Rita left this comment on my Summer Food Fun blog, ”That’s sad. Are we really so health concerned that we’d deprive a kid of cotton candy or ice cream during the summer? I’m not saying you have to eat that every day, but come on.”

Rita has a point. Happy memories are tied to special summer foods, like cotton candy and ice cream. So what’s the harm?

Cotton candy and shaved ice are purchased at carnivals, fair grounds, and amusement parks. They’re synonymous with fun. Their very essence is sugar, artificial colors and flavors. These treats are eaten a few times a year, but they aren’t the only foods our kids eat containing artificial colors and flavors.

Artificial colors aren’t reserved for special summer treats, but are continuously consumed throughout the day.

Many children begin their morning with artificially colored breakfast cereals and synthetic vitamins made just for kids. They snack on orange colored cheese puffs, gulp down colored pop, kids’ drinks, and powdered lemonade.

Medicines are artificially colored bright pink and have an artificial flavor like bubblegum.

Roxy is afraid I’ll take her cotton candy!
Now, why would I do that?

Kids brush their teeth with tri-colored toothpaste. Jell-O^TM, is often served as a summer salad, but in reality it’s sugar and chemicals. Bread and bakery products may have yellow coloring added so they look buttery. Lunches, picnics, and barbeques are often nitrate-filled. Nitrates are added to preserve luncheon meats; they give hot dogs and bologna their pink color. Even boxed macaroni and cheese usually include artificial colors. Our kids are eating a steady stream of chemicals.

Food coloring not what it used to be
Natural plant and vegetable compounds were used to add color to foods until the 1950s. Red colors were derived from beets, green from chlorophyll, yellow and orange from extracts from plants and spices like saffron. After WWII, man-made chemicals were created. They have brighter colors. They are more convenient, cheaper to use, and have an unlimited shelf life.

The majority of artificial food coloring ingredients today are made from crude oil. Any artificial food color which is followed by a number, such as Blue 1, Yellow 5, or Red 40 is derived from, yikes…PETROLEUM. They’re mostly made in China and may even contain heavy metals such as lead and mercury.

These chemicals should under no circumstances be ingested by humans or even pets. They have been linked to cancers, tumors, asthma, headaches, kidney damage, skin problems like eczema, and hyperactivity (ADHD & ADD) and other behavioral and learning problems in children. The FDA and EPA do not require detailed testing of these chemicals to determine the effects they might have on adults or children.

What can you do?
Don’t give your children anything containing artificial food coloring! Today, you can easily avoid purchasing products with artificial colors, by reading labels. There are alternatives to processed snack foods in the grocery store which are free from artificial colors and flavors. Of course the healthiest choice for your family will be organic, natural foods which don’t contain man-made disease-causing chemicals. Watermelon and cherries are natural, healthy summer memory-makers.

Many fun foods can still be occasionally enjoyed and not be detrimental to health. Often it’s just a matter of choosing a more healthful alternative. Today, grocery stores carry ice creams made with real milk and eggs, which do not have any artificial colors or flavors added. Even highly processed chips and cookies can be purchased without artificial colors and flavors.

You can make gelatin deserts and salads, without Jell-O’s^TM package of chemicals, by using unflavored gelatin and adding real fruit and fruit juices for color and flavor. You can purchase or make real fruit juice Popsicles. There are natural sodas in the grocery store and you can even make your own with fruit juice and carbonated water. You can enjoy shaved ice made at home with real fruit juice.

Would I take cotton candy from a baby?
Sorry Roxy, you can be sure that I would…or rather she’d never get it in the first place! There is no a way around this one. Cotton candy contains only sugar, corn syrup, and petroleum (artificial colors and flavors). I never purchased cotton candy for my kids. They didn’t feel deprived and grew up loving healthy foods. The amount of fun you have and memories you make this summer are not determined by the amount of sugar and chemicals ingested.

For info about the free Baby Bites Ezine, Click Here.

For a synopsis of Baby Bites: Transforming a Picky Eater into a Healthy Eater, Click Here.

First, I attempted a method using a paste made from baking soda and water. I wasn’t impressed. Then I tried another natural method with toothpaste and a soft toothbrush. It worked better than the baking soda, but I’m not thrilled with this method either. If you have a natural method of cleaning sliver that you love, leave a comment below, I’d like to know about it.

Cleaning my silver tea set got me thinking about other household cleaners. Did you know that the cleaner your home is, the unhealthier it may be? I’ve often talked about the germs we bring into our homes. But, did you know many cleaning products are made from toxic petroleum-based chemicals.

In fact, commercial cleaning products don’t have to list all the chemicals on the label. A manufacturer can omit any ingredient that’s considered a secret formula from its label, and many of these ingredients are toxic and carcinogenic.

Some manufacturers are making untrue claims to jump on the Green bandwagon, because it’s now profitable to be “Green” or “Eco Friendly.” A new term has been coined, “Green-wash,” meaning that a label misleads consumers about the environmental practices or the environmental benefits of a product. So don’t believe everything you read.

Jada loves to help her mom in the kitchen!

Make Your Own & Save
With the price of everything going up, why not make your own natural cleaning products? Think of all the money you’ll save by not purchasing a different cleaner for windows, floors, counters, scouring powders, and even fabric softeners and dryer sheets. Using homemade natural cleaning products makes “cents,” because it is cheaper, healthier, and non-toxic.

There are two natural inexpensive cleaners everyone has in their kitchen: baking soda and vinegar. You can use baking soda to scrub your bath and kitchen. Just sprinkle the baking soda on the surfaces and scrub.

I found a recipe for a wonderful spa-like bath for soaking away aches and pains. It uses ½ cup baking soda and apple cider vinegar. The potassium found in apple cider vinegar helps aching, tight muscles. When we remolded our master bathroom, we installed a whirlpool bath. Since water is recycled through the plumbing to make the air bubbles, I’ve been trying to think of a way to effectively keep the plumbing clear of bacteria. Then, I realized, the baking soda and apple cider vinegar will clean me, the tub, the plumbing, and the drain at the same time. Now, soaking in a tub is really clean fun.

I got tired of paying for commercial window cleaners, which are mostly water. And they contain butyl cellosolve - a toxic ingredient that isn’t listed on the labels. I now make my own window cleaner by combining 4 cups of water, ½ cup of white vinegar, and 1 teaspoon liquid soap in a spray bottle. It works as good as any window cleaner you’ll purchase.

Vinegar is an all-purpose cleaner as well as a disinfectant and deodorizer. But, don’t clean any natural stone such as granite or marble with vinegar or citrus. These products will erode the polish from the stone.

To clean granite counters use a mixture of water, 1/4 cup rubbing alcohol, and a drop or two of liquid dish soap in a spray bottle . Rubbing alcohol or Isopropyl Alcohol is commonly used as a disinfectant and solvent and it’s an ingredient in all stone cleaners.

Use vinegar in the toilet bowl to get rid of rings. Flush the toilet to allow the water level to go down. Squirt undiluted vinegar around the inside of the rim. Scrub down the bowl. A vinegar and water solution will also eat away the soap scum and hard water stains on your fixtures and glass shower. A couple of times a year, I clean out my washing machine with vinegar. Pour 1 quart of vinegar in empty machine and run it through a wash cycle.

Fabric softeners or dryer sheets include not-so-snuggly chemicals. These chemicals many times are petroleum-based and have the potential to cause central nervous system disorders, headaches, and loss of muscle coordination; nausea, skin disorders, and allergic reactions. Use vinegar as a natural fabric softener. This can be especially helpful for family members who have sensitive skin. Add ½ cup of vinegar to the rinse cycle in place of a store bought fabric softener.

Find out more about the free Baby Bites Ezine, Click Here.
For a synopsis of Baby Bites: Transforming a Picky Eater into a Healthy Eater, Click Here.