When we talk about foods we very often forget to think about drinks. Since the past weeks have been filled with notes from parents with allergy kids my focus is on the littlest ones today. Too often we forget that babies have little systems that are more effected by every ounce they consume. The lack of variety concentrates each item as part of a total diet.

We all know that water is essential and one of the biggest sellers in America. All waters are not created equal though; the best are spring water with nothing added.

While the Vitamin water and trendier packages may have great appeal on the shelf there is nothing of real benefit added and in some cases it's hard to know what exactly they have used to achieve the claims.

If you need vitamins above and beyond the food sources check last weeks column for resources to determine what the best doses and companies are to choose from.

If vitamins are boasted as an addition to your drinks run the other way and know the claims are on there as a marketing enhancement and what Nature adds in your foods is already the perfect amount.

In the case of Vitamin C, too much is created from the genetically engineered corn. No one wants that stuff and certainly no one needs to pay extra for it. Who knows what is added to much of the other waters with claims of extra healthful benefit. Water is best at its purest, actually that's true of nearly everything we put into our bodies.

As consumers we are conditioned to react to something that claims to give us more but with foods and water less is more.

Tap water is also fine but it is recommended that you use a filter to remove the minerals and the fluoride. The carbon filters can do the minerals and the reverse osmosis types will remove fluoride as well.

For the tiniest consumers the issue is infant formula. The news here is as bad as with the rest of the products the FDA is charged with. The Environmental Working Group found that the products hadn't been tested since 1996 and there were serious concerns when EWG did test it.

They found a chemical from plastics, Bisphenol-A, or BPA was leeching from the containers into the formula at levels that could cause permanent neurological damage. Of course the FDA disputed the findings but it turns out that their expert advice was provided by industry.

The EWG full report is at a section of their website dedicated to all the press reports, the scientific findings,comparisons of brands and recommendations for parents. http://www.ewg.org/reports/bpaformula

One thing the EWG reviewers did is in a follow up report done by ABC News on December 10, 2007. It used an often quoted group in defense of the FDA's weak argument for the levels of BPA being safe.

In fact, a summary review of several independent panels' conclusions, supported by the American Council on Science and Health, suggests any risks are small.

Well that sounds official and reassuring and that's the problem. If ABC had done their homework they would stop using ACSH as a source, maybe they know and it's a move to mollify the advertisers because ACSH has less to do with science and health as it pertains to the public and more to do with healthy corporate profits.

Their scientific experts are from the petrochemical and fast food industry as is their funding. In cases where an organization is named it is good to double check to see where their funding comes from. Sourcewatch and their counterpart PR Watch are wonderful resources for checking those out.

You can see that everything from the big oil companies to Monsanto are giving money to ACSH and their Director was not worried about alar or mercury in tuna and to think they are saying this is safe isn't quite the same once you know its what they sell. (American Council on Science and Health)

The newest progress on the subject came about two weeks ago when the consumers and EWG got Congressman Henry Waxman to raise the issue to the point of having the National Institutes of health look into the conflict of interest with the Chemistry Council representatives "helping" the FDA to reach a conclusion about the safety of BPA exposure.

The bottom line is that the government regulatory agencies are broken, form years of underfunding and industry appointees at the top running them like marketing departments. What Nature gives us is always the best option. Be an informed consumer, advocate for yourself and your family by doubting claims.

Don't be afraid to call your Members of Congress and voice your concerns about the situation with ineffective oversight and absent consumer protections. They work for you and me or that's what we pay them for so get to work!! Capitol Switchboard 202-224-3121 and we'll keep checking on the progress, in the mean time bookmark the EWG site and eat well!

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