Health & Fitness
Written By Tamp Jones
Things were so much simpler a decade ago, when our biggest concern was whether 80 calorie yogurt actually tasted like cheesecake. Now headlines come across with a flash warning that fruits are pesticide laced cancer bombs and we cant eat an egg without wondering if the chicken was on penicillin. How produce is grown, where poultry is raised and what cows graze on, are all nightmares of the new millennium.
A natural product can can have artificial ingredients, so what is really 100% natural these days? "Skinny doesn't mean low fat or low cal-it means nothing" says Urvashi Rangan, PhD, of the Consumer Reports Food Safety and Sustainability Center. So the question lies, how do you choice whats healthy when the government says GMO's are no big deal but the new Facebook Herbalist beg to differ.
GMO
More than half of U.S, consumers express concerns about genetically modified organisms but have no idea what it means.
A GMO is a living organism whose genetic material has been manipulated in a lab for a desired outcome. The U.S. government deems them safe, however the EU, Australia and Japan have all restricted or banned them. Between Chipole's new anti-GMO stance and Bill Gate claiming that GMO could help solve world hunger, its kind of hard to pick a side.
Genetic engineering advocates claim that the technique boost crop yield and lower the need for pesticides, referring to it as crossbreeding. This past November the FDA even okayed the first GMO animal for human consumption; a Salmon whose DNA has been tweaked to help it grow faster. On the flip side, anti-GMO's feel as though we shouldn't play cut and paste with DNA and that genetically engineered foods should be labeled as such. The USDA found that since the introduction of GMO's the overall use of pesticides is down since the mid-90's and that no large study has proven that GMO's are harmful to humans. None the less if your set on avoiding GMO products, it can be tricky and expensive. Buying local is one solution: Small farmers often emply organic practices, including shunning the use of GMO's therefore most unprocessed whole foods are GMO free.
Unsure whether that Apple is organic? Check the sticker with the PLU code on it. Does it start with a 9? Boom-Organic.
NATURAL
You know shits serious when Taco Bell and Pizza Hut give artificial ingredients the boot, and with good reason. According to a Consumer Report survey nearly 60% of consumers look for the word natural on packaging when grocery shopping. Of those seeking this label, they think it means that a food has no artificial ingredients, pesticides or GMO's.
A natural label is kinda like when someone asks you what your name is and you respond "What do you want it to be?"
Regulators consider the term natural to mean a lack of artificial ingredients and preservatives. However they have made no judgement on whether these foods are better for you , nor does the labels indicate how an animal was treated or what it was fed, which could very well include antibiotics or GMO's.
We assume natural equals healthy, but snake venom is natural so does that mean its good for you? When shopping instead of looking solely for the word natural, look at the ingredients. Look for things like (fiber, protein and vitamins) vs. (sugar, transfat, BHT and potassium benzoate).
ORGANIC
There's nothing like a fridge full of organic fruits and berries, wild caught fish. and cage free eggs that make you feel as though your doing all the right things for your body. Unlike the natural label, organic actually has substance.
Produce is considered organic if it was grown without pesticides, or synthetic or sewage sludge-based fertilizer. In order for packaged foods to be considered organic it must contain at least 95% certified organic ingredients and can not be processed using industrial solvents, genetic engineering, or irradiation. As for organic meats, animals must be fed organic feed, must have natural living conditions like the ability to graze, and can not receive antibiotics or hormones.
Studies have shown lower pesticide levels in organic foods. For those who aren't thrilled, let me tell you why you should be doing cart wheels......Some pesticides are known to cause or promote cancer growth, raises the risk of obesity, diabetes and dementia, and impair the immune system.
The possible heath risk of antibiotics and pesticides are real, so buy organic as much as possible, especially for meats, produce and dairy.
Its been estimated that higher pesticide consumption could contribute to cancer diagnoses, while eating more fruits and veggies may prevent 20,000 cases of cancer per year whether organic or not.
GLUTEN-FREE
I've heard people say that they have so much more energy from cutting gluten from their diets, and some celebs even swears that it keeps them in a size 2 skinny jean. Gluten is a protein substance found in wheat, barley and rye. The issue is that folks think that gluten causes weight gain or that gluten free means that its low carb. However, that may not be the case, being that many gluten free products, such as cookies and breads, have extra fat or sugar added to make up for the flavor lost when gluten is removed. Gluten free products often cost more, example ( A 4 pack of Udi's gluten free bagels cost roughly $6 bucks vs. Thomas's bagels that contain gluten cost around $2.50, and because of this more brands are screaming gluten free even if the product hasn't contained gluten for years and hiking up their prices.
If your looking to shed some pounds, your best bet is to fill your cart with produce, chicken, fish, lean meat and yogurt......all of which is naturally gluten free.
GMO......Here's the deal!
Written By Tamp Jones
Things were so much simpler a decade ago, when our biggest concern was whether 80 calorie yogurt actually tasted like cheesecake. Now headlines come across with a flash warning that fruits are pesticide laced cancer bombs and we cant eat an egg without wondering if the chicken was on penicillin. How produce is grown, where poultry is raised and what cows graze on, are all nightmares of the new millennium.
A natural product can can have artificial ingredients, so what is really 100% natural these days? "Skinny doesn't mean low fat or low cal-it means nothing" says Urvashi Rangan, PhD, of the Consumer Reports Food Safety and Sustainability Center. So the question lies, how do you choice whats healthy when the government says GMO's are no big deal but the new Facebook Herbalist beg to differ.
GMO
More than half of U.S, consumers express concerns about genetically modified organisms but have no idea what it means.
A GMO is a living organism whose genetic material has been manipulated in a lab for a desired outcome. The U.S. government deems them safe, however the EU, Australia and Japan have all restricted or banned them. Between Chipole's new anti-GMO stance and Bill Gate claiming that GMO could help solve world hunger, its kind of hard to pick a side.
Genetic engineering advocates claim that the technique boost crop yield and lower the need for pesticides, referring to it as crossbreeding. This past November the FDA even okayed the first GMO animal for human consumption; a Salmon whose DNA has been tweaked to help it grow faster. On the flip side, anti-GMO's feel as though we shouldn't play cut and paste with DNA and that genetically engineered foods should be labeled as such. The USDA found that since the introduction of GMO's the overall use of pesticides is down since the mid-90's and that no large study has proven that GMO's are harmful to humans. None the less if your set on avoiding GMO products, it can be tricky and expensive. Buying local is one solution: Small farmers often emply organic practices, including shunning the use of GMO's therefore most unprocessed whole foods are GMO free.
Unsure whether that Apple is organic? Check the sticker with the PLU code on it. Does it start with a 9? Boom-Organic.
NATURAL
You know shits serious when Taco Bell and Pizza Hut give artificial ingredients the boot, and with good reason. According to a Consumer Report survey nearly 60% of consumers look for the word natural on packaging when grocery shopping. Of those seeking this label, they think it means that a food has no artificial ingredients, pesticides or GMO's.
A natural label is kinda like when someone asks you what your name is and you respond "What do you want it to be?"
Regulators consider the term natural to mean a lack of artificial ingredients and preservatives. However they have made no judgement on whether these foods are better for you , nor does the labels indicate how an animal was treated or what it was fed, which could very well include antibiotics or GMO's.
We assume natural equals healthy, but snake venom is natural so does that mean its good for you? When shopping instead of looking solely for the word natural, look at the ingredients. Look for things like (fiber, protein and vitamins) vs. (sugar, transfat, BHT and potassium benzoate).
ORGANIC
There's nothing like a fridge full of organic fruits and berries, wild caught fish. and cage free eggs that make you feel as though your doing all the right things for your body. Unlike the natural label, organic actually has substance.
Produce is considered organic if it was grown without pesticides, or synthetic or sewage sludge-based fertilizer. In order for packaged foods to be considered organic it must contain at least 95% certified organic ingredients and can not be processed using industrial solvents, genetic engineering, or irradiation. As for organic meats, animals must be fed organic feed, must have natural living conditions like the ability to graze, and can not receive antibiotics or hormones.
Studies have shown lower pesticide levels in organic foods. For those who aren't thrilled, let me tell you why you should be doing cart wheels......Some pesticides are known to cause or promote cancer growth, raises the risk of obesity, diabetes and dementia, and impair the immune system.
The possible heath risk of antibiotics and pesticides are real, so buy organic as much as possible, especially for meats, produce and dairy.
Its been estimated that higher pesticide consumption could contribute to cancer diagnoses, while eating more fruits and veggies may prevent 20,000 cases of cancer per year whether organic or not.
GLUTEN-FREE
I've heard people say that they have so much more energy from cutting gluten from their diets, and some celebs even swears that it keeps them in a size 2 skinny jean. Gluten is a protein substance found in wheat, barley and rye. The issue is that folks think that gluten causes weight gain or that gluten free means that its low carb. However, that may not be the case, being that many gluten free products, such as cookies and breads, have extra fat or sugar added to make up for the flavor lost when gluten is removed. Gluten free products often cost more, example ( A 4 pack of Udi's gluten free bagels cost roughly $6 bucks vs. Thomas's bagels that contain gluten cost around $2.50, and because of this more brands are screaming gluten free even if the product hasn't contained gluten for years and hiking up their prices.
If your looking to shed some pounds, your best bet is to fill your cart with produce, chicken, fish, lean meat and yogurt......all of which is naturally gluten free.
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