What's in your yogurt?

I'm going to keep this short and sweet.  Well, you may not think it's sweet once you get through reading, but I promise that's my intent!

It's so important to read your food labels, and if there is something you don't understand or is disguised as "natural", be weary and investigate further. 

Before I cut out all animal product and processed foods from my diet, I used to add Greek yogurt to my smoothie every morning. I was an ingredient reader then, but I assumed (I know, I know) that "natural flavors", were safe.   

Wrong.  In my blog about My Vegan Journey I talk about why I switched to a whole foods, plant based diet.  But there were still some things I was completely unaware of, and haven't fully researched until now.  And I'm still learning!

Yogurt is considered in our society to be an optimal snack for children and adults. But what is really lurking in your yogurt? 

I'm going to review one of the most common yogurt brands, Dannon, and one of their popular "Light & Fit" Non Fat Blueberry Greek Yogurt: 


Fructose: A cheap synthetically made sugar that doesn't react properly in the brain to signal a "full feeling."  Instead, you crave and eat more.

Natural Flavor: MSG, as well as a lengthy list of disgusting ingredients.  Castoreum is a popular ingredient that companies may simply list as "Natural Flavoring".  It is used in most vanilla and raspberry flavored processed foods, and is beaver anal gland juice.  To read more about Castoreum, click here.

Carmine:  Insects.  Yes, you read correctly!  It's a "natural" food coloring created by boiling the cochineal bug, which is a beetle.  Many companies will instead list this as "Natural Colorings", and is perfectly legal according to the Food and Drug Administration.

Acesulfame Potassium (Ace K): A potassium salt containing methylene chloride, a known carcinogen.  Reported side effects of "sweet devil" Ace-K include, "Long term exposure to methylene chloride can cause nausea, headaches, mood problems, impairment of the liver and kidneys, problems with eyesight and possibly cancer. It may also contribute to hypoglycemia." (Natural News)

Our food has drastically changed over the last 40 years; no longer whole, and real as it once was.  We've become a society that is all about quick, cheap, and easy, and because of this, many hidden toxins are added to our food system.  We have been targeted and brainwashed as consumers to buy and eat certain products by marketing companies, which all leads back to the bottom line: money. 

I'm not a nutritionist nor M.D., just a concerned citizen and parent who wants my child to grow up eating real food.  I'm not promoting any one way to eat.  Like I always say, everyone needs to find their own balance and what works for their family. I only encourage you to be aware, read your labels, research, and make changes that work for you.

To discuss more about whole foods, as well as the many challenges of parenting,

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