Mythbusters – There’s Not Enough Pesticides on Produce To Hurt You
Those Pesky Pesticides
We like to eat perfect looking fruits and vegetables. The problem with demanding perfection is the most common way to achieve it is by using pesticides to keep the bugs from taking a bite and making that lovely produce less than perfect.
So What If There’s A Little Pesticide On The Produce?
At one time home gardeners poured on the pesticides and thought nothing of it. A lot of big farms are still doing it. However, there’s a growing agreement among scientists that even small doses of pesticides can affect your health. These chemicals are especially bad for children and during periods of fetal development.
We know some pesticides are harmful to humans, but not all the effects of pesticides are understood. Worse, there are far too many of these chemicals we have no idea how long-term exposure will affect people.
Mythbuster – A Thorough Wash Will Get Rid of The Pesticides
The sad fact is that although washing and rinsing fresh produce will reduce the levels of some pesticides, it doesn’t get rid of all of them. Too much has been absorbed into the produce.
Peeling produce works some better to reduce pesticide exposure. The down side is that is also removes valuable nutrients.
Protection From Pesticides
You may not see those chemicals on the produce, but they’re present, and you’re eating them. If you can only wash off a small amount of pesticide, and peel off the nutrients with the pesticides, what’s left?
Obviously, the best way to keep from having pesticide on your produce is to buy organic fruits and vegetables whenever possible.
Keep away from the pesticides on the produce whenever you can!
Treat Yourself To Organic Flavored Coffee
Here’s some information I found on organic coffee from the people at French Press Coffee…
Coffee drinkers today want to know that by purchasing organic flavored coffee they are helping to improve working conditions for coffee farmers, protecting the environment, and promoting sustainable practices around the globe.
Organic flavored coffee means that only 100% natural flavorings (fruit & nut extracts) are used to produce flavored organic coffees. Certified organic coffees must be grown, harvested, and processed without chemical pesticides and fertilizers. Farms that grow certified organic coffees are tested for chemicals by an independent certification agency for three consecutive years.
Natural and organic are not interchangeable. Other truthful claims, such as free-range, hormone-free, and natural, can still appear on food labels. However, don’t confuse these terms with “organic.” Only food labeled “organic” has been certified as meeting USDA organic standards.
By choosing organic flavored coffee, even though it may cost a bit more, it is a simple extension of your personal beliefs that everything we do should help, rather than harm, the world in which we live.
Organic coffee, like other organic or all natural foods, is sold in an entirely different section of your local supermarket. This type of coffee is sold in caffeinated and decaffeinated as well as flavored with vanilla, chocolate hazelnut or anything else you can think of that regular coffee comes in. Organic flavored coffee (like other all-natural products) must contain a seal indicating it is, in fact, organic. This is an FDA classification and cannot be overlooked.
For us, high quality extends beyond the excellence of our roasts. It includes high quality in the growing and methods of farming, and fair and respectful treatment of those who grow our fine coffee. By supporting Fair Trade Certified products provides an additional opportunity for us and our customers to have a meaningful impact on the working and living conditions faced by many who grow, harvest and process coffee throughout the world.
Each year over 40 million gallons of chemical pesticides, untold millions of gallons of herbicides, and billions of pounds of fungicides are used by the international coffee industry. Do you see how you are saving the earth by supporting organically grown coffees?
When organic flavored coffee is a product that is higher in quality, delivers better taste, and can be offered at the same price as a high-quality non-organic product, why purchase a non-organic product?
Get the latest information on coffee go to French Press Coffee
Mythbusters - High Fructose Corn Syrup is Natural
People sometimes confuse fructose and high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), thinking they are both natural sweeteners. Corn refiners would like you to believe high fructose corn syrup is indeed a natural sweetener.
Well, it all depends on what you call natural.
Fructose vs. High Fructose Corn Syrup
Fructose is a natural sugar found in fruit. It occurs naturally; it’s an intrinsic part of fruit. There’s no debate there, fructose is natural.
High fructose corn syrup, on the other hand, is never found in nature. It may be found in everything from sodas and fruit drinks to condiments, salad dressings, baked goods, and even baby food, but it is not found in any unprocessed food.
Instead, high fructose corn syrup is a man-made product. It’s a highly processed ingredient made by using enzymes to treat starch extracted from corn. The Center for Science in the Public Interest and other groups categorically maintain that HFCS cannot be considered natural because its chemical bonds are broken and rearranged in the manufacturing process.
The FDA has not defined the term natural, so the debate rages on with the corn refiners on one side wanting to call high fructose corn syrup natural because it’s made from corn, and groups on the other side saying there’s no way to call it natural.
The Plot Thickens While HFCS Sickens
Furthermore, diets high in high fructose corn syrup may harm the liver, raise triglyceride levels and promote insulin resistance. In one study done in 2007, sodas sweetened with HFCS were found to be high in reactive compounds thought to trigger tissue damage that promotes diabetes. Fructose found in fruits doesn’t cause any such problems.
It seems to me it’s pretty simple. If a product exists in nature, it’s natural. If it doesn’t, and has to be produced by a manufacturing process, it’s no longer natural.
By any realistic definition, high fructose corn syrup is NOT a natural product.
Top 5 Dairy Sources of Calcium
Looking to put a little more calcium in your diet?
Calcium provides lots of benefits, including:
- maintain healthy, strong bones
- Support proper functioning of nerves and muscles, and
- Help your blood clot .
So what are the top 5 dairy sources of calcium?
- 389mg - Yogurt (flavored), 1 cup
- 334mg - Ricotta, part skim, 1/2 cup
- 302mg - Skim milk, 1 cup
- 300mg - Low-fat (1%) milk, 1 cup
- 297mg - Low-fat (2%) milk, 1 cup
Keep those bones healthy and eat some yogurt!
Going Green In The Supermarket - What Do Those Labels Mean
When you go to the grocery store, sometimes the different labels are rather confusing. Okay, LOTS of times labels are confusing.
Organic Labels
For instance, labels saying “organic” don’t all mean the same thing. Organic produce is supposed to be grown without synthetic fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides. Organic meat and dairy are supposed to come from livestock that receives no antibiotics or added hormones, and have organic feed to eat. Also, organic products are never genetically engineered or irradiated.
This is good because farming organically promotes healthy soil and a healthy ecological system by keeping chemicals out of our air, earth and water.
But there are shades of organic at the grocery store. Here’s a few of the terms you’re likely to see on labels and what they mean:
- 100% Organic: Products that contain 100% organically produced ingredients.
- USDA Certified Organic: Products with this label only have to have 95% or more organic ingredients. The USDA National Organic Program approved a small amount of conventional ingredients because there is limited availability on comparable organic products.
- Made With Organic Ingredients: Yes, but how much? 70-95% must be organic ingredients. So while the majority of the product is made with organic ingredients, there’s a whole lot that isn’t.
More Going Green Labels
There are more labels that can help you choose the right products.
- All-Natural: These products are minimally processed and contain no artificial colors, flavors, preservatives or sweeteners. Next best thing to organic.
- Earth-Friendly: Products that are produced in such a way as to minimize any negative impact on the environment. Some good examples would include biodegradable, chemical-free, or made of recycled post-consumer waste types of products.
- Vegetarian: Foods with this label are made from plant sources such as fruits, grains, legumes and nuts. However, they can also contain egg and dairy products.
- Vegan: These products must have absolutely NO animal ingredients or by-products. That means no eggs, no dairy products, and not even honey are allowed.
These labels will help you choose foods and othe products that fit your lifestyle, and to know exactly what sort of products you are buying.
Look at the label, and Go Green!
Mythbusters - Fiber Enriched Foods Provide Fiber Benefits
More About Not All Fiber Is Created Equal!
Companies are cashing in on the fiber craze. You’ll find fiber in foods that never had it before! In an ingenious effort to get you to buy their product, all of a sudden yogurt, ice cream, juices, and other products are boasting about their high fiber content. Buy this product, it’s got lots of fiber!
But you see, that’s just the problem. It’s a man-made product. It’s not the real deal.
Isolated vs. Intact Fiber
Whole foods contain INTACT fibers. These are good for you.
But these companies are taking ISOLATED fibers like inulin, maltodextrin, oat fiber and polydextrose, and adding them to foods. Then they slap the “high fiber” boast on their label, and wait for you to chunk it in your grocery cart and buy it.
Unfortunately, there’s not enough research to prove that these isolated fibers are really such a great deal. For one thing, for a soluble fiber to lower cholesterol it must also be viscous. That means the fiber has to be sort of gummy to do the job.
Inulin, polydextrose and maltodextrin are soluble, but they are NOT viscous, so they do NOT work like intact fiber to lower your cholesterol.
As far as helping regularity, isolated fibers don’t do much there either. Inulin is consumed by the bacteria in your gut so it doesn’t add bulk. One industry sponsored study done in China says polydextrose might help. But there’s a problem even then. Polydextrose can produce a laxative effect, and Inulin can cause gas.
The Bottom Line On Fiber In Your Food
It’s not going to hurt you to eat these fiber-enriched foods in reasonable amounts, but it’s not really going to help you either. All fibers are NOT created equal.
The real truth is that you aren’t getting real fiber benefits with most of these fiber enriched foods. If the label says it’s fiber enriched, and you read something like inulin, maltodextrin, or polydextrose, your reaction should not be to put in your cart. Your reaction should be, “So what?” Cause isolated fibers just don’t do the job intact fibers do.
For real health food, buy and eat foods with the real deal – whole foods with intact fiber.
Finding Whole Grain Bread
If you’ve read some of my past posts, like Whole Grains for Good Health, you know 100% whole grain bread is an important health food. In yesterday’s post I talked about fiber, and noted that whole grains have fiber.
Here’s a little video about finding the right bread for good health from the folks at Relish Magazine -