The Blessed Journey of Sebastián Rio

It has been such a beautiful first 6 weeks (tomorrow!) with our newest addition, Sebastián Rio Yildiz. He was born in the water in the exact same room in our home as his big brother Julius Azul 🙂 As a matter of fact, we conceived him in that room as well last December, and today that cycle of life was brought full circle as my midwives came over for our final 6 week appointment. They poured me a scalding hot bath of herbs, flower petals and essential oils, after which they swaddled my entire body and led me through some sacred mama energy magic.

They performed a sweet, ceremonial ritual to close my energies emotionally and physically after pregnancy and birth. During pregnancy and especially child birth, our chakra energy portals become very open and vulnerable to the world. Similarly, our physical bodies have become loose – our hips, our internal organs, our bellies. They wrapped my naked, steaming body like a mummy very tightly, starting at the head and all the way to the feet, holding each wrapped chakra area tightly for a few minutes. I could feel my heart pounding in each squeezed location, a simultaneous sensation of tightening and letting go down my body. It took me right back to the birth as it paralleled the ebb and flow of contractions surging through my body, the momentary intensity followed by moments of soft bliss.

After some pressure point work at my head and feet, they unwrapped me and I opened my eyes to the light and love pouring out of their eyes, hearts and smiles. I was overcome with emotion! These two midwife goddesses have held my hand, and my families, through two birth journeys now. The process of growing a human being, birthing it into this world, and learning how to mother it, has proven to be the most sacred, amazing, profound and rewarding experience of my life. I will always be grateful for Gingi and Kristen, and the fact that I was able to birth both boys in the comforting, sacred environment of our home.

I have been soaking in all the love contained in the universe these past 6 weeks. The time around the birth of a baby truly is the most special in life. The support from our community has been overwhelming, from the flowers that filled our home in the weeks afterwards, to the delicious meals delivered, the sweet cards and gifts and visits. It’s a time of gratitude and giving thanks for all the love and of course a healthy baby.

Our little Bazzy star (our nickname for Sebastian is Baz and since Yildiz means ‘star’ in Turkish, we thought Bazzy Star was a good one too) was born on September 5th, 2015 at 7:29am weighing 9lbs and measuring 22.75″ long. His Dutch nickname is Basje (pronounced bahs-yah with soft vowels). So far he’s a mellow little love, a double Virgo with Gemini rising. His spirit animal is a bear. He definitely has a roar when he cries!

The story with his name: I was attached to Joaquin Jesse or Damian Skye, but Erol wanted Rafael or Sebastian. I have always loved the name Sebastian but I prefer more unique names (Sebastian seems to be a bit popular right now, at least in Berkeley). But after the birth, my whole family was here and everyone voted on their top names from our list; surprisingly everyone voted for Sebastian. Then Erol researched it and uncovered that the name’s roots lie in an ancient Turkish city, Sebastia. Erol’s Turkish and Dutch roots are such an important part of him as his father is 100% Turkish and his mother 100% Dutch, both with thick accents, and he’s spent a good part of his life in those countries. Further, both in Turkey and Holland they have unique spellings and pronunciations for Sebastian: Sebastiyan and Sebastiaan, respectively. In addition we both love the water (Baz spent half of his life in the womb swimming laps with mama), especially rivers, so Rio is his middle name.

He looks very much like a Sebastián Rio. He looks a lot like Jules did at his age, but much more like Erol (Jules has so much Schaeffer in him it’s unbelievable, he’s a spitting image of me when I was two). He has Erol’s nose, hair and eyelashes, and probably more, we will see as he unfolds! I am rooting for blue eyes but I already see specks of brown in the center! He was born with the same slate gray blue as Jules,’ who turned green around a few months and then eventually brown by 6 months. The little guy is off the charts big like Jules, but even more so. He was already 12 lbs at 3 weeks and he’s bigger than my friend’s 3 month old. Living with three boys over 6 ft is going to be fun, good thing I like cooking!

Here are a few photos of the days before and after Sebastián was born, including some recent ones of sweet Jules!

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The second birth was much faster and for some reason, more challenging. The contractions felt more painful probably because my cervix was dilating faster than the first time. Contractions started mildly around 6pm and by 9pm they were really picking up. By 12 midnight I called the midwives and asked Tutu to stay the night with Jules. We filled the tub up around 1am and I was in it by 3am. I spent the next 4 or so hours in the tub laboring. Krishna Das and the various sweet melodies, essential oils and cold wash cloths really helped ground me. All night I kept my crystal in my hand (the same one that traveled the world with me and kept me safe), helping support me as I passed the pain through it’s powerful energy. Pushing him out slowly was the most painful experience ever, but you wouldn’t have known watching the beautiful birth video! Suzan arrived just in time to film the birth, and it is so special to watch.  Thankfully there were no complications, I didn’t have to go to the hospital or get stitches, and I didn’t hemorrhage this time 🙂

Being a mama of two definitely takes more patience and juggling acts, but as long as I expect everything to take forever and to be challenging, when things go smoothly I’m always pleasantly surprised. Keeping my expectations low and positivity high. And it’s so amazing how we women survive on such little sleep! 10pm to 6am roughly, waking every 2 hours, and somehow I feel pretty stoked 90% of the time. This will likely be the best years of my life so I may as well enjoy them! I am so so lucky to have a husband who works so hard to support our family, as well as so loving and playful with the boys.

Words that describe this time: delicious, blissful, special, magic, innocence, dirty dishes, yellow poops. I love taking baths with both boys, playing/walking outside with them in the crisp fall sunshine and really any time we can do anything as a family of 4.

Hanalei Wedding Bliss

We just spent a week in heavenly tropical island bliss! Truly one of my favorite Kauai trips ever, it was so special. Jules was amazing, had the time of his life, naked on the beach frolicking in the waves, playing with other kiddos soaking up the Vitamin D, acaí smoothies, and coconut water!

Taylor and Ryan Russell’s wedding ceremony was so so beautiful, in a magical cove in the botanical gardens of Kilauea right on the beach. Day 1 was a sacred tea ceremony, Day 2 a Luau on an organic farm with delicious food, Day 3 wedding ceremony and Day 4 brunch at the St. Regis in Princeville. What a fiesta! Erol’s whole Cal crew showed up in force – some of the most lovely people in the whole world.

Enjoy our photos to give you a glimpse of the magic 😉

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The Divine Feminine: Cultivating Fertility

Boost Fertility with Acupuncture!

Many of the women in my community are currently pregnant, which I find so exciting. I realize we have a crazy overpopulation problem on planet Earth, but I think it’s important that a) every woman has the opportunity to experience the sacred path of motherhood, if desired and b) I am especially supportive of the environmentally conscientious ladies out there raising children that are environmentally and social justice oriented! Which is why I’ve been inspired to write this post. After getting asked about fertility by a few different women who are currently trying, I decided to share what worked for me in terms of preparing my body for the divine journey of conception, pregnancy, birth and motherhood. NOTE: This is not based on science but rather personal experience.

The first element that comes to mind is acupuncture. Acupuncture is a powerful form of alternative medicine and a key component of traditional Chinese medicine. It stimulates specific acupuncture points to correct any imbalance in the flow of energy, or “qi” through our body’s energy channels, ie meridians.

Acupuncture has played a huge role in my own life in achieving regular menstrual cycles and more recently was responsible for gifting me my miracle baby (I did acupuncture every other week for a year and while actively not trying to have a baby conceived one). Many acupuncturists can tell you about the correlation between fertility and acupuncture!

“Acupuncture provides better circulation and better blood flow to the womb. It will give a better chance for the eggs to be nourished and therefore carried.” – Dr. Raymond Chang

Acupuncture and moxa over the womb

I think lifestyle also plays a huge role in one’s fertility. Preparing your body for conception is a process, both mental and physical. It’s important to invite the being you are desiring into your world and set that intention meanwhile treating your body like a sacred temple. For me this entailed minimal drinking/partying, adjusting my body to the rhythms of the sun as much as possible (early to bed, early to rise), doing regular exercise and some sort of spiritual practice, and duh, eating well.

 Diet is so so so important and plays a massive role in the health of your body (perhaps this is obvious but it’s amazing how many doctors don’t even start by looking at your diet when you approach them with a serious health problem). Personally, I gravitate towards a cleansing diet in the summer and fall, and a building diet in the winter and spring. In other words, lots of salads, smoothies, raw fruits and vegetables, nuts, seeds, and lighter foods in the warmer months and more warming, filling soups and stews, casseroles, and baked goods in the colder months. I try my best to only eat organic food so as to avoid the many harmful effects of pesticides and GMOs.

Good luck ❤

Organic, gluten-free nut loafI often share recipes on my blog if you want to poke around. One of my most favorite new recipe resources is a publication of Radiant Life called The Guide to Making Coconut Flour Breads. I’ve made my own variations of the date nut loaf several times with farm fresh eggs, Himalayan raisins and organic walnuts and it is ridiculously warm and delicious! My toddler loves it with peanut butter on top.

 On a separate note, my favorite Aussie just asked me what to buy for her pregnant sister – local items to ship to Australia. Thought I’d share my list for inspiration.

Here are a few of my favorite things that are local:
1. Tiny amazing ABCs book called A is for activist by Nagara (Oakland based)
2. California Baby soothing conditioner
3. Get her a locally made mother’s milk tea to boost milk production in the early weeks
4. Locally made oil to massage baby after baths. I did this every night until Jules started wiggling away around a year. An olive oil base is nice. Def not coconut or peanut oil, they go rancid.

Faves that aren’t necessarily local:
1. Organic pajamas are the best gift ever – babies spend half their lives in pajamas and conventional cotton is very toxic. Get em online or at EarthSake on 4th St. in Berkeley.
2. Nikki McClure First 1000 Days baby journal
3. Boiron brand Camilia – natural teething relief (saved us during teething)
4. Earth Mama Angel baby Natural Nipple Butter and/or any of their products!
5. Mamma Chia squeeze pouches – Green Magic (baby/toddler food)
6. Weleda Calendula diaper rash cream
7. Books to prep parents on parenthood – check out my list here

Even though Whole Foods is corporate and frustrates the hell out of me with it’s 95% conventional deli section, the new one on Gilman in Berkeley has a huge aisle filled with all the most amazing baby things in the world – green toys, herbal remedies, ointments, organic socks, etc. It’s my happy place.

Enjoy!

Enlivening your sugar chakra

I’ve been having a blast experimenting with some new guiltless dessert recipes this winter, and by popular demand I’m sharing them here!

The first recipe I want to share is a magical 4 ingredient vegan pumpkin pie with a delicious raw crust. I made it for Thanksgiving and it was a real hit!

vegan pumpkin pie

Four Ingredient Pumpkin Pie
Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups raw soaked cashews
  
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
  
• 1 can organic pumpkin puree (16 ounces) (or use fresh puree)
  
• 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Directions:
1. Soak 2 cups of raw cashews in about 5 cups of water in a large bowl. Add about 1/2 – 1 tsp of salt to the bowl – mix to dissolve. The salt allows the water to absorb more efficiently into the cashews and also adds some salt for your recipe.

2. Soak this cashew bowl overnight in the fridge. You want well-soaked cashews so that your pie mix blends up perfectly creamy. I soaked my cashews for about 12 hours. At least 8 is optimal. Don’t soak for more than two days or the cashews can get grimy in my opinion.

3. The day of your actual pie making allow at least 3 hours from the time you start to the time you wish to serve the pie. I like a cool time of at least 2 hours.

4. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

5. Drain the water from your cashews. They should be very soft to bite and a slight purplish dark hue. This is normal. Add 1 1/4 cups of cashews to your food processor – or even better, a Vitamix or high speed blender.

6. Add pumpkin to blender. Next, add in the maple syrup and pumpkin pie spice. Blend on low -> high until the mixture is completely creamy. If your mixture is a bit thick for some reason – you can add in a few teaspoons of either water or almond milk.

7. To make crust, combine 1 1/2 cups pecans, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 cup pitted medjool dates in Cuisinart and gently pulse to mix. Press evenly in pie dish to form the crust.

8. Pour fillling into a separate pie dish and bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. Then transfer into the other pie dish on top of your pie crust reduce to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 15 minutes (this allows the pie crust to remain mostly raw). The tooth-picked filling should come out slightly wet – but very thick and dark. It is important to remember that your pie will firm up significantly upon cooling and chilling in the fridge.

9. Remove pie from oven. Cool on counter for at least 30 minutes. Then place in fridge until ready to serve. At least 2 hours cooling and/or chilling time is my preference. A warm pie will be tasty, but still a bit “wet” to slice

10. Use the other cup of soaked cashews to make your delicious cashew crema. Directions below.

Cashew Crema

Ingredients:

• 1 cup organic raw, soaked cashews
• 1/4-1/2 cup filtered water depending on desired thickness
• 1-2 Tbsp maple syrup, or more to taste
• 1/2 tsp natural vanilla extract, or a little more to taste
• a pinch of Celtic sea salt

Throw everything into the Vitamix and puree until thick and creamy. Put a nice big dollop on top of your pie before serving, yum yum!

raw chocolate cakes

Raw Chocolate Mini Cakes with Molten Hazelnut Filling

This is a variation of Ani Phyo’s “Mini Chocolate Lava Cakes.” It is even more extraordinary, and just won top honors in a bake-off! For more raw dessert inspiration check out our raw wedding pies and acai cheezecake here.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups organic walnuts
• 1 cup pitted Medjool dates
• 2/3 cup cacao powder
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• hazelnut sauce

1. To make the cake, combine walnuts, dates, cacao powder and salt in the Cuisinart and process to mix well.

2. Cut 12 little squares out of no-stick plastic wrap and drape each one over a muffin tray hole, using your fingers to shape the plastic over the holes. Press a big heaping spoonfull of cake mixture into each muffin tray hole over the plastic lining, pressing each one down firmly. Using a spoon carve out a hole in the middle (avoid digging down deep enough to hit the bottom of the muffin tin).

filling the muffin tin

3. Put a big spoonful of hazelnut sauce into each hole (I bought hazelnut sauce at Berkeley Bowl, tasted just like Nutella but without the dairy and palm oil)

4. Grab the plastic wrap by the sides and flip the little cakes over, dropping them on a nice platter with the saucy side down. They should hold their shape nicely and will ooze deliciousness when you cut into them!

Enjoy 😉

Fall-Inspired Cooking

I love the changing seasons, especially summer to fall. It’s always marked by a time of beautiful transition. Farewell to long, hot days and busy outward movement. Welcome in crisp, cool mornings and evenings, earlier bedtimes, and a shift of energy inwards. More baking, reading, knitting, yoga, sleep, snuggling (kitties, husband and baby!) and with any luck this winter, more rain to heal our parched earth!

This drawing in of inward energy reminds me of my most favorite ceremony to honor the four directions, a Unitarian Universalist ceremony:

East (Yellow)

The East holds the promise that each day is new,
That fresh new beginnings await me and you;
Although I don’t know what tomorrow may bring,
I have courage and hope and my own song to sing.

South (Red)

The South kindles fire of passion and power
To make the heart race and open the flower;
It’s a flame that can warm or burn out of control:
Desire that moves me, makes me human and whole.

West (Black)

The West welcomes darkness, invites me to dream,
And reminds me my fears may not be what they seem;
I offer the tears of my grief to the earth
To water the seeds that wait for rebirth.

North (White)

The north offers silence, shelter, and rest;
it’s the home of the stillness that comforts distress;
I can go to this place, because it lives within me;
When I’m quiet and still, I can just let it be.

Center

The flame in the center, the core and the heart
Is the source of all beauty, peace, joy and art,
Unfailing, eternal, lighting the way,
It’s the love and compassion I share every day.

Completing the Circle

From the east and the south, from the west, north and center,
We welcome each other and bid all to enter
Our circle of joy, of love and of light;
We walk together in beauty to make the world right.

(end)

Plate it up darling!

So – the real inspiration for this post: my sweetie and I just devoured every bite of this yummy lunch. Try it out for your own family! All ingredients are organic and vegan.

1. Fall bean stew

– roast a big red kuri squash, slice in half, face down, at 400 degrees for 45 min. or until soft; store in refrigerator
– soak about 1 lb. of pinto beans for 24 hours
– rinse and drain, meanwhile saute 7 cloves of garlic and an onion in enough olive oil that it doesn’t stick; add a generous few shakes of each of these delicious seasonings: curry, turmeric, garam masala and cumin
– dump the soaked beans into the garlic spice mixture, cover in water, and simmer covered until the beans are soft- saute a crown of broccoli, a green bell pepper and some thinly sliced green cabbage, add to beans when done
– scoop the red kuri squash into the VitaMix, add a few cups of vegetable broth and blend
– add the roasted kuri squash to the bean stew to give it a rich, intensely flavored base
– season as needed

Spinach with gomasio and roasted garlic

2. Spinach delight

– roast sesame seeds over a low flame with salt until golden; blend into a powder in a Vitamix (this delicious seasoning is called “gomasio” and is incredible on salads, veggies, or any other savory creation)
– lightly steam a huge family size bin of spinach for a couple of minutes (I use Organic Girl even though I hate all the packaging because it’s already washed and saves major time), put into a bowl and set aside
– saute 6 cloves of garlic in olive oil, put on top of spinach with a few spoonfulls of the gomasio
– drizzle with olive oil and/or Braggs liquid aminos if desired

3. Steamed beets & potatoes

– to complete the stew and spinach dishes, add a heaping side of delicious, steamed beets and potatoes!
– chop and steam beets and potatoes in the same steamer you used for the spinach; you’ll know they’re done when soft enough to stick a fork through them
– season with salt, olive oil and/or Braggs liquid aminos

Voila! Enjoy 😉

Is it really that important to feed my kids organic food?

Pure: pyo͝or/

• without any extraneous and unnecessary elements
• free of any contamination

As the mother of an 18 month old and eager to get pregnant again, I do everything in my power to take back from corporations the control we once had over what’s going into our family’s bodies.

GMOs and the intense use of pesticides in our food system are new problems (the first commercially produced GMO products were marketed in 1994!). They therefore require a new level of diligence. Protecting our families from a consolidated food system that is corporate controlled just became a whole lot harder. It’s important to remember that Big Food – food corporations – do not have our best interests in mind! We should therefore not trust them; they exist for one reason – to make profit.

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It’s striking to me that striving for purity and acting on a deep desire to protect my family from the unbelievable reality of our food system is often perceived as elitism. In this sense, strangely, it feels like a burden to know what’s in my food.

I am shocked by how many uncomfortable community eating situations I’ve found myself in lately. As a passionate food and animal rights activist, it’s tough to strike a healthy balance between not saying anything at all, and opening your mouth at the risk of starting controversy. This is especially true when the people you love in your life are chowing down on pesticides, GMOs and factory farmed meat. In the end I simply want to educate them so that they can be empowered to make informed choices for their families, and in all likelihood they are probably eating those foods because they don’t know what’s really in them.

For example, a new study out of Harvard shows that even tiny, allowable amounts of a common pesticide can have dramatic effects on brain chemistry. Organophosphate insecticides (OP’s) are among the most widely used pesticides in the U.S. & have long been known to be particularly toxic for children. This is the first study to examine their effects across a representative population with average levels of exposure. The key finding is that kids with above-average pesticide exposures are 2x as likely to have ADHD.

It is unbelievably sad that every day people in this country, who work hard and live an earnest life, are unwittingly feeding this crap linked to obesity, lower IQ, ADHD, autism and asthma, to their families. Experts at the CDC recently released another round of data on how many kids in the U.S. are affected by autism and ADHD – noting that chemical exposure is a key contributing factor. The numbers are, once again, dramatically up.

In the U.S., GMOs are in as much as 80% of conventional processed food!

Time and time again I’ve heard friends and extended family say, “I’m not a purist, I am ok with the fact that sometimes I buy food at Target” or “I can’t afford to feed my family organic food,” or “vegetarianism and/or only eating organic food is such a white American problem/an issue of privilege.” Now although I agree with the fact that by prioritizing feeding my family organic foods I am paying more up front for those products and that it’s not cheap to buy organic, I have a hard time with these arguments for the following reasons:

1. Paying extra up front for organic food is one of the best ways to invest in your children’s long term health care. Especially during pregnancy and the early years, when your child’s brain is developing and so vulnerable to chemical exposure. The way I see it, we either pay the extra money up front for organic foods or we pay it months or years down the road on health care bills when your family members develop health problems associated with a conventional dietary regime.

2. The argument that eating organic is an issue of privilege is a tricky one. While I agree that buying organic is expensive, and that the systemic problems and injustices inherent in our broken food system often place the burden on low income communities and communities of color, that doesn’t negate the fact that we must do everything in our power to take on the corporate industrial food complex and get our food system back on track. Including avoiding conventional foods.

I believe it’s essential for all of us, especially mamas – the protectors of the den – to unite and challenge the food system at every step of production, through activism, advocacy, and education. And although I know there is skepticism about lifestyle activism and its ability to create real systemic change in the world, I believe it’s paramount that we walk our talk, and leverage our purchasing power and consumer voice to let the brands we love know that we won’t stand by irresponsible products.

Women: Challenging the Status Quo, Healing the Earth

ShiftCon was a game changer. Not only am I filled to the brim with awe and inspiration after meeting so many revolutionary mamas but I literally purged my kitchen of toxic crap on Sunday when I returned home! Here’s why.

I am pretty crunchy; on the eco conscientious spectrum I consider myself very informed: I eat an organic plant-based diet, am a life long vegetarian, have never owned a microwave, recycle everything, and use cloth diapers. So how is it that I’ve been living on the dark side, giving my baby plastic sippy cups (BPA-free, mind you, but nonetheless not safe), using a Teflon-lined egg poacher (WTF Sur La Table), blending hot soup in my VitaMix lined with endocrine disrupting plastics, and putting lead laden lipstick on for the occasional party?

This was the first ever ShiftCon organized – the progressive equivalent of BlogHer. I was blessed to learn, dream, cry and conspire with 250 of the most effective change-makers and luminary mom bloggers in North America. These no bullshit women, many of them mothers, shared their courageous stories and strategies in the realms of children’s health, toxic chemicals, & food system activism like eliminating GMOs and driving demand for organics. I was reminded that the women of the world are powerful, forging new paths, serving as the real stewards of the land and protectors of the den. Indeed it’s the women that are making the difference in agriculture all over the world.

The Food Babe

My favorite speaker of the weekend, hands down, was Vani Hari. Known as “the Food Babe” (for good reason – she is a total babe and is on fire with passion, wit and guts), Vani shared her moving personal account of how after 20+ years of eating junk food and battling many food-related illnesses she was inspired to launch her career as a food activist and now goes toe to toe with some of America’s biggest consumer facing food companies to demand transparency and better ingredients.

The Food Babe started her blog and social media only three years ago and already has 3 million unique followers a day! She has taken on and won campaigns targeting Kraft to remove food dies, Subway to remove the toxic yoga mat ingredient from bread, Starbucks to remove the known carcinogen caramel color #4 from it’s latte, Chick-Fil-A to remove antibiotics from its meat and Chipotle to make its ingredients public. Talk about a woman on a mission! The food revolution is finally starting in this country. Thank goodness, given the state of America’s food system and our resulting public health crisis.

CAFO: depressing

As our collective work to demand changes in our food becomes increasingly effective, backlash from the Big Food interests she’s rattling grows. In response to the Food Babe’s concern about the personal attacks, a friend told her, “Do you think all the evil fuckers of the world are going to let us waltz in and turn their world upside down? Of course not.” Changing corporate America and the industrial agribusiness system is not going to happen over night! The chemical companies and biotech companies and industrial ag/meat companies are all in bed together. If only we could lock them up in a CAFO (Confined Animal Feeding Operation), shoot them up with daily antibiotics, stuff them full of GMO feed, tear away their babies at birth and feed them to the richest 1%!

Not only am I more fired up than ever to get pesticides and GMOs out of our food supply, transform the meat industry, and empower moms the world over with this information to protect their precious families, but also increasingly compelled by the inter-connectedness of the food and environmental movement. If we’re going to reverse climate change we must start tackling one of the biggest sources of greenhouse gas emissions: agriculture.

The United Nations currently estimates that livestock production alone is responsible for 14.5 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions. (One 2009 analysis by World Watch put the number significantly higher, arguing that “the life cycle and supply chain of domesticated animals raised for food have been vastly underestimated as a source of green house gas emissions (GHGs) and in fact account for at least half of all human caused GHGs.”)

Women healing the earth

Therefore it’s no surprise that the two of the most credible sources on the science behind climate change, United Nations Environmental Program and Nature Climate Change, suggest that “the fastest way to address climate change would be to reduce significantly the amount of meat that people eat.” Animal-based foods (meat, dairy products, and eggs) are resource-intensive, inefficient, and polluting. Their production requires massive amounts of water, land, and energy. The byproducts of animal agriculture pollute our air and water and contribute significantly to global climate change.

I digress. So, I wanted to share some of the major takeaways from ShiftCon. I hope this is as helpful for you as it was for me!

Pesticides & Food System

• children are most at risk from pesticide exposure
• strongest science out today proves that pesticides harm the developing brain and nervous system, linking to obesity, lower IQ, ADHD, autism and asthma
• New study by Mt. Sinai on how pesticides impact children
• cows eat raw cottonseed – it’s very toxic and farmers spray it until the last day before harvest: conventional milk is toxic! So important to buy only organic milk products.
• conventional milk: pesticide residues are regularly found in US conventional milk that are listed as carcinogenic, neurotoxic, hormone-disrupting or as a reproductive or developmental toxicant!
• 8 of the most toxic pesticides are used on 94% of the strawberries produced in the US!
• 60-80% of rain in Iowa & Mississippi contains Roundup
• 64 countries in the world label GMOs, not the US!
• 75% of agricultural land in the US is used for meat production! There is something very wrong with this picture.
• In 1995 74% of hogs were raised outside in pastures. Today, 95% are raised in CAFOs – our food system is moving in the wrong direction

Generation Rx

Toxic chemicals in home & personal care products

• VitaMix is lined with endocrine disrupting plastics (not BPA) – don’t blend hot soups in it!
• get Teflon out of your home, it’s ruining all of your good quality food
• conventional tampons have 8 different pesticides in them (cotton is toxic and companies don’t have to tell us what’s in their feminine hygiene products!)
• PCBs were banned in the 1970s and yet they still regularly show up in babies’ blood at birth
• 1300 chemicals that are used in America are banned in Europe
• bleach is a pesticide, don’t use it! Linked to asthma
• avoid scrubby cleaners, there are 100 undisclosed ingredients in Comet alone
• dryer sheets and softeners contain quaternary ammonium compounds which are linked to asthma, even fragrance free
• avoid synthetic fragrances, which use 3k-8k chemicals (95% made from petroleum). Use essential oils instead.
• scented candles are chemicals burning into your home environment, especially the ones at Whole Foods!
• Triclosan is a hormone disruptor and in Colgate Total toothpaste. Parabens, formaldehyde, lead and mercury all serious toxins as well. In 2011 FDA reported that 90% of lipsticks sold on the market contain lead. Lead passes through to the fetus!
• Guides to safest skin care products: Environmental Working Group and Women’s Voices for the Earth

Keeping your baby safe from toxins

• Lead poisoning causes neuro psychological damage, ADHD, autism, ADD, etc. 1 in 3 kids have unsafe levels of lead in their life. For example, 90 ppm+ lead is illegal in kids toys and a vintage pyrex dish has 110,000 ppm.
• New moms should pay closest attention to these areas of toxicity reduction:
  • Moms can reduce highest levels of childhood toxicity through diet – make sure your kids’ food is organic, especially meat and dairy!
  • Buy organic cotton clothes, soaps and creams without fragrance or artificial additives, and minimize products
  • Inside air is 5x more toxic than outside air – open windows at night and in the morning
• Paint off gasses for years – if you’re painting inside your home make sure to get paint with No VOCs
• Avoid particle board (pressed wood) and any furniture made with formaldehyde
• The mattress should be your splurge item, go organic for sure as new mattresses off gas serious chemicals for years
• Put a HEPA filter air purifier in room where baby sleeps
• Buy organic cotton, wool or hemp clothes when possible, especially PJs as kids spend half their young life in them and synthetic fibers are often sourced from coal or oil and treated with pesticides and flame retardants; made-in-USA and hand me downs are good seconds
• Orbit, Britax and Graco are leaders in removing flame retardants from car seats

Open Letter to Indra Nooyi: Mom to Mom – NO more Conflict Palm Oil

Featuring a guest post by friend, ally, and fellow mom Harriet Shugarman, ED of ClimateMama:

“Tell the truth, actions speak louder then words, and don’t be afraid.” Our mantra and words we live by. Over this past year, we have been thrilled to be part of the Rainforest Action Network (RAN) Snack Food 20 Campaign; a campaign targeted at the world’s largest snack food companies that demands the truth, uses strong actions and shows us that we needn’t be afraid!

Our ask, in fact our demand, is that these companies stop using Conflict Palm Oil; and many of these companies have listened, and are doing just that. One company that hasn’t seemed to be listening closely though, is PepsiCo.

So together with two of our favorite Climate Mamas, Debra and Susan we are calling on another very powerful Mama, Indra Nooyi, CEO of Pepsico, to use her influence “to tell the truth, to use her actions to make positive change, and to show others that we needn’t be afraid to make the changes we have to, to ensure a sustainable and livable future for us all.”

3 NY moms holding open letter to PepsiCo CEO Ms. Indra Nooyi at PepsiCo Global HQ in Purchase, NY

Dear Ms. Nooyi, CEO of PepsiCo,

Our names are Harriet, Susan and Debra. We are three mothers who live in your community, in the tri-state area of Connecticut, New York and New Jersey. We are witnesses, first hand and in our own communities, to the impacts of climate change. Our thoughts, concerns, fears and hopes – are for our children, for their future and their now. We are reaching out to you in regards to the historic leadership opportunity you face right now on the issue of climate change and palm oil. We are writing as fellow mothers, daughters, and working women. We are representatives of and speak for thousands of mothers around the country – neighbors, friends, relatives, as well as Rainforest Action Network members, who share our concerns that climate change is a direct threat to our children’s future.

As part of the launch of Showtime’s groundbreaking series Years of Living Dangerously in April, we and tens of thousands of concerned people signed onto a public petition asking you a question that remains unanswered: “Given that palm oil is known to be a major cause of carbon pollution causing climate change, and that you have spoken out that this is an issue that is important to you and that PepsiCo is a major global user of palm oil, how can you guarantee to your customers that the products PepsiCo produces are not contributing to climate change?”

PepsiCo is the largest globally distributed snack food company in the world. PepsiCo uses enough palm oil every single year to fill Pepsi cans full of palm oil that would stretch around the earth at the equator 4 times. Palm oil may seem to many like a minor issue, but in fact it is among the world’s leading causes of deforestation, which in turn is responsible for nearly 20% of all carbon emissions. And, its found in the homes of nearly every American family, giving us the power to push for the changes that are so desperately needed.

As the leader of this incredibly influential company which has yet to take the necessary steps to address its Conflict Palm Oil problem, we urge you to answer this question publicly and take immediate action to ensure that PepsiCo adopts a truly responsible palm oil policy.

On September 21 the whole world will be watching leaders as the largest ever People’s Climate March descends on New York City. We will march with thousands of families to shine a light on the companies, policies and practices that are slowing progress, and in fact accelerating climate change.

We are appealing to you to ask that PepsiCo announce the revisions to its currently inadequate policy in advance of the Climate March so that PepsiCo can be a company used to highlight leadership in implementing climate solutions, instead of an example of the problem. Specifically PepsiCo needs to adopt a time bound action plan to remove Conflict Palm Oil from its supply chain, make a commitment to trace its palm oil back to the plantation where it was grown and verify that its suppliers operations are free of the clearance of rainforest and peatlands and the violation of human rights including the use of forced and child labor.

As the head of a large corporation your voice is extremely powerful. We know that ensuring a secure supply line is critical for PepsiCo and that addressing climate change is part of your corporate social responsibility agenda. On a personal level, as a mother who wants every opportunity open to her children, we are sure that like us, climate change also weighs on your conscience; we urge you to answer this question and take action for your children’s hopes and future.

Sincerely,

Debra Mahony
Susan Rubin
Harriet Shugarman
 

Activists in Indonesia join global twitter campaign to tell PepsiCo: #LiveForNow should not mean destroying tomorrow!

P.S. Two things you can do to help Ms. Nooyi and PepsiCo hear us.

 

1. Please share our open letter and sign this petition from our friends at the Sum Of Us, which asks PepsiCo to fix it’s Conflict Palm Oil Policy now.

 

2. If you live in the New York tri-state area, join us on Tuesday, September 9th, at 9:30am eastern time in Greenwich, Connecticut. Debra, Susan and I will be at Bruce Park Playground (across the street from the Bruce Museum) for a Palm Oil teach-in, a great big playdate and a Stroller Brigade! Check out the Facebook event for more details or send us a note, we are happy to answer any questions you have.. It’s going to be fun…and also a great opportunity to show your kids how YOUR actions can speak very loudly!

 

Yours,

Climate Mama

 

Mothering Inspiration: Books to Read

Jules at 12 months!

There are so many parenting books out there sometimes it’s hard to find let alone trust good ol’ mothers intuition! I finally reached a point when Jules was 6 months or so when I stopped reading all the books and just trusted that my relationship with him was enough to know what he needed. And guess what, it’s been amazing! That said, there are a few key books I poured over at different stages of pregnancy and during his early development that were so helpful – some for the knowledge and some for the inspiration.

• Our Babies, Ourselves by Meredith Small – Amazing book that explores parenting approaches from around the world and challenges us to reconsider our (American) culture’s traditional views on parenting

• Mothering from your Center by Tami Lynn Kent – Just started and wish I had read during my pregnancy, so beautiful and true. Shares a spiritual approach to pregnancy, birth and mothering from the perspective of connecting with our pelvic bowl.

• The Baby Whisperer – I was so glad I read this in the early months.

• The Happiest Baby on the Block – I felt very ready to deal with a colicky baby after reading this. Fortunately I never had to, but still these tricks were useful.

• Children: The Challenge by Rudolf Dreikurs – Erol’s mama used this for all discipline support and loved it. Haven’t read it yet but it’s at the top of my list. Maybe for later.

• The no-cry sleep solution by Elizabeth Pantley – Haven’t read the whole thing but love the gentle, loving approach to working with your baby on sleep rather than the inhumane, insensitive cry-it-out (CIO) approach many American moms use to get their babies sleeping throughout the night.

• Dr. Sears Baby Book – Good for everything! If you freak out when you see a rash or fever or anything this is a bible, and it also has tons of awesome info on attachment parenting

Enjoy!

Green Smoothie Recipe Your Baby Will Love!

At least twice a week I think to myself, wow, I have to blog this recipe! but then never find the time as a working mama. Because I seldom use recipes and instead craft strange and sometimes wildly delicious edible concoctions, I often feel inspired to document them. But instead months of to do lists pile up in my planner, neglected.

Tonight is a rare exception! I’m sharing a scrumptious smoothie recipe that I created today, as well as the amazing casserole dish I am guiltily eating as we speak (as my husband’s plate of food gets cold; he’s putting Jules back to sleep).

Omega Green Smoothie – all ingredients organic, must be blended in a VitaMix!

2 bananas (frozen)
5 dates (frozen)
handful peach slices (frozen)
handful of strawberries or blueberries (frozen)
2 T soaked chia seeds
2 T flax seed
handful of raw cashews (frozen)
few pecans (frozen)
1 T maca powder

5 big leaves of dino Kale
few cups almond milk
few cups water
few ice cubes

Blend in VitaMix and serve with hemp seeds on top 😉 My 1 year old boy goes bonkers for this stuff!

Spinach Potato Casserole

1. Chop 1 large spring onion, use the whole thing (I used a big juicy, purple one from the local farmer’s market). Put it into hot olive oil in a cast iron pan with salt and pepper, saute on low until golden. Add a bit of organic butter (maybe 2 T) for the bread crumbs. Meanwhile wash and put on to steam a dozen or so small organic potatoes, and preheat the oven to 375.

2. Wash and chop a whole big bunch of spinach (also from farmer’s market), throw it in on top of buttery onion saute.

3. Throw in half a bag or so of Rudi’s gluten free herb bread crumbs (for stuffing). Saute.

4. Add 2 cups of steamed and blended carrots and beats for a delicious root essence. Saute another 5 or so minutes while the potatoes finish steaming.

5. Remove the potatoes from heat and chop 6 or so and add to the saute.

6. Beat 6 free range, pasture raised eggs with a splash of water, salt and pepper, and throw on top of vegetable-potato-bread crumb mixture. Mix in.

7. Cover with Daiya vegan mozzarella shreds or regular cheese. Put into oven at 375 degrees for 10 minutes or so, until cooked and fluffy.

I recommend serving with a crisp farmers market lettuce salad of greens, flowers, sugar snap peas, fresh mint, fresh dill, and a light dressing, fresh sliced avocado and drizzled with biodynamic Sunhawk olive oil!

After consuming these two meals I feel so nourished and happy! I hope you do too!

Finally, I should say that motherhood is still blissful. My sweet babe just had his first revolution around the sun, which was so special. Erol and I feel so so lucky – we definitely won the baby lottery. His spirit is so playful, joyful and alive ❤