I grew up with snacks, treats, candy, and lots of packaged foods. Our family did the best we could with what we had. My parents trusted if the government said it was okay to eat, then it must be good for you. Over time, I got hit with the knowledge my family’s medical history included heart disease, high blood pressure, heart murmurs, leaky valves, and my personal favorite, bodies that PRODUCE cholesterol all on their own. No food required for that one. The upside of this last genetic inheritance? Our bodies produce GOOD, not just BAD cholesterol. Sort of balances out. If one is aware of what one’s eating, it can be kept in check.

Harmful chemicals in my snacks

Guess who wasn’t aware of what she was eating? Yup. November Sunflower had no clue! It all changed when I was in my 20s, and I started to read labels. After learning to read labels just because something says it doesn’t have cholesterol in it, doesn’t mean it’s not bad for you. Trans Fats may say 0, but if there’s partially hydrogenated ANYTHING in the item, there’s trans fats. Trans fats means my cholesterol goes up. And we’re not talking the good cholesterol, it was all BAD cholesterol going up.

However, after having kids, I got a little lazy. I wasn’t as aware of what was going into all of our bodies. Sadly, when I potty trained my kids, the reward for going Number 1, was one M&M. The reward for going Number 2, was two M&M’s (had to keep it simple for the simple minds I was dealing with). Honestly, I had heard horrible things about the red colored ones. They had taken them off the market, but now they had them back. I always took the red ones out. I figured “well, that’s gotta be a good thing – I’m keeping them safe.” And then I read Naturally Savvy‘s book, Unjunk Your Junk Food – Healthy Alternatives to Conventional Snacks.

Poison in my diet

To put it simply: I have been eating poison. Not only have I been eating poison, I’ve been feeding my children poison. I had no idea how bad the artificial coloring was for us. Did you know that there are 10 artificial colors in M&M’s and they are all chemicals. Many of them are derived from PETROLEUM. Yes, that toxic liquid oil used to manufacture:

• gas for our cars
• asphalt on the streets, and driveways

Needless to say, those M&M’s are not welcome in our home anymore. Our goal is to now find a replacement for them, and we’re going to be looking into the suggested option, SunSpire SunDrops Original.

As I realized what we’re ingesting with just those M&M’s, I went through our shelves. Horrified to see:

• Chips A’Hoy
• Oreos
• Entenmann’s Chocolate Chip Cookies

I grew up on all these types of kids. I didn’t realize how bad each of these types of cookies are for the kids. If it’s not the high fructose corn syrup, it’s the artificial flavors, the partially hydrogenated oils (which I knew were bad for all of us), and that evil Vanillin.

Vanillin

Let me tell you a bit about Vanillin. It’s the synthetic version of natural Vanilla. It’s made from PETROLEUM and BENZENE. And Benzene is a KNOWN carcinogen. Guess what I’ll be looking for in EVERYTHING I purchase?!!!!

If you truly want to know what’s in your food, and have ALTERNATIVES to replace the

• harmful cookies
• ice cream
• cakes
• candy
• dips
• snacks

Check out Unjunk Your Junk Food. Until I know all the things I need to keep clear of, I’ll be carrying this around with us when we shop. Do you know how many Cheetohs I’ve eaten? Do you know how many Klondike Bars all of us have consumed over the years? The amount of Doritos my kids are given at their Nana’s house? I can’t even think about it, or I will just break down in tears knowing what I’ve been doing to our health. UGH.

The book is available through Barnes & Noble (in stores and online) as well as Amazon and other online retailers. I plan on giving this as a gift for Baby Showers. I wish I had gotten this when I had my first kid, so I would have had all of this amazing information in one place! It’s a perfect size to stick in your bag when you’re out at the grocery store, whip it out for reference on specific snack items, but also for definitions on many ingredients you might not recognize. It’s an amazing resource!