Getting kids to eat more healthy foods is usually a top concern among moms today. There are so many unhealthy options available at the grocery store, at restaurants and eateries, and in the school cafeterias that it seems moms must work extra hard to make sure healthy foods don’t disappear from the menu. This becomes especially important when we take a look at some of the health problems facing young kids today that are increasingly being associated with poor diet such as diabetes, childhood obesity, attention deficit disorders, and even plaque build-up in the arteries.
What can you do when your kids just don’t prefer the healthier foods and vegetables? Giving up and letting them eat whatever they want is not an option. Almost daily a mom tells me that I should just give up and give in and let my kids eat what everyone else is eating… so they can learn how to “cope” with the real world. I’m wondering if that also means I should just let them take some drugs and watch some ‘mature’, graphic entertainment, since that seems to be the way of the world, too!! Of course not! Giving up is absolutely not an option.
It’s time to get creative and here are some ideas.
1) First and foremost, we teach our kids that vegetables are a requirement for health. Plain and simple. Like it or not. If they want to feel great, be fast and strong, jump high, do well in school, etc. they need to include vegetables in their daily intake. It keeps them alive and well and their bodies performing at peak levels. Remember that “who’s wearing the pants” talk we had a few months ago?! It's time to put n your "I'm the grown-up here" pants!
2) If you’re not up for wearing those very unpopular pants some days, one of the easiest ways to overcome an aversion to vegetables is to hide them inside other foods so that your kids either do not know they are there or they don’t care. This subject has come under fire recently with the release of two recipe books that address this very issue. The Sneaky Chef and Deceptively Delicious are two books that provide instruction on creating vegetable purees and then inserting them within other foods so that kids still get the nutritional benefit of their vegetables while still enjoying the “taste” of their favorite foods. The purees can be used in making macaroni and cheese, chicken nuggets, pizza, and even brownies.
Some parents have denounced this method saying that sneaking the vegetables into the meal does not effectively teach kids the importance of eating healthfully. Other parents have decided the benefits circumvent this reasoning and do not see why healthy eating education cannot include teaching children to disguise the healthy foods they find unappealing inside the foods they do like, perhaps creating a life long habit.
OK, I definitely agree with the first group of parents. To the second group I say, “Okaaaayyyy… I kinda’ sorta’ agree with you… kinda’!” I think kids need to completely understand the critical importance of filling up with healthy food choices, whether they need to disguise them or not. Once they understand THAT, I’m in favor of doing whatever floats your boat to get kids to consume generous amounts of veggies.
Some of the not-so-obvious ways we include ample servings of veggies (and other health-building foods) in our family’s diet can be summed up by the “3 S’s”: Soups, salads and smoothies. Especially at this time of year, we love to whip up a batch of homemade soup each week, loaded with a surplus of vegetables the kids might not consume otherwise. We also make a salad topping consisting of finely chopped pieces of a wide variety of vegetables – things like beets, kale, rutabaga, parsnip, leeks, onions, cauliflower – things you definitely won’t catch my kids asking for as a snack! We add various herbs and seeds, keep it all in a glass container in the fridge and scoop it onto whatever lettuce we’re using as a base. This ensures that we all get a wide variety of nutritious veggies at one sitting. Finally, we whip up a mean, green smoothie that our kids LOVE! (You can actually get FREE samples of the greens and protein we use at www.FirstShake.com/4251)
3) Invite Your Children to Participate in Meal Preparation
One of the best ways to ensure that kids are enthusiastic about their meal is to have them participate in making it. When they help out with meal preparation and cooking they feel a great sense of accomplishment and that in itself makes the meal more appealing. Even younger kids can help out by measuring or mixing ingredients, finding recipes inside magazines or cookbooks, and setting the table. The excitement of making the food can only be surpassed by the excitement of actually trying it. Just take a few deep breaths before undertaking this adventure with them… and anticipate that a normal 30 minute meal prep will now take 90 minutes, with their “help”!
4) Give Them Time
It can take many repeated exposures to vegetables at dinner time before kids feel comfortable trying them. The key is not to pressure them and make the dinner hour one of tension. Pressuring kids to eat their vegetables can work against our ultimate goal. Just keep serving vegetables and other healthy foods with each meal and let children get used to seeing them on their plates and their parents plates and often times they will come to accept them in time. If there are a select few veggies that your kids DO like, just make sure they get those daily. Right now our daughter is going though one of her phases where she’s not wanting much variety in her vegetables. I find myself serving her green beans, peas, carrots, cucumbers and tomatoes (I know it’s not really a vegetable!) for 80% of her dinners and lunches. Then I throw in asparagus, edamame beans, sweet potatoes and salads the other 20% of the time and don’t worry about it too much! I'm sure she'll embrace broccoli once again in her lifetime!
Also, remember that children mimic the actions of their parents so the next time the salad is passed to you, realize that a big “I LOVE salad” can go a long way!
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Friday, December 28, 2007
Go Green With Cloth Diapers AND Save Money!
Many people choose to use cloth diapers because of environmental reasons or because they feel it’s more comfortable for the child. Some people use cloth diapers to be more natural or to keep chemicals away from their baby’s skin. And still others choose to use cloth diapers because of the cost factor. With our first child I chose cloth diapers because I wanted to avoid anything toxic touching her skin and I wanted to save the planet at the same time! I started off with cloth with our second child, then switched to Seventh Generation disposables after a short time. What can I say? I was a less ‘perfect’ mommy the second time around! (I’m just kidding – diapers will never, ever determine how wonderful of a mommy you are!)
You can save a lot of money by using cloth diapers instead of disposables, but you can also spend a lot more if you’re not careful. If you’re looking to cloth diaper without breaking the bank, here are some ways you can do it.
Go traditional. Use prefolds and diaper covers. Prefolds are the least expensive type of cloth diapers available and you can get good, quality diaper covers without spending a lot, either. Prefolds generally run between one and three dollars each and covers usually cost anywhere from seven to fifteen dollars each. This is a great way to save money when diapering! Of course you could spend even less money if you have some sewing skills -sew your own prefolds and save a few more dollars.
Buy one-size diapers. Don’t want to use prefolds? If you would prefer a diaper system that includes fitted, pocket or all-in-ones, then using one-size diapers can save you a lot of money. One-size diapers are generally designed to fit from around 8 to 12 pounds up to around 25 to 35 pounds and are meant to be used from soon after birth to right up to potty training. Basically this means you buy fewer diapers since you don’t need to keep buying the next size up.
I tried both the prefolded and the all-in-ones and I LOVED the all-in-ones! Easy, easy, easy.
Use a clothesline. A clothesline is a great thing to have around anyway if you’re going to be using cloth diapers since sunning diapers can help take out stains. But it’s also a great thing to have around to help save some money on your electric bill every month and help out the environment. Instead of tossing your diaper load into the dryer everytime, hang it on the clothesline every other wash and save yourself some money.
Buy used. There are lots of places you can buy used cloth diapers over the internet and this is a great way to save some money, especially if you want to use modern diapers like pockets or all-in-ones. Many people will buy a few diapers to try a new brand or a new style and find they don’t work for them and then sell them, so you might even be able to get some barely used diapers this way. Try to use a site that has user ratings so you can have an idea of how reliable and honest the person you are purchasing from is. Look for diapers that are in good or excellent condition so you can get lots of use out of them. Make sure to give them a thorough cleaning before using them on your little one.
This is how we stocked up on plenty of all-in-one cloth diapers. E-Bay to the rescue! We saved a ton by doing our homework and found some great prices.
Sell your used diapers. Consider selling your diapers after your baby has outgrown them or if a particular style isn’t working for you. You won’t be able to recoup all the money you spent buying them new, but you can get a good percentage back if your diapers are in barely used or excellent condition.
Read reviews. Browse through sites that house cloth diaper reviews before you purchase. This is a good way to get an idea of whether or not a certain style diaper might work for you (thus, saving you money because you’ll be less likely to buy things you don’t end up using). It also is a great way to find out which diapers are built to last. Try to find reviews from people who have been using a diaper for awhile - this will help you to know which diapers will stand up to the tons of washing you will give them. This leads to the last tip:
Keep your used diapers for future children. This is one way that families can really get a lot of bang for their buck when using cloth diapers. If you spend only a couple hundred dollars building up a cloth diaper stash for your first baby and can use most of those diapers for your second or even your third baby - that is a huge amount of savings over buying disposables for each child. Buying quality diapers that are made to last and making sure you care for your diapers the way the manufacturer recommends are two ways to keep your diaper stash usable for baby after baby.
You can save a lot of money by using cloth diapers instead of disposables, but you can also spend a lot more if you’re not careful. If you’re looking to cloth diaper without breaking the bank, here are some ways you can do it.
Go traditional. Use prefolds and diaper covers. Prefolds are the least expensive type of cloth diapers available and you can get good, quality diaper covers without spending a lot, either. Prefolds generally run between one and three dollars each and covers usually cost anywhere from seven to fifteen dollars each. This is a great way to save money when diapering! Of course you could spend even less money if you have some sewing skills -sew your own prefolds and save a few more dollars.
Buy one-size diapers. Don’t want to use prefolds? If you would prefer a diaper system that includes fitted, pocket or all-in-ones, then using one-size diapers can save you a lot of money. One-size diapers are generally designed to fit from around 8 to 12 pounds up to around 25 to 35 pounds and are meant to be used from soon after birth to right up to potty training. Basically this means you buy fewer diapers since you don’t need to keep buying the next size up.
I tried both the prefolded and the all-in-ones and I LOVED the all-in-ones! Easy, easy, easy.
Use a clothesline. A clothesline is a great thing to have around anyway if you’re going to be using cloth diapers since sunning diapers can help take out stains. But it’s also a great thing to have around to help save some money on your electric bill every month and help out the environment. Instead of tossing your diaper load into the dryer everytime, hang it on the clothesline every other wash and save yourself some money.
Buy used. There are lots of places you can buy used cloth diapers over the internet and this is a great way to save some money, especially if you want to use modern diapers like pockets or all-in-ones. Many people will buy a few diapers to try a new brand or a new style and find they don’t work for them and then sell them, so you might even be able to get some barely used diapers this way. Try to use a site that has user ratings so you can have an idea of how reliable and honest the person you are purchasing from is. Look for diapers that are in good or excellent condition so you can get lots of use out of them. Make sure to give them a thorough cleaning before using them on your little one.
This is how we stocked up on plenty of all-in-one cloth diapers. E-Bay to the rescue! We saved a ton by doing our homework and found some great prices.
Sell your used diapers. Consider selling your diapers after your baby has outgrown them or if a particular style isn’t working for you. You won’t be able to recoup all the money you spent buying them new, but you can get a good percentage back if your diapers are in barely used or excellent condition.
Read reviews. Browse through sites that house cloth diaper reviews before you purchase. This is a good way to get an idea of whether or not a certain style diaper might work for you (thus, saving you money because you’ll be less likely to buy things you don’t end up using). It also is a great way to find out which diapers are built to last. Try to find reviews from people who have been using a diaper for awhile - this will help you to know which diapers will stand up to the tons of washing you will give them. This leads to the last tip:
Keep your used diapers for future children. This is one way that families can really get a lot of bang for their buck when using cloth diapers. If you spend only a couple hundred dollars building up a cloth diaper stash for your first baby and can use most of those diapers for your second or even your third baby - that is a huge amount of savings over buying disposables for each child. Buying quality diapers that are made to last and making sure you care for your diapers the way the manufacturer recommends are two ways to keep your diaper stash usable for baby after baby.
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Attachment Parenting and Discipline
I am reminded once again, at this blessed time of year, how drastically the dynamics of the household change when children are home from school for an extended period of time! Each morning, I begin my day with rituals that include prayer, affirmations, ‘visioneering’, etc. Much of this mental/emotional/spiritual preparation revolves around my mothering skills… or lack thereof! It’s an ongoing process, for sure!
In recent days, I’ve also returned to some of my favorite parenting books for guidance and support. My most well read and tattered pages come from a much loved assortment of natural parenting and attachment parenting selections. Just thought I’d share some of the highlights here… like me, some of you may need a little extra help these days!
One of the key components of attachment parenting is the intent to build a deep bond between parent and child that will create an atmosphere of love and unyielding trust. Most will agree in any situation that creating an atmosphere of trust would not involve hitting or physical coercion. This applies to the parent/child relationship as well, if not more so. A parent that seeks a loving attachment to his or her child should always seek to parent peacefully and consensually and this is the goal of attachment style parenting.
In decades past, spanking as a method of discipline was accepted and encouraged and when anger flares up as it has the tendency to do on occasion, spanking often becomes the quickest and easiest way to handle a situation. (I still have many friends who are more ‘experienced’ parents who insist that I really should spank the kids once they ‘cross the line’ and demonstrate “disrespect and disobedience”.) However, any benefit that can be had by spanking is a short term solution and the long term lessons we teach by spanking can be hard to counteract at the end of the day. Hitting models hitting, it devalues the parent and the child, it promotes anger, and it just doesn’t work long term. It is important to build upon your repertoire of positive parenting skills and tools.
Easier said than done many times, I know!
Redirect
Redirecting is a technique often used by creative parents to direct energy or urges into useful activities. If your younger child is reaching for something inappropriate or something that may cause injury you can remove the inappropriate item and redirect their attention elsewhere. This can be done with an age appropriate toy, a game, a song…something that distracts them from the unwanted behavior or item and channels their urges into a more positive direction. This practice goes hand in hand with the practice of removing temptation in the first place. If you have a lovely glass figurine that you do not want your child to touch, do not leave it in a place that is accessible to them. Attached parents anticipate their children’s actions and are proactive in avoiding conflicts in the first place.
My husband thinks I’m completely ‘anal’ for trying so hard to prevent problems before they even develop… he says I’m “intending” the problem! I say, “YOU need to spend many, many days in a row with your children, THEN tell me how much easier it is just to pay attention and do whatever you can to avoid the problem in the first place… mister!!!”
Seriously though, I know exactly what these experts mean by anticipating problems – I can definitely say that when I’m truly paying attention to my kids, I can see trouble brewing a mile away and then it’s SO much easier to nip it in the bud.
Talk to Your Child
This seems to be one of the most overlooked methods of discipline but yet the very word discipline means instruction or teaching and the most effective way to teach or instruct is to open dialogue between you and your child. Speak with them and decipher the reasons behind their behavior. What needs do they have that are not being met? Are feelings of frustration causing them to act out in less than desirable ways? There is no better way to get to the heart of the issue than to talk with your children and let them know they can trust you to not only listen to them but to see if there is an acceptable resolution for both of you so that everyone’s needs can be met. Even from an early age we should get used to using words (not hands) to diffuse situations and resolve conflict. Instead of punishing them for misbehaving, teach them what they can do differently in the future.
This is a biggee in our house. I’m a big supporter of giving kids the tools (skills, judgment, vocabulary, safe places, etc.) to add to their lifelong tool belt of problem solving. Of course, you’ll still catch us just blurting out “NO!” from time to time, but I much prefer being proactive with the kids rather than just a nasty old dictator! After a ‘situation’ has caused stress in our home, we like to talk to the kids about the choice they made, its consequences and what might be a better choice (and why) if faced with that situation again. God, I hope this all works out for them in the future because it’s really exhausting for us to go to such lengths with these munchkins! Ha! And they sure are tired of the “choice and consequence” talk! Speaking of which…
Give Your Child Choices
Children respond well to being included in the decision making process and will be more compliant with your wishes if they have some input. If your child is hitting a sibling you might give them the choice to either remain in the room without hitting or play alone in another room. If your child is conflicted about bed time you could offer to let them decide what their pre-bedtime readiness activity will be, either reading a book or taking a bath. Children will respond better to choices than to draconian commands.
Discipline does not have to mean conflict and angst for the whole family. If we choose to look at discipline for what it really is, an opportunity to teach and instruct, there is no reason why the process cannot be peaceful and positive for all.
Some days I just need to remind myself that these are GOD’s children I’m raising… and I find that the way I choose to teach them (discipline them) on those days just feels innately right.
In recent days, I’ve also returned to some of my favorite parenting books for guidance and support. My most well read and tattered pages come from a much loved assortment of natural parenting and attachment parenting selections. Just thought I’d share some of the highlights here… like me, some of you may need a little extra help these days!
One of the key components of attachment parenting is the intent to build a deep bond between parent and child that will create an atmosphere of love and unyielding trust. Most will agree in any situation that creating an atmosphere of trust would not involve hitting or physical coercion. This applies to the parent/child relationship as well, if not more so. A parent that seeks a loving attachment to his or her child should always seek to parent peacefully and consensually and this is the goal of attachment style parenting.
In decades past, spanking as a method of discipline was accepted and encouraged and when anger flares up as it has the tendency to do on occasion, spanking often becomes the quickest and easiest way to handle a situation. (I still have many friends who are more ‘experienced’ parents who insist that I really should spank the kids once they ‘cross the line’ and demonstrate “disrespect and disobedience”.) However, any benefit that can be had by spanking is a short term solution and the long term lessons we teach by spanking can be hard to counteract at the end of the day. Hitting models hitting, it devalues the parent and the child, it promotes anger, and it just doesn’t work long term. It is important to build upon your repertoire of positive parenting skills and tools.
Easier said than done many times, I know!
Redirect
Redirecting is a technique often used by creative parents to direct energy or urges into useful activities. If your younger child is reaching for something inappropriate or something that may cause injury you can remove the inappropriate item and redirect their attention elsewhere. This can be done with an age appropriate toy, a game, a song…something that distracts them from the unwanted behavior or item and channels their urges into a more positive direction. This practice goes hand in hand with the practice of removing temptation in the first place. If you have a lovely glass figurine that you do not want your child to touch, do not leave it in a place that is accessible to them. Attached parents anticipate their children’s actions and are proactive in avoiding conflicts in the first place.
My husband thinks I’m completely ‘anal’ for trying so hard to prevent problems before they even develop… he says I’m “intending” the problem! I say, “YOU need to spend many, many days in a row with your children, THEN tell me how much easier it is just to pay attention and do whatever you can to avoid the problem in the first place… mister!!!”
Seriously though, I know exactly what these experts mean by anticipating problems – I can definitely say that when I’m truly paying attention to my kids, I can see trouble brewing a mile away and then it’s SO much easier to nip it in the bud.
Talk to Your Child
This seems to be one of the most overlooked methods of discipline but yet the very word discipline means instruction or teaching and the most effective way to teach or instruct is to open dialogue between you and your child. Speak with them and decipher the reasons behind their behavior. What needs do they have that are not being met? Are feelings of frustration causing them to act out in less than desirable ways? There is no better way to get to the heart of the issue than to talk with your children and let them know they can trust you to not only listen to them but to see if there is an acceptable resolution for both of you so that everyone’s needs can be met. Even from an early age we should get used to using words (not hands) to diffuse situations and resolve conflict. Instead of punishing them for misbehaving, teach them what they can do differently in the future.
This is a biggee in our house. I’m a big supporter of giving kids the tools (skills, judgment, vocabulary, safe places, etc.) to add to their lifelong tool belt of problem solving. Of course, you’ll still catch us just blurting out “NO!” from time to time, but I much prefer being proactive with the kids rather than just a nasty old dictator! After a ‘situation’ has caused stress in our home, we like to talk to the kids about the choice they made, its consequences and what might be a better choice (and why) if faced with that situation again. God, I hope this all works out for them in the future because it’s really exhausting for us to go to such lengths with these munchkins! Ha! And they sure are tired of the “choice and consequence” talk! Speaking of which…
Give Your Child Choices
Children respond well to being included in the decision making process and will be more compliant with your wishes if they have some input. If your child is hitting a sibling you might give them the choice to either remain in the room without hitting or play alone in another room. If your child is conflicted about bed time you could offer to let them decide what their pre-bedtime readiness activity will be, either reading a book or taking a bath. Children will respond better to choices than to draconian commands.
Discipline does not have to mean conflict and angst for the whole family. If we choose to look at discipline for what it really is, an opportunity to teach and instruct, there is no reason why the process cannot be peaceful and positive for all.
Some days I just need to remind myself that these are GOD’s children I’m raising… and I find that the way I choose to teach them (discipline them) on those days just feels innately right.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Lead Paint in Toys... or on a Plate!
While I was headed off on a road trip the other day, I tuned in to the local news radio channel to get my traffic and weather updates. “Traffic and weather on the 8’s!” It wasn’t quite on the 8 yet, so I still had the volume down low (I can’t stand all the absurd half-truths and negative garbage that counts as “news”).
Then I heard the reporter talking about the number of parents, health officials and even politicians who were up in arms about ‘the problem our children are facing is one much greater than just lead alone’. In fact, this reporter stated, our children are being exposed to extremely dangerous poisons like mercury, cadmium, and other known carcinogens. Since I missed the very beginning of the report, I thought to myself, “Oh my gosh… they’re finally going mainstream with the vaccine story!!!”
But NOOOO… the story wasn’t about vaccines at all. It was about the ongoing lead-paint-and-other-poisons-in-the-toys saga. Do I think this is an important issue? You betcha’! I think it’s criminal that profit would ever come before health and safety, especially that of a child. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what I see happening in “health care” in the U.S. every single day, year after year. Can’t say it surprises me anymore.
What blows my mind the most about this story is how much attention it’s getting in mainstream media AND from parents. I agree that we should all be aware of the problem. I also think the problem should have been handled by now. What exactly is taking so long? Oh wait… somebody must profit somewhere, somehow by letting a few more kids suck on lead! I digress...
What I can’t understand is the lack of attention paid to all the OTHER poisonous, toxic substances our kids consume every single day. Why are toys in the news day after day for months now, but I never see anything about high fructose corn syrup and all the brain-droning damage it causes? How about the link to childhood obesity? High fructose corn syrup is in nearly every factory food on the shelves and in an obscene amount of fast foods and convenience foods. What about excitoxins (poisons to the brain) like nutrasweet? How about sharing a little more factual health information about less-than-safe substances like splenda? Gee, enough people are using these sweeteners now, it sure seems important to inform us regarding exactly what's in them and what damage they could cause. Sound like a great front page story!
Why have toys become an international scandal, yet our own food and ‘safety’ folks in this country are pumping up our meat with more antibiotics and other drugs than the local hospital and then irradiating it “for our safety”? How is it legal for cows supplying our dairy products to be so loaded up with hormones and steroids? Is there anyone out there who doesn’t believe this has an adverse effect on us… especially growing kids? Why have we been led to believe that conventional high sugar breakfast cereals, pre-packaged lunches, hormonally-laced milk and dairy, fruit drinks, diet foods, junk food and fast food are OK? Do parents even realize how bad things have gotten? I suppose they would if it ever made the news as often as the toy issue.
How have we become a society that has a drug for every single symptom we could possibly experience? How is it that countless kids are now taking more drugs than their grandparents? More vaccines are being marketed each year. More profit is made. Do we have better health? How are we making out with our rates of cancer? Childhood obesity? Mental and emotional issues? I could go on and on – I think you get the point. We’ve somehow been hoodwinked into thinking that if everyone else is eating and thinking and treating their bodies this way, it must be normal. Common? Yes. Normal? Not in the world of optimal health! Health can’t happen in the face of such an overwhelming onslaught of toxicity.
The toy issue is a battle worth fighting, for sure. It’s just unfathomable to me that many of the same folks who are concerned about the safety of the toys their kids are playing with may be unknowingly causing far more damage with the food they’re serving up for their kids and the drugs they hand out for every sniffle and cough. Now THAT’S newsworthy!
Then I heard the reporter talking about the number of parents, health officials and even politicians who were up in arms about ‘the problem our children are facing is one much greater than just lead alone’. In fact, this reporter stated, our children are being exposed to extremely dangerous poisons like mercury, cadmium, and other known carcinogens. Since I missed the very beginning of the report, I thought to myself, “Oh my gosh… they’re finally going mainstream with the vaccine story!!!”
But NOOOO… the story wasn’t about vaccines at all. It was about the ongoing lead-paint-and-other-poisons-in-the-toys saga. Do I think this is an important issue? You betcha’! I think it’s criminal that profit would ever come before health and safety, especially that of a child. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what I see happening in “health care” in the U.S. every single day, year after year. Can’t say it surprises me anymore.
What blows my mind the most about this story is how much attention it’s getting in mainstream media AND from parents. I agree that we should all be aware of the problem. I also think the problem should have been handled by now. What exactly is taking so long? Oh wait… somebody must profit somewhere, somehow by letting a few more kids suck on lead! I digress...
What I can’t understand is the lack of attention paid to all the OTHER poisonous, toxic substances our kids consume every single day. Why are toys in the news day after day for months now, but I never see anything about high fructose corn syrup and all the brain-droning damage it causes? How about the link to childhood obesity? High fructose corn syrup is in nearly every factory food on the shelves and in an obscene amount of fast foods and convenience foods. What about excitoxins (poisons to the brain) like nutrasweet? How about sharing a little more factual health information about less-than-safe substances like splenda? Gee, enough people are using these sweeteners now, it sure seems important to inform us regarding exactly what's in them and what damage they could cause. Sound like a great front page story!
Why have toys become an international scandal, yet our own food and ‘safety’ folks in this country are pumping up our meat with more antibiotics and other drugs than the local hospital and then irradiating it “for our safety”? How is it legal for cows supplying our dairy products to be so loaded up with hormones and steroids? Is there anyone out there who doesn’t believe this has an adverse effect on us… especially growing kids? Why have we been led to believe that conventional high sugar breakfast cereals, pre-packaged lunches, hormonally-laced milk and dairy, fruit drinks, diet foods, junk food and fast food are OK? Do parents even realize how bad things have gotten? I suppose they would if it ever made the news as often as the toy issue.
How have we become a society that has a drug for every single symptom we could possibly experience? How is it that countless kids are now taking more drugs than their grandparents? More vaccines are being marketed each year. More profit is made. Do we have better health? How are we making out with our rates of cancer? Childhood obesity? Mental and emotional issues? I could go on and on – I think you get the point. We’ve somehow been hoodwinked into thinking that if everyone else is eating and thinking and treating their bodies this way, it must be normal. Common? Yes. Normal? Not in the world of optimal health! Health can’t happen in the face of such an overwhelming onslaught of toxicity.
The toy issue is a battle worth fighting, for sure. It’s just unfathomable to me that many of the same folks who are concerned about the safety of the toys their kids are playing with may be unknowingly causing far more damage with the food they’re serving up for their kids and the drugs they hand out for every sniffle and cough. Now THAT’S newsworthy!
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