Hi friends, I’m Kelly Harrington!  Welcome to the Healthy Goods blog.  I hope you find lots of useful and interesting nutrition and supplement information here.  My aim is to provide you with no-nonsense nutrition information that’s easy-to-read, easy-to-understand, and easy to put into practice.

On the Healthy Goods blog you'll read cool information about:

• utilizing food and specific nutrients to support health concerns
• how to get the most out of your supplements
• hot nutrition topics

Over the next few months, you may notice a trend in the blog topics as my life is about to become very crazy with baby boy #2 due in March, alongside my 17 month old son!  Yikes!  With that said, the past two years of my life have been consumed by pregnancy, breastfeeding, caring for an infant, and now back to more life as a pregnant person and mom.  When I found out I was pregnant with my first born, it’s as if something in my brain clicked and suddenly I became more conscious about things I never treated as ...

In the previous blog article (Part 1), I talked about what xenoestrogens are and where you find them, and I highlighted one of the most prevalent xenoestrogen in our daily lives – Bisphenol A  (BPA).  Now let’s learn about two more common xenoestrogens:  phthalates and parabens, plus easily adoptable suggestions for reducing your exposure.

Phthalates:  A second xenoestrogen called phthalates are a group of chemicals used to make plastics more flexible or resilient.  Phthalates are found in:

• Children’s items, such as plastic/squishy toys, infant chew rings and teethers

• Food packaging

• Hoses and PVC pipe

• Raincoats, shower curtains and vinyl flooring

• Faux leather handbags

• Detergents

• Nail polish and nail polish remover

• Hair spray, shampoo and cosmetics

• IV bags and tubing

• Adhesives and lubricants

Who wants their baby chewing on a squishy, phthalate-laden toy?  I sure don’t! 

The potential for phthalates to alter thyroid hormones and signaling has recently gained increased attention in...

Xenoestrogens.  Sounds pretty serious, right?  That’s because they are! 

What?  The word ‘xeno’ comes from Ancient Greek, meaning ‘foreign.”  Xenoestrogens are synthetic, man-made chemicals which increase the amount of estrogenic activity in the body, and therefore can disrupt how our hormones are supposed to work. 

Where?  There are over 20 of these man-made chemicals identified to have estrogenic effects. They are present in an overabundance of products such as:

        •  Plastics of all kinds

        •  Carpet (both residential and commercial)

        •  Air fresheners, cleaning products and detergents

        •  Insecticides and herbicides

        •  Teflon coating on cookware and haircare items, such as flat irons and curling irons

        •  Lotions and sunscreens

        •  Food coloring and preservatives

        •  Perfumes and cosmetics 

Scary as it is, we are constantly exposed to xenoestrogens, making them impossible to avoid.  However, with education and awareness you can begin minim...