being picky about what we give our kids to eat

I find no matter how diligent we think we are with what we give our kids to eat, there is always room for improvement.  Recently I went on an errand to the bank, and my 4 yr old knows that she will get a lollipop from the bank.  I've gotten used to that routine as well, thinking it harmless.  She enjoyed her lollipop and spent the rest of the afternoon with blue lips and tongue.  Later we ran into a friend of hers at the pool .  When she asked about why my daughters lips were blue I told her it was from the lollipop she got at the bank.  Then the other little girl replied that she was not allowed to eat those lollipops because they have artificial in them and she is allergic to artificial.

I was inspired by this young childs statement.  I dont believe she is allergic to "artificial", but I know her mom is very health conscious and doesnt feed her kids anything with articial colors or additives.  The fact that this child didnt mind skipping the lollipops from the bank, and knew that they were bad for her made me think twice about what I was doing.

I immediately went to Trader jo's and picked up a box of naturally flavored and colored lollipops.  (using beet juice and other natural coloring foods)  Of course its still sugar, but a better choice to stash into my purse for trips to the bank and such.