A choice I made when my daughter was 8 and why it still matters to me
Three years ago, when Jovi was 8 years old, I started noticing something that didn’t feel right.
She was having emotional lows that felt heavier than what I expected for her age. Real lows, sadness. What would an 8 year old suddenly feel so sad for? And it was just enough that I kept thinking, “This isn’t random.”
Over time, one pattern stood out.
We ate a lot of sandwiches in our house - store bought bread, buns, etc.
I noticed this happened after she had sandwiches, in particular.
I wasn’t looking for a problem. I wasn’t trying to change how we ate. I just paid attention. When you live with your kids every day, you learn what feels normal for them and what doesn’t.
So I started asking questions.
I Didn’t Plan to Change Our Diet
I didn’t set out to overhaul anything.
I didn’t cut out bread.
I didn’t go looking for something to blame.
I started reading ingredient labels. That was it.
Bread was something we ate often, so it was an easy place to start. What I found surprised me. Not because it was shocking, but because I realized how little we’re told about the foods we eat regularly.
That’s when I came across potassium bromate.
What I Read Back Then
Potassium bromate is used as a flour improver. It helps dough rise higher and creates a uniform texture. It’s added for appearance and shelf life, not nutrition.
What caught my attention wasn’t a headline or a social media post. It was regulatory and health information stating that:
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Potassium bromate is classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer as a Group 2B possible human carcinogen
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Animal studies linked it to kidney damage and tumor formation
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Long-term exposure has been associated with central nervous system effects, including irritability and behavioral changes
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Residual amounts can remain in bread, especially when products are underbaked or heavily processed
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It is banned or restricted in many countries due to these concerns
I remember thinking how strange it was that this information exists, yet most people have never heard of it.
What This Meant to Me as a Parent
This didn’t mean I believed one ingredient was responsible for everything Jovi was experiencing.
It didn’t mean I thought bread was bad.
It didn’t mean I thought she was sick.
It didn’t mean I panicked.
It meant I had enough information to pause and make a reasonable choice.
If there was a way to simplify a food she ate often and remove unnecessary additives, I was willing to try.
I didn't want her to start developing fear around food or frustration with food.
Why Kids Can Respond Differently
Children aren’t just smaller adults.
Their nervous systems are still developing. Their bodies process things differently. What an adult might barely notice can show up in a child as irritability, emotional swings, or behavior changes.
That doesn’t mean harm. It means sensitivity.
Ignoring that didn’t feel responsible to me.
The Change I Made
I didn’t remove bread from our home.
I started making it myself.
Same food. Fewer variables.
Flour. Water. Yeast. Salt.
No dough conditioners.
No shelf-stability additives.
No potassium bromate.
At first, I started out with sourdough bread, but it took too much time, energy & work.
I needed something that'd be simple & something I would not quit.
So my husband ordered me a bread machine.
And I used that bread machine. I didn’t complicate it. I didn’t turn it into a project.
And over time, I noticed a difference.
Jovi’s emotional lows eased. Not overnight. But enough that I couldn’t ignore it.
Why I’m Sharing This Now
I’m sharing this because I think most of us aren’t careless. We’re under-informed.
We assume food on shelves meets the same standards everywhere.
We assume if something is allowed, it must be safe.
We assume noticing patterns makes us “that parent.”
But asking questions doesn’t make you extreme.
Simplifying food doesn’t make you fearful.
Paying attention doesn’t make you dramatic.
This Isn’t About Demonizing Food
This isn’t about saying store-bought bread is bad.
This isn’t about telling anyone what they should do.
This isn’t about assigning blame.
It’s about acknowledging that small, reasonable choices can matter, especially when it comes to kids.
Looking Back
Three years later, I don’t regret this decision.
Not because I think homemade bread is special or superior.
But because I chose to respond instead of dismissing what I was seeing.
I reduced additives.
I simplified one food.
I paid attention.
And for our family, that mattered.
Final Thoughts
We don’t need to know everything to make better choices.
Sometimes we just need enough information to pause and ask, “Is there an easier way to do this?”
For me, making our own bread was one of those choices. It wasn’t extreme. It wasn’t complicated. It was just simpler.
And sometimes, simpler is enough.