Buyer Beware!

The organic movement is under attack by the big corporations. I am not going to name names because I used to work for one of these corporations. However, I have much respect for this company and the knowledge I gained from working there but I do not agree with the tactics that are being employed to "get a piece of the organic pie". We all know that organic food is not cheap but there are reasons for this. Usually the farms are smaller scale and it costs more to protect the food from animals when not using pesticides. Many of these organic farms use manual labor to uproot weeds and keep out the critters. But its all worth it for our health.

Big companies are now using "marketing terminology" to fool the consumer into believing they are getting healthy organic food and are charging a premium for these products too!! You will see how your neighborhood grocery store may now have a "green aisle" that for the most part will have only true organic products stocked there. Names like Amy's, Applegate Farms, Ians, Horizon Organic, Dr. Praegger's and more. But mixed into the regular aisles you will find processed food with names like "all natural" or even "organic" on the labels. This is diluting the organic message and putting our health at risk. Don't be fooled. These products have high fructose corn syrup, GMO's, pesticides and many other synthetic and toxic chemicals in them. They think that just because they deiced to use 'natural flavoring' instead of 'artificial flavoring' they have the right to call it all natural. Well news flash people!! Natural flavoring is nothing but synthetic chemicals engineered to taste like fruits or vegetables that are naturally occurring (ie. orange flavor). Artificial flavors are synthetic chemicals engineered to taste like something that does NOT occur in nature (ie. BBQ flavor). I know it must make you feel good to know that Cheetos has now gone "natural" but don't buy it!! It was and still is a garbage processed food made almost entirely out of corn and chemicals. And let me tell you, its not by chance that the word natural is the biggest word on the package. These marketers know that while you are rapidly scanning the aisle for healthy alternatives, words like these will pop out at you and lure you in to buy. We put this word on a pedestal and would never think that the product labeled with this name is anything but!

Other words are being abused as well. Misleading corporate strategies now include redefining the term “local” to mean not locally owned, grown or produced, but just something “close by,” or worse yet, local through association with something else. This is just wrong and unsuspecting consumers will fall prey to tactics like these. This is why I suggest supporting a local farmers market. There you can actually speak to the people growing the food and understand how their farming practices affect the food you eat.

Now is the time that we must get vigilant. The reason why health care costs are out of control is because we are not HEALTHY. We are obese, we have diabetes, cancer, autoimmune and chronic diseases and its mainly due to our DIET. We need to read the ingredients of everything we buy. High fructose corn syrup should not be an ingredient in anything that is deemed to be "organic". If it is then you know you are being duped. If the product has ingredients with more than 4 syllables you can raise your eyebrow as well because 9 out of 10 times it a corn derivative. Words like maltodextrin, dextrose, lecithin, xanthan gun, gum arabic, high oleic safflower oil, etc. Most processed foods contain these and organic impostors will as well.

Staying away from GMOs (genetically modified foods) is harder to do because the ingredients will not tell you if it has been genetically altered. GMOs have only been around since the 1990's and are causing many health problems and unforeseen illnesses and the government is not doing anything about it. The FDA actually supports this type of farming. There are environmental risks too. Scientists are concerned that GMOs will reduce biodiversity which is essential to our long term sustainability on this planet. So check the PLU code on your food to see if it is a GMO.
Here’s what you should look for:
• A four-digit number means the produce is conventionally grown
• A five-digit number beginning with 9 means it's organic
• A five-digit number beginning with 8 means it's GM
Check out this website for a list of GMO free foods http://www.geaction.org/truefood/shoppersguide/

Please don't be fooled by the sneaky marketing tactics of these big companies that are trying to reap the rewards of "being organic". They are still cutting corners and putting our health at risk. Its up to you to take charge of your health and your lifestyle. Taking the time to buy truly local and organic is a form of activism in itself!

"Dyeing" From Our Food

Ever wonder how they make purple ketchup? Do you think its because they are somehow able to grow purple carrots? Ever wonder WHY they would make purple ketchup? Well I have pondered these questions myself and did a little research to find out. Food dye is a big component to processed food. Without it, most of the processed food would look very bland and unappetizing. It would be discolored, multicolored and turn different colors after a while just sitting on a shelf. Even more importantly, without food dye a big segment of our population wouldn't even think of touching processed foods. The segment is kids. Yes, that is right, kids. Kids are a big part of why food dyes are added in the first place and food dyes are found in most processed food intended for and marketed to children. There is truly no nutritional reason or benefit for adding food dye to what we eat. Its purely for aesthetic reasons. Ok, so we have colorful looking food that may or may not be more appetizing. It certainly does not affect the taste but it can affect how we behave.

There are natural dyes which are made from plant based colors such as beet juice and saffron and there are synthetic dyes like FD&C Blues No. 1&2 and FD&C Green No. 3. Both of these food colors are water soluble which means they dissolve in water. A different type of dye is called lakes. They are not water soluble and are found in products containing fats and oils. I am not so concerned with the natural food coloring as it is derived from plants and not made with any synthetic chemicals. However, the majority of processed food that is marketed for children contains synthetic food dye and for no reason other than its pleasing to the eye.

Recent studies are finding that children consuming high amounts of food dye are more hyperactive than children who don't. They are trying to make a link to food dye and ADHD but nothing has been proven so far. However, where there is smoke, there is fire. At least that is my belief. Synthetic chemicals are not "proven" to cause any bodily harm in isolation but we do not know the synergistic effect they may have on the body when combined. I explained in a previous post how it is nearly impossible to test all the combinations and permutations of the 100,000 synthetic chemicals on the market and their effect on the human body so its up to us to be the best judges when it comes to our health. Why consume extra "stuff" when we don't have to? We really don't know if these food dyes cause ADHD but we do have evidence that once kids are taken off of all foods containing these colorings their behavior improves.

I now look for foods that are free of all colorings and dyes. But if there is something that my kids absolutely have to have then I make sure its colored with natural vegetable coloring. The less synthetic chemicals in our food the better. In fact, I just found a perfect substitute for Ritz Bitz. My kids tasted Ritz Bitz a while back and fell in love. I was devastated because of all the junk that goes into making them and the food dye Yellow No. 4 to make the cheese look tasty. Well, I just found the brand Late July sold in various health food stores. They make round unrefined wheat crackers with real cheese or peanut butter in between. No synthetic food dyes to be found! I was very excited to try them out on the boys and they love them just as much as the Ritz Bitz. Whew! I am so glad that there are alternative offerings out there on the market. You just have to look and make sure to read the ingredients of everything you buy. Nothing should have to be purple in order for it to taste good!!

The Book That Changed It All

The Hundred Year Lie. A must read. My friend from undergrad needs to take the credit for setting me off on my journey. We would talk on the phone for hours about our children, vaccinations, autism and antibiotics. She is a mother of 4 boys all under the age of 6 (which is just amazing and something I could NEVER do). I agreed with mostly everything she was saying and felt compelled to learn more. She suggested that I read The Hundred Year Lie. So I did. What I learned was frightening to say the least. Frightening and uncanny. The three main categories of toxins that are ingested in humans on a daily basis come from the following categories: Household and personal care products, processed food and pharmaceuticals. Sound familiar? Those are the three companies I spent my career working tirelessly for! The very companies that taught me everythnig I know about marketing. The companies that produced products I had a passion for and tried to influence consumers to buy more of!

In isolation, these products have been proven safe for human use by the FDA and various other governing bodies, however, in combination, the synergy of the synthetic chemicals found in these products and absorbed into our bodies can produce serious side effects ranging from toxicity to neurological damage and disease. Currently there are over 100,000 synthetic chemicals on the market and found in everyday products that we consume today. It would be completely impossible for anyone to test the endless combinations and permutations of these chemicals to see what type of damage they can do to the human body. That leaves us in a precarious position. Essentially we are all guinea pigs ingesting the multitude of product varieties and offerings that are supposed to make our lives easier and designed to keep us "healthy".

So what have we seen so far?? Well, in the past 100 years we have seen the rise of these synthetic chemicals in the marketplace as well as a corresponding rise in autoimmune, neurological diseases and cancer. Is there a link? None that has been proven as of yet, but the evidence is glaring. What we do know is that boys have a more difficult time processing toxins found in the body. There also seems to be a "tipping point" with the amount of toxic burden a human body can withstand before incurring neurological damage. This information was enough to scare me as well as empower me. I have two boys. They are too young to make their own decisions and I want to protect them from what can possibly harm them. The Hundred Year Lie was the catalyst that set me on my journey to become "green". I cleaned out my pantry, I cleaned out my closets and under my sink. I cleaned out my bathroom and filled garbage bags with all the products that contained synthetic chemicals. I threw it all away...... and then I began to start over.