I’ll email my thoughts on that to you.

I am still taking your requests for a straw as a joke, but one more question like that and you’ll find yourself the proud owner of a signed straw. Where’s my signed coaster?

Amy — Well, um, actually, milliliters would be metric. But that’s okay. We’ll just take our fluid ounces and go on about our business.

As far as your inches comment? I’m just going to let my wife’s words speak to that.

P.S. I know what MORE than 6″ looks like (hope Pops isn’t still reading this thread!).

I am having this struggle here at my home. Wanting to make better choices for myself, my husband and my kids. The part that is the hardest is on my grocery budget each month. Trying to find healthier alternatives whether organic or not just seems to be a daily battle.

I will keep trying!

:)

By the way, do you need an address for the signed straw?

Amy, kindred spirits are we! I wonder, though, as a Canadian, what measurement units do you use?

Thanks to everyone, too, for the ideas. I might just try a few.

My absolute favorite breakfast for a few years was Grape-nuts in my yogurt, but then I figured out that the Grape-nuts gave me severe gas. I think I’ve mentioned that here before, but it’s always humiliating to mention it again.

It is easy to find food products containing HFCS, and where you might not expect it.

Dave - There have been some classic flip-flops on what’s safe, I agree. I think that aspartame and other substances probably go unnoticed in most people but there’s enough evidence for me to believe it is harmful to quite a few. It sounds like you and I agree that the rise in child obesity rates is more likely from inactivity than some evil ingredient, but families also eat out a lot more than they used to and buy more prepared foods than before. We ate lots of sugar, too (but don’t tell Dad). Lik-m-aid was a personal favorite. And then we rode our bicycles the mile back to our house. Okay, sometimes it was our motorcycles or our three-wheeler, but that’s still active compared to sitting inside playing NintendoDS (or whatever’s the hot portable game these days).

Sugar in the Raw adds great flavor to coffee and tea. Glad to hear you like it, too.

Item 1. When we were kids (as Charles said to you) we ate nothing but sugar. The candy store was right on our corner. We had fireballs, squirrel nuts, Hershey bars, Pixie Stix, Lik-M-Aid..etc. We WERE however, very active back then. My parents didn’t bring me 3 blocks to go somewhere like some kids do now.

Item 2. The Aspertame thing tends to go in cycles. First it’s deadly, next it’s not. Kinda like Coffee, Alcohol, and just about everything you’ve ever heard of that you enjoy.

Personally, I do enjoy Splenda. BUT..I have one packet every couple of weeks, not 10 packets a day.
I would rather have “Sugar in the Raw”, for the flavor. Again though, I don’t use sugar much.

I’m trying to eat better now.. lets hope it continues.