I have felt uneasy about lawn services for a long time. We cut back on ours, but Chuck wasn’t quite ready to give it up altogether. A post from the Smart Ingredients Blog arrived in my inbox, and it made a lot of sense. I really don’t want those pesticides seeping into the soil near my garden, no matter how seldom.

In the post called Intentional Eating, the blogger discussed ingredients that are harmful and hidden in processed foods. Here’s a sampler.

• MSG – Can causes weight gain, brain damage, depression, headaches. Found in seasonings, broths and packaged foods.
• Aspartame – A carcinogen. Found in diet foods and gum.
• High-fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) Can cause weight gain, tissue damage, diabetes. Found in sweets, breads, salad dressings, condiments and more.
• Food dyes – Can cause hyperactivity. Found in many items, the not-so obvious ones include kids’ medicines, vitamins, pickles, muffins, salmon.

Her list was longer, but you get the idea. The solution? We’re doing a lot of it already, but I know my family could get better. Suggestions start with:

• Change something. Small steps lead to better lifetime habits.
• Make your own. Get in your kitchen and start making cleaner foods for your family.
• Read labels. You may be surprised – even shocked! – at what’s in commonly purchased foods.

To read the entire post about Intentional Eating, go to the Organizing Dinner Blog.

This is not a sponsored post. It just reinforced what I’d been thinking and gave some specific examples. Readers, what else do you do to cut out the chemicals in your family’s foods?