So... Obviously it's been a little while since I've written!
I'm currently at home for the summer, working as a nanny for two adorable little kids: a seven year-old girl and a five year-old boy. Their mom is out of town for a month, and thus I get the fabulous job of playing with them for nearly 60 hours/week while their dad is at work. The three of us have tea parties, play duck-duck-goose, hang out at the play ground, and go to the pool... it's seriously the best job ever! I'm also greatly enjoying spending time with my family, attending the local Single's Ward, and playing with "mi" puppy!
This summer my mom assigned all my family members to read one non-fiction picture book each week so that we can learn a little bit about a whole lot of diverse subjects. So this morning I read a book called Additives. For several years now, my mom has been doing research into the effects of food dyes and added flavors on the body. About three years ago she announced that we would be trying an experiment diet: no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives, for six weeks. The results of this "experiment" were favorable enough that to this day you still will not find anything with any food dyes, added flavorings, or artificial preservatives in our house! Despite this, I was SHOCKED at some of the things I learned reading that little picture book today! Did you know the additives put in food are generally not tested by the FDA before they are put on the market? Quite often, additives are banned a decade or so after their first general appearance because they are found to have harmful effects on those who consume them. Products like BHT, a widely-used preservative, can only be used only in the tiniest amounts, and are not put into baby foods because they are very toxic... and yet they are in nearly everything that has been packaged! The more I read the more I decided that I absolutely do NOT want to eat anything with strange, untested chemicals added to it, whether or not they are "generally regarded as safe."
