L-O-V-E Those ARTIFICIAL SWEETNERS? Things You Should Know!

What does DDT, FORMALDEHYDE, CHLORINE and a host of other chemicals have in common with artificial sweeteners?

Plenty!

How about the fact that Splenda more closely resembles the DDT molecule and that CHLORINE molecules are added to make the sweetener. The folks who make it will tell you that it’s made from sugar.  Well, it IS, initially, but the chemical changes that make it into SUCRALOSE  – which is a chemical formation and NOT real sugar is NOT FOUND IN NATURE!  Don’t be fooled by the name.  Additionally, your body does not have the ability to metabolize this chemical because it is artificial!  It is a CHLOROCARBON,  which causes shrinkage in the thymus, calcification in the kidneys.  If you get kidney pain after using this product, STOP using it at once. Nice, huh? It is also a fat soluble substance and remains in the body for a long time.

Did you know that scientists were creating an INSECTICIDE when Splenda was ‘discovered?’

People gobble Splenda ridden products and think nothing of it.  THIS IS NOT FOOD YOU ARE EATING - it is ARTIFICIAL INGREDIENTS something your body CANNOT PROCESS.

For more history of artificial sweeteners read this.

Personal note:

I ran the gamut of artificial sweetener use.  Grandma was into healthy eating and – we didn’t know any better then – she used saccarine.  I used that till the 70′s.  Then I used Sweet-N-Low… but…  when I started getting severe pain in my kidneys after using it, I started to wonder.  A friend who was an editor, and was currently on the health editing desk – alerted me to the dangers of S&L waaaay back then.  I stopped using ALL artificial sweeteners and have not had any pain since then.

Moms-to-be:  Please, PLEASE do NOT eat foods with artificial sweeteners.  Do not think you are doing your baby a favor by trying to ‘diet’ while you are pregnant.  EAT REAL FOOD – not ‘plastic, poison, artificial’  food!

For God’s sake (your BABY’S sake – really)  don’t drink soda, either.  That is one of the MOST poisonious things you can ingest and your baby is getting it, too.

Find out what IN your food, folks – because it probably is making you sick!

Food & Wacky, Uncontrollable Kids

I picked up a book in a used book  shop:  “Why You Child Is Hyperactive”  by Ben F. Feingold, M.D.

Dr. Feingold was an allergist, who, back in the 70′s proposed that hyperactivity in children could be traced to chemical additives in food colorings.  His ‘Feingold Diet’ advocated strict adherence to a fresh food, chemical free life.  Parents of ADD and ADHD children were encouraged to keep a food diary.  The results were amazing.

Now, 40 years later, diet and the link to all sorts of disorders, in adults as well as children is mainstream medicine…. well,  practically.  There are still some parents and physicians who barely admit that what goes into a kid’s mouth will result in their little darling turning into the  creature from the black lagoon or Mr. Hyde.

If your child, or one you know, is out of their tree after eating a Happy Meal, you might do well to investigate…, that is unless you have stock in the pharmaceutical company that makes Ritalin!  Or maybe you’re totally oblivious to what it’s really doing to your kid and figure it’s just easier to keep shoving pills down his throat! Hey – if you don’t give a damn…. then keep having those prescriptions filled!

We Are All LAB RATS

YOU and I are lab rats.  Your KIDS are lab rats, too. Unless you grow and consume all your food yourself, YOU are held hostage by the food companies.

Think about it.  Everything thing you eat -  e v e n   those so-called ‘natural’ or ‘organic’ foods probably are tainted in some way with something.

I know too much.  I have my roots in the local food movement, but they stretch way back to the environmental movement.  What I do here, and on my website an other blogs, is try to EDUCATE.

For the most part, the average consumer has their head up their butt when it comes to food and the environment.  They think it’s not their problem, that it doesn’t concern them and that it doesn’t affect them.

Do you send your kids to public  school? Do they play sports?  Do they eat school food?  Do you take them to fast food joints?  What do you buy for them at the  grocery store? Do you eat in restaurants? What DO you eat when you eat? What DO you drink when you drink?

What about your home life?  What products do you buy:  laundry detergent, body care products, beauty products, perfumes, lotions, hair dye, nail polish?  What do you paint your walls with?  Where did you get your furniture? Do you use any bug killing preparations?  What about your lawn?  Do you have a lawn care service and do you KNOW what they put on your lawn?  Have you had a pest company assure you their ‘chemicals’ are safe around kids and pets?  Do you go to Lowe’s or Home Depot and buy lawn care products to keep the nasty bugs away?  Do your KIDS PLAY ON YOUR LAWN?

Where do YOU choose to shop?  Is Wally-World your best buddy because you have fallen victim and been brainwashed by their  ‘save money, live better’  catchphrase?

Big business, especially the likes of Wal-Mart, does NOT give a shit about you.  Look at the way they treat their own employees?  They’ve been convicted on a vast array of charges in recent years of labor violations.  Going waaaay back, and I have a copy of the article in my files here…. they even wanted to move a Native American cemetery because they wanted to build a store!  Do you think, in this day of corporate greed, that it’s gotten any better, that they’ve become a kinder, more gentler Wally?

There are numerous links detailing environmental disregard -and- total disregard for human life on this planet BY food companies and agricultural chemical companies.  You and I and this planet are being POISONED by thousands of chemicals a day because the likes of Monsanto and Bayer… those kindly aspirin people.

DO THE RESEARCH.  Do it for your kids, your friends, your family, your friends and if you care enough – our planet.

Detox: Why It’s Important

We live in a world of toxins, which didn’t exist 50 or 100 years ago.  Since the advent of plastics, that “miracle substance”, we can find few things that aren’t either entirely composed of them or partially so. Consequently, because of things like plastics, pollution, food additives, pesticides, synthetic ingredients in furnishings, personal care items, and cleaning products, we need to help our bodies get rid of toxins.  This is where a good detox bath comes in.

Since ancient times, one of the most effective detox regimens has been the bath.  Soaking in hot mineral springs or a bath containing aromatic bath salts, oils and herbs, was a favorite past time of the Romans, Chinese and other civilizations. Aromatic bath salts serve a two-fold purpose:  their scent calms and relaxes the body and the salts, be it Dead Sea salts, Himalayan salts, Epsom salts or other natural bath salts, act as a detoxifying agent.  This helps the body rid itself of toxins, stave off illness and muscle strain and fatigue. If you remove dead skin with an exfoliating natural scrub, the results are even better.

Most people don’t realize that when you take a hot detox bath, you can even either prevent or lessen the effects of an oncoming illness.  A hot detox bath does the same thing as a fever does:  kills germs inside the body by raising the overall temperature.  That’s what a fever is for!  It is the body’s defense system against illness.

One of my favorite combinations is  mixing Epsom salts with bath salts. Epsom salts are wonderful!  We think of them only when we’ve sprained or strained something.  They have two other great benefits:  they will help you sleep after their detoxing properties in your bath, and they are a natural skin softener.

So, the next time you get that scratchy feeling in your throat, or have been around too many people who’re sick – and don’t want to come down with something, get in a  hot tub for an hour or two with some bath salts.  Your body will probably thank you!

ADD/HD & Diet?

An article appeared in Reuters on children on medication for ADD/HD having hallucinations. Why is this no surprise?

The use of Ritalin and its cousins, all nervous system excitants, became the drug of choice during the 80s and 90s.  Ritalin is one of the most over prescribed drugs on the market today.  Although certain criteria should be met before assuming a child truly is ADHD, many physicians and parents are too quick to assume their child truly is ADD/HD, when all that may be needed is a ‘cleaner’ diet.

We’ve all seen kids bounce off the walls after eating high doses of sugar, haven’t we?  Why is it so strange to some that FOOD may actually be the cause of supposed ADD/HD in your kid?

The typical American diet is loaded with sugar and chemical additives. Browse any supermarket aisle containing lunch items and you will find a disturbing array of ‘food-like substances’ designed for convenience for Moms packing kids’ school lunches.  Food marketed as ‘healthy’ or a ‘good, nutritious lunch for your kids’ or ‘healthy snacks’ often contains more artificial ingredients than real, actual food.  Even so-called healthy yogurts:  low or no fat varieties of one popular brand, Yoplait, have a scary list of artificial ingredients.

Don’t fall for the claims of fast-food purveyors, either.  Every parent.., no.., make that every person, should read ‘Fast Food Nation’ by Eric Schlosser if you eat fast food.  Morgan Spurlock’s book, “Supersize Me”, which came out after the academy nominated movie, gives a behind-the-scenes look at McDonald’s and the fast food industry.  I guarantee, you’ll never feel the same about eating out after reading these two books.

ADD/HD is a real condition due to the brain’s neural transmissions and actual brain development. Rather than assuming your kid IS actually ADD/HD and is not just being a ‘normal’ kid with that kid energy, don’t automatically go for the doctor’s insistence on a drug regimen. Parents should consider a natural approach first.  What is your child eating during the day?  What IS IN their food that might be causing this?

Consulting with a licensed nutritionist or dietitian, having a chemical analysis done might be a good first step.  A cleaner diet, free of artificial chemicals, all sugars, no soda – might go a long way to helping the child.  Because studies have indicated that there are an average of 1,000 household  toxins in a child’s home  environment, eliminating these elements may also have some bearing.

As an old friend used to say:  “Start simple.”  It may be the most beneficial way to help your child.

How Safe Is Your Food?

Until recently, most of us never gave a thought to what’s in our food.  We just went to the grocery store, picked up those little packages wrapped in plastic and went home.  Unbeknownst to us, we have been used as human guinea pigs for the last 50 years or so.

Our food is less nutritious because the soil has been stripped of vital minerals.  Since the advent of the chemical age, farmers rely less on traditional methods of crop rotation and more on chemical additives.  Soil has been so inundated with chemicals, and a vast array of them because companies like Monsanto have convinced growers that natural is not the way – but CHEMICALS are king!

There has also been a horrific rise in various diseases like cancer.  Why?  It is known that chemicals can disrupt the body’s production of hormones and throw the entire endocrine system into turmoil.  Cancer, it is found, feeds on certain things that are a big aspect of our modern diet.  Sugar, milk products, artificial sweeteners are a few items which have been documented to assist the spread of cancer.  Diets consisting of processed food – food from a box or can, microwaveable or fast food -  instead of fresh food, are more likely to contribute to cancer growth.

Industrialized nations have a greater cancer risk.  Typically their diet consists of processed foods with artificial ingredients rather than fresh, natural food.

In the book, Foods to Fight Cancer, by Richard Believeau, Ph.D and Denis Gingras, Ph.D (DK Books 2007  ISBN# 978-0-7566-2867-3) a map showing global distribution of cancer tells all.  North American, Europe, Australia, Eastern Europe (Hungary & the Czech Republic) are colored bright red which means cancer is most prevalent.  The dark green areas:  western Africa, Southeast nations of India, Thailand and China have the lowest rates of cancer.

What’s in YOUR diet?

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Poisons In Your Food

America is fat.  America is sick. America is being poisoned with each mouthful.

If you eat at McDonald’s, KFC, Wendy’s or any other fast food place, you are consuming a diet high in chemicals. Despite what you’re told, much of the food is artificially flavored. Think those french fries that smell so good are all natural? What about the chicken in the sandwich; is that chemical and pesticide free?  That burger you’ve just chowed down, is it really all natural 100% beef?

No.

What you are eating is a carefully engineered meal that has its roots in a chemical lab.  That wonderful smell that makes you crave that burger or fries comes from artificial ingredients from the ‘smell lab.’

In Chapter 5 of Eric Schlosser’s Fast Food Nation, he visits IFF, International Flavors & Fragrances, the world’s largest flavor company.  On a tour he visited such labs responsible for making coloring and flavors in your favorite foods.  The snack lab makes additives for your breakfast cereal, well-known snack foods, breads and hundreds of of  other items all the way to  pet food. The confectionery lab makes flavors for ice cream, cookies, candy, toothpaste, mouthwash and antacids. The beverage lab concocts colors for soda, sports drinks, beers, wine coolers and all-natural (that’s right!) organic teas.  In lab after lab he saw things like pizza grills, milk shake machines, french fry machines, all used in testing of flavorings and colors that go into all the food we eat.

Some of these companies make chemicals which are not only used in make-up; lipstick, eyeshadow, mascara, but the same pigments are used in food for color.  Titanium dioxide a common ingredient in make-up, also gives frosting, candies a vivid white color.  This same chemical is found in paint.

Titanium dioxide is also found in Burger King, Mcdonald’s and Wendy’s foods:  chicken, buns, salad dressings and many other foods.

Think your milkshake IS really just milk?  The strawberry in your  shake contains the following:  amyl acetate, amyl butyrate, amyl valerate, anathol, anysil formate, bensyl acetate, bensyl butyrate, butytric acid, cinnamyl isobutyrate, cinnamyl valerate, cognac essential oil, diacetyl, dipropyl ketone, ethyl acetate, ethyl amylketone, ethyl butyrate, ethyl cinnamate, ethyl heptanoate, ethyl lactate, ethyl methylphenylgylcidate, ethyl nitrate, ethyl propionate, ethyl valerate, heliotropin, hydroxyphenyl-2-butanone,  (10% alcohol solution) isobutyl anthranilate, lemon esstntial oil, maltol, 4-methylactophenone, methyl anthranilate, methyl benzoate, methyl cinnamate, methyl heptine carbonate, methyl napthyl ketone, methyl salicylate, mint essential oil, neroil essential oil, nerolin, neryl isobutyrate, orris butter, phenethyl alcohol, rose, rum ether y-undecalactone, vanillin and solvent.  YIPEE !!!!

Schlosser was taken to a lab where, with eyes closed, he sampled different fragrances.  His most shocking experience was opening his eyes after swearing someone was grilling hamburgers in the room.  Before his eyes was just a strip of test paper held by a grinning flavorist!

THAT’S what you’re eating when you go out to eat at fast food places…. chemicals.

If you’re a vegetarian or vegan, and think you’re just eating fries made from potatoes, the Vegetarian Journal reports that McDonald’s acknowedges some of its flavorings used in fries come from ‘animal products.  Fries, too, contain a dizzying array of chemicals to give them that distinctive ‘McDonald’s taste.’

Enjoy that HAPPY MEAL!

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