This'n'That; October 24th[Health;Nutrition;Obesity]

Eight Fixes Nutritionists Want On Food Labels MAKE SERVING SIZES REALISTIC. Most current "serving sizes" do not reflect realistic dining habits. The serving size should reflect what an average individual actually eats; use ounces and cups rather than grams. BETTER EXPLAIN THE PERCENTAGE DAILY VALUE [DV] Clarify whether the recommended percentage for a nutrient is a "ceiling or a floor." As an example: A particular label indicates 30% of the recommended DV of saturated fat. It would be ludicrous to eat more fat than necessary just to reach the 100% level; the thirty percent would be considered a maximum. For vitamins, minerals and fiber, the values should be considered minimums; you'll have to get the remainder from other sources. Most values on the labels are for someone consuming a 2,000 calorie diet. This may be too much for those trying to lose weight or for children's diets. Two columns of values could indicate percentages for another diet, like 1,200 or 1,500 calorie diets. CREATE A MAXIMUM DAILY VALUE FOR SUGAR Currently, there's no ceiling value for sugar consumption. After a maximum is created, it should be further sub-divided into sources of added sugars, i.e., cane juice, high-fructose corn syrup and naturally occurring sugars from whole foods like fruits and milk. REQUIRE A LISTING FOR CAFFEINE CONTENT Caffeine is in many products the consumer might not suspect, like coffee flavored ice cream. During my research, I couldn't find any listing for all [or even most] foods inwhich caffeine has been added. The best I could find is a listing for bottled beverages.... from a high of 1,200 mg in a 12 oz Powershot to a low of 1.2 mg in Canada Dry Diet Cola. The research path is: http://www.erowid.org/splash.php >>>Plant and Drugs >>>>Caffeine HAVE MORE INFORMATION ON WHOLE GRAINS The total amount of whole grains in a product can be difficult to determine. Update container labels to indicate the amount in grams and percentage of the food [or container]. This should apply to fruit products as well. The label should disclose [by percentage of the container] how much is actually fruit. INCLUDE A LISTING OF HEALTHY PAIRINGS WITH THE PRODUCT Using a dry cereal like Wheaties as an example, the label could read... "healthy pairings: skim or 1% milk, fresh berries, fresh bananas, flax seeds [or meal], [etc.]" EXPLAIN FOOD ORIGINS Using cartoon characters/drawings to enhance the text explaining the country of origin of major ingredients, country of production, USA entry point, etc. USE COLOR-CODING AND/OR SYMBOLS PLUS NUMERICAL SCORES TO INDICATE HEALTH VALUES Some larger grocery chains [in the Northeast, Wegman's] are already doing this to some of their products. Establish a color/symbol system that corresponds to a point score indicating the more or lesser health values of like products. Some basics might be fiber content, sugar content, omega-3 and protein content as well as the negative sources like carbohydrates, fat, cholestrol, high sugar levels, etc. With this information readily available, the consumer could compare two cereals, say Wheaties against Cocoa Puffs, to determine which is healthier. CUT CORN CONSUMPTION FOR HEALTH The American food supply is awash in corn. In 2007, U.S. farmers reaped 13 BILLION BUSHELS, the largest corn harvest in American history. Massive federal subsidies to farmers helped keep corn prices-and the resulting food prices-down, but the glut of corn is harming our health. Reducing corn consumption could be a smart health move. That 13 billion bushels has to go somewhere!! Much of the corn is made into high-fructose corn syrup, which is in many processed foods and most consumer beverages. Production of high-fructose corn syrup has increased 4,000 PERCENT since 1973; the average American consumes a whopping 42 pounds of high-fructose corn syrup each year [an extra 75,281 calories-enough to feed the typical American for 37 days!!]. The bulk of these added calories come from soda, energy and juice drinks. Recent studies show that soft drinks have replaced milk as a dietary staple and have become the third most common breakfast food!! "If the average American cut just one soft drink or sugared water drink per day, they would cut their weight 10 pounds per year," says Barry Popkin, agricultural economist and professor of nutrition at the University of North Carolina. Chemically, the corn syrup is nearly identical to table sugar and both substances most likely play a part in the nation's obesity problem. The bulk of the nation's crop ends up feeding livestock. Feeder cattle are cleaply fattened on corn before slaughter. Beef from corn fattened cattle tends to have more artery clogging saturated fats than grass-fed beef. Research also suggests that corn-fed beef is lower in the healthful Omega-3 fatty acids. Cattle that are primarily fed corn develop high stomach acidity, which appears to breed E. coli O157:H7, a deadly strain. A new study by Kansas State University found that cattle which are fed distillers grains, a byproduct of ethanol production, have a significantly higher prevalence of E. coli O157:H7 in their digestive system. This could have profound implications in food safety. Corn is NOT inherently unhealthy, nor should it be banished from the food system. Corn is an astounding plant capable of producing an astounding amount of food from an astoundly small space. The problem is the scale at which it's produced!!

Til Nex'time...........

This'n'That; October 23rd

Annual Physical Yesterday, I had my annual physical. Seems I'll be good for "another 12,000 miles." Being a diabetic for most of my past, this physical has me concerned [again] with my diet. My A1C reading was elevated from the last reading. This reading indicates my blood/sugar levels for the past several months. Granted, I haven't taken my illness as seriously as I should have. I enjoy cooking and baking [with emphasis on BAKING] and practically every cook/baker samples his own wares. Other than the A1C level, all else was within normal ranges. Ten Things The Food Industry Doesn't Want You To Know Earlier this year the CDC released a study that indicated that 32% of children were overweight but not obese; 16% were obese and 11% were extremely obese. Makers of junk food have a greater obligation to their stockholders than the country's children!! The company management that doesn't show increased increased stock value and profit levels will soon find itself unemployed. The company has a vested interest in continuing to provide the CRAP that Americans have come to demand, regardless of the health risks to the consumer. Here are some of the things that junk food manufacturers don't want you to know: 1. Junk food makers spend billions on advertising unlealthy foods to kids. Promotions often use cartoon characters or free giveaways to entice kids into the junk food fold. 2. The studies that food producers support tend to minimize health concerns associated with their products. A review led by Dr David Ludwig, pediatrician and author, of hundreds of studies that looked at the health effects of milk, juice and soda, the likelihood of conclusions favorable to the industry was several times higher among industry-sponsored research than studies that received no industry funding. 3. Junk food makers donate large sums of money to professional nutrition associations. As an example, The American Dietetic Association accepts money from companies like Coca-Cola, which get access to decision makers in the food and nutrition marketplace via ADA events and programs. The ADA even distributes nutritional fact sheets that are directly sponsored by specific industry groups. The ADA's reasoning is that "these collaborations take place with the understanding that ADA does not support any program or message that does not correspond with the ADA's science-based healthful-eating messages and positions. ADA President Martin Yadrick stated, "In fact, we think it's importand for us to be at the same table with food companies because of the positive influence that we can have on them." 4. More processing means more profits, but typically makes the food less healthy. Fresh fruits and vegetables aren't where food companies look for profits. The big bucks are in turning government-subsidized commodity crops-mainly corn, wheat and soybeans-into fast foods, snack foods and beverages. High profit products derived from these commodity crops are generally high in calories and low in nutritional value. 5. Less processed foods are generally more satisfying than their highly processed "cousins." Fresh apples have an abundance of fiber and nutrients that are lost when processed into applesauce. The added sugar or other sweeteners increase the number of calories without making the applesauce more filling. The even-more-processed apple juice has almost all of the fiber and nutrients stripped out. Dr Ludwig says this same stripping of nutrients happens with highly refined white bread compared with stone-ground whole wheat bread. 6. Many supposedly healthy replacement foods are hardly healthier than the foods they replace. As an example, in 2006 major beverage makers agreed to remove sugary sodas from school vending machines. The industry mounted an intense obbying effort that persuaded lawmakers to allow sports drinks and vitamin waters that-despite their healthier reputations- still are packed with sugar and calories. 7. A health claim on the label doesn't necessarily make a food healthy. Health claims such as "zero trans fats" and "contains whole wheat" creates the false impression that a product is healthy when it may not be. The claim may be true but the product is not going to be a health benefit if it's also loaded with salt, sugar, saturated fat and lacks fiber or other nutrients. These claims make people forget about the calories. 8. Food industry pressure has made nutritional guidelines confusing. The food industry has a history of preferring scientific jargon to straight talk. Since 1977, public health officials have attempted to include the advice "reduce consumption of meat" in an important report called Dietary Goals for the United States. The authors of the report capitualted to the intense pushback from the cattle industry and used this more ambiguous advice: "Choose meats, poultry and fish which will reduce saturated fat intake." The government has a hard time recommending that people eat less of anything. 9. The food industry funds front-groups that fight antiobesity public health intiatives. Unless you follow politics closely, you wouldn't know that a group named the Center for Consumer Freedom [CCF] has anything to do with the food industry. This group lobbies aggressively against obesity-related public health campaigns such as the one directed at removing junk food from schools. According to the Center for Media and Democracy, the CCF is funded primarily through donations from the likes of Coca-Cola, Cargill, Tyson Foods and Wendy's. 10. The food industry works aggressively to disredit its critics. The Center for Consumer Freedom [CCF] boasts that "our strategy is to shoot the messenger. We've got to attack activists' credibility as spokespersons." The bottom line in all this is that kids need to EAT LESS, include more FRUITS and VEGETABLES and LIMIT THE JUNK FOOD !!! Til nex'time.......