Old Country Buffet - no longer a "Family" Restaurant

I just read an article on 'Woman, Unsensored' about a Minnesota "family" restaurant who kicked a woman out for breastfeeding her baby.

http://womanuncensored.blogspot.com/2010/04/old-country-buffet-calls-police-on.html

I encourage you to read the article and if you were offended by the violation of this woman and child's human rights, to write a letter to Old Country Buffet.

Also, if you were a breastfeeding mother, did you experience any type of "resistance"?

I remember breastfeeding my son, in the foyer, very discretely (completely covered with a large blanket) at our former church while the nursing room was being renovated. Another MOTHER came up to me and told me I was inappropriate and instruced me to go breastfeed in the handicapped washroom (even though there were several wheelchair-bound and/or elderly people in the building).

I refused and she left in a huff saying I was making people uncomfortable!

While I understand that not everyone is comfortable with breastfeeding, many women wear clothing more revealing than the amount of breast exposed when I breastfed. Nobody would dream of asking them to cover up, so who do some people think it is their right to ask a woman to leave the room to feed her baby?

Comments?

Paraben health alert

So, I just went through my bodycare products and chucked half of them.

I read an article (which turned into a quite a few articles, then studies) on parabens. Parabens are preservatives in many on the shelf body care products.

Chances are, you have parabens in your bathroom, whether in the lovely body lotion you smooth on after a shower or the conditioner you use in your hair. The problem with parabens is that they are xenoestrogens.

Xenoestrogens mimic estrogen in the body. Consuming/applying xenoestrogens can lead to toxicity. Some forms of cancer, especially women's cancers are fed by estrogens, so having something circulating in your body that mimics estrogen is not safe and can effect your health without you even knowing it.

Here is an interesting article on how to eliminate xenoestrogens in your home: www.ehow.com/how_4515846_avoid-exposure-xenoestrogens.html

There are a few brands of products that do not contain xenoestrogens. My favourite is Kiss my Face.

If you know of other paraben-free products, I would be interested in hearing about them!

Hemp Hearts

So, believe it or not, I just stumbled onto this superfood a few weeks ago. My MOM introduced me to hemp heart.

5 tablespoons of shelled hemp seed has over 2g of GLA (gamma linoleic acid - Omega 3), 16 grams of protein and it will keep you full for HOURS. I sprinkle it on my fruit & yogurt in the morning and I am not hungry until well past 2pm. Plus it has a mild nutty taste and can be stirred or blended into just about anything.

I'd heard about hemp seed, but thought it was just for hippies (lo and behold)... have you ever tried it?

In the past 2 weeks, I have lost over 5lbs and my skin has cleared up (I had the lovely, post-children breakouts that never go away) so I'd say they are working!

Lurk Much??

So, do you lurk? Do you read people's blogs without publicly following them? Are there people from your past who you cyber-stalk without their knowledge? Someone you're curious about?

Be honest, we all have people we wonder what happened to.

The thing is, there is no such thing as anonymity on the internet...right S? De-lurk, lady and let me know how J & S are doing...;)

Last week.

Here's the Birthday Boy...5 years old on Sunday!

Think

Howard Zinn 1922-2010:

“I'm worried that students will take their obedient place in society and look to become successful cogs in the wheel - let the wheel spin them around as it wants without taking a look at what they're doing. I'm concerned that students not become passive acceptors of the official doctrine that's handed down to them from the White House, the media, textbooks, teachers and preachers.”

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2010/01/29/2010-01-29_howard_zinn_influential_20th_century_historian_and_activist_dies_at_87.html

Allergies

Ok, so I have to preface this post by saying that I never knew such a thing existed and I didn't know I had allergies really (I am sensitive to milk and have sensitive skin, but nothing anaphylactic).

All my life when I have done vigourous physical activity I break out in red, raised, itchy hives. I always thought it was the sizing in the clothes and made sure to wash them before wearing, but even that didn't seem to make a difference. I have avoided things that make me really sweat because of this... it is quite uncomfortable.

I have been trying hard to be more active, get more exercise and to just improve my overall health. I've been power-walking and break out in hives (usually on my chest, neck and legs), Jumped on the rebounder inside, hives, used the vibrational trainer, hives.

Last night I did 15 minutes of heavy activity and by the time I was done my arms, chest and neck were RED, itchy and my lips felt swollen.

I posted this on my facebook and a little while later thought to look it up (what would we do without google or Wikipedia?).

Exercise Urticaria

Exercise urticaria, sometimes mistaken as exercise allergy, itchy legs, itchy legs syndrome or itchy pants syndrome, is a form of urticaria that happens during exercise. It is characterized by itching, swelling or hives on the legs, arms, torso or neck during or after exercise.

Cholinergic urticaria is brought on by a physical stimulus. Although the physical stimulus might be considered to be sweat, the actual precipitating cause is increased body temperature. Lesions usually appear within a few minutes of sweating, and may last for 30 minutes to over an hour.
In extreme cases, the condition can progress to an anaphylactic reaction, causing the person to pass out or suffocate due to blocked airways. People suffering from cholinergic urticaria may carry an epinephrine autoinjector (such as an EpiPen) in case of anaphylaxis.

Exercise-induced anaphylaxis
A life-threatening drop in blood pressure that can be fatal in major allergic reactions. Seen commonly when a person allergic to certain foods or medications exercises immediately after ingesting them. Symptoms are:
Fatigue
Unusual warmth
Itching
Inflammation of the skin progressing to large hives
Collapse and unconsciousness
Swelling of the throat, difficulty breathing or choking
Nausea
Vomiting
Treatments include:
A self-injectable epinephrine kit prescribed by a doctor
Avoiding the triggering food or medication at least a day before vigorous exercise.
Medical alert jewelry or ID tags describing the condition and sensitive substances.
Accompaniment by someone informed of condition able to contact emergency service, like with an emergency telephone number.

I was shocked to learn that this is an actual disorder!?

I have no idea what I could have eaten yesterday that might have caused this.

I took two antihistamines and went to bed.

Does this ever happen to YOU? Is this common? I couldn't find any more information out about it.