Why do you want to have your children eating their pet goldfish anyways? It’s time to undress GoldFish crackers once and for all!
Would I give these to my son?
I can honestly and proudly say my two-year-old son has never had a GoldFish cracker. Nope, lets scratch that my husband or I have never bought or gave him one. The next-door neighbor’s did when the other kids were out and it was half way gone before I could react.
As a holistic nutritionist and mom, I felt sick…
As a mother and holistic nutritionist I felt sick and was sure he was going to sprout a third ear right there in the yard. When he got a taste he wanted more…. addictive little buggers.
I spent his whole short little life being so careful, with the gluten, organic foods and making sure his digestive system was up to par.
Reading the label
Truth be told I didn’t even know what was in these bad boys.
I have never picked up the boxes because at that time I had made everything (even gluten free bread) that went in his mouth.
I don’t shop in the baby aisle
I never and still don’t shop in the baby alley at the grocery store but I am not perfect and I understand the lure of a quick snack for your babe.
A lot of babies and toddlers eat these crackers and they are wasted calories in my opinion. How nutritious are these fish for our kids? Are there any ingredients we should watch out for? I took a good hard look at the nutrition labels and ingredient lists to find out if these GoldFish crackers are better off staying on the grocery shelf. So lets undress the GoldFish Cracker.
Undressing the ingredients
GoldFish crackers can be bought in grocery stores or in bulk at Costco.
When you go online to their website I couldn’t find the ingredients list anywhere, just the nutritional information. So I did some digging and came up with a few different ingredient lists for different flavors. The first one is for the original cracker; at first glance it isn’t “horrible”. They are trying to pump it up with extra nutrition.
The original cracker list is:
- Made with Smiles and
- Unbleached Enriched Wheat Flour [Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamin Mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Folic Acid],
- Vegetable Oils (Canola, Sunflower and/or Soybean),
- Nonfat Milk (Adds a Trivial Amount of Cholesterol),
- Salt,
Contains 2 Percent or Less of:
- Yeast,
- Leavening (Ammonium Bicarbonate, Baking Soda, Monocalcium Phosphate),
- Sugar,
- Spices and
- Onion Powder
What about the sugar and salt count?
The sugar count is very low, but the sodium is high – 230-250mg (about 10-11% of the daily value for healthy adults). Babies and toddlers are tiny. That’s a lot of sodium for their little kidney’s to detox out.
Is there any healthy fiber in it?
There is barely any fiber (less than 1 gram) because the flour used here is refined, not whole grain.
You could opt for a version of GoldFish made with some whole grain. That gets you up to 2 grams of fiber. Meh.
What is GMO?
GMO’s (A genetically modified organism (GMO) or genetically engineered organism (GEO) is an organism whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques.
DNA Technology?!
These techniques, generally known as recombinant DNA technology, use DNA molecules from different sources, which are combined into one molecule to create a new set of genes. This DNA is then transferred into an organism, giving it modified or novel genes. Transgenic organisms, a subset of GMOs, are organisms that have inserted DNA from a different species. GMOs are the constituents of genetically modified foods.
Numerous studies show that genetically modified (GM) foods can be toxic or allergenic.
What happens to mice that eat GMO’s?
Mice fed GM soy showed disturbed liver, pancreas and testes function.
Female rats fed GM soy showed changes in uterus and ovaries compared with controls fed organic non-GM soy or a non-soy diet. Similarly, rabbits fed GM soy showed enzyme function disturbances in the kidney and heart.
Studies on GM corn, canola oil, potatoes, tomatoes and rice have produced similar results.
So let’s be real, no one wants’s to be a human test rat for a true study, there has been some and the results are scary.
GMO seed companies do their own testing?
Yep, the seed companies do their own “testing” and everything comes up roses.
The thing is GMO’s may cause cancer, allergies and digestive upset. It is messing around with nature and it’s possible that there are a number of GMO ingredients in this cracker.
The ingredients that would concern me are wheat flour, soybean & canola oil and maybe even the milk.
GMO foods and our babies
If you get past the GMO’s the wheat flour (enriched) is another redflag. A lot of babies do not have the digestive (enzymes) system to even tolerant wheat/gluten.
Most modified wheat found in North America can have 40% more gluten than original ancient grain wheat, and this can cause constipation, eczema, stomach cramps, and even diarrhea.
It is white flour that is used for these crackers so they are fortified with Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamin Mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Folic Acid. If you ask me, why not just use the whole grain that already had those nutrients in it before it was processed.
Kids and sensitivities and allergies
A lot of kids have a sensitivity or allergy to milk, my son does for sure and if it is conventional milk it is hard for the body to digest and over time can cause leaky gut and allergies. Don’t forget all the hormones in milk as well.
Wait! There’s more GoldFish flavors!
Quickly I will end with other flavors of GoldFish crackers. Definitely do not buy the RAINBOW version of GoldFish, as the colors all come from artificial dyes:
- Blue 2,
- Red 40,
- Red 3, and
- Blue 1
Artificial colors are considered “safe” to consume by the FDA, but some countries in Europe are phasing them out due to concerns about the neurological effect on children.
You should try to minimize your kids’ exposure to them (eliminate), especially in product categories where they have no reason to be in the first place.
My son and his experience with artificial colors
My son has had food colouring a few times at birthday parties when I missed wiping the frosting off. His stool was neon the next day and he was running around like a crazed toddler. Imagine what was going on internally?
Garden-Cheddar GoldFish
The Garden-Cheddar, a “veggie-infused” product, claims to provide a third of a serving of vegetables that kids so greatly need (how about a vegetable?). Look for the sneaky Autolyzed Yeast Extract ingredient which is actually MSG – find out the problems with MSG here.
Here’s the ingredient list:
- Made with Smiles and
- Unbleached Enriched Wheat Flour [Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamin Mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Folic Acid],
- Cornstarch,
- Cheddar Cheese [(Pasteurized Cultures Milk, Salt, Enzymes), Annatto],
- Dehydrated Vegetable Blend (Split Pea, Carrot, Tomato, Sweet Potato, Cornstarch, Maltodextrin, Soy Lecithin),
- Vegetable Oils (Canola, Sunflower and/or Soybean),
- Wheat Gluten,
- Dehydrated Potatoes
Contains 2 Percent or Less of:
- Salt,
- Yeast,
- Maltodextrin,
- Autolyzed Yeast,
- Leavening (Ammonium Bicarbonate, Baking Soda, Monocalcium Phosphate),
- Yellow Corn Flour,
- Lactic Acid,
- Onion Powder,
- Paprika,
- Autolyzed Yeast Extract,
- Natural Butter Flavor,
- Garlic Powder,
- Spices,
- Buttermilk,
- Sodium Phosphate,
- Calcium Lactate,
- Citric Acid, and
- Spice Extract
I really have nothing good to say, there are sooo many ingredients and most of them are rubbish.
What you can do to maximize on health
If you are looking for fiber then cut up:
- cucumbers,
- carrots,
- peppers,
- broccoli and
- celery
for your toddler (in safe bite size pieces).
Good on-the-go snacks:
- Bananas,
- avocados,
- apples and
- berries
Citrus free green smoothies before one years old are great ways to fill their bellies.
Great in-the-car treats:
- Rice Crackers,
- Millet Flakes and
- Mary’s crackers
You can take leftover vegetable pulp and dehydrate it with flax seeds and make your own cracker full of fiber as well.
What do babies and toddlers REALLY need?
Babies and toddlers need lots of clean fuel – they are growing and learning like weeds. Slowing their little bodies down to figure out how to break down and absorb garbage foods doesn’t serve them well.
If they do have a GoldFish cracker it isn’t the end of the world but use the tips above to help minimize the amount of times they eat these types of foods.
There are healthy on the go foods and kids will eat what they see their parents eat. So stick to wholefoods and encourage them when they are eating something healthy. It will pay off in the end!
Wasn’t that a great article? Kim has even more great information on her website! You’ll want to check out her site by clicking here to get the scoop on all the latest information related to every stage of life. We love her informative, hands-on workshops also. Click here to check out one of these today!
Did you grow up eating GoldFish crackers? Do you have a bone to pick with the company that makes them? Share all your comments and feelings below. We want to hear it!
