public health

What are zoonotic diseases? How does human interaction with the environment impact zoonotic disease transmission?

April 14, 2020 by Katherine Baker Leave a Comment

Hi friends! Today I thought I’d chat about zoonotic diseases. Lately, zoonotic diseases are frequently mentioned in the media, likely because COVID-19 is a zoonotic disease. But what are zoonotic diseases? And how do human interactions with the environment impact zoonotic disease transmission?

We will chat about what they are, and how things like animal agriculture and climate change influence disease transmission rates. Because yes, human interactions with the environment impact zoonotic disease risk and transmission rates in a major way.

I hope you are doing well! Please leave comments, questions, or post suggestions down below in the comments, and/or reach out to me on Instagram, Twitter, or YouTube.

First of all, what are zoonotic diseases?

Zoonotic diseases are diseases spread between animals, insects, ticks, and people.

There are many zoonotic diseases. Examples we hear about often include things like rabies, Lyme disease, SARS, Ebola, Avian (‘bird’) flu, salmonella, and of course, COVID-19.

Zoonotic disease transmission has been increasing over time. In fact, zoonotic diseases make up about 60% of all diseases total, and about 75% of emerging infectious diseases.

What causes zoonotic diseases to spill over from animals to humans?

Scientists have identified three major types of changes that increase the likelihood that a pathogen will move from animals to humans: they include changes to the environment, host (the person or animal carrying the disease), or pathogen itself (meaning the pathogen may alter or mutate or develop resistance, etc).

But what factors increase the risk of these changes, and thus, increase the risk of transmission of zoonotic disease to humans?

What increases the risks of zoonotic disease transmission to humans?

Turns out, a lot of human activities are influencing the spread of these diseases, many of which have to do with how we interact with our environment.

Ecosystem Destruction:

In 2016, the UN Environment Program published a report detailing “Emerging Issues of Environmental Concern.” Zoonotic diseases were among the noted concerns.

The report noted that there has been a dramatic reduction in natural ecosystems and biodiversity, and that humans now keep more animals than ever before, which presents more opportunities for pathogens of animal diseases to spill over into humans.

The integrity of natural ecosystems is essential to maintaining a buffer zone that normally prevents spill over of certain pathogens from animals to people.

Unfortunately, human activities, including deforestation, mining, building, and use of land agriculture, have fragmented a lot of these buffering ecosystems, increasing the risk of pathogen spill over.

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Food Safety: Should I wash my produce with soap?

April 9, 2020 by Katherine Baker Leave a Comment

A video that featured a doctor washing and vigorously scrubbing his produce recently went viral (goes…maybe we should retire that phrase for now…anyways…). Now, it seems as if many people have been left with the impression that lathering your soup up is a good idea. But is it? Should you wash produce with soap?

We will explore in this short blog post. If you want to learn more about COVID-19 and food safety, check out this post.

So, should I wash my produce with soap?

Well, the answer is no, you should not.

Both the FDA and the USDA have explicit statements discouraging consumers from washing produce with soaps or detergent. Soaps and detergents are not FDA or USDA approved for this use.

Because many surfaces of produce are porous, the piece of produce may absorb some of the soap or detergent. While consuming a small amount of soap likely won’t hurt you, consuming a lot of it over time can cause nausea, diarrhea, or other GI upset.

I’ve also heard a rumor that it’s advisable to soak produce in diluted bleach. This is not safe, and should absolutely be avoided. Bleach, even if diluted, may be toxic.

And while there’s no harm in wiping the outside of boxes, containers or bags with Clorox wipes, never wipe the fruits and vegetables themselves with the Clorox wipes, as they, too, contain bleach.

There is no way to remove all microorganisms from your produce. However, studies have shown that running fresh fruits and vegetables under cold water can effectively remove a significant amount of them.

Most commercial fruit and vegetable washes have not undergone rigorous scientific testing to gauge their safety and efficacy, so I can’t speak on them either way.

Some people also use vinegar to clean their produce; however, if avoiding COVID-19 is your primary concern, note that vinegar has not been established as an effective anti-Sars-Cov-2 agent.

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Air Quality and Coronavirus: What do we know so far?

April 8, 2020 by Katherine Baker Leave a Comment

Welcome to another coronavirus post. Now, I know I said I wouldn’t dwell on the topic and go back to business-as-usual science based posts, but to be honest, covering other topics interests me less than it would otherwise, considering COVID-19 is impacting our daily lives in significant ways. And of course, my public health brain can’t help but find fascination in reading the emerging science about it as it comes out. Today, I thought I’d focus on coronavirus and air quality. Like with my post on coronavirus and food safety, I’m going to focus on synthesizing what we know so far; considering COVID-19 is a novel disease, we are still learning about it and trying to understand it fully.

This post will cover two topics: first, we’ll discuss what we know so far about coronavirus and air quality, and how and why the disease may be impacting air quality. Second, given that many of us are spending most of our time indoors, we’ll chat about indoor air quality in general, and what you can do to improve the air quality in your living space.

If you’d like to learn more about COVID-19, please visit the WHO website, or feel free to visit any of my posts about it thus far below:

I plan to revisit this post once a bit more pollutant raw data is available, and am considering even running a mini analysis on my own. I am also working on a post about what increases risk of and transmission of zoonotic diseases. Stay tuned!

Are lockdowns and quarantines due to COVID-19 decreasing levels of air pollution?

News reports from around the world seem to indicate that yes, the slowdown in manufacturing and drastic decrease in transportation are decreasing levels of some pollutants.

Considering combustion emissions from vehicles are a major source of many pollutants including PM2.5 (read more about what PM 2.5 is here) and CO2, it is feasible that emission of some pollutants has decreased, given that travel has decreased and far fewer people are commuting to work or social events.

Additionally, when you consider the abrupt halt in many industrial manufacturing processes that has also occurred over the past few months, a decrease in levels of some pollutants seems feasible, as well.

However, while many media outlets have reported these decreases in air pollution across parts of Europe and in some cities in the US based on satellite data, peer-reviewed literature on the topic has been sparse.

Now, this does not mean these reports are untrue; in fact, it’s likely that they are. I just wish there was a bit more peer-reviewed literature published on the topic so I could feel more confident in synthesizing an interpretation on the matter.

I was able to find one assessment of pollution levels in China pre and post-lockdown, which found that carbon emissions dropped 25% as a result of the swift halt in industrialized activities. And a NASA report found NO2 (another pollutant) dropped 30% between January 1 – February 24, 2020.

But the NASA scientists note that this drop in pollution doesn’t necessarily mean the air quality is ‘good’ or healthy across China. Air pollution is still a major issue, even if we see what is inevitably a temporary decrease in emission levels.

A scientist at Columbia has also stated that pollution levels at her monitoring station in the city have dropped in recent weeks compared to pre-shelter-in-place levels.

Like the media reports mentioned above, these results aren’t peer-reviewed or published in any journal. In fact, I couldn’t find any peer-reviewed journal articles about air pollution levels in Europe or the United States pre and post COVID-19.

Upon some reflection, this is likely because it is a bit early to take a measurement that would span a long enough time period to be meaningful to show us what, if any, potential decreases in emissions are occuring, and if they are lasting.

Most air pollution and climate experts warn, however, that even if there is a decrease in emissions now, it is likely temporary, and not necessarily worthy of celebrations. Even if we did decrease carbon emissions by, say, 30%, the emissions levels would still be higher than they were a decade ago.

Additionally, the Trump administration issued a memorandum on March 26, 2020 that informed companies that the EPA would not be subject to fines or other legal enforcements for failing to monitor and report their levels of air, water, and soil pollution, citing the COVID-19 outbreak as the reason for the relaxation of pollution regulation enforcement.

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Are Frozen and Canned Fruits and Vegetables Nutritious?

April 2, 2020 by Katherine Baker 1 Comment

Hi friends! How are you all doing? I finally got groceries yesterday after over two weeks of making do with what I had on hand. I was so excited to dive into my fresh salad last night, as I’d been eating frozen and canned produce the few days prior (which I recognize, all of this is still a large privilege).

As I’ve been relying more on frozen and canned produce lately, I thought I’d dive into the nutrition science of shelf-stable fruits and veg in a blog post. So, are frozen and canned fruits and vegetables nutritious? Let’s dive into what the science says so far!

Is frozen food nutritious?

Well, it depends. Most of us probably know that a pint of Ben & Jerry’s and a package of no-salt-added frozen green beans represent two vastly different nutrient profiles.

For the purpose of this post, we’ll focus primarily on frozen produce (perhaps I could do a different post about frozen entrees).

Okay, so are frozen fruits and vegetables nutritious?

Practically speaking, having frozen fruits and vegetables on hand can be an affordable and nutritious way to add produce to your diet. And it seems as if opening your dietary repertoire to frozen produce may increase your intake.

A 2018 study found that, on average, people who consume frozen fruits and vegetables eat significantly more total servings of fruits and vegetables compared to people who don’t consume frozen fruits and vegetables.

The study also found that frozen fruit and vegetable consumers got more fiber, calcium, and vitamin D compared to non-frozen fruit and vegetable consumers, and consumed less energy (calories) overall.

The authors of the study concluded that frozen fruits and vegetables can fill the fruit and vegetable gap to help Americans meet their recommended produce intake in a way that other forms, like dried, canned, and fresh fruits and vegetables do not.

Now, does this mean that buying frozen fruits and vegetables will make you healthier? Not necessarily, as there may be many other factors associated with the kinds of people who buy frozen vegetables and fruits (perhaps more health conscious) compared to those who don’t that could partially explain these results.

That said, it does suggest that embracing frozen produce might encourage you to eat more of it. And given that frozen fruits and vegetables are often more affordable and last longer than fresh, it can be a wise addition to a balanced diet.

Anecdotally, I used to kind of be opposed to frozen vegetables. In my mind, they were gross (I think I was remembering mushy unseasoned ones of the 90s in cafeterias). But once I discovered how much they’ve improved in recent years (I find Trader Joe’s, Aldi, Whole Foods, Green Giant, and Cascadian Farms brands to have darn decent frozen produce compared to some of the others), I became a big fan and now eat a lot of frozen veggies.

Now, let’s talk nutrition in terms of the fruits and vegetables themselves. What impact, if any, does freezing have on the nutritional integrity of the produce?

For the most part, freezing foods does not change their protein, carbohydrate, fat, or fiber content.

And, generally speaking, freezing fruits and vegetables results in pretty good retention of vitamins and minerals, meaning for the most part, they are just as nutritious as fresh fruits and vegetables.

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Food Safety and Coronavirus: What do we know so far?

March 27, 2020 by Katherine Baker 1 Comment

Hi everyone! I know I said I’d stop constantly posting about COVID-19 on the blog, but honestly, it seems to be what most people are curious about right now, myself included. We are in a weird spot in the US – the worst is ahead of us, and understandably, many people want to prepare. After looking into what data exists out of personal interest on the topic, I thought I would do a post about food safety and coronavirus.

I am not an infectious disease expert, but I am FDA FSMA Food Safety and Quality Assurance Certified Individual, and I have my MPH. Most often on this blog, I write my posts based on extensive review of scientific literature and expert authority. In this post, I tried my best to synthesize the existing evidence on this emerging topic, and sprinkle in some basic principles from my background in food safety and public health, so please, if I make an “I” statement about what I think is best, feel free to ignore it, and focus on the cited facts, as those sentiments are just my guesses based on my background. I try my best to stay in my lane and stick to sound science, and feel like I may be swerving a little here, particularly because there is so little data on COVID-19 out there right now, but please note that this is an evolving situation, so what we know this week compared to next may change the accuracy of parts of this post. Which brings me to my disclaimer…

Disclaimer: This article was written on March 26, 2020. This information may no longer be present after this date. COVID-19 is a rapidly evolving situation. Please check linked sources for further up-to-date information. Also, because there is so little known about the virus, scientists have made inferences and extrapolations from similar virus. As we continue to understand COVID-19, information may very well change. See https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus for more information.

First, can coronavirus be transmitted through food? How is COVID-19 transmitted?

Before narrowing in on food, let’s talk about what we know about viral infections in general, and what we know about transmission of coronavirus thus far.

As alluded to in the disclaimer above, COVID-19 is a relatively new and novel disease, and we are still learning about it. The science is rapidly emerging and evolving, so the best we can do for now is synthesize the evidence we have, and extrapolate from information we know from studying other viruses.

When it comes to COVID-19, we know the ways in which the virus can be transmitted, however we don’t know precisely how the virus is actually transmitted, and how much each route of transmission is contributing to the spread of the illness.

But generally, there are three major routes of transmission possible for respiratory viruses: the first is via respiratory droplets, which are essentially droplets that are produced when an infected person sneezes or coughs. When these infected droplets land in the mouth or nose of another person, or if they are close enough to the droplets to inhale them, they risk possible exposure to the disease. The CDC has stated this is the primary route of transmission (although again, we quite know the level of each transmission route for sure).

Additionally, COVID-19 can be transmitted by physical contact with virus-infected inanimate objects, meaning it is possible that the virus gets onto a surface, stays on the surface for a period of time, and then could spread to a human if the human picked up the object, and then touched their eyes, nose, or mouth.

COVID-19 can also be transmitted through the air. A recent study published in New England Journal of Medicine found SARS-Cov-2 (the virus that causes the disease COVID-19) could last in aerosols for up to three hours. So, if the conditions are right, and the virus becomes airborne, it could stay in the air, and infect people who inhale it.

A study in China has also shown that COVID-19 was found in feces of infected individuals, and in recovered people, even after their nasal swabs came back as negative for COVID-19, up to 13 days after being discharged from the hospital.

The risk of transmission of COVID-19 from fecal matter is unknown. It’s not presently clear how much of the virus is shed in stool, and whether the virus found in stool is infectious. The CDC has stated that there have been ‘no reports of fecal-oral transmission to date,’ but (and this is my own personal skeptic scientist chiming in, so feel free to ignore this) I am not sure anyone has really been formally tracking transmission mechanisms of sick people.

The WHO has stated that the risk of catching COVID-19 from feces is low, and that ‘while initial investigations suggest the virus may be present in feces in some cases, spread through this route is not a main feature of the outbreak,’ and are continuing to monitor the situation.

I am interested to see more data (as it emerges) on the viral potential of COVID-19 in poop. Because, well, poop is everywhere. Either way, even though fecal-oral transmission does not seem to be a major concern (at least based on what we know right now), the possibility of fecal-oral spread of COVID-19 presents another great argument for vigilant hygiene practices. Wash your hands, friends.

That’s a lot of ways to get sick. So what does that mean for food? Can COVID-19 spread through food?

The answer is, once again, we can’t say things for certain, but most experts think food consumption is not a major route of transmission. According to the CDC, there is ‘no evidence’ of food or food packaging being associated with transmission of COVID-19.

The CDC further explains that the virus is thought to spread mainly from person-to-person via respiratory droplets, which are essentially droplets that are produced when an infected person sneezes or coughs.

When these infected droplets land in the mouth or nose of another person, or if they are close enough to the droplets to inhale them, they risk possible exposure to the disease, etc etc.

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Some Public Health Definitions to Help You Understand COVID-19 News

March 20, 2020 by Katherine Baker 1 Comment

Hi friends. Wow. How are you? I took over a week off of blogging to, much like most of the rest of the world, adjust to my new normal due to the novel coronavirus. If you’re anything like me, you might be finding it hard to focus on tasks like work and schoolwork, as the news is all-engrossing, ever-changing, and at times, very overwhelming. I plan to go back to posting content about non-coronavirus things soon, but before I do, I thought I would make a handy reference list of some common public health definitions to help you understand COVID-19 news.

These phrases are all over that the news these days, so I hope this post helps you understand what they mean, so that you can perhaps better comprehend what’s going on in the world right now.

I’m not an infectious disease epidemiologist or doctor, but I was introduced to many of these phrases during my MPH. Yay for public health.

Read on for some public health definitions for COVID-19 (and public health in general) that are being used by public health experts and journalists to discuss updates of the novel coronavirus.

Also, I didn’t really add photos to this piece. Usually, I add a lot of photos. But I didn’t have any original photos that I felt really made sense here, so I stuck to infographics I made, instead. Feel free to scroll through them!

Epidemiology:

Epidemiology is a data-driven, systematic scientific discipline. It is the study of distribution (frequency, patterns) and determinants (causes, and risk factors) in specific populations (communities, or individuals viewed collectively) and the application of this study to control health problems. It deals with collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data on health and disease. It is sometimes described as the ‘basic science’ of public health.

Epidemic:

An epidemic refers to a condition that affects a large proportion of individuals within a population, community, or region at the same time. An example would be the Zika virus.

Pandemic:

A pandemic is the worldwide spread of a new disease that impacts an exceptionally high proportion of the population.

Endemic:

The phrase ‘endemic’ refers to the baseline level of a disease in a population. It is not necessarily the desired level of the disease in a population (which may be zero), but rather, the baseline or actual amount.

A disease is considered to be endemic when it is maintained at a baseline level in in geographic area. Influenza is considered endemic, as it is predictable to reoccur every year. Some have expressed concern that COVID-19 may become endemic, meaning it comes back repeatedly over time.

Hyperendemic:

A hyperendemic is persistent, high levels of disease.

Influenza pandemic:

An influenza pandemic occurs when a new virus emerges and spreads around the world. Most people do not have immunity to pandemics, which is part of why they are able to spread so much.

Immunity:

Immunity refers to the development of a state of resistance against an infectious agent. Right now, because COVID-19 has never before been transferred to humans, no one had immunity to the disease, which is part of why it is spreading so quickly.

Typically, people develop immunity to a disease via a vaccine or by contracting the disease and developing antibodies (or your body’s defense system) against it. Currently, there is no vaccine for COVID-19. Post-infection immunity to COVID-19 is not completely defined; however, it seems as though most similar viruses lead to post-infection immunity.

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Supplements for Immune Support: What does the science say?

March 6, 2020 by Katherine Baker 3 Comments

With coronavirus reaching pandemic status, there’s a lot of chatter about what individual actions are available to those looking to reduce their risk of disease. I’ve seen some great information about good hygiene and hand washing, and I’ve also seen a lot of misleading information about the disease, its spread, and how to prevent it. I thought this might be a good time to discuss supplements for immune support: are there are supplements that improve immune function and/or any supplements that reduce the risk of getting COVID-19? Let’s take a look at the science.

*Disclaimer: As always, this is general information intended for healthy adults. Your needs may vary based on medical status, lifestyle, or life-stage. Please never replace generalized health information you’ve read online with individualized clinical care.

And please, please use supplements only under the guidance of a health care professional. Many drugs have interactions with certain supplements. It is important to work with a health care provider to tailor what you take, if anything, to your individual needs

First of all, let’s chat about the immune system:

The immune system is your body’s defense system to prevent illness or infection, and includes the skin, bone marrow, the bloodstream, thalamus (a part of the brain), lymphatic nodes, the spleen, and mucosal tissue. Together, these organ systems work to protect the body against pathogens and toxins to keep you healthy.

How does nutrition impact the immune system?

There are several micronutrients that play various roles in supporting immune function.

Vitamins A, B6, C, and E, along with minerals copper, iron, selenium, zinc, and folic acid all play various roles in supporting proper immune function. There is evidence to suggest that deficiencies in these micronutrients may decrease immune function.

But notice that the research is based on nutrient deficiencies decreasing immune function; this does not necessarily mean that taking more or excess of these vitamins and minerals will improve immune function for those who are not deficient.

Eating too few calories can also impact the immune system. Underfueling leads to decreased white blood cells (immune cells that help fight disease) and decreased immune function.

Do supplements improve immune function?

There isn’t much evidence that suggests taking any particular supplement actually improves immune function in any way. In fact, measuring immune function and the body’s ability to ward off certain diseases is a pretty tricky thing to do.

Still, let’s take a dive into what data does exist on popular supplements and immune function.

Vitamin C: Emergen-C, etc

I wrote a whole post about vitamin C that you can read right here. TLDR: Basically, being vitamin C deficient may increase your likelihood of getting sick, but getting more than the recommended amount of vitamin C won’t prevent you from getting sick, or help you get rid of your symptoms earlier.

And as I’ve always said: one packet of Emergen-C is half the daily toxic dose of vitamin C, and can increase your risk of nausea, GI distress, and gallstones.

Vitamin D:

An ample amount of vitamin D is indeed necessary to support a healthy immune system. That said, much like most of the micronutrients listed in this post, there is not much evidence to suggest that large supplements will actually improve your immune function (unless you are deficient).

If you want to learn more about vitamin D, check out this post.

Elderberry syrup:

There is so much buzz surrounding elderberry supplements and syrups these days. There isn’t really much evidence to suggest it actually improves immune function. And studies that have tested elderberry syrup and illness show there aren’t major differences between those who take it and those who don’t in terms of likelihood of getting sick.

That said, there is a bit of research to suggest it may decrease the amount of time individuals (who are already sick) experience respiratory symptoms. So if you already have a cold, it may help relieve some of your symptoms, or help them go away sooner.

Still, I wouldn’t replace a trip to the doctor’s office with elderberry syrup if you think what you have may be something serious.

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Toxins in Cosmetics and Personal Care Products: What You Need to Know

February 18, 2020 by Katherine Baker Leave a Comment

Hi friends! Today we are going to chat about toxins in cosmetics and personal care products. There is a lot of buzz surrounding ‘clean cosmetics’ these days (for the record, clean cosmetics doesn’t have a true definition or any sort of regulation), so I thought just doing a brief overview of the various ways in which personal care products might be contaminated with chemicals, heavy metals, etc, might be useful and/or empowering to some.

I hope you enjoy! Please let me know if you have any questions.

Are there really ‘toxins’ in our cosmetics?

Yes, many there are potentially harmful substances, including toxic chemicals and heavy metals, in cosmetics, and many other personal care products, including shampoos, conditioners, body lotions, etc.

Before we take a deep dive into toxins in cosmetics, I just want to clarify that in this post, I am referring to ‘toxin’ as a harmful substance that is unnecessary to the product, and may be detrimental to human and/or environmental health.

I also want to acknowledge that the dose makes the poison, and yes, everything can be toxic at a certain amount, but for this post, again, I am using the phrase ‘toxin’ to represent a substance unnecessary to the product that may cary health risks at the a normal use exposure level.

I want to emphasize that there is a difference between toxins that are a result of contamination and/or poor manufacturing practices, and synthetic ingredients that are not necessarily bad for human health.

Furthermore, whether or not something is ‘natural’ does not necessarily have implications for its potential risks. Arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury are technically all ‘natural’ heavy metals, but these are also found in some cosmetics, and too much exposure to these heavy metals can be detrimental to human health.

On the other hand, salicylic acid (a synthetic compound that acts as a medicine to treat acne) is an example of a synthetic ingredient that is intentional and not harmful in the controlled amount in which it is added to a designated product. There is a lot of greenwashing in the beauty world right now, and I just wanted to clear up any confusion about how I feel about ‘natural’ versus ‘unnatural’ versus ‘toxic’ products. I hope this makes sense. If it doesn’t, please let me know in the comments below!

Now that that is out of the way, let’s discuss toxins in cosmetics and other personal care products (PCPs).

Why do personal care products and cosmetics even have toxins?

Many personal care products and cosmetics are at risk for breeding bacteria. Thus, to extend their shelf-life and prevent them from festering lots of bacteria, manufacturers add preservatives to prevent microbial growth.

Currently, among the list allows many compounds including organic acids, triclosans, chlorhexidine, formaldehyde releasers, and parabens, among others. While these compounds may protect the products from bacterial growth, they may be toxic to consumers.

What sorts of chemicals and heavy metals might be in my product? What are the concerns about these compounds?

As I mentioned above, there are many chemicals and heavy metals that are often found in cosmetics and personal care products.

First, let’s chat about heavy metals. Compounds like arsenic, lead, mercury, cadmium, chromium, cobalt, and nickel, can all been found in some cosmetics. In 2012, the FDA conduced a survey of 150 PCP including cosmetics, face paints, shaving creams, and lotions, and found:

“The amounts of arsenic, cadmium, chromium, cobalt, lead, mercury, and nickel that we found were for the most part very small. We currently do not have information indicating that the amounts we found would pose a health risk.”
–FDA website

They acknowledge the presence of these compounds in PCPs, but have stated the amounts in the products they tested are within allowable limits.

They have also created an industry guide for cosmetic manufacturers, describing how they can take actions to reduce the amount of potentially harmful compounds in their products.

Despite the FDA’s reports, other institutions have expressed concern at the potential risks of these compounds in personal care products and cosmetics.

In 2013, scientists at UC Berkeley School of Public Health found lead, cadmium, chromium, aluminum, and other metals at levels that could ‘raise potential health concerns’ in 32 different lip products (like lipsticks and glosses) that were commonly found in drug and department stores.

Lip products are especially concerning when it comes to toxin or heavy metal exposure, as they are more likely to be ingested.

Why is this a potential problem? Let’s talk about lead as an example. Lead is found in many lipsticks. The FDA has guidelines for limiting lead in lipstick, but it is still found in many lip products.

Exposure to lead leads to accumulation of the substance in bones, blood and tissues. It can lead to short-term health effects, like abdominal pain, headache, and memory loss, and longer-term health effects like increased risks of heart disease, kidney disease, and cancer.

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What is Vitamin D? What is the Vitamin D Controversy? Am I Vitamin D Deficient?

February 13, 2020 by Katherine Baker 2 Comments

Hi friends! Today we are chatting about Vitamin D, another common nutrient of concern for people on plant-based diets. Heck, this is a nutrient lots of people are concerned about, and the vitamin often comes up in the popular media. So what is Vitamin D? What is the “vitamin D controversy?” How do you know if you are vitamin D deficient? Read on for more vitamin D information!

Disclaimer: As always, this is general information intended for healthy adults. Your needs may vary based on medical status, lifestyle, or life-stage. Please never replace generalized health information you’ve read online with individualized clinical care.

What is vitamin D?

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that is found naturally in a very small number of foods. Most people get their vitamin D from fortified foods, and/or the sun.

There are two main dietary forms of vitamin D: vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) and vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol), which differ in their side-chain structure.

Vitamin D2 is manufactured by UV radiation of ergosterol in yeast, and D3 is manufactured via irradiation of 7-dehydrocholesterol from lanolin. Lanolin is a sheep product, and thus, some do not consider this form of vitamin D purely vegan*.

Both D2 and D3 are well-absorbed. It seems many believe that D3 is somehow superior; in reality, both are considered to be well-absorbed and effective at raising serum levels of vitamin D, with the only major difference being that at very high doses, D2 may be less potent than D3.

*This is why some people do not consider fortified cereals like Cheerios to be 100% vegan; If you are vegan and confused on what to think on the topic, as I am no moral authority on the topic, I encourage you to make the judgement that feels right to you.

What does vitamin D do?

Vitamin D has many functions in the body. It helps promote calcium absorption in the gut by up-regulating a transcription factor that leads to more calcium receptors to rise to the surface of the intestinal tract, and take in calcium. This helps the body maintain adequate blood levels of calcium and phosphate, which support normal mineralization of bones.

Vitamin D is also important for bone growth and remodeling, as well as cellular growth, immune and neuromuscular function. It can also help play a role in reducing inflammation, and many genes that encode proteins that regulate cell proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis are modulated in some capacity by vitamin D.

How much vitamin D do you need?

The RDA for vitamin D is listed in IU and mcg below. For reference, 40IU is equivalent to 1mcg.

0-12 months: 400IU (10mcg)
1-13 years: 600IU (15mcg)
14-70 years: 600IU (15mcg)
>70 years: 800IU (20mcg)
Pregnant/breastfeeding: 600IU(15mcg)

What foods contain vitamin D?

As mentioned above, very few foods naturally contain vitamin D. Some fatty fish (like tuna, salmon, and mackerel) contain good sources of vitamin D, and small amounts can be found in egg yolks and beef liver.

Some mushrooms contain vitamin D2, although the amounts they contain varies. Treating mushrooms with UV radiation has been shown to increase their vitamin D2 content.

Most Americans get the vitamin D in their diet from fortified foods. Milk, for example, is voluntarily fortified in the United States, and contains about 100IU/cup. Plant-milks are also often fortified with vitamin D; the exact amount varies brand to brand, so be sure to check labels.

Cereal is also often fortified with vitamin D, although organic and natural brands are typically not fortified. Again, read labels to check how much your favorite products have!

Here are some food sources of vitamin D:

Salmon (3 ounces): [447IU/112% DV]
Fortified orange juice (1 cup, check labels as fortification values vary): [137 IU/34% DV]
Fortified milk (1 cup): [115-124IU/29-31%]
Mushrooms (1 cup): [~2-17IU, depending on variety, 0.3-3%]
Swiss cheese (1 ounce): [6IU/2%]
Fortified cereal: Example – Cheerios (1 cup): [3.4ug/10%]

Vitamin D from Sun Exposure

That’s right, vitamin D, the “sunshine vitamin,” can absolutely be obtained from the sun. In fact, a lot of people meet at least some of their vitamin D needs via sun exposure.

Vitamin D is the only vitamin you can make endogenously (meaning on your own) in your skin, which makes it a pretty neat vitamin!

How? UVB radiation with a wavelength of 290-320 nanometers can penetrate uncovered skin and covert a compound known as 7-dehydrocholesterol to previtamin D3, which then becomes vitamin D3.

Cloud cover, the season, time of day, smog, sunscreen, and melanin content of the skin can all impact the amount of vitamin D synthesized in the skin. Complete cloud cover reduces your ability to make vitamin D from sunlight by 50%, and severe pollution can reduce this ability by up to 60%. Sunscreen with SPF of greater than 8 blocks vitamin D-producing UV rays.

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How I Compost At Home In a Studio Apartment (and What You can Compost)

January 26, 2020 by Katherine Baker Leave a Comment

Hello internet friends! Today, I’m doing something a little different. Although most of my content is either science-based, recipe-based, or eats-based, today, I’m sharing more of a “how I do this” style post, to document how I compost at home in a studio apartment, and going over what is in fact, compostable.

There are many reasons to compost, and investing time and energy into your own backyard compost bin certainly has its benefits. Perhaps in another post, I could dive into that topic more deeply, but I am less familiar with the actual execution of outdoor composting compared to indoor composting.

Composting indoors in a small space is much different than composting outside in a yard with a designated bin. While I hope to one day have a legitimate compost set-up, and use my compost to nourish my garden, I am at a stage of life where that is not in my nearly forseeable future. For the past many years, and at present, I live in a small studio apartment, with about 500 feet of rented space to my name.

What I am sharing today is not an exhaustive instructional manual on how to compost, but rather, a couple of tips I have from doing this myself for a few years. If you are interested in composting in your apartment and don’t know where to start, I hope you find this post useful in some way. Now, let’s compost!

First of all, what is compost?

According to the EPA, compost is organic material that can be added to soil to help plants grow.

Composting is the biological decomposition of solid organic materials into a humus-like substance. It is a naturally occurring aerobic process (meaning it requires oxygen). Microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi (among others) break down the organic compounds.

The process is affected by multiple parameters, including temperature, and surrounding levels of oxygen, nitrogen, carbon, and moisture. There are optimal ranges of each parameter to ensure composting efficiency, and the science of composting is quite interesting. However, I will save all that for another post, and in this post, share some tools and tips for how to get started in small spaces.

Why Compost?

Food scraps and yard waste make up 28% of what is thrown away.

Composting these materials, rather than placing them in the trash, not only prevents them from ending up in landfills where they take up space and release methane (a potent greenhouse gas), but also help to create an organic material that can be used to fertilize plants.

Although it requires a bit of effort, it can help reduce your carbon footprint, and (at least in my opinion), it can be oddly satisfying to see how much less trash you produce when composting compostable waste.

How I compost at home in a small studio apartment:

Composting in a small studio apartment requires a bit of creativity. In a small space with no ventilation, a large, complete outdoor compost system is out of the question.

But, there are things that I have done (and that you can do too) to ensure an odor-free, mess-free, relatively hassle-free composting experience.

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