15 Foods to Avoid if You Want to Live a Longer Life

I was reading in the newspaper from Sunday that there are THOUSANDS of people in the U.S. alone that die each year because they did not receive a vital organ transplant. HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS are waiting at any given time. 10% of them are children. SO SAD!!!!!! WHY aren't more people organ donors??? And, WHY aren't we taking better care of ourselves?!?!?!?!?! Not only do I not want to be in the place where I'm waiting for an organ, but I also don't want to ruin myself so bad that when I die no one can utilize my body parts. If I died in a wreck today, would anyone be able to use my heart? Am I healthy enough for that? If my little girl got so sick that she needed a kidney and I was the only match, would they even be able to use it for her? (Oh GOD! I pray she never does!!! But, I want to be able if necessary.)

Saying that, here's 15 foods you should avoid if you want to live longer... Or help others live longer.

1. ANYthing with high fructose corn syrup
2. Same for corn syrup
3. Sugar
4. Beef that's given hormones and feed a corn-only diet
5. Milk from the same
6. Corn (or anything) that's been genetically modified
7. White potatoes
8. White flour
9. White Rice
10. MSG & all the other ingredients that are the same thing
11. A lot of soy byproducts
12. Pork
13. ANYthing with the word "diet" in it
14. Pre-packaged foods ... Seriously!
15. Any of the conventional vegetables that hold a large amount of pesticides -- what good is it to eat kale (which fights cancer) if it holds so many pesticides that it's going to give you cancer? (There are a few veggies that you really should ONLY buy organic!!!!)

... Even though, I'm not going to lie, I don't like organic spinach as much =(
We're not 100% on this list, mostly out of being too poor for an all-organic diet, but we're working on it =)  I want to either live longer, or help others do so.

21 Really Great Foods for Baby

Another fun list, as part of my "30" series ... Here are some foods that, though they might seem obvious to you, took time for me to learn that they are great "firsts" in Baby's repertoire of consumables =)

Apple -- Cut into "sticks" and double as teethers =)
Avocado -- (Thanks, Gina!!)
Banana -- Obviously...
Beans -- Good for that sweet little heart! ... And, digestion tract!
Blueberries -- Frozen, just thawed a bit, is a GREAT finger-food for Baby to handle! And, aren't really a big choking hazard! (Especially wild blueberries - they're a lot smaller.)
Casseroles -- Lots of good messiness, all rolled up into one easy step for Mom.
Cheese -- Our baby might be weird, but she really digs some cheese!
Chocolate -- I know, you probably think I'm crazy! But, she loves it =)
Hummus -- ANY flavor! No kidding!! Super easy to eat on little bites of pita bread.
Kefir -- Full of Probiotics. Ohhhh, if you're not into Kefir yourself yet, you're missing out. BIG time!! It's yogurt with a little kick. It's an acquired taste, but doesn't take long to acquire it!! Get some TODAY!!!!
Mac & Cheese -- Quick, easy, finger-food friendly, but will need a bath afterwards =)
Organic Red Bell Peppers -- If you can get your kid to eat this, PLEASE do!!! (If you are wondering why, please read the blurb about it at the end of my post on Chop-Block Bread, and also visit this list to see what fruits and veggies hold the most pesticides!!!)
Quesadillas -- Again, with the cheese =)
Quinoa -- A great way to introduce texture. Sneak a little into Baby's pureed food, or just let him/her pick it up as a new finger-food.
Rice -- Please, do your kid a favor and give them anything BUT plain ol' white super-starchy white rice! There are many ways to encourage your child to end up obese, and this is one of them. (Same as white potato... Read the book Sugar Busters!!)
Rolls & Hearty-Grainy Breads
Smoothies! -- YUM!! (Sneak in some spinach & flax seed, too!)
Soups
Turkey/Chicken -- But I think it kind of freaks her out when I do "gobble, gobble" and "ba-gak" noises to let her know what it is... Ooops.

Yogurt -- Greek! (2x protein!)

Zucchini -- I just discovered this one... Dang, Zucchini, where have you BEEN all this time?!?!?!?!

Do YOU have any suggestions?

PS -- Can anyone tell me where to find a really good pre-packaged mac & cheese that includes whole wheat pasta? We actually don't even give Baby white pasta (again, like white rice, white flour, white potato...), and we all miss mac & cheese!!! We used to really like Archer Farms from Target, but they don't have a whole wheat....  HELP!!!! Thanks!!!!