On June 3, 2008, a petition to ban eight artificial food dyes was requested to the US Food and Drug Administration because they are negatively linked to child behavior problems. The eight dyes include: Yellow 5, Red 40, Blue 1, Blue 2, Green 3, Orange B, Red 3, and Yellow 6. All of the dyes, with the exception of Orange B, are permitted for use in Canada. AND get this! In Canada, companies are not required to list which dyes they use in products.
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I’m a proud Mom today and rarely will I make this blog specific to only my children, but I felt there was a larger message in a Tae Kwon Do ceremony I attended today. Francesco had his ceremony for Tae Kwon Do and in order to receive his next belt, had to complete the action of breaking a board in front of a gym full of parents and spectators. We really had no idea what this was all about being Francesco is our first and only child so far to participate with Tae Kwon Do.
Well, what a special milestone in Francesco’s life. I will get a memory frame to inclose his white belt, certificate for completing his test, and the board that he snapped in half. I am elated that Francesco has found a sport that he excels and has passion for. This article is dedicated to Francesco, but something happened at the ceremony today, someone else’s child that inspired this article to be written.
There was a girl, about 8 years old in age and it was her turn to break the board. She tried once, twice, three times, went up to about 8 times and still, she wasn’t able to break the board. She had a tough kick..it was a spinning back kick that was much harder than facing it dead on. Master Jae looked her right in the eye and said “I’ll be back for you!” He finished the other children and came back to her again. She continued to try and even had the confidence to lower the board that Master Jae was holding. On maybe the 20th try, she broke the board. Well the gym erupted in cheers and clapping. It was honestly one of those moments you wish to be alone in a room so you could sob with happiness. Master Jae turns and addresses the 80+ adults in the audience and says “we never give up” “she never gave up!”. So profound and what a lesson for everyone watching. What confidence that little girl had to keep going to attempt to break the board in front of a large audience.
What a great conversation to have with Francesco over a milkshake after receiving his belt. What a great message to send to all children! I am so happy with our decision to have Francesco in Tae Kwon Do. He is very respectful and very intense with what he’s learning. Now, he has this confidence booster…if you can break a board…you can do anything! I will also mention this little girl when he wants to give up or get frustrated. It always amazes me where our role models sprout up from!
A few months ago when I heard our local dietitian Jen speak at our school (her presentation was so excellent it changed the course of my parenting) she gave some incredible tips on how to choose healthy brown bread. She tossed 4 loaves of bread into the crowd of parents and asked us to pick which we thought would be healthy. Some of them looked the equivalent of white bread and some had titles like ‘7 grain’, etc. We all selected the healthiest looking bread, but of course the titles were deceptive. Isn’t it incredible to think that certain brands of brown bread are nothing more than white bread with ‘molasses’ listed as an ingredient because that is the ingredient that actually ‘dyes’ the bread? You assume that whole wheat is taking care of darkening the color of bread, but in actual fact, you cannot tell by the color of bread or by the name if it’s a nutritious choice.
I’ve written about changes I’ve made around the house after Isabella experienced her first eczema outbreak. Two household items that needed immediate action were my laundry detergent and dryer sheets. These are the top recommendations when talking to a doctor about what can trigger an atopic eczema outbreak. It was initially hard for me to part with my Bounce dryer sheets because of years enjoying that smell, but after researching just how harmful dryer sheets are, I’m happy to have eliminated them from my house. Not only are they a skin irritant…they are actually toxic! Parents need to think of these sheets as rubbing chemicals on their family’s clothes.
I never stopped to think what, other than the scent from the Bounce sheets, was being left as residue on our clothes. I shudder to think
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I received a question via ‘Ask Suzanne’ from a parent concerned about BPA being placed in their children’s cavity fillings. Thanks for this question!
With the debates regarding BPA usually targeting baby bottles or canned food items, the topic of BPA in our dental work may have flown under your radar. (I mean really, how much BPA information is one parent able to retain?) I’ve heard grumblings on other blogs about this issue, but the information on BPA leaching from household plasticsfar outways this topic. Studies have found detectable levels of BPA in the saliva of patients after they received sealants or fillings. Maybe not a big deal for adults who have a larger mass to absorb chemicals, but what about a toddler or child that requires dental work? The thought of BPA leaching even a miniscule amount into my kid’s mouth is a horrible thought.
Most pediatric dentists have said the affect of this is minuscule - no affect. See more on these opinions via this news clip from CTV news. But the words of Aaron Freemen, policy director of Environmental Defence, from the same interview, put me on edge.
“Regardless of how low the exposure level may be, BPA is a toxic substance that shouldn’t be used in any consumer products. This is not the sort of chemical that we should be putting in people’s mouths, particularly children’s mouths.”
BPA is, after all, the chemical that Canada declared dangerous. Would you want something toxic put in your mouth? Of course not.
So as parents, what can we do? If your child (or yourself) is getting a cavity filled, ask your dentist if the sealant or filling contains BPA. Remember, we’ve just stopped using mercury-based amalgam fillings after years of controversy. Hopefully your dentist can put you at ease. If your dentist is using BPA what are the alternatives? Alastair Nicoll, president of the British Columbia Dental Association says, “derivatives of BPA are still the most common ingredient in sealants and fillings because alternatives such as porcelain don’t work as well and aren’t as practical.”
Health Canada is compiling a list of all materials that contain BPA, but as a mother of 4, I don’t know if I’m more scared or curious to see the next place this chemical is lurking.
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