# I won't give her cheerios anymore - what else should I avoid



## mermommy (Aug 16, 2004)

I learned from a recent thread that Cheerios contain trisodium phosphate, after looking it up I am horrified that I ever gave them to my DD. ( this is not to be judgemental on anyone who chooses to use them - I was just caught very unaware). After heading to the local Trader Joe's and finding that their version of Cheerios also contained the offending ingredient I'm concerned about other " usual toddler foods" that may be just as bad. I don't use foods specifically packaged towards toddlers ( gerber, etc) but are there other foods I should specifically watch out for?

I'm trying to be more aware - reading the labels more carefully and making more from scratch but I'd like any heads up you can give








thanks


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## HeatherG (May 22, 2003)

I give DD Cascadian Farm Organic Purely O's

here is the link, check out the nutritional info:

http://www.cfarm.com/cfarm/products/...asp?category=8

The ingredient list does not include trisodium phosphate.

I like the O's, they are just like Cheerios (which I don't like for many other reasons.) Your DC will not know the difference.


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## UrbanPlanter (Nov 14, 2003)

just wondering... what is trisodium phosphate and why should I avoid it?


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## MamaE (May 1, 2004)

Someone please tell me about trisodium phosphate! What is it and what's so bad about it? I have never heard of this.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *HeatherG*
I give DD Cascadian Farm Organic Purely O's

Ditto. I chose these because I had read that oats are one of the foods that should be organic, if possible, i.e., prioritize oats (among other things) if you can't buy everything organic. Plus, these have no sugar and Cheerios do.

As far as usual toddler foods, I always avoid anything with refined flours, i.e. goldfish crackers and most other crackers, for that matter. And, I avoid all trans fats for dd (and for myself, as much as humanly possible). That means no graham crackers or animal cookies or frozen fried items. But I'm sure you knew all that already. I can't think of any more. Can't wait to learn about the trisodium stuff!


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## xenabyte (Jul 16, 2004)

OMG!!!! Google it, and here is just ONE of the various links you will get for it!!!!!!!

http://www.custombuildingproducts.co...g/TSP%20DS.htm






















:

I stopped giving my first Ds them, because he started getting tummy problems with it. I'm glad I stopped! I wasn't planning on doing it for second son, now I definitely won't!!

I was concerned because most cereals are so processed and really are not that great, just one more reason to 'bother' soaking and making oatmeal or homemade granola snacks, if you want whole grains for your child. Man, what's this world coming to....


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## melissa17s (Aug 3, 2004)

We eat the cocoa otios... no funky chemicals that i could find in the ingredients. One more sad fact about cheerios, they are on greenpeace's list of gm foods... most likely the corn in them, but maybe the oats, too.


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## wednesday (Apr 26, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *xenabyte*
OMG!!!! Google it, and here is just ONE of the various links you will get for it!!!!!!!

http://www.custombuildingproducts.co...g/TSP%20DS.htm


Okay, I read that page, and all I'm seeing is that TSP is used on its own as a cleaner/degreaser. Which sounds horrible until I think about how people use things like baking soda and vinegar as cleansers, but also as food.

So I would just like to know a little more about what makes TSP so bad, if anyone can explain.


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## Doodlebugsmom (Aug 1, 2002)

We do the Cascadian Farms Os too. Sometimes I even get the honey ones which dd calls "candy cereals"!


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## xenabyte (Jul 16, 2004)

You can safely ingest Vinegar and baking soda, individually, as they are food substances that also have properties useful for 'more natural' cleaning (the acid levels of the vinegar disinfects by killing bacteria/virus's by it's acid nature) and the baking soda has 'scrubbing' potential by it's abrasive form and the akaline nature of it also helps kill unwanted germs.

However, I would not want to use a 'STRONG degreaser' as a food additive, nor ingest a pesticide, which it is classified as (ack!), not as a food product, that also can be useful for cleaning. There was one site that said Don't use it to clean grout, as it can 'erode' it. (Ick) ...Baking soda and vinegar won't do that!

Here is another site, this one is a pesticide site, and it's got 'unknown' effects in many categories, but if you look really closely, it's 'mortal' to aquatic life (fish), and it is used as a pesticide, herbicide...which again, probably isn't so bad, but why ingest stuff with 'pesticides' in it??

http://www.pesticideinfo.org/Detail_...Rec_Id=PC34419

Oh well, there is probably some other reasons, but I'm still researching, I just wanted to share what I was finding, as the OP hasn't said why they are not wanting to use it.

I also saw a 'Poison symptom' for ingestion was stomach ache/pains...hmmm...strange, that's what my toddler used to complain of when he'd eat alot of Cheerios! Just coicendence??

Ugh, oh well, I'm not eating the stuff anyway, for some other reasons....


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## Ellie'sMom (Aug 10, 2002)

Hi all. I am really interested in this because dd does eat Cheerios (one of the few processed snacks she gets). I cannot find trisodium phosphate on the ingredient list. I do see tripotassium phosphate. I don't have time to look it up right now, but I thought I'd set the record straight.


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## xenabyte (Jul 16, 2004)

Ahhhh, Well now, that'd be a different animal all together









I'm glad someone with some in the cuboards actually looked, I was wondering why they would feel the need to put a degreaser in it!!

The Tripotassium phospate is also known as Potassium Phosphate tribasic (look under synonyms, and Tripotassium Phospate is listed as an alternate chemical name.)

http://www.jtbaker.com/msds/englishhtml/p6060.htm

Now this doesn't sound much better ....but the info was based on an ingestion of 'pure' substance? or accidental ingestion. Mmmm...I know the amount in the cereal would be a very tiny amount, but could aggregate over time, especially considering how children tend to LOVE them and eat them hand over fist, on a daily basis for 'snacks'.

I know my first son ate them like they were candy! I have to avoid the cereal isle at the store now, or he starts chanting for them!

Maybe someone else has another source of info on this and more data...


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## melissa17s (Aug 3, 2004)

I thought this link might interest the OP because it gives a comprehensive list of companies that use gmo and those that don't. http://www.truefoodnow.org/shoppersg...printable.html I think those that don't are more thoughtful towards consumers concerns and desires for healthier food instead of mystery food. Even if stuff shows up on the nongmo list, I would still check the ingredients carefully because it does not mean all the foods are healthy- this is just a possible starting point.


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## Gale Force (Jun 15, 2003)

Gosh, I wondered what the world is coming to putting TSP in breakfast cereal. We use it in painting and take the extra water to the toxic waste place.

But on Cheerios -- we don't eat any grains pressed into other things, at least not regularly. You can get whole grain cereals and crackers but they are still processed.


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## rumi (Mar 29, 2004)

we use Heritage O's and are all happy with them. they have 4 grains actually and taste very hearty. now cheerios - of which i usedd to be quite fond - are soggy as white bread.

but i am not sure whether they are organic - will check next time, i've already poured them into a jar. they do have "evaporated cane juice" though -- isn't that the same as sugar? do the other ones really not have sugar?


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## mermommy (Aug 16, 2004)

Thanks so much for all your replies - I got the original information on a thread here and googled it - coming up with the degreasing/ used in painting etc. I also found quite a few links that involved cheerios so I figured it was right.

Looking at the box of cheerios and honey nut cheerios in my pantry ( from before the scare) :

The regular cheerios say : Tripotassium phosphate like a pp said.

Honey Nut: Whole Grain Oats( includes the oat bran), sugar, Oat Bran, Modified Corn Starch, Honey, Brown Sugar Syrup, Salt, Ground Almonds, Calcium Carbonate, *TRISODIUM PHOSPHATE* Wheat Flour. . .

Since I wasn't giving those to DD I feel better but I will be avoiding them both in the future. ( They end up in every corner of the house anyway







).

Thanks for the information about the GMOs I had the greenpeace lists printed out before we moved but they're still in limbo.
Sorry if I raised too much of a fuss, I just couldn't believe that would be in food - and got a little paniced about what else I might not know about things we eat.


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## jmreinke (Jan 1, 2003)

Hi,

I just came across this thread, and was very interested since I love Cheerios, and so do my daughters.

I googled and found this: http://www.pccnaturalmarkets.com/sc/0206/goldies.html

The author makes some good points.


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## xenabyte (Jul 16, 2004)

Even if it has Tripotassium Phosphate, and not the Trisodium, here is an excerpt from the link I found:

"Potential Health Effects [Tripotassium Phosphate]
----------------------------------

Inhalation:
Causes irritation to the respiratory tract. Symptoms may include coughing, shortness of breath.

Ingestion:
Phosphates are slowly and incompletely absorbed when ingested, and seldom result in systemic effects. Such effects, however, have occurred. Symptoms may include vomiting, lethargy, diarrhea, blood chemistry effects, cardiac effects and central nervous system effects. The toxicity of phosphates is because of their ability to sequester calcium. Acute potassium intoxication by mouth is rare because large single doses usually induce vomiting and because in the absence of pre-existing kidney damage, potassium is rapidly excreted. Potassium poisoning can result in heart effects, change in respiration rate, tingling in the extremities, heaviness in the limbs, nausea and diarrhea.

Skin Contact:
Causes irritation to skin. Symptoms include redness, itching, and pain.

Eye Contact:
Causes irritation, redness, and pain.

Chronic Exposure:
May sequester calcium and cause calcium phosphate deposits in the kidneys. Continued ingestion or absorption of phosphate and potassium can lead to renal disorders and in acute cases, potassium poisoning. The latter can involve circulatory complications, partial paralysis and ulcers of the stomach.

Aggravation of Pre-existing Conditions:
Persons with pre-existing skin disorders or eye problems, or impaired liver, kidney or respiratory function may be more susceptible to the effects of the substance. "


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## nym (Sep 6, 2003)

Uhm, my box of Cheerios (which we have never opened and was given to us) says that it is TRISODIUM PHOSPHATE.


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## mermommy (Aug 16, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *nym*
Uhm, my box of Cheerios (which we have never opened and was given to us) says that it is TRISODIUM PHOSPHATE.











hmmmm anyone else getting a little creeped out by all the different listings on boxes?


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## Momtwice (Nov 21, 2001)

bumping because the subject is coming up again (two year old thread)


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## BlissP (Jun 24, 2005)

Yikes. My kid has never had cheerios, but I had no idea there was an issue like this. I avoided cheerios from the beginning because they just seemed like there probably wasn't much to them, nutritionally. From the time he could manage them, I have been giving him Kashi Heart to Heart o's (They are called honey toasted, but I don't find honey in the ingredient list.) I think they are ok (as far as this sort of snack goes, I mean they still contain plenty of corn flour, corn meal and evaporated cane juice? Not sure how good that is for you.) They are pretty tasty too! Just a bit more robust, so they take a little more gumming/chewing than a cheerio.


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## Mama Vic (Oct 3, 2013)

Tripotassium phosphate is safe for your baby. You have been reading about the dry potassium powder or perhaps sodium phosphate. Go ahead with the Cheerios.


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## 971935 (Oct 13, 2013)

Re Cheerios....

Well... I'm not a mama like the rest of you. I'm a grandma. I own rental properties. If I have something really nasty to clean up...I used to go to the hardware store and buy tri-sodium phospate. The directions said that it is a dangerous product and use rubber gloves. Then... they took it off the market as a straight product and mixed it in with other stuff in order to dilute it out. When I saw it in Cheerios... I used to call General Mills and asked why. The answer was that it made a better product. I wrote to FDA and they probably didn't even read it. However, enough people must have hollared about it that it is now substituted with tri--- something else. I haven't really checked that out yet. Another thing that Cheerios did is they stopped putting BHT in the inner packaging. BHT was there to "maintain freshness".... but it is a known cancer causing compound. Now they use Vit A with another word attached to it, which I haven't looked up yet either. Post cereals still have BHT in the packaging. I guess the lesson is if enough people yell about somethng, maybe it'd get looked at.

The the ball is in your court ladies.... keep reading those labels and keep asking questions and vote with your money


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## mambera (Sep 29, 2009)

You guys. Sodium, potassium, and phosphate ions are all completely normal components of your body and are crucial for the proper functioning of your heart and nerve cells.

Sodium and potassium phosphates are weak bases which can be used to adjust the pH of whatever you are making - be it a food product or a cleaning product.

The dose makes the poison. Trace potassium chloride, benign and blends in with your body's normal complement of ions, useful when supplemented orally for cases of low potassium. Concentrated potassium chloride injected into your IV, lethal pretty instantly. And so it goes.

This is not an ingredient to be worried about.


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## MountainMamaGC (Jun 23, 2008)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mambera*
> 
> You guys. Sodium, potassium, and phosphate ions are all completely normal components of your body and are crucial for the proper functioning of your heart and nerve cells.
> 
> ...


Finally some common sense. Thanks.


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