The top ten things food companies don't want you to know

[nosmokes]

News Target.com non-commercial permission granted

The top ten things food companies don't want you to know

Posted Monday, August 14, 2006 by Mike Adams


The giant food corporations have one mission: selling more food and beverage products to consumers. Succeeding with that mission depends on keeping consumers in the dark on certain issues such as the presence cancer-causing chemicals found in popular food products.

Here are ten things the food corporations, whose products dominate grocery store shelves across the United States and other countries, absolutely do not want you to know.

1. The ingredients listed on the label aren't the only things in the food. Cancer-causing chemicals such as acrylamides may be formed in the food during high-heat processing, yet there's no requirement to list them on the label. Residues of solvents, pesticides and other chemicals may also be present, but also do not have to be listed. The National Uniformity for Food Act, currently being debated in the U.S. Congress, would make it illegal (yes, illegal) for states to require cancer warnings on foods that contain cancer-causing chemicals (such as California's Proposition 65.) See articles on the Food Uniformity Act.

2. Monosodium glutamate (MSG), which is added to thousands of food and grocery products through a dozen different innocent-sounding ingredients, imbalances endocrine system function, disabling normal appetite regulation and causing consumers to keep eating more food. This chemical not only contributes to nationwide obesity, it also helps food companies boost repeat business. See articles on MSG.

3. MSG is routinely hidden in foods in these ingredients: yeast extract, torula yeast, hydrolyzed vegetable protein and autolyzed yeast. Thousands of common grocery products contain one or more of these chemical taste enhancers, including nearly all "vegetarian" foods such as veggie burgers (read labels to check). See Food manufacturers hide dangerous ingredients in everyday foods by using confusing terms on the label.

4. ADHD in children is caused almost entirely by the consumption of processed food ingredients such as artificial colors and refined carbohydrates. Eighty percent of so-called ADHD children who are taken off processed foods are cured of ADHD in two weeks. See articles on ADHD.
Related book:
Grocery Warning
How to recognize and avoid the common foods (and food ingredients) that cause disease. Names all the exact ingredients that directly cause heart disease, cancer, diabetes, obesity, depression, osteoporosis, arthritis, high blood pressure, ADHD, behavioral disorders, mood swings and many more.


5. The chemical sweetener aspartame, when exposed to warm temperatures for only a few hours, begins to break down into chemicals like formaldehyde and formic acid. Formaldehyde is a potent nerve toxin and causes damage to the eyes, brain and entire nervous system. Aspartame has been strongly linked to migraines, seizures, blurred vision and many other nervous system problems. See articles on aspartame.

6. Most food dips (like guacamole dip) are made with hydrogenated oils, artificial colors and monosodium glutamate. Many guacamole dips don't even contain avocados.

7. Plastic food packaging is a potent health hazard. Scientists now know that plastics routinely seep the chemical bisphenol A into the food, where it is eaten by consumers. Cooking in plastic containers multiplies the level of exposure. Bisphenol is a hormone disruptor and can cause breast formation in men and severe hormonal imbalances in women. It may also encourage hormone-related cancers such as prostate cancer and breast cancer. See Plastics chemical bisphenol A found to promote prostate cancer in animal studies.

8. Milk produced in the United States comes from cows injected with synthetic hormones that have been banned in every other advanced nation in the world. These hormones help explain why unusually young teenage girls develop breasts at such a young age, or why hormone-related cancers like prostate cancer are being discovered in unprecedented numbers. In order to protect Monsanto, the manufacturer of hormones used in the industry, the USDA currently bans organic milk producers from claiming their milk comes from cows that were not treated with synthetic hormones. Even organic milk is now under fire as the Organic Consumers Association says Horizon milk products are falsely labeled as organic. See Horizon milk, Wild Oats named in consumer boycott of "false" organic products. (The solution to all this? Drink raw almond milk instead. Make it yourself with a Vitamix, water and a nut milk bag.)
Related book:
The Real Safety Guide to Disease Prevention
More than 80% of all chronic disease is preventable, but only if you know how. Learn the proven, yet simple prevention strategies for cancer, heart disease, diabetes, depression, Alzheimer's and many other degenerative health conditions.
9. Most grocery products that make loud health claims on their packaging are, in reality, nutritionally worthless (like meal replacement shakes, instant chocolate milk, etc.). The most nutritious foods are actually those the FDA does not allow to make any health claims whatsoever: fresh produce. See articles on food labeling.

10. Food manufacturers actually "buy" shelf space and position at grocery stores. That's why the most profitable foods (and hence, the ones with the lowest quality ingredients) are the most visible on aisle end caps, checkout lanes and eye-level shelves throughout the store. The effect of all this is to provide in-store marketing and visibility to the very foods and beverages that promote obesity, diabetes, cancer, heart disease and other degenerative conditions now ravaging consumers around the world. See articles on food marketing.

Reprint this article: Non-commercial permission granted (must cite source and provide link News Target,com

[Bjornsdotter]

1. I knew many of those

...but it's a great list to have. BTW, didn't know about the guacamole dip...yuck.

Thanks for posting, I'm going to forward the list to some non-believers.

Cheers

[tridim]

8. Do people actually buy guacamole dip?

It takes less than 5 minues to make fresh. Why would anyone buy it pre-made?

[shanti]

14. have you ever tried trader joe's guacamole?

it's ONLY avocados, tastes good too. that's the only guacamole i'd buy tho. i prefer my own homemade guac.

[niallmac]

48. I just mash up some avocados and sundry ingredients.

I'm changing my sig to 'Kill your TV and make your own Guac.'

[paparush]

49. and just WHAT is in those 'sundry' ingredients? Hmmmm?

[elehhhhna]

52. onion, tomato & lime juice. Optional: pepper, cilantro, cumin, garlic

...sour cream, whatever!

[niallmac]

64. nothing exotic

a little mayo, crushed garlic, dash of chili powder, salt and pepper, some lemon juice.
I really LOVE avocados.

[Bjornsdotter]

29. No clue

I make it fresh also :shrug:

Cheers

[conflictgirl]

61. Here in the midwest, people buy it.

I personally know people who think real guacamole made with avocado is disgusting, but they like the avocado dips (which I think DO really contain avocado, but they contain more sour cream and artificial flavorings).

I don't understand it personally, because I love to make my own guacamole as well. I make mine with avocado, lime juice, garlic salt, jalapeno and cilantro. :9

[skids]

42. Mystery to me too... it really needs to be fresh. n/t

[sgxnk]

51. much of it is pseudo-scientific hogwash

especially the stuff about aspartame

reminds me of the scare polls on dihydrogen monoxide

[DarleenMB]

54. The stuff about aspartame

is absolutely TRUE. It has also been suggested that aspartame is one of the causes of Gulf War syndrome ... pallets of diet sodas left standing out in the desert sun while the aspartame turns to formaldehyde, etc.

MSG ... is a KNOWN neurotoxin. Trust me ... I'm one of the millions of people who have a "reaction" to the damned stuff. 24 hour migraine, nausea, diarrhea, achy joints. A good friend's throat closes when she eats anything with MSG in it.

[sgxnk]

55. the aspartame stuff is not true

it is betty martini inspired internet and conspiracynut mythology that has been around for AGES

there is no SCIENTIFIC basis for this rubbish

[conflictgirl]

60. So then when people react badly to it, they're just imagining it?

I don't believe aspartame can be reasonably blamed for all the things that it is, but some people definitely react badly to it. I know - I'm one of them. I had killer headaches every day for three years before I finally figured out that maybe it was the aspartame I was consuming every day. Now, if I even have a piece of gum that's made with NutraSweet, I can tell that it contains it as soon as I put it in my mouth because I get that old familiar headache. It's a very specific type of headache, too, that I don't get from anything else - it's almost like a metallic feeling in my head, which probably doesn't make any sense. But I know that I absolutely react to it, and I was reacting to it at a time when I believed it was totally harmless.

I also had a professor who frequently consumed diet sodas and had for years, and she had a lot of neurological type symptoms, particularly twitching all the time. It looked like she had Parkinson's or MS, but she didn't. It turned out that it was the aspartame causing those symptoms, but it wasn't entirely reversible and she wasn't willing to give up her diet soda altogether.

Edited to add that it may be a case of calling for moderation - it's possible that if someone has a diet soda once or twice a week, the aspartame won't cause any problems, but consuming it every day tips the balance. And lots of people don't react badly to it in any amounts, but some people definitely do and that's not a conspiracy theory.

Look into the history of aspartame's approval (and our good buddy Donald Rumsfeld's involvement in it), and see if you still believe it's completely harmless. Just because something has FDA approval does NOT mean we can trust it as safe.

[Nostradammit]

75. There isn't much on this site that you agree with

is there, sgxnk?

[Sequoia]

2. Thanks.

This is going on my web page!

[Nutmegger]

3. Food is a "business" like any other.

A business that demands profits and such.

This is why I shop at an organic store and buy local.

[SteppingRazor]

4. I get red flags when an article only cites articles by the same person...

as proof for its claims. Specifically, the idea that artificial food coloring causes ADHD, for example. The article tells you to look for other articles on ADHD. You can click that link and find the article referrencing this idea -- written by the same author as the original article -- and it just cites "studies" without going into more detail.

[bperci108]

6. You beat me to it...

There are some legitimate concerns in that list, but there is also some bullshit pretending to be science.

I'm a firm believer in the slow-food/organic/local/fresh/sustainable worldview of groceries and produce, but this reminds me of some of the RW-type tactics, i.e. questionable "science" and hyperbole.

I'm going to need a lot more than some nebulous (and likely non-peer-reviewed) "studies" before I take some of the OP seriously.

But hey...opinions vary, eh?

:eyes:

[nosmokes]

12. i can understand your skepticism, but

remember it's the ADMs and Monsantos and the rest of the huge agri/chem/corps that have practically unlimited bucks and unbelievable undue unfluence over many science orgs these days. people like this and groups waving red flags and shining lights where the powers prefer the darkness of ignorance are operating on shoestring budgets and as often as not on their own time. sure, like any info it needs to be taken with a grain of salt. personally, i'm more inclined to accept the research of someone that doesn't have a huge monetary stake in the matter, and news target does have a good reliability track record, FWIW. peace

[rinsd]

13. Red Flags all over the place

"personally, i'm more inclined to accept the research of someone that doesn't have a huge monetary stake in the matter"

He's got a book to sell. And as far as him not profitting from the products he recommends....well let's just say that doesn't strike me as true. Especially when articles he pens reference his own papers as a means of citation.

And news target? Why is their go to guy always Mike Adams(the so called health ranger)? 7 out of the first 10 articles quote him/ Doesn't that raise huge red flags for you?

[sgxnk]

58. the aspartame is pseudo scientific hogwash nt

[pitohui]

7. same flags here

i do not believe that adhd claim for a minute, if i am wrong, i would appreciate being directed to credible cites

[nosmokes]

17. the first ten articles don't all cite back to him

and if you think there's any semblance between the money this dude is making and the army of lab coats and lawyers in agri/chem/bio corps perhaps you should look into it a bit more.

[rinsd]

23. I think you meant to respond to me.

I didn't say all of the articles but 7 out of the 1st 10 listed cite him as the expert. That alone should be a huge red flag in terms of that website's cred.

"if you think there's any semblance between the money this dude is making and the army of lab coats and lawyers in agri/chem/bio corps perhaps you should look into it a bit more."

Huh? Because corps spend a ton of money there is no way that this guy could be seeking to make a buck?

[KT2000]

26. I'll look for the link

but it was recently discovered that food dyes when combined with each other create a neurotoxin. It is not uncommon for a single meal to contain a few different food dyes.

They have studied them individually for years (as all chemicals are tested) as if the subject will ingest that food dye once in a lifetime (as all chemicals are tested).
The reality is that we eat, breath and drink things as chemical combinations repeatedly.


But I do agree that the claim made in the article fails on a few counts.

[unpossibles]

9. I agree, although I have heard of problems linked to

Blue Lake Dye, although I don't have a link.

Some of this strikes me as typical scare tactics or hyperbole, but on the other hand there are a lot of nasty things in ingredient lists that are not even on that list.

For instance, there is a common bread dough conditioner additive amino acid called L-Cysteine which comes from a variety of sources, the most common of which is human hair.

http://www.pdrhealth.com/drug_info/nmdrugprofiles/nutsupdrugs/lcy_0088.shtml
http://www.albalagh.net/halal/col2.shtml

The source of L-Cysteine is human hair, chicken feathers, cow horn, petroleum by-products and synthetic material. It was reported by a food company that a Rabbi refused to Kosher certify L-cysteine from human hair obtained from a temple in India where hairs are cut because of religious rituals.

L-Cysteine is manufactured in Japan, China and Germany only. Human hair is the cheapest source for L-cysteine.

yum!

It's why I have tried to keep my ingredients simple and cook as much as possible any more.

[bperci108]

34. You said a mouthful...(bad pun alert!)

n/t

[Kellanved]

41. well

The German L-Cysteine (AFAIK Wacker Chemie is the only producer) is vegan; no hair, no feathers, no hooves.

[undergroundpanther]

10. My mom

Put me on the Fiengold diet. Didn't do anything for my adhd.. I am 40 now and on Adderall. Fancy that.Diet does not cure everything,and no matter how careful you are you still injexst toxinns because outr EARTH is polluted. The water the air the soil,Contaminated.All of it.Every year around 50,000 to 80,000 new chemical compunds are manufactured en masse and dumped into this ecosystem.Babies in utero are carrying industrial toxins like mercury and PCB's before birth.

[sweetheart]

15. not to mention the psychic trash

With the increased overpopulation of humankind, billions over a balanced situation, IMO,
the earth's feedback mechanisms for self-cleaning are not keeping up with the tox, and as
the virus (humankind) overdominates and toxifies with its poisons, we are all affected, and
all of us compensate one way or another for the toxic dump that was our pure mother earth
sacred planet.

This is why i believe some drugs works better in this time period, namely cannabis as
a pscyhic blocker, have a smoke and dump the vibes of the people in to the present,
whatever be the reasons, and in our present are we able to confront and diffuse what
is otherwise bounded by fear.

[undergroundpanther]

33. And light pollution

Electromagnetic pollution, microwaves, different forms of waves like radio,cell phone tower frequencies etc. Sound pollution....No wonder some birds can't migrate the same way their magnetic navigation is fucked up by human activity.Whales and dolphins beach themselves because of the terrible noise the military is making deep undersea..And to say it is impossible it could be effecting the movements and frequencies of tetonic plates is just wishful thinking..

[aikoaiko]

20. pseudoscience methodology at its finest.

Perhaps its all true, but one can't tell from what was provided. I encourage the OP to do more research --- otherwise its easy to dismiss all the claims.

[LostinVA]

44. Agreed -- some very bogus claims

I buy as much organic as I can afford, and hate how our food supply is literally legally poisoned in so many ways... however, some of these claims (such as the ADHD one), are truly bogus. Or disingenuous: organic milk comes from cows not injected with nasty stuff. That's why all my dairy is organic.

[Jamastiene]

73. Not to mention the 2 week cure claim for ADHD.

There is no such thing as a cure-all. Back in the old days, they called anybody who claimed something was a cure-all a "snake oil salesmen."

[sweetheart]

5. wow, thanks

I should stop eating doritos, snickers bars, haagen das, and pink and white animal cookies!

Is there on the web somewhere that rates all foods in exposing the real ingredients?

[Jed Dilligan]

11. My list

1. ConAgra meat has shit in it.

2. HFCS makes you fat AND stupid.

3. Fries are probably more carcinogenic than cigarettes.

4. If they didn't eat it a hundred years ago, it will probably kill you somehow.

No fancy url citations, but I'm fairly healthy for having kept these four simple facts in mind for the past few years.

[conflictgirl]

16. The part about organic milk isn't quite right

I hate to sound like I'm always bringing this up, but I write for and about the natural food and health industry and I know a lot about it. Regarding the organic milk boycott, the information given in #8 isn't quite right. Yes, cows are given rBGH to stimulate milk production, and those hormones can cause problems like you mentioned. But the boycott of Horizon Organic isn't quite as it was explained here either. Horizon isn't accused of giving any of these hormones to the cows, it's that they are following the organic standards only in the most literal definition of the sense. They are giving cows organic feed, but the boycott largely centers around whether or not the cows get adequate time in pasture. Most people imagine dairy cows as happily grazing in a meadow somewhere, but this is rarely true, and especially at Horizon, the cows are kept in industrial-style pens most of the time. They may not be getting the adequate amount of time in pasture, and if they are, it's just barely.

Also, the USDA has not banned organic dairy producers from saying they don't use any hormones. I just checked the carton of organic milk in my fridge and it says right on there "no hormones, pesticides, or antibiotics". What it is, actually, is that the USDA has not allowed states to pass laws requiring that conventional dairies state that their milk contains these hormones.

And the statement about foods claiming to be healthy being untrue is also misleading. Yes, a lot of foods labeled as "healthy" are actually pretty unhealthy (ie baked Lay's are better than regular ones, but still aren't exactly health food; low-fat desserts often have more sugar than their regular-fat counterparts). And of course fresh produce is very healthy. But there are also a lot of convenience foods that are pretty healthy: check out Sensible Foods' crunch-dried snacks, for example (no stake in the company, I just think they're really addictive), which have I think less than 100 calories a bag, no artificial ingredients and no added sugar. My kids like fruit leather, and usually the only things in those are fruit and lemon juice.

The problem with that initial post is that the guy making the claims is coming off as too hysterical and painting things with too broad of a brush. It results in people being inclined to discredit the things he's saying, and he has enough inaccuracies that it's easy to discredit. I am all about the natural food idea and am very critical of mainstream modern ideas of nutrition, but you need to use common sense too and make sure you have your facts straight.

[LostinVA]

45. I was going to write a post about this very thing

You beat me to it. And did a better job than I would have, too.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

18. boy oh boy.

"1. The ingredients listed on the label aren't the only things in the food. Cancer-causing chemicals such as acrylamides may be formed in the food during high-heat processing, yet there's no requirement to list them on the label. Residues of solvents, pesticides and other chemicals may also be present, but also do not have to be listed. The National Uniformity for Food Act, currently being debated in the U.S. Congress, would make it illegal (yes, illegal) for states to require cancer warnings on foods that contain cancer-causing chemicals (such as California's Proposition 65.) See articles on the Food Uniformity Act."

Acrylamide occurs when you cook food. Any food. Take a perfectly natural organically grown potato, completely free of any industrial process, cook it up in oil or bake it in the oven, and you get acrylamide. Acrylamide forms when amino acids in food break down in heat.

As for Prop. 65, it struck me as quite a joke. It requires all sorts of senseless labelling. Pewter figurines in souveneir shops have been warning labels on them because pewter contains lead, and lead is toxic. So you see these big warning labels on everything and they just get ignored.

"2. Monosodium glutamate (MSG), which is added to thousands of food and grocery products through a dozen different innocent-sounding ingredients, imbalances endocrine system function, disabling normal appetite regulation and causing consumers to keep eating more food. This chemical not only contributes to nationwide obesity, it also helps food companies boost repeat business. See articles on MSG.

3. MSG is routinely hidden in foods in these ingredients: yeast extract, torula yeast, hydrolyzed vegetable protein and autolyzed yeast. Thousands of common grocery products contain one or more of these chemical taste enhancers, including nearly all "vegetarian" foods such as veggie burgers (read labels to check). See Food manufacturers hide dangerous ingredients in everyday foods by using confusing terms on the label."

MSG is the conjugate base of glutamic acid, an amino acid. MSG turns into glutamic acid in the stomach, and back again to glutamate in the blood stream. The sodium can be a problem for people with high blood pressure. That's why packaged foods always have their sodium content labelled.

"4. ADHD in children is caused almost entirely by the consumption of processed food ingredients such as artificial colors and refined carbohydrates. Eighty percent of so-called ADHD children who are taken off processed foods are cured of ADHD in two weeks. See articles on ADHD."

Yeah, and crop circles cause botulism.

"5. The chemical sweetener aspartame, when exposed to warm temperatures for only a few hours, begins to break down into chemicals like formaldehyde and formic acid. Formaldehyde is a potent nerve toxin and causes damage to the eyes, brain and entire nervous system. Aspartame has been strongly linked to migraines, seizures, blurred vision and many other nervous system problems. See articles on aspartame."

The first part is a half truth and misleading. Aspartame is broken down to formaldehyde but so are numerous compounds which enter the body, including natural ones like sugars. This sort of biochemistry is a natural mechanism, it's primary metabolism.

"6. Most food dips (like guacamole dip) are made with hydrogenated oils, artificial colors and monosodium glutamate. Many guacamole dips don't even contain avocados."

All of which is labelled on the package. I've never seen something labelled "guacamole" that didn't contain avocado.

"7. Plastic food packaging is a potent health hazard. Scientists now know that plastics routinely seep the chemical bisphenol A into the food, where it is eaten by consumers. Cooking in plastic containers multiplies the level of exposure. Bisphenol is a hormone disruptor and can cause breast formation in men and severe hormonal imbalances in women. It may also encourage hormone-related cancers such as prostate cancer and breast cancer. See Plastics chemical bisphenol A found to promote prostate cancer in animal studies."

Bisphenol A has been shown to cause health problems, but not at the concentration found in food.

"8. Milk produced in the United States comes from cows injected with synthetic hormones that have been banned in every other advanced nation in the world. These hormones help explain why unusually young teenage girls develop breasts at such a young age, or why hormone-related cancers like prostate cancer are being discovered in unprecedented numbers. In order to protect Monsanto, the manufacturer of hormones used in the industry, the USDA currently bans organic milk producers from claiming their milk comes from cows that were not treated with synthetic hormones. Even organic milk is now under fire as the Organic Consumers Association says Horizon milk products are falsely labeled as organic. See Horizon milk, Wild Oats named in consumer boycott of "false" organic products. (The solution to all this? Drink raw almond milk instead. Make it yourself with a Vitamix, water and a nut milk bag.)
Related book:
The Real Safety Guide to Disease Prevention
More than 80% of all chronic disease is preventable, but only if you know how. Learn the proven, yet simple prevention strategies for cancer, heart disease, diabetes, depression, Alzheimer's and many other degenerative health conditions."

The milk that comes from cows treated with hormones is chemically identical to the milk that comes from cows that are not treated with hormones.

"9. Most grocery products that make loud health claims on their packaging are, in reality, nutritionally worthless (like meal replacement shakes, instant chocolate milk, etc.). The most nutritious foods are actually those the FDA does not allow to make any health claims whatsoever: fresh produce. See articles on food labeling."

Maybe, but it's up to the consumer to read the fine print.

"10. Food manufacturers actually "buy" shelf space and position at grocery stores. That's why the most profitable foods (and hence, the ones with the lowest quality ingredients) are the most visible on aisle end caps, checkout lanes and eye-level shelves throughout the store. The effect of all this is to provide in-store marketing and visibility to the very foods and beverages that promote obesity, diabetes, cancer, heart disease and other degenerative conditions now ravaging consumers around the world. See articles on food marketing."

Well, yeah. They've been placing the candy and snacks and pop near the checkout lines for awhile now.

[nosmokes]

28. WHAT?!?

"The milk that comes from cows treated with hormones is chemically identical to the milk that comes from cows that are not treated with hormones."


that is an absolutely false statement. you can *taste* the difference between organic milk and factory farmed milk. i'm not carrying water the author of the article, but there's enough factual information in it to be useful. but don't be trying to tell me that feeding our meat anti-biotics and hormones and growing them in the factory set-ups common today is healthy, humane, sanitary or sutainable and that it isn't having an impact wider than the animals themselves. why do you think girls are starting to menstrate at 10 yo? why are boys going into puberty at 11? why are fish showing up with sexual deformitities in rivers and lakes around sewage outflows? because of the high concentration of synthetic hormones that are rampant in our diet.

[conflictgirl]

30. Not to mention the number of places where rBGH is banned

It's banned in Canada, the European Union, Australia and New Zealand. But surely they're all just choosing to do that because they're hysterical and won't believe Monsanto that it's totally safe. Our government approved its use! That must mean that it's completely harmless and good for us!

:sarcasm:

[AZBlue]

36. You're right....they'd never put big business ahead of our health?! eom

[Kali]

35. um, they didn't say anything about taste, humane treatement,

sustainability or sanitation. Merely that the milk from both are chemically the same. Some of your points are indeed improtant issues but they had nothing to do with that statement.



From what I have read most of the so-called early puberty is either still in the range of normal or possibly linked to obesity...

[Recursion]

67. I'm confused

If hormone-raised and hormone-free milk are chemically the same, how can they taste different? Taste is a chemical process, right? And if they're chemically the same, why can you find traces of hormone in the milk?

[Random_Australian]

69. What they were saying was that if you get two cows, in the same

environment, but one has hormones, the milk will be chemically identical.

They then said you will get a different taste from different environments. Like factory and freerange.

[Recursion]

70. OK, but that doesn't address the other point

The hormones you inject into a cow do make it into the milk in trace amounts. I can dig up a couple of dozen links if you want but that's so manifestly obviously so I don't see why anyone would deny it. If you inject substance X into a cow, substance X will appear in that cow's milk. So I still fail to see why someone would say the two milks are "chemically identical"

[Kali]

72. I don't think so.

It is my understanding that these hormones are essentially the same as those that occur naturally in the animal and are not detectable in the milk. - part of the reason that labeling is so crucial.

[Recursion]

66. Half of what you say is good; half is BS :)

MSG is the conjugate base of glutamic acid, an amino acid. MSG turns into glutamic acid in the stomach, and back again to glutamate in the blood stream. The sodium can be a problem for people with high blood pressure. That's why packaged foods always have their sodium content labelled.

But they do not label MSG as such; it gets called the things the OP mentioned as well as a few others (most egregiously "natural flavors").

For people like my girlfriend who get physically ill when they eat MSG, that hiding is a big annoyance.

All of which is labelled on the package.

Buzz... thanks for playing though. Hydrogenated oils and MSG are both labeled as many things, including "natural flavors", anything except what they actually are. Also, many beverages contain hydrogenated oils as part of what gives them body or keeps them from separating. These are not listed in the ingredients, because they are a "GRAS" ("generally regarded as safe") "manufacturing process" rather than an additive for flavor or nutrition. (ever wonder what keeps your OJ from separating like real OJ does? hydrogenated soy oil in most cases.)

And if they're so safe, why won't the food companies just admit that they have them in their food?

The milk that comes from cows treated with hormones is chemically identical to the milk that comes from cows that are not treated with hormones.

OK, I have to call BS here. That's an absolutely absurd statement. You can taste the difference between hormone an hormone-free milk, so they obviously can't be chemically identical since taste is a chemical process.

Maybe, but it's up to the consumer to read the fine print.

If the food companies would honestly label their products, I would agree with you. As long as they refuse to admit what they are actually putting in the food, they're in the wrong here.

[savemefromdumbya]

19. Didn't Congress just vote recently to remove info on food labels?

[Craig3410]

21. Oh my god!

The only thing to do now is to not eat! Processed food will strike me down before I even finish chewing it, and that natural, non-pesticide foods have bugs in it! Either way, I die of twenty different diseases in the span of a week, or not eat at all! I mean, I had ADHD and diabetes at 8; of course the fact that my mother had ADHD, and my mother and her sister and their grandmother had nothing to do with it!

(Please tell me I don't need a sarcasm tag.)

Look, I think we all know that all major corporations are lying weasels. But at this point, for example, aspartame has been blamed for, from http://www.holisticmed.com/aspartame/damage.txt:

Seizures and convulsions, arthritic and joint pain, chronic fatigue,
depression, memory loss, vision damage and loss, tingling in the
extremities, slurring of speech, irritability, severe anxiety
attacks, menstrual problems, blood sugar control problems, symptoms
similar to multiple sclerosis, worsening of fibromyalgia, parkinson's
tremors, brain cancer, uterine polyps, etc. etc.

And from http://www.dorway.com/badnews.html#symptoms:

Abdominal Pain
Anxiety attacks
arthritis
asthma
Asthmatic Reactions
Bloating, Edema (Fluid Retention)
Blood Sugar Control Problems (Hypoglycemia or Hyperglycemia)
Brain Cancer (Pre-approval studies in animals)
Breathing difficulties
burning eyes or throat
Burning Urination
can't think straight
Chest Pains
chronic cough
Chronic Fatigue
Confusion
Death
Depression
Diarrhea
Dizziness
Excessive Thirst or Hunger
fatigue
feel unreal
flushing of face
Hair Loss (Baldness) or Thinning of Hair
Headaches/Migraines dizziness
Hearing Loss
Heart palpitations
Hives (Urticaria)
Hypertension (High Blood Pressure)
Impotency and Sexual Problems
inability to concentrate
Infection Susceptibility
Insomnia
Irritability
Itching
Joint Pains
laryngitis
"like thinking in a fog"
Marked Personality Changes
Memory loss
Menstrual Problems or Changes
Migraines and Severe Headaches (Trigger or Cause From Chronic Intake)
Muscle spasms
Nausea or Vomiting
Numbness or Tingling of Extremities
Other Allergic-Like Reactions
Panic Attacks
Phobias
poor memory
Rapid Heart Beat
Rashes
Seizures and Convulsions
Slurring of Speech
Swallowing Pain
Tachycardia
Tremors
Tinnitus
Vertigo
Vision Loss
Weight gain

Aspartame Disease Mimics Symptoms or Worsens the Following Diseases

Fibromyalgia
Arthritis
Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
Parkinson's Disease
Lupus
Multiple Chemical Sensitivities (MCS)
Diabetes and Diabetic Complications
Epilepsy
Alzheimer's Disease
Birth Defects
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Lymphoma
Lyme Disease
Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)
Panic Disorder
Depression and other Psychological Disorders

Wow; apparently, I'd be better off downing four cans of rat poison a day. :sarcasm:

Look, no offense, but between random people on the internet and http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/qa-adf9.html">the FDA, http://www.acsh.org/healthissues/newsID.265/healthissue_detail.asp">the ACSH, http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/ANSWERS/ANS00772.html">the FDA, I'm going to lean with the latter. (Yes, I know that some of the "random people on the internet" may have medical degrees/be doctors/and all, but OTOH there are doctors that say that drinking hydrogen peroxide is good for you and that you'll become sterile if you have an abortion.)

[Initech]

22. I don think I'd trust any site that has this as an advertisement:

"Cure type-2 diabetes in 25 days?
UCLA study proves it: diabetes is reversible in three weeks!

How to Halt Diabetes in 25 Days reveals: "

:yoiks:

[conflictgirl]

27. Why? Type 2 diabetes IS reversible by many standards

It is not curable per se, but glucose tolerance can be normalized for many (not all) diabetes patients with diet and exercise, and the results can be seen fairly quickly. This has been documented by peer-reviewed studies from respected universities. It's not like some guy with a mail-order medical degree is sitting around in his basement making up stuff like that.

The response to a post making exaggerated claims about natural health shouldn't be to make equally exaggerated claims decrying natural health as having any value and praising the modern food and pharmaceutical industry as the only valuable authorities. Isn't there a middle ground? I mean somebody above said that they trust the FDA, but the FDA does not exactly have the best track record. A lot of people trust chemicals, for example, but most don't know that there isn't any federal agency that tests chemicals before they go on the market - they rely on the chemical manufacturers' own testing, and only pull the product if problems appear. Of course aspartame can't cause as many health problems as some people claim, but that doesn't mean it's safe either. We have out good buddy Don Rumsfeld to thank for finally pushing through the approval of aspartame when it otherwise wasn't going to be approved. Good thing we can trust *him* to make good decisions for us.

Geez, most of the people responding to the initial post are sounding like they lack as much in the critical thinking department as the article initially quoted. Why is there only room for two points of view - everything natural is true and better and all "unnatural" options are dangerous, or everything natural is bad and everything manufactured is A-OK? Again, can't there be a middle ground? It is not necessary nor logical that to reject one argument, you have to completely support its opposite.

[Initech]

31. I saw that and I'm still trying to figure out the validity of this article

I dont know much about diabetes, that's true.

But for the original article - #4 and #6 are pure bullshit.

[conflictgirl]

32. That's the problem with that original article

Any valid points the author had (and I do think he had some) were cast into doubt because of the wrong claims he made in other points. Despite the fact that I do believe in natural health and food quite a bit, I will be the first to admit that some people in the industry make overinflated health claims without the science to back it up and there are a lot of money-grubbing types in the business who make the honest guys look bad.

[Odin2005]

24. That stuff about ADHD is BS.

ADHD isn't caused by processed carbs, all they do is make the hyperactivity worse. ADHD is a normal personality trait that's branded as a "disorder" by a society that wants it's workers to be submissive drones.

Oh, and as Bornaginhooligan posted, a lot of the rest is BS as well.

[noonwitch]

53. I agree too many kids are being diagnosed ADHD, but some really do have it

Kids in the foster care system seem to have it more than other kids, due probably to whatever caused them to come into the system (child abuse, parental substance abuse during pregnancy, etc.). It's hard to pay attention in school when you are worried about getting the crap beat out of you when you get home. Very few kids really need to be on any kind of medication for it, though. Most need therapy and love.

As far as the non-foster care ADHD kids go-I truly think a lot of it is that kids are not getting enough exercise and physical play. They watch too much tv, play too many videogames, and don't play enough sports or ride their bikes enough. It is normal for kids to have a ton of energy-they need healthy ways to use it up.

[Hoping4Change]

25. thanks. for posting.

[liberalhistorian]

37. I used to use artificial sweeteners

all the time, until last year when I read that information you've posted about it turning into formaldehyde in the body. I figured that it was better to use real sugar than that chemical processed artificial shit. Thing is, since I quit using artificial sweeteners, I've felt SOO much better physically.

[joeunderdog]

74. The fake sweeteners may cause you to crave sugar and gain weight.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/06/13/health/webmd/main701408.shtml

[DemExpat]

38. I agree with most of those points

...the MSG....processed foods, hyrdrogenated oils, sweeteners and plastic food containers.

These have all been basically banned from our diet and kitchen.

DemEx

[qwertyMike]

39. I dunno

I'm Irish - have bacon,eggs,sausages, home fries weekends.

BUT I cook meals during the week - no fast food, chips sandwiches.

I also like chocolate (I'm a guy so it's not addictive)

I'm 61 yrs old (Younger than Keith or Mick) :)

I'm healthy, walk about 12 miles a day

What was the OP. My short-term memory is f*cked.
Avoid sancks is all I say.

PS: I'm going to see my 87 yr old Father in Oct. in Ireland.
If I can get him away from that slut he's seeing.
Mick

[Shakespeare]

40. acrylamide is a naturally occurring byproduct (though dangerous chemical)

It's a byproduct of starches subjected to high temperatures. While there is growing evidence that it's a carcinogen, it's a little absurd to force food companies to treat acrylamide as a contaminant deserving of a warning, because you produce the same chemical in home-cooked food such as french fries and hash browns. In other words, it's not a commercial additive that should be or needs to be labeled in the way the author suggests.

[Tsiyu]

43. Glad to get this on the greatest page

It helps me to eat healthier. I notice a difference when I'm eating veggies and such that aren't over-processed or "chemical-ed" to death.

We grew corn this year that you don't even have to cook to enjoy. It's so sweet and has zero pesticides used to grow it. The garden I helped plant with a friend has had scant rain but we've still had plenty of all sorts of peppers, grape tomatoes, orange tomatoes and corn.

I've got yellow squash, black beans, lima beans, cukes and zuchini growing on a bit of sun/shade here and should have a nice bit of food in a week for about $2.00 in seed and an hour here and there. We grew one tomato in a large pot and have enjoyed about 8 tomatoes so far with plenty more on the way. The plant cost maybe $2.50, the pot was $7, the horse manure and ash were free :) but knowing there are no pesticides or herbicides is priceless.

I guess I'm bragging because you can grow some healthy stuff in a very small space and take control of some of what you eat. An alternative is to find some growers near you who will be cheaper than the grocery store.

Just a bit of nagging ;)


Eat your veggies!!!!!!!!!

[dalloway]

46. Anyone who cares abuot how our food is produced should read

Micheal Pollen's new book, The Omnivore's Dilemma. I just finished it and it gave me a whole new look at the food industry and how important it is to vote with our food dollars.

I often tell my kids, my goal is to shop like I am in kindegarten: Flour, eggs, rice, beans, broccoli, etc. If you wouldn't see it in a kindergarten classroom with its one word labels, it doesn't belong in our house.

[Recursion]

68. Good book; also watch "The Future of Food"

I love the book, and I've been on Salatin's farm that he profiles.

I think people just don't understand what's happening to our food supply. I thought organic people were a bunch of wacko nuts until I actually took a week or two and found out how the industrial food supply and distribution machine works. This is something that affects our health, our environment, and our economy tremendously, and government and business are working together to make sure that all three of those are harmed as much as possible.

And, to plug the movie I mentioned in the subject: http://www.thefutureoffood.com/

[lonestarnot]

47. full bellies don't care what their full of, just so long as they're full.

[izzybeans]

50. as someone who used to work for a beer distributor I can say

that 10 is only partially true. "buy" in quotes is correct because it is illegal, at least in my state. Distributors fight over shelf space and positioning. Product placement is a big part of the business. There is no intent to promote specific foods other than those that have the highest margins for the stores or for the distributor.

Take your average beer isle in a grocery. In the beer industry there is talk about flow. Being first in flow is a big deal. Becoming first in flow is the result of negotiation and/or retailer preset schematics (as in Walmart which used to have a universal shelf design based on overall sales volume for all of its stores). Deciding where the flow starts comes via observing consumer habits, namely which end of the isle are they most likely to enter first. Once the flow of products is established, usually a combination of Miller, Bud and Coors products, the rest is about placement. The best placement for any product is on display at the end of an isle on the perimeter, especially near the meat and dairy sections. These large displays increase the volume of sales of any given product normally found in an isle for a number of reasons. But most importantly because a large majority of shoppers rarely go down the isles. And secondarily because large displays with nascar signs (or whatever image most likely to catch the consumers attention-depending on the culture of the local market) attract consumers like moths to a flame. If you sit and watch people make choices on retail products there is very little thought to picking an "on display" item. But down the isle where all products are grouped together people start reading labels and this makes the certainty of sales diminish. The less thoughtfulness the better (for profit), because a conscientious consumer is likely to stay on budget and not impulse buy; which is the point of the struggle of product placement.

When I was a beer pusher, in our meetings there were discussions of the "average shopper" (lost in translation is the fact that this means-highest probability of sales). This average shopper is a woman of average height and right handed. So you want high margin products in easy to reach places (i.e. right near the handle of a cold box at a liquor store; not too low not too high, but just easy enough to not have to open the door all the way and stand on her toes to get the product). Make sure that they can reach every product on the shelf and make it easiest for her to grab the largest profit margin off the shelf.

Resetting a shelf space in a store is a big deal because the strategies that retailers use to increase consumption become explicitly outlined. There is nothing like watching a sales rep walking into a store and finding out his/her shelf has been reset without his/her knowledge to his/her competitors advantage. But that being said there is no one literally buying shelf space. Now there are incentives; such as in the beer industry, which sponsors all sorts of events, there are plenty of sports and concert tickets to go around; but of course these are "never" given out for the purposes of product placement :wink wink nudge nudge:

The honest thing to do is to demonstrate to the store the profitability of each product and where its best strategic place is. Retailers do not know anything about the risks created by food production other than what the government mandates and the manufacturers tell them. That is created one step down the commodity chain on the farm and in the taste (chemical) factories of New Jersey. If these are the products with the highest margins then perhaps there needs to be some disincentives put in place to drive the prices up on these products so that organics can become more competitive with consumers as wells for space on the shelf. But then again very few people could afford that. However there will be no reform in the retail sector that can not simultaneously produce a workable margin. Because that is all that matters to them.

[Poll_Blind]

56. What an interesting explanation- thank you for taking the time to..

...write that!

PB

[izzybeans]

57. No problem. I think cases like this put the lie

to the idea that supply and demand is a law; rather than a self-fulfilling prophecy. Creating demand and tinkering with supply are very mundane activities with huge consequences (e.g. demand and product placement, store design, etc.)

[lady lib]

59. I have Horizon milk in my fridge right now -

paid extra for it because I thought it was hormone-free.

:grr:

[conflictgirl]

63. It IS hormone free

But your better bet, if it's available, is to buy Organic Valley milk or even from a local dairy that isn't organic but doesn't use rBGH. It will be labeled as such and priced accordingly.

I think Horizon is better than "regular" milk since it doesn't have the hormones and the cows are given organic feed, but they're not the best organic milk option out there. Unfortunately in a lot of places, your only choices are conventional milk or Horizon.

[Recursion]

71. Or look for a cowshare

or a CSA that does dairy.

[Raydawg1234]

62. unbelievable. They want to make Cancer warnings illegal.

The Government really does hate us.

[Cobalt-60]

76. If they execute this

We'll know the supermarket is a toxic waste dump.
We need to resurrect the Victory Garden. Today.
I recommend everyone who might be doing a little indoor gardening reserve part of their savage gardens for actual food crops.

[SmokingJacket]

65. Benzene in juice and soda...

Chemicals in them combine to form benzene, which causes cancer --

http://www.ewg.org/issues/toxics/20060519/index.php