There’s been a lot in the news and in social media recently about what’s in the American food system—from food dyes, to pesticides and added sugar. And, if you’ve been watching closely, the movement to clean up our food is gaining traction and bipartisan support. The FDA recently announced it will ban Red Dye #3 because of it’s possible links to cancer. And, there are reports that food dyes are linked to ADHD and Autism.

Dr Josh Axe, who is on Paula’s podcast this week, says he’ll “be shocked if food dyes aren’t banned” in the next few years because so many are speaking up about it. 

That said, making sure our families eat good food can feel like one more thing we have to add to our plate, right?

So, this week, we’re going to take the headache out of it, by showing you how to make easy swaps and giving you a roadmap on where to start and who to trust.

The goal isn’t perfection here, mamas. The goal is awareness and progress.

Are you in a constant battle with junk foods and pesticides in your home? We want to know about it in the comments at the bottom of this newsletter. 👊🏼

Enjoy!

 This week in The CARRY™ ALL, we’re talking about:

• 🥦 Quick (healthy) swaps for common kid favorites

• 🍏 When to buy organic (and when to not waste your money) 

• 🥗 What “clean eating” really means (and why it doesn’t have to be all or nothing)

THE BIG 1️⃣ 2️⃣ 3️⃣

1️⃣  🥦 Quick (healthy) swaps for common kid favorites

Between having picky eaters and contending with increasing grocery store bills, it can feel impossible to choose the right food for your kids. But the more we understand that sodas, fast food, and packaged snacks are causing an obesity and Type 2 Diabetes epidemic in our country, the more we need to take action as parents. So how do you get your kids to eat better? We love the approach of swapping smart choices into foods your kids already love. No need to reinvent the wheel and try to convince them to drink a kale smoothie. 🫠 Try:

 🥪 Swapping whole grain bread, natural peanut butter, and low-sugar jam into their PB&J sammies for more fiber and less sugar.

 🧀 Use whole wheat or chickpea pasta and homemade cheese sauce for their mac and cheese. (And if you’re really not feeling the home-cooked approach, Annie’s Organic is still better than the stuff we grew up with.)

🥞 Add mashed bananas or Greek yogurt to their pancake batter to pack in the protein and nutrients.

🍗  Opt for a brand like Applegate for their chicken tenders, since it has fewer mystery ingredients.

 🍿 Top plain popcorn with nutritional yeast (or cinnamon for a sweet version!) for great flavor that’s also healthy.

Need more ideas? Check out Jessica Seinfeld’s Deceptively Delicious cookbook to help “hide” healthy ingredients in your kids’ food.

2️⃣ 🍏 When to buy organic (and when to not waste your money)

Our founder, Paula Faris, recently had Dr. Josh Axe on her podcast to discuss what American food is doing to our families, plus where to start when it comes to swaps and making better choices. His take? Since buying organic can quickly get pricey, focus on dairy and meat.

When it comes to your produce, did you know that you soak it in a mixture of water and baking soda, you can remove over 90% of the pesticides? 

Dr Axe also shared his ultimate guide to clean eating, which you can download free HERE.

If you want to take it a step further and add some other organic items to your grocery cart, check out the Dirty Dozen and the Clean Fifteen. These lists, which are updated annually by the Environmental Working Group, identify which non-organic foods are likely to have the most pesticides and which have the least. It’s a great way to decide when to buy organic and when to skip that up-sell.

3️⃣ 🥗 What “clean eating” really means (and why it doesn’t have to be all or nothing)

There is a strong bipartisan movement in our country to clean up our food, from food dyes to pesticides and ultra-processing. Vani Hari, aka “the Food Babe”, has been on the front lines of this food fight for over a decade and she was a guest on the Paula Faris Show just last week. 

But here’s the thing, somewhere along the way, “clean eating” turned into an all-or-nothing, guilt-ridden game of food policing. No artificial ingredients. No sugar. No fun. Eating better doesn’t mean you have to overhaul your entire pantry or hand-mill your own oat flour. (Who has time for that?) Here are a few quick ways to eat cleaner:

• Focus on more of the good stuff (veggies, whole foods, real ingredients) in an effort to crowd out the “bad” stuff.

• Read the label — if you can’t pronounce it, it might be best to skip it.

• Live by the 80/20 rule: Aim for “good” stuff 80% of the time, and eat the ice cream cone or frozen pizza 20% of the time.

• Vani shares how to eat clean on a budget HERE

BEEN THERE, DONE THAT 🤎

for working moms with older children

• If you’re struggling to eat better, imagine how hard it is for your teen. While our older kids can impress us round the clock with their maturity, there are still plenty of things they just don’t know. So, when it comes to building healthy eating habits, they might need a hand from you. Check out this article for approaches to helping your teens eat better — like making healthier snacks accessible at home and keeping them involved in food prep and planning.

GIVEAWAY!

LAST CALL, mamas! We’re still looking for a few of our winners…

➡️ Larissa Thompson

➡️ Emily Sutton

➡️ Lorene Bernie

➡️ Jennifer Andrick

Reply to this email with your mailing address, so our team can mail these to you. 🎉