The month of February reminds us of love. When walking into a store, we are bombarded with heart-shaped balloons, decorations, all things red and pink, and of course, candy and sweets. Our offices may have Valentine’s Day decorations hanging on the walls along with our homes and our children’s classrooms. If you have school-aged children, your kids will more than likely bring home Valentine’s Day-themed artwork and a sign-up sheet for the class V-Day party.
With the holiday season behind us, it’s almost cruel to have another holiday to be celebrated while we are still in the beginning phase of our new year’s health goals. Many of us have taken the vow to be healthier this year. This resolution is one that we more than likely have extended to our family members, whether they like it or not. We entered January with high expectations for ourselves, but it seems we can’t get away from the delicious treats that were just marketed with red and green hues and have now taken on a new form of red and pink.
Aside from throwing a wrench into our health goals, many of these treats are not just bad for our waistline but can have a more serious impact on our bodies. It’s important, as women and moms, we understand what’s in the items thrown in our faces while on the checkout line purposefully so we give them to our children to avoid a meltdown or that we end up shoveling down without a thought because we are now becoming hangry.
Many of these food items contain ingredients that are harmful to our health. Most of us have heard that artificial flavors, sugar, and sweeteners are bad for us, but we look beyond it when presented with something at the moment. I am fully aware in this day and age that it is nearly impossible to avoid eating foods that aren’t good for us at all times. Still, when presented with the opportunity, it is important to understand what’s on the ingredient list of our favorite packaged foods and look for items that provide a healthier alternative when presented.
Here are my top five ingredients to avoid when purchasing and consuming Valentine’s Day treats.
1. Artificial Dyes
Products containing artificial dyes in other countries are either banned completely or require a warning label on food packaging. These harmful dyes are known to disrupt the immune system, cause hyperactivity in children, have a negative impact on a child’s ability to learn, and can be contaminated with carcinogens that are linked to certain cancers.
2. Artificial Sweeteners
Artificial sweeteners such as high fructose corn syrup are cheap to use in food products without any regard for how it affects the human body. HFCS is a dangerous additive linked to diabetes, obesity, inflammatory diseases like heart and liver, insulin resistance, weight gain, and more.
3. Inflammatory Oils
These are oils that are high in Omega 6. We want a diet rich in Omega 3, not Omega 6. Oils high in Omega 6 include corn, safflower, sunflower, soy, and vegetable oil. These oils cause inflammation within the body, leading to many diseases such as autoimmunity, heart, liver, diabetes, and cancer.
4. Titanium Dioxide
This can be best described as a paint primer. You add it to food to achieve the richest overall color. It made recent headlines when a huge lawsuit was sparked against Skittles. Skittles was supposed to remove this ingredient back in 2016 in America but never did. This food additive is banned in Europe and is no longer considered safe as it has been linked to cancer over the years.
5. Added Sugar
Unsurprisingly, excessive amounts of sugar are in many food products. Without being mindful of the serving size, it’s very easy to consume high sugar levels when eating your favorite foods. Opting for products that don’t contain added sugars will help keep our waistlines and blood sugar in check!
What do you do if your favorite treats contain unhealthy ingredients? You can still indulge in your favorite Valentine’s Day treats without the side effects to your body, mind, and overall health with these alternatives.
- Yum Earth
- Smart Sweets
- Unreal
- Numa
- Made Good
- Annie’s
- Back to Nature
- Perfect Snacks
- Lovely
- Hu
- Lily’s
- Enjoy Life
- Dr. John’s
- Theo
- Alter Eco
In addition to eating some delicious candy treats this Valentine’s Day, you can also add a playful twist to your child’s favorite meals by using a simple heart cookie cutter. Using heart cutters to cut sandwiches, fruits, veggies, and more is a playful and fun way to celebrate and show love.
Another fun way to Celebrate Valentine’s Day is by cutting fresh fruits and freezing them in these heart-shaped ice cubes. (Pro tip, brew coffee and freeze it for yourself and hubby!)
For more fun heart-shaped healthy food ideas, check out this article on Pinterest!
