[Reblog] Study Reveals Shocking Amount of Mercury in Many Foods we Eat

High-fructose corn syrup for sale (Photo credit: Steven Vance)

 

From the 20 October 2013 post at someone somewhere – from beyond the rainbow somewhere

 

According to The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency: Mercury poses a health risk to everybody but especially to young children and fetuses because they’re still developing.  Prolonged low level exposure may cause learning disabilities by hurting the ability of children to think and read.  Adults who have been exposed to high levels of mercury may experience trembling hands and numbness or tingling in their lips, tongues, fingers, and toes.  Acute mercury poisoning especially through ingestion, can damage the brain, liver, kidneys, and even cause death.

Research published in Environmental Health and conducted in part by a scientist at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy has revealed that high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is contaminated with the toxic heavy metal mercuryHigh-fructose corn syrup is used in almost everything, it seems. A second study conducted by David Wallinga, M.D., entitled “Not So Sweet: Missing Mercury andHigh Fructose Corn Syrup” reveals that nearly one-third of all grocery items sweetened with HFCS  were contaminated with mercury

WHERE DOES ALL THE MERCURY COME FROM?

Most people don’t know how high-fructose corn syrup is really made. One of those processes is a bizarre chemical brew involving the creation of caustic soda by exposing raw materials to pools of electrified mercury in a large vat. Through this process, the caustic soda gets contaminated with mercury, and when corn kernels are exposed to this caustic soda to break them down, that contamination is passed through to the HFCS.

Another toxic chemical, glutaraldehyde, is also used in the production of HFCS. It’s so toxic that consuming even a small amount of it can burn a hole in your stomach.

…………

 

Read the entire article here

 

Related articles

• 6 Ways To Avoid High Fructose Corn Syrup This Halloween (organicauthority.com)
• Breaking news: High fructose corn syrup may kill brain cells – study (foodconsumer.org)
• High-Fructose Corn Syrup May Cause Cardiovascular Disease (atlantablackstar.com)
• High Fructose Corn Syrup (mycrampedkitchen.com)
• Top 10 Controversial Ingredients Found In Coca-Cola (toptenz.net)
• Soda – The Killer in Your Fridge (In Progress) (atlasdrugandnutrition.com)

 

[Reblog] Food and health…again

Yes, this post is a bit left of center from most of my posts.
But it does raise some valid concerns.
The related articles are just a few ways some folks are trying their best to alert us and coax us into changing unhealthy food choices.

 

From the 23 August 2013 post at eek.ology

 

 

 

 

 

 

I found this on the image site imgur.com recently and it blew me away with its accuracy. I’m living in a country which seems to produce food largely based on fat, salt and sugar. I walk into the supermarket and have to check ingredients on cheese and yoghurt and jam and ice cream to avoid rBGH and high fructose corn syrup. I go to a pharmacy and they’re selling crisps and chocolate and cigarettes and booze. Things that were once simple aren’t anymore.  Once I just needed to worry about cage free eggs. Now I’m trying to toss up the environmental damage of the food miles of cheese from Europe vs. the health implications of local cheese from cows that have been treated with rBGH.

Wendell Berry is right. The connection between food and health (and indeed our environment), while it is so blatantly, blatantly obvious, is so frequently ignored.  We ignore what is in front of our noses in both the literal and metaphorical sense every single day, and our health is getting worse for it.

 

Some Related Organizations (variety of types & organizational values)

• Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
• Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion
• Food and Drug Administration
• National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
• Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI)
• EarthSave International 
• Vegetarian Resource Group (VRG)

 

Related articles

• 5 Worst Condiments you can use on your Foods (jilllindeman257.wordpress.com)
• Don’t Eat These, Ever (lewrockwell.com)
• 6 Easy Ways to Avoid GMO’s (jperaaho.wordpress.com)
• 10 Foods Sold in the U.S. That Are Banned Elsewhere (sweetjen101.wordpress.com)
• Gaining Control of Our Food – How to stand up to Big Corporate Food (spoonfeast.com)

[Reblog] Keepin’ It Real (with Real Food) …October 24 is Food Day

English: Loma Linda University Vegetarian Food Pyramid (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

[Reblog] 

 

Posted by acroanmph in Public Health.
Tags: Diet, Disease, Farms, Food, Nutrition, Public health, Sustainable Food
trackback

 

Wednesday, October 24 is Food Day. Join in this second annual national event where thousands of businesses, coalitions and other participants are holding Food Day celebrations to promote healthy, affordable and sustainable food. 

 

 

Created by the Center for Science in the Public Interest, Food Day has become a movement to increase awareness of the usual unhealthy American diet which is leading to our top three causes of death and other forms of morbidity.

 

Our nation’s food system is not focused on promoting health, but maintaining agribusiness and food production as cheaply as possible. Fellow blogger, Ellice Campbell of Enlightened Lotus Wellness, just published a worthwhile post, Corn And It’s Stranglehold on the Food Industry. Also, have a look at The Trouble With Corn Subsidies. About 75% of all grocery store food products contain some form of corn (not the sweet kind that we enjoy during the summer) and high fructose corn syrup. This is creating a sugar addiction among our children and is one factor contributing to increased diagnoses of diabetes in adults and children, not to mention obesity. I find this to be an outrage.

 

What we put into our bodies is 100% up to us! Just because cheap and processed foods are available everywhere we look, does not mean we must succumb to eating them. As one of my blog readers previously commented, “Eat what you want–no one is forcing you not to.” Every time we eat and every thing we eat is completely our choice. I feel this is too fundamental to even blog about, but as a nation, we are clearly not making the best choices.

 

Of course this has implications beyond personal diet and disease. According to CSPI, only minor amounts of Farm Bill funding support organic and sustainable farms, while the unhealthiest farm producers reap the major funds. We have allowed our government to carry on this way for decades. Food production methods are harmful to workers, animals and the environment.

 

How will you celebrate Food Day? Click the link for inspiration, activities, recipes and a zip code map to see what is offered in your area. Or, take a page from their school curriculum, eat real around your dinner table and discuss healthy eating and where your food comes from.

 

Eat Real, y’all. Practice mindful eating and the world will be better off. Really.

 

Related articles

 

• Is The Food Pyramid Killing Us? (acroan.com)
• New Online Tool Addresses Consumer Questions On Food Production(prnewswire.com)
• Autism Linked to High-Fructose Corn Syrup (wakingtimes.com)
• What’s at Stake with the Farm Bill in Limbo? (article-3.com)
• For Food Day, celebrate a new awareness of nutrition (usatoday.com)

 

More Related articles

 

• High Fructose Corn Syrup: Is It Really Dangerous? (networkingforwealth.wordpress.com)
• Corn and it’s Stranglehold on the Food Industry (enlightenedlotuswellness.com)
• Surprising Products That Contain High Fructose Corn Syrup (mysonhatescornsyrup.com)
• How sugar may be making you fat… and stupid (metronews.ca)
• Hidden Dangers: Foods with High Fructose Corn Syrup (naturalsociety.com)

 

Study Shows High-Fructose Diet Sabotages Learning, Memory

From the 17 May article at Medical News Today

Attention, college students cramming between midterms and finals: Binging on soda and sweets for as little as six weeks may make you stupid.

A new UCLA rat study is the first to show how a diet steadily high in fructose slows the brain, hampering memory and learning – and how omega-3 fatty acids can counteract the disruption. The peer-reviewed Journal of Physiology has published the findings.

“Our findings illustrate that what you eat affects how you think,” said Fernando Gomez-Pinilla, a professor of neurosurgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and a professor of integrative biology and physiology in the UCLA College of Letters and Science. “Eating a high-fructose diet over the long term alters your brain’s ability to learn and remember information. But adding omega-3 fatty acids to your meals can help minimize the damage.” …

…

Gomez-Pinilla, a native of Chile and an exercise enthusiast who practices what he preaches, advises people to keep fructose intake to a minimum and swap sugary desserts for fresh berries and Greek yogurt, which he keeps within arm’s reach in a small refrigerator in his office. An occasional bar of dark chocolate that hasn’t been processed with a lot of extra sweetener is fine too, he said.

Still planning to throw caution to the wind and indulge in a hot-fudge sundae? Then also eat foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids, like salmon, walnuts and flaxseeds, or take a daily DHA capsule. Gomez-Pinilla recommends one gram of DHA per day.

“Our findings suggest that consuming DHA regularly protects the brain against fructose’s harmful effects,” said Gomez-Pinilla. “It’s like saving money in the bank. You want to build a reserve for your brain to tap when it requires extra fuel to fight off future diseases.”

Related articles

• High-fructose diet sabotages learning, memory (artofthestem.com)
• Study in Rats Shows High-Fructose Diet Sabotages Learning, Memory (optimumnutrition.wordpress.com)
• Sugar might make you stupid (thesciencebulletin.wordpress.com)
• Sugar Makes You Stupid: Study Shows High Fructose Diet Sabotages Learning and Memory (neurosciencenews.com)

Nutrition Myths to Put to Rest in 2012? [ FOOD, FACTS and FADS]

Nutrition Myths to Put to Rest in 2012? | FOOD, FACTS and FADS

Excerpts from the 2 January 2012 blog item

Myth #1:  High Fructose corn syrup is no worse than sugar.

This myth is probably the most controversial. According to the Corn Refiner’s Association, sugar and high fructose corn syrup have the same number of calories and both contribute 4 calories per gram. They are also equal in sweetness. Sugar and high fructose corn syrup contain nearly the same one-to-one ratio of two sugars-fructose and glucose: …

 

Myth #5   Egg yolks raise your cholesterol.

Dietary cholesterol has almost nothing to do with blood cholesterol in healthy people….

Myth #7  Granola is good for you.

Granola is oats with added sugar and baked in oil for crunch.  …

Myth #10 Low-fat foods are better for you.

Low fat is associated with salt and refined carbohydrates.  …

Related articles

• Nutrition Myths to Put to Rest in 2012? (foodworksblog.wordpress.com)
• High Fructose Corn Syrup- HFCS vs. Sugar (bleilerfitness.com)
• What is high fructose corn syrup? (greenanswers.com)
• Michael Pollan Says High Fructose Corn Syrup Isn’t Worse Than Sugar (blisstree.com)
• The Scoop on Sugar and Sugar Substitutes (everydayhealth.com)
• Big Corn, Big Sugar in bitter US row on sweetener (medicalxpress.com)
• The Facts on Fad Diets (everydayhealth.com)
• Bad Nutrition Tips for 2012 (familydoctormag.com)
• Vitamins And Nutritional Supplements: Avoiding Fad Diet Shams (tfollowers.com)
• Do You Read Nutrition Labels? (fitsugar.com)
• Nutrition Tips For Beginners (projectswole.com)

Pediatrics Professor Calls Sugar Toxic in a Heavily Viewed 2009 YouTube Lecture

Excerpts from a 13 April 2011 New York Times article

On May 26, 2009, Robert Lustig gave a lecture called “Sugar: The Bitter Truth,” which was posted on YouTube the following July. Since then, it has been viewed well over 800,000 times, gaining new viewers at a rate of about 50,000 per month, fairly remarkable numbers for a 90-minute discussion of the nuances of fructose biochemistry and human physiology….

..by “sugar,” Lustig means not only the white granulated stuff that we put in coffee and sprinkle on cereal — technically known as sucrose — but also high-fructose corn syrup, which has already become without Lustig’s help what he calls “the most demonized additive known to man.”….

…The fructose component of sugar and H.F.C.S. is metabolized primarily by the liver, while the glucose from sugar and starches is metabolized by every cell in the body. Consuming sugar (fructose and glucose) means more work for the liver than if you consumed the same number of calories of starch (glucose). And if you take that sugar in liquid form — soda or fruit juices — the fructose and glucose will hit the liver more quickly than if you consume them, say, in an apple (or several apples, to get what researchers would call the equivalent dose of sugar). The speed with which the liver has to do its work will also affect how it metabolizes the fructose and glucose….

..If Lustig is right, then our excessive consumption of sugar is the primary reason that the numbers of obese and diabetic Americans have skyrocketed in the past 30 years. But his argument implies more than that. If Lustig is right, it would mean that sugar is also the likely dietary cause of several other chronic ailments widely considered to be diseases of Western lifestyles — heart disease, hypertension and many common cancers among them….

This  long article goes on to explain how it is believed that an excessive sugar intake leads to fatty livers and accompanying metabolic syndrome. The body, in its inability to use naturally produced insulin, sets the stage for diabetes, high blood pressure, and even cancer.

Related resources and articles

• Sugar and Health: Interview with UCSF professor Robert Lustig (kqed.org)
• High-fructose corn syrup: What are the health concerns? (Mayo Health)
• Dietary, lifestyle changes can significantly reduce triglycerides (American Heart Association)
• Sugar-sweetened drinks associated with higher blood pressure (American Heart Association)
• Does high-fructose corn syrup have the same affect on the body as regular sugar? (Medpedia answers)