"In the political arena, one side is winning the war on childhood obesity." - Reuters Special Report

Special Report: Best article yet on the reality behind childhood obesity

One side is winning the war on childhood obesity

Washington, D.C., April 27 (Reuters) - In the political arena, one side is winning the war on child obesity.  The side with the fattest wallets.  (Entire article here.)

Health Effects of Childhood Obesity (CDC - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Childhood obesity has both immediate and long-term effects on health and well-being.

Immediate health effects:

• Obese youth are more likely to have risk factors for cardiovascular disease, such as high cholesterol or high blood pressure. In a population-based sample of 5- to 17-year-olds, 70% of obese youth had at least one risk factor for cardiovascular disease.⁷
• Obese adolescents are more likely to have prediabetes, a condition in which blood glucose levels indicate a high risk for development of diabetes.^8,9
• Children and adolescents who are obese are at greater risk for bone and joint problems, sleep apnea, and social and psychological problems such as stigmatization and poor self-esteem.^5,6,10

Long-term health effects:

• Children and adolescents who are obese are likely to be obese as adults^11-14 and are therefore more at risk for adult health problems such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, several types of cancer, and osteoarthritis.⁶  One study showed that children who became obese as early as age 2 were more likely to be obese as adults.¹²
• Overweight and obesity are associated with increased risk for many types of cancer, including cancer of the breast, colon, endometrium, esophagus, kidney, pancreas, gall bladder, thyroid, ovary, cervix, and prostate, as well as multiple myeloma and Hodgkin’s lymphoma.¹⁵

"In the poltical areana, one side is winning the war on child obesity." - Reuters Special Report

Mad Cow Disease Confirmed In California Dairy Cow, USDA Says

It's so strange. America (and her children) have never been fatter, sicker or malnourished and we can't seem to figure out why. Meanwhile, we're told our food supply is healthy, nutritious and delicious by the food and beverage industries.

"Baker Commodities processes animal byproducts, including dead cattle, to make commercial commodities....these products include "high-protein ingredients for poultry feed and pet food, and tallow..." While a diseased animal could have been processed without being tested, it's unclear if an infected cow would have been rendered for feed or pet food at the facility."

Ummm... okay - so, chickens and our family dog are being fed infected cows?

Maybe I'm the crazy one - isn't mad cow because the cow is feed... cattle and grazing on insecticide-laced grain and not grass?

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. - Ben Franklin
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

USDA confirms nation's fourth case of mad cow disease

USDA confirms nation's fourth case of mad cow disease

Is mad cow disease because we are feeding dairy cows...cattle? "Results confirmed the animal was positive for atypical BSE, a "very rare" form of the disease not generally associated with infected feed." 

Nestlé Drops Artificial Ingredients in UK Candy – Why Not Here?

Nestlé Drops Artificial Ingredients in UK Candy – Why Not Here?

Mars candy company has already
voluntarily removed artificial colors

Here’s another signature!

Robyn’s book, The Unhealthy Truth, is riveting and I find it truly compelling that “the U.K. branches of Wal-Mart, Kraft , Coca-Cola, and the Mars candy company (who make M&M’s) have voluntarily removed artificial colors.”

*p.s. to Fred Fraenkel – from my humble perspective – Bettina is very gracious to even allow your comment.

“What’s in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet” – Shakespeare

*(The above p.s. was in reference to a comment posted on The Lunch Tray regarding pink slime  - the 100% ammoniated beef product also known as LFTB.)

Power Politics in Action

Terrific post and comments on "Food Politics" Blog.  My personal favorite:

• Scott Smith
• April 11, 2012
• 9:41 am

Edible tissues first entered my vocabulary when researching the garbage the USDA called Chicken Nuggets. It ain’t meat: It’s edible tissues. It’s the equivalent of eating a leather shoe but spitting out the metal shoelace eyelets. LFTB is edible tissue treated with ammonia. Ammonia reminds of a child’s diaper.

Food Politics in Play

6 Ingredients You May Not Want In Your Food

With all due respect - "(it's) only used as an antifreeze in winterizing plumbing systems?" Oh, since it's considered safe to drain into the soil that certainly makes it much more appetizing and an "essential" ingredient in our food supply. Antifreeze is antifreeze - don't want it in my food.

I read labels and if I can't pronounce propylene glycol and it's not in my kitchen cabinet - it doesn't go in the shopping cart.

Ever notice how Dansai water is "enhanced". What's in the water? Bi products from coke's manufacturing process?

My apologies for the snarky attitude but really: "Good Grief People" as if we're the idiots?

Common sense is not so common. - Voltaire
About Food Politics
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

6 Ingredients You May Not Want In Your Food

Yikes! We need a lab coat, PhD in chemistry and clean room to make our children lunch? Thank you for the post and exposing the truth behind much of America's food supply!

America (and her children) have never been fatter, sicker or malnourished and we can't seem to figure out why. In my humble opinion, we need to focus on the "quality" of our food and not the highly processed, fake, genetically engineered, franken-food, antibiotic, steroid, hormone, pink slimed, chemically laden, "quantity".

Best health always!

p.s. I used to take the food and beverage industry hook-line-and-sinker. Now, no more dairy products after I had breast cancer (hormone receptive tumor) at age 38 because of the estrogen, hormones, etc. Thankfully that was over 11 years ago and have been healthy ever since.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Dude, it's 100% ammoniated beef product

NEW PHOTO: Lean Finely Textured Beef, From A Different Point of View

Please visit the The Lunch Tray Blog and leave a comment for Bettina Elias Siegel.  She deserves more kudos from those of us that support her efforts in providing "real" food to America's school children.

Best health always... 

Why isn't water offered on the school lunch menus?

Our teenage daughter can not "choose" water as a beverage "choice" with her school lunch.  (It costs extra.)  She's told that she can "choose" one type of cow's milk, but no water!  Huh?

And, in the elementary schools, you can check off the box for chocolate cow's milk, but there's not one for water? We can select french fries and chocolate milk, but no water?

The reason:  "the federal government sees no nutritional value in water and won't reimburse your school lunch program if it's offered on the school lunch menu."  (My husband has always felt that chocolate milk has flavoring added because it's the milk that's about to spoil.)  Wonder what industry got water banned from the lunch menu?

A simple solution would be to offer filtered water - and let everyone refill their own water bottles.  Our children play sports and the last time I checked they don't run off the courts or fields looking for a milk bottle.

Common sense is not so common. - Voltaire

p.s. This is not a promo for Dansai water (manufactured by Coca Cola) because, as my niece pointed out, Dansai water's ingredients include: "water, magnesium sulfate, potassium chloride, salt."  Huh?

BREAKING NEWS: USDA To Allow Voluntary Labeling of LFTB; Branstad Requests Congressional Hearing

BREAKING: USDA To Allow Voluntary Labeling of LFTB; Branstad Requests Congressional Hearing