Hello fellow mommies! Today I am posting a list of my top 10 favorite organic kids products. I have found that the things I listed here are not only healthy organic options, but are also VERY appealing to the little ones! As mothers, our number 1 priority is the health of our kids. What's one of the best ways to ensure our kids are healthy? The answer is food!
Childhood disease is on an incredible high and statistics show 1 in 4 kids under the age of 10 take at least one prescription medication on an ongoing basis. According to a 2010 report by Medco Health Solutions, children's drugs are now the fastest growing segment of the pharmaceutical industry, with sales rising over 10% per year. This is crazy! Children's little bodies are the most susceptible to the adverse affects of pharmaceuticals, yet they are the most medicated group! How did this happen? How did the youngest members of our society become the most unhealthy? Well in my opinion, it starts with the food.
Food is supposed to provide kids with the nutrients they needs for healthy cell function and brain development. But too often these days the food they eat is actually causing more harm than good. Some of the most dangerous additives and chemicals are in the highest concentrations in foods that are marketed for kids. Corporations spend $1.6 BILLION dollars a year marketing food to kids. And all but a few of the kids products that line the shelves of most supermarkets are classified "Junk food". The corporations are starting to get tricky with their marketing too, throwing out labels like "whole grain" and "sugar free", hoping these terms will entice mothers to give in to buying the brigthly colored packages, even against their better judgment. It really is tough as a mom to know what is healthy and what is not. And trust me, I know from personal experience that none of us moms want to deprive our kids or make them the odd one out. Fear not fellow moms, the good news is your don't have to deprive your kids of anything. There are a ton of great companies out there making quality kid friendly products, without jeopardizing their health. First, I'm going to outline some of the worst food offenders so you know exactly what to stay away from.
Not only is HFCS made from Genetically modified corn, it is also today's number 1 cause of childhood diabetes. Check the label on most juices or even Gatorade, the labels read water first, then HFCS as the second ingredient. That means it's mostly made from HFCS. And it's not just beverages, it's in everything from bread, to ketchup. Check your labels and make sure HFCS is something you defiantly stay away from!
2. Food Dyes
All of those brightly colored kids products are made possible by food dyes. You may have heard of them before, Blue 1, Red 40, and Yellow 5 and 6, among others. All you need to know is that several studies have shown links between the dyes and childhood cancer. They are to blame for several others illnesses as well, but for me hearing cancer was enough to convince me. Other countries such as Europe have banned the use of food dyes. We need to send a message that here in America we don't want them either.
3. Hydrogenated Oils
Most kids products are loaded with these. They are widely used to increase shelf life of processed foods. Hydrogenated oils cause a myriad of health problems ranging from heart disease, to type 2 diabetes, to cancer, autism, food allergies and autoimmune diseases. Stay away from "partially" hydrogenated oils too. And look out for tricky wording like "fractionated" vegetable oils, they are the same as thing.
4. MSG
It's not just in Chinese food people! These days it's in everything. Most chips, crackers, canned soups, hamburger helper, salad dressings, and frozen meals all contain MSG. Although you wont see it on the label as MSG. Real chemical name = monosodium glutamate. Other common names food makers like to use include :
Glutamic acid, Magnesium glutamate, Yeast extract, “hydrolyzed protein”, anything “hydrolyzed”, Autolyzed yeast, Calcium glutamate. MSG has been scientifically proven to cause obesity. Other side effects of MSG include headaches, nausea, depression, behavioral and learning disabilities, and asthma.
5. Artificial Sweeteners
Names : Splenda, Equal, Sweet n Low.
Quite possibly the worst offender. Artificial sweeteners have been proven time and time again to be carcinogenic (cancer causing). In animal studies it caused holes in the brains of monkeys. It is used in all "diet" and "sugar free" products. As far as a "diet" product, this couldn't be farther from the truth. It actually causes you to crave carbohydrates as well as stores formaldehyde in your fat cells. In kids, it has been shown to cause seizures and several other neurological effects. Again though, these are not the names you will see listed on the labels. Here is how you can recognize it on a label :
sucralose, aspartame, saccharin, acesulfame potassium.
So with all of that out of the way, on to my favorite kids products!
1. Annie's Organics
Annie's makes a huge variety of organic and all natural kids foods, from macaroni and cheese, crackers, chips, and fruit snacks. My kids favorites are the "Bunny Grahams" and the fruit snacks.
2. Honest Kids
Honest kids makes 5 flavors of organic pouch juices (they come in large bottles too). They are a great alternative to the Capri Sun's, with half the amount of sugar! Super convenient to pack in lunches too!
3. Yo Kids Squeezers
An awesome alternative to the highly popular GoGurt, but without the food dyes. Made with organic milk, not treated with antibiotics or hormones. Trader Joe's also makes their own brand of organic squeezers which I buy all the time too.
4. EnviroKidz
This company makes several flavors of cereal, frozen waffels, and snack bars too. My kids favorite is the Peanut Butter Panda Puffs cereal. All of their products are organic and 1% of their revenue is donated to species and habitat conservation.
5. Yummy Earth
Makers of organic lollipops and gummy worms. Our family's favorite are the Vitamin C pops. Candy and vitamin C in one, cant go wrong there!
6. So-Delicious Chocolate Coconut Milk
True to it's name, this stuff really is sooo delicious! They make soy and coconut milks but we prefer the coconut. Too much soy can be really harmful to little girls reproductive organs. Anyway, the chocolate coconut milk is a big hit in my family. We try to cut down on the amount of dairy we consume, so this is a great healthy alternative.
7.Organic peanut butter
I didn't specify a brand on this one because there are so many to choose from. Peanut butter is such a staple of most kids diet and really needs to be organic. By choosing organic peanut butter you are avoiding hydrogenated oils and other chemical preservatives. Two of my favorite organic peanut butters are actually generic brands from Fry's and Safeway (Ralphs and Vons in California).
8. Trader Joe's organic ketchup
Another staple food of so many kids is ketchup. My kids like to put it on everything. Most conventional brand ketchup contain high fructose corn syrup as one of the main ingredients. By choosing organic you are getting organically grown tomatoes and avoiding HFCS. Trader Joe's is a great one. I also buy the O organics generic from Safeway.
9. Healthy Handfuls Luckie Duckies
Ok I hate to break this to you moms, but goldfish crackers now contain MSG. Over the past few years they have changed their formulation and it now contains MSG (especially all those flavor blasted ones). So the once healthy snack that millions of toddlers enjoy is now tainted. :( booo!
Good news though, here is the organic alternative. Healthy Handfuls makes these "luckie duckie" cheese crackers and a few other flavors too. They come in boxes or individual packets perfect for lunches. I find them at my local health food store but they are also sold at Costco.
10. Nordic Naturals
Ok, so this last one really inst a food but I decided to include it because I it's one of my favorite products for kids. By this time, you may have noticed that it is hard to get all the nutrients needed from food sources alone. For this reason, my family and I take vitamins. I figure if your going to spend your money on vitamins they might as well be quality ones. So many kids vitamins out there are really lacking an adequate amount of nutrients they need. This company supplies some of the highest quality adult and kid supplements on the market. My kids take the multi-vitamin and the Omega 3 fish oils (which are super important for developing brains). They taste great and have 3x the amount of nutrients than most store bought kids vitamins.
While fresh fruits, vegatables, and whole homeade food is best, the above items are some of the best packaged kid products on the market. I have personally tested all of the things I recommend here and they have all recieved rave reviews from my little ones. The best way to ensure your kids want to be healthy is to educate them. Make a trip to the grocery store and educational experience. Explain to them that not all the food they sell there is good for your body. Put it into terms they understand. Being healthy is a lifelong journey so why not start em' young. Trust me, your kids will thank you for it!
As always, if you have any questions or comments feel free to post them here. I appreciate each and every one of you, and applaud you on taking steps to better the health of you and your families! Moms rock!
Till next time,
Lisa
