Say Cheerio to GMOs

We've ALL eaten them. They are as American as apple pie and booze before noon. Cheerios are supposed to be a healthy, heart-friendly breakfast....right?!

Furthermore, they are marketed toward children...and even recommended to tiny babies as one of their first finger foods. At our six-month appointment, my own pediatrician recommended that I give Cheerios to Dylan.

So what's the big problem, you ask? Well, like the vast majority of the food in this country, a deeper look into the ingredients will give you pause...and if you're like me, frantically searching for alternatives.

Take a look at this fantastic analysis by GMO Inside. The highlights are basically that all Cheerios products are made with corn products sourced from the US, 88% of which are genetically modified. In addition, the article states:

Vitamin E in Cheerios comes from Mixed Tocopherols which are most commonly derived from soy, corn, or cotton – the most extensively genetically engineered crops.



Via

General Mills offers a variety of Cheerios flavors. The least offensive variety is regular Cheerios - the other flavors offer yummy food additives such as: natural flavors (vom!), peanut butter made with monoglycerides, dextrose, sodium citrate, ascorbic acid, soy lecithin, and maltodextrin. Tasty!

GMOs are controversial and generally just creepyballs. We advise that you avoid them like the plague, and definitely try and keep them out of your babe's sweet mug. I mean, if they weren't totally shadester, then WHY would General Mills contribute over one million dollars to defeat California's Prop 37, which would have required GMO labeling in California? If they were totally kosher, why not just label it? There has been so much public outcry in Europe about GMOs and food dyes, that these giant food companies offer different, "cleaner" versions of comparable products overseas...while we get weird frankencrops and chemical additives that don't remotely resemble actual food. Infuriating.

So, what's an Organomommy to do? Baby girl needs to get her chew on. Fortunately, there are alternatives. I chose these Happy Family HappyPuffs, and Plum Organics Super Puffs, which I purchased at Target.

What you are about to witness is Dylan's first time eating solid solid food...like pawing at tiny bites and eating them without the use of a rubber spoon.

 



Check with your pediatrician about when to give your darling some puffs. Dylan was about 8.5 months. She finally did try them that day, and briefly gagged on one...which made my heart drop in a way I'd never felt before. She eats them all the time now. I start off each meal giving her a handful, and then follow up with pureed baby food. My thought process here is that she will associate them with mealtime only, and never see them as a snack or a toy.

If you prefer boxes of cereal over jars of puffs from the baby aisle, Nature's Path Whole-O's may be a good choice, as are Trader Joe's Joe's O's. (All Trader Joe's branded products are GMO-free!)

So what do we think Organoparents? I think 99% of parents feed their kids Cheerios at some point. Would you consider switching?

Happy snacking!