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Skin Deep

More and more research is coming out about the harmful chemicals and toxins in skin care products. Skin Deep is a project of EWG - the Environmental Working Group.

Skin Deep is a personal care product safety guide with in-depth information on 14,835 products - 1,051 brands of lotion, lip balm, deodorant, sunscreen and other popular products - and the 7,093 ingredients that form them. With its core of 37 toxicity and regulatory databases, Skin Deep provides safety ratings and brand-by-brand comparisons that can help consumers choose safer products.

Research your favorite beauty products, makeup, skin care products, soap, shampoo, toothpaste, etc. on Skin Deep and see what is in the products you use on your skin and absorb into your body.

Did you know: the government cannot mandate safety studies of cosmetics, and only 11 percent of the 10,500 ingredients FDA has documented in products have been assessed for safety by the cosmetic industry's review panel. Explore your products with Skin Deep's in-depth rating guides, and find safer choices for you and your family.

Search by product name, brand or type. Additionally, you can view the list of highest concern brands and lowest concern brands.

What is in your skin care products? Do you know? Is it worth it to NOT know?

Black Market Baby Formula. Really!

Palm Beach. Black Market. Baby Formula.
Really do any of those words sound like they go together?

PalmBeachPost reported "Ring stole $48,000 in baby formula, FDLE agent says"

Note 1.

Baby formula in recent years has become a hot black market item, according to federal law enforcement authorities. Over the years, federal investigators have arrested people suspected of making millions selling stolen formula.

Note 2.

Most of the stolen baby food is repackaged and sold, which health experts say poses a potential danger to infants. Drug dealers also sometimes use the powdered formula to cut cocaine

Note 3.

Some stores have responded to the thefts by keeping baby formula on locked
shelved or behind counters in stores. On Friday afternoon, a 25.7-ounce can of powdered Similac formula at the Publix in Wedgewood Commons was priced at nearly $25.

Wow. Just Wow.

Almond Milk

Can't stand the thought or taste of cow milk? Can't handle digesting cow milk or just plain scared of drinking cow milk? Not fond of soy milk or worried about all the negative reviews of soy products?

Try almond milk!

Almond milk is a good source of Vitamin E, calcium, Vitamins D & E, and it is rich in protein and omega fatty acids. It is cholesterol and lactose free.

You can buy almond milk in the store (Blue Diamond is a popular brand found in most grocery stores) - look for it on the shelf since it doesn't need to be refrigerated.

Many people make their own almond milk though, and recipes abound online. Here are a few of our favorites.

Almond Milk with Maple Syrup
Raw Vanilla Almond Milk

and...of course we feel obliged to reference Almond-Milk.com as a great reference and source of multiple recipes and plenty of information on almond milk (and other nut milks too!)

Give it a try - you might be surprised how delicious almond milk is!

Deciphering Produce Codes

Have you ever wondered what those numbers mean on the produce at the grocery store? They aren't just random numbers used to make the cashier's life easier. There is a method to the madness!

Most stores use the same PLU (price lookup code) for produce and bulk products. Dr. Mercola shares some clues as to what those codes mean. The code for conventionally grown produce consists of four numbers (much like what is listed here). Alternatively, conventional produce will sometimes have five numbers for the PLU with the first number a zero. Any produce that is organically grown will also have the same four numbers as the conventionally grown produce, but the PLU code will be five numbers long with the first number a 9. For example, the PLU for conventional bananas is 4011. Organic bananas would be coded 94011. Furthermore, if the produce is genetically modified or genetically engineered, the preceeding fifth number would be an 8. In the banana example, the PLU code for GM bananas would be 84011.

The International Federation for Produce Standards has worked diligently to ensure the same coding system is used for produce. Their guidelines state

PLU codes have been used by supermarkets since 1990 to make check-out and inventory control easier, faster, and more accurate. Fresh fruit and vegetable PLU codes are used to identify bulk produce (and related items such as nuts and herbs).

Dr. Mercola advises to avoid any produce that is genetically modified and labeled with a five digit PLU code starting with the number eight. He states on his website that consumers should

avoid hybrid varieties, which are fruits that have been altered by humans. Typically hybrid fruits contain more sugar than regular varieties so they taste sweeter and can be picked out because generally they don't contain seeds (seedless watermelon, seedless grapes, etc.). Although there are also seeded hybrid varieties, avoiding seedless fruits is one of the more prominent ways to avoid hybrid fruits.

Do you want to test your PLU code knowledge? Take this fun quiz and see how much you know!