Is your shampoo making you FAT? The truth about 'chemical calories' in beauty products Most women look at their bodies and criticize themselves and wish to have slimmer thighs or hourglass figures and blame a lot of factors such as over eating or not being active enough. Now these are valid problems in today’s fast paced quick meal take away cultures we are all part off. BUT how many of you think or consider that it could perhaps be the shampoo you use that is the big hurdle blocking the way into getting into your swimsuit? I was reading this article in the Daily Mail, UK 11 July 2011 entitled "Is your shampoo making you fat ?" ... now I know it sounds absurd but how many people are eating healthy and being active yet have to “take care of their weight”? What has COSMETICS, PLASTICS AND TINNED FOOD CANS to do with the size of your waist? The culprits are Obesogens which are endocrine disruptors that are synthetic, man-made chemicals that accumulate in the body and alter the regulatory system that controls your weight by for instance encouraging the body to store fat and increase your fat cells or re-program regular cells to become fat cells. They can also the calories that are burnt or even changes the way your body manages hunger. Obesogens mimick actions of naturally occurring hormones or preventing the hormones we produce from acting the way they should. If you search for Obesogens on the internet you’ll also read that they can prompt the liver to become insulin resistant and causing havoc with the pancreas and even prevent your body to feel “full” when eating. The most common Obesogens are phthalates (in perfumes - it helps perfume stick to the skin, soft plastics and many conventional shampoos, body lotions and many other toiletry products) and Bisphenol A (tin can linings can have it, as can plastic food wrap or some juice cartons). Because of lax labelling laws these would not be listed on the ingredient labels. How can I avoid OBESOGENS? Choose BPA free tins and don't store food in plastic containers, better still buy food & store leftovers in glass! Avoid parfum/ perfume/ fragrance in personal care products. These sneaky phthalates lurk in perfumes. Choose foods NOT wrapped in plastic. It is possible... although can be tricky. The best way is to support your local butcher/cheese maker who tend to have fresh produce and then transfer the products to glass containers at home. I come across a lot of people who will say that they trust what the government allow on the shop shelves and that they are not worried about chemicals because it should be safe for us if it is there for our use and that it probably has been tested. And yes, some synthetic chemicals are tested in isolation for safety. Very seldom are chemicals tested in combination with other chemicals. It is this cocktail effect that is cause for concern. It is the accumulating effect of taking a drink from a can of fizzy drink, eating a meal prepared from a tin can with BPA lining, using a body lotion and shampoo and then putting on perfume. Our hormones can be affected by these Obesogens. And it is not just me … read this on One Earth How do I protect myself then? Use organic products wherever possible to lessen the accumulative affect. The only way to be 100% sure is to become an ingredient detective and to learn how to read the labels and shop locally for fresh produce. Have a look at your bathroom products NOW... even those that are claiming to be "Organic" or "Natural". CHECK so-called organic or natural shampoos and other body care products. Unlike food labelling, the toiletry industry has no regulations to prevent the misuse of the "organic" and "natural" terms. The organic range of products we recommend on this site are free from harmful, cancer-causing chemicals and include Green People, Pai skincare and MiEssence.
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| Have a look at your bathroom products now even those claiming to be "Organic" or "Natural" ... |
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