Trade It Tuesday

I LOVE getting feedback about how Trade It Tuesday is making people think differently about the food choices they make at the grocery store!  But I realized it can make people feel uncomfortable eating around me, too.  Camping with two of my best friends this weekend, there were several times that I felt like they were almost apologizing to me or feeling guilty when they handed their kids something that they knew wasn't all natural.

But here's the thing:  I'm not judgy!  Our family does not have the leeway to bring artificials into our home, but if we did there would absolutely be times when I would knowingly give my kids something that wasn't all natural.  The first thing I would cheat on would be marshmallows!  And red ropes!  I love those things.

My point with Trade It Tuesday is not to say that everyone should eat 100% all natural like we do with Ben.  Instead, I just hope that you trade out most of your everyday products that are so easy to swap - so that when you do have the occasional treat it becomes the only petroleum and other bad ingredients that your kids are eating.  If you think about the quantity of artificial ingredients our kids get each day it is overwhelming:  cereal, vitamins, chocolate milk, lunch meat, bread, chips, juice, fruit snacks, toothpaste, capri suns, etc.  Yet each one of these items can be traded for a healthier version to significantly LIMIT the consumption of artificial ingredients.

My goal is to get you thinking about that.

Today's topic:  Cereal!

Before Feingold my family's favorite cereal was Peanut Butter Captain Crunch.  We'd go through boxes of it.  Since starting Feingold, we've had to try a lot of different cereals to find the ones we really like.  Of course when you limit artificial sweeteners and colors the food looks less vibrant and doesn't taste as sweet.  We've also found that protein is very important for Ben's moods and keeping him stable.  Because of that, we've simply just eaten less cereal around here and have switched to bagels or toast with peanut butter, eggs and oatmeal.  But we do keep a few boxes of cereal on hand for those mornings when time doesn't permit anything else.

Here is our favorite find (and trust me, we tried LOTS of peanut butter flavored cereal before we found this one):  Mother's Peanut Butter Bumpers.  I found a box once at Henry's Market, we loved it, and then the store stopped carrying it.  So I actually order it online, six boxes at a time.  This was actually cheaper than buying it in the store until California's legislature decided we should start paying sales tax on online ordering.  UGH!


The other good line of cereals the kids like is the Annie's line.  There are flavors to match any flavor your kids like, Fruity Bunnies, Choco Vanilla Bunnies, Honey O's, Cinnamon Bunnies, etc.  These can be found at many grocery stores including Bel Air, Whole Foods, Henry's and I think maybe even Target.

The EnviroKidz line is also fairly easy to find at those same stores.  These cereals have very light flavor, not overpowering - so I wouldn't switch straight from the typical artificial cereals to these or they will seem boring.  But my kids do like the Amazon Frosted Flakes and the Panda Puffs.

There are so many more choices than just these three lines of cereal.  If you walk through the cereal aisle at Henry's or Whole Foods, or even the natural foods cereal aisle at Bel Air, you will see there are almost as many choices as in the regular artificial cereal aisle.  Natural cereals are not the bland cardboard cereals you might expect.  But it may take you a few tries to find the ones you like best.

My friend Kate requested that I find a replacement for Cinnamon Toast Crunch - their family favorite.  Walking through Whole Foods I found this box of Cascadian Farms Cinnamon Crunch.  We haven't tried it, but even without trying very hard I was able to find a replacement for Kate to buy.  I'm telling you, whatever your favorite flavor - you can find it all natural.

Next time you pour your kids a bowl of cereal, check out the ingredients label to see if there are any artificial colors, flavors and preservatives.  Also look for corn syrup (dextrose, maltodextrin, etc.).

That bowl of cereal is the start of your child's entire day - make sure you make it a good one!