Heartbroken for those impacted by the crisis in Japan, I was happy to learn of emergency relief efforts to help. Please check out a list by the people at Stroller Traffic to learn of five easy ways to support Japan.

From the Save the Children website, here are some Japan Disaster Facts:

• An estimated 100,000 children have been displaced from their homes
• Japan facing three disasters: earthquake, tsunami and nuclear radiation
• Japan is on high nuclear alert for two nuclear reactors in Fukushima
• Many tsunami-affected areas are still cut off from relief
• More than 465 roads, 43 bridges and seven railways washed away
• More than 380,000 people evacuated across the country

There may be yet another reason to remember to speak nicely to our children and family.  Last night, I was at a class and a topic that arose was the power of words — how the meaning and intention of words influence the spoken tone, energy and vibrations, which impact our bodies and external environment. I learned about an experiment performed by Dr. Masaru Emoto: he photographed the impact of words or phrases on water; specifically, on how words or phrases alter water crystals.

Positive words create more structure, harmony and organization in the water crystals.

After seeing the images above, I went online to learn more and found the video below. It’s beautiful and thought-provoking.

Why is this relevant to us? If these changes are occurring in water, then what is the impact of words on us — our emotional, physical and spiritual health? Our bodies consist of up to 60% water!

Wanting to learn a little more about Dr. Emoto, I found the interview of him in the video below. At the end, there’s a suggested experiment that one can do to see for ourselves!

Dr. Emoto and his experiments have been criticized for a number of reasons, of course. Based on my personal experiences in life however, I won’t quickly discard the idea that words influence our bodies and environment. I’ll shelf this as something interesting to keep in mind. I think the suggested experiment at the end of the above video will be the first “science” experiment that I’ll do with my daughters.

Other Content That May Interest You:

• Music’s Influence on Intelligence
• Controversial findings on the consciousness of plants: The Secret Lives of Plant

When trying to feed our children the best and most nutritious food, it can be tricky to know what organic foods will fit our budget.   Dr. Oz recently provided some tips on how to save money while eating more organically. I was pleasantly surprised to learn some new tips (and happy to have my post on pesticides in wine reaffirmed!).

Below is a summary of the four tips from the Dr. Oz Show, Save Money: Organic Secrets.

1. You can earn online points by recycling and these points may be applied towards organic purchases. Check out RecycleBank.com.
2. Buy organic fruits and vegetables when they are in season, and buy from local farmers. I found the chart below to be very helpful.
   

   created by the Dr. Oz Show

3. Organic snacks: (i) grapes / raisins / wine should be organic; and (ii) Mashups were recommended.
4. Wine often times contain pesticides. Bonterra was a recommended wine (with no sulfites added) and is affordable at $9.99!

You may watch the clip by clicking here: Save Money: Organic Secrets.

Related Content:

• When to go organic by Dr. Oz Show
• Healthiest Wines to Drink: Organic, Natural or Biodynamic?
• Healthy Juice: There’s Only One Type That’s Worth Drinking!

After recently reading in Gwyneth Paltrow’s GOOP newsletter that she tries to feed her children a tablespoon of lemon flavored flaxseed oil every morning, I thought, “lemon flavored?” I was so intrigued, especially because I worry about whether my children consume enough healthy fats that I bought a bottle that same day and added it to some Cajun-spiced catfish. It was surprisingly delicious! I then added some to sauteed vegetables… again, delicious!

Could flaxseed oil be a solution to one of my nutritional worries? We investigated further…

The Flax Plant

Flaxseed — An Overview

Flaxseed can be consumed in several forms: ground flax seed (and it may be purchased as whole seeds or already ground up), and as flaxseed oil (which comes from the seeds of the flax plant).

Available in liquid and soft-gel capsule form, flaxseed oil contains both omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, which are needed for health. For good health, your body needs twice as many omega-6 as omega-3s in order to combat inflammation. However, most of us already get a large amount of omega-6s from our diet and are deficient in omega-3s. Flaxseed contains approximately three times as much omega-3s as it does omega-6s.

Benefits of Flaxseed

Flaxseed Oil

According to WebMD.com, although flaxseed contains all sorts of healthy components, it owes its healthy reputation primarily to three ingredients:

• Omega-3 essential fatty acids, “good” fats that have been shown to have heart-healthy effects. Each tablespoon of ground flaxseed contains about 1.8 grams of plant omega-3s.
• Lignans, which have both plant estrogen and antioxidant qualities. Flaxseed contains 75- 800 times more lignans than other plant foods
• Fiber. Flaxseed contains both the soluble and insoluble types.

Would the omega-3s in flaxseed oil address my concerns about our children getting enough good fats for brain development? It turns out that omega-3s from plant sources (e.g., flaxseed, nuts and nut oil, and canola oil) are not as useful to our bodies as the omega-3s from seafood (you may read my notes on this by clicking here: Nutritional Deficit Disorder by Dr. William Sears). However, Dr. William Sears describes flaxseed oil as a “very healthy oil” that he prescribes to children who need more nutrition from under eating.

Lilian Thompson, PHD, an internationally known flaxseed researcher from the University of Toronto, says that although the research isn’t yet “well established,” there is indication that flaxseed may help reduce the risks of certain cancers and lung disease, cardiovascular disease, inflammation, diabetes, and hot flashes.

Tips

• Check labels. Now that omega 3s are so popular, food packages want to advertise them on their labels. Some food makers slip in some of the less expensive omega 3s, like flaxseed oil and canola oil, yet the package will say, “fortified with omega 3s.” Look for a package label that reads “omega 3 DHA,” “omega 3s from marine sources,” make sure ground flaxseed, not whole flaxseed, was added. Flaxseed is a featured ingredient in cereals, pasta, whole grain breads and crackers, energy bars, meatless meal products, and snack foods.
• Whole flaxseed keeps longer. The outside shell in whole flaxseed appears to keep the fatty acids inside well protected. It’s a good idea to keep your whole flaxseed in a dark, cool place until you grind it. But as long as it is dry and of good quality, whole flaxseed can be stored at room temperature for up to a year.
• Buy it ground or grind it yourself. When eaten as a whole seed, flaxseed is more likely to pass through the intestinal tract undigested, which means your body doesn’t get all the healthful components. To grind flaxseed yourself, the little electric coffee grinders seem to work best.
• Keep it in the freezer. The best place to store ground flaxseed is the freezer. Freeze pre-ground flaxseed in the bag you bought it in, or in a plastic sealable bag if you ground it yourself. The freezer will keep the ground flax from oxidizing and losing its nutritional potency.
• Buy either brown or golden flaxseed. There is very little nutritional difference between brown or golden flaxseed (except that brown is easier to find in most supermarkets).
• Milled = ground = flax meal. Don’t be confused by the different product names for ground flaxseed. Milled or ground flaxseed is the same thing as flax meal.
• Add flaxseed to a food you habitually eat. Every time you have a certain food, like oatmeal, smoothies, soup, or yogurt, stir in a couple tablespoons of ground flaxseed. Soon it will be a habit and you won’t have to think about it, you’ll just do it.
• Use it in baking. Substitute ground flaxseed for part of the flour in recipes for quick breads, muffins, rolls, bread, bagels, pancakes, and waffles. Try replacing 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the flour with ground flaxseed if the recipe calls for 2 or more cups of flour.
• Flaxseed oil does not have the fiber and has fewer lignans than the ground flaxseed. Read more on the Dr. Oz website: 3 Benefits of Flax.

My Related Notes:

• Avoiding / Minimizing Dairy? Read What Alternative Sources Provide Calcium, Protein and Vitamin D
• Ten Super Foods To Use
• Nuts and Seeds
• Eggs — A Cheat Sheet

This is a lovely and endearing video clip by the founders of Babble.com, a parenting website. The husband and wife team discuss a few parenting taboos that help appropriately manage the expectations of parents and parents-to-be. The intention is to adjust the expectations of parenting so that they can further enjoy the amazing and challenging journey of parenting. I enjoyed the entire segment but was particularly appreciative of the section on miscarriage.

Related Content:

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With modern technology, research on brain development — especially with children — has become even more fascinating. Below is an interesting video that provides better insight into how amazing babies are…

Related Content:

• “The Creativity Crisis”
• “The Inverse Power of Praise”
• Sleep: “The Lost Hour”
• Fetal Origins: How the First Nine Months Shape the Rest of Your Life

I was thrilled to discover that Dr. Oz had led a discussion on autism, its possible causes, and solutions. Several physicians on the show agreed that the quality of food that we feed our children (and ourselves!) is influential in many cases. Other topics covered is the role of vaccines, environment, and mother’s age.

One in every 110 children born in the US will be diagnosed with autism. Please click on the image below to view the discussion among Dr. Oz, a panel of experts and pediatricians, and an audience of families.

I just saw this sweet YouTube video of a mom imagining her child’s dreams. Please check out this beautiful creation below.

Related Content:

• Sleep: “The Lost Hour”
• Sleep Deprivation: How Do Parents Manage It?!
• Impact of Sleep: Interesting Things Didn’t Know
• Finally Liberated To Sleep!

I haven’t been able to keep up with all the controversy surrounding Amy Chua’s recent Wall Street Journal article, “Why Chinese Moms Are Superior,” and her new book, (though her book is in the mail to me from Amazon.com for an upcoming book club discussion!). However, Ms. C of TheSFile ™ forwarded a video clip of Ms. Chua on the Stephen Colbert show. I thought it was interesting to see her “live” and Stephen Colbert was great! I’m sharing it below, in case you busy moms missed it and are interested in hearing more from this provocative mother and author.

We are continuing our list from Wednesday of cute, low-toxic, eco-friendly furniture and design elements for the children’s rooms! Below are a few more eco-chic products. A fantastic resource has been the website Inhabitots. Inhabitots aggregates the latest eco-friendly products so it’s a fun and interesting website to explore!

Storage by The Q Collection		The Q Collection Junior Abiding by their mantra “People Safe. Planet Safe,” The Q Collection Junior makes beautifully designed low-toxic children’s furniture and organic cotton bedding. All of their products are free of formaldehyde and polyurethane so you can feel comfortable having them in your home. They also use water-based glues, stains, and topcoats. Paints are zero- or low- VOC finishes. The adorable (but pricey) storage units have water-based ink and low- or no- VOC finishes so they won’t impair the air quality of your home. The crib sheets are made of 100% organic cotton and no toxic chemical treatments or finishes are used.
Tree Shelf by Graphic Spaces		Graphic Spaces — Book Shelf Graphic Spaces was started by husband and wife team Christy and Joe Wernert. Their family wood shop supplies the wood for their unique furniture and room accessories, like this fun book shelf. The wood used by Graphic Spaces is sealed in non-toxic finish making it safer for children.
Wall Decals by Graphic Spaces		Graphic Spaces — Removable Wall Decals Graphic Spaces also makes a fun variety of removable wall decals that are perfect for the children’s room or playrooms. These removable vinyl wall decals are made in the USA. They offer a fun and easy DIY project for you and your kid. They can also be labeled with your child’s name ensuring a personalized touch to any room!

Related Content:

• The S File’s Gift Guides: Health, Pregnancy, Household, and Parenting
• Tools To Help You With Health & Safety
• Chic Eco-Friendly Children’s Furniture
• Watches — Did You Ever Think They Could Contain Toxins?