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Ingredients & Ingredient Labels: Be Sure to Read the Fine Print!

What is your typical routine when you make a trip to the grocery store? Do you try to only purchase foods that work with your new diet? Or do you shop based on what sounds good to you while you’re browsing the store aisle by aisle? I’m only asking because I really want you to stop and consider exactly how big of a role the ingredient label on foods plays in your daily life.

Seven years ago, if someone asked me about the ingredient label I would have laughed and said, “What ingredient label???” I never stopped to consider the possibility that maybe not everything listed on the ingredient label of a food is necessarily “good” for me. Instead, I ate whatever I wanted whenever I wanted to, and never stopped to consider the consequences. That is, until my health took a turn for the worst…I was having seizures for unknown reasons, my hormones were severely imbalanced, and no neurologist seemed to have any solution for my problem outside the sphere of medication.

So, I tried the alternative route, I kept taking my medication, but I began looking at solutions outside of modern medicine. This led me to discover the very important role nutrition plays in every person’s overall state of health.

Which, also eventually lead to a drastic diet change for me. My grocery store routine went from grabbing anything that sounded good to reading every ingredient label before purchasing a product. It sounds time consuming, but it is completely worth it! By eliminating ingredients like MSG, soy, and basically anything synthetic, my mental health greatly improved. I saw a decrease in the amount of seizures I was having each month, something that seemed impossible at one time. In addition to avoiding poor quality ingredients, I also made the switch to organic foods.

I have found that specialty health-oriented grocery stores such as Trader Joe’s, Sprout’s Market, and Whole Foods Market (for those of you in the Southern California area) are always the better option for finding good quality, organic groceries free of synthetic ingredients.

What do I primarily look for in a food product? Simple and real ingredients. As long as the ingredient label contains only natural ingredients (sugar, salt, butter, flour, etc.) and is free of chemical and/or synthetic ingredients (Xanthan Gum, Soy Lecithin, Guar Gum, etc.), I know the product is okay!

To give you an example of what a good ingredient label and a bad ingredient label look like, I’m going to breakdown the ingredient label of a snack product commonly found in the pantry of many people’s kitchens…Ritz Crackers. I don’t know about you, but this is a product that most people I know consider to be a snacking favorite. If you look on the side of the box, you will find an ingredient label containing the following information…

Ingredients: Unbleached Enriched Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate {Vitamin B1}, Riboflavin {Vitamin B2}, Folic Acid, Vegetable Oil (Soybean Oil and/or Canola and/or Palm and/or Partially Hydrogenated Cottonseed Oil), Sugar, Salt, Leavening (Baking Soda and/or Calcium Phosphate), High Fructose Corn Syrup, Soy Lecithin, Malted Barley Flour, Natural Flavor.

Let’s just dive right in, shall we?

Unbleached Enriched Flour—“flour in which most of the natural vitamins and minerals have been extracted. This is done in order to give the bread a finer texture and increase shelf life. When the bran and germ (the parts of wheat that contain fiber and nutrients) are removed, your body absorbs wheat differently” (ahealthiermichigan.org). So, instead of acting as an energy source for your body, which is what flour should do, this ingredient causes your body to store it as fat (ahealthiermichigan.org)! Which is exactly the reason why many people find that cutting bread from their diet can greatly facilitate weight loss! However, in order to lose weight you don’t necessarily have to cut bread out of your diet completely. You simply need to find the right kind of bread that is made with ingredients meant to help energize you, rather than fatten you up like a Thanksgiving turkey! To learn more about Unbleached Enriched Flour and the role it plays in the food industry, What’s in Your Food? Enriched Flour Tops List of Unhealthy Ingredients by Jodi Davis, is a must read.

Thiamine Mononitrate {Vitamin B1}—“Thiamine Mononitrate is the synthetic form of Vitamin B1” (livestrong.com). So, an ingredient that gives the illusion of being healthy by pretending to be the true, blue natural version of Vitamin B1 is actually toxic to the human body! We see the term “Vitamin” and assume it must be healthy, but in actuality it is furthest from the impression it gives and actually can cause a lot of negative side effects for our health. Not to mention, it is also very difficult for the body to digest due to its synthetic and chemical form. Read more about Thiamine Mononitrate, here: The Side Effects of Thiamine Mononitrate by Elizabeth Thatcher.

Riboflavin {Vitamin B2}—This synthetic ingredient acts in the same stealthy way as Thiamine Mononitrate! It sits there in the Ritz Crackers ingredient label pretending to be healthy and posing as a natural vitamin that will be beneficial to our health, but riddle me this…what is healthy about a chemical created to be a synthetic form of the real, whole food version of an ingredient or, in this case, a vitamin??? Absolutely nothing! It’s fake! Which means that, just like the Vitamin B1 (Thiamine Mononitrate) also found in Ritz Crackers, it too is hard for the body to digest. Let’s think about this from the long-term perspective for a moment…if you consistently fill your stomach with lots of synthetic ingredients (a.k.a. hard-to-digest foods) you’re going to start experiencing problems with your digestive system. And guess what? Most processed foods are filled with these synthetic ingredients! An all time low for the food industry, if you ask me.

Seeing as how synthetic Riboflavin {Vitamin B2} is a completely unnatural ingredient, it only makes sense for there to be more than one health issue! This brings us to problem #2 with this specific type of Riboflavin {Vitamin B2}…this ingredient required only by our bodies in small doses (in its real, whole food form), is found in the majority of our popular processed foods in its synthetic form. Please note that only the whole food form of Riboflavin is recommended as a healthy supplement for the human body. The synthetic form of Riboflavin should be avoided at ALL costs!

To make matters worse, thanks to synthetic Riboflavin, you might want to rethink the vitamin supplement you’re currently taking. Excessive amounts of Riboflavin can be found in commonly used dietary supplements. That’s right, not even the vitamin aisle is safe anymore! Gummy vitamins might be a fun concept (who doesn’t love for their vitamin to be in the shape of a tiny bear?), but I’m sorry to say that nothing is healthy about vitamins such as these.

Our bodies should only be getting about 2 milligrams (mg) of Riboflavin a day from dietary sources. If you’re taking a dietary vitamin supplement of some sort, check the ingredient label before taking it again because you just might be getting “10s or 100s of milligrams” (smart-publications.com) without even knowing it!

If we add both of these problems together, we get one gigantic health concern as the result: excessive Riboflavin. Because this ingredient is so prevalent in most of today’s staple food and dietary supplement products we basically get a double whammy when it comes to our Riboflavin intake. The result? An incredibly toxic combination. When the excessive Riboflavin spreads to our body tissue it mixes with our sunlight exposure and begins causing problems for our eyes, as well as our liver health. To read more about the toxic side effects of excessive Riboflavin, click here: Excessive Vitamin B2 – Riboflavin Can Be Toxic!

Folic Acid—“Oxidized synthetic compound used in dietary supplements and food fortification” (chriskresser.com). Here’s the biggest issue I have with Folic Acid: it’s an oxidized synthetic compound. Once again, Ritz has chosen to include a synthetic compound rather than using the whole food, nutrient-rich version of the ingredient. In this case, the well-known food company has chosen Folic Acid rather than Folate, which is “the general term for a group of water soluble b-vitamins, and is also known as B9…” furthermore, as opposed to Folic Acid, Folate “…refers to the various tetrahydrofolate derivatives naturally found in food” (chriskresser.com).

If you examine Ritz’s ingredient choice from a logical standpoint, their decisions so far seem completely irrational. I mean, after examining only 4 ingredients, we have discovered that Ritz Crackers are only composed of synthetic ingredients. Hmm…not exactly something I want to be giving to my body in large doses. Read more about Folate and Folic Acid, here: The Little Known Difference Between Folate and Folic Acid by Chris Kresser. (Click here to read a brief, but thorough overview of the entire Ritz Cracker Ingredient Label)

So why do they do it? When an ingredient like “Folate” exists, why does the Ritz Company knowingly choose synthetic over naturally occurring? Because it’s cheaper and synthetic additives give the product an unnaturally long shelf life (Yuck!).

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the processed foods industry in a nutshell. When it comes to their choice of ingredients, the deciding factor for Big Wig food companies (like Ritz Crackers) clearly no longer includes the state of our health.

However, do not be discouraged by the extremely poor quality of ingredients found in Ritz Crackers because other companies (you know, the ones that are actually concerned about whether we live or die after eating their product) do exist and they have created products free of synthetics! Take, for example, the Late July Organic Classic Rich Crackers or as I like to call them the healthy version of Ritz. We picked apart the Ritz Cracker ingredient label, now let’s do the same to Late July’s ingredient label and see if we find any minor and/or major differences. For starters, let me just say that they print on the front of their packaging these important details (something the Ritz packaging and product appears to be lacking): Produced without Synthetic Pesticides, Non-GMO, No Artificial Flavors, Colors, or Preservatives. Although I would rather it said “Produced without any Pesticides,” the fact that they’re both acknowledging the presence of these characteristics in typical processed foods and choosing to exclude them is HUGE! All in all, I would say they’re off to a pretty good start. Now for the ingredient label…

Late July Organic Classic Rich Crackers Ingredients: Organic Wheat Flour, Organic Evaporated Cane Sugar, Organic Expeller Pressed Sunflower Oil and/or Organic Expeller Pressed Safflower Oil, Organic Palm Oil, Sea Salt, Leavening (Baking Soda, Ammonium Bicarbonate, Cream of Tartar).

Organic Wheat Flour—Nutritional value alone is enough to give Red July a round of applause for choosing this flour ingredient over white flour. Although I do use white flour when baking, I never realized the great difference between the two types of flours. “White flour is made from heavily refined and processed wheat grains, while whole-wheat flour is made from grains that have not undergone heavy processing. Whole-wheat and white flour differ in their nutritional value” (healthyeating.sfgate.com). If you examine both flour’s fiber and vitamin contents, you will discover the drastic difference between each flour’s nutritional value. Read more about this difference here: Healthy Facts About Whole-Wheat Flour Vs. White by Sylvie Tremblay.

Organic Evaporated Cane Sugar—Okay, so this type of sugar may not contain as many vitamins, minerals, or nutrients as the organic sugar cane in its natural form, but it’s most definitely a much better quality form of sugar compared to the typical “Sugar” ingredient found in many processed foods. For starters, it’s Organic and still contains a multitude of nutrients that haven’t been tainted by pesticides. Furthermore, it does not go through the same process as refined sugar, which means it will be easier to digest and healthy for your body to absorb. “Raw natural sugar has a balance of sucrose, glucose, and fructose, whereas refined sugars are almost exclusively sucrose (the fructose and glucose have been washed out). The more sucrose, the more it raises your blood sugar” (processedfreeamerica.org). It is very refreshing, for me, to see a company choose the healthier ingredient over the cheaper ingredient. As I continue to examine Red July’s ingredient label, you too will soon discover that not every processed food product falls under the stereotype of being “bad” for you.

Organic Expeller Pressed Sunflower and/or Safflower Oil —First, let me just point out that this ingredient (like the previous three) is Organic. So, right away you’re getting (or at least you should be getting) zero pesticides from the oil used in this product! Now, although Sunflower and Safflower aren’t typically known as “healthier” oils, I need to put a special emphasis on 2 extra details that set this oil apart from your everyday vegetable oils: Organic and Expeller Pressed. Expeller pressed is an old-fashioned process that uses a screw press to mechanically extract oil from the seed, nut, or grain. It is less common because it costs more and produces less oil than other known processes, but it is known to produce the best quality oil (foodbabe.com). This is mostly due to the fact that, unlike other processes, the oil is not extracted using methods involving toxic chemicals (such as Hexane) or unnecessary refinement. By the time companies have their finished product, it is so synthetic it honestly should not be considered edible nor should it be consumed! In essence, the extra money and time required for this process are most definitely worth it!

Palm Oil (a.k.a. Palm Fruit Palm or Palm Kernel Oil)—Actually one of the few healthy oils used in foods. Although I prefer to use coconut oil whenever it comes to cooking, Palm oil is definitely my 2nd choice! It isn’t hydrogenated (a process involving turning a liquid unsaturated fat into a sold fat by adding hydrogen (healthline.com)), which is excellent for avoiding trans fats and poor heart health in the future. “Fortunately, there is a healthy fat that can be used in processed foods in place of those nasty polyunsaturated vegetable oils that meets the profit demands of food company shareholders and also satisfies the ever growing consumer clamor for a healthy, traditional fat. That fat is palm oil” (thehealthyhomeeconomist.com). Once again, we see Red July choosing the healthier ingredient over the cheap ingredient. An action not many inorganic processed food companies are making just yet.

Sea Salt—It’s all-natural, the flavor is 10x better than iodized salt, and it has a much more beneficial mineral/nutrient content. Common table salt is typically stripped of most of its nutrients while it goes through the commercial process that takes it from its place of origin to your kitchen table. “Sea salt is obtained directly through the evaporation of seawater. It is usually not processed, or undergoes minimal processing, and therefore retains trace levels of minerals like magnesium, potassium, calcium, and other nutrients. Table salt, on the other hand, is mined from salt deposits and then processed to give it a fine texture so it’s easier to mix and use in recipes. Processing strips table salt of any minerals it may have contained, and additives are also usually added to prevent clumping or caking” (sodiumbreakup.heart.org). Many people and health experts constantly say that there “are no real health advantages of most sea salts” (sodiumbreakup.heart.org).

HA! (<– This is Me scoffing at that statement!) How can there be no health advantages when sea salt is an unprocessed, mineral filled product as opposed to table salt, which is intensely processed and altered by synthetic additives? Let me answer this question with a question…which salt would you rather feed to your family?

The last and final ingredient found in Late July Crackers is Leavening (Baking Soda, Sodium Bicarbonate, and Cream of Tartar)—When it comes to the leavening agent typically used in most processed food products, it is composed of Baking Soda and Sodium Phosphate. In other words (a.k.a. the truth), the leavening agent is probably 30% baking soda and 70% chemical phosphates. The recurring problem with too large amounts of synthetic ingredients does NOT strike again with these Red July Crackers! On the all too rare occasion, we find that instead of phosphates these crackers have Sodium Bicarbonate, which is “…commonly called baking soda, is a natural substance used in the human body with in the bloodstream to regulate pH as a counterbalance to acid build up, which is critical to life. It affects the pH of cells and tissues, balances cell voltage and increases CO2 which helps with oxygenation” (drsircus.com). Let’s emphasize the HUGE difference between these two components: one is natural (Sodium Bicarbonate) and one is chemical (Sodium Phosphate). Although these two ingredients begin with the same word in their name, they are about as different as night and day! Lastly, we have Cream of Tartar; a better alternative to the chemical leavening agent as far as the stabilizing job is concerned. It is a naturally occurring substance produced during the process of fermenting wine. It is then sent through a purification process and Voilà! You get the white powdery substance commonly used in numerous baked goods (thekitchn.com).

At face value, the only difference between these two products seems to be the brand name printed quite distinctly on each of the cracker’s packaging. Amazing, isn’t it, the striking difference that actually exists, causing these products to be, in reality, polar opposites? Now that you’ve seen firsthand the types of ingredients commonly used in the majority of processed foods, are you motivated to investigate that ingredient label a little more closely the next time you’re in the grocery store? I certainly hope so!

Trust me when I say that the truth about some ingredients can be a tad frightening to discover. It is shocking what the FDA has approved as “suitable” sources for ingredients. Let’s just say, this administration no longer gives me comfort about the quality of foods being sold in grocery stores or restaurants. But, please do NOT let this stop you from getting the better of those food companies! You deserve the right to know exactly what you’re feeding your body! So, Seize the Day for your knowledge because ignorance is not bliss when it comes to nutrition. Take advantage of technology and the vast amount of knowledge available through the Internet! You’d be amazed at what you will find!

 

Sources:

  1. https://www.ahealthiermichigan.org/2011/07/26/whats-in-your-food-enriched-flour-tops-list-of-unhealthy-ingredients/
  2. www.livestrong.com/article/313249-the-side-effects-of-thiamine-mononitrate/
  3. www.smart-publications.com/articles/excess-vitamin-B2-riboflavin-can-be-toxic
  4. www.chriskresser.com/folate-vs-folic-acid/
  5. www.healthyeating.sfgate.com/healthy-wholewheat-flour-vs-white-3305.html
  6. www.processedfreeamerica.org/resources/health-news/405-the-truth-about-evaporated-cane-juice/
  7. www.foodbabe.com/2015/02/04/cooking-oils/
  8. http://www.healthline.com/health-slideshow/ways-to-avoid-hydrogenated-oil
  9. http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/the-many-shades-of-palm-oil/
  10. sodiumbreakup.heart.org/sodium-411/sea-salt-vs-table-salt/
  11. http://www.thekitchn.com/food-science-what-is-cream-of-72125
  12. drsircus.com/medicine/sodium-bicarbonate-baking-soda/

Medical Disclaimer:

The information posted on Seize the Day Blog, including but not limited to, articles, images, recipes, text and other material are shared for informational purposes only. None of the writings should be looked upon as advice meant to replace that of an actual medical professional. If you suspect you have a serious medical condition you should seek help from a healthcare professional immediately. Please be aware that the author of this website is posting information simply to inform NOT to recommend others about health-related topics. Before following any information (i.e. undertaking a new healthcare or diet routine) found here on Seize the Day Blog, you should always consult a medical professional first. Please be sure to never disregard any medicinal advice because of something you have read on this website.

Ritz Crackers Ingredient Label Overview

~Ritz Crackers Ingredient Label Overview~

To read the complete article on ingredients, labels, chemical additives, and which to avoid…click here: Ingredients and Ingredient Labels: Be Sure to Read the Fine Print!

Ingredients: Unbleached Enriched Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron), Thiamine Mononitrate {Vitamin B1}, Riboflavin {Vitamin B2}, Folic Acid, Vegetable Oil (Soybean and/or Canola and/or Palm and/or Partially Hydrogenated Cottonseed Oil), Sugar, Salt, Leavening (Baking Soda and/or Calcium Phosphate), High Fructose Corn Syrup, Soy Lecithin, Malted Barley Flour, Natural Flavor.

Unbleached Enriched Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron)—this type of flour is heavily processed in a way that makes it extremely unhealthy for us to eat. In fact, ingredients like this one are what started the gluten-free trend. People began believing the myth that gluten is the culprit behind their weight gain thus kick starting an entire million-dollar industry. Never once, do they stop to consider the role other ingredients could be playing. If they did, people would soon realize that gluten isn’t the real culprit, ingredients that actually cause the body to store bread as fat (like Unbleached Enriched Flour) rather than energy are (ahealthiermichigan.org).

Thiamine Mononitrate {Vitamin B1}—an ingredient that gives the impression of being the true, blue natural version of Vitamin B1 (and, therefore, healthy), but is actually a synthetic and chemical form of “Vitamin B1.” Your digestive system will thank you for avoiding this ingredient!

Riboflavin {Vitamin B2}—it acts in the same stealthy way as Thiamine Mononitrate where it both poses to be something healthy and realistically is composed of synthetic/chemical compounds. If you consume too much of this ingredient, which is easy to do due to the fact that it is found abundantly in processed foods and common dietary supplements, your liver could be in danger (smart-publications.com).

Folic Acid—an oxidized synthetic compound that is neither whole food nor is it nutrient rich in any way. It is used to fortify foods, in other words, it strengthens and protects certain products so that they will have a longer shelf life, therefore, increasing sales for the given food company. An ingredient that has the sole purpose of “strengthening” and “protecting” food may sound like a good thing, but by digging a little deeper you will discover that it is completely synthetic, formed through chemical processes, and through the conduction of scientific studies it has been found to cause cancer (chriskresser.com).

Vegetable Oils (Soybean/Canola/Palm/Cottonseed)—Unnatural production process using many synthetic and toxic chemicals (authoritynutrition.com).

Sugar—most likely refined sugar and, therefore, overly processed and stripped of any natural nutrients it may have contained pre-refinement process (globalhealingcenter.com).

Salt—iodized salt (not sea salt) is also known as a leeching agent, meaning it sucks all of the nutrients and minerals out of your body similar to the way an actual leech will suck the blood from its host (Gross, I know).

Leavening (Baking Soda & Sodium Phosphate)—preservative and stabilizer, linked to kidney disease, heart disease, high blood pressure. “Scientists in Vienna found that large amounts of phosphates can kick start the production of a hormone called FGF23 in the bones, which puts strain on the heart and can lead to h.b.p.” (huffingtonpost.ca).

High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS)—the worst kind of sugar out there for a multitude of reasons, but mostly because it is linked to many other health problems beyond obesity. “Through massive advertising campaigns by the Corn Refiner’s Association’s attempt to dispel the myth that HFCS is harmful and no different than cane sugar. It is a “natural” product that is a healthy part of our diet when used in moderation. Except for one problem. When used in moderation it is a major cause of heart disease, obesity, cancer, dementia, liver failure, tooth decay, and more” (drhyman.com)

Soy Lecithin—most do not know that soy or soy byproducts (such as soy lecithin) are actually code names for MSG (you know, that horrible ingredient found in the majority of processed foods. I mean, who’s idea was it to add an ingredient to food that is literally “worse for your health than alcohol, nicotine and many drugs” (articles.mercola.com)?) Someone who cares more about the money in their pocket than the state of our health, that’s who! Soy Lecithin, like most of the other ingredients found in Ritz Crackers, is highly processed and contains many toxic chemicals due to this process. Read more about Soy Lecithin and why you should avoid it here.

Malted Barley Flour—codename for MSG and contains enough MSG to cause anyone with a sensitivity to this ingredient to have a mild-severe reaction depending on the person. “This is sprouted barley…it is only added to flour when the wheat quality that season is poor…it does contain some MSG, but the problem is that the enzymes released in sprouting begin to break down the protein of the wheat flour it is added to, creating more MSG” (naturalnews.com). Fantastic, a product that not only contains MSG but produces it, as well! Here’s my advice, even if you do not have a sensitivity to MSG (like myself, for example) avoid it like the plague!

Natural Flavor—another codename for MSG, may contain up to 20% MSG, not even Organic products containing this ingredient are safe! “MSG, Aspartame and bugs in your food are all considered “natural flavors” and “natural colors”…the line of distinction between foods labeled “all natural” and cancer causing food is not only blurred, it barely exists…regulations for the word ‘natural’ only apply to flavors; anywhere else you find it on food packaging means absolutely nothing regarding quality. Secondly, the FDA definition of ‘natural flavors’ and ‘natural flavoring’ allows for the substance to be extracted from plant or animal ‘matter.’ So when you buy something organic, vegetarian, or vegan, and it has ‘natural flavoring,’ you could be eating a pig, cow, turkey, chicken, or lamb which was shot up with growth hormones, fed GMO pesticide-laden corn and grain – probably mixed with other animals of it’s same breed, then shot up with antibiotics due to infections and diseases from living in confined quarters on slats covered in feces” (naturalnews.com). Some people might consider this quote to be “TMI,” but people need to know the truth about ingredients like Natural Flavoring because the sooner you make the decision to cut it completely from your diet, the closer you will be to getting healthy from the inside out.

 

Sources:

1) https://www.ahealthiermichigan.org/2011/07/26/whats-in-your-food-enriched-flour-tops-list-of-unhealthy-ingredients/

2) www.livestrong.com/article/313249-the-side-effects-of-thiamine-mononitrate/

3) www.smart-publications.com/articles/excess-vitamin-B2-riboflavin-can-be-toxic/

4) http://chriskresser.com/folate-vs-folic-acid/

5) http://www.authoritynutrition.com/6-reasons-why-vegetable-oils-are-toxic/

6) http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/sugar-problem/refined-sugar-the-sweetest-poison-of-all

7) http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2014/05/07/unhealthy-ingredients-phosphates_n_5280250.html

8) http://drhyman.com/blog/2011/05/13/5-reasons-high-fructose-corn-syrup-will-kill-you/

9) http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/09/18/soy-can-damage-your-health.aspx

10) http://chriskresser.com/harmful-or-harmless-soy-lecithin/

11) http://www.naturalnews.com/039109_MSG_hidden_ingredients_taste_enhancer.html

12) http://www.naturalnews.com/036308_natural_flavors_MSG_aspartame.html

Quality of Foods: The Key to Healthy Living Begins With Your Diet

American cuisine…some people might say it’s pretty great while others could not disagree more. Up until my diagnosis of Catamenial Epilepsy, I was one of those people who thought American food was fantastic! In my defense, I was completely unaware of the poor quality ingredients commonly found in processed foods.

It wasn’t until I experienced an allergic reaction to Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) that I began making the lifestyle changes necessary to get me on a path toward better health. The truth is, many foods these days don’t even contain actual food ingredients anymore, instead they’re packed full of chemicals, imitation products of the real thing. The line has to be drawn somewhere, so why not let it be drawn here? Put your foot down to Genetically Modified (GM) food products and cook the way our ancestors used to, from scratch! A microwaveable meal might be easier, but from-scratch baking really saves you in the long run!

“Scientists have discovered a number of health problems — like changes in reproductive hormones, testicular changes and damage to the pituitary gland — related to genetically modified foods, however these studies have been repeatedly ignored by both the European Food Safety Authority and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). GM foods are typically regarded as equivalent to their conventional counterparts. This, however, is flawed logic because GM foods contain foreign genes that have never before been introduced into the food supply, and are universally contaminated with toxic GMO-specific herbicide residues.” (Dr. Mercola)1

These health problems continue to plague United States consumers and will worsen in time if people do not switch to Organic foods and cage free meats and dairy products. The difference between foods in Europe and the United States is quite extraordinary. Did you know that the U.S. is currently unable to import meats into European countries because of all the hormonal and chemical additives?

“Europe is much stricter than our country about what kinds of chemicals get into the food chain. Europeans don’t find many — if any — artificial dyes in their food. They can also rest assured that their cows aren’t shot up with artificial growth hormones. The EU also banned the use of an arsenic-laden drug in chickens long before the United States finally followed suit. More recently, the EU enacted a moratorium on the pesticides responsible for massive bee die-offs.” (Alternet.org)2

Clearly, the EU is taking precautionary steps exactly where they need to be taken! The U.S. could learn a thing or two from their actions concerning food standards. According to VegNews3, the ban on American meats exists in more than 160 countries and “this is not the first time that American animal products have been banned on the ground of public safety — hormone-fed beef is prohibited in the EU, and other United States trading partners such as Japan have outlawed the hormone bovine somatotropin in dairy cattle, which is commonly used in America. While these drugs fatten the food industry’s wallets, they have been shown to skew hormone levels in consumers and lead to health issues including prostate, breast, and reproductive organ cancer.” (Vegnews.com)3

As if these effects aren’t devastating enough all by themselves, it actually gets worse. In recent years, there has been a gradual decline in the amount of naturally occurring nutrients found in vegetables, fruits, and meats. “The way our food is grown is guaranteed to give us beautiful, tasteless, nutritionally deficient food with long shelf lives…the unhealthy result is that our meals are dense in calories, but sparse in nutrition and flavor, so our bodies crave more nutrition and pleasure than is found on our plates.” (Psychologytoday.com)4

In this day and age, we have full access to vitamin supplements and other health food products, yet millions of people across the United States suffer from numerous deficiencies. How is this possible???

“According to the World Watch Institute, farmers today can grow two to three times as much grain, fruit, and vegetables on a plot of land as they could 50 years ago, but that food contains 10 to 25 percent less iron, zinc, protein, calcium, vitamin C, and other nutrients. In simple terms, you would have to eat eight oranges today to derive the same amount of Vitamin A as our grandparents would have gotten from one.”  (Psychologytoday.com)4

Due to the current circumstances, finding nutritionally rich foods can be a bit of a challenge. Therefore, it is very important to help strengthen your body by building up nutrients through multiple sources. The best way to accomplish this task is to minimize your intake of processed foods and replace it with whole natural foods, preferably Organic. I know that processed foods like Oreos and Cheetos Puffs are yummy, but they really have no nutritional value to offer your body. By replacing these foods with fruits and veggies, you are doing your body a huge favor! These energy-boosting foods will go above and beyond your typical processed foods by actually satisfying your nutritional needs. “To protect your health and the environment, strive to make 90 percent of your diet non-processed, whole organic foods; it may cost more to eat this way initially, but the amount it will save you in the long run is immeasurable.” (Dr. Mercola)1

If you’re reading this article and would like to make some lifestyle changes as far as your diet is concerned, but you aren’t quite sure where to begin, don’t fret; it’s actually much easier than one might think! It’s all about going back to the basics; just regular whole foods that aren’t processed and only contain natural ingredients. The best places to find foods like these are at Organic food stores such as Whole Foods Market, Trader Joe’s and Sprout’s Market. If one of these stores is not located near you then I recommend you check out your local Vons, as they happen to have a very impressive Organic section, as well. We can’t control what companies put into our foods, but we can control what foods we choose to put into our bodies.

I was diagnosed with Epilepsy when I was sixteen years old, the main cause being a hormone imbalance (which I’m sure my diet contributed to). However, I don’t plan on living with this condition forever. I am confident that one day I will conquer it through Holistic methods. I took my first step in accomplishing this task 4 years ago when I changed my diet for the better. It was the best decision I could have made for my health and it is so exciting to be able to see the improvement in my overall stability. My annual number of seizures continues to decrease and I know that it is partly because of my dedication to a healthy diet. So, if you’re someone who is struggling with a health condition, I challenge you to try changing your diet just so you can experience, firsthand, the difference it is guaranteed to make in your life. Or, if you’re a perfectly healthy individual I recommend you take preventative measures and alter your diet so that you may continue to remain healthy. Whichever you may be, seize the day and take control of your health, today!

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Sources:

1Dr. Mercola. “Americans Eat the Cheapest Food in the World, But What is It Really Costing.” Mercola.com. n.p., 2012. Web Accessed on August 17, 2015.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/04/14/eat-well-without-spending-more.aspx

2Richardson, Jill. “Bon Appetit! Why Food Is So Much Better in Europe Than the U.S.” Alternet.org. n.p., 2014. Web. Accessed on August 17, 2015.

http://www.alternet.org/food/bon-appetit-why-food-so-much-better-europe-us

3Dean, Tommy. “Why 160 Countries Say “No” to US Meat.” VegNews.com. VegNews, 2013. Web. Accessed on August 17, 2015.

http://vegnews.com/articles/page.do?pageId=5537&catId=1

4Cummins, Denise. “How American Food Makes Us Fat and Sick.” Psychologytoday.com. n.p., 2013. Web. Accessed on August 17, 2015.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/good-thinking/201306/how-american-food-makes-us-fat-and-sick

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