(Cross posted at Non-Toxic Kids)

Hello, dear readers out there.  The ones who post comments, and the ones who do not.  I am so happy you take time in your busy schedule to visit Non-Toxic Kids.

I have created a place for you all to carry on the conversations started here, or to start new ones, and to feel the support and guidance of a collective group of parents.  I was looking for a way for readers to connect, discuss, and share beyond comments, and I hope I have found it!

Driving from New England to the mid-Atlantic states with two young children is fraught with challenges.  One of them is that you have to deal with the New York Thruway, and the

Northway where the only places to stop are the highway rest areas with a few fast food choices at each.  At least they moved from a Bob’s Big Boy to a Quizzno’s and Sbarro, but still.  The choices are bleak for someone trying to travel green and healthy.

I try to pack.  But packing three meals for a 10 hour driving day, and all the stuff the kids need for the trip, and everything I need– well, it is overwhelming for someone who despises packing as much as I do.  And we have some challenges such as one severe nut allergy, 3 vegetarians, and a guy who would love to eat sausage, egg and cheese sandwiches everyday.

But what happens when we stop for food on the road, from chain fast food restuarants, or even “healthy” fast food? This kind of eating has consequences:

• It litters our streets
• It packs our landfills
• It chokes our waterways, harming wildlife, and our water supply
• It leads to childhood obesity
• It exposes us to harmful chemicals.
• It fills us with sugar, additives, and food colorings.
• Fast food chains drain local economies.