and if what we were doing “was working”.
The recent Paleo push on the diet front got me thinking about Paleo babies – they were wired the same way as our modern babies yet were raised very differently. For thousands of years, babies were carried until they could crawl, shared a family bed, their cries received quick responses and parents had the support of a wider community. Jean Ledlioff discusses this in her enlightening book The Continuum Concept.
That made me think – was I parenting according to my child’s biological needs or was my parenting style revolving around the modern cultural “norm”? Let’s delve into the world of self regulation and hormones for more explanation.
When we are tired it is easy to want your child to fit around your needs, and to a certain extent this needs to happen. But imagine if we had an extended network of family and friends that could fill the gaps when we were too exhausted? As a single mum with family interstate and overseas, it would make an enormous difference to my day-to-day life.
Paleo babies had the very same biological needs as our modern babies – to be touched and reassured frequently. Babies and young children need to learn how to self regulate and they learn this survival skill through the responsive care of their caregivers.
Dr. Allen Schore is one of the […]
GalleryHow to Prevent Eczema and Boost Respiratory Health in your Child
Previous research has shown that when certain strains of probiotics are given to pregnant women from 36 weeks and continued for 3 months after birth, their child’s risk of atopic conditions such as eczema and dermatitis is reduced by a massive 50%.
Research also shows that children born to parents with allergies have a much slower ability to colonize their gastrointestinal system with good bacteria that can support their health. Children born to parents without allergies have higher levels of protective bacteria from birth through until they are one year old.
New research has now been published that followed mothers and children for 6 years and analyzed their health. The probiotic strain used in the study was Lactobacillus rhamnosus, which is well known for its role in the prevention of eczema.
A double blind randomized placebo controlled trial studied 425 high risk infants who all had a parent with allergic disease. The mums were given supplemental L.rhamnosus from 35 weeks of pregnancy and continued taking it until 6 months post birth. All the babies in the supplemented group were given the same probiotic from birth to 2 years of age.
When the infants turned two, those who had received the probiotic had a dramatic 50% reduction of eczema and this protective effect was still present at the age of 4. These supplemented children also had a lower rate of rhinoconjunctivitis (runny nose) at 4 years of age.
In the latest follow up completed at 6 years of age, the protective effect of L.rhamnosus still remained with a 40% reduction of eczema compared to the control group as well as a 30% lower rate of developing atopic conditions (eczema, hay fever, asthma).
Probiotics support immunity by balancing Th1/Th2 immune responses – […]
GallerySupercharge Your Life – Interview with Lee Holmes
Lee Holmes from Supercharged Food has a fantastic goal – to alter the perception that cooking fresh, wholesome, nutrient rich meals are difficult, complicated and time consuming. She has personal experience of a crippling autoimmune condition that was healed through using food as medicine and then went on to become a certified Health Coach. She now helps other people on their health journey with her amazing blog and recipe books. Her latest book, “Supercharged Food Kids Recipe Book” is out now and Sophia & I have already fallen in love with many of the yummy recipes!
Tell us what originally inspired you to create your blog, Supercharged food and how did you come up with the name?
I started my blog because friends were asking me to share my recipes and I thought it would be fun to have one centralised place where people could visit anytime they needed a new recipe and become inspired. The blog has tons of delicious recipes as well as articles about how to dehydrate foods, soak nuts and seeds and how to live a wholefoods lifestyle. The blog also contains in-depth information about a recipe’s ingredients and their nutritional values, cooking videos and you can enter competitions to win nurturing products and read news and reviews too. I chose the name because I wanted to call it something positive which would inspire people to take action and heal themselves naturally. I didn’t want it to be about giving things up but more an empowering experience.
Blogging is incredibly popular in the field of health and wellbeing with thousands upon thousands of blogs dedicated to healthy food. You recently won an award for “best healthy eating” in the BUPA health influencer blog […]
GalleryWeek of Tastes – A Breakthrough for Children’s Health
The Week of Tastes is a program that culminates in an annual event, designed to change children’s relationship with food and address eating habits relating to the obesity epidemic. The Week of Tastes is the first national program that seeks to positively impact food choices and behaviors by teaching children experientially about taste and the food they eat, and placing them in direct contact with food and those who produce it.
Founder, Helen Campbell, has developed a taste/sensory education program that is conducted in primary schools throughout Australia.
The objectives of the program include eliminating a child’s fear of trying new food as well as expanding a child’s food vocabulary. Some of the outcomes are a better understanding of using the 5 senses to appreciate food, an understanding of the link between food choices and health and a hands on experience with a food professional. This year some of Sydney’s’ best chefs are involved (Darren Simpson, Peter Kurivita and Colin Fassnidge) as well as many outstanding food professionals.
I had the opportunity to meet Helen and ask her a few questions
Q. Your background is a very interesting one – both as a researcher and private chef. What influences you in the field of food? So many of my life experiences have led me to this point, living in many foreign countries, my interest in health and wellness and that food is to be enjoyed and shared.
Q. The Australian Week of Tastes was originally inspired by the French program that has been running since 1990. How did you come across it? I was visiting France just before one of their “La Semaine du Gout” was about to start and thought “that is what is lacking in Australia’s children […]
GalleryRevelations about Iodine Levels in Pregnancy
I wanted to share with you some recent research that has absolutely changed the way I think about iodine. Currently I test nearly every female client but my standards have just become even higher. Australia and New Zealand are currently going through a widespread iodine deficiency. Iodine cannot be made by your body and must be sourced through your diet.
Iodine is vital for the thyroid hormones that regulate your metabolism, body temperature, reproduction, growth, red blood cell production as well as nerve and muscle function. Low thyroid hormones can cause you to become sluggish and gain weight, affecting your general health, fertility and ability to carry a pregnancy.
It is important to ensure adequate iodine intake during preconception, pregnancy and breast-feeding. During pregnancy, your baby is entirely dependent upon maternal iodine. Iodine deficiency during pregnancy is the most common world wide cause of preventable intellectual impairment and can be associated with losses of up to 10 -15 IQ points.
We have known for a long time now that severe iodine deficiency during pregnancy causes neurocognitive issues but the impact of mild iodine deficiency has not been properly studied – until now.
Published on April 30th this year in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, a study conducted in Hobart, Tasmania delves into the outcomes of mild iodine deficiency.
The researchers wanted to find out if children born to women with an iodine level of less than 150μg/L have poorer educational outcomes in primary schools than peers of mothers with levels higher than 150. Basically imagine little Johnny (mum has an iodine level of 160) sitting next to little Sammy (mum has an iodine level of 100).
This was a 9 year long study and the results are really […]
Food Allergy Awareness Week
Did you know that 2% of our overall population, including 1 in 10 infants, are living with a food allergy in Australia? In the last decade, life threatening allergic reactions in children under 4 years old have increased fivefold. These frightening statistics are the key message being delivered during Allergy and Anaphylaxis Australia’s Food Allergy Awareness Week. Food allergies are becoming an increasing concern for parents, or those planning to conceive, so here are some frequently asked questions.
What has caused the rise in food allergies?
At this stage, no one really knows what has caused the sudden spike in food allergies. There are several different theories around, but there is no concrete evidence as yet. However the following factors may play a role:
Gut dysfunction due to an imbalance of bacteria and increased permeability (leaky gut)
Vitamin D imbalances in both mum and baby
Extreme cleanliness and lack of exposure to dirt and bacteria (the hygiene hypothesis)
What happens in the body during a food allergy attack?
The mechanism behind food allergy responses is simple. The immune system mistakenly identifies a substance in the food as being dangerous to the body. It sends out special antibodies (immunoglobulin E or IgE) to attack and neutralize the substance. When you eat that particular food again, the IgE antibodies recognize it and send a signal to the body to release histamine into the bloodstream. It is the histamine that causes allergic symptoms. In mild cases it could cause a runny nose, sneezing, rashes, hives, itching or digestive symptoms. In more serious cases, the high levels of histamine can lead to anaphylactic symptoms like swelling of the throat and difficulty breathing
Which foods are most likely to cause food allergies?
There are over 170 foods known […]
Putting Fish on your Child’s Plate can Prevent Allergies!
A group of Swedish researchers are suggesting that the addition of fish to a child’s diet before the age of 12 can help prevent allergic diseases. Experts from the Institute of Environmental Medicine and the Department of Clinical Science and Education in Stockholm, Sweden analysed data from 3,285 children registered with a Swedish cohort study.
Fish intake in infancy has been associated with reduced risk of allergic disease in early childhood, but the research isn’t conclusive about whether this effect remains as children grow older.
A total of 3285 Swedish children were included in the study. At 1, 2, 4, 8, and 12 years of age, parental questionnaires were used to obtain information on lifestyle factors, environmental exposures, and symptoms of allergic disease. The frequency of fish intake in infancy was assessed in the questionnaire completed at 1 year of age. Serum immunoglobulin IgE concentrations (blood markers of allergies), were obtained at age 8 years of age.
Results showed that at 1 year of age, 80% of the children consumed fish regularly. From 1 to 12 years of age, regular fish consumption in infancy reduced overall risks of allergic disease for both rhinitis and eczema.
Ensure you avoid eating shark, marlin, swordfish, mackerel and Ahi tuna due to mercury concerns.
Reference available here
Prepare to be Astounded by Probiotics!
Last night I attended an invitation only dinner where a vast amount of research on probiotic therapy was presented. To say I was mind blown was an understatement – I had no idea that probiotics could be so incredibly beneficial!
I take probiotics every day and so does Sophia but the enormity of how beneficial these microscopic organisms can be is simply undeniable. From reducing pregnancy conditions such as pre-eclampsia to significantly decreasing childhood diseases, probiotic therapy may just pave the way for future health care.
Did you know that 90% of your immune system lines your digestive system? Probiotics keep the immune system in a state of tolerance or balance – not too underactive and susceptible to infection but also not too overactive and causing autoimmune conditions.
Research highlights
The uterine environment is not sterile, as previously thought. It contains many bacteria and they pass into the unborn babies digestive tract.
Mastitis can be more effectively treated with probiotics than antibiotics
In 1ml of breast milk there are between 10,000-100,000 bacteria
When babies are born their immune system is Th2 dominant, which means they are allergy prone. Probiotics can help the immune system mature more quickly and reduce the risk of conditions such as asthma, eczema and hayfever
Probiotics in pregnancy can reduce insulin resistance
Abdominal obesity can be reduced with certain probiotic strains
An imbalance of good: bad bacteria result in dysbiosis which increases insulin resistance
Stay in touch via my official FB page as I will be presenting all the research in bite sized, user friendly chunks over the next few weeks.
The Importance of Hydration
Staying hydrated this summer is essential in keeping you going from sunrise to sunset! Summer is fun and there’s always lots going on whether you are out with friends, at the beach/park or even working and it’s so easy to get to 3pm and realize you haven’t had a sip of water all day – it’s almost like we need an alarm to go off every hour to tell us to drink. Why is it so important to keep hydrated? Well first and foremost our body is made up of about 75% water, which can be mostly found in our cells, but the problem with our hydration levels occurs when the water expenditure (meaning when water is expelled from our body during breathing, sweat, and via our urine and bowel movement) is greater than our water intake.
Dehydration has an impact on your kidneys, liver, bladder, digestion, bowels, nerve function, brain, skin and is responsible for premature ageing!!
There is no set rule on how much water to consume throughout the day because we all have different body weight and activity levels so rule of thumb is a glass of water every hour, obviously you may need more during those hot summer days.
Symptoms of Dehydration
Foggy thinking
Dry mouth, lips
Fatigue
Headache
Dark coloured urine and a decrease in output
Muscle cramps
Heart palpitations
5 of the Best Hydrating Foods
Watermelon – 92% water and packed full of magnesium, calcium, potassium and sodium
Cucumber – contain vitamin C and caffeic acid and about 92% water
Lettuce – contains about 94% water!
Capsicum/bell peppers – jam packed full of vitamin C, beta carotene, folic acid, vitamin B6, thiamine and contain about 92% water.
Cantaloupe – rich in vitamin A and contains about 90% water
Always carry a bottle of water with […]
