Sunday October 12th, 2008
 |  |
 |
Disorder of Food
Posted by Little Miss Sunshine on June 24, 2008 - 5:34pm.
In the past several years I have discovered that my early adolescent intuition has become reality. At a young age I was witness to allergies, sickness and disorders. I personally was no stranger to sickness. As a young child I had allergies, severe asthma, and chronic upper respiratory problems. As I grew older I knew that there had to be a reason for all of this and I began researching natural solutions. I am not a doctor. What I am writing is my opinion based on what I have researched and what I have personally experienced. In the past four years have developed a holistic lifestyle for my family and me. Conventional wisdom you treat the symptom, with the alternative or natural approach you find and treat the cause.
It is no surprise to me that our world is now filled with people that are overweight and have chronic illnesses. Most people are eating foods that have little to no nutritional value. The foods are chemically rich to create the desire to eat more of it. Our country has a food addiction and it is my belief that once people are educated on the disorder of food, their sickness and ailments will dissipate.
I will take you through a journey of conventional food, the ingredients and the side effects people have from eating it. My goal is to inspire you to learn more about the foods you eat. You can take control of your health. We are blindly going through life trusting that our food is good for us and that medications are safe with out giving it a second thought. It is now time to question.
Ingredients: Allergic reactions, bad breath, body odor, diarrhea, constipation, gas, bloating, edema, swelling, water retention, heartburn, acid reflux, stress, insomnia, gastritis, peptic ulcers, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, migraines, headaches, Arthritis, gout, pain, acne, yeast infections, memory and cognitive impairment, tooth decay, nausea, weight gain and hyperactivity.
Preservatives
A preservative is a natural or synthetic chemical that is added to products such as foods, pharmaceuticals, etc. to prevent spoilage, whether from microbial growth or undesirable chemical changes.
Common anti-microbial preservatives include calcium propionate, sodium nitrate, sodium nitrite, sulphites (sulfur dioxide, sodium bisulfite, potassium hydrogen sulfite, etc.) and disodium EDTA. Antioxidants include BHA and BHT. Other preservatives include formaldehyde (usually in solution), glutaraldehyde, (kills insects), ethanol and methylchloroisothiazolinone. The benefits and safety of many artificial food additives (including preservatives) are the subject of debate among academics and regulators specializing in food science and toxicology.
Foods such as salt, sugar, vinegar and substances such as diatomaceous earth are also used as traditional natural preservatives. Certain preparations such as freezing, pickling, and smoking can also be used to preserve food. Another group of preservatives targets enzymes in fruits and vegetables that continue to metabolize after they are cut. For instance, citric and ascorbic acids from lemon or other citrus juice can inhibit the action of the enzyme phenolase which turns surfaces of cut apples and potatoes brown. The sugar in condensed milk inhibits bacterial growth.
Many groups have battled against some modern synthetic preservatives, because they have been shown to cause respiratory problems or other health problems. In some cases if there is an excessive amount of an allergenic preservative in food or medicine, they can be fatal.
Artificial colors
Colors Certified by the US Food and Drug Administration are derived from petroleum, acetone or coal tars. Artificial colorings can be found in everything as healthy as yogurt to candy. Petroleum and Tar do not qualify as something you could label as food at all. When reading the labels see what and how many colors are in the foods you feed yourself and your family and then you can decide how much tar and petroleum is okay to ingest. Some studies suggest that artificial colors have an effect on our children's behavior. They can also have an effect on our health and how our bodies function. There are also other studies that link tumors to certain colors. In my opinion it is best to just pass on all the artificial colors since data on tumors or carcinogenic side effects don't come out until after it has been experimented on the consumer.
Links and information on other ingredients:
Artificial flavors
Artificial sweeteners
I have a personal story about how a lump came a left my breast. The culprit…. Aspartame.
Natural Flavors (not always natural)
Nitrates
People are attracted to advertising, marketing and branding, but what a name or label says is different from what you may be actually purchasing. We suggest eliminating or limiting processed foods. Eat more Organic Fruits, Vegetables and Whole Grains. If you eat meat or poultry make sure it is organic and or grass fed. I was recently introduced to a great organization called Westin A. Price. There is a lot of great nutritional information www.westinaprice.org
Here is to your health and happy eating!
www.sunshineorganics.net - www.holisticmoms.org
The facts about artificial coloring are pretty chilling. And it's true, most EVERYTHING has artificial coloring in it. I think it's best to live with the motto that if it says "artificial" then be skeptical of it's health value.
Doesn't the word artificial say it all? Can it be "real" and have anything artificial in it? Many years ago I met a man and his wife who lived as "green" as possible. They were of Scandinavian decent and built a house without the use of plywood, pressure treated wood or anything that could gas off---no carpet, paint which was made using all organic materials and so on. He was a nurseryman and raised the most beautiful specimen trees and shrubs.
One year while tending the nursery, he had an accident where his tractor flipped over on him, pinning him to the ground. When he did not come in for dinner, his wife found him unconscious. They gave him little chance for recovery. He did begin to recover to the amazement of his physicians but they believed he would never walk again. While receiving therapy in the hospital, his wife brought him food from home, nothing artifical, all raised from their own gardens and hot houses. He began showing signs that his spine was healing. When he was able to sit up on his own he was released from the hospital, though it was still believed by the staff that he would never walk again.
He returned for therapy 3 times a week and every week there were more signs that his healing was progressing till he finally began to walk again after 6 months. He gives credit to the doctors for the treatment he received at the hospital, but he believed if it were not from eating the right food all his life as well as while he was in the hospital he would not have made a full recovery.
When I met this man I would have not guessed he had gone through such an ordeal. We would go to their house for our Christmas trees every year, we always planted our trees in our yard and they had a beautiful blue spruce variety that my Dad loves. His wife would make me laugh. When she would meet us at the door, she was sleeveless and in flipflops. Since I was a girl of 12 or so at the time, to see an older woman (she reminded me of "Mrs. Claus") in flip flops in 20° weather seems outrageous. My mom was the type who would say you don't were sandles after labor day or sleeveless dresses for that matter. Their home was as snug as could be and heated with a Franklin stove on each floor.
Anyway, if you make it yourself, you know what you're putting in it. My son and I have made the 2 most beautiful pies ever this week using whole wheat pastry flour, one raspberry and one sour cherry. I was sceptical using the flour, I'm a "crust snob". But it really was much better than I anticipated. I did use unbleached bread flour to dust the rolling pin and table surface. We use butter not shortening. I'm sorry for all those out there who think butter is bad for you, at least you know the ingredients and can pronounce them! Fat substitutes and sugar substitutes included, better to do without or less than trying to make something taste like something else. My nurseryman friend would say anything processed chemically couldn't be what nature intended it to be. A rose by any other name is still a rose and vice versa : )
Though I haven't responded to Macy on whipped topping, there's no way I could EVER put that stuff in my body. All I remember about it was the "greasy" feeling I got when I ate it. Again, sorry to those of you Cool Whip fans out there. I just think it's gross. If you can stomach it kudos to you. If you've never tried to make your own, then you should. There are no more calories in real whipped cream than there are in Cool Whip. Best part is you can spell every ingredient.
Think green, Eat green... words to live by!
~Kim