Whole Child Wellness - July 2013 Newsletter (2024)

In this talk, Dr. Chandra will begin with a briefoverview of the scientific literature of the effectsof various toxins on health including BPA, phthalates,flame retardantsand toxins in ourfood supply. Then tools and strategies will be presentedto help you reduceyour family’s exposure to environmental toxins andcreate a ‘healthy home.’ Dr.Chandra will also discuss the Laser Energetic Detoxificationtechniquedeveloped by Dr. Lee Cowden which sheuses to help patients detoxify.

Attendees will be provided with a detailed handoutand checklist to help them implement the strategiesthat will be reviewedin this presentation.

Seating in our office is limited to 25, webinar audience is not limited.
To register, please call 650-595-KIDS (5437) or email info@wholechildwellness.com.

According to the latest CDC report, 1 out of every 50 school-age children now has an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). There is mounting evidence that environmental influences are playing a role in the increasing rates of ASD. The combination of genetic vulnerabilities along with environmental toxins may result in disturbances or imbalances in the immune, gastrointestinal, mitochondrial, hormonal, and/or neurologic systems in some children. These disturbances often can be assessed through a detailed history and laboratory tests. Evidence based holistic and natural approaches to these imbalances were discussed, including vitamins, dietary changes, and herbal medicines. Specific recommendations for reducing your family’s exposure to environmental toxins and creating a healthy home were also be reviewed.

As a favorite snack food for kids and adults, popcorn can be a fun, healthy snack, but not the pre-packaged kind you cook in the microwave. Just reading the ingredients on the label should convince you to stay clear.

One of the most acutely toxic popcorn chemicals is diacetyl, an FDA-approved chemical found in the fake butter flavoring. Diacetyl has been linked to a rare type of lung disease, bronchiolitis obliterans, also called "popcorn worker's lung" because it has been seen primarily in workers at microwave popcorn factories. Experts believe when heated, diacetyl produces a toxic and potentially lethal gas, and in at least one case has been linked to lung disease in a popcorn consumer. Diacetyl appears to damage lungs when it is repeatedly inhaled in vaporized form. This disease destroys the lungs and can be cured only by a lung transplant. In response to the concerns regarding the risks of diacetyl exposure, a number of microwave popcorn manufacturers have discontinued using it in their products.

Most microwavable popcorn bags are coated with perfluorochemicals, or PFCs, a class of chemicals linked to various cancers and reproductive system damage. Food manufacturers add the obesity-promoting chemicals to bags to make them more greaseproof, even though these chemicals are a likely human carcinogen and have been linked to liver, pancreatic, testicular, and mammary gland tumors in laboratory animals. Once ingested, PFCs remain in our bodies for a long time, which is another area of concern for these troubling chemicals.??

Some of the world's leading public health experts will tell you this simple health tip: Never heat up plastic. That's because heating the petrochemicals will accelerate leaching of harmful chemicals into your food. In fact, in 2010, the President's Cancer Panel suggested avoiding plastics to lower your risk of cancer. Unfortunately, plastic liners are now popping up in some microwavable popcorn.??

Genetically engineered food ingredients have never been tested for long-term impact on human health, and some preliminary animal studies suggest genetically modified organism (GMOs) could cause digestive disease, food allergies, and even tumors. If your popcorn is not organic, you're running the risk that the corn, oils and flavoring agents used could contain GMO material.

Don’t despair! Popcorn can be healthy and delicious, and is surprisingly easy to cook on the stovetop. Read the next section of this newsletter for cooking instructions and some great topping ideas for your next bowl of popcorn!

Thank you to Kandice Stellmon, our Certified Nutrition Consultant for sharing these recipies for healthy and delicious popcorn!

We've been making a lot of stove-top popcorn at our house lately- and I'm not talking about Jiffy Pop! Homemade popcorn tastes sooooo much better than any of the store-bought or microwave-popped versions out there and it is super easy to make.

2 tablespoons oil (I like using olive or grapeseed)
1/3 cup organic popcorn kernels

Over medium heat, in a heavy-bottomed pot with a tight fitting lid, place a few kernels of popcorn and wait until you hear them pop. Add the rest of the corn kernels, cover with the lid and shake the pot until you hear the kernels begin to pop. Stop shaking and wait until you hear the popping stop. Immediately remove from the heat and pour into a bowl. Note: If your popcorn seems 'soggy', leave a little 'crack' in the lid to let some of the steam escape during the popping process.

Then comes the fun part - toppings!! Here are five of my favorite ways to kick-up your popcorn a notch:

• Good Ole' Buttered Popcorn - Melting butter and pouring it over popcorn can actually turn your popcorn really soggy and clumpy. Movie theaters usually use butter-flavored oil (yuck) because there is no moisture like you get with real melted butter. To fix the homemade butter problem, try using clarified butter instead of whole melted butter, which removes a lot of the water. You can buy ghee (clarified butter) at the supermarket or make your own. It is super easy and will keep your popcorn nice and crunchy.
  
• Cheesy Pleasy Popcorn - Nutritional Yeast (can also use Brewer's Yeast) has an awesome, unique cheesy flavor and is full of good-for-you 'things', which are too boring to speak of in a popcorn-topping article, but trust me on this! Sprinkle this on top for a yummy 'Parmesan' cheese flavor without the dairy. You don't have to tell anyone it's healthy too :)
  
• Chili Lime Popcorn - When summer hits, we always make chili-lime butter for our grilled corn. Just made sense to top my popcorn with the same awesome flavors. You can leave out the lime for just 'chili popcorn', but chili and lime taste SO good together! Mix 2 teaspoons of chili powder with the zest of 2 small limes and mix into 2 tablespoons of melted butter. You could even add some chopped cilantro. Toss the popcorn with this yummy stuff and add salt to taste.
  
• Cinnamon & Sugar Toast - This used to be my favorite breakfast as a kid. Makes me so happy to eat these flavors on my popcorn. After you've drizzled your popcorn with melted butter and a bit of salt, mix 2 tablespoons of sugar and one teaspoon of cinnamon together and then toss with the popcorn. For a no-sugar version, substitute xylitol for the sugar.
  
• Chocolate Loveliness - When I was younger, I used to add M&Ms to my movie theater popcorn because I LOVED the combination of the salty, buttery crunchy popcorn with the sweet melty chocolate candy. So good. This topping totally fulfills that need for sweet chocolate and salty popcorn. After you've popped your corn, pour onto a baking pan or into a 9x13 baking dish. Take 4 oz of dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips and melt in the microwave until totally smooth and liquidity. Might need to melt, stir, and melt some more. Take the melted chocolate and pour over the popcorn, stirring quickly to coat the popcorn. Sprinkle 1/2 to 3/4 tsp of kosher salt and then let the popcorn sit until chocolate has set. Yum.