My son began PreK at the public school system in which I work. Before the first day of school, I already knew that I would be sending his lunch daily due to our choice to limit his exposure to grains, dyes and sugar. Breakfast is offered free, so I looked over the monthly menu. Well, it took about 10 seconds for the next decision; breakfast would be on us as well. The choices were basically chicken biscuit or Trix cereal. Ummm, no thank you. Even with the stamp "Smart Choice" on Trix, Cocoa Pebbles, etc. I decline the freebie. It wouldn't cost me a dime, but it would cost a bit of my child's health, behavior, and ability to focus at school. So, my little buddy totes two lunch bags to school. Dork. Healthy, well-behaved, focused dork. Good trade off in my book.
See, I've witnessed the aftermath of allowing him to eat the Standard American Diet. I'm not being snotty, but I am a food snob because what you eat matters. Little Dude eats Fruity Loopies, Little Dude has emotional breakdowns. Little Dude drinks Kool Aid, Little Dude is as ADHD as they come. If he has extra sugar beyond his normal allowance, he's worse than a crack head looking for his next hit. He begins craving it. Begging for it. It takes a day or two of reminding him we limit for our health, not because I enjoy saying no. He's not the same kid when eating lots of highly processed food. "Healthy Stamp" or not. I don't need a big, corporate funded campaign telling me that its fine to feed him tablespoons of sugar just because it surrounded by whole grains. Oh, how I loathe the term whole grains now. Marketing genius.
Do you think that maybe the diet we are providing our kids affects their behavior, academic success, and general health indicators? In my opinion, yes. I walk through the school cafeteria and look at my students' lunches. The school provided lunches now look to be making more of an effort to be "healthy" by general standards. But I've got beef with the Food Guide Pyramid or My Plate in case you haven't noticed. LOL. The home prepared lunches are the show stopper though. Your average kid has a processed ham sandwich on white wheat bread, chips, fruity gummies, desert, and juice box that's about 25% actual juice.
Let's break it down:
Ham
Bread
UNBLEACHED ENRICHED FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, MALTED BARLEY FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMIN MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN, FOLIC ACID), WATER, SUGAR, FIBER (MAY CONTAIN SOY, OAT, COTTONSEED, AND/OR CELLULOSE), WHEAT GLUTEN, YEAST, CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF EACH OF THE FOLLOWING: CALCIUM SULFATE, SOY FLOUR, SALT, CALCIUM CARBONATE, SOYBEAN OIL, CULTURED WHEAT FLOUR, DOUGH CONDITIONERS (CONTAINS ONE OR MORE OF THE FOLLOWING: SODIUM STEAROYL LACTYLATE, CALCIUM STEAROYL LACTYLATE, MONOGLYCERIDES, MONO- AND DIGLYCERIDES, CALCIUM PEROXIDE, CALCIUM IODATE, DATEM, ETHOXYLATED MONO- AND DIGLYCERIDES, AZODICARBONAMIDE, ENZYMES, ASCORBIC ACID), VINEGAR, GUAR GUM, CITRIC ACID, AMMONIUM SULFATE, MONOCALCIUM PHOSPHATE, SODIUM CITRATE, SOY LECITHIN, NIACIN, IRON (FERROUS SULFATE), THIAMINE HYDROCHLORIDE, RIBOFLAVIN, FOLIC ACID, NATAMYCIN (TO RETARD SPOILAGE), 102111
Doritos
Angry Birds Gummies
Cookies
ENRICHED FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMINE MONONITRATE [VITAMIN B1], RIBOFLAVIN [VITAMIN B2], FOLIC ACID), SEMISWEET CHOCOLATE CHIPS (SUGAR, CHOCOLATE, DEXTROSE, COCOA BUTTER, SOY LECITHIN - AN EMULSIFIER), SUGAR, PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED SOYBEAN OIL, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, LEAVENING (BAKING SODA, AMMONIUM PHOSPHATE), SALT, WHEY (FROM MILK), NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, CARAMEL COLOR.
Capri Sun
Ingredients: WATER, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, CITRIC ACID, SUCRALOSE (SPLENDA(R) BRAND SWEETENER), NATURAL FLAVOR.
First off, do you see how much sugar, corn syrup, and other sweeteners are in that lunch? What is that doing to a body? Your body handles sugar as toxic waste- it's working it's butt off to get it out of the bloodstream. When that sugar high goes south an hour later, how's your child's ability to learn going to be?
I don't know how to pronounce most of those chemicals, flavorings, whatevers. And I don't know exactly what most of them are right off hand. Lastly, I don't know what they do to a growing human mind and body. Neither does the company making your child's gummies. But the evidence ain't looking good. Honestly, they don't care as long as you buy it.
Finally, children are being given controlled substances that are hardcore drugs to settle them down. Many ADHD drugs are AMPHETAMINES. Folks, drugs are serious business. Business built on a model of profit. Billions of dollars of profit. Drugs should be the last resort. Period.
Follow the link to see a story written today on this topic. Have a great day and keep on loving your kids. Later y'all.
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