Question from Christine

Hello- I am currently trying to find a slow cooker that is free of Lead Glaze. There seem to be a lot of slow cooker makers out there, but none of them state whether the inner pot that you put food in has lead/no lead glaze.

Yes, I could use the lead check swabs, but I don’t see how practical it would be, as there are more than 25 possible ones I have seen on the web. Order one and test and return if lead possitive? Nor really.

I contacted a few seller and manufacturors, but all of the sellers said they didn’t know, and I have not heard back from the others.

Any ideas where to find one?

Debra’s Answer

The VitaClay Chef Slow Cookers have a pot made from “natural pure unglazed clay.”

I read a post on another blog that said most of the crock pots made by major manufacturers DO have lead in the glaze. Also, an article called Cookware Safety says, “Enamel-coated iron and steel…does not contain lead, except in some glazes for slow-cooking pots (crock-pots). However, the amount of lead leached into food from these pots does not exceed FDA standards.”

An article from FDA Consumer in 1990 had this to say about lead in slow cookers:

Though the amount of lead in slow cookers may “meet FDA standards,” they are not zero. Though I couldn’t find the allowable standard for slow cookers, the FDA allows pitchers to leach 2.5 to 5.0 ppm, and plates and saucers, the level of lead that can leach into food over a 24-hour period cannot exceed 7 ppm. It is widely known that there is NO safe level for lead exposure.

Another point about slow cookers and any other small kitchen appliance is that the power cord contains lead, so if you are storing an appliance and plug it in before using, be sure to wash your hands before handling food, or wrap the cord with tape to encapsulate the lead.

Readers, if any of you want to call around to the manufacturers, or do some testing on a slow cooker you already have, please write in a comment to this entry and let me know your results and I will post them. I couldn’t find a review list of lead in slow cookers anywhere, and it would be great to have.

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Question from Jane Sheppard

Is there is a plastic baby bottle available that won’t leach pthalates or other toxic chemicals into the baby’s milk?

Debra’s Answer

Readers? Do you know of one?

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Question from mindy goldis

I wanted to know if any companies sell a sleeping bag that is made of natural fibers (on the inside), as the one I have is falling apart and if i purchase a new one, I want it to be non-toxic and natural.

Thank You!

Debra’s Answer

Allergy Buyers Club sells a Cotton Sleepsack that is basically a cotton liner that could be placed in a bed or sleeping bag, so as to have untreated natural fiber next to your skin while you are sleeping.

REI also sells such liners made from cotton or a cotton/silk blend, so I imagine you could get them at most stores which sell sleeping bags.

Back before the days of these lightweight, synthetic, mummy-style bags, I remember we used to have heavy rectangular cotton sleeping bags with flannel linings, and they still exist. Read descriptions carefully, as some flannel linings contain polyester. They are still filled with synethetic materials.

Here are some links for rectangular cotton sleeping bags:

http://eaglecampingequipment.com/pro894588.html

http://eaglecampingequipment.com/pro895787.html

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Question from MISS PAM

I am a licensed daycare provider who feeds the daycare children natural and organic foods as well as cleans with natural things.

I belong to a child care chat and many of the other childcare providers are adamant that I do not use bleach to sanitize and feel I am not disinfecting and sanitizing.

I use vinegar and they think that I should be using something else, like bleach.

I am not sure of what to say. They want to know if vinegar is a disinfectant or a sanitizer. They want to know if it actually cleans as good as bleach. They say that vinegar does not kill germs like E-coli and the such.

How can I combat this to my wanting a chemical free environment in my home for my family and the daycare children in my care?

Thank you in advance for your help.

Debra’s Answer

Here’s the science about vinegar: http://www.sciencenews.org/
pages/sn_arch/9_28_96/food.htm.

You can also read more about natural disinfectants at Q&A: Disinfectants.

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Question from mindy goldis

I have recently bought an extension cord at wal-mart and there is a tag on it that says it contains lead and may cause cancer and you need to wash your hands after touching it.

I tend to take a rag/cloth when I touch the cord, but I’d rather find a store that sells a cord that is lead-free.

Do you have any suggestions.

Thanks!

Debra’s Answer

Yes. Please see Q&A: Lead on Power Cords.

Question from Jayne L.

Does anyone have a good green alternative to latex disposble surgical gloves?

I’m an artist and art teacher and sometimes I just have to use the disposable gloves due to health and budget reasons. (I’m not allowed to share gloves and I can’t buy each person their own set of gloves each class.)

If anyone has a suggestion, I would much appreciate it!

Thanks! Jayne L. Walnut Creek, CA

Debra’s Answer

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Question from KJR

I have tried several of your recipes and they have all been fabulous.

But today I tried to make your nut cake for a friend’s birthday. It did not work at all. I’ve never made a cake without flour before, so I knew the batter would look different, but it was very runny and egg-like instead of “batter-like”. As it cooked, it rose like a souffle and then dropped when I took it out. It was a total loss.

Any idea where I went wrong? I used all the same ingredients without substitution.

Thanks!

P.S. I also made the crumb cake and it was excellent!

Debra’s Answer

I test all the recipes in my kichen before I publish them, so I know they work. Perhaps…the recipe says “finely chop the nuts…” They should be almost as fine as flour, like corn meal. Did you chop your nuts this fine?

Has anyone else made this recipe? Did you have success or no?

This is an excellent cake, so I want to make sure my instructions can be successfully followed.

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Question from Melissa

By now many are well aware of the health benefits of Cranberries. My question is, how do you make your own Cranberry juice so that you don’t have to worry about artificial sweetners, perservatives, and colors? I’d like to use a juicer, but should they be boiled first? Thanks!

Debra’s Answer

Actually, if you are wanting all the health benefits of cranberries, it’s better to drink the raw juice–it’s not necessary to cook them first.

Bottled juice is always cooked for pasturization, which gives it a longer shelf life. When you cook the juice, it destroys many vital nutrients and enzymes.

You can go ahead and put raw cranberries through your juicer. It will be very tart, however! You might want to juice it along with apples, oranges, grapes, or cherries to add some sweetness, or use a natural sweetener that also has health benefits, such as raw honey.

Even better than juicing is to blend the cranberries with water to make a juice. This gives you the fiber as well (which is discarded in juicing) which is vital for intestinal health.

In At Home With Debra : My Vitamins, I wrote about a Chinese doctor who treats cancer, heart disease and diabetes with simple, readily available foods. The healing part of these foods is the phytochemicals, which are contiained in the fibers of the foods. So you need to chew each bite 40 times (or put the foods into a very high-powered blender) to release the phytochemicals. He recommends a 2-horsepower blender (Vitamix) or preferably a 3-horsepower blender (Blend-Tec) to can masticate the skins, seeds, and stems, to make the phytochemicals readily absorbable. Home blenders typically have motors less than 1 horsepower, but it’s better to use these low-power blenders than nothing.

The containers on both blenders are polycarbonate, but these are very hard plastics and there is a minimal amount of contact time with the food. The benefits of the blended drinks far outweigh exposure to any toxic chemicals that may be present.

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Question from Lynn Evans

Hi Debra,

I love your books and website! (I sell your books in my office)

I’ve been making my own laundry soap for years (baking soda, borax and castile soap flakes). I just ran into a site with several similar recipes but noted NOT to use regular baking soda but to use Washing Soda instead. I see the former is sodium bicarbonate while the latter is sodium carbonate.

Do you know which would be best for laundry? And why regular baking soda is not a good idea?

Thanks!

Lynn Evans

Debra’s Answer

According to Arm & Hammer’s website:

So baking soda is made from washing soda.

I don’t see any reason NOT to use baking soda in the laundry. Arm & Hammer’s own website recommends using baking soda to boost laundry detergent.

It may just be that these other sites are recommending washing soda because it is more effective. Washing soda is advertised to improve laundry detergent performance up to 40 percent.

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