Nutrition and Other Scary Things About Food Safety

The fact of the matter is is that we are living longer with more disease than ever. The CDC reports that 1 and 3 children are at risk of getting Type II Diabetes. 1 and 6 children are obese as of 2005. The number has gone up about 1.5 percent a year since that study. We are slowly poisoning our children and ourselves as a result of Big Agribusiness lobbying and lack of education. How can the USDA fairly police our food chain while it also is required to protect agricultural business? This is a conflict of interest that the American people are unaware of. It's great that COOL is still with us however the law has yet to be properly enacted and enforced. Why is the FDA's top staff comprised of ex-Monsanto employees? GMOs are on the verge of ruining our food supply and very few people even know about this. Where is the GMO labeling or the cloned food labeling or the irradiated food labeling? It doesn't exist. Big lobbyists have also weakened our Organic Standards as of last year letting in 38 non-organic ingredients into the foods in the form of feed or preservatives and we let this happen? When is America going to wake up is my question? This is our personal war on terror. We are certainly not being protected. Processed foods are littered with ingredients that have been very poorly tested and have never been tested together. Dr. Ludwig from Boston's Children's Hospital has predicted based on numerous statistics that this generation of children will live a shorter lifespan than their parents. In other words, we will outlive our children if something isn't done. This hasn't happened in over 200 years. Please visit such organizations as Center for Science in the Public Interest and Organic Consumers Association to name a few to find links to voice your opinion to congress.

What ever happened to eating whole foods? San Francisco may be involved in a study that doesn't allow fresh foods to be sold that aren't available within a 100 mile radius. This could have a major impact on the reduction of global warming. It's all connected.

Some good books to read further: The China Study, Fast Food Nation, Omnivore's Dilemma, Eat, Drink and Be Healthy. Visit Harvard School of Public Health (Nutrition section) to learn more about what you should really be eating and why.

I along with my colleagues are trying to create substantial change in the way school districts look at food. Most food service managers are not educated in real nutrition and they are strapped by the lack of funds for healthy foods and administration that puts nutrition at the bottom of the education train. Nutrition is so important for children to ensure that their brains and body develop properly. This  problems is everyone's problem and when chidlren grow up without being properly nourished their chances of making poor life-choices increases dramatically. Our prisions are already over-crowded and hospital bills enourmous. Do we really want more of this?

Some advice: When food shopping, shop by the ingredient panel first and then the Nutrition Panel. Buy organic as often as possible and eat less animal fat especially beef, pork, ham, chicken and milk. Exercise at least 30 minutes a day. You will lose ten pounds a year just by walking one mile a day provided that you don't eat only chemically laden processed foods. Stay away from Hydrogenated Oils, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Bleached/Enriched Flour, Artificial Colors, Flavors and Sweeteners, Sodium Benzoate, Nitrates, TBHQ and other oil preservatives such as BHT and BHA. MSG is hidden in many ingredients even if the labeling says NO MSG. Tell everyone you know about food safety and the conflicts of interest that are going on in our government agencies that are supposed to be protecting us and not special interests. Lou Dobbs is right. It's time to end lobbying as we know it. Speak up America. Ireland is in the process of banning GMOs. That's brilliant news. Lets start a trend here! South Korea will not import beef from America if it is not organic. Bleached and Enriched flour is banned in Germany. The UK is in the process of banning artificial colors. They have already been banned in schools throughout the UK.

Have a great day! Eat well and be happy and healthy for the rest of your life. Make a commitment to yourself to prevent any preventable diseases. Build your immune systems with real foods so that you can lessen the effects of degenerative disease. Avoid hospitals if possible. Speak up about your concerns especially to congress and other government officials.