Monday, December 1
ADVERTISEMENT
LIVING GREEN
Ask An Organic Mom
you are viewing all posts tagged:

beauty

Newly Pregnant? Here's an 8-Step Crash Course in Going Green

A friend of mind just called to tell me that she happily, but unexpectedly, just found out she’s nearly three months pregnant. She wanted advice on how to get organic immediately because even if she hasn’t been all that organic up until now, she’d prefer to hedge the bets of her unborn child. In this column we talk about lots of specific organic parenting ideas, but I told her that the following eight things will cover the big picture and if she does them she’ll be able to catch up quick.

Mother with Baby

1. Food

Start eating whole foods (as close to how it came out of the earth as possible), paying attention to which items are more and less toxic. Meat is high on the food chain and therefore more toxic; vegetables are lower. For information on joining a community supported farm check out Local Harvest. Avoid packaged foods and try to eat a varied diet that includes plenty of protein, calcium, whole grains and folic acid. (Take a daily vitamin with folic acid as well to be sure you’re meeting the requirement.)


2. Water

Test the tap water at home for contaminants and deal with it – a Brita-style carbon carafe pitcher will take care of most issues. Stop drinking bottled water and carry your beverages in something safer like glass or stainless steel – there are great water bottles at SIGGand Klean Kanteen – to avoid chemical-leaching plastic, as well as help save some earth.


3. Air

You can’t always control what you’re breathing – the carpet at the bank or toxic bathroom cleaners at work – but wherever possible (in the car, at work, at home) open the windows and keep your environment as well-ventilated as possible. ...



Finding Nontoxic Hair Dyes

I've gotten numerous requests over the years practically begging to know about safe hair dyes. We wrote about dye in The Complete Organic Pregnancy, as most pregnant woman are cautioned by regular old obstetricians with no interest in (or knowledge of) environmental health concerns to avoid it for the first trimester (and sometimes beyond). We clearly don't think this advice goes far enough. But it's a general rule of thumb for good reason. And the people asking me how to dye their hair are asking because they know studies have linked conventional hair dye to many types of cancer (see below). ...




ADVERTISEMENT
about this blog
Two down-to-earth experts answer your questions about raising children toxin-free... read more.
about the authors
Alexandra Zissu

Alexandra Zissu

Alexandra Zissu is a co-author of The Complete Organic Pregnancy... read full bio.
Deirdre Dolan

Deirdre Dolan

Deirdre Dolan is a co-author of The Complete Organic Pregnancy... read full bio.
buy the book

buy the book

The Complete Organic Pregnancy
What you need to know - from the nail polish you wear to the bed you sleep in to the water you drink.
recent posts most popular
archive

30 Days to a Greener Diet
Send an E-Card
Today: 5 Things Anyone Can Do
Calculate Your Impact
Search for a location:
Enter your city or zip code to get your local temperature and air quality and find local green food and recycling resources near you.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Hearst Digital Media