I just realized that when school starts in a few weeks, I will need to wake Soph and E-Man up at 7 a.m. Last year, with only one kid in school, I waited until 7:30. This year, with 3 kids in 3 different schools (AiAi will go to pre-school a couple days per week too -- hallelujah sweet freedom for 6 hours per week!), I'm going to have to be even more on the ball with getting up to work out in the morning.
After a slacker summer of sleeping in, I decided this was the week to convert over to the 5:30 a.m. classes at the gym (as opposed to last school year's schedule of arriving at the gym at 6 a.m.). Monday was weight lifting (bodypump). I love that class! My arms are still sore.
Today, was spinning. When my alarm went off at 5 a.m., my mind and body had a conversation like this:
Body: What you really need right now is a couple more hours of sleep, don't be ridiculous.
Mind: Yes, I totally agree (slipping back into slumber). Wait a minute, last night when you set your alarm clock, you thought a 5:30 a.m. spin class was a good idea, I don't trust you right now.
Then, about 10 minutes into the workout it went something like this:
Body: Are you kidding me? 10 minutes!? Quick, jump off this bike and make a break for the door before you die.
Mind: The only thing stopping me is that would be way too embarrassing.
Toward the end of the workout, the endorphins and loud music started to have a hypnotic effect and it went something like this:
Mind and Body: I am woman hear me roar! Oh yeah. Oh yeah. I babysat/am babysitting every day this week. I put all the kids to bed by myself at the end of the day every day while Photoguy worked the late shift. And, I still came to the 5:30 a.m. spin class. Boo yah!
Back when I was running a lot and I injured my knee, I tried biking -- as in, the real thing. Didn't so much like the feeling that I might be hit by a car at any moment. And, it also felt like a weak workout compared to running, so much coasting and downhill. The good thing about spinning is that there are no cars. And, there is definitely no downhill or coasting.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Which is More Expensive?
Any faithful readers of my blog know that I'm on a journey to better eating.
I was shocked a few years ago when I read about the effects of man-made fertilizers on fruits and veggies. After WWII they became an instant hit because the crops they yielded looked better than ever. However, the nutrients found therein are substantially less. Add to that time spent in warehouses, on trucks, and in the stores with light and time further breaking down the nutrients -- by the time that apple hits your mouth, it's got hardly anything left.
Isn't that discouraging? Even when you are making the effort to eat fresh fruits and veggies, your actions could be (almost) in vain. I mean surely, it's still be better for you than say, potato chips. But, not nearly as good as you thought.
Here is a story: Before we moved to China, I began having unpleasant digestive problems. I tried eating Activia (yogurt) after seeing a commercial, and, it helped. But, I had to eat it every single day. While living in China, my digestive problems cleared up. I wondered why, until I was talking to a sister-in-law who is really into pro-biotics. She told me a study showed that bugs crawling on fruits and veggies actually puts good bacteria onto them. Now, with all the pesticides (plus, processed everything, plus, antibiotic overuse), our bodies are in sad need of good bacteria. Hence, pro-biotics rise in popularity. Hence, the reason my digestive problems were cleared up by yogurt and later by fresh produce grown the old fashioned way.
The dilemma. I love this harvest time of year when we can pluck from our gardens and load up at the Farmer's Market. (Update: Our garden is growing and I'm crossing my fingers). But, what can I do for the other 9-months of the year?
The nearest health food store and year-round local produce stand are neither near or convenient.
Aside from produce, I'm also disappointed in all the sugar and junk added to healthy things like yogurt (I like the yogurt from my yogurt maker. Photoguy and the kids still prefer store-bought). And, I recently learned about the amazing differences between corn-fed beef versus grass-fed.
In comes Winder Dairy. I've never been interested in them because their milk is $6 PER GALLON!!! Are you kidding me? I'm very happy with my Johnny's Dairy milk (from a local dairy) for $3 per gallon. I have heard stories from at least two personal friends of milk allergies going away when they switched to Winder Dairy. But, we have no milk allergies and we also drink A GALLON OF MILK EVERY DAY around here.
Then, I found out about their fresh, organic produce, vegetarian beef and Stoneyfield Farm yogurt. The next thing I knew, I was signing up for weekly deliveries.
Now the problem. The $3 per delivery is not bad at all. The equivalent to one trip to the grocery store. Even less than a trip to the health food store or the year-round farmer's market would cost. But, the food is expensive.
I was so excited to find vegetarian-fed beef. Ummm . . . steaks for our family would be near $50 for one meal -- choke, choke.
Disappointment #2 -- the produce is not too bad. A little bit more than the supermarket but definitely less than the health food store. Guaranteed to be fresh. But, I was under the impression it would mostly be local. My first box of "in season" produce was 100% not local. Hello? The zucchini are from Mexico. I thought they were coming to me straight from a local farm and I felt really good about supporting that. Apparently, I was wrong.
Today, I tried one of their handmade fresh chili verde burritos. It was delish, and HUGE (definitely 2 meals), but, I was feeling really bad about the fact that it cost $4.50 -- FOR ONE BURRITO! I was thinking of all the burritos I could make from dried beans and homemade tortillas. Then, I called Photoguy just as he was ordering a carne asada burrito from Beto's. Turns out that costs $4 too. And, this burrito was superior to the Beto's (in quality) and to plain homemade burritos (in flavor). Not to mention it took me 0 hours and 0 minutes to pick up the ingredients and prepare it. Plus, I did not feel obligated to keep eating leftover burritos for an entire week until no one in the family ever wanted to see a burrito again.
Logic tells me this is a good thing. Still, it's hard to justify. I also ask myself, "Which is more expensive, healthy food now? Or, diabetes meds and open heart surgery later?"
How can you put a price on good health? Has anyone else found something that works for them?
I was shocked a few years ago when I read about the effects of man-made fertilizers on fruits and veggies. After WWII they became an instant hit because the crops they yielded looked better than ever. However, the nutrients found therein are substantially less. Add to that time spent in warehouses, on trucks, and in the stores with light and time further breaking down the nutrients -- by the time that apple hits your mouth, it's got hardly anything left.
Isn't that discouraging? Even when you are making the effort to eat fresh fruits and veggies, your actions could be (almost) in vain. I mean surely, it's still be better for you than say, potato chips. But, not nearly as good as you thought.
Here is a story: Before we moved to China, I began having unpleasant digestive problems. I tried eating Activia (yogurt) after seeing a commercial, and, it helped. But, I had to eat it every single day. While living in China, my digestive problems cleared up. I wondered why, until I was talking to a sister-in-law who is really into pro-biotics. She told me a study showed that bugs crawling on fruits and veggies actually puts good bacteria onto them. Now, with all the pesticides (plus, processed everything, plus, antibiotic overuse), our bodies are in sad need of good bacteria. Hence, pro-biotics rise in popularity. Hence, the reason my digestive problems were cleared up by yogurt and later by fresh produce grown the old fashioned way.
The dilemma. I love this harvest time of year when we can pluck from our gardens and load up at the Farmer's Market. (Update: Our garden is growing and I'm crossing my fingers). But, what can I do for the other 9-months of the year?
The nearest health food store and year-round local produce stand are neither near or convenient.
Aside from produce, I'm also disappointed in all the sugar and junk added to healthy things like yogurt (I like the yogurt from my yogurt maker. Photoguy and the kids still prefer store-bought). And, I recently learned about the amazing differences between corn-fed beef versus grass-fed.
In comes Winder Dairy. I've never been interested in them because their milk is $6 PER GALLON!!! Are you kidding me? I'm very happy with my Johnny's Dairy milk (from a local dairy) for $3 per gallon. I have heard stories from at least two personal friends of milk allergies going away when they switched to Winder Dairy. But, we have no milk allergies and we also drink A GALLON OF MILK EVERY DAY around here.
Then, I found out about their fresh, organic produce, vegetarian beef and Stoneyfield Farm yogurt. The next thing I knew, I was signing up for weekly deliveries.
Now the problem. The $3 per delivery is not bad at all. The equivalent to one trip to the grocery store. Even less than a trip to the health food store or the year-round farmer's market would cost. But, the food is expensive.
I was so excited to find vegetarian-fed beef. Ummm . . . steaks for our family would be near $50 for one meal -- choke, choke.
Disappointment #2 -- the produce is not too bad. A little bit more than the supermarket but definitely less than the health food store. Guaranteed to be fresh. But, I was under the impression it would mostly be local. My first box of "in season" produce was 100% not local. Hello? The zucchini are from Mexico. I thought they were coming to me straight from a local farm and I felt really good about supporting that. Apparently, I was wrong.
Today, I tried one of their handmade fresh chili verde burritos. It was delish, and HUGE (definitely 2 meals), but, I was feeling really bad about the fact that it cost $4.50 -- FOR ONE BURRITO! I was thinking of all the burritos I could make from dried beans and homemade tortillas. Then, I called Photoguy just as he was ordering a carne asada burrito from Beto's. Turns out that costs $4 too. And, this burrito was superior to the Beto's (in quality) and to plain homemade burritos (in flavor). Not to mention it took me 0 hours and 0 minutes to pick up the ingredients and prepare it. Plus, I did not feel obligated to keep eating leftover burritos for an entire week until no one in the family ever wanted to see a burrito again.
Logic tells me this is a good thing. Still, it's hard to justify. I also ask myself, "Which is more expensive, healthy food now? Or, diabetes meds and open heart surgery later?"
How can you put a price on good health? Has anyone else found something that works for them?
All Day Kindergarten
One year before Soph (my oldest) started Kindergarten, I started feeling sad and nervous about sending my precious bundle of innocence out into the big bad world. I spoke to many homeschooling moms, listened to CD's, read books and seriously weighed the option of homeschool. Which, by the way, I still really like for many reasons.
I also had lengthy conversations with friends who had already crossed the bridge of sending kids to school. The majority of my friends do not homeschool, and I was kind of surprised to find out that the majority of my friends don't think homeschool is a good option. I digress.
What really bothered me, however, was the idea of mandatory all-day Kindergarten. I did not begrudge parents who put their kids in all-day Kindergarten, but I was sure that was not an option I would consider. "No, I would rather homeschool my 5-year-old than send them to all-day Kindergarten," I declared. I believe I even went so far as to call mandatory all-day Kindergarten "the Communist way." You know, because in Communist countries the women are all "liberated" to work outside the home, which turns into mandatory, free, government-run pre-schools, starting when kids are 2 or 3-years-old. Pre-school that lasts from 7 a.m.-5 p.m. every day, for all kids, so that the parents are no longer the primary influence in their children's lives. That is the way I viewed mandatory all-day Kindergarten.
In fact, I was not sad about the fact that our move to China meant that Soph would be homeschooled for her Kindergarten year. I really enjoyed having that extra time with her even though my life in China was devoid of any resources, curriculum or social interaction. Somehow we were still able to enroll her in Kindergarten when we came back to Utah in February and she tested into an accelerated program 6-weeks later, so, I guess there really must be something to reading to your kids and playing with them after all.
I must admit, that I am warming up to public school. Soph has absolutely loved it. She is a social butterfly. And, I feel grateful that with all I do have to do (teach her moral values, religion, manners, how to be a hard-worker, how to play nice, good hygiene, etc., etc., etc.) that I don't also have to teach her what a noun is, all the properties of water, and, long division. It's kind of nice to let someone else take care of some things they have to learn in life.
The irony is that, sometime during the last year, I came to the conclusion that E-Man should go to all-day Kindergarten. I know, I know! Who am I? It's partly because he's one of the oldest (November birthday), partly because he's smart and seems to thrive on lots of intellectual stimulation, partly because he needs the extra social interaction (he's very slow to warm to new situations), and, because he gets downright bored when Soph is gone all day. He's always had a sibling close to his own age around, until last year.
I thought long and hard about this decision, and it just feels like the right thing for him.
On the other hand, AiAi is an August birthday. So, in two more years I have to decide whether to send him to school one week after he turns five, or to wait another year and send him one week after he turns six. Most would say, "Wait until he's six." I honestly think that if E-Man had been born in August, I would have probably sent him when he was five. I'm 99% sure I'll wait until AiAi is six. Then, I'll probably ease him into half-day Kindergarten (will he ever be able to sit still for an entire day?). Just another lesson learned on the journey of parenthood -- all kids are different and need different things. Sometimes, even all-day Kindergarten.
It turned out to be easy to get E-Man into all-day. In the past, our school offered two half-day classes and one full-day class ("As it should be!" I would have said). This year they decided to offer two full-day classes and one half-day class. I figured the one half-day class would be bursting at the seams. Guess what? Both all-day classes are full. There are only 14 kids in the half-day. I guess it won't be a problem to switch if I change my mind!
I also had lengthy conversations with friends who had already crossed the bridge of sending kids to school. The majority of my friends do not homeschool, and I was kind of surprised to find out that the majority of my friends don't think homeschool is a good option. I digress.
What really bothered me, however, was the idea of mandatory all-day Kindergarten. I did not begrudge parents who put their kids in all-day Kindergarten, but I was sure that was not an option I would consider. "No, I would rather homeschool my 5-year-old than send them to all-day Kindergarten," I declared. I believe I even went so far as to call mandatory all-day Kindergarten "the Communist way." You know, because in Communist countries the women are all "liberated" to work outside the home, which turns into mandatory, free, government-run pre-schools, starting when kids are 2 or 3-years-old. Pre-school that lasts from 7 a.m.-5 p.m. every day, for all kids, so that the parents are no longer the primary influence in their children's lives. That is the way I viewed mandatory all-day Kindergarten.
In fact, I was not sad about the fact that our move to China meant that Soph would be homeschooled for her Kindergarten year. I really enjoyed having that extra time with her even though my life in China was devoid of any resources, curriculum or social interaction. Somehow we were still able to enroll her in Kindergarten when we came back to Utah in February and she tested into an accelerated program 6-weeks later, so, I guess there really must be something to reading to your kids and playing with them after all.
I must admit, that I am warming up to public school. Soph has absolutely loved it. She is a social butterfly. And, I feel grateful that with all I do have to do (teach her moral values, religion, manners, how to be a hard-worker, how to play nice, good hygiene, etc., etc., etc.) that I don't also have to teach her what a noun is, all the properties of water, and, long division. It's kind of nice to let someone else take care of some things they have to learn in life.
The irony is that, sometime during the last year, I came to the conclusion that E-Man should go to all-day Kindergarten. I know, I know! Who am I? It's partly because he's one of the oldest (November birthday), partly because he's smart and seems to thrive on lots of intellectual stimulation, partly because he needs the extra social interaction (he's very slow to warm to new situations), and, because he gets downright bored when Soph is gone all day. He's always had a sibling close to his own age around, until last year.
I thought long and hard about this decision, and it just feels like the right thing for him.
On the other hand, AiAi is an August birthday. So, in two more years I have to decide whether to send him to school one week after he turns five, or to wait another year and send him one week after he turns six. Most would say, "Wait until he's six." I honestly think that if E-Man had been born in August, I would have probably sent him when he was five. I'm 99% sure I'll wait until AiAi is six. Then, I'll probably ease him into half-day Kindergarten (will he ever be able to sit still for an entire day?). Just another lesson learned on the journey of parenthood -- all kids are different and need different things. Sometimes, even all-day Kindergarten.
It turned out to be easy to get E-Man into all-day. In the past, our school offered two half-day classes and one full-day class ("As it should be!" I would have said). This year they decided to offer two full-day classes and one half-day class. I figured the one half-day class would be bursting at the seams. Guess what? Both all-day classes are full. There are only 14 kids in the half-day. I guess it won't be a problem to switch if I change my mind!
Friday, July 25, 2008
Dancing With the World
My bro-in-law just posted a link to this cool video clip of a guy dancing in 42 different countries. I don't know why, but it made me feel really happy to watch it. Maybe because I was thinking about how much more we are all alike than different. Maybe I wish there were more people dancing together than fighting wars. Or, maybe because I'm dancing with people all around the world in my "pretend life." In my real life, I'm getting ready to clean the house . . . again. I am filled with awe for the beauty of this diverse world. Check it out here if you want. But, make sure you have 4 1/2 minutes to watch it first.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Eleventh and Still Counting
Photoguy finished the Deseret Morning News Marathon in Salt Lake City -- his 11th Marathon -- this morning. Who runs marathons in July? I guess all those crazy people who ran one today do.
At least it started at 5:30 a.m. to (mostly) beat the heat. Photoguy has been working non-stop this week, busy with many photo assignments (including freelance gigs with UTA and the NY Times) and working on two remodel projects for friends. We hadn't even seen him since Tuesday (literally hadn't seen him, he's been staying in Salt Lake), then, he came home around lunchtime walking funny, took a bath with three bags of ice (I think I'd rather run a marathon in July than do that), and commenced putting together an awesome slide show for the Deseret News website. Yes, he carried a camera and voice recorder the whole 26.2 miles -- again.
Right after he ran Boston, I said, "Do you think you could take some time off from running marathons?" It is quite the time commitment to train for and run these things all the time. The answer was a resounding "no." Which, I can respect. I'd rather that he run marathons than stop running altogether. I'm just working on keeping him out of the ultra-marathon arena (50 and 100 mile races). Then, he would have to run all day on Saturdays instead of just half the day to train.
So, instead of slowing down on marathons, he signed up for the Grand Slam, meaning he will complete four Utah marathons by October. And, I don't want anyone to misunderstand the fact that I am proud of him. I'm very proud and I think he's amazing and inspirational and all that with a bag of chips on the side. I know he works very hard to achieve this. And, it's so great to be married to a celebrity like a Boston Marathoner.
Give it up for Photoguy the awesome eleven-time marathoner!
At least it started at 5:30 a.m. to (mostly) beat the heat. Photoguy has been working non-stop this week, busy with many photo assignments (including freelance gigs with UTA and the NY Times) and working on two remodel projects for friends. We hadn't even seen him since Tuesday (literally hadn't seen him, he's been staying in Salt Lake), then, he came home around lunchtime walking funny, took a bath with three bags of ice (I think I'd rather run a marathon in July than do that), and commenced putting together an awesome slide show for the Deseret News website. Yes, he carried a camera and voice recorder the whole 26.2 miles -- again.
Right after he ran Boston, I said, "Do you think you could take some time off from running marathons?" It is quite the time commitment to train for and run these things all the time. The answer was a resounding "no." Which, I can respect. I'd rather that he run marathons than stop running altogether. I'm just working on keeping him out of the ultra-marathon arena (50 and 100 mile races). Then, he would have to run all day on Saturdays instead of just half the day to train.
So, instead of slowing down on marathons, he signed up for the Grand Slam, meaning he will complete four Utah marathons by October. And, I don't want anyone to misunderstand the fact that I am proud of him. I'm very proud and I think he's amazing and inspirational and all that with a bag of chips on the side. I know he works very hard to achieve this. And, it's so great to be married to a celebrity like a Boston Marathoner.
Give it up for Photoguy the awesome eleven-time marathoner!
Our House Sold
No, not the one we are trying to sell . . . the one we were trying to buy. Goodbye adorable bungalow.
The sad part: Truly it was the perfect house for us. At least, the layout was the perfect flow for our lives. Our favorite part -- the sunroom (outfitted with custom plantation shutters might I add) behind the kitchen overlooking the backyard that we would have used as our office. Our other favorite part -- everything was done! Everything, down to the tiniest detail was remodeled with the greatest of care (this we know for sure since Photoguy was heavily involved in a lot of the remodel work). The kitchen was amazing. The wordwork . . . sigh . . . had never been painted. The fireplace surrounded by gorgeous built-ins . . . the deep red and soft yellow kitchen with all brand new stainless steel appliances . . . yes, we loved this house. And, the price was right too.
The not-so-sad part: With that said about it being our perfect house, I have to add that it was not perfect in every way. The location was not ideal (part of the reason why the price was so right). It was only five doors up from Harrison Blvd. -- quite a busy street. I was having nightmares about one of our kids running out into traffic. And, this gorgeous bungalow just happens to be on a block surrounded by rentals, rentals that often house unappealing neighbors from what I understand. Also, no garage, at all. That would have been a huge adjustment since our current house has a two-car double deep garage. And, it's on a corner lot with not so great of a backyard. As you can see, as long as we never left the inside of the house (or, the fabulous front porch), it was the perfect house.
In the end, everything is as it should be. The buyer, a 50-something single lady-artist, is the perfect fit. Childless, she doesn't have any of the kid issues we were worried about (yard, neighbors, busy street). Single, she will have ample storage space without the garage. And, I guess her artwork is in the exact same hues the interior of the house is painted in -- the perfect backdrop.
In reality, though we absolutely loved this home, it will be better cared for by the gal who bought it. Let's face it, little kids tear things up whether we like to admit it or not. And, our friends (the sellers) took us to one of our most favorite restaurants of all time -- Taggart's Grill -- and, even ordered extra rounds of their famous fabulous desserts to ease the blow. In the end, all is well. Now, the question -- to sell or not to sell? We only put our house up for sale to buy this home. The market is pretty yucky right now for selling (on the flip side, pretty awesome for buying). Our home is already up for sale and we've been talking about selling it for six years now. Do we keep it on the market or take it off?
The sad part: Truly it was the perfect house for us. At least, the layout was the perfect flow for our lives. Our favorite part -- the sunroom (outfitted with custom plantation shutters might I add) behind the kitchen overlooking the backyard that we would have used as our office. Our other favorite part -- everything was done! Everything, down to the tiniest detail was remodeled with the greatest of care (this we know for sure since Photoguy was heavily involved in a lot of the remodel work). The kitchen was amazing. The wordwork . . . sigh . . . had never been painted. The fireplace surrounded by gorgeous built-ins . . . the deep red and soft yellow kitchen with all brand new stainless steel appliances . . . yes, we loved this house. And, the price was right too.
The not-so-sad part: With that said about it being our perfect house, I have to add that it was not perfect in every way. The location was not ideal (part of the reason why the price was so right). It was only five doors up from Harrison Blvd. -- quite a busy street. I was having nightmares about one of our kids running out into traffic. And, this gorgeous bungalow just happens to be on a block surrounded by rentals, rentals that often house unappealing neighbors from what I understand. Also, no garage, at all. That would have been a huge adjustment since our current house has a two-car double deep garage. And, it's on a corner lot with not so great of a backyard. As you can see, as long as we never left the inside of the house (or, the fabulous front porch), it was the perfect house.
In the end, everything is as it should be. The buyer, a 50-something single lady-artist, is the perfect fit. Childless, she doesn't have any of the kid issues we were worried about (yard, neighbors, busy street). Single, she will have ample storage space without the garage. And, I guess her artwork is in the exact same hues the interior of the house is painted in -- the perfect backdrop.
In reality, though we absolutely loved this home, it will be better cared for by the gal who bought it. Let's face it, little kids tear things up whether we like to admit it or not. And, our friends (the sellers) took us to one of our most favorite restaurants of all time -- Taggart's Grill -- and, even ordered extra rounds of their famous fabulous desserts to ease the blow. In the end, all is well. Now, the question -- to sell or not to sell? We only put our house up for sale to buy this home. The market is pretty yucky right now for selling (on the flip side, pretty awesome for buying). Our home is already up for sale and we've been talking about selling it for six years now. Do we keep it on the market or take it off?
Why do we Gotta be so Colorful?
I've been making a serious effort to remove dye from my family's diet. Originally, I wanted to remove four things -- artificial colors, artificial sweeteners, artificial flavors and preservatives. It soon became apparent that removing preservatives is next to impossible. Unless, of course, I'm going to raise all of my own food myself. Even fruits and veggies are sprayed with preservatives. I could see I was fighting a losing battle.
And, so it went for weeks and months as I read label after label, trying to increase our health. In the end, I decided to start by removing dye. Lots of kids have dye allergies (red is the worst), and their reaction is hyperactivity and ADHD symptoms. I'm a little worried about hyperactivity with my 3rd child and I feel like the world would probably just be a better place if we didn't consume dye in the first place. I have been utterly amazed at how many things contain dye now that I'm paying attention.
Did you know that kid vitamins contain dye? I found some equally colorful vitamins, but, without artificial colors, at the health food store.
I use to consider Ovaltine in warm milk to be a healthy drink for the kids. I mean they advertise having all those vitamins and stuff. Did you know Ovaltine contains dye? For the longest time, I could not understand this until someone pointed out to me that it makes the milk darker brown without them having to use so much of the real deal cocoa.
I've always considered Creamies to be a healthy summertime snack for the kids. They are made with skim milk and are only 100 calories per serving. They are so delicious and, well, so creamy. Did you know they contain dye? Bummer.
My kids have always loved snow cones and otter pops in the summer. I usually keep the freezer stocked with the otter pops that are part fruit juice. But, of course, those are obvious offenders when it comes to dye.
This year, we've been eating go-gurt simple (I keep them in the freezer). They are fun colors too, but, because of natural ingredients like beet juice. I've also been buying Sun Drops, that are like M&M's except without the dye (and they cost an arm and a leg). They are also colored naturally. Why can't more companies use natural colors? Is it really so hard?
Really, my first question is, why does our food have to be so blasted colorful in the first place? Does everything really need to be so darn vibrant? I mean, aren't we suppose to be eating a rainbow of fruits and vegetables? Can't that alone satisfy our need for brilliant, vivid food? Does every candy and snack food have to be chock full of artificial coloring? And, it's not just junk food. Cheese, for example. Why does it have to be dyed orange?
So, I'm doing my best to get rid of dye. But, it seems like it creeps in in one way or another several times per week unless I just turn into some sort of health-food-nazi/social outcast. "Don't give my kids any Skittles! No, he can't have ice-cream. Of course we don't drink any sodas or fruit punch or lemonade -- not even at social gatherings where that is the only drink available. How dare you offer my kid a sucker at a parade!" Yeah, I just don't want to be that person. Yet, it seems like I am constantly justifying dyed food for one reason or another. It's so annoying.
And, so it went for weeks and months as I read label after label, trying to increase our health. In the end, I decided to start by removing dye. Lots of kids have dye allergies (red is the worst), and their reaction is hyperactivity and ADHD symptoms. I'm a little worried about hyperactivity with my 3rd child and I feel like the world would probably just be a better place if we didn't consume dye in the first place. I have been utterly amazed at how many things contain dye now that I'm paying attention.
Did you know that kid vitamins contain dye? I found some equally colorful vitamins, but, without artificial colors, at the health food store.
I use to consider Ovaltine in warm milk to be a healthy drink for the kids. I mean they advertise having all those vitamins and stuff. Did you know Ovaltine contains dye? For the longest time, I could not understand this until someone pointed out to me that it makes the milk darker brown without them having to use so much of the real deal cocoa.
I've always considered Creamies to be a healthy summertime snack for the kids. They are made with skim milk and are only 100 calories per serving. They are so delicious and, well, so creamy. Did you know they contain dye? Bummer.
My kids have always loved snow cones and otter pops in the summer. I usually keep the freezer stocked with the otter pops that are part fruit juice. But, of course, those are obvious offenders when it comes to dye.
This year, we've been eating go-gurt simple (I keep them in the freezer). They are fun colors too, but, because of natural ingredients like beet juice. I've also been buying Sun Drops, that are like M&M's except without the dye (and they cost an arm and a leg). They are also colored naturally. Why can't more companies use natural colors? Is it really so hard?
Really, my first question is, why does our food have to be so blasted colorful in the first place? Does everything really need to be so darn vibrant? I mean, aren't we suppose to be eating a rainbow of fruits and vegetables? Can't that alone satisfy our need for brilliant, vivid food? Does every candy and snack food have to be chock full of artificial coloring? And, it's not just junk food. Cheese, for example. Why does it have to be dyed orange?
So, I'm doing my best to get rid of dye. But, it seems like it creeps in in one way or another several times per week unless I just turn into some sort of health-food-nazi/social outcast. "Don't give my kids any Skittles! No, he can't have ice-cream. Of course we don't drink any sodas or fruit punch or lemonade -- not even at social gatherings where that is the only drink available. How dare you offer my kid a sucker at a parade!" Yeah, I just don't want to be that person. Yet, it seems like I am constantly justifying dyed food for one reason or another. It's so annoying.
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