Break the Habit and #PledgeToDoubleCheck products for your Family’s sake

Every morning, I would ask the #AngTwins what they would like to eat for breakfast and they would love enumerating all their favorite food. Cake, Ice Cream, Pizza, Spaghetti, Burger, Waffles...and the list goes on and on. As a food lover, it's a dream to watch your kids showing more love and interest in eating. I get so excited whenever I can share something delicious with them and to watch them eat it with so much delight just fills my heart with joy. 

However, as a mom, I sometimes have to step on the breaks and carefully plan out their meals. Teaching them to eat right and healthy is our responsibility has their parents and they're at this stage wherein we have to train them to eat their veggies and fruits. This is also when I've learned to check the labels.. not only once but twice. I watch out for the sugar content and making sure that they get their vitamins and minerals too. 

[PR] Our family, most importantly, our kids are the special treasures we have and with that, we only want what is best for them especially in terms of the food and drinks they consume. However, with the goal of making them happy with their favorite refreshments, desserts and snacks, are you sure that they are nutritious for your little ones? 

Beware mommies, do not put your guard down and don’t be complacent because it’s not enough that we buy products having popular names. There might be red flags that you don’t see in the usual products that you buy. Just because we see our kids are enjoying their usual snacks and drinks doesn’t mean that our job is done, because as important it is to give them what they want, it’s even more important to give them what they need. As wise moms, we should check what ingredients are in the snacks and drinks that we serve to our kids. Is there too much sugar? Too many artificial ingredients? Remember, giving what’s best to our children is not only about providing tasty snacks and beverages –but rather, about providing them with snacks and drinks that will nourish them and keep them healthy. 

Guilty? It’s never too late to break the habit of buying whatever is pleasing to the eyes and what is popular because All Natural Seasons Juice by Dole have started the mommy movement #PledgeToDoubleCheck that advocates for smarter and wiser grocery shopping. 

This is why I was totally all for All Natural Seasons Juice by Dole's movement to remind moms like you and me to #PledgetoDoubleCheck. I remember going to the grocery with my aunt last year and while I have the tendency to just quickly grab items off the shelf, toss it into my cart and move on to the next aisle, my aunt would carefully look at each items, check out the nutritional value, see the expiration date and compare with other brands if possible. My usual 30 minute grocery run ballooned to more than two hours but being with my auntie taught me to be more cautious especially when it comes to items being consumed by my family. 

So what is this movement all about? 

This movement is a call to be more conscious about your grocery shopping habits and to inform and properly educate yourself about the ingredients of the products you are buying. The lesser ingredients they contain, the more natural they probably are, hence, a healthier and safer product for the family. 

We may think that the current products that we are purchasing are already “healthy” but upon checking their ingredients lists, you might be shocked to find that they contain chemically-sounding, artificial additives and preservatives to add a more flavorful taste. Fair warning for all mommies that when there are too many ingredients (more than 10) and are a bit complicated or hard to understand, it could be a sign that the product contains a lot of artificial ingredients that are not advisable to be consumed in large amounts regularly so you might want to reconsider buying it. 

Through pledging to check the label, you are committing towards being more aware on which brands to put your trust in and assessing which are true to their claim of being a healthy product. You will be shocked to discover that the products you have patronized and have made staple food items at home contain ingredients that may result to health complications

It's such an easy task but it takes one to really form the habit to read the labels and to #pledgetodoublecheck each time. I'm happy to have discovered All Natural Seasons Juice by Dole as it' made by a reputable company, it has a number of delicious flavors to choose from and it's something I won't even think twice to offer to my twins. However, to keep the sugar level at bay, I would only fill half of my cup with juice and add water to lessen the sweetness (which by the way, comes from all the fruits so that's all-natural and a bit of stevia too). 

Well-known celebrity mommies like Jolina Magdangal, Neri Miranda and Pokwang, together with some fellow mommy bloggers such Mommy Pehpot and Peachy from The Peach Kitchen have spearheaded this movement of breaking the bad habit of not checking the label and starting to read and scrutinize the contents of the food and drinks that they buy. 

It’s about time that you join us, not only by signing the pledge but taking this to greater heights by sharing this message to invite other mommies out there to take the pledge to double check the ingredients to really know what’s in your juice. 

Other mommies nationwide who have started taking in on the pledge admitted how double checking the back label has made significant changes on them as a mom and how they were able to protect their children from health risks. 

“[As] a meticulous [and] curious mom, checking the back label helped me to verify the nutritional claims, compare brands, and choose which one offers the best buy for my family,” said Mommy Erlyne Penaroyo from Makati City. 

“Double checking the back label of [the] products I shop from the groceries made me a more cautious and practical mom I am. It ensures my family’s safety most especially these times of pandemic. Dole’s All Natural Seasons #PledgeToDoubleCheck made me realize to double check all the things before purchasing and consuming,” according to Mommy Dyanna Cañas from Biñan City. 

These mommies have proven that familiarizing yourself with the ingredients and nutrition content of the products you consume is an important factor that should be normalized and graciously followed. 

"I always double check the back label of each items I [buy] especially for my kids because I always want to make it sure na healthy ang lagi kong binibili at binibigay sa kanila at may natural ingredients na makakatulong sa health nila. I am very conscious mom lalo na sa mga binibigay ko sa aking family, kaya super important sakin na i-double check lagi ang back label,” Mommy Kimberly Fajilan from Batangas City added. 

“It’s good to be aware if a certain food is high in sugar, carbs or in sodium. [and] also for the calorie content and ingredients, sometimes ‘pag puro preservatives malalaman mo agad kasi hindi familiar ang ingredients,” said Mommy Gec Cajucom from Parañaque City. 

Join this movement now and be part of the change! Post a photo of yourself holding and reading the back label of any food or beverage product and tell us what you discovered when you double-checked. Don’t forget to use the hashtag #PledgeToDoubleCheck and tag @allnaturalseasons so you can influence other mommies, and little by little, we can all take the next steps towards creating a healthier lifestyle for us and our childr

Check out all our photos on Instagram, mommies! It's high time we read the labels and give our kids a healthy and balanced diet.