Marilu Henner, Total Health Makeover

 Learn to read labels.  Certainly there are chemicals, additives and preservatives in many of the foods you eat.  They improve the appearance and lengthen the shelf life of many products, but they add nothing to the nutritional value.  A great many of them can be detrimental to your health. 

 A good rule of thumb is to avoid any product with an ingredient whose name you can’t pronounce or an ingredient list that says “continued on the next package.”  If it’s not recognizable as food, chances are it’s just merchandise. 

Leave it on the shelf and head to the produce aisle.

The salt shaker is NOT the culprit here.  80% of salt consumed comes from packaged foods and restaurant meals.

Reading labels and cooking whole foods at home are two of the most effective ways to take control of how much salt you’re getting in your daily diet.  Don’t be passive about your health.

Healthy is a relative term and if challenged a manufacturer can argue that the ingredients are comparatively healthy.

Many people believe that “natural” means “clean” but a cereal that’s labeled natural can contain genetically modified ingredients (GMO’s) and pesticides. This is especially common in products made with corn and soy. 

Some products that were previously labeled “organic”, or “made with organic ingredients” (meaning at least 70% of the ingredients are organic) have changed their formulas.  If you’ve been buying a product for some time you may want to revisit the label.  Brand recognition is great but don’t assume that  it remains organic, dairy free or gluten free.  Whatever your priorities are in choosing a product it’s wise to check the ingredients periodically to see if it still conforms to your standards.

Labeling something “natural” or “low fat” does not mean that it’s healthy (truly healthy, not comparatively healthy) , that it’s processed without pesticides or fumigants,  or that it doesn’t contain dairy, sugar or high fructose corn syrup. 

There are some great products on the market and you don’t need to feel guilty about reaching for an easy breakfast or snack from time to time…provided you do your homework beforehand and find out what’s going in that package.

Source: Term Life Insurance

Because we want you to be able to read this… here’s what it says.

ASTHMA * Sodium benzoate, found in sodas, is used as a preservative (microbial control) in foods. Sodium preservatives add sodium to the diet and reduce the availability of potassium. Some reported reactions to sodium benzoate include recurring urticaria (rash), asthma, and eczema.

Each day 11 Americans die from asthma.

The annual cost of asthma to the healthcare system is estimated to be nearly $18 billion.

KIDNEY ISSUES * Colas contain high levels of phosphoric acid, which has been linked to kidney stones and other renal problems.

You are more likely to get kidney stones if you are: male, Caucasian, very overweight.

SUGAR OVERLOAD * Twenty minutes after drinking a soda, your blood sugar spikes, causing an insulin burst. Your liver responds to this by turning any sugar into fat.

Forty minutes later, caffeine absorption is complete. Your pupils dilate, your blood pressure rises; as a response, your liver dumps more sugar into your bloodstream. The adenosine receptors in your brain are now blocked, preventing drowsiness.

Forty-five minutes later, your body ups your dopamine production, stimulating the pleasure centers of your brain. This is physically the same way heroine works, by the way.

OBESITY * The relationship between soft drink consumption and body weight is so strong that researchers calculate that for each additional soda consumed, the risk of obesity increases 1.6 times.

70% of Cardiovascular disease is related to obesity.

42% of breast and colon cancer is diagnosed in obese individuals.

30% of gall bladder surgery is related to obesity.

DISSOLVES TOOTH ENAMEL * Sugar and acid in soft drinks easily dissolve tooth enamel.

When tooth decay reaches the nerve, the root, and the area at the base of the tooth, the tooth may die and, if left untreated, an abscess can develop.

HEART DISEASE * Most soft drinks contain high fructose corn syrup, a sweetener that’s recently come under considerable scrutiny. High fructose corn syrup has been associated with an increased risk of metabolic syndrome, a condition associated with an elevated risk of both diabetes and heart disease.

In 2006, more than one in every four deaths were caused by heart disease.

REPRODUCTIVE ISSUES * Soft drink cans are coated with a resin that contains BPA (bisphenol-A). This is the same cancer causing chemical found in plastic baby bottles, water bottles, and plastic containers that wreaks havoc on the endocrine system, potentially causing premature puberty and reproductive abnormalities.

99.9% of plastic bottles contain BPA.

OSTEOPOROSIS * Soft drinks contain phosphoric acid and a high phosphate diet has been associated with bone breakdown and an increased risk of osteoporosis. When phosphorus is excreted in the urine, it takes calcium with it, depriving the bones and the rest of the body of this important mineral.

Eighty percent of those affected by osteoporosis are women. Twenty percent are men.

INCREASED RISK OF DIABETES * Those who drink more soda have an 80% increased risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.

Approximately 1 in 10 health care dollars is spent on diabetes.

Sources: AssociatedContent.Com | Waterforlifeusa.com | Ionizers.org | NYTImes.com | Helium.com | AAFA.org | KidneyFund.org | CDC.gov | Nutrition.Suite101.com | AmericanHeart.org | Chetday.com | NOF.org | Information provided by TermLifeInsurace.org

One of the ingredients you may see on a label – particularly for any food marketed as “high fiber” (and especially when you know it’s not made almost completely from whole grain and vegetables) – is cellulose, which also comes to us as cellulose gum, powdered cellulose, microcrystalline cellulose, etc.

Cellulose is virgin wood pulp that has been processed and manufactured to different lengths for functionality, though use of it and its variant forms is deemed safe for human consumption, according to the FDA, which regulates most food industry products. The government agency sets no limit on the amount of cellulose that can be used in food products meant for human consumption.

~ Food Freedom

Cellulose also extends the shelf life of foods. Think about it: wood pulp doesn’t rot as fast as food. (Not very appetizing, though.)

It’s also less expensive than actual food products as a binder or filler, which is no doubt the real reason food manufacturers use it. That still doesn’t make it good for humans to eat.

Check here for a list of foods that contain a lot of cellulose. And keep reading labels. You never know when they’re going to change.

Perhaps the most disgraceful aspect of our agricultural system — I say this as an Oregon farmboy who once raised sheep, cattle and hogs — is the way antibiotics are recklessly stuffed into healthy animals to make them grow faster.

This cavalier use of low-level antibiotics creates a perfect breeding ground for antibiotic-resistant pathogens. The upshot is that ailments can become pretty much untreatable.

~ Nicholas D. Kristof, When Food Kills, June 11, 2011

Read more – it’s not long.

You don’t need a special product to wash your produce. Running water is good. If you’re concerned about not getting into the leaves, fill a sink with cold water, add a splash of distilled vinegar, and soak the produce for 5 minutes. Then rinse and spin greens dry, or pat dry with towels.

Peel any produce with a waxy finish that you can’t otherwise remove. Things like parsnips and (regular) cucumbers are almost always coated with wax.

The following lists are provided from the USDA and Environmental Working Group.

HIGHEST PESTICIDE RESIDUE * Apples, Bell & hot peppers, Carrots, Celery, Cherries, Grapes (imported), Green Beans, Nectarines, Peaches, Pears, Potatoes, Red Raspberries, Spinach, Strawberries

MODERATE PESTICIDE RESIDUE * Apricots, Blueberries, Cantaloupe, Collard Greens, Cucumbers, Grapes (domestic), Honeydew Melons, Kale, Lettuce, Mushrooms, Oranges, Sweet Potatoes, Tomatoes, Turnip Greens, Winter Squash

LEAST PESTICIDE RESIDUE * Apple Juice, Asparagus, Avocados, Bananas, Broccoli, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Kiwi, Mangoes, Onions, Orange Juice, Papayas, Pineapple, Plums, Sweet Corn, Sweet Peas, Tangerines, Watermelon

A group of experts tested and ranked 50 popular fruits and veggies for pesticide levels and came up with the following handy list.

The Dirty Dozen – should buy organic!

1. Apples
2. Sweet bell peppers
3. Blueberries
4. Celery
5. Cherries
6. Peaches
7. Strawberries
8. Nectarines
9. Spinach
10. Collard greens/kale
11. Potatoes
12. Grapes (imported)

The Clean 15 – can buy conventional!

1. Onions
2. Avocados
3. Sweet corn (frozen)
4. Pineapples
5. Mangoes
6. Sweet peas (frozen)
7. Asparagus
8. Kiwi
9. Cabbage
10. Eggplant
11. Cantaloupe
12. Watermelon
13. Grapefruit
14. Sweet potatoes
15. Honeydew melon

The use of pesticides in farming has been linked to immune system diseases, nerve damage, and disruptions in the endocrine system, which regulates hormones and fertility.

~ Marilu Henner

How important is it to buy organic produce?
Is it worth the extra expense?

A recent article in VegNews answered these very questions. “Organically grown produce identifies a method of farming that is sustainable, earth-friendly, and pesticide-free. Several studies have found that certain nutrients including calcium, iron, vitamin C, magnesium, and phosphorus, tend to be greater in organic produce when compared to their conventional counterparts. Further, conventional produce might actually be harmful to your health. The chemicals sprayed onto the crops are potentially cancer-promoting and toxic to your central nervous system. It’s a win-win situation for your body and the planet to select organic whenever possible.”

Eating fruits and vegetables – organic or not – is of the utmost importance! Don’t avoid them because you can’t afford the organic variety. Because of strict government-mandated restraints on organic farming, production costs more which means the produce is more expensive. Use common sense when choosing organic vs. conventional. To protect yourself from the potential dangers, go organic for the following:

• Any item you intend to eat with the skin (potato, berries)
• Produce you will use the skin of (zest of citrus fruit)
• A food you consume a lot of on a regular basis