Well, that was stupid of me.
I woke up this morning, was checking Facebook on my phone (don’t judge me), and came across an article link that screamed, “10 Processed Foods to Never Feed Your Kids,” posted on the website Mamavation.com.
Of course I clicked into it. I could say that I wasn’t fully awake yet, but the truth is, I was curious. I knew, essentially, what I would see, but it was akin to a proverbial train wreck – I couldn’t look away.
And the article did not disappoint. God forbid I should feed my family Pop Tarts, Goldfish crackers, soda, Happy Meals (of course), even Go-Gurt yogurt. GMO after GMO – not to mention other “toxic” ingredients, all sure to lead us all down a path toward a whole host of health problems, from irritable bowel syndrome to cancer.
Give me a break. This is all about food shaming. Well, that and selling some select brands of organic and natural products as noted in the disclosure on the Mamavation website.
Here’s what I say – courtesy of my blogger friend, Sara of It’s Mom Sense, who had a recent post about this very subject: “Organic junk food is still junk food.”
Just for fun, I dug around my pantry and refrigerator to see how many of these terrible food options I had on hand today. Verdict: six for sure, although this assumes that Cheez-Its are similar to Goldfish crackers and Hershey’s Chocolate Syrup is similar to Nestle Quick.
Oops. Bad Mom.
Or not.
You see, here’s my take on this:
- There is absolutely no scientific basis to be wary of GMO ingredients in our food. (You can read about how GMOs have been studied for decades here. Another blogger friend of mine, Wanda, also has a great article all about GMOs and how to think critically about them without a science background – link here.)
- Everything in moderation. If my son wants to enjoy a few Cheez-Its once in awhile, that’s fine with me. Do I let him eat an entire box in one sitting – or substitute Goldfish crackers for his actual dinner? No, of course not. We balance out some of the fun snacks and treats with plenty of protein, vegetables, fruits, grains and dairy products. (Well, full disclosure: we give him vegetables but let’s just say he’s not a fan.)
- I don’t believe organic automatically means better nutrition. For instance, Sara from It’s Mom Sense noted in her blog post that “Pepperidge Farms Whole Grain Goldfish also fared slightly better, nutritionally, than Annie’s Organic Cheddar Bunnies, but not significantly. The bottom line is that these products are not really nutritionally different. You can’t make claims that one is significantly nutritionally superior.”
Amen, sister.
Listen, I have always said we live in a country that has an abundance of food choices, so buy whatever makes you happy. I just refuse to be food shamed for my food choices. I make my own informed choices at the grocery story and I’m quite happy with how I feed my family.
I love how my friend, Michele Payn-Knoper, writes about this on her website, Cause Matters:
“Food is food. You eat and so do I. What one family consumes does not make them superior or inferior. The same is true in farming; the way one family farms does not make them worthy of accolades or condemnation. It’s about choice. And like many things in life, not everyone makes the same choices.”
If you have questions about how your food is raised, I encourage you to take a little time to ask the people whose livelihoods depend on it – farmers themselves. There are plenty of ways to connect with farmers via social media like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. In fact, a group I am active in – Ask The Farmers – is all about taking your questions, researching them fully, and providing answers and feedback from a variety of perspectives.
And please don’t begrudge me the occasional Pop Tart on a Saturday morning because I don’t feel guilty about that one single bit.
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I love your perspective on everything you put in this post. Well spoken. I wish more people like you spoke out on blogs. You know, resonable people with common sense.
Thanks so much! There is so much crazy talk/writing out there – it just drives me crazy sometimes. I’ll keep at it! 🙂
– Lara
This is fabulous Lara! Go ahead and enjoy your pop tart I will enjoy a big bowl of icecream 🙂
Thanks, Theresa – sounds like a perfect plan to me! 🙂
– Lara
It is all about moderation with food. I confess I stopped buying these brands about 6 years ago, nothing to do with gmo’s or organic fear mongering. Most used trans fats (cheap hydrogenated oils), artificial colors and flavors, high fructose corn syrup, bleached white flour, artificial preservatives banned outside of the US. More mainstream grocery brands are swapping ingredients out now because of awareness. No doubt in my mind because people like me had to switch to organic years back to avoid the fake stuff. You mentioned Pepperidge Farm. Compare a label of their product from just 2-3 years ago, no more artificial dyes, better fats and grains, etc. I think that is a win win even if the nutrition benefits can be disputed.
Connie,
I definitely see your point and agree – I think many brands are improving in the ways you mentioned. Truly, U.S. has the safest food supply in the world for many reasons and we just keep getting better and producing nutritious food. That’s something to be proud of!
Gosh, I grew up on a dairy farm, had an unending supply of wholesome raw milk, and my mom (thankfully) complied with my constant fix for Nestle’s Quik.
And my favorite topping on vanilla ice cream is still Hershey’s chocolate syrup (any kind of hot fudge is a close #1 choice, too).
Good grief! Go ‘pop a tart,’ people!
Haha – love it! “Pop a tart!” 🙂 Good comments, Paula – I honestly shake my head everyday, it seems, at some of the writing I see.
– Lara
Awesome post! The day I posted that story I bought my son a big bag of Goldfish just because. He was super happy, and so was I, I love Goldfish! I’m fine with it 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Sara – I loved your post, and then when I saw the info on Mamavation.com, I knew I had to write SOMETHING. We love Goldfish, too – and I had a few this afternoon at the office as as yummy snack. No guilt here! Keeping writing such great posts!
– Lara
Great post Lara! I saw the Mamavation article on a high school classmate’s facebook page yesterday morning and thought similarly to you. I’m happy that we have food choices in this country.
Thanks, Val – love all our food choices!
Thanks for speaking my mind for me, Lara. I’m going to reblog this at my site and let you do it there, too. (:
Thanks for great content!
eg
P.S. I downed a sleeve of Do-si-do’s last night with pasteurized and homogenized milk and smiled….because no one would dare food shame me with girl scout cookies, right?!?!?!
Emily,
Awesome – thanks for the reblog! And glad it resonated … it certainly did with many people and is very nearly my most popular blog post to date. 🙂
Now I must get back to ordering my Girl Scout cookies from my niece, who is texting me at this very moment to get my order. Yay!
Lara