Part 1:
So I had a movie night binge – crisps, coke, chocolate and a full stack burger. The next day I felt drained. No energy, little focus. I knew it was the binge I ate the night before. I am used to it, I have done it before. But now I am thinking how many times I have done it before, and how much rubbish is in that stuff. You know, those ‘E’s, chemicals + preservatives etc. So I did some research and shocked myself when I realised:
We Casually Put Chemicals In and On Our Children Every Day!
It’s true. No wonder we have national issues with child obesity, diabetes, youngsters with behavioural problems etc. The sheer amount of chemicals children are exposed to is unbelievable. We are talking 100’s per week. Maybe even 1,000s. And they all get added and mixed in our children!
Some Examples:
– Bath/Shower
Run bath, add bubble bath (chemicals), wash hair with shampoo (more chemicals), toys in bath (are they bpa free? no? more chemicals) and then there’s the out of bath procedure: talc, moisturisers, butt cream, medicines etc. Showers: add maybe hair gel or hair spray to the chemical list.
– Snacks
Crisps (chemicals), squash (more chemicals), biscuits (more), sweets (loads) even some fruits have pesticides (chemicals designed to kill insects).
– Meal Times
Ok, so vegetables and fruit may have pesticides, but you only have to look at the food labels to see all the chemicals and preservatives on the other stuff we cook. All these chemicals x3 meals a day + snacks + drinks x7 days a week. Scary stuff? Makes me wonder how this happens all so easily.
The Affects
No wonder some kids have mood swings, bad tempers, can’t sleep, look drained, have baggy eyes, rashes, skin conditions etc The knock on effect is unreal. I am annoyed with myself.
Think about it – a kid is exposed to all these chemicals, so could it be related if they misbehave, have mood swings, then get told off and feel bad – what a vicious circle for a young child, right? I think as parents we need to stop kidding ourselves and trusting all these ‘friendly’ brands. We must make the effort and read the labels – it’s our responsibility. Our children depend on us to do what is best for them!
Everything is subjected to cost-cutting – especially food. Food gets pumped full of chemicals to taste better, last longer and make cheaper to produce. Did you know there are chemicals that are banned by the EU for use in the cosmetics industry that is found in children’s sweets? Unbelievable! Banned from cosmetic use, not banned for ingestion by children! Proof here.
So how do we move forward and try to limit the thousands of chemicals our children are being exposed to each year? Well hopefully, this article provokes some sharing and comments (buttons below). We can all learn from each other, and I will post up Part 2 on some of my thoughts.
