"5, 4, 1, & 2 All the Rest are Bad for You"

Have you ever wondered what the number inside of the tiny "recycle" triangle that can be found on most plastic containers means? That number indicates the type of plastic the container is made from. Recently I read Jessica Alba's book The Honest Life and I learned the catchy phrase "5, 4, 1, & 2 all the rest are bad for you" which means if you're using plastic that is anything but one of those numbers then you should consider other options.

Why is plastic without "5, 4, 1, & 2" dangerous? Containers stamped with 5, 4, 1, & 2 contain little or no Bisphenol A (BPA). BPA is the main ingredient in plastic and makes up the resin lining of most food and beverage containers. BPA is an endocrine disruptor and it mimics hormone like effects; thus, it has been linked to early puberty, reproductive harm, a plethora of cancers (breast & prostate included), obesity, and infertility. Unfortunately, plastic is everywhere and we cannot totally avoid exposure; however, we can reduce it.

Ways to reduce plastic exposure:

• Avoid re-using plastic water bottles, even try switching to glass bottles/cups in the kitchen and while on the go
• At the very least look for "BPA Free" plastic water bottles, pacifiers, baby bottles, kitchen essentials, etc.
• Never heat plastic in the microwave! The chemicals in the plastic will breakdown and seep into your food
• I try to avoid microwaves entirely and opt to heat "frozen dinners" and other left overs on the stove; however, if you must use the microwave try putting your meal on a glass dish.
• Avoid canned foods since the majority come in containers coated with BPA
• Another reason to eat fresh!
• Be mindful of the shopping receipt since the thermal paper is often coated with BPA to prevent the ink from running.
• If possible opt for glass, ceramic or paper containers to store and heat food in

While BPA is the most well-known plastic to avoid, there are other compounds such as bisphenol-AF and bisphenol-S which are also found in plastic and are not much safer. It's impossible to completely avoid plastic but hopefully small changes here and there will be beneficial in the long run. 

Sincerely,
JEN


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References:
The Honest Life by Jessica Alba
http://wellpathclinic.com.s183609.gridserver.com/dangerous-plastics-5412-all-the-rest-are-bad-for-you
http://www.hnetalk.com/5-4-1-2-all-the-rest-are-bad-for-you/

7 Quick Facts About Aspartame

1. Aspartame is one of the most common artificial sweeteners used today. 
2. This sweet poison is also linked to roughly 92 different health symptoms which are associated with aspartame consumption. 
3. Aspartame is sold under several brand names such as NutraSweet and Equal. 
4. It is made by joining aspartic acid and phenylalanine. (Did you know that the 1976 Groilers encyclopedia states cancer cannot live without phenylalanine? Well aspartame contains 50% phenylalanine!)
5. Aspartame is commonly used as a tabletop sweetener, as a sweetener in prepared foods & beverages, and it can also be found as flavoring in some medicines. 
6. Side effects occur gradually or happen immediately. They can include: headaches, migraines, dizziness, seizures, nausea, weight gain, rashes, fatigue, heartburn, anxiety attacks, and insomnia to name a few. 
7. The bottom line is that aspartame is a chemical poison that was concocted in a laboratory by accident. Be smart and choose real sugar or opt for a healthy treat like an organic apple.

Sincerely,
JEN


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Let's LUNA

A few months ago I splurged on a face cleansing brush called the LUNA Mini and this is my story of how it changed my life. When you hear of a face cleansing brush you may immediately think of the popular Clarisonic brush that actually looks like a brush. However, I am referring to the adorable, kidney shaped LUNA Mini, created by the Foreo Institute in Sweden. All my life I had washed my face with my hands in the morning and with a make-up removing wipe at night. I didn't feel the need to spend money on a brush that would do what my hands could, until I noticed that my cousin's skin growing more radiant every time I saw her. She told me her secret was the LUNA Mini and that it did wonders for her. Coincidentally, Sephora was having their Beauty Insider sale which meant I could score 20% off my purchase so I splurged (or rather I invested) in the LUNA Mini.

This male and female friendly face cleansing device is happiness that fits in the palm of your hand. My boyfriend even enjoys borrowing my LUNA Mini because of its skin-clearing benefits and because the 8,000 pulsations per minute deliver an awesome face massage that leaves him grinning from ear to ear. Gentlemen, take note, the LUNA Mini comes in a cool, slate gray color and there is even a special "LUNA for MEN" that will prep your skin for a "faster, smoother shave" and includes an "invigorating anti-aging feature."

Couretsy of FOREO

The LUNA Mini is:

"A facial brush that channels T-Sonic™ pulsations through soft silicone touch-points for deep and gentle cleansing." -Sephora

•  Simple, easy to use and efficient
• Start seeing results after just three days
• 1,300 silicone touch-points clean 1,300x better than 2 hands
• Adorable & portable
• Travel friendly 
• Can be used up to 300 times before re-charging!
• Waterproof (Hello shower!)
• Hygienic
• "The silicone brush is nonporous to resist bacteria buildup, making it up to 35x more hygenic than standard sonic-cleansing brushes"
• Technologically advanced 
• T-Sonic Technology = 8,000 pulsations per minute to unclog today's make-up, oil, dirt, pollution, and stress from your pores
• Soft and friendly enough for use 2x a day
• A one time investment 
• Unlike the Clarisonic brush which requires replacement brush heads that are about $30 each, the LUNA Mini is a one time investment.

Couretsy of FOREO

The LUNA also has several other models as shown in the picture below. Follow the link to FOREO for more information on the LUNA Mini and its family.

Couretsy of FOREO

While the LUNA Mini is a bit pricey I would suggest investing in it because it certainly adhered to its marketing campaign and delivered all promised results. My skin looks more radiant and feels smoother. Prior to using my LUNA, my skin would only look this radiant and feel this soft if I chugged more water than my daily need but now my skin glows everyday. 

Sincerely,
JEN



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*Quote courtesy of Sephora

*Screenshots (pictures 1,2,3) courtesy of FOREO

5 Easy Tips for Clear, Glowing Skin

Anti-acne lotions and potions will only help to a certain extent. Below are some quick, easy tips that I have found help to keep my skin clear and glowing.

1. DO NOT TOUCH YOUR FACE! I cannot stress this enough. If you implement any of these tips into your daily life please choose this one! Everyday I see men and women sitting with their faces propped up by their palms or running their fingers over their chin, cheeks, and forehead. Well one's fingers and hands are bacteria laden, oil oozing machines. Do you think that the computer keyboard in the library or at work is clean? What about the door handle you just touched? Maybe your iPhone screen is safe? No! Bacteria and grease are everywhere and running dirty digits over your precious face is like applying makeup with unsanitary makeup brushes. Fighting the urge to touch your face will benefit both your skin and your immune system.

2. Wash your pillowcase weekly. Trying to save today's blowout for tomorrow? Nice, but think about changing your pillowcase tomorrow morning. Sleeping on the same pillowcase night after night causes oil, bacteria, hair products, etc. to build up and get imprinted into your skin. Going to sleep with a deep conditioning hair mask is great for your hair but not for your face; thus, anyone who goes to sleep with hair products in their hair should consider putting a clean pillowcase on their pillow the next day. Even flipping your pillow upside down or turning it inside out is better than sleeping on yesterday's hairspray and dry-shampoo.

3. Try holding the phone to your ear but not to your face. Since phones sit on public tables, bathroom counter-tops, and other grimy surfaces it is better to keep the screen away from your cheek while calling your mother or your significant other. I have become accustomed to bumping the volume up a notch and holding my iPhone slightly away from my ear or holding it at an angle so that the speaker touches my ear but the screen stays away from my face. Call me a germaphobe but my cheeks are clean and clear!

4. Clorox wipe your phone regularly. We are constantly scrolling and tapping away on our phones and most of the time our hands are not clean. A simple and quick wipe down will eliminate bacteria and you will be surprised how much shinier your screen looks.

5. Drink plenty of water. Have you ever looked in the mirror and realized how dull and lackluster your skin looks? Chances are you are dehydrated. I aim for drinking at least 50 ounces of plain water everyday. One summer, my health conscious grandfather left an article about hydration on the kitchen counter and I read that one should aim to drink half of their body weight in ounces everyday. (For example: 150 lbs = 75 ounces). Granted exercising and other factors may cause that amount to fluctuate but it can be used as a benchmark. When I achieve my goal of at least 50 ounces my skin looks and feels softer, plumper, and more radiant.

Following these tips, eating healthy, getting a lot of sleep, and investing in a great moisturizer will lead to clear, glowing skin and a bounce in your step.

Sincerely,
JEN



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It's Better with Butter

With the holiday season right around the corner one will want everything from their dinner napkins to their nails to be prim, proper, and polished. For ladies who enjoy manicuring their nails I suggest Butter LONDON. Butter LONDON is a cosmetics brand specializing in "nail lacquers" and cosmetics with the tagline, "colour not carcinogens". 


According to butter LONDON: 

"We believe in rock and roll, Great Britain, and fashion. We’re obsessed with color, unbridled creativity, and self-expression. Our shades are created for the catwalk alongside the world’s top fashion designers—putting you in the front row every day. Butter LONDON has always been dedicated to creating high-fashion color without compromise, so we never add formaldehyde, toluene, DBP, phthalates, or parabens to any of our products. Sophisticated enough for the most posh dressing table, butter LONDON is the go-to brand for high-fashion beauty." 

Butter nail polish sells for $15 a pop and while that is slightly more expensive than their competitors (OPI nail polish retails for $9.50 a bottle) it is worth the splurge. Butter is a "3-FREE" company meaning that their polish formula is free of formaldehyde, toluene, DBP,  and phthalates & parabens. 

What is formaldehyde?

• Formaldehyde is highly toxic to all animals, regardless of method of intake
• In 2011, the US National Toxicology Program described formaldehyde as "known to be a human carcinogen"
• Used to make fabrics crease-resistant
• Used to make components for the transmission, electrical system, engine block, door panels, axles and brake shoes
• Embalming agent (Ever dissected a frog, pig, or cat in high school? Well that pungent, eye burning, throat scratching odor was formaldehyde!)

What is toluene?

• Typical smell of paint thinners
• Used as an inhalant drug for its intoxicating properties
• Has potential to cause severe neurological harm
• A common solvent, able to dissolve paints, paint thinners, silicone sealants, many chemical reactants, rubber, printing ink, adhesives (glues), lacquers, leather tanners, and disinfectants
• Can be used as an octane booster in gasoline fuels
• Inhalation of low to moderate levels can cause tiredness, confusion, weakness, drunken-type actions, memory loss, nausea, loss of appetite, and hearing and color vision loss.

What is DBP (Dibutyl phthalate)?

• Commonly used plasticizer
• Added to the California Proposition 65 (1986) list of suspected teratogens in November 2006.
• It is a suspected endocrine disruptor

What are phthalates?

• Endocrine disruptor
• May be link to breast cancer
• Mainly used as plasticizers (substances added to plastics to increase their flexibility, transparency, durability, and longevity)
• Used in a large variety of products: coatings of pharmaceutical pills/nutritional supplements, gelling agents, lubricants, glues, agricultural adjuvants, building materials, personal-care products, medical devices, detergents and surfactants, packaging, children's toys, modelling clay, waxes, paints, printing inks and coatings, pharmaceuticals, food products, and textiles.
• Used in a variety of household applications such as shower curtains, vinyl upholstery, adhesives, floor tiles, food containers and wrappers, and cleaning materials. 
• Commonly found in personal-care items such as perfume, eye shadow, moisturizer, nail polish, liquid soap, and hair spray

What are parabens?

• Widely used as preservatives by cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries
• Can be found in lotions, shampoos, shaving gels, personal lubricants, topical pharmaceuticals, spray tanning solution, makeup, toothpaste, etc
• Used as food additives
• Found in breast cancer tumors

Also, when used with Butter's base coat (which can even be worn alone as a flawless, matte nude!) and top coat your manicure will last significantly longer than other polish combinations. Trust me, this past summer my Butter mani and pedi (base coat & 2 coats of color & top coat) stayed strong and chip-free for 2 weeks of sand, sunscreen, swimming pool water and the Caribbean Sea.

Butter has an array of dazzling shades that will surely appeal to everyone. Bright, dark, glitter, metallic, pastels... the list is endless and for the ladies who enjoy sporting multiple shades at once the color combinations are infinite. For anyone enjoys upscale beauty brands, check out butter LONDON and I assure you that you will feel like a kid in a candy shop while browsing the lacquers.

Is the price worth it? YES! Nails are porous and nail polish formulations may include ingredients that cause cancer in humans, or are toxic to the central nervous system. The "toxic-trio" (toluene, dibutyl phthalate and formaldehyde) cannot be inhaled or absorbed because it is not found in butter LONDON nail lacquer. One can get brilliant results and beautiful consistent coverage without the carcinogens. Butter LONDON lacquer is truly color without compromise!

Sincerely,
JEN



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What is Triclosan and Why Should You Be Worried?

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) triclosan is "an ingredient added to many consumer products to reduce or prevent bacterial contamination. It may be found in products such as clothing, kitchenware, furniture, and toys. It also may be added to antibacterial soaps and body washes, toothpastes, and some cosmetics". While the effects triclosan has on humans are unknown, tests have caused "pretty scary reactions in animals", said Lindsey Rupp of Bloomberg News.

Screenshot from video

Triclosan is used by companies around the world; however, in recent years many European companies have been phasing out the chemical. Alliance Boots, a company merging with Walgreens, committed to phasing out triclosan several years ago. Mike Schade of Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families stated, "There is a growing body of scientific evidence that has shown that triclosan is a chemical that is hazardous at very low levels of exposure". Even low levels of triclosan can be absorbed by the skin and enter the bloodstream. Triclosan is an endocrine disruptor which means it interferes with the hormones in your body. These hormones play an important part in regulating the body's systems and interference can lead to:

• infertility
• birth defects
• learning/developmental disabilities
• lower levels of thryoid & testerone
• weakened immune system
• breast cancer tumors

Screenshot from video

Recently, Colgate has been in the news for having triclosan in their "Colgate Total" toothpaste (after reading the ingredients I noticed that propylene glycol was also in the toothpaste, ew!). Colgate claims triclosan acts as a fluoride that helps to clean teeth and also differentiates their product from others on the market. However, I would rather find a natural alternative for a product used in my mouth. For example "Tom's of Maine: Clean & Gentle" toothpaste boasts naturally sourced ingredients, fluoride (without triclosan!), and glycyrrhizin (derived from licorice root) instead of sodium lauryl sulfate which foams and disperses ingredients. 

Screenshot from video

While the FDA has yet to rule on the safety of triclosan I'd rather be safe rather than sorry. Plus there are alternatives for pretty much every personal care product on the market. My advice is to learn about the ingredients commonly found in your bathroom cabinet and makeup bag and to be aware of which are helpful and which are harmful. 

Screenshot from video

For more information on this topic visit the link below for the video that prompted this post and from which I derived information and screenshots.

Click HERE to learn about Triclosan!


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Shocking Truth About Chewing Gum

Recently I came across the article, "The Dangers of Aspartame", written by Kristin Cavallari on her iPhone app  and derived from the article written by Marco Torres on the independent news blog the Waking Times and the information shocked me. A few years ago I switched from chewing gum to eating mints, mainly because chewing gum made me ingest too much air! Also, since I was a child my mother refused to indulge us with candy, sweets, or juices containing artificial sweeteners; therefore, I chose to avoid them. However, it wasn't until I came across Kristin's article that I literally and figuratively exhaled with delight in knowing that I made the wise decision about chewing gum and that my diet has been free of artificial sweeteners. If you are a gum chewer I strongly suggest that you consider other alternatives.

Sadly today the majority of common chewing gum brands use two extremely hazardous sweeteners- aspartame and sucralose.

When aspartame and sucralose are heated to 86 degrees Fahrenheit (human mouth = 98.6 F) they release free methanol that breaks down into formic acid and formaldehyde in the body. 

What is methanol?

• Modern methanol is produced in a catalytic industrial process directly from carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen.

• Highly toxic and unfit for consumption

• At room temperature, it is a polar liquid, and is used as an antifreeze, solvent, fuel, and as a denaturant for ethanol. It is also used for producing biodiesel.

What is formic acid?

• Found in the venom of ants

• A major use of formic acid is as a preservative and antibacterial agent in livestock feed

• Used in the production of leather and rubber

• Used as limescale remover and toilet bowl cleaner

• Effective in the removal of warts

What is formaldehyde?

• Formaldehyde is highly toxic to all animals, regardless of method of intake

• In 2011, the US National Toxicology Program described formaldehyde as "known to be a human carcinogen"

• Used to make fabrics crease-resistant

• Used to make components for the transmission, electrical system, engine block, door panels, axles and brake shoes

• Embalming agent (Ever dissected a frog, pig, or cat in high school? Well that pungent, eye burning, throat scratching odor was formaldehyde!)

When aspartame is absorbed by the buccal mucosa of the mouth, tongue and gums it is a far worse poisoning than if injected intravenously because it goes directly to the brain by passing the spinal cord and the blood-brain barrier. Aspartame then begins to destroy neurons. Seventy-five percent or more of neural cells in a particular area of the brain are destroyed before any clinical symptoms of a chronic illness are noticed. Some illnesses that may be linked to long term exposure to excitatory amino acid damage include:

• MS
• ALS
• Memory Loss
• Hormonal Problems
• Hearing Loss
• Epilepsy
• Alzheimer's Disease
• Parkinson's Disease
• Hypoglycemia
• AIDS
• Dementia
• Brain Lesions
• Neuroendocrine Disorders

The saddest part about this is that Monsanto, the creator of Aspartame, is allegedly aware of its dangers. Monsanto funds the American Diabetics Association, the Conference of the American College of Physicians and Congress. According to Business Week, Monsanto recently spent $2 million dollars fighting the U.S. government to sweep their actions under the rug. Numerous bills that have attempted to educate people about aspartame's toxicity have been squashed by chemical lobbyists. 

If you're planning on avoiding aspartame keep in mind that is can be found in a host of other products besides chewing gum, since it is a common ingredient in packaged foods and beverages marketed as "sugar-free" or "low-calorie".

Next time you are in the check-out line at a grocery store count how many gum and candy products contain aspartame and sucralose.

*Information derived from Marco Torres of the Waking Times
*Information derived from "The Dangers of Aspartame" by Kristin Cavallari on KristinCav
*Information derived from methanol, formic acid, and formaldehyde



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