my soapbox for today
There are only a few things that I really get on my soapbox about...well, probably more than a few, but I try to choose my battles wisely. The other day we were in a bakery letting Gabriella pick out a cupcake before we headed home (I was getting my caffeine fix, and my wonderful husband never says no to me even when he should) for nap, yep, we bought our 17 month old a cupcake before nap time, parents of the year. Marty suggested that maybe she would like red velvet and I said that I could only imagine how much artificial food dye was in that cupcake. The guy behind the counter looked at me like I was an alien from another planet and was pretty darn rude for the rest of our short visit. I was super annoyed all the way home, poor Marty has to put up with my hormonal pregnant rantings, about the ignorance of people.
Marty started to do a lot of research on vitamins and nutrition when we got married and let me tell you, the man takes more vitamins than anyone I know, but he knows his stuff. When we found out we were having Gabriella we started doing even more research into diet and nutrition and the things we started learning really made us question how we eat. We are really careful what we give Gabriella and what we put in our bodies but we try not to be preachy about it to anyone else. The information is out there for people to educate themselves and we'll be more than happy to share that information but we also won't shove it down your throat. That being said, this is my soapbox...how do people just not know anything about what they put in their bodies?!?! Do they really think because they can buy it in the grocery store it is safe? My mom wrote a paper in the 70's (the 70's people!!!) on the possibility that the presence of food dye in foods could be related to behavioral problems in children (she was cutting edge because it was proven later). Some of these things are banned in Europe and other countries around the world. Yet, here we are America (we're so smart) and we're shoving these things in our mouths like candy...oh wait, cause they are candy! Here is a story that ran last year on Fox News about food that Americans eat. From candy to bread, from fruit to mac and cheese our foods are loaded with artificial dyes; not to mention medicine is normally dyed also. I know, I know...I'm getting a little crazed about this whole issue. But it really steams me (though probably not nearly so much when I'm not pregnant) when people look at us like WE'RE the crazy ones for doing research on things before we give it to our precious child. People (and I admit I am one of them) do research on the best carseat, stroller, sound machine, monitor, (okay, okay, I will steer away from the baby items), computers, coffee makers (this is the best one for regular coffee IMHO), etc, etc...but when it comes to food we really don't think much about it. Or we haven't until now. More and more companies are starting to produce more "dye free" products and bakeries are starting to leave chemicals out of breads and pastries, even using beet juice for red velvet cakes (who would have ever guessed???).
Here is where I will step down and say this: do your research before you look at us like we're a bunch of crunchy granola eating hippies that live on a farm in the middle of nowhere and are lunatics. We certainly are not nearly perfect in what we eat, but we try to make a solid effort to be educated. People care so much about what their bodies look like on the outside, which is great. But what about the inside?? If we're created as temples of the holy Spirit we should make sure we're taking care of the whole picture. And stop looking at me like I'm crazy...even though I know I sound crazy right now...okay, crazy pregnant rant over.
Marty started to do a lot of research on vitamins and nutrition when we got married and let me tell you, the man takes more vitamins than anyone I know, but he knows his stuff. When we found out we were having Gabriella we started doing even more research into diet and nutrition and the things we started learning really made us question how we eat. We are really careful what we give Gabriella and what we put in our bodies but we try not to be preachy about it to anyone else. The information is out there for people to educate themselves and we'll be more than happy to share that information but we also won't shove it down your throat. That being said, this is my soapbox...how do people just not know anything about what they put in their bodies?!?! Do they really think because they can buy it in the grocery store it is safe? My mom wrote a paper in the 70's (the 70's people!!!) on the possibility that the presence of food dye in foods could be related to behavioral problems in children (she was cutting edge because it was proven later). Some of these things are banned in Europe and other countries around the world. Yet, here we are America (we're so smart) and we're shoving these things in our mouths like candy...oh wait, cause they are candy! Here is a story that ran last year on Fox News about food that Americans eat. From candy to bread, from fruit to mac and cheese our foods are loaded with artificial dyes; not to mention medicine is normally dyed also. I know, I know...I'm getting a little crazed about this whole issue. But it really steams me (though probably not nearly so much when I'm not pregnant) when people look at us like WE'RE the crazy ones for doing research on things before we give it to our precious child. People (and I admit I am one of them) do research on the best carseat, stroller, sound machine, monitor, (okay, okay, I will steer away from the baby items), computers, coffee makers (this is the best one for regular coffee IMHO), etc, etc...but when it comes to food we really don't think much about it. Or we haven't until now. More and more companies are starting to produce more "dye free" products and bakeries are starting to leave chemicals out of breads and pastries, even using beet juice for red velvet cakes (who would have ever guessed???).
Here is where I will step down and say this: do your research before you look at us like we're a bunch of crunchy granola eating hippies that live on a farm in the middle of nowhere and are lunatics. We certainly are not nearly perfect in what we eat, but we try to make a solid effort to be educated. People care so much about what their bodies look like on the outside, which is great. But what about the inside?? If we're created as temples of the holy Spirit we should make sure we're taking care of the whole picture. And stop looking at me like I'm crazy...even though I know I sound crazy right now...okay, crazy pregnant rant over.
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