Does This Chemical Make Me Look Fat?! More on Obesogens...

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Obesogens are chemicals that can inappropriately alter fat storage and change metabolic set-points. This disrupts energy balance and modifies your appetite to promote fat accumulation. Chemicals in your environment can certainly have an impact on your health and often your weight. Some of these exposures may occur before you’re born but there is still a lot that you can control! Exposure to obesogens don't necessary doom you to become overweight, but it's all the more reason  to consider ways to avoid exposure and regularly use neutraceuticals and whole foods to aid our body's natural detox mechanisms through our liver, kidneys and bowel.

Here's some easy ways to do a quick check of your home a to determine where your greatest exposures may be coming from.

Here's 12 simple changes that will significantly reduce your risks:

1. Eat organic foods, especially the "dirty dozen" Researchers have found that it takes just five days of eating organic to rid the body of virtually all pesticide residues.
2. Rather than eating conventional or farm-raised fish, which are often heavily contaminated with PCBs and mercury, supplement with a high-quality purified krill oil, or eat fish that is wild-caught and tested for purity.  My personal favorite is Wild Alaskan salmon.
3. Avoid any flexible plastics whenever possible, especially in children's toys.
4. Stop drinking out of plastic water bottles to avoid BPA.  Buy a reusable stainless steel or glass one instead.
5. Use a good quality reverse osmosis or carbon filter in your home.
6. Avoid using plastics with food or beverages
7. Choose glass jars instead of storing your food in plastic containers.  Especially don't make the mistake of freezing or microwaving in plastic.
8. Use natural toiletries and personal care items, cleaning supplies, laundry detergents and other household products.  Start by cleaning up your make-up and body lotion... a good rule of thumb is if you wouldn't put in in your mouth, don't put it on your skin.
9. Replace your non-stick pots & pans with ceramic or glass cookware
10. Replace your vinyl shower curtain with one made of fabric or install a glass shower door 
11. Get rid of your indoor plug-in air fresheners, candles and fabric softners.  These seemingly pleasants scents are often toxic chemicals and contribute to poor indoor air quality and may even cause breathing problems, such as asthma.
12. Look for natural, chemical-free clothing, furniture, flooring, paint and other building supplies to use in your home

Safer skin care - do you know what's in your products?

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Recent studies have shown that we actually acquire more toxins through skin absorption and inhalation than we do through the foods that we eat. This makes our personal care products a big contender in our overall health and well-being. If you feel like you are eating healthy and taking the right supplements but still lacking in energy or having health challenges, take a look in your bathroom and see what is in all those products that are used daily.

Since the skin is the body's largest organ, there is a substantial surface area through which toxic chemicals can enter the body. When you rub chemicals on to the skin, they can pass straight through and enter the bloodstream within MINUTES! That’s scary, but think how nourishing it could be if you used coconut oil and essential oils with medicinal properties instead.

Everyday we use products on our skin that we think are safe. The truth is that products are not always safe, and manufacturers don't have to tell us so. The federal government does not require companies to provide full disclosure on what chemicals are used to make personal care products. In 1938, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted self-regulation to the cosmetic industry. This means personal care products can be marketed without government approval of ingredients, regardless of what tests show!

There are more than 80,000 chemicals used in our everyday skin products that have not been tested for long-term effects. Even fewer have been tested in combination with other chemicals. In a typical day, you might be exposed to hundreds of different chemicals, many of which are suspected of promoting cancer or disrupting hormones.

Early on, I admit, I was completely overwhelmed with the fact that I needed to not only change everything I was eating, but also needed to switch out all my personal care products. Was it really that important? It seemed a little overboard to me at first, until I started to dig deeper. As I was switching out all of my products, I was completely blown away by how toxic they were - both conventional and "natural" products!

Petrochemicals are a toxic group of chemicals that are rampant in personal care products. Petrochemicals are derived from petroleum or natural gas. Some do not absorb into the skin very well, so they smother the skin and can keep it from functioning properly, while other petrochemicals can absorb straight through the skin and scalp directly into the bloodstream, weakening the body and promoting disease.

Studies have found that oral and topical application of petrochemicals in rodents resulted in anemia, kidney degeneration, and nerve damage to the brain and spinal cord. Even more disturbing was that several animals died before the study ended!

Here are some Common Petrochemicals to Watch Out for:

Isopropyl alcohol: Isopropyl alcohol is found in hair color products, body lotions and perfumes, as well as shellac and antifreeze. What makes them think this is a good ingredient to add to items we put on our skin? It causes the skin to age more rapidly than it otherwise would, because it is a drying, irritating solvent that strips the skin of moisture, creating vulnerability to bacteria and viruses.

Propylene Glycol (PG) and Butylene Glycol: These are also found in anti-freeze. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) considers propylene glycol so toxic that workers are required to wear protective clothing when handling it, and it is disposed of by burying it in the ground. PG is found in a lot of food as well!

Mineral Oil: Found in products like body oil, bath oils, and baby oil, mineral oil is derived from crude oil. While it may seem to leave the skin initially soft and smooth, it coats it like plastic. This hinders your skin's ability to breathe and eliminate toxins. Mineral oil also causes premature aging of skin.

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) and Sodium Laureth Sulfate: These are used in 90% of cosmetics that foam. This is the second most concentrated ingredient in shampoos. It’s also commonly found in shower gels, bubble baths and toothpastes. Among a host of other side effects, SLS can damage the immune system as well as cause separation of skin layers, causing inflammation to the skin.

Diethanolamine (DEA), Monoethanolamine (MEA) and Triethanolamine (TEA): These are hormone disrupting chemicals that can form cancer-causing nitrates when combined with other chemicals. Found in shampoo, shaving cream, bubble baths and lotions for softening skin. They've been banned in Europe, and they've been shown to cause cancer in laboratory animals.

Phthalates: Found in hairsprays, lipstick and nail polish, these may not be listed on labels, since they can be hidden under the term "perfume" (just as food chemicals are hidden under the name “natural flavors”). Phthalates affect the lungs, liver and kidneys and have been linked to fertility issues. DEHP has been classified as a "probable human carcinogen" by the EPA.

Triclosan: This is used in almost all antibacterial soaps and products. The EPA registers Triclosan as a pesticide, and it is suspected of causing cancer.

Ethanol: This petrochemical allows liquids to flow more easily, but when it is used in conjunction with other chemicals, studies show they may be carcinogenic.

DMDM and Imidazolidinyl (Urea): These are preservatives that often release formaldehyde and may cause many symptoms, including joint pain, allergies, depression, headaches, and chest pains.

Polyethylene Glycol (PEG): This carcinogenic petroleum ingredient leaves skin vulnerable to bacteria.

Parobens: Parobens are found in underarm deodorants and other cosmetics. These chemicals have been discovered in breast cancer tissue.

1,4- Dioxane: It’s found in ingredient lists under these names and suffixes: myreth, oleth, laureth, ceteareth, any other eth, PEG, polyethylene, polyethylene glycol, polyoxyethylene, or oxynol. 1,4-dioxane is a chemical "known to the State of California to cause cancer". It is also suspected to be toxic to the kidneys, respiratory system and nervous system.

The most frustrating part is that 1,4-Dioxane and all of its incarnations are not only showing up in conventional personal care products, but also in leading "natural" and "organic" branded products.  They are readily available, so many people get tricked into thinking that these are better options. Some leading "natural" or "organic" brands found to contain 1,4-Dioxane are Giovanni Organic Cosmetics, JASON; Organic, Kiss My Face, and Nature's Gate Organics.

Read the ingredient list of a health and beauty product as if each ingredient were something that you might put in your mouth. These ingredients will have familiar names, not 30 letter words that we can’t pronounce. Many natural soaps contain olive oil, coconut oil, cocoa butter, and organic botanical extracts. 


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