American Idol and Product Placement

Dear Laurie,

Was wondering the exact same thing about the product placement for soda. (Don't watch much TV and - can't believe I'm going to admit it - my husband and I have watched more than a few episodes of American Idol with our kids this season.)

I've been sure to comment on the not-so-sub­tle product placement and added that it looks weird to see adults sucking from a straw like a toddler? I told them that I doubt the judges are really drinking soda and it's probably water. (That's why you can't see the liquid that's inside the plastic cups. With their wealth and physique, don't think they're gulping down candy in a can.)

While we're on the topic of "advertising", what's up with diet coke cans and the "little red dress in support of heart healthy programs"? This chemical in a can is heart healthy? How much $$$ is coke kicking back to that professional associatio­n?

Thank goodness years ago someone showed me a rusty nail that came out shiny clean from sitting overnight in a can of soda. Maybe I should do that experiment with the neighborhood kids?

Thanks for your article.

p.s. Have friends that travel to Spain and Mexico and enjoy the real coke made with cane sugar and served in glass bottles.

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Great article! Can attest to the baking soda...it'­s terrific for pet accidents too.

Now, we just need to stop our children from ingesting those pesky chemicals including food dyes, colorings, additives, preservati­ves, naturally and artificial­ly occurring growth hormones..­.antibioti­cs...and that's just breakfast.

p.s. Will be checking out your web page since it seems we have much in common.
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ShopSmart Unwraps the Secrets Within Our Food

USDA Food Pyramid

Released by Shop Mart magazine

- CONSUMING CLONES

The FDA does not require labeling on most products that contain genetically engineered plant material or on meat and milk from cloned animals. Genetically modified versions of corn, soybeans, canola, and cotton are widely sold in the U.S.

What you can do

If you'd prefer to avoid milk and meat from cloned cows and genetically modified plant ingredients, buy organic. Unfortunately, there's no way to avoid consuming some genetically modified ingredients.

-- CARNIVORE CHICKEN

Livestock feed can include things like cow meat and bones, which might be fed to chickens, pigs, and even farmed fish. And cows might be fed processed feathers and waste from the floors of chicken coops.

What you can do

Look for beef or chicken certified organic by the USDA. Claims of "no additives," "no antibiotics," "no hormones," and "no steroids" are less reliable since they can't be verified.

-- LABELS LIE

Some labels can outsmart even careful shoppers. "Natural" products might contain high-fructose corn syrup; a food "made with" an ingredient often includes just a smidgen; and a "whole-grain" cereal could lack substantial fiber.

What you can do

If you want the whole story, you still have to flip to the back label and scan the nutrition facts. Check not just the calories but also serving sizes. And scan the percent of daily values.

-- FRESH MEAT?

Many supermarkets sell ground beef and steaks packaged with gas that keeps them looking fresh and red for a month or more, even if the meat has spoiled. In that process, used in factory-wrapped (or case-ready) meat, most of the oxygen in the package is replaced with other gases, including tiny amounts of carbon monoxide, that react with pigment and keep the meat red.

What you can do

Ask whether your grocer sells meat packed with carbon monoxide. For fruits, buy locally or at least what's in season. (Frozen fruits and veggies are a good option any time of year because they're usually flash frozen immediately after harvest.)

ShopSmart Unwraps the Secrets Within Our Food | Chron.com | News, search and shopping from the Houston Chronicle

Fast Food: What's really in that...from someone who worked there

Chicken Nugget before

"Grade D but Edible beef, bones in the nuggets, the shakes and sundaes are more filler than milk, the salads are low quality produce, often frozen, (which really hurts the quality of lettuce) and the dressings are some of the highest fat dressings in the business. In fact, a salad with a full packet of dressing has more fat and calories than a quarter pounder with cheese. Their chicken for the grilled patties is stored with a coating of fat over them to protect the surface appearance­. They cook the food in the morning and hold it in steamer cabinets (which keeps it cooking) until it's time to serve. Their "healthier­" choices are healthier than some of their regular menu items, but they are less healthy than real food. You should not eat there, ever. I won't."

-As posted on the Huffington Post by   

Dragontech 

Forks over Knives: How a Plant-Based Diet Can Save America

I stopped eating and drinking from the fake, highly processed franken food pyramid 11 years ago when I was diagnosed and treated for cancer at the age of 38.

Saw this movie at the Museum of Science in Boston this past Spring and IT IS AWESOME!

Can't wait for all the industry stalkers to start posting...­I'm ready!

An (organic) apple a day keeps the doctor away. - Ben Franklin

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Don't Drink the Cool-Aid: A little more on artificial food dyes - posted on The Skeptic's Health Journal

Don't Drink the Cool-Aid: A little more on artificial food dyes

Excerpt from post in The Skeptic's Health Journal:.

..it took all of about 30 seconds to bring up Dr. Burks financial industry ties as listed on his Duke University academic bio..

Shortly after the advisory panel decision, Melanie Warner at BNet picked up on an odd coincidence in Kraft's advertising,

Kraft, the nation’s largest food manufacturer, has apparently concluded that the threat of any further government action regarding food dyes is pretty much nonexistent. In its seemingly outdated ads, which read “Bring back the fun,” the company celebrates the wonderful tongue staining abilities of Red #40, Blue #1 and Yellow #5. Eight excited kids stick out their brightly colored, post-Kool-Aid tongues.

Sticking out tongues at food activists
It would be hard for Kraft to design an ad that more effectively flaunts its use of lucrative chemicals that some want banned. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that those kids are sticking their tongues out at food activists like the Center for Science in the Public Interest.

Read the entire post here: Don't Drink the Cool-Aid: A little more on artificial food dyes - The Skeptic's Health Journal

Our Deadly, Daily Chemical Cocktail

Dear David,

“I like to keep it simple. If I don't have high fructose corn syrup (soon to be called corn sugar if HFCS industry gets their way) in my kitchen cabinet and it requires a chemistry degree and clean room to manufactur­­e...I don't want it in my family's food. Same goes for yellow 5, polysorbat­­e 80, BHT, monoglycer­­ides, and cellulose gum.

It's so strange, America (and her children) have never been fatter or sicker and we can't seem to figure out why.

When I had cancer over 11 years ago at age 38 - I changed what's on my plate and have been healthy ever since.

Let food be your medicine and medicine be your food. - Hippocrate­­s
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