Standing up for a Healthy Crunch.

When I was pregnant I knew that I would cloth diaper.  I thought (& hoped!) that I'd be a stay at home mom, because I didn't want someone else 'raising' my child.  I wanted to do yoga & be healthy.  I wanted to breastfeed (so badly, I'd hoped I could do it).  I just really wanted to do everything I could so that my son would be healthy while he was inside me & I really, really hoped he'd be healthy when he was outside of me.  I guess I wanted to be a little crunchy.

I learned the ins & outs of cloth diapering, I get to be a stay at home mom, I practice yoga (on & off... a little off right now, but planning to change that asap).  I've lost two sizes (hopefully that's in part because I'm healthy), I breastfeed (exclusively for 6 months & still quite often now).  When we moved, I told Hubs I required a Whole Foods within 15 minutes of our home.  When B started eating baby food/ table food I went all organic for him.  Organic jarred food, organic puffs, organic veggies & fruits... We started with organic avocado, not rice cereal.  In fact, B has only tasted rice cereal once... it did not go over well.  I was not in love with the baby food idea... Why is pureed baby food better than pureed table food- fruits & veggies?  I don't think it is better... I think it's easier, sometimes.  And so, yes, we have jars of organic baby food in our cabinets for those times when we're traveling or out to lunch or when we're eating something that B cannot have.

In recent weeks, I've become lax about some things... B has been eating a lot of Ritz crackers (this stops now).  B has been given bites of things that make me cringe... on the inside.  I try to only purchase whole grain, whole wheat, & mostly, organic items for our home, but I'm not the only person who can provide food for him anymore.  He can take food from plates, he can be left for a few hours at a time with someone else.  He can have only organic puffs on his shelf at our home, but regular Gerber puffs in the pantry at someone else's house.   I guess I've become lax because 1) it's easier & 2) I didn't want to offend anyone.

Over the weekend I had a thought.  This is MY son (well of course, with the hubs!) & this is MY son's health, as well as our health.  And I don't have to 'make it easier' on anyone else.  I have always packed food for B & I will continue to do so.  The next time I tell someone "no, it's okay, I've got these organic puffs for him" & they say "but let's let him try these yummy Gerber ones", I WILL stand up & say NO. No. It's not okay.  I don't want these scary things in his body.  I don't want these scary things in my body or my husband's.  What scary things, you ask?  Well sugar for one,  & then super scary ingredients like "partially hydrogenated oils".  Those words (as well as others) scare the hell out of me.  Do you know what those are? Do you know what those do to you? Do you know that you might as well inhale some cigarette smoke, cause partially hydrogenated oils are just as bad, if not worse! ?

 Bottom line... there will be some more posts regarding this.  I'm working on researching different ingredients & I'm learning more & more about what I want my family to consume & what I don't want in my house.  While I learn, I will post.  If you'd like to learn with me, feel free to read along, feel free to comment.  If you think it's crap & you want to sit by & eat your crackers while smoking your cigarettes, then that's your right too, but don't drag me down with you.

I'll be (slowly, I'm sure) restocking our pantry & fridge with yummy, healthy foods that don't contain these ingredients.  I'll be navigating my way around playdates where my son is offered not so healthy options.  I'll be learning how to save money while buying the better items.  I'll be trying out a new way of life... & I'll be letting you all know how it's going.