Your Health: BPA

You have likely seen 'BPA Free' stickers popping up on hard plastic bottles all over the place! Just what is this BPA? Why is it so dangerous?

What Is BPA?

Bisphenol A, commonly abbreviated as BPA, is an organic compound with two phenol functional groups. It is used to make polycarbonate plastic and epoxy resins, along with other applications.

Known to be estrogenic since the mid 1930s, concerns about the use of bisphenol A in consumer products were regularly reported in the news media in 2008 after several governments issued reports questioning its safety, prompting some retailers to remove products containing it from their shelves. A 2010 report from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) raised further concerns regarding exposure of fetuses, infants and young children. In September 2010, Canada became the first country to declare BPA as a toxic substance.In the European Union and Canada, BPA use is banned in baby bottles.^(Wikipedia)

Is BPA Toxic?

This is a subject of much debate. Since the FDA completed its original analysis in August, additional data on the potential health effects of BPA have emerged, linking high levels of BPA exposure to increased risk of heart disease and diabetes and even a decreased sensitivity to chemotherapy in cancer patients. The compound is also linked to developmental and brain effects in infants; BPA is known to mimic the hormone estrogen in the body, which can cause changes in developing fetuses and infants. "There is enough evidence today for the FDA to take the precaution and to certainly get BPA out of infant products," says Urvashi Rangan, senior scientist and policy analyst at Consumers Union. "Even more, consumers should not be ingesting this substance while the science is being figured out."(Time Magazine)

A 2008 draft report by the U.S. National Toxicology Program (NTP) concluded that “there is some concern for neural and behavioral effects in fetuses, infants, and children at current human exposures,” and that there is “some concern for bisphenol A exposure in these populations based on effects in the prostate gland, mammary gland, and an earlier age for puberty in females.”

Dr Oz suggest the BPA may be making us fat.

BPA has been linked to many health problems.

BPA is also known to have a negative effect on the environment.

In general, studies have shown that BPA can affect growth, reproduction and development in aquatic organisms. Among freshwater organisms, fish appear to be the most sensitive species. Evidence of endocrine-related effects in fish, aquatic invertebrates, amphibians and reptiles has been reported at environmentally relevant exposure levels lower than those required for acute toxicity. There is a widespread variation in reported values for endocrine-related effects, but many fall in the range of 1μg/L to 1 mg/L.^(Wikipedia)

^{In Conclusion, The jury may still be officially 'out' on BPA, but it is something we should all be mindful of.}

Where do we find BPA?

BPA is hiding everywhere. It is in water bottles, milk jugs, ling of cans of baby formula, lining of many cans and many other places. Heat causes BPA to leach at up to 50% more quickly. This means, do NOT heat or reheat your foods in plastic containers. Do NOT leave water bottles in the sun. When in doubt do not reuse plastics or cans.

One easy way to identify BPA is by the recycle code on the bottom of most plastics. 

In general, plastics that are marked with recycle codes 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6 are very unlikely to contain BPA. Some, but not all, plastics that are marked with recycle codes 3 or 7 may be made with BPA.

Thrive & BPA

You can feel safe feeding your family foods from Thrive and Shelf Reliance. All Thrive cans and pouches are BPA FREE!! Our specially lined cans are durable, safe, and add to Thrive foods long shelf life. Best of all, with Thrive foods, you don't have to worry about dangerous, toxic substances such as BPA leaching into your families food.

Many baby food containers  contain BPA. With Thrive foods you can quickly make healthy baby food in minutes! Just rehydrate your chosen foods and puree! No need to boil or steam! You can then freeze your homemade baby food eliminating your baby's exposure to BPA.

How many toxic and dangerous chemicals is your family being exposed to on a daily basis? Are you or your family suffering from any health problems as a result of these toxic chemicals and compounds? What can you do today or change tomorrow to limit your family's exposure to toxins such as BPA?

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No More Starving College Kids

By Tawny's Thriving Home

The Freshman 15! My theory is it comes from all the junk food poor college kids are living on: Ramen noodles, Mac & Cheese, Frozen Pizza! Yuck!!

Eating healthy can seem expensive. Fresh Produce goes bad very quickly. processed food  is cheap because its full of ‘junk’.

Do you know a college student you care about? Would you like an easy, affordable way to provide this ‘starving’ college student real, healthy, easy to use, convenient, shelf stable food?

The perfect gift: The Q!

You choose the amount. Each month Real healthy food is sent to your ‘starving’ college student! You can even choose what foods to send! Does you student love milk but is short on space? Send him a #10 can of instant milk each month! Is she a cheese lover? Send her yummy real freeze dried cheeses each month? You can choose entrees, desserts, fruits, veggies, dairy, basics, meats & beans, anything you would like!

What college student wouldn’t love a monthly gift of food! How comforting would milk & brownies be each month? You will feel great knowing you are providing real food free of preservatives, with no added sugars or salts! What a great way to ensure he gets his fruits and veggies even when away from home!

College kids are short on space! Pantry cans are perfect! They can be stored just about anywhere! You can also provide your student with a consolidator or FRS shelving to help store his monthly gifts of goodies! Thrive foods require no refrigeration and have a long shelf life!

Many college kids don’t have access to a full kitchen, many shelf reliance foods can be eaten right out of the can, reconstituted, or warmed in the microwave!

When you give the Q as a gift, you get the satisfaction of providing a great gift, earn Q club reward points, and are always guaranteed the lowest price on Shelf Reliance Products!

The Q really is the gift that keeps on giving!

The Q makes the perfect gift for graduates, college students, newly weds, or anyone who eats!

Contact me today to set up a gift Q for your loved one!

What Is The Q? Learn More here.

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Welcome to the Wonderful World of Shelf Reliance!

 If this is your first visit here then WELCOME!  Today starts the 30 Days of Favs Blog Party sponsored by Party Plan Divas!  
If you have never heard of them before, and you are in a party plan business, you really need to check it out!!  They have tons of great ideas and advice.

So...for my 1st Day of Fav I just want to introduce you to Shelf Reliance!  I love this company and it's products!  My website is 

www.thrivingtexasmama.com

I can't wait to share our great products with you!

Shelf Reliance

We are in business
for 1 reason..

That's YOU!

Let us simplify your life, save you money, organize your pantry and give you a sense of peace!

Welcome to Shelf Reliance.  Shelf Reliance is the industry leader in providing nutritious, delicious, shelf stable food that saves you time and money!  By utilizing all primary food groups, THRIVE provides a solid foundation for proper eating to help maintain family health and happiness.  THRIVE's freeze dried fruits and vegetables offer optimum nutrition without any additives or preservatives.  And our line of shelf stable Basics save you time and money!

WHAT IF...
What if there was an easy way to create your own "home store", so that you didn't have to run to town just because you ran out of milk or eggs.  What if your store carried fruits and vegetables that were already wash and chopped?  What if great tasting fruit like peaches and blackberries were always in season at your store?  What if you didn't have to worry about salmonella making the price of eggs and spinach sky rocket?  What if I told you that this is all possible and much easier than you think and you that you can start stocking your "home store" without increasing your monthly food budget?

Want to know more?  Read "How to use the Q to build your own home store" on my blog.


Want to earn free food and products?
Contact me about hosting a show.

Tomorrow for the blog party I will start posting about specific products!  Is there a product that you are curious about?
Comment or send me a message and I will feature it!
See ya then!

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Just subscribe to stay up to date!

Women's Day Magazine Promotes Direct Sales

I sat down last night to thumb through my new April issue of Woman's Day and was very happy at what I saw!  In it Mary Hunt's article "Have a Party, Make Money", promotes supplementing your income with a direct-selling business.  She discusses the low start up, the income possibility and the flexible scheduling.  Here is a link to the online version of the article.  She then listed some companies and told where so see more online.  I quickly logged on of course, to see if Shelf Reliance was on the list, and it wasn't.  Listed were several companies that I have heard of, but they all consisted of purses, jewelry, bras, candles and Pampered Chef.  All great companies!  But they all have one thing in common...they are selling discretionary items.  Don't get me wrong, I love bling bling and purses.  But in today's economy when money gets tight, those will be the first items to be cut from the budget!  Another drawback that I see is that they are often a one time purchase.  For example, I have about 4 baking stones that I bought about 7 years ago from Pampered Chef that I love and use every week.  However, they were very expensive and although I use them regularly I have not purchased from them in a long time.  They do not sell a consumable item so your chances of repeat customers goes down drastically.  Mary Kay and other makeup companies do have a much better percentage of repeat customers.  However, when things get tight most mom's have a hard time spending $20 or so on a bottle of makeup.  Don't get me wrong, I love their products and my sister used to sell it and was very successful at it about 10 yrs ago.  But times have changes and things are only going to get harder. The US is borrowing 4 million dollars a day from OTHER countries!  The dollar is only going to get weaker and food prices are going to continue to rise!

If you are looking to supplement your income with a home based direct selling business why not sell what people NEED?  Real Food!  By purchasing THRIVE Foods customers are INVESTING in their families security!  We are not selling gourmet mixes, although I love them!  We are selling, promoting and educating people on "food insurance".  Teaching them of the importance of being self reliant and prepared for emergencies, not to mention that they will save time and money with our products.

I feel that as a Shelf Reliance consultant I have a powerful tool to help families weather this economic storm.  Having "food insurance" can literally feed your family if you are without an income for a couple of months.  No embarrassing food stamps or waiting in line to get your rations as they did in war times.  (I pray that America never has to go back to that!)  And with the quality of THRIVE Foods you do not feel like you are having to sacrifice!  I use them nearly everyday because of their quality and convenience!  I have my kiddos eating fruits they never liked before because they "taste like candy" when they are freeze dried!  It is good for them!  Take a look at this post from a couple of weeks ago that documented my first weeks in this business.  I have only had 1 actual party and my 1st commission check was $147.00.  The remainder of my sales were from web promotions, friends and family!  My check for March is already going to be over $250 and I have half the month left!  I don't have to convince people that the economy stinks, that is obvious!  I just have to get them to try the products...and then once they do, there are hooked!  Their kids are snacking on blueberries and raspberries!  Mothers are fixing a nutritious dinner in minutes with our freeze dried meats and veggies!  Parents are feeling more secure because the question of "What will we eat?" is no longer!  Fathers are feeling more at ease because they have a 72hr Kit to take care of their family if an emergency arises.  Life is full of "ifs", most of which you cannot prepare for.  But preparing for the ones that you can sure helps you sleep a little better at night, at least it does me!

If you have even entertained the thought of starting a direct selling business, this is the one to do!  A fellow consultant, Heather, from Cooking With My Food Storage, comprised this top 10 list. (I have added a few things to it.)

Top 10 reasons being a Shelf Reliance Consultant is Great 

1)  Commission:  Shelf Reliance Consultants Make money.
You get paid commission on everything you buy (except your Q), everything sold at parties, everything sold on your consultant website, everything a customer buys from shelfreliance.com, all your Q customers. You even get commission when you buy catalogs and supplies. Commission is 10% of orders, and up to 30% on new Q's! Which means we get everything at a really great price!

2) Consultants get the host benefits for any orders they take that is not made at a party. Which is amazing!!! Host Benefits are 10% of the party order in Free product and there are 2 ways to get product for 50% off.  This is my most favorite benefit.  I originally signed up as a consultant in order to get my food storage at a discount.  I had no idea how much food I would be able to get for free or half off.  If you are serious about food storage this is a great benefit.  Consultants also get supplies for your party (or your home) at a supper discounted rate through the Party Supply Benefit! And you get even more free food because of their generous Double Dip rule!

3) You receive a $50.00 bonus for every consultant you sign up. 

4) Consultants don't need to keep an inventory.  Shelf Reliance ships directly to the customer via FED EX.  We even ship to APOs Alaska and Hawaii.

5) Consultants never get dumped out of the system no matter how low your sales as long as your Q is active.  You also never loose your status, i.e. mentor or director, etc.  Once you achieve a level it is not taken away!

6) Consultants get paid residual commission every single month for every customer you have on the Q. This is magic!!! It’s commission without doing any parties. After a while you can make money without giving any parties or with just a few.

7) Consultants can print price lists and order forms online for free! You don’t have to buy party supplies from Shelf Reliance, you can do what you like.

8) I am your trainer! I will get you set up and off to a great start.

9) This is an established company that has just entered the home party market.  There is tons of potential for growth.  It is not very often that you have the opportunity to get in at the ground floor of such a great company.  I have been with several companies and this company is BY FAR the most generous to their consultants!

10) You get to work with great people.  Shelf Reliance consultants are very warm and welcoming.  I have been really happy with how helpful everyone is!


If you have any questions please feel free to contact me and I would love to talk with you!  Visit my site at www.thrivingtexasmama.com and click on the Join tab to read more!

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