When people obstruct your path at the grocery store because they’re on their iPhones you may get, well, impatient. But consider cutting them a lot more slack now that they may be on this new app that scans bar codes to give the lowdown on everything from yogurt to shampoo (if you don’t have an iPhone, it offers a texting option). The application comes from the makers of the web site GoodGuide, which gives health and environmental info on 50,000 products and companies. Things the application considers: health performance (cancer risks, reproductive hazards, skin and eye irritation), environmental performance (emissions, natural resource impacts), and social performance (diversity, compensation, working conditions). Sorry fellow shoppers, if I’m in your way.

When your skin acts up, revising your product routine is a little bit like going grocery shopping when you’re famished. You know it’s not good for you, but you still want to try everything. You may even ignore your allergies and specific needs. Once your ravenous appetite subsides, you suddenly feel worse … What happened to that shopping list? What are the staples for each skin type, anyway? We should know this by now, yet sometimes you need it spelled out: What your skin really needs. In honor of November, National Healthy Skin Month, the American Academy of Dermatology has done just that, providing the simple top tips for every skin type. And what I want to know is what are you feeding your skin?

Sensitive skin: If your skin appetite is acting up again, you’ll be tempted to go for ingredients with sensory appeal, like rich aromas, but if you have sensitive skin, it’s important to avoid most products with strong fragrances (everyone should avoid irritating synthetic ones), soap, or alcohol. Instead, opt for calming ingredients like green tea polyphenols, chamomile, and aloe. And look at labels; as a general rule (just like with food) the fewer ingredients, the better–especially for those of you with sensitive skin. more

Lathering up your produce may seem unnatural or arduous, especially around the holidays when you’re eagerly looking for kitchen short cuts. But food safety takes just moments and is crucial for holiday cooking. Thanks to natural companies like Vermont Soap you can use organic oils to thoroughly wash your fruits and veggies (the company’s slogan, “organic stuff that foams,” immediately caught my eye since I’m now always looking for products, whether skin care or detergents, that don’t rely on chemicals like sodium laureth sulfate to bubble up). Vermont Soap Organics’ Produce Magic is a great option for removing pesticide residue if you’re using conventional produce (for a list of produce with the most residue, check out The New Dirty Dozen) and bacteria that can latch onto both conventional and organic produce before it arrives in your fridge. The certified organic product is made with a blend of organic oils, including antibacterial and antifungal aloe vera and rosemary. Just spray on produce, apply to a brush, or add to a container of water (best for root veggies) and rinse. The FDA also recommends cutting off bruised or damaged areas (which are breeding grounds for bacteria), storing perishable fruits and veggies at 40 degrees in a clean fridge, and thoroughly drying produce after washing. Check out Food Safety in the Kitchen for more tips to keep holiday kitchens clean.

White or wheat? Not so fast. Head down the baking aisle and you’ll quickly notice flour types abound, catering to nearly every type of diet and your wildest cooking and baking desires. You’ve come across and perhaps baked with (particularly if you’re following a gluten-free diet) amaranth, buckwheat, millet, quinoa, soy, brown rice, cornmeal, nutmeal, sorghum, teff… But according to a recent study in the Journal of Food Sciences, you might want to make whole yellow pea flour your next go to. An ideal ingredient for creating low-GI foods, pulses are cheap and readily available; plus they’re low in fat and rich in fiber, antioxidants, and protein–and according to this new research, yellow pea flour may also help fight diabetes. In the study, banana bread and biscotti (speaking of biscotti, check out these holiday recipes) made with yellow pea flour produced a lower glycemic response than those baked goods containing wheat flour. Subjects also said the products actually tasted and smelled good. Use it as a healthy, gluten-free alternative in cookies, cakes, muffins, and pizza.

This is the focus of the Organic Consumer Association’s Coming Clean campaign, and last week, the USDA National Organic Standards Board passed a recommendation that may help clear up the confusion. According to its proposed “Solving the Problem of Mislabeled Organic Personal Care,” any personal care product using the word “organic” must have USDA certification to back it up (keep in mind, the USDA only regulates personal care that is made up entirely of agricultural ingredients). The recommendation states:

At a given retailer, one may find personal care products such as shampoos and lotions labeled as ‘organic’ with no clear standards or regulatory underpinning for the organic claim - and unless the product is specifically labeled as ‘USDA Organic,’ the word ‘organic’ may be used with impunity. Manufacturers of personal care products that contain organic ingredients are hindered by a thicket of competing private standards and confusion regarding the applicability of the NOP to their products. Transactions lack the regulatory clarity that applies under the NOP to food products that contain organic ingredients. more

Do you know what’s in that can of soup? No, I’m not talking sodium content. I mean do you know what’s in the lining of that can of soup? According to a report in the December 2009 issue of Consumer Reports it probably contains Bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical used in the epoxy resin linings of most food and beverage cans that has been linked to infertility, weight gain, behavioral changes, early onset puberty, cardiovascular disease, prostate and breast cancers and diabetes. Of 19 name-brand foods tested, nearly all of them contained measurable amounts of BPA. Worse yet, some of those products were labeled organic and even “BPA-free.” Dr. Urvashi Rangan, director of technical policy at Consumers Union, nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports, said in a release:

The findings are noteworthy because they indicate the extent of potential exposure. Children eating multiple servings per day of canned foods with BPA levels comparable to the ones we found in some tested products could get a dose of BPA near levels that have caused adverse effects in several animal studies. The lack of any safety margin between the levels that cause harm in animals and those that people could potentially ingest from canned foods has been inadequately addressed by the FDA to date. more

On a recent trip to Paso Robles wine country, after saturating our calves in a ruby stain and wondering how we’d successfully remove the lingering hue, we discussed the possibility that these crushed Cabernet Sauvignon grapes could actually be doing our skin some good (perhaps the gentleman who owns the legs shown to the left was a bit less concerned with the matter). As it turns out, the beauty benefits of wine probably do go beyond the rosy cheeks you may get after a glass. Topically applying a product containing red wine is beneficial in the same way that drinking a glass a day is: Resveratrol, red wine’s key antioxidant, and flavonoids fight free-radicals to prevent inflammation that can lead to diseases like heart disease, as well as signs of aging like wrinkles and skin spots. Some natural skin care companies are using red wine or resveratrol in their products already and recent technological advances in Europe are turning byproducts of wine making’s fermentation process into a powder that preserves most of wine’s nutrients and can be used in everything from food and beverages to skin care. more

This week the FDA expressed concern about Smart Choices, an industry label claiming that certain foods (including highly processed, sugary foods like Froot Loops, Cocoa Crispies, and Fudgsicles) are “better” choices. According to the FDA, such voluntary nutrition labels could be misleading. In response, Smart Choices officials announced that they will postpone further action. However, products that currently have the label will continue to use it. What does this mean for you? As a consumer, you have to be more aware than ever before of the many labels making numerous health claims (better! healthier! smarter!). Really think about what you’re looking for in your food and what labels really mean–then you can make your own smart choice in the grocery store.

Here’s some truly green living news reported in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health: Your health and happiness could directly relate to whether you live by a green space. The study evaluated 300,000 Dutch children and adults and the results showed that the subjects living near these areas had lower rates of various health conditions, including heart disease, diabetes, chronic neck and back pain, asthma, and migraines. However, the greatest connection was between green areas and lower rates of anxiety and depression. Stop rolling your eyes. I know you can’t just break your lease or take over your neighbor’s much more pristine backyard. But in addition to the better air quality, researchers think the relationship has to do with getting more exercise and cooling off from city life. You may not be relocating anytime soon, but you can be conscious of where you spend your free time. Get out to a nearby park to exercise and take a break from daily stressors–it’s not a stretch to think you may see improvements in your mental and physical health.

Fetid milk, stale walnut, and baby vomit are all words you probably hope don’t define your EVOO, yet they represent just a tiny fraction of the colorful vocabulary that the experts use to describe the aroma and taste of olive oil. Fret not. There are far more pleasant terms used for the same purpose: think ripe tomato, cinnamon, and passionfruit. I recently met with Joeli Yaguda, owner of award-winning extra virgin olive oil producer Pasolivo, who let me know exactly what to look for. The International Olive Oil Council uses these techniques for its assessments, but you can simply try them at home to determine if you have a quality product in your pantry. more