Chasing Babies... Growing in Grace: Protecting my family from radiation... naturally!

Thursday, March 31, 2011

Protecting my family from radiation... naturally!

There have been lots of things in the news about Japan and the nuclear power plant and radiation, etc over the past couple weeks. Frankly, it's hard to know what and who to believe about it. I tend to believe my husband and let the rest of it go. Thankfully he's pretty educated about such things and I can pray for the people and look to the ways of my household... not worry about what is real and what isn't.

There have been many people talking about whether or not we should worry here in the states. Last week there were many claiming that radiation would never make it over the ocean. The rest were buying iodine just in case. When the worries came about radiation reaching the west coast, I thought of and prayed for friends and family who still live there, but had no reason to think about it beyond that.

Then today I learned that the rain water throughout the US is contaminated with radioactive iodine. Levels here in PA are 3300% above the standard they use for drinking water. And that rain is falling on us as we walk from home or office to cars and back again. Falling in our water reserves. Seeping into our dirt and "watering" our newly planted gardens.

Regardless how long this is going to last, how much it's really going to affect us, or how much danger we may or may not actually be in... I'm giving it a second look. And I'm interested in what I can do to protect my family from whatever danger there may be. (Note: Regardless what steps we take, the Lord is trustworthy in all things and all that is happening is in his ultimate control!)

That said, I don't want to run out and grab whatever iodine supplements may still be available to us (especially when those in Japan need it so much more). We looked at getting something, but instead took a look at natural sources of iodine.

So here is a list of the top foods for iodine: (source)

1/4 cup kelp... ~277% daily value (dv)
1 cup yogurt... ~58% dv
1 cup (pasteurized) milk... ~39% dv
1 egg... ~15% dv
1 cup strawberries... ~8% dv
1 0z. mozzerella cheese... ~7% dv

Now here's the deal (and the original point of this whole post)...

Pasteurization destroys ~20% of the iodine in milk! So if you have a source for raw milk available to you... that increases your natural consumption of iodine quite a bit... 2 cups could take you to your full RDA easily! Now... are you making yogurt with that raw milk... in a method that doesn't pasteurize the milk inadvertently? That gives you even more!!

So instead of running off to the store for expensive iodine supplements that are running in short supply the world over, we simply pored out cold glasses of raw milk to enjoy with our dinner. And there is sure to be homemade yogurt in our breakfast! Now to try making that raw yogurt instead of the high temp stuff!

Are you doing anything about the radiation? Feel free to share!

Labels: In the Kitchen

5 Comments:

At April 1, 2011 at 12:17 AM , Unknown said...: Ok, so I will probably sound like a complete idiot but you're saying that radioactive iodine is in our rain water right now because those clouds are in the air where the radioactivity has hit? And iodine conteracts radioactive iodine? Thanks for this post! Have a great night!
At April 1, 2011 at 8:22 AM , ~Babychaser~ said...: No... you're fine. I understood as much as you before my sweet husband explained it all yesterday. Assuming I understand it now, this is what it seems like to me:

Radioactive Iodine (aka a type of radiation) is being emitted into the air in Japan. The air currents are spreading it around the world. Now that it's in the air here, clouds have formed (like they usually do) and the rain is bringing it down (like air pollution in Los Angeles gets rained down.)

Now... my understanding of how radioactive iodine hurts us is that our thyroids need iodine and absorb it from our foods. This radioactive iodine looks just like "regular" iodine to it and the thyroid absorbs it instead (doesn't need to be from food)... therefore allowing it to radiate our thyroids (a sensitive organ) until the radiation fades out. By making sure we have all the iodine we need, via diet or supplements, there is no place for the radioactive iodine to connect in the thyroid and we are therefore "safe" from it.

I hope this makes sense. If anyone understands this and can explain it more clearly... or correct me where needed, please share!
At April 1, 2011 at 12:13 PM , Unknown said...: That makes perfect sense! Thanks!
At April 1, 2011 at 2:20 PM , Julie said...: Where do you find raw milk? Thanks!
At April 1, 2011 at 2:28 PM , ~Babychaser~ said...: We get it from a little shop in town that carries milk from Kingfisher Dairy Farm in Elizabethtown, PA for anyone local (http://www.mariposa.coop/?page_id=1222).

Otherwise, you can start by checking this site...http://www.realmilk.com/where2.html. Or you can start by asking your local farms. Some states have laws that make it nearly impossible, if not completely impossible to get it. I know some people who drive over their state boarder to pick theirs up.

Start looking around and doing some searches online about your area and state. There is a lot out there. And let me know if you're just stumped to find anything.

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Chasing Babies... Growing in Grace

Thursday, March 31, 2011

Protecting my family from radiation... naturally!

5 Comments:

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