Big ole news flash: chemicals in your food are bad for you. I absolutely harp on this, rail against it as often as possible, climb upon my worn-out soapbox and bay to the moon since my kids don’t really listen to me.

“But the new, carefully controlled study shows that some artificial additives increase hyperactivity and decrease attention span in a wide range of children, not just those for whom over activity has been diagnosed as a learning problem.”

I read this today in New York Times and worded differently on several other sites as well. Dr. Feingold has told us this since the 1970s.

It is such a big duh that I can hardly contain myself. My weakness is Krispy Kreme donuts, and you best believe I can see myself vibrating with a sugar high, that leads to a crash, after I’ve pigged out.

Contrast this with a slide-show program I ran across as a tag on an email touting the eight foods one should eat every day. Honey I wish blueberries were in season every day of the year.

Older adopted children, coming out of the foster care system have terrible diets and horrendous food preferences. Asking for spam or bologna on white bread makes me hurl as does any references to Kool-Aid.

The only thing I’ve found that has worked for us is growing gardens. My kids are transfixed by the fact that really sweet tasting fruit grows right outside, each and every year. Even vegetables taste wonderful, and in a nod to the Hispanic culture that so dominates our family, I grow tons of peppers each year. We can, dry and freeze many varieties, and have hot pepper eating contests until snot flies everywhere; my 20 year old son remains the all-time winner.

I just do not ever buy or drink sodas. As hyperactive and driven as I am on a regular day, if I amped my own self up, I’d be beyond unbearable and the same goes for my entire crew.

I can’t totally regulate their diets and because we sometimes get food donations that include sweet cereals and chips, their diets aren’t perfect. I have tried my best though to cook as nutritionally as is possible and it is with great pride that I notice my older children following suit usually with their own children.