In the words of Julia Child, reducing a sauce "positively deepens flavors." And reducing stress? That makes everything more positive too, from your heart health to your love life.
But did you know that reducing a pregnant woman's exposure to phthalates (used to make plastics pliable) can protect a child from having a significantly lower IQ?
A study from Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health is the first to report a connection between prenatal exposure to phthalates and school-age kids’ IQs.
Researchers found that moms exposed to the highest concentrations of phthalates had children with IQs about 7.6 points lower than the moms who were exposed to the least amount of the chemicals. That, say the scientists, has a direct effect on a child's future academic and occupational abilities.
But phthalates are not required to be listed on labels!
So if you're contemplating becoming pregnant or are pregnant, dodge anything with an added scent that isn't from a 100 percent essential oil; dryer sheets; and plastics with the recycling numbers 3, 6 and 7; and never microwave anything in plastic.
Also, try to avoid buying food packaged in plastics and eating high-fat food, like whole dairy, which seems to contain an extra dose of phthalates.
Instead, enjoy lots of fruits and veggies, which seem related to lower levels of phthalates in your blood.
Take action now. You may reduce your blood level of phthalates pretty quickly. And let's campaign to get phthalates on ingredient labels!
It's time to get smart about the dangers of dumbing down a whole generation!
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