"Nutrition Nuggets"

 Every so often, we get these "Nutrition Nuggets" sheets home from the school district.  They have ideas to stay active and eat healthy etc.  Normally I just trash them because, as a whole, we're a pretty healthy and active family.  And, I find it amusing that the school feels a need to tell me how to be healthy when they fed my son FRENCH TOAST for the school lunch yesterday.

Anyhow, yesterday, there was an article entitled, "What's in my food?"  My interest peaked.  Now, what does our school have to say on THIS subject?  They suggest that we teach our children to "check the ingredient label on packaged foods..."  Great advice, right?!  I mean, I just started checking labels 18 days ago!  I know how it works, but they explained we should have our kids take a couple of things out of the pantry and read the ingredient list: "Explain that ingredients are listed in order by amount-the food contains the most of the first ingredient and the least of the last ingredient..."

For kicks, I just pulled a box of KRAFT Mac and Cheese.
Ingredients:
Enriched Macaroni Product (How am I supposed to explain to my kids what "ENRICHED" macaroni is?)...OH...it must be the "ferrous sulfate, the thiamin mononitrate and riboflavin that makes it "enriched."  Never mind my previous question.  It's crystal clear now.
Cheese Sauce Mix:
Whey
Milkfat
Milk protein concentrate
salt
sodium tripolyphosphate
blah-de-blah (more stuff with "ates" at the end)
Yellow 5
Yellow 6
enzymes
cheese culture
 

Step 2, according to the article, is to explain sugar:  If it ends in "ose," it's sugar.  STAY AWAY!  !)

Step 3:  "When it comes to ingredient lists, shorter is usually better...long and complicated [words] are likely to be chemicals rather than natural foods."  Huh?  Yellow #5 is a "natural food"?  It's short and readable. !)

Something I liked about this article:  It's suggesting that you actually look at ingredient lists and teach your children how to as well.  That's a really great step!  To me, that says, PAY ATTENTION to what you are eating!!  It also suggested that you agree to only buy things that have five or fewer ingredients (another great tidbit!)

One thing that this article lacks is a lesson on produce.  I mean, how do I teach my children how to choose produce that's not loaded with pesticides that have been added to their very DNA?  How do I teach my kids how to choose "good" meat and milk?  I don't even know how to tell this information!  It's "hidden" from us!  Until two weeks ago, I didn't even KNOW that stuff was happening to our fruits and vegetables in America!

I'm super excited about tonight!  Kristin has a friend who is an actual farmer!  She and her husband graduated from Virginia Tech with some sort of agricultural degrees.  We're going to the farm tonight to learn more!  I mean, really...do we NEED to go organic?  Do farms exist that don't use GMOs?  I think we'll come away with tons of info for y'all!  I'm taking my notepad, pen and camera!  So, tune in for more later!  Have a good one, y'all!