Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Misinformed?

As a mother, I always try to do right by my kids.  Every day I make decisions with their best interests in mind, and they run the gamut from which brand of juice to buy to what kind of behavior plan to implement.  I am a big researcher, and do my best to make my decisions based on as much information as possible.

Recently, I have wondered if some of my decisions were sound.  Last week, while driving, I was listening to Rosie O'Donnell on XM Radio.  She was talking about a recent online article that says that most sunscreens are cancer-causing, and the FDA has known this for about ten years.  (The article provides a link to the Environmental Working Group's searchable database rating the safety of many sunscreens)

So now, I've discovered that the sunscreens that I've been using on my children - all under the age of six - is not particularly safe for them.  Fantastic.

I also learned last year that soy is the most genetically modified crop grown in the United States.  Many breast cancer survivors are told to avoid soy products entirely not only because they mimic estrogen, but because they are a GMO crop. 

Guess what J drank almost exclusively for at least a year, after I weaned him?  I'll give you a hint:  While nursing, I had to drastically cut back on dairy because he was so sensitive to it.  Did you guess soy milk?  Ding, ding, you get a prize!  Sure, it was organic, but organic soybeans are still GMO.  Wonderful.

It's maddening that we're finding out after the fact that so many choices we consciously made specifically because we thought it was the best option, based on the information we were provided, were so wrong, and possibly damaging.  What bothers me the most is that both sunscreen and soy milk could have a lasting effect on the boys, especially with regard to their hormones.

What to do?

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