This is a sponsored post in partnership with Breast Cancer and the Environment Research Program.
Did you know October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month?
It is and for very good reason! So many women (and men) are affected by Breast Cancer daily. For most of us, it has touched our lives directly or that of someone we love. Why not commit to spending a few minutes this month to make a change that could possibly have an impact?
When I was pregnant with Caleb, I found three small lumps in my breast and immediately called my doctor. I knew that is wasn’t anything I wanted to have a wait and see attitude. I was scheduled for testing right away. Thankfully they didn’t turn out to be anything at that time, but it has made me even more aware of the need to be cautious.
I am a firm believer that there are so many things in our environment and foods we eat that have a direct impact on our health. I have become even more aware now that I have four children of my own. Three of my children have severe food allergies and I see firsthand the impact things have on their little bodies.
If there were a few simple changes that are relatively easy to make that could have a positive impact on our health, would you make them?
Scientists, physicians, and community partners in the Breast Cancer and the Environment Research Program (BCERP), which is supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), study the effects of environmental exposures on breast cancer risk later in life. They created a mother-daughter toolkit (http://bit.ly/BCERPtoolkit) mothers can use to talk to daughters about steps to take together to reduce risk.
It is never too early to start talking to our children about how things we expose ourselves to, what we eat or the habits we create affect our bodies.
Why not spend a few minutes today even, and look at the products on your shelves. Do they contain phthalates? If so, why not find an alternative. Do you use plastic storage containers? Consider switching them out for glass storage. Over the lifetime of the glass containers, they will more than pay for themselves because they simply last longer than plastic.
The steps above may not seem drastic, because they aren’t. But with a few simple changes, you can have a positive impact not only on your own health, but also laying the stepping stones for your daughters. Join me in taking those steps for ourselves, but also for our daughters.
The researchers are asking my readers to help take part in their study. Please take a few minutes to complete this survey.