DadTalk

More Moms Try Nursing

More American mothers tried breast feeding, though they’re not sticking with it, reports The New York Times on a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study. The 77 percent rate of moms who attempt nursing is a high point.

By six months, though, most women have given up on nursing despite health organizations urging moms to continue for up to 2 years. (For the record, Seth and Lael were nursed for about 2 years.) Studies have shown that breast feeding can pass numerous health benefits on to children.

Perhaps the most interesting tidbit comes at the end of the article:

Dr. (Barbara) Philipp said that while doctors and nurses were doing a better job of emphasizing the benefits of breast-feeding to patients, most continue to offer new mothers free diaper bags containing infant formula when mothers go home with their newborns.

“That’s a problem because at least five studies have shown that when a doctor or nurse hands the family that bag, even if they take the formula out, that mother will have less success with breast-feeding,” Dr. Philipp said.

Trout Fishing and Indian Spices

Can two men sound like an entire band? Sure, when they’ve been playing together for almost 30 years.

Can two men keep 100 children – and 100 parents – occupied and even dancing during kiddy witching hours of 3-5 p.m?

Sure, if they’re Keith Grimwood and Ezra Idlet, who form the Arkansas duo Trout Fishing in America. If you never heard of these guys, or listened to them, now is a good time as any. Click on this link, and then click on “Launch Trout Radio” for a sample.

Trout Fishing is one of those bands I never would have heard of if it wasn’t for a publicist – I’m not even sure which one – sending me a CD. I’m pretty awful that way: someone sends me a CD and I get around to listening to it weeks or months later.

Canada May Declare BPA Dangerous to Human Health

Canada may fire a great big salvo at the plastics industry by declaring Bisphenol-A a toxic chemical, reports The New York Times. BPA, as the chemical is known, is commonly “used in plastics for baby bottles, beverage and food containers as well as linings in food cans.”

Health Canada is expected to make a decision whether to declare the chemical a threat to human health sometime between now and late May. Canada would be the first nation to rule again BPA.

Some parents in the United States already have tossed suspect bottles in favor of aluminum or stainless steel versions. (We’re working on it.) Experts don’t seem to debate whether the chemical gets into our bodies. Writes the National Geographic Green Guide:

Food Recalls Malt-o-Meal Recalls Puffed Wheat, Rice

While sick with the flu, I let slide a recall of cereal contaminated with salmonella. How Puffed Rice and Puffed Wheat cereals could become contaminated with salmonella is something of a mystery to me, but reports of illnesses continue to spread two weeks into the recall.

At least 21 cases of salmonella agona in 13 states have been reported, according to All American Patriots. So far, the mainstream media, beyond TV News, has not made much effort to cover this recall.

The cereal, which is being recalled by Malt-O-Meal, is sold under a variety of brand names and packaging styles. See the link above for details on recall specifics: there are hundreds of UPC codes listed.

Eating Foreign Produce Kills Birds?

Sometimes the forces of sustainability, organics and eating healthy do not get along harmoniously. Take for example my recent article about eating cantaloupes in the winter where I reveal that I’m a fresh produce freak. I eat frozen only because I have to and I can only eat so many root vegetables before I start to lose my mind. Just like this guy at The Chicago Tribune.

One of my big comprises since coming to Chicago: I’ve become a little more flexible about non-organic produce. Sometimes, foods that I crave simply are not available in the organic form. Which is worse: re-hydrated starch or foreign-grown, non-organic fruit and vegetables?

More and more – and to my great dismay – it looks like the latter is worse. Biology Prof. Bridget Stutchbury warns that pesticide use in Latin American countries is skyrocketing to meet American demand for fresh produce year round. Worse, these countries use chemicals not approved in the United States, Stutchbury writes in The New York Times.

The chemicals are not only dangerous to humans, but to northern songbirds that travel south for the winter, reports Bridget. “Testing by the United States Food and Drug Administration shows that fruits and vegetables imported from Latin America are three times as likely to violate Environmental Protection Agency standards for pesticide residues as the same foods grown in the United States,” she writes.

This goes to my belief that resolving seemingly simple environmental, health and sustainability issues will not be easy by any measure:

• How do you get cars and trucks off the road if cities are vast?
• How do you build a computer without using toxic compounds?
• How do we feed the world if we’re going to use corn and sugar to make electricity?

Every action has complicated, unpredictable chain reactions. It seems there is no white knight to slay the evil lord. After all, the white knight’s armor is made of hardened, non-recyclable, plastic.

Food recalls FDA Expands Recalls of Honduran Cantaloupes

When we moved to California in 1998, we quickly gave up cantaloupe and honeydew melons. Why? Because those two fruits have become the white-bread of the melon world.

Instead, we feasted on Crenshaws, Ogens and Santa Claus melons. One taste of those and our interest in over-commercialized cantaloupes and honeydews quickly disappeared.

Sadly, I live in Chicago now. This winter I finally gave in and bought a cantaloupe two weeks ago and a honeydew this week. They tasted sugary, yet flavorless.

At least I did not get salmonella poisoning. Cases of the illness have been linked to a Honduran grower named Agropecuaria Montelibano, which has been fighting massive recalls in this nation and Canada. (Fortunately for me, the cantaloupe and honeydew I ate were from Guatemala.)

Honduras enlisted its President, Manuel Zelaya, to prove they are safe, reports CNN:

Why I Bought Obscenely Expensive Water Bottles

I hate plastic. I really, really hate plastic. Before having kids, most of my plastic use involved garbage bags, water bottles and lunch containers. Despite my better sense, though, I’ve managed to consume several lifetime supplies of petroleum-based products.

Take the thousands of miles I’ve spent on a bike drinking from old, soft plastic water bottles. When I lived in Arizona, the water would heat up and taste really yummy, like burnt marshmallows. I’m sure the water was totally clean of dangerous chemicals.

And during most of my adult life, I’ve been a brown bagger, or would that be plastic-container bagger? I now only use the plastic to transport the food, but for most of my career, I hesitantly microwaved each meal in delicious Polypropylene.

Until a few months ago, there wasn’t much evidence that scratched plastic is even worse than shiny new plastic. Gee, I think ALL of our plastic is scratched.

Nothing in my adult life, though prepared me for the onslaught of plastic after having kids: water bottles, cups, plates and silverware are coming out of every drawer. We find them under tables, desks and even in the heaters. (Lael drops all kinds of things through the little grates.)

A Simple Plan to Make Most Out of Drugs Found in Drinking Water

By now, you’ve probably heard about The Associated Press probe that found all manner of pharmaceuticals in our drinking water. Since the economy sucks, I was thinking this could be good news for money-strapped Americans:

Doctor: Hello fellow Americans! I’m so glad you could join this little forum! I know the cost of drugs has gotten out of hand, so I’m here to answer all your questions on where to find the cheapest drugs.

John: Doctor, I suffer from epileptic seizures, but my insurance won’t cover “unwarranted” prescriptions. What can I do?

Doctor: Ah, this is an easy one. Just move to Southern California! There is plenty of anti-epileptic medicine in the drinking water there!

Alice: Um, Doctor? My kids keep catching strep throat at school, but I can never get a doctor’s appointment when they’re sick. What can I do?

Saving Money We All Know Prices Are High; But What Can We Do About Them?

I'm sure this won’t come as a surprise, but gas and food prices are soaring. By spring it may cost $4 a gallon to fill your car, reports The New York Times.

Wholesale prices are increasing at 12 percent annually, a recent report found, and those costs will most likely be passed on to you and me. With the Federal Reserve Board hinting it will continue cutting interest rates – which could further accelerate inflation – don’t expect the situation to get better anytime soon.

Since salaries aren't keeping up with increased costs, it’s time to consider ways to save money. For the next couple weeks, I'll be offering some of my favorites.

With fuel prices crimping our household budget, let's start there. As many parents know, one of the biggest time and gas wasters is shopping. Forget one thing, and you’re driving back to the store two or three times a week.

Make lists, whether it’s for the grocery store or Target. Our list for Trader Joe’s might read:

• Chicken Nuggets
• Fish Sticks
• Bean and cheese taquitos
• Bagels
• Vanilla frosted shredded wheats
• (Cheap) wine
• Peanut butter
• Something for dinner

If we need something in a pinch, especially from Target, I run to the pharmacy across the street from my office instead. Limiting return trips to the store saves on gas.

To further reduced those return trips, we try to buy in bulk. Our pint-sized apartment still fits several weeks worth of tissues, paper towels and toilet paper from Target – we're too far from Costco.  The better we supply ourselves, the more we save in gas. Bonus: Buying in quantity means lower cost per item.

Food Recalls USDA Launches Its Largest Beef Recall; Metal Found in Lollipops

I’ve been holding off on recall stories because there are so many of them, but it’s hard to ignore the 143 million pounds of beef targeted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, according to The Associated Press via The New York Times.

It’s the largest beef recall in U.S. history and affects meat dated to Feb. 1, 2006. Yes, you read the year correctly.

The beef under recall comes from a California slaughterhouse that is being investigated for animal abuse. The concern? That non-ambulatory cows may have been slaughtered without a veterinarian’s approval.

Cows must be able to walk to guarantee that consumers are eating healthy meat. The ability to walk also is an indicator of whether the animal might have Mad Cow Disease.

The USDA investigation began after a video depicted sick and injured cattle being kicked, shocked and abused to get them into the Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Company in Chino, California. (That’s very close to where I used to live in California.) Watch the video if you dare.

About 37 million pounds of beef that went to schools probably has already been eaten by our kids, because Hallmark is a huge provider to the federal school lunch program, reports The Associated Press.