Food for thought…

This week, I twice fell prey to savvy marketing. Or, more specifically, I fell prey once, my son fell prey once, and I caved to avoid a tantrum in the supermarket Gabriel loves anything with a picture of a baby on it. He loves the diaper aisle, my Mothering magazines, or anything else displaying images of little people. So why shouldn’t he get the yogurt with the cute little bottles and the pictures of adorable two-year-olds smiling up from the packaging? “Because, ounce for ounce, it costs more than twice as much as buying plain yogurt in a big tub, that’s why!” my newly-budget-conscious brain protests. But such is the marketing guru’s genius–contrary to what many brash-talking mamas claim, most battles between Mom and 2-year-old are won by the one still in diapers.

So, now for the part where I succumb to the marketer’s spin: Organic pop-tarts. Even typing those words is hard because the concept is so ludicrous. I’ve recently become obsessed with cutting chemicals out of our diets, giving up my beloved Cool Whip after a particularly eye-opening article about the ingredients in Wired (Note: If you might be scarred for life, like I have been, by having to give up Cool Whip, do not read this article), and trying everything from natural body care products to bee’s wax candles to cut down my petroleum consumption and improve my family’s health. I haven’t had a blueberry Pop-Tart in years, but I used to love them, just like I used to love Jell-O pudding and Cool Whip (don’t even read the label on the Jell-O, man, it’s scary!).

So I couldn’t resist when I saw the organic variety on sale at Vitamin Cottage this week. I bought them, rushed home, ripped open the little foil packet (darn it, it looked like a Pop-Tart and was even packaged like one), and popped it in the toaster. It smelled like a Pop-Tart too, right until I bit into it. Let’s face it, it’s the preservatives and the unpronounceable chemicals that make junk food taste so good. *Sigh* And don’t even try the organic version of Cool-Whip, it tastes like peanut butter and is slightly gray. Ewww. Just go for plain old, full fat, 100% dairy whipping cream. Arteries be damned!