Unjunk Your Junk Food Book Review

Are you trying to eat healthier but get frustrated with all those crazy ingredients on the food labels? You may be finding it a real challenge to figure out what is REALLY going to help you eat healthier. What about your family? Don't forget about your kiddos too. The most popular brands are not always the best for your family to eat!   So many of the brands you know and have been buying forever contain some really scary ingredients.

Unjunk Your Junk Food is a great little book and reference guide by the creators of NaturallySavvy.com that truly helps to educate you about food and drink choices in an easy to understand way. It has simple comparisons of your typical choices and a healthier sub. You can see below how they show you that PopTarts are a no-no but the yummy sub by Nature's Path (which I happen to have recently bought by coincidence) is a healthier version with no freaky ingredients. My little one thinks the Nature's Path toaster pastries taste way better too! How easy is that?

Unjunk Your Junk Food is small enough that you can stash it in your purse or tote bag to refer to on a regular basis--like when you are food shopping!  It really helps you begin to re-think your food choices before they sneak their way into your cupboards. Don't forget all the yummy subs for every item that they don't recommend eating so you don't feel deprived--you just feel healthier without all those funky chemicals and additives.

Many of the items they recommend I regularly see at the conventional supermarkets her in the mid-Atlantic region like ShopRite, Stop & Shop, Pathmark and A & P. I have also seen many of them at Whole Foods as well. Unjunk Your Junk Food is a wonderful little book to help you get started on the road to healthier eating. Andrea Donsky and Randy Boyer explain the basics about healthy nutrition in the first few chapters.

The authors decipher some of those terms and names you have always wondered about like Pantothenic Acid and Ferrous Fumurate. How about GMOs? When you read the book you will find the answers! The main section of Unjunk Your Junk Food is a really fun and easy to understand format that shows you what to avoid and what to try in place of the offending food. They even give you additional options for healthy subs too on each page. They also explain why they are advising you not to eat something and why you SHOULD substitute something else.

I like their little Savvy Alert tips on each page as well. Tiny little tidbits or explanations that are "easy to digest." Just like the DIY tips. Easy little ideas to make for tasty snacks, drinks or even a body scrub! Everything is easy to absorb and not overwhelming. That is really important, right? We all like easy-peasy!

You can see below they show you a can of Coke Classic. What could be wrong with that? Even I used to keep it in the house for when a family member was ill. Yikes. It is full of high fructose corn syrup and caffeine. They show you the ingredients and nutrition information right there on the spot.

The nice part is they show you the substitute--Blue Sky Natural Soda. I bought Blue Sky Cola at Stop & Shop recently in their natural foods section. I have to say it tastes great and I feel better knowing that my family has a healthier option on the rare occasions when we drink soda.

 I was excited to participate in this book review opportunity through Naturally Savvy's blogger program. I was provided with a complimentary copy of the book Unjunk Your Junk Food Healthy Alternatives To Conventional Snacks by Andrea Donsky and Randy Boyer. All written opinions are my own and I was not provided with payment of any kind. 

Unjunk Your Junk Food is a great book to buy to get you started with eating healthier. I love the size and easy to read format. It would be perfect to share with your children to help them understand why you might be making some changes. The large, colorful pictures would be a fun way to involve the family in helping your to find items on the store shelves too!

I would like to leave you with a quick reference of ‘The Scary Seven’ ingredients lurking in so many everyday foods. Andrea and Randy suggest you steer clear of these ingredients if at all possible:  

MSG: Monosodium Glutamate 
HFCS: High-Fructose Corn Syrup 
Trans-Fat: anything hydrogenated or hydrogenated 
Artificial colors 
Artificial flavors 
Artificial Sweeteners: (Aspartame, Splenda, ace-K (Sweet One), Saccharin (Sweet n Low) 
Preservatives: Polysorbate 80, TBHQ, Propionates, Sodium benzoate, BHA, BHT, Sulfur dioxide  

Unjunk Your Junk Food Healthy Alternatives To Conventional Snacks retails for US $17.99.  It is available online at Barnes and Noble, on Amazon and Books-A-Million and in stores. I see that Amazon currently has a great sale price of $12.23 (move fast...prices change quickly on Amazon!).

Get your child to drink more milk and WIN BIG with Big G cereals!

Did you know that simply drinking the leftover milk from cereal bowls may help kids work towards fulfilling their body´s daily dairy, calcium, and Vitamin D needs? And what better way to slurp down to the bottom of the bowl than with the new Curvy Straws, available in-pack of specially marked boxes of Big G cereal! With these collectable, connectable Curvy Straws, children of all ages can enjoy mixing and matching to build bigger, colorful straws all while helping them work towards stronger bones and muscles through increased calcium intake!

Be sure to collect all six different colorful straws featuring beloved Big G cereal characters Participating Big G cereals include Cinnamon Toast Crunch® (17 oz.), Lucky Charms®(16 oz.), Reese’s® Puffs (18 oz.), Honey Nut Cheerios® (17 oz.), Trix®(14.8 oz)  and Cocoa Puffs® (16.5 oz) Made with more whole grain than any other ingredient, Big G cereal, combined with a ½ cup of milk, can help provide a great start to your family’s day  Whether you use one or connect them all, the fun with Big G Curvy Straws doesn’t have to stop when you reach the end of the bowl. Simply grab another serving of ice cold milk, and slurp away! Need more cereal to go with your milk? You  can visit this link to download a printable coupon for $1.25 off of the purchase of (2) boxes of participating Big G cereal today! One lucky reader will win a great prize pack from Big G and MyBlogSpark.  Don't forget to enter each day to increase your chances for winning! a Rafflecopter giveaway

www.wholegrainnation.com

The prize pack, information, and giveaway have been provided by General Mills through MyBlogSpark."

Children's Claritin Mom Crew Member Pefect Timing

I was recently notified just in time for the spring flowers and allergy season that I am officially a member of the the Children's Claritin Mom Crew. What perfect timing! I was thrilled to be included in this Mom's Panel because so many of the Mom's I know are managing allergies this time of year---and some of them year around!

 I have been so itchy and sneezy myself. My little one has been sneezing as well but fortunately not too bad this year. I always keep the Children's Claritin in the house just in case. The little one doesn't mind at all when she has to take Children's Claritin--says the chewables taste great too.

The pediatrician recommended Children's Claritin by name recently and suggested that it would help when allergy issues crop up.  I recently found out that Children's Claritin is the #1 Pediatrician Recommended Non-Drowsy Allergy Brand too. Only Children's Claritin provides Non-Drowsy 24hr Allergy relief with one pill a day.  I love that I can count on Children's Claritin when I need it most! If you haven't tried Children's Claritin, I would recommend you give it a whirl. Don't forget to check with your pediatrician first.

Do you have a favorite allergy medicine that you have had success with using for your child? I would love to hear about what has worked well for your kids too.

 "As a member of the Children's Claritin Mom Crew, I may receive product samples and promotional items to share and use as I see fit.  No monetary compensation has taken place   "As a member of the Children's Claritin Mom Crew, I receive product samples and promotional items to share and use as I see fit.   No monetary compensation has taken place and any opinions expressed by me are honest and reflect my personal experience." 

Brahmin Spring Collection of gorgeous bags

I was thrilled that Vogue Influencers shared a sneak peek with me at the Brahmin spring bag collection. Brahmin is so up to date with some fun, fancy- free modern, colorful designs that fit any style or outfit. Here are some of the polka dots, floral and snake designs that I love!