It's dinner time - do you know where your Obesogen is?

This definitely falls into the "I've got good news and bad news" category - it's not JUST the food we eat that's packing on the pounds.  It's almost everything we use, eat, drink, touch and smell in our modern lives - and it's even affecting our babies. (That's the worst of the bad news to this new grandma. Shout out to Lorelei Grace born 6/20!)

They're called obesogens, and they're ubiquitous. Much of the plastic we store and buy food in, many toys, including those targeted to infants,  food can liners, non-stick pans, even shower curtains contain these harmful toxic substances.

I first heard about these toxins during a wonderful meeting with Dr. Richard Denison, senior scientist in the health group at EDF. Then, as often happens, I started noticing  the topic popping up everywhere!  Almost two years ago, Dr. Oz talked about them in a very easy to understand way.  A recent article in US News  focused on the relationship between phthalates and the rise of obesity in very young children.  And their presence in seemingly every aspect of our lives shows just how difficult it will be trying to eliminate our exposure to them.

Remember the saying "Better Living through Chemistry"?  Well, I guess it's time to rethink how we incorporate the endless stream of current and yet-to-be-instroduced chemicals into our everyday lives without tougher, longer ranging review.  It seems the current "innocent until proven guilty" paradigm has led us to a place we never anticipated.

Stay green and healthy!

photo by Fuschia Foot via flickr