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Healthy Living, Less Judgment

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  • Home
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  • Categories
    • Healthy Living
    • Mommy Greenest Approved
    • Eco Beauty & Fashion
    • Natural Parenting
    • Latest Buzz
    • Green News & Events
  • Mommy Greenest Guides
    • Guide to Going Green
    • Guide to Eco-Friendly Fashion
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  • african american family enjoying salad and other healthy meal items
    Natural Parenting

    5 Rules to a Healthy Eating Habit

    May 7, 2013 /

    My kids are sick of healthy eating. They don’t want organic soybean butter and Farmer’s Market fig jam sandwiches, they want Lunchables: crackers, processed cheese, salty disks that pass for lunch meat and a whole lot of chemicals wrapped up in a plastic box. My younger daughter confessed she dumps the organic carrot sticks the trash (and I thought the ranch dip was decadent). My oldest has been trading her edamame for candy. Forget the veggie chips I carefully stowed in wax paper bags—heaven for these children would be to open up their lunch boxes and spy a bright-orange bag of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos.

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    Rachel Sarnoff 11 Comments

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    2 Techniques to Combat Colic

    March 10, 2014
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    How to Avoid Chemicals Linked to Autism

    June 5, 2014
  • little girl listening to her mom's natural pregnancy belly
    Natural Parenting

    Want a Natural Pregnancy? 12 Tips to Protect Your Baby for Life

    April 17, 2013 /

    Getting ready for baby—or pregnancy? Congratulations! Going green for your growing belly—or for when you bring that baby home—sounds good on paper, but is a natural pregnancy doable in reality? Yes! Here’s how: 1. Eat organic: The dangers of common pesticide exposure are equal to those of smoking during pregnancy: low birth weight and early labor. Studies have shown that eating organic for just five days can eliminate many of the pesticides—linked to cancer, among other health problems—in our bodies. Following the Environmental Working Group’s Dirty Dozen/Clean Fifteen lists can reduce your family’s exposure by 80 percent.

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    Rachel Sarnoff 18 Comments

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    Easy Upcycled Halloween Crafts

    October 14, 2013
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    Nix Toxic Pink Soap in Schools

    August 23, 2014
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    What is BPA? 6 Ways to Ditch It for Good

    April 17, 2013
  • alicia silverstone in short shorts and strawberry t-shirt
    Healthy Living

    Body by Vegan

    April 16, 2013 /

    A few years ago, a friend forwarded me a picture of Alicia Silverstone. The subject line was simple: body by vegan. It got my attention. Because even though I try to exercise two or three times a week, there remains that stubborn five pounds of fat that took hold right below my belly button while I was pregnant and never came off. Now I know that I’m active and healthy, and I knock wood daily for that. But there is a vain teenager inside of every woman. And on the day that my friend sent me Alicia Silverstone’s picture, that teen spoke up. I wanted to have a body by…

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    Rachel Sarnoff 10 Comments

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    Is #Fluoride Dangerous?

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    When to Toss An Off Gassing Toy

    April 17, 2013
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    Natural Parenting

    2 Tricks to Ditch Dangerous Pesticides

    April 14, 2013 /

    Think “dirty dozen” and you might see a grainy picture of a gun-toting Charles Bronson in your head. Now flash-forward 40 years and update Chuck’s picture as surrounded by a cornucopia of pesticide laden fruits and vegetables. This is today’s “dirty dozen,” the 12 fruits and vegetables that contain the highest concentrations of pesticides, as identified by the Environmental Working Group. Why should you care? Because pesticides have been linked to cancer, among other things. Because, pound for pound, your kids absorb way more of them than you do.

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    Rachel Sarnoff 29 Comments

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    3 Steps to Avoid Flame Retardants

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    Neurotoxic lead is virtually impossible to detect, without testing. Here are a few important things you can do to protect your family from lead poisoning.

    7 Steps to Avoid Lead Poisoning

    August 9, 2013
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    Healthy Living

    3 Facts to Face About GMO Foods

    April 14, 2013 /

    People often ask me, “What is GMO” and “What’s so bad about GMO foods?” I’m not an expert by any means, but here’s my answer: Genetically engineered foods—also known as genetically modified organisms or GMO foods (it’s basically two ways of saying the same thing)—begin as plants that have had their DNA changed in a laboratory. That would be fine—I’m no science-phobe—except for the fact that most of these changes involve pesticides, herbicides and insecticides.

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    Rachel Sarnoff 18 Comments

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    Healthy Living

    Healthy Children, Less Judgement

    April 13, 2013 /

    How do you raise a healthy child? Once upon a time I stumbled upon this author who was looking for eco experts to comment for a book she’s writing about parenting healthy children. And here’s what she wanted to know: How does one plant a garden for a new eater—like squash, potatoes, etc.—so that the little budding veggies would come up at the same time as the child’s little budding incisors? And I thought: What the f*&k? Has this woman even had a child?

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    Rachel Sarnoff 12 Comments

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Welcome! I created this blog in 2008 as a resource for healthier living with less judgment. I'm a mother of three, former journalist, and co-founder of the (shuttered, sniff) sustainable beauty and fashion site EcoStiletto. I was Executive Director of the nonprofits The 5 Gyres Institute and Healthy Child Healthy World, appeared on the "TODAY Show" and "CNN," among others, and shared two TEDx talks: Trash is Ruining Recycling and Can One Straw Change The World? Now, I work as a marketing and communications director at an environmental nonprofit while slow-boating an MFA in fiction and writing about a less dystopian, more hopeful world. Recent publications, talks, and more are here. Let's keep in touch! xoRachel

https://youtu.be/sOol1MIgois

rachellincolnsarnoff

Nothing beats a backyard rager! Thanks to @sarahke Nothing beats a backyard rager! Thanks to @sarahkellyvista for hosting #VerandaFest2023 and @dtkcomposer for letting @yesqueenpalm play (and Liz Silva for indulging my crappy guitar playing and @gabesarnoff for generously sitting in with his mom) and @studyhall80s for THE BEST SET EVER and @adriennesalick for instigating the gogo. What a fun night!!!!!! #party #houseparty
If I’ve got a brand new pair of roller skates, w If I’ve got a brand new pair of roller skates, who needs a key? Try hot pink with blue and yellow racing stripes and rainbows criss-crossing up your ankles as a time travel device. Back in the day, my wheels sparkled like Bonne Bell Lip Smackers Bubble Gum gloss and I had a fat wad of Barbie-pink Big Chew contraband to match. I shuddered along faint fault lines magnified into crevices by four rounds of plastic that registered the tectonic palm slap of continents with each revolution. Hurtled down the sidewalk, my braids catching the breeze, bangs adhered with sweat, lips stretched wide up and over and around the metal wires winched onto my teeth, and not even braces could contain my smile. Now, it’s just like riding a bike.
#AmWriting #WritingCommunity #Writing #Writer #FlashFiction #RollerSkates #Secondhand #Preloved #Thrift #SecondhandSeptember
If you’re in LA, please go see this play. It’s If you’re in LA, please go see this play. It’s a story and a communal experience and a reminder of practicing gratitude all rolled into one amazing immersive experience phenomenally acted by @danielkisaac and beautifully designed @geffenplayhouse. We went on a whim and knew nothing about the production and that was perfect so I won’t ruin it for you. Just go. #everybrilliantthing #theater #livetheatre #immersivetheatre #geffenplayhouse
If you need some water or a poop bag, Lula’s got If you need some water or a poop bag, Lula’s got you. #dogsofinstagram #dog #doglife #hiking #hike #ilovela
From the time I had a fake ID (obtained through a From the time I had a fake ID (obtained through a coin-operated vending machine in Times Square when I was 16 and yes it worked) I’ve been going to shows. Even in the cheapest seats, experiencing live music is an amazing communal experience, both with the performers and with everyone else in the space. And one of the greatest things about living in Los Angeles is that EVERY band rolls through (although usually on a Tuesday). Lucky for us, @noconamusic actually lives here, too. If you like #Americana and #Country and #Punk and/or were as obsessed as I was with the alchemy of #JohnDoe + #ExeneCervenka in X back in the day, go see #Nocona this month in LA or Nashville. See you there!
#Music #LiveMusic #LosAngeles #Angeleno #Singer #Songwriter #Songs #Motivation
Inspired by this message from Patagonia and this r Inspired by this message from Patagonia and this random sign from the universe. Did you read it right? 
#Sustainability #Climate #ClimateJustice #Renewables #RenewableEnergy #KeepItInTheGround #CleanEnergy #Motivation #MommyGreenest
Who’s used a take-back bag from @for___days? I o Who’s used a take-back bag from @for___days? I only buy #preloved and have good options for #resale and donation, but need a place to send my skivvies. Has anyone done this and what did you think?
#Sustainability #Fashion #SwapDontShop #SlowFashion #FashionRevolution #Preloved #Thrift #Recommerce #Style #Motivation #MommyGreenest
My two TEDx talks were all about individual action My two TEDx talks were all about individual action in the context of systemic change — and that takes major political shifts. We need EVERYONE who is worried about plastic pollution to contact your senator and representative with one simple ask: Cosponsor the Break Free From Plastic Act. How do that? One form. 10 seconds. That’s it. Let’s do this! (Link in bio) 
#Sustainability #Plastic #Microplastic #CircularEconomy #ZeroWaste #Reuse #Recycling #EPR #Motivation #MommyGreenest
What do these keys have to do with love? Inspired What do these keys have to do with love? Inspired by @thegoodtrade call for essays on “joy, bliss, lightheartedness, and wonder,” I wrote the story of how my husband and I got engaged within ten days of meeting each other. Fun fact? He hadn’t read this before it published. And, as he reminded me, I was actually blond at the time. Whoops. Link in bio!
#AmWriting #WritingCommunity #Writing #Writer #AmQuerying #Fiction #WomensFiction #UpmarketFiction #CommercialFiction
Years ago, I worked with Patagonia — among other Years ago, I worked with Patagonia — among other stakeholders — on legislation that would mandate washing machines include microfiber filters (just like dryers do). Looks like Samsung now leads on the technological solutions side with a new after-market filter that captures 98% of fibers and will soon be introduced in the EU. While we wait for implementation in the U.S., please remember that washing synthetics  by hand or in cold/gentle significantly reduces shedding and gets clothes just as clean. Typically, I choose natural fibers, but I couldn’t resist this pretty blouse at the thrift store yesterday — today my tub does double duty as a drying rack. 
#Sustainability #Fashion #SlowFashion #FashionRevolution #Recommerce #Style #Motivation #Sustainability #Plastic #Microplastics #CircularEconomy #ZeroWaste #Reuse #Recycling #EPR #Motivation #MommyGreenest
In my favorite place, with one of my two favorite In my favorite place, with one of my two favorite girls. She flies the nest tomorrow and I couldn’t be happier for her, but there will be a giant hole in our lives when she’s gone. #mother #daughter #family #hiking #losangeles #ilovela
I wish I had read #Kaleidoscope before I heard @he I wish I had read #Kaleidoscope before I heard @hellocecilywong’s inspirational craft talk at the @pacificmfa residency earlier this year. Wong shared that her life as a reader turned her into a writer, compelled by the “infinite acrobatics of words” to explore how the “same sentence can be arranged in a million different ways to different effects.” But listening to her then, I didn’t know about the resulting mastery of language that is so very apparent in this book. Kaleidoscope examines self and family and sisterhood and love and slaps it all against incredibly rendered, effortlessly exotic backdrops: the island of Goa, the city of Udaipur, plus temples and raves and one seriously bad acid trip of a train ride. The story begins in New York, but after shifting into travel mode in the second half the descriptions speed up and compress, which seems to be a deliberate, stylistic commentary on the grieving narrator’s experience of time as elastic: “a rubber band…an hour stretched to the ribs before time snaps back.” This is Wong’s second book — I’m now dying to read #Diamondhead — and in the talk she shared that both began with “real people that I scramble to make unrecognizable” in order to create characters that are capable of surprising her as a writer. But how much of Kaleidoscope comes from her own experiences — how far and long did she travel in order to collect them? The only hint comes in the acknowledgment to her parents, “for their patience and encouragement as I roamed far from home.” Had I known all of this then, I would have raised my hand and asked — although she probably wouldn’t have told me, anyway. In the talk she said that, “Perspective is gained through lived experience…The truth lies in the fluid nature of these experiences – memory shifts endlessly…fiction shows the ever shifting nature of life…and everything will likely take on a different meaning by the end.” Yes, this.
#AmReading #Book #Bookish #BookClub #BookClubSelection #BookClubReads #AmWriting #WritingCommunity #Writing #Writer #AmQuerying #Fiction #WomensFiction #UpmarketFiction #CommercialFiction #Sustainability #ClimateFiction
Three decades of friendship and it never gets old. Three decades of friendship and it never gets old. Spent the weekend at this beautiful lake but honestly we could be anywhere and have a blast. (Although the @foxhaven_lakearrowhead cabin is pretty extraordinary!) We laughed and cried and celebrated a birthday and it was (as always) the best weekend ever. #bestfriends #rideordie #lakearrowhead
It’s a really nice ceiling but I hope I get to s It’s a really nice ceiling but I hope I get to see more of Arrowhead than this. #arrowhead #arrowheadlake #lakearrowhead #backpain
Am I the only one who loved Barbie until the end f Am I the only one who loved Barbie until the end felt like a cheap joke? Trying not to spoil it for anyone who has been under a rock for the past few weeks, but I feel like Barbie’s new life could have involved a job interview or college. Anything but that final gag that reduces her to a pretty face and a new vagina — immediately transforming the world into another plastic box where she is disempowered. Don’t get me wrong, I laughed/cried/craughed  and it was BRILLIANT and I agree with all the accolades. It’s just the end that made me mad. Thoughts? #barbie #barbiemovie #barbiegram
How are the last days of summer here already? Whe How are the last days of summer here  already? Where did the season go? Anyone else feeling just flattened by time rn? #summer #summervibes #beach #beachlife #socal #losangeles #angeleno
Only in the UK are these the options on a drop dow Only in the UK are these the options on a drop down. Last photo dump, I promise! #london #travel
I had forgotten how much I love this city! Everyth I had forgotten how much I love this city! Everything walkable, navigable, friendly. Effortlessly blending the old and the new. Every corner turned yields something beautiful to discover. My @lockehotels is like an awesome work + home stay, with a yoga mat and kitchenette in every room, and you already know how I feel about #refill and @whogivesacraptp toilet paper (is the best, ask me how #notsponsored). If only the cafe was #zerowaste hmmm… at least I brought my own cup! Today’s conversations were beyond inspirational. So far, it’s a week of work that feels like play. #london #londonlife
My dad grew up in a Nebraska town so small you cou My dad grew up in a Nebraska town so small you could bike from one end to the other in less than 10 minutes. He read the Bible from cover to cover when he was seventeen years old, not because he was that religious, but because nobody he knew had ever done it – not even the pastor. He left for California, lived in Europe, and traveled through China and South America — all the while raising me as a single dad, writing a shelf full of books, and influencing thousands of students. Until recently, my father could play a piano concerto and then pick up a guitar and sing a song that would bring you to tears. He could fix an engine with duct tape and recite Yeats from memory. For most of my life, I believed that he was the source of a solution to any problem, the keeper of answers to all questions. Now, we are older — and his life is smaller. But this weekend, I was reminded of its guiding principle: To choose joy. My challenge now is to respect his choices, even though there are so many that I don’t understand. I’m so grateful for the friends and family who gathered this weekend to celebrate Grumpy’s 80th birthday - Carhenge cake and all. 
#AmWriting #Writer #Writing #Memoir
Thinking about laundry and work. You don’t strip Thinking about laundry and work. You don’t strip down to do laundry, right? Which means you are actively making dirty clothes at the same time that you are washing them. There’s never a time when all the laundry is done — same thing with work. I’m trying to fold what I can and not stress the things that can’t get done until next week. #work #wfh
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