Many people never think about the potential health impact of toys, food or other things they buy before making a purchase. Cassandra Hainey, a St. Paul mom, started thinking a lot more about her shopping choices when she was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease. Crohn’s disease is a chronic inflammatory disease which affects the digestive system. According to the Mayo clinic, the exact cause of Crohn’s disease isn’t known. Evidence suggests it results from a combination of factors such as genetic predisposition, environmental influences and an abnormal immune response system.

“I was prescribed a lot of pills, eight 500 milligrams a day. They looked like horse pills. I was planning to get pregnant at the time and worried about the effects of all this medication on my child.” Cassandra and her husband started researching the causes of Crohn’s disease and found a number of sources suggested refined sugars aggravated symptoms. After eliminating refined sugars like corn syrup and making additional dietary changes, Cassandra started feeling healthy after a couple months and has been symptom free since.

For Cassandra, this experience raised questions about what else she is exposed to and how it affects her health. “I became aware everything has corn syrup in it, ketchup, lots of things, and started wondering what else I am being exposed to I don’t know about.” As a result of her research, Cassandra began making her own baby food. “I grew up on the Iron Range on a 28 acre farm where my parents grew and prepared their own food. Food tasted better, we ate well, and were healthy–my parents are still really healthy today.” Cassandra has incorporated this approach into her life in the city by shopping at the local co-op, farmer’s market and buying organic.

Other changes included being more thoughtful about her purchases, such as choosing quality over quantity and eliminating plastic. While Cassandra has changed her purchasing decisions, she would like to see more people do the same. “There needs to be more consumer education to move markets. Moms don’t want to buy baby bottles with synthetic estrogen but it they don’t know what BPA means, they’ll buy the cheapest bottle. They need to understand the value of buying a BPA-free product. With the right education, the market will change.”

Her changes have also included being involved in efforts to pass protective policies in Minnesota, such as eliminating BPA from children’s products. Cassandra was part of a group of moms who delivered 6,500 postcards to Governor Pawlenty asking his support. “I loved piling the postcards on the desk and the sense of community. They were all moms like me.” Due to the efforts of Cassandra and thousands of other Minnesotans, the BPA bill became law. “It was awesome the bill passed. It was also great because it legitimized what I had been telling family members.”

Despite being a busy mom of an 9 month old son, Cassandra took time to get involved. “I see more learning disabilities among children and while this can’t be directly connected to one thing, there is a link to toxins. This increase will continue if things don’t change. It’s important for people who represent us to know our priorities. If we take time out to talk to them, they know it is important to us.”

http://www.mayoclinic.org/crohns/about.html