What's in your food?

A walk through the supermarket can be like sensory overload.  Bright colors grab our attention.  Big, bold letters make us stop and read the catchy phrases that potentially make us want to buy these beautifully packaged treasures.  But are they really treasures?  Is it really even food wrapped up so geniously?  How about beverages?  We know soda and sugary drinks are no good.  But what about water?  And on these hot summer days, can you even get your kids to drink water?   It sure would be more tempting for kids to drink it if it was packaged like some of the other things on the shelf.  And that is exactly what kraft foods has realized as well.  Sitting on the supermarket shelf, in a brightly colored bottle, with a funky design, is what's being marketed as a "water enhancer."  It goes by the catchy name of Mio. 

So what could possibly be in this Mio that makes it so bad?  For starters, a little chemical called propylene glycol.  Propylene glycol is also used as anti freeze.  Along with artificial coloring and preservatives, that's pretty much what you get out of the little dropper.  Kraft says their target market is men and women, ages 18-39.  Unfortunately, the market that seems to love it is under 18.  Propylene glycol was approved by the FDA for adults in very small doses.  There was never an amout set as approved for children.  And it appears that these children aren't just squeezing droplets of this Mio into their water, they are squeezing large amounts into their mouths!  They're squeezing small doses of antifreeze mixed with artificial coloring and preservatives right into their growing bodies.  The real kicker in all this is that the FDA banned the electronic cigarette because if the propylene glycol in it.  Interesting.

The moral of all of this is to check your ingredients.  Even if you only shop the perimeter of the store, you'd be amazed to see what's in some of the yogurt on the shelf.  So when you are getting lured in by the pretty packaging, stop and see what's in it.  If you aren't sure, it's probably a safe bet it doesn't belong in your body.