News regarding traditional wisdom and native diets regarding nutrition.
Sucralose’s (Splenda) Harms Vastly Underestimated: Baking Releases Dioxin
A new, in-depth review on the synthetic sweetener sucralose (marketed as Splenda), published in the journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, is destined to overturn widely held misconceptions about the purported safety of this ubiquitous artificial sweetener. Found in tens of thousands of products and used by millions of consumers around the world, sucralose's unique ability to dissolve in alcohol and methanol as well as water, makes it the most versatile and therefore most widely used artificial sweetener in production today. And yet, its popularity is no indication nor guarantee of its safety, as is evidenced by the widespread use of other artificial sweeteners like aspartame, which while being safety approved in 90 nations around the world, has been linked to a wide range of serious health conditions including brain damage.
Is Trans Fat “Ban” Paving Way to Promote New Monsanto GMO Product?
The recent "ban" on trans fats may actually be a way to promote a Monsanto GMO product. It’s important to note that since this is a proposed rule, and not a final one, there’s still a chance it could be changed or dropped. In the rule, the FDA mentions that the agency is open to alternate approaches to addressing partially hydrogenated oils in food, such as the setting of acceptable trans fat threshold levels. The timing and intent of the FDA’s rule is suspect for two reasons. First, it was announced only after most companies had already eliminated trans fat—it’s currently only in a handful of foods. Second, the ban will promote market demand for two new GMO soybeans by Monsanto and DuPont, which are engineered for trans fat free oils.
Support for Lawton’s Raw Milk Family Farm Forces Delay in Board of Health Public Hearing to Shut Them Down
The town of Foxborough Massachusetts is proposing new stricter raw milk regulations which would put The Lawtons Family Farm out of business. The farm has spanned 11 generations dating back to the 1700s. But at a Board of Health public hearing, so many people turned out to support the Lawtons, that the hearing had to be postponed until they could find a larger venue. The regular meeting room only holds 80 people, and more than 140 showed up, most of them to show support for the raw milk farmers.
FDA Sued, Forced to Remove Safety Status on Trans Fats
For over 60 years, saturated fats have been wrongfully accused of causing heart disease, despite mounting evidence showing that saturated fat is actually critical for optimal health while trans fat is the dietary fat causing heart disease. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced it is now considering removing partially hydrogenated oils—the primary source of trans fats—from the list of "generally recognized as safe" (GRAS) ingredients. Making trans fat non-GRAS is the first step toward getting trans fats out of the American diet altogether. The FDA’s decision comes right on the heels of a lawsuit filed against the agency by a heart disease researcher. FDA is still holding fast to its ignorant view on saturated fats, urging you to “choose products that have the lowest combined amount of saturated fat, cholesterol and trans fat.” This advice causes far more harm than good. Saturated fats from animal and vegetable sources provide a number of important health benefits, and your body requires them for the proper function. Science has firmly debunked the myth that saturated fat promotes heart disease.
Mother Fined by School for “Not Balanced” Home Lunch – Ritz Crackers Added to “Balance” Child’s Lunch
A mother who thought she was sending her children to school with a decent homemade, whole-food lunch was shocked to find a penalty note from school officials informing her that the lunch of roast beef, potatoes, carrots, oranges and milk she provided was "unbalanced" and therefore had to be supplemented with Ritz crackers.
Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Annual Conference Report: Corporate Processed Food Sponsorship Dictates “Nutrition”
Last month, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics held its annual conference (The Food and Nutrition Conference & Expo, also known as FNCE) in Houston, Texas. Today, Dietitians for Professional Integrity — an advocacy group group co-founded by 14 dietitians that advocates for the Academy to cut its ties to its Big Food partners and sponsors — releases “The Food Ties That Bind”, a report that details the messaging Big Food shared with dietitians at 2013 FNCE. The report highlights some of the educational materials provided by the likes of Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Kellogg’s, and General Mills at the conference. The report also covers a much-anticipated point-counterpoint debate planned by the Academy that was supposed to touch on the issue of partnerships between the private and public sectors, but instead had one speaker staunchly defend GMOs, mock those who care about organics and sustainability.
5 Health Benefits of Broccoli
Broccoli contains phytochemicals shown to benefit arthritis, cancer, immune system health, blood pressure levels, vision, skin health, blood sugar disorders and much more. Eating broccoli raw, as opposed to cooked, will help protect it’s nutrients; broccoli sprouts are an even more nutritionally potent way to enjoy broccoli. You can grow your own broccoli sprouts at home inexpensively and in just a few days’ time.
Judge Orders Mother to Stop Breastfeeding
A mother is outraged after she says a local judge told her to stop breastfeeding her daughter. At a recent custody hearing, a judge ruled 10-month-old Jasmine must stay with her father overnight for two days. "And if I do not comply, I will have my child taken away," added Jessica. The problem is, Jasmine still breastfeeds. And Jessica says the judge doesn't care. Jessica says she's not trying to keep Jasmine from her father, she just wants what's best for her daughter. "I'm very passionate about having that right to breastfeed," she said.
Court Appointed Psychiatrist Rules Dad ‘Unfit’ Because He Refused to Take Son to McDonald’s
A defamation lawsuit in New York alleges a court-appointed psychiatrist told a judge a man who refused to take his son to McDonald's was an unfit parent. David Schorr, 43, a Manhattan attorney, filed a lawsuit in city Supreme Court alleging court-appointed psychiatrist Marilyn Schiller filed a report in his custody battle saying he was "wholly incapable of taking care of his son" and should be denied weekend visitation rights for refusing to take his 4-year-old son to the fast-food restaurant.
N.Y. Times Admits Raw Milk is Cure For Allergies
In this N.Y. Times opinion piece, dairy farm life and the consumption of raw dairy milk is clearly shown to be associated with reduced allergies. But raw milk consumption is discouraged nevertheless, and people are encouraged instead to wait for new drugs which will mimic the same effect.
Why the “War” on Saturated Fat Was the Biggest Mistake in the History of Nutrition
The “war” on saturated fat is the biggest mistake in the history of nutrition. As people have reduced their intake of animal fat and cholesterol, many serious diseases have gone up. We are now in the midst of worldwide pandemics of obesity, metabolic syndrome and type II diabetes. Studies conducted in the past few decades conclusively show that neither saturated fat nor dietary cholesterol cause harm in humans. Scientists are now beginning to realize that the entire low-fat dogma was based on flawed studies that have since been thoroughly debunked. Here are 6 graphs that clearly show how incredibly damaging it has been to advise people to reduce their consumption of saturated fat.
Ractopamine: The Meat Additive on Your Plate That’s Banned Almost Everywhere But America
Have you ever heard of ractopamine? Neither have most US food consumers though it is used in 80 percent of US pig and cattle operations. The asthma drug-like growth additive, called a beta-agonist, has enjoyed stealth use in the US food supply for a decade despite being widely banned overseas. Ractopamine is banned in the EU, Russia, China, Taiwan and many other countries. The Center for Food Safety (CFS) and Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF) have sued the FDA for withholding records pertaining to ractopamine's safety.
Saturated Fat and Cholesterol Myth Exposed in Mainstream Media in Australia
Outside of the United States, the myth that saturated fat and cholesterol cause heart disease is quickly falling apart. Sweden just recently became the first western nation to reject the low-fat dietary philosophy in favor of a high-fat low-carbohydrate diet. A leading cardiologist in the U.K. made shock waves recently by appearing in the mainstream media and stating that saturated fats were not the cause of heart disease, but refined carbohydrates were. Now, ABC TV in Australia has now released a news documentary with the title: "HEART OF THE MATTER: The Cholesterol Myth: Dietary Villains and Cholesterol Drug War." This documentary interviews cardiologists, science writers, and other experts who expose the saturated fat and cholesterol myth. People around the world are waking up to these dietary myths, as well as the scam of cholesterol-lowering drugs and how harmful they actually are. But given that exposing this myth threatens the loss of billions of dollars in profits in the United States, will the mainstream media and the U.S. Government follow other western nations?
Cardiologist Speaks Out On The Myth of Bad Saturated Fat, Stating Carbs Are More Damaging Than Butter
A false interpretation of scientific studies has led to millions being "over-medicated" with statin drugs due to the proliferation of myths in the medical community regarding the role of saturated fat in heart disease. A Cardiologist is speaking out stating that almost four decades of advice to cut back on saturated fats found in foods such as butter and meat has paradoxically increased our cardiovascular risks.
Agave is Far Worse than High Fructose Corn Syrup
Many people interested in staying healthy have switched to agave as a safer "natural" sweetener. They want to avoid well documented dangerous sweeteners like HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) but are unaware that most agave is actually WORSE than HFCS. Most agave “nectar” or agave “syrup” is nothing more than a laboratory-generated super-condensed fructose syrup, devoid of virtually all nutrient value, and offering you metabolic misfortune in its place. Unfortunately, masterful marketing has resulted in the astronomical popularity of agave syrup among people who believe they are doing their health a favor by avoiding refined sugars like high fructose corn syrup, and dangerous artificial sweeteners. While agave syrup does have a low-glycemic index, so does antifreeze — that doesn’t mean it’s good for you. Most agave syrup has a higher fructose content than any commercial sweetener — ranging from 70 to 97 percent, depending on the brand, which is FAR HIGHER than high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), which averages 55 percent. This makes agave actually WORSE than HFCS.
10 Reasons You Should Be Eating Olives
Even though more attention is usually given to their delicious oil than the whole food itself, olives are one of the world's most widely enjoyed fruits. The health benefits of consuming olives range from cardiovascular to weight loss to improved eye sight. Here are 10 reasons why you should be eating these little delicacies every day.
Raw Milk: A Key Ingredient in Some of the World’s Finest Cheeses
Based on their vehement warnings to the public, as well as their raids on small farms, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) want you to believe that raw milk is unsafe. And if you listen to them, you would come away believing that raw milk is a filthy, disease-causing beverage that is virtually guaranteed to make you and your family sick… Yet, this very same ingredient – raw milk – is used to make some of the world’s finest cheeses, from the Italian Parmigiano Reggiano to the famous French-made Camembert. The traditional cheese-making process has been crafted over centuries in many cases, and is truly an art form, with each cheese carefully aged and ripened to develop a complex taste and texture that mass-produced cheeses cannot replicate – thanks, in large part, to their raw milk content.
40 Years of Federal Nutrition Research Fatally Flawed
Four decades of nutrition research funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) may be invalid because the method used to collect the data was seriously flawed, according to a new study by the Arnold School of Public Health at the University of South Carolina. The study, led by Arnold School exercise scientist and epidemiologist Edward Archer, has demonstrated significant limitations in the measurement protocols used in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). The findings, published in PLOS ONE (The Public Library of Science), reveal that a majority of the nutrition data collected by the NHANES are not "physiologically credible," Archer said. "The nation's major surveillance tool for studying the relationships between nutrition and health is not valid. It is time to stop spending tens of millions of health research dollars collecting invalid data and find more accurate measures," he said.
Why Low-Fat Diets Make You Fat
Governments here and abroad have been cautioning the public for decades on the dangers of high fat diets. Their claims based on "their science" concluded that it's best to avoid fat because of its extra calories - and saturated fats raise the risk of heart disease. You'll still see this on most food pyramids regulated by government policy on diet and nutrition. However, just as mandated healthcare policies fail at the federal level, so do those related to nutrition. This low-fat mantra has been questioned for years by clinicians and nutritional scientists - not least because it has failed to halt the obesity epidemic. The fact is, contrary to official advice by our diet dictocrats, high-fat diets lower blood sugar, improve blood lipids, and reduce obesity.
Sweden Becomes First Western Nation to Reject Low-fat Diet Dogma in Favor of Low-carb High-fat Nutrition
Sweden has become the first Western nation to develop national dietary guidelines that reject the popular low-fat diet dogma in favor of low-carb high-fat nutrition advice. The switch in dietary advice followed the publication of a two-year study by the independent Swedish Council on Health Technology Assessment. The committee reviewed 16,000 studies published through May 31, 2013. The expert committee consisted of ten physicians, and several of them were skeptics to low-carbohydrate diets at the beginning of the investigation. They now conclude that butter, olive oil, heavy cream, and bacon are not harmful foods. Quite the opposite. Fat is the best thing for those who want to lose weight, and there are no connections between a high fat intake and cardiovascular disease.