CRIB/BED FRAME

Cribs and bed frames are often made of pressed wood or particleboard. These engineered wood products and their finishes can contain formaldehyde and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Formaldehyde was recently classified as a known human carcinogen by the National Toxicology Program (an arm of the US Department of Health and Human Services).  VOCs off-gas easily from particleboard and the fumes can cause headaches and other symptoms in the short-term – and potentially worse in the long-term.

The easiest way to save money on a safer crib or bed frame is to buy second-hand. (Note: If you’re buying a used crib, be sure it meets the latest Consumer Product Safety Commission Crib Standards.) To avoid risks from the chemicals mentioned above, Jennifer Taggart (aka The Smart Mama) and Healthy Child Parent Ambassador makes these recommendations:

1. Skip composite wood products.

2. Go for non-toxic finishes. If you are buying wood furniture, make sure the coating is non-toxic. Look for natural finishes made with plant oils (although this includes d-limonene), tree resins, minerals and beeswax, or low or no-VOC finishes.

3. Just say no to formaldehyde. If you are buying furniture made with manufactured wood products, look for formaldehyde-free products. Avoid bare, uncoated urea-formaldehyde pressed wood products that can emit relatively high amounts of formaldehyde.

4. Let it off-gas outside. Buying green can be expensive, and sometimes difficult to find. If you can’t find formaldehyde-free particleboard, then let the furniture off gas outside of the nursery, and preferably the home, before bringing the furniture inside. Make sure that the area has fresh air passing by so the formaldehyde will be removed.

5. Control climate. The amount of formaldehyde released is increased with increasing temperature and humidity. Keep the humidity and temperature low, and you can reduce the amount of formaldehyde released.

6. Seal bare urea-formaldehyde wood products with multiples layers of water resistant sealants. Research indicates that sealing bare urea-formaldehyde wood products can reduce formaldehyde emissions for months to years after application. Seal all unfinished edges of finished furniture. Of course, the sealants themselves may release other VOCs, so check labels carefully. Use a no or low VOC sealant.

BEDDING

Conventionally-grown cotton is one of the most pesticide dependent crops. While there’s not pesticide residue on the resulting fabric, by purchasing conventionally-grown cotton products, you’re contributing to pesticide pollution (which could wind up in your own drinking water if you live near a farm.) Also, most conventional textiles are treated with a variety of chemicals to make them stain-resistant, anti-wrinkle, color-fast, etc. Even organic cotton bedding can be finished with a formaldehyde derivative, so look for formaldehyde-free.

Here are some tips for finding safer, budget-friendly bedding:

• Avoid textiles labeled “permanent press,” “stain resistant,” “antibacterial,” or any other type of signal word that implies the fabric has been treated.
• If you buy new, conventionally-grown cotton bedding (without the aforementioned treatments), simply wash it a few times to get rid of any temporary sizing that has been applied to the fabric.
• Look for gently used bedding made of natural textiles. It’s much more affordable. It’s likely been washed enough times to significantly reduce or eliminate any chemical treatments. And, it’s more environmentally-friendly. You can find beautiful (and even organic) options quite frequently on eBay.

GENERAL TIPS

Whatever products you end up using, follow these easy tips to keep your family’s sleeping spaces clean and healthy.

1. Wash and dust everything regularly.
2. Ventilate. Opening windows and using fans to circulate the air will improve indoor air quality.
3. Grow plants. Choose non-poisonous and be sure not to over-water, which can promote mold and fungus growth. Here are eight awesome options.

I hope that helps! Please share your own tips in the comments!

At Healthy Child Healthy World, we get asked almost weekly about how to find safer mattresses on a budget. And, it’s no wonder when you look at the premium prices on organic and eco-friendly options. Sticker shock is amplified to sticker stupor.

Of course you want the safest sleeping situation for your family, but what can you do if it’s simply not financially feasible to buy all organic stuff? Read on to learn how to prioritize the specific risks and how to reduce them on a dime.

MATTRESS

Conventional mattresses are made using polyurethane foam, treated with flame retardants, sometimes covered in PVC, potentially treated with more flame retardants, and then maybe some stain guard for good measure. Thus, this seemingly benign sleeping surface potentially exposes people to toluene, styrene, ethyl benzene, isopropylbenzene, antimony trioxide, vinylidene chloride, lead, phthalates, and other chemical nightmares.

Clearly, exposure to toxic chemicals in mattresses is a legitimate concern, but it’s also very complicated. It’s difficult to find out exactly what’s being used in most products; every individual can have unique reactions; and, there’s little research on potential health hazards.

For the sake of brevity (in an already long blog post), my recommendations are focused on baby and kids’ mattresses. You’ll find a link to a more thorough assessment at the end.

Since babies and children are more vulnerable and since they spend more time with their faces buried in it’s fibers, the mattress should be a priority. If there is one organic product to splurge on, this is it. If you can’t, don’t despair – here are two ideas:

1. Make one request for your baby shower or child’s birthday; have everyone pitch in on an organic mattress.

2. Make do with a conventional option.

• Look for a mattress that is not covered in PVC and has as few chemical treatments as possible.
• Air out a new mattress until there’s no longer any hint of chemical smell. This is no guarantee that all the chemicals have off-gassed, but it should be significantly less.
• Flame retardants are released from the mattress as it breaks down, so you’ll want to try to encapsulate the dust. A tightly woven cotton barrier cloth meant to keep in dust-mites can help with the dust.
• If you’re worried about on-going off-gassing, you’ll need an impermeable cover. There are mattress pads and covers made from a special food-grade polyethylene plastic that not only do not off-gas themselves, but also reduce off-gassing from mattresses. I know many moms may cringe at the idea of encapsulating their child’s bed in plastic, but this solution will reduce chemical exposure and it is very affordable.
• Look into a simple cotton futon that’s been treated with boric acid instead of the nastier flame retardants often used.

Find more ideas for everyone in the family at Healthy Child Healthy World.

When I was a kid, you didn’t see many juice boxes. That product category was still in its infancy – a novelty at best. Now, they’re everywhere and there are tons of different kinds. Do you know what’s in yours?

Many moms see the word “juice” and automatically think “healthy.” Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. Here are two ingredients that are far from healthy, yet often found in kids’ beverages:

• Added sweeteners. High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) is one of the most common sweeteners, but as we reported two years ago, a pilot study found mercury contamination in this ubiquitous ingredient. It’s also highly processed and made using genetically modified ingredients – a combination leading to still unclear impacts. In addition, some studies have linked consumption of excess amounts of any type of added sugar — not just high-fructose corn syrup — to such health problems as weight gain, dental cavities, poor nutrition, and more.
• Artificial food dyes. Over the last three decades, repeated studies have concluded that modest doses of synthetic colors added to foods can provoke hyperactivity and other disturbed behavior in children. (We believe that’s enough damning evidence, despite the US FDA’s call for more research before regulating these toxic tints.)

And, it’s not just about what’s intentionally added, sometimes there are risky contaminants. For example, a recent study by Consumer Reports found arsenic in apple and grape juice at levels high enough to increase their risk of cancer and other chronic diseases.  A full 10 percent of the juices tested by the magazine had arsenic levels higher than what is allowed in water by the Food and Drug Administration.

What can you do?

Read the ingredients. Look for 100% juice products. Opt for organic if possible. And, experiment with new products and flavors. There are so many innovative and healthy options these days, from fresh fruit juices and smoothies to cold teas and coconut water. Try making your own healthy beverages and using reusable water bottles to reduce waste, too!

Call manufacturers. Ask that they remove these unnecessary additives. Also, ask about what the product is packaged in. Increasingly, studies are finding that toxic components of food packaging are leaching into our foods and beverages. It’s also preferable to find something you can recycle. (Or, buy beverages in larger recyclable containers and fill reusable juice boxes or stainless steel bottles.)

Drink less juice. According to coverage from Food Safety News, “Consumer Reports says a poll of parents found that 35 percent of children 5 and younger drink juice in quantities exceeding doctors’ recommendations. The American Academy of Pediatrics advises that fruit juice not be given to children until they are six months old, and then no more than 6 ounces a day until they’re 6. Weight problems and tooth cavities are the risks the pediatricians cite for drinking too much juice. They also note that juice lacks the fiber and nutrients available in whole fruit.”

What are your family’s favorite drinks?

“No one can do everything, but everyone can do something.” You may not be able to fly to Washington DC and lobby Congress, but you can still make a call, tell a neighbor, or post a Facebook status update. Every little action helps.

There are millions of people that still need to wake-up to the reality of toxic chemicals in everyday products. They still assume if something’s being sold in stores, it must be safe. They need someone like you to sound the alarm and wake them up. Will you?

Watch how these people are sounding the alarm.

Join these people and hundreds of thousands of others by sounding your own alarm!

• Share ‘Sound the Alarm.
• Tell your Senators to co-sponsor the Safe Chemicals Act.
• Sign-up for Healthy Child’s weekly newsletter to learn to live healthier and for tools to help inform others.

Americans assume that chemicals used to make ordinary products are tested for safety — but they are not. From baby bottles made with bisphenol-A (BPA) to carpets containing formaldehyde, dangerous chemicals are in our homes, places of work, and the products we use every day. And these exposures are costing us a fortune.

In fact, a new study published in Health Affairs estimates that childhood diseases linked to environmental exposures are costing us  $76.6 billion per year.

Leonardo Trasande, MD, Associate Professor of Preventive Medicine and Pediatrics at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, analyzed the costs of conditions – including lead poisoning, childhood cancer, asthma, autism, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) – associated with exposure to toxic chemicals. Dr. Trasande and his team calculated the annual cost for direct medical care and the indirect costs, such as parents’ lost work days, and lost economic productivity caring for their children, of these diseases in children. The resulting estimation of $76.6 billion annually demonstrates the staggering economic impact of toxic chemicals and pollutants in the environment.

“New policy mandates are necessary to reduce the burden of disease associated with environmental toxins,” said Dr. Trasande. “The prevalence of chronic childhood conditions and costs associated with them may continue to rise if this issue is not addressed.”

Tell Congress to take action today by supporting the Safe Chemicals Act. We cannot afford this toxic assault any longer.

Once thought to pose little likelihood of exposure, we now know many chemicals migrate from the materials and products in which they’re used – including furniture, plastics and food cans – into our bodies. The federal Centers for Disease Control has found that the blood or tissues of almost every American carry hundreds of these chemicals, some present even before birth. Yet under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), the US EPA cannot restrict even the most dangerous of these chemicals and lacks the information it needs to evaluate how this complex mixture of chemicals affects our health. EPA has been able to require testing of only a few hundred of the 62,000 chemicals that have been on the market since TSCA was passed 35 years ago, a number that has increased to 85,000 chemicals today.

Passed in 1976, TSCA’s presumption that chemicals should be considered innocent until proven guilty was a sharp departure from the approach taken with pharmaceuticals and pesticides. Since then, an overwhelming body of science has shown that presumption to be unfounded. Published studies in peer-reviewed journals have shown many common chemicals can cause chronic diseases and can be toxic even at low doses.

The Safe Chemicals Act responds to increasingly forceful warnings from scientific and medical experts — including the President’s Cancer Panel — that current policies have failed to curtail common chemicals linked to diseases such as cancer, learning disabilities, infertility, and more.

The Safe Chemicals Act would overhaul the 35-year-old Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), which is widely perceived to have failed to protect public health and the environment. Specifically the Act would:

• Require EPA to identify and restrict the “worst of the worst” chemicals;
• Require basic health and safety information for all chemicals;
• Reduce the burden of toxic chemical exposures on people of color and low-income and indigenous communities;
• Upgrade scientific methods for testing and evaluating chemicals to reflect best practices; and
• Generally provide EPA with the tools and resources it needs to identify and address chemicals posing health and environmental concerns.

“Under current law, EPA is powerless to act against even the most notorious chemicals,” said Richard Denison, Ph.D., Senior Scientist at the Environmental Defense Fund and a leading expert on TSCA. “The Safe Chemicals Act would provide EPA with the authority it needs to protect public health; the marketplace with the information companies need to innovate safe products; and consumers with the comfort in knowing that their families are being protected,” he concluded.

It’s just common sense. Learn more about the Safe Chemicals Act and how you can help at SaferChemicals.org.

I’m a big fan of strong, female leads – beautiful, smart women who can kick the bad-guys butts without breaking a sweat. Have you ever watched Jessica Alba in Dark Angel or Fantastic Four? She’s one of those strong leads. Now, I know she has grueling training and the magic of motion pictures to help enhance her performance, but you can still fight like her. Like she fights in real life.

Today, Jessica Alba is appearing on Capitol Hill with Senator Frank Lautenberg to promote his chemical safety bill, the Safe Chemicals Act. The bill “would ensure that the chemicals we are exposed to every day have been tested and proven safe for mothers, children, and all Americans,” says Lautenberg, chairman of the toxics and environmental health subcommittee of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. It’s a common sense policy (read yesterday’s post to learn about how idiotic our chemical regulatory system is now.)

Celebrities have long helped raise awareness about important issues by using their status to get media attention. And, even though you don’t have paparazzi following you, you can still do exactly what she’s doing and take some time to speak up. In fact, democracy doesn’t really work unless we speak up. In between elections, our elected officials are voting on policies every day. Do you know how they decide how to vote? By listening to their constituents – that’s you and me.

Back when I first began participating in politics, I remember sitting with elected officials and having them tell me how important it was to them to hear from their constituents – office visits, letters, phone calls – they mean A LOT. They told me that they decided how to vote on different bills based on how many constituents they heard from saying yay or nay. If 20,000 people called and told them to vote no on a bill and 25,000 called and told them vote yes, they’d vote yes. Likewise, if 20 people told them to vote yes on a bill and 25 told them to vote no, they’d vote no.

At the end of the day, each one of us has a voice and our elected officials need to hear it. That’s how democracy works. We can vote every day.

Cast your vote today by telling your Senators to co-sponsor the Safe Chemicals Act.

The first time you leave your child with a stranger can be tense and difficult. Oftentimes your baby cries and reaches for you – an invisible string yanking at your heart as you pull away. Oftentimes a lone tear (or twenty) glides silently down your cheek. And then you count the moments until the reunion, hoping you chose the right person to care for the most important thing in your world.

Most of the time, parents have pretty good instincts about who is capable of caring for their children. Sometimes, there’s little choice. Whatever your situation, here are 4 warning signs that the caretaker you’ve chosen is not up to the job.

1. The person conducts experiments on your child.
2. The person lets your child get injured repeatedly before taking any action to protect him.
3. The person feels there are certain levels of harm that are perfectly acceptable.
4. The person is often distracted by shiny objects and not even paying attention to your child.

Okay. Stick with me here. I’m not nuts, I’m making an analogy. And, it’s about a regulatory system that is supposed to take care of our children and us – but is failing miserably. The Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976 is putting our children in harm’s way by allowing risky chemicals in everyday products. Here’s how the above warning signs translate to our flawed regulatory system:

1. Potential toxics are not fully tested for safety before use (making all of us guinea pigs for potential effects).
2. The government takes action only after harm is proven and widespread. (This is called the “count the bodies” approach to public health protection.)
3. Certain levels of harm are accepted and allowed by government authorities. (Current policy focuses on establishing “acceptable” levels of harm from toxics rather than on seeking ways to prevent harm in the first place.)
4. Powerful special interests obstruct government action to protect our health.

We wouldn’t allow a person who acted this way to care for our children and we shouldn’t expect a regulatory system that’s this flawed to protect them. As parents, it is up to us to make sure our children are better taken care of. Learn how at HealthyChild.org.

One of the top recommendations that we give people at Healthy Child is to eat organic foods.

Still, I can’t count how many times I’ve heard people say, “I’d love to buy organic food, but I just can’t afford it.” I get it. I get it. We can’t afford an all organic diet at my house either. But, eating organic doesn’t have to mean buying organic. You can grow your own. And it’s cheaper than anything you’ll find at the store (a $2 tomato seedling can give 10 pounds of tomatoes over a season).

Even if you’ve never done it before. Even if you think you don’t have the time. Even if you don’t have a yard. Even if you have a brown thumb. Really. There’s no excuse and the results are so gratifying: cheap, healthy food; eating the fruits of your own labor; the look of awe in your friends’ eyes when you bring homegrown culinary delights to the next potluck.

So, for all of you greenhorn gardeners, here are four tips for getting started.

1. Pick a pot and a place. You don’t need green acres or a plow to have a healthy harvest. You don’t even need to have a yard. You can grow a wide variety of herbs, vegetables, and even fruits in containers (on your roof, fire escape, patio, or windowsill). R.J. Ruppenthal, author of Fresh Food from Small Spaces: The Square-Inch Gardener’s Guide to Year-Round Growing, Fermenting, and Sprouting, even has tips for using closets and empty bathtubs. Your only limitation is your imagination.

2. Start simple. Ensure immediate success by beginning with surefire winners like herbs, sprouts and lettuce. Take it up a tiny notch by growing a pizza garden (basil, oregano, cherry tomatoes) or a salsa garden (cilantro, onion, tomatoes, peppers). There are specific varieties of vegetables and fruits that fare best in containers. You can find a list of them and the specific size of container they need at Garden Guides.

3. Enjoy the experiment. Gardening is all about experimentation and even the most adept grower sometimes has a failed crop. It doesn’t mean you have a brown thumb. Keep a journal of your successes and failures (including details like type of container, type of soil, lighting conditions, watering schedule, etc), so you won’t make the same mistake twice.

4. Get some help. Pick up some books from your library, like Organic Crops in Pots by Deborah Schneebeli-Morrell. Join the growing community of home gardeners by visiting websites like Gardenaut. Call your local extension services with questions (for some immediate troubleshooting tips visit Texas University Extension Services).

I remember when I was a child and we had a small garden. The tomatoes were amazing. They were so delicious we would sprinkle a bit of sugar on them and eat them for dessert. Children eating tomatoes for dessert. Today parents share all sorts of tips for trying to get kids to eat their vegetables and even adults rarely eat the recommended amount of vegetables every day. Maybe it wouldn’t take so much effort if the vegetables actually tasted like they’re supposed to, flavorful and delicious. Once you taste your own homegrown organic produce, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about. So, do it. Grow your own.

Everyone’s heard the cliché “you are what you eat.” And, it’s true – your health is intimately connected to the foods and drinks you put in your mouth. But, have you ever stopped to consider what other impacts your food choices may have? Industrial farming practices can cause soil and water pollution. Over-packaged, single-size foods result in litter and plastic waste that will linger in landfills for hundreds of years. The average American meal travels 1,500 miles from farm to fork increasing air pollution and greenhouse gases. Human health is affected by what we eat, but planetary health is affected by how we eat.

Luckily, we don’t have to sacrifice either health or the environment. And, you might even find that when you start considering both and making smarter choices, your foods are more flavorful and cooking is more enjoyable. But, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Start simple by trying the easy (and affordable) tips below.

1. Eat a healthier snack like a USDA Certified organic apple. Organic certification guarantees that the product has been grown, handled and processed without synthetic pesticides, hormones, antibiotics, artificial ingredients, preservatives and without using genetic modification or irradiation. Organic certification also means the farmer is promoting biological diversity by rotating crops, conserving and renewing the soil, and protecting water sources.

Organic foods are the best investment you can make for your health, but they can cost quite a bit more. According to the Environmental Working Group, you can lower your pesticide exposure by 90 per cent simply by avoiding the most contaminated conventionally grown produce: peaches, apples, sweet bell peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, lettuce, imported grapes, carrots, and pears. If you’re really craving one of these foods, opt for organic. Conventionally grown fruits and vegetables that have the lowest levels of pesticide residue include: onion, avocado, sweet corn, pineapple, mango, asparagus, sweet peas, kiwi, cabbage, eggplant, papaya, watermelon, broccoli, tomato, and sweet potato. You can download the EWG pocket guide that lists these and the dirty dozen from Foodnews.org.

2. Ease up on animal fats. Meat and dairy products are major sources of saturated fat in the U.S. diet, and contribute to higher risk of heart disease, cancer and diabetes. Animal products can also contain hormones, antibiotics and organochlorine chemicals, such as dioxin, DDT and other pesticides, which concentrate in animal fat. Modern meat production also consumes water, energy and land. Animal waste produces air and water pollution. And red meat production creates about 3.5 times more greenhouse gases than that of grains.

When you do buy meat, poultry or dairy, look for low fat options (get the unsaturated fats your body needs from plant sources like walnuts, flax seeds, and avocados). You can also do a favor for your body and the planet by reducing how much meat you eat. Making even one vegetarian meal a week can make a big difference.

3. Ban the can. Canned foods and beverages are lined with a resin that contains bisphenol-A, a hormone-disrupting chemical that’s building up in our environment and our bodies. Most manufacturers are beginning to explore safer alternatives, but in the meantime you should choose foods that are fresh, dried or frozen or packaged in glass jars or tetra packs.

4. Select safer seafood. Eating seafood is the primary way we are exposed to methylmercury, a potent neurotoxin. Fish can also be contaminated with PCBs, which the International Agency for Research on Cancer and the Environmental Protection Agency have declared a probable carcinogen. In addition, many commercial fishing practices damage the aquatic ecosystems by depleting fish stocks to dangerous levels. Worldwide about 90% of large predatory fish stocks are already gone. Use the Environmental Defense Fund’s Safe Seafood Selector to find species that are lowest in chemical and heavy metal contamination, and that are fished in ways that are not harmful to our oceans.

5. Bulk up. It’s common knowledge that buying in bulk saves money, but it also reduces waste because there’s so much less packaging. In addition, bulk foods are often less processed so you reduce your exposure to questionable food additives. Bulk cook staples like beans and other legumes and store them in your freezer in serving sizes that are appropriate for your family size.

6. Turn on your tap. Plastic bottled water is over-priced, over packaged, and not necessarily cleaner than tap. In fact, municipal tap water is more regulated than bottled water and some bottled water is just tap water with a clever name. It’s a waste of your money that creates enormous amounts of waste. According to the Natural Resources Defense Council,

“In 2006, the equivalent of 2 billion half-liter bottles of water were shipped to U.S. ports, creating thousands of tons of global warming pollution and other air pollution. And while the bottles come from far away, most of them end up close to home – in a landfill. Most bottled water comes in recyclable PET plastic bottles, but only about 13 percent of the bottles we use get recycled. In 2005, 2 million tons of plastic water bottles ended up clogging landfills instead of getting recycled.”

Make an investment in a water filter and reusable stainless steel water bottles. They quickly pay for themselves. While you’re at it, skip the soda and other bottled drinks. Water’s much better for you.

7. Purge plastic. Okay, it’s almost impossible to eliminate plastic – and sometimes there’s no better choice. Still, plastics are clogging our landfills, polluting our Oceans (check out the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, 100 million tons of debris that’s essentially made a trash island in the ocean), and being petroleum-based products, they create a lot of pollution when they’re manufactured. In regards to human health, studies are piling up showing how chemicals leach from many plastics and end up in our food and drinks. For your food, glass is the safest bet and extremely affordable. Most second-hand stores have loads of glassware and old spaghetti or canning jars are super for storing leftovers. If you do use plastic, opt for safer ones like those with the number 2, 4, or 5 in the chasing arrows symbol (usually found on the bottom). Never heat food in plastic as it increases chemical leaching.

8. Read a food label – for real. Ever stop to read the ingredients label on packaged, processed foods? It’s usually a mouthful of words most of us have a hard time pronouncing, so what exactly are you eating? You can learn which food additives are safe and which are not by visiting The Center for Science in the Public Interest’s food safety guide, but it’s even easier to simply choose whole foods. Whole foods are not processed, so they have all their natural nutritional gifts – and less processing means less pollution. Look for foods made from whole grains (think whole wheat bread, oatmeal and brown rice) – and it should say “whole” on the label. Make more foods from scratch (it’s easier than you think). You’ll end up saving money, eating healthier and reducing all the waste created from packaging and processing foods.

9. Look for local. The average mouthful of food travels 1,400 miles from the farm to our plates. Food from local farms is fresher and closer to ripeness, has used less energy for transport and is less likely to have been treated with post-harvest pesticides. Buying local products also supports regional farmers and preserves farmland. Ask for local produce, meat and dairy at your market and see what they show you. Better yet, visit your local farmer’s market. You’ll be supporting your community, saving money, protecting the planet, and eating healthier. Visit EatWellGuide.org to discover your local food system.

10. Savor your flavors! When was the last time you really experienced your food? Really took some time to appreciate what you’re eating? From the crisp juiciness of a fresh apple to the creamy, cool sweetness of a spoonful of ice cream, are you really tasting what you put in your mouth or are you thoughtlessly inhaling? We’ve become so accustomed to fast food (whether at home or at the drive-thru), we’ve nearly lost the ability to appreciate our culinary bounty. When we eat without thinking, we’re more apt to choose foods that are less healthy (for us and the Earth) and to overeat whatever we’ve slopped onto our plate (if it even made it on to a dish). Take a moment to savor the flavor, to think about where your food came from, and to feel a little gratitude.