Send The Kids Packing

Every Fall when the yellow and black school bus pulls up to our driveway for the very first time, our bus driver remarks that he gets the warmest, most joyful greetings from the parents, not the kids. Not to say I did not have a blast this summer with my kids, but I would be telling stories if I did not admit I happen to be one of the widely grinning parents. While the summer brings with it freedom, fun, unexpected surprises, and long, sunny days, by the end of it I begin to crave the routine school days bring.

With school starting in just a couple of days, I been running around (of course, last minute) to fill my kids backpacks with school supplies and each year while I do this I also try to replenish the healthy lunch box staples I like to have on hand. Here are just a few of the classics:

Honest Kids Thirst Quenchers Pouches - Unlike other fruit juice pouches that are loaded with unhealthy sweeteners, too much sugar and artificial colors and flavors, I’ve found these great-tasting all-natural fruit-drink pouches my kids really love. Not only are they USDA Organic, made with no high fructose corn syrup and contain half of the sugar of most portable drinks (10g sugar) on the market you can also buy them at Target! While priced slightly higher than other portable drinks, I try to load up when I catch them on sale and even when they are not I feel the cost difference is nominal compared to the piece of mind I get knowing I'm not loading my kids up on empty calories. Honest Kids Thirst Quenchers comes in three flavors (that I’ve found), Tropical Tango Punch, Goodness Grapeness and my kids personal favorite, Berry, Berry Good Lemonade. Another feel good benefit, Honest Kids has partnered with Terracycle to teach kids the importance of caring for our planet. With the help of Terracycle, Honest Kids will donate $.02 per pouch to the school or organization of your choice, and they will recycle the used pouches to create fashionable accessories like bags and other school supplies. Go to www.terracycle.net/dpb to sign up.


Annie's Cheddar Bunnies - While I’ve been using Annie’s Macaroni & Cheese for quite some time, I’ve just recently discovered these great-tasting, wholesome bunny-shaped crackers. While they deliver the same kid-friendly appeal as those extremely popular goldfish shaped crackers, these cute little bunnies are not swimming in the same unhealthy waters. Unlike the other brand, Annie’s Cheddar bunnies contain no hydrogenated oils, no added sugar and are made with organic cheddar cheese and organic flour. Like Honest Kids, these crackers don’t need to be purchased at a specialty store – I found these at Target (on-sale) too. They also come in wheat and graham crackers as well as in portable pouches.

FruitaBu Organic Smooshed Fruit - If your kids consider fruit snacks a lunchbox staple like mine, you might like me tirelessly pore over the nutritional labels of every bright colored, character-ridden box of fruit snacks and fruit roll-ups in the hopes of finding just one box that does not contain tons of sugar, high fructose corn syrup and artificial flavors and colors (do you know a fruit that is naturally neon green?) as well as other unnatural ingredients. While Fruitabu has made fruit leathers for sometime, what makes Fruitabu Fruit Twirl so fun and unique is that it is a long, thin strip of dried fruit puree pressed onto a piece of waxed paper and all rolled up in a portable package – similar in design to many of the popular, sugar-laden brands kids are consistently clamoring for. However, unlike those brands, Fruitabu is made with organic fruit purees and organic fruit juices, with no added sugar or artificial anything. Also, it is considered one serving of real fruit at only 80 calories a serving. Fruitabu Fruit Twirl is available at most supermarkets and once again, Target. It comes in many flavors, including Strawberry, Raspberry, Apple, Grape and Apricot.

Another tip, here is a really cool, environmental-friendly website for reusable lunch boxes and stainless steel water-bottles. You really need to check out the “Laptop Lunch Box.” It looks like a bento-box with five containers that fit like a puzzle into a larger box. Works great for filling your kids lunch with all kinds of healthy and affordable stuff -- fruits, veggies, cubed cheese, crackers,etc., while keeping them all contained nice and neat. This box would work great for toddlers on the go to. http://www.reusablebags.com

For more thoughtful and nutritional lunch box ideas go to one of my favorites – www.ilunchbox.com.

Ugh, Is She Really Going To Talk To Me About High Fructose Corn Syrup?

Sorry, but I am. The way I look at it is if I'm going to spend a lot of time sharing with you why I don’t buy certain food products because they contain high fructose corn syrup, I probably should start with what I’ve learned about this stuff and why I’ve chosen to limit my family’s consumption to it.

Anyway, here goes -- I'll try to make it as short and “sweet” as possible…

Let me start by saying, I am by absolutely no means a food scientist or certified nutritionist. Quite frankly, I’m lucky to have passed high school chemistry. With that said, I am a concerned mother who has with the help of tons of magazines, newspapers and websites tried to educate myself about all sorts of nutrition topics and have calculated the pros and cons of much of what I’ve learned in order to make better choices for my family.

In recent years the debate about the possible health risks of high fructose corn syrup has gotten pretty sticky – forgive the pun. Nutritional researchers are somewhat divided about the depths of these risks, however, one thing they seem to all agree on is that high fructose corn syrup plays a role in the nation’s growing rate of obesity. Not to mention, HFCS has been linked to heart disease, diabetes, accelerated aging and it raises blood levels of cholesterol and a type of fat know as triglyceride.

While, or course, we all know and have been told time and time again that we should limit the amount of sugar in our diets in order to manage weight gain, I feel the opinions on high fructose corn syrup are scary enough to warrant special attention and concern. More food producers than ever are using high fructose corn syrup in their products today (read ahead a couple of paragraphs and you’ll see what I’m talking about). High fructose corn syrup is a cheap commercially refined sweetener that provides many prepackaged products with a longer shelf live and is easier to work with then sugar (among other money-making manufacturing positives). Unfortunately for consumers who are loading up on more and more processed foods than ever before, they are also likely loading up on HFSC and the empty calories they travel with. It is theorized that unlike traditional cane sugar, our bodies process high fructose corn syrup differently. It is speculated that HFSC “alters the way metabolic-regulating hormones function and it forces the liver to kick more fat out into the bloodstream.” In translation, what we’re left with is tricking our bodies to eat more because we don’t feel full and have increased appetite while simultaneously storing more fat.

While most people know that high fructose corn syrup is found in soda it is also lurking in many, many more products that you might never even consider – like yogurt, breakfast cereal, juice/chocolate drinks, soup, jelly, ketchup, bread, cookies, snack crackers, diet foods, ice cream, other frozen foods – truly, I’m just scratching the surface here. Although I’ve never actually checked, I have a strong suspicion you would find HFSC in almost every aisle of the supermarket. Here is where the real concern comes in. HFSC is found in so many of the foods we consume today yet we don’t even have a clue its there and when our bodies absorb too much of this stuff is when we can really get into trouble.

Don’t believe me, prove it to yourself. As a not so fun but educating exercise, open up your pantries, cabinets, refrigerators and freezers. Grab the first package that catches your eye and read the nutritional label and then keep going. How many times do you find the words “High Fructose Corn Syrup” among the products in your home? I’d love to hear your results.

Don't get me wrong, this stuff appears in so many of our food products today that unless you have limitless funds to buy strictly organic or can grow everything you and your family eat right in your backyard, it is tough to avoid HFSC completely. But with all the growing concern around this sticky, icky stuff, read your labels and like me, whenever possible try to replace these products with something that might help you sleep better at night.

Remember, we're just trying to lead better, healthier life -- none of us are stretching for perfection, right?

Hoping You'll Join Me On My Quest

I’ve been a label reader most of my adult life, but prior to having children I mostly read nutritional labels to find out calorie and fat information – you know the drill, “exactly how many Snackwell’s can I consume before I should have grabbed the Oreo’s instead (which of course would of probably have tasted much better, anyway)?” Back then I didn’t really care about the ingredients in the box as much as I did about whether or not these products met the demands of my low calorie, low fat lifestyle. When I think about the amount of time and energy (don’t misunderstand, the sugar spike from the cookies did give some temporary relief) I put into worrying about fat grams, while I was filling my body with ingredients that require a degree in food science to decipher, I wish I could turn back time.

Anyway, my life changed (whose doesn’t) when I had my first child. As I’m sure most of you who are reading this can attest, child safety is of paramount concern, especially with your first born –- Is the car seat properly installed? Are the slats in the crib the appropriate distance apart? How about the cord on the blinds? Did I disinfect the baby bottles long enough?... At this point in time, I’d averaged a couple of hours of sleep a night and foods hadn’t even entered the picture yet! Boy was I in trouble!

Introducing my son to food was a big deal for someone clearly as neurotic as I am. While I would have loved to have mashed and pureed my own healthy concoctions for my hungry-eyed baby boy, keeping up with breastfeeding was challenging enough and I knew it best to leave the food up to the professionals. It was at this point in time that I started taking nutritional labels much more seriously. Did it have added sugar? What types of preservatives did they use? Could this product be purchased organically? – were just a few questions I started asking. Even though those days and very long nights are now just a memory and my kids are 10 and 7, I find it more important than ever to know what I’m putting in their bellies. As a result of all of our harried, responsibility-filled lives, there seems to be an increased dependence on prepackaged food in our country. Unfortunately, many of these products are filled with all kinds of artificial ingredients and additives, not to mention high in sugar, sodium and have hydrogenated oils and high fructose corn syrup. I think it is essential to know what we’re buying and how the ingredients in these products will either positively or negatively affect a child’s overall health and physical well being. And while this might seem like a formidable task to the untrained eye, with so many product choices available right in the grocery store, with a little detective work you can buy (often on sale) the best possible choice(s) in almost every food category.

I hope that with my blog I can be your label detective and share with other (less-neurotic) moms, all I’ve discovered by being a label reader and the family food shopper. I will share with you some of the products I have found, not to mention any new ones I stumble across when I make my weekly trip to the grocery store. I also hope to share with you several examples of quick, easy and child-friendly homemade substitutions for some of the prepackaged products you might normally buy. I will try to sprinkle a little nutritional information along the way and together we can build stronger, healthier children! Until then I’m on my way to the store!