Lead in children's toys!

Many harmful elements may be lurking in your children's plastic toys! Elements that are known to be harmful at certain levels of children playing with toys  include arsenic, lead and mercury. Young children are at a higher risk as they often place them in their mouths, sucking and chewing to explore them. Their developing brains are more sensitive to the effects of these toxins. Lead is the most common source of toxicity in children.

So let's take a look at lead, which is often added to plastic to make it more pliable. Lead is a neurotoxin which means that when absorbed , inhaled or ingested it can affect the development of a child's nervous system.

Lead poisoning can cause

* Severe fatigue

* Decreased muscle co-ordination

* Seizures

* Lower IQ

* Behavioural problems

* Poor school performance  and

* Impaired growth

Australia imports $100 million worth of toys each Christmas, 80% are from China. Not every single toy coming in to our country is tested and I believe that is putting our children at risk to lead exposure. Don't forget that lead can also be in old painted toys- so be careful of those beautiful vintage heirloom toys.

So what is the answer to the problem? Buy timber toys as they are made from non- toxic materials and use non toxic paints! Too expensive you say? Then hire them from Mr Kipp and little Jimmy Of course!

You now can also buy timber toys from Mr Kipp and little Jimmy. Check out the range at www.voilatoy.com. and you will have it delivered within 48hrs! Free delivery for orders over $50 within the Ballarat area. 
We also offer in home parties where you can view the toys have some fun and earn money off your order. Email us  hello@ecotoyhire.com.au if you are interested in hosting a party.

8 easy ways to detox your home!

8 EASY WAYS TO DETOX YOUR HOME!

You may have done some weird green drinking, herb taking detox in order to eliminate internal toxins from your body, but can you say that you have done anything about the toxins in your home? 

The average home contains up to 1000 chemicals, many of which we are unable to see or smell. Unfortunately the air inside our home is three times more polluted that outside  and here in Ballarat in winter we spend so much time indoors. 

Common household and body care products are increasingly being found to have negative health effects and while these chemicals may be tolerated individually and in small doses, problems can arise when one is exposed to them in combination. They can have an effect on any of our nervous, immune, reproductive, endocrine, cardiovascular, and respiratory systems.

Detoxing our bodies and our living spaces will allow the body’s own detoxification to function more efficiently. This strengthens our resilience to the daily onslaught of factors impacting our health.

You could choose to change one thing a week or one a month or heck just choose one full stop and it will be moving in the right direction…

Tip One

No shoes inside thank you very much!

Yep- it’s that easy. That’s how a lot of dirt pesticides and lead can enter your home.

Tip two

Keep the air clean.

Try opening your doors and windows as much as possible to circulate the stale and toxic air (hard here in Antarctica in winter, I know!)

Tip three

Have indoor plants

Plants remove toxins from the air and renew stale air by exchanging carbon dioxide with oxygen. Read our previous blog post on indoor plants here…

Tip four

Switch from standard household cleaners to greener, safer options.

It’ll be safer and cheaper and not to mention, fun to explore mixing up some concoctions!

Tip five

Replace skin care products with less toxic, chemical free products

On average a woman can be exposed to 500 different chemicals in a day from her daily beauty routine. I personally love Twenty8 skin care and use coconut oil for near everything.

Tip six

Keep plastic to a minimum

Some plastics contain BPA, linked to cancer and others phthalates, which are linked to weight gain and developmental problems. Storing food in glass and ceramics is a safer option.

Tip seven

Check for mould

Check your windows and walls for moulds and remove promptly. Mould is extremely toxic especially to children and babies.

Tip eight

Avoid toxic ‘stinkin thinkin’

Finally no amount of detoxification of the body or the home is as important as removing the toxic thoughts. A house full of resentment, jealousy or unhappiness will be just as toxic!

Is wheat really that bad for me? or is gluten free just another fad?!

The answer to this from my research is a resounding YES, it really is bad and no- definitely not just a fad!

The problem with modern day wheat is that Agri-business has genetically changed the crop from a 4 and a half ft plant to a 2 ft dwarf, high yield plant that is easier to harvest. Consequently it is now higher in gluten (a protein) than it was 10,000 years ago and it's not just the gluten component that causes problems within the body and mind.

Modern day wheat is also higher in gliadin (a sugar) that stimulates the appetite and has an opiate effect on the body (that's why the idea of giving up wheat breaks you into a sweat!) Amaylopectin (the starch component) is also way higher. This starch has a proven link to heart disease diabetes and obesity. Since the introduction of wheat 10,000 years ago, fossil records of humans show a decrease in brain size, a loss in bone size and height and an explosion in tooth decay and crooked teeth.

According to Dr William Davis author of 'Wheat belly' 100% of people are affected in some way by the consumption of wheat, whether it be irritable bowel, brain fog, depression or a chronic disease. "Nobody escapes the increased bowel permeability caused by the gliadin protein" says Davis, a  leading cardiologist in USA. This gut permeability is the first stage of all (possibly 200) auto-immune diseases. "All grains are a problem, but wheat is by far the worse" says Davis.

A Lot of children are becoming intolerant to wheat, showing up in things such as rashes and asthma. It also causes behavioural outbursts and impairs learning. There is a strong link between wheat consumption and ADHD and autism.

Another problem is that you find wheat in almost everything. We all know of bread, pasta, cake and biscuits but check out packaging labels- it's in chips, sauces, vinegar, lollies, processed meat, gravies, soup and even many personal care products. Look for words such as dextrose, glucose, maltodextrin, 1422, hydrolysed vegetable protein as this is all wheat!

Dr William Davis suggests that you will notice a change within a week to a month when you take wheat out of a child's diet. Adults more likely to be months. When I took wheat out of my sons diet 100% his teacher (not knowing I had) exclaimed to me that 'Kipp has been a different boy this week, he's so happy and not emotional!'

So why don't you just try and take it out of your child's diet for a week and see what changes you notice? It certainly won't hurt but it may just change a life!

You don't have to take my word for it, if you're interested and want to know more I suggest www.wheatbellyblog.com and the book 'Grain brain' by David Perlmutter

Oils ain't oils! What do you fuel your kids with?

Looks like Castrol have a great point! When it comes to your most important vehicle (your body- not the ford) the type of oil you put in it makes a huge difference to it's efficiency . I'm sure you have heard about essential fatty acids omega 3 and omega 6. These are the fats our cells need to function correctly and can not be made by the body. 

For the first 2.5 million years Humans consumed omega 6 to omega 3 at a ratio of 1:1. Today it is more likely to be 25:1 thanks to the introduction of seed oils. When the ratio shifts towards omega 6 fatty acids our body shifts towards inflammation and the development of chronic disease. These so called 'Vegetable oils' including soybean, canola, cottonseed, safflower and corn oil were originally considered waste product until World war two.

These oils are produced in large factories and in order to extract the oil from the seed a number of toxic solvents are used including hexane (eww!)

I suggest cutting out the use of omega 6 oils at home. Nearly every takeaway is cooked using them and they actually have a low smoke point and turn rancid at a high heat. Watch for packaged foods as pretty much all have it (most commonly labelled as vegetable oil) I'm talking bread, biscuits, cakes, muesli bars, soups, dips- hell nearly everything!

So what should you use to fuel your kids?

* Coconut oil: has a high smoke point, is high in omega 3 and lauric acid (a large component of breast milk). It has strong anti fungal and anti microbial properties. I personally use coconut oil in my cooking, smoothies, eat it straight from the jar, as a moisturiser, hair treatment, lip balm, make a toothpaste out of it and have even used it for furniture polish!

* Olive oil:  for dressing and baking (not to be heated at high levels as it has a low smoke point)

* Use butter: NOT margarine (see previous blog post)

* Eat grass fed organic meat as it is high in omega 3 whereas commercially produced cattle have been fed grains and subsequently are high in omega 6.

* Use fat like lard and duck fat. Fat? What? Yep, fat doesn't make you fat folks- toxins do! I personally use it to coat my roast veggies with- just like Grandma did! Turns out vintage clothes aren't the only things coming back in vogue.

Bring on vintage nutrition!

A FUNctional way to detox your home!

Studies have shown that the inside of the home is more toxic than the outside. Along with regularly opening up doors and windows, one way of the best ways to combat this is by using indoor plants

Indoor plants reduce indoor pollution by sucking toxins through their leaves and their soil and root system remove toxic vapours. They also purify and renew stale air by exchanging carbon dioxide with oxygen. Variety is 'the spice of life' and plants adhere to this rule. Different plants remove different toxins so it is best to have a variety of indoor plants. Cactus's for example are ideal to sit in you office as they are great at sucking up the EMF emanating from your computer

I personally have at least one plant in every room of my house. It becomes quite addictive, and just like tattoos - once you get one, you just want to keep getting more!

You can train your Kids like robots!

It's true -you could train them to massage your feet and bring you a beer! That's not quite what I discovered whilst on my health mission but it is true that the first 7 years of a person's life controls 95% of the rest of their life.

Why is this you ask?

EEG's taken of babies and children show they are in  low frequency brain waves known as delta and theta. This is the same state as hypnosis (You will change your own nappy, I repeat, you will change your own nappy!) At 7  it changes to our adult brain waves known as Delta and Beta.  We all know that babies and kids learn by observation. In this hypnotic state they are basically just downloading behaviours, beliefs and worldly wisdom from their parents into their subconscious mind. And once its there-

It controls their biology for the rest of their lives!

As an adult, if your conscious mind wanders (that's the part of your brain that controls your wishes and desires) it will default back to the subconscious mind. It is believed that most people spend 95% of their time on their subconscious mind..........

so basically most of the time your living the life of someone else's beliefs. How many times do you think- My God I just sounded like my mother!

So apparently the areas of your life you are struggling with is likely to be a conflict between your desires (conscious mind) and your beliefs (subconscious mind) Is it any wonder that you do everything to be wealthy but seem to get nowhere when as a child you were told

"Money doesn't grow on trees"
"Money's hard to come by"
"You have to work hard and long hours to make money"   and anyway
"rich people are selfish!"

So what can you do to change these beliefs you were fed as a child. The answer is to live more in the MOMENT. Try and stay in your conscious mind and believe me it is hard to do. Try being in the moment for a minute, then in the moment for a Monday and then maybe for the month of  May!

As for my kids- I'm trying to teach them about nutrition and be a good example. I'm trying to train them like a robot, telling them things over and over again like "It's important to love yourself", "You are amazing", " You can do anything you want when you grow up, as long as it makes you happy:" So that when they grow up they Love and respect themselves and their bodies, have a job they Love and if they have any tough times know that they are amazing!

If you want to know more a great book is 'Buddhism for mothers'  by Sarah Napthali or google anything on this topic from Bruce Lipton

Please...Don't let dodgy Genes control you Kids!

So it turns out that we can CONTROL how our genes are expressed. I recently took part in a webinar with  Dr Bruce Lipton, a cell biologist who specializes in stem cell research. He has proven that by putting identical cells into three different petrie dishes and changing the environment in each dish, the DNA of that cell also changes accordingly. 

This is good!

So your genes don't control you- your ENVIRONMENT controls your genes!
So what exactly is the 'ENVIRONMENT'?

It's the food  and water you put into your body, the toxins you breathe in and put on your skin and according to Dr Bruce Lipton the most important environmental factor, wait for it... this deserves capitals

THE TOXIC THOUGHTS YOU THINK AND THE BELIEFS YOU HOLD ABOUT YOURSELF!

So this is the reason I have started to blog about how to improve our  kid's 'environment's' because I'm so passionate about getting them started on the right foot which I believe I did not!

Back to some biology from school- Yay!

We each have 50 trillion cells in our body each containing DNA. A cell will either:

In a positive environment be in a growth mode (build a new house)                             OR
In a negative environment be in a protective mode (renovate the dodgy house they already have)

This science is called Epigenetics (meaning- above the genes) and according to Bruce "Inhibiting growth processes continuously inhibits life sustaining energy" meaning more simply, capitals again please...

TOXIC ENVIRONMENTS STOP YOU PRODUCING ENERGY MAKING YOU FEEL TIRED,SICK AND UNHEALTHY!

Is there any damn wonder I feel tired all the time and everyone around me often complains that fatigue is a big problem in their day to day life. I have also noticed a strong connection between when Kipp eats wheat and his energy levels (wheat is a food sensitivity for him)

I had my genes tested last year and no surprise I had a lot of dodgy genes for inflammation (M.S is an inflammatory disease.) I will be interested to see how my genes have changed now that I am cleaning up my environment. I feel like I am 80% on my healing journey as I have really cleaned up my diet and not being on any MS medication have no reoccurring symptoms aside from some fatigue. So now I am working on changing my thoughts and beliefs to change my gene expression.

You don't have to take my word for it- If you are interested and want to know more I recommend 'The biology of belief' by Bruce Lipton, a very 'sciency' read or you can go to his website www.brucelipton.com for free articles or just check his talks out on Youtube.

Please don't feed your kid's margarine- it's but one molecule from plastic!

Margarine was invented in 1869 in a period of population increase and a solution to the shortage of butter. I think the word ‘invented’ should be enough of a blaring alarm bell!  It was originally made from animal fat but has changed a lot since then, 

so let’s take a look at how it is made?

Manufacturers begin with the cheapest oils-corn, soy, cottonseed or canola (labelled as vegetable oils- hey what? I thought it was from a vegetable!) These oils are mixed with tiny metal particles, usually nickel oxide and subjected to hydrogen gas at high temperature to solidify the normally runny oil. What?! That’s not all- it is then steam cleaned to remove the unpleasant odour, bleached to take away its unappealing grey colour then dyes are added to make it look like butter!

Now let’s take look at butter.....

Butter is an old English word derived from the word ‘better’, meaning superior to... Not really! I just made that up but I do think that it is no coincidence that the words are similar!

Butter is made from the cream that rises to the top of cow’s milk and whipped madly. Unfortunately pretty much all commercial milk as been pasteurised (heated at high temp to kill bacteria) and it would be best if you could get your hands on some raw cream from a local dairy and make your own butter like in the good old days, but hey- who has the time? (I did say better not best!)

Butter is high in so many vital nutrients- vitamin A, D, K and E and all the co-factors needed to provide maximum benefit for these vitamins (clever Mother Nature!) There’s so much more, including essential fatty acids and minerals. You don’t just have to take my word for it- if you’re interested and want to know more I suggest you research www.westonaprice.org

Personally I buy organic butter as I know it is made from cows that have been fed on grass (what they are designed to eat- not grains too fatten them up and injected with hormones to increase their supply) It is more expensive but I stock up on the organic butter from Aldi (God bless them) as it’s only $2.90 for 250g. Shame to say that I myself personally, am dairy intolerant.  I shudder at the thought that for years I ate Nuttlex thinking I was doing a good thing cos the marketing says it was a good dairy alternative. Now I make my own Ghee from the butter (it removes all the dairy protein) and still gives me the great benefits!

SO please, just think twice before spreading the marg on your kid’s sandwiches and definitely do not cook with it! A small change that could make a big difference in de-toxifying our kid’s lives- something I am very passionate about!