Seeking Information About Healthier Eating: i.e. Cutting Out Dyes, Etc

Hi Danielle, you're going to love this book.

http://www.harpercollins.com/books/9780060887452/The_Comp...

"What you need to know - from the nail polish you wear to the bed you sleep in to the water you drink"

Danielle,

I agree read lots of labels. Even children's vitamins and medicines have artificial dyes and flavors. You'll find that if you really want to cut these things out you'll have to do a lot of cooking from scratch. I was given an article recently about a study done in England. They found that 25-30 milligrams of food dye in a child's diet provided significant behavioral changes. They went on to say that the average child in London had 300-350mg of food dye in their diet on a daily basis. They gave a nod to the late Dr. Feingold who pioneered this line of thought back in the 70's. My son is on the Feingold diet (just google it). The diet has done wonders for my son and his behavior.

I'm starting to believe that God never intended anything to go into our bodies that doesn't come about naturally from plants or animals. I've seen an improvement in my own health and allergies since we eat the same way as my three year old.

Another thing to look into is the affect of gluten on behavior. There's a lot of study and agricultural history behind this. We're already gluten intolerant at my house, so I'm covered. It's an interesting theory though.

Hi Danielle! We were introduced to Mona Vie juice about 2 months ago and my husband and I AND our three children are on it. It has changed my life, literally, and it's been great for our children. I'd be happy to give you more information if you'd like it, just email me:

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In Him,
D.

I ditto Maggie's advice:) If you don't prepare it from scratch yourself, many foods likely contain dyes and processed ingredients. Also, stear clear of fast food!

Since you're a reader, a great book for you is Adaptogens: Herbs for Strength, Stamina, and Stress Relief by Winston and Maimes. From the book "There is a category of herbs called adaptogens that help the human body adapt to stress, support normal metabolic processes, and restore balance. They increase the body's resistance to physical, biological, emotional, and environmental stressors and promote normal physiologic function".

Learn more about the history of the adaptogens from the Tunguska River Valley on www.VitalHealth.TunguskaMist.com

Adaptogens help reduce the negative effects of stress on the body (weakened immune system, decreased energy, mood swings, short temper, anxiety, depression, and fatigue), and help restore balance, or homeostasis.

Many foods/products contain toxic ingredients. Adaptogens help protect and strengthen the body and provide numerous benefits that cannot be gained from foods available at the supermarket. Keep reading food labels, and if you enjoy cooking, you can look up some great healthy recipes for your family on www.allrecipes.com

Good luck and God Bless:)

A hodge podge of tips:
You'll want to invest some time in reading food labels. You'll want to pay attention to the list, because the more non-food ingredients that are listed, the better of you are without it.
You'll probably want to consider making more things at home.

There are a handful of ingredients that you can cut out right fairly easily: colored dyes (red #40 seems to be an especially bad one -- my son is actually allergic), high fructose corn syrup (this is in EVERYTHING, so you'll have to do some label searching to avoid it), trans fats (also known as hydrogenated oils...this one is actually pretty easy to cut out these D.).

High fructose corn syrup is a sweetener, but the problem with it is that it causes blood sugar to plummet and spike.

Basic rule is that the less that's done to your food, the better.

Switch to unbleached flour. If you want to go whole hog, use whole wheat flour (we're gradually weaning ourselves to more whole wheat flour when we're baking -- it has texture to it that isn't there with white flour.

Eat more fresh produce and less red meat.
Add fatty fish, like salmon.

Ditch all the sodas, etc. and just drink water.

Hello Danielle,

Congratulations on taking additional steps to keep your family healthier. get ready to read lots of food labels and read them every time. Also, do read labels on what you use for cleaning too. many times we make a point of watching what we put in our bodies and ignore that what we put on our skin and breath in through our nose can affect us just as much.

Here are a few pointers. Remember to start little by little or you'll get overwhelmed.

1. NO High Fructose Corn Syrup. don't believe the ads they have on tv. in order to make it "HIGH" fructose corn syrup it has to be chemically/genetically altered. it's hard to find foods without it. sometimes even "100% whole wheat bread" will have it. it's a great food preservative and cheap to make so it's very popular. just about any "treats" have it. ice cream too... whenever you get juice, make sure it says 100% juice --not "100% vitamin c", or whatever else they want to use to keep you from reading the label.

2. NO MSG. Last year the 700 Club had a whole week of info about MSG. there is so much info that's better to give you the lins:
http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/107253.aspx
http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/111557.aspx

3. No hydrogenated fats (Nor partially hydrogenated) either it is or it isn't. you wouldn't say you're 'partially pregnant' would you?

4. No Corn Oil. if you squeeze an olive... you get oil. if you squeeze corn... you don't get oil... it needs a chemical process to get the corn oil. use olive oil. I even use to for baking.

5. if you can... make your own chicken nuggets and teach your children to eat actuall pieces of chicken. I FAILED AT THAT!

6. look for alternatives. look at international foods for healthier alternatives.

7. milk intolerance will make sinus allergies worse, also will constipate (contrary to popular belief that it only causes diahrrea)

8. NO TEFLON. we get enough chemicals already. Now they have somehting else. but it's almost the same thing. I think they took the hydro-fluoro-carbons out of it (I might be wrong) anyways, NO non-stick cookware.

9. drink water.

10. analyze what you're eating to make sure you're not consuming wheat or wheat products 2 - 3 times per day. it's very easy to do. cereal in the morning, sandwich for lunch, pasta or pizza for dinner... and voila! you just had wheat all day long.

11. If you and your husband like drinking 'sodas'
try the WholeFoods sodas (they're sodium FREE and made with sugar cane)

12. make sure you get enough vitamin D. eating cold water fish will help. getting enough sunlight (without sunblock and without getting burned) will help.

13. make sure you all get enough magnesium. magnesium deficiency can cause a heart attack. Magnesium is the second most abundant mineral in our bodies (after calcium) also helps with inflamation and helps getting over asthma faster (of course also follow your doctor's advice) the "old" IV meds they give at hospitals to asthma patients is magnesium sulfide(spelling?) because the magnesium helps relief lung inflamation.

14. read about aromatherapy. basically a few oils can help a lot and avoid taking extra chemicals in our bodies. I'm not against medicine, but it's way to easy just to pop a pill nowadays. these will go a long way: peppermint, rosemary, basil, lavender and eucalyptus. let me know if you have any questions.

15. Learn about herbs and spices that can help keep you healthier. like elderberry, echinacea, camomile, anise seed, fenugreek, garlic, onions, etc.

16. figure out if guys have any allergies and then avoid those allergens (less medication needed)

17. get the book "Smart Medicine for a healthier child" it's worth it's weight in diamonds! it's an awsome book!

18. get omega3's in your diet

19. increase the fiber intake

20. don't be afraid of SUGAR. it's a much better alternative to those fake sweeteners. Of course, moderation is key.

Overall pray for wisdom and do your best. keep in mind that what works for some people do not work for all and that includes foods, herbs and medicines.

well, this is not in any particular order but is what came to mind. I hope I didn't overwhelm you. ~C.~

Danielle,

I have a skin care, health and wellness company.

All of our products are botanically based, ph correct, hypoallergenic (no artificial dyes or fragrances or harsh chemicals), dermatologist tested, never tested on animals, no animal products or by-products, and have no mineral oil.

We have everything from detox to skin care to weight loss to baby products (peditrician tested) to cosmetics to vitamins (for kids, teens, men and women) to much more.

So if you are interetsed in going "green" or trying to use healthier products, please let me know.

If you have any questions at all let me know.

Take care and God bless!

M.

My two favorite places to shop are Sprouts and Target. I get as much organic foods as I can. We even use organic soap, vitamins, etc. Your kids like popsicles? Get the organic, natural kinds that don't have the dyes in them but still taste good. My son drinks Honest Kids juice, which is amazing because there's nothing added. If your kids are used to straight juice, it will take them a while to get used to because they don't have extra sugars. We don't buy candy and stuff with all the artificial flavors, colors, sweetners in them. Also pay attention because just because it says organic doesn't mean it is. Look for the seal that says USDA Organic. That means that EVERY ingredient is organic. Some companies try to get you when thay say organic and only one ingredient is.

We eat lots of fresh fruits rather than desserts and other sweets as well. Good luck, and I guarantee you that if you switch completely over, you'll see a huge difference in your children's behavior -- even if they are normally well behaved. You'll see they can concentrate better and don't bounce off the walls (if that's something they tend to do). LOL