Food For Thought

[Jestgar]

I'm pretty sure this is what HawkFire is talking about....the food industry misleading the public.

Not to dis anyone or be argumentative, but I think the correct phrasing is "the public being willing to be misled"

Both of my parents had only a high school education, and growing up we were fed whole, unprocessed foods. Lower fat and lower sodium foods. Never once in my childhood did I eat in a fast food restaurant.

They simply passed on what they had learned form their parents, modified to what they felt was more healthy. We weren't one of those hippy-granola families either. Both of my parents smoked into their 50's. My mom fixed plenty of fried things (always served with vegetables). We got packaged cookies for dessert and sugar cereals for breakfast, but it was understood that these weren't particularly healthy, just easy.

As far as I know, all of my brothers know how to cook, and prefer to when they have time. because home made food tastes better than anything you can get in a restaurant. (And is healthier, but that's just a happy bonus.)

Too many people are willing to blame their choices on outside sources.

[HawkFire]

What on earth are you talking about?

It is obvious what I am talking about. The lies of the fda. You do not need to get your vitamin D (it is a steroid, anyway) from dairy products. Likewise, you do not need to look to dairy for calcium. You will absorb less calcium when you look to a high protein source for your calcium. If people knew that dairy was a poor source of calcium and D, they would look for and find the natural sources and be healthier. I believe so many diseases are becoming epidemic simply due to the lies promoted by the fda which is in reality nothing more than an advertisement machine for various "food" and drug industries in the U.S. M.S., Diabetes, Celiac, IBS, Chron's, R.A., Depression, Alzheimers, Osteoporosis, Heartburn- forgive me, I meant to call it Acid Reflux DISEASE- these are all caused by poor diet. Our poor diet is a result of the lies, the constructed confusion, the greed of the FDA, the drug companies and the food companies in the United States.

What they promote as a healthy diet is what is making us sick- giving us diseases like M.S. It is time to stop chasing diseases with maintenence drugs and time to start "curing" these diseases that are taking over our lives.

Tell me how a typical american child eating a menu of:

Trix cereal with milk

(sugar, food coloring, gluten and antibiotics, bht, bgh)

peanut butter and jelly sandwhich

(hydrogenated oils, salt, sugar, white bread stripped of nutrients, gluten, more sugar, corn syrup)

Pepperoni pizza

(gluten, antibiotics, salt, hydrogenated oil, nitrates, food coloring, pesticides)

.... can be healthy.

Or if they're eating a "healthy american diet" of:

Eggs, bacon, toast with butter

(antibiotics, nitrates, more antibiotics, bgh, sugar)

Turkey sandwhich

(sugar, nitrates, hydrogenated oil, antibiotics, sugar)

Steak, potatoes, broccoli

Antibiotics, hormones, pesticides, dairy)

How many american children are eating this way? I didn't even mention the daily dose of MSG we are consuming!

A woman at the local pool stopped by and commented on the fact that my child was eating a banana - How healthy your children eat, she said. Fruit is a novelty? Old ladies marvel that a teenager is eating a piece of fruit? Most american children will probably not see 50 years of age due simply to what they are eating today. That is a fact. No proof today for you. I know some here require scientific studies to believe. Too bad. But I'm right, none the less.

More and more people are developing M.S. and it isn't due to better diagnositics. It's becasue their bodies are being poisoned from birth.

[Jestgar]

I believe so many diseases are becoming epidemic simply due to the lies promoted by the fda which is in reality nothing more than an advertisement machine for various "food" and drug industries in the U.S. M.S., Diabetes, Celiac, IBS, Chron's, R.A., Depression, Alzheimers, Osteoporosis, Heartburn- forgive me, I meant to call it Acid Reflux DISEASE- these are all caused by poor diet. Our poor diet is a result of the lies, the constructed confusion, the greed of the FDA, the drug companies and the food companies in the United States.

What they promote as a healthy diet is what is making us sick- giving us diseases like M.S. It is time to stop chasing diseases with maintenence drugs and time to start "curing" these diseases that are taking over our lives.

Why would anyone choose to get their health information from a television commercial?

[Fiddle-Faddle]

Why would anyone choose to get their health information from a television commercial?

It's not necessarily from a commercial. My kindergartener came home from school yesterday with a pile of papers about the food pyramid, and how many servings of grain and dairy she NEEDS (sic) to eat every day.

So, HawkFire, what would be better choices for calcium?

[CarlaB]

So, HawkFire, what would be better choices for calcium?

Leafy greens. Not spinach, it has a chemical that makes its calcium unavailable.

I chop up greens and add them to things -- like collards in rice. I've even added greens to chili. No one notices, cares, or complains when it's an ingredient in something else. I also use lots of chard and spinach (it does have other health benefits).

[Rachel--24]

Not to dis anyone or be argumentative, but I think the correct phrasing is "the public being willing to be misled"

I dont think I can agree with this statement. I'm not "willing" to be mislead about anything. I grew up believing what I was told....what I thought to be "common knowledge". Pick up magazines, turn on the TV, drive down the road and see HUGE billboards promoting these foods.

Ask just about *anyone* and they'll tell you that dairy is healthy and prevents bone loss. This is what people are programmed to believe. Unless you do your own research you cant possibly know the truth.

The only time people tend to research this stuff is when they've become sick.

I did smoke cigarettes but at least I was made aware that this could be harmful to my health and I was able to make a choice.

This is not the case with food and food ingredients. When it comes to these things the public is LIED to. I dont see it as a case of people being willing" to be mislead....I see it for what it is...DECEPTION.

I truelly believe that if the public was to be made aware of things like dairy causing osteoporosis, and the dangers of MSG, Aspartame and other chemicals.....things would change. People dont want their children to be fed neurotoxins on a daily basis...they dont want their kids to get bone loss....they simply dont know any better.

I dont think people are closing their eyes and ears just so that they can feed their kids foods which are more convenient regardless of health consequences. They simply dont know any better....they believe what *everyone* believes.

If they went online and checked out what the FDA has to say about these things....they would read that they are perfectly SAFE....they would believe it....and they would continue to poison their kids with the Standard American Diet.

This is not about making choices...this is about deception.

Too many people are willing to blame their choices on outside sources.

I think its great that your parents taught you about how to eat healthy.

Unfortunately....times are changing. Look around...obesity is the norm for kids in this country. Nobody knows how to eat healthy because that is NOT what is promoted in this country. The majority of the stuff thats being marketed as "healthy"....is actually loaded with chemicals.....and geared towards the kids.

[jerseyangel]

So, HawkFire, what would be better choices for calcium?

I rely heavily on dark green leafy veggies. And almonds--both raw and in almond milk. There are other great sources, but I'm intolerant to most of them

If you don't get your calcium from dairy, you don't need as much because you are absorbing it better.

[HawkFire]

Not to dis anyone or be argumentative, but I think the correct phrasing is "the public being willing to be misled"

Both of my parents had only a high school education, and growing up we were fed whole, unprocessed foods. Lower fat and lower sodium foods. Never once in my childhood did I eat in a fast food restaurant.

They simply passed on what they had learned form their parents, modified to what they felt was more healthy. We weren't one of those hippy-granola families either. Both of my parents smoked into their 50's. My mom fixed plenty of fried things (always served with vegetables). We got packaged cookies for dessert and sugar cereals for breakfast, but it was understood that these weren't particularly healthy, just easy.

As far as I know, all of my brothers know how to cook, and prefer to when they have time. because home made food tastes better than anything you can get in a restaurant. (And is healthier, but that's just a happy bonus.)

Too many people are willing to blame their choices on outside sources.

Rachel, thank you for understanding.

Jestgar, you are simply picking. You are not a superior point maker because you argue. There was no need to pretend you didn't get it.

As for the distinction between whether or not people are choosing to be misled or the fda is misleadind them, you are again being argumentative for sport.

Oprah was sued by the beef industry for speaking negatively against beef. The strength of the food industry is awe insipiring... but really scary. You simply cannot dispute the misinformation effectively enough to let the average person know dairy is bad for them. I have tried just within my circle of friends. They cannot believe we do not consume dairy. Even after I explain that dairy is not a source of calcium (because it robs your body of calcium) they still ask me how I expect to raise children with strong bones if I removed the dairy. These people are like so many americans.. brainwashed by decades of dairy slogans. No different than the tobacco companies.

I do not accept the argument that the information is out there and it's a personal choice. At some point, the choice was removed from the citizens. Perhaps it was removed when the FDA created a FOOD PYRAMID that included DAIRY products in it? I think that is a good example. OR when the government members took money from dairy companies? OR when school milk programs were initiated. How about a water program? Or when no one with power within the government stepped in to question the validity of the statements about how milk is essential and everyone should drink it and eat yogurt and eat cheese and eat dairy every day?

We do not expect to be free agents at all times in this country. We are told to pay taxpayer money to government created groups whose job it will be to investigate health claims and our best interests so that we are provided with BENEFICIAL information and we can make good choices for ourselves. We are told that "snake oil salesmen" will be stopped and prosecuted.

So, why do these groups continue to promote dairy to us? They have finally chased down the tobacco companies after 100's of thousands of people died from smoking. Only when it became painfully obvious that tobacco kills people. They HAD to do something to the tobacco companies. They didnt WANT to, that's why it took so long! The government and tobacco were friends. The health industry and tobacco were friends! They profited off of one another. It was a long marriage. None of the parties wanted to divorce!

We are not guilty for being trusting. They are guilty for misusing that trust. The FDA is supposed to protect us from bad information, bad drugs, bad food- instead it takes taxpayer money, money from the companies it protects and it doesn't do a damned thing to protect the american citizens who look to it for honest advice, information and guidance.

Pesticides are not harmless

Dairy is deadly for you

Dairy is not a source of calcium

Msg is not harmless

Bread is not good for you

GMO foods are not good

Irradiation is not good

Homogenization is not good

Pasturized foods are not good

Plastic is not harmless for you or the environment

Floride- mass poisoning in action

Vioxx- why aren't people in jail?

Many other drugs ""

Stevia- why won't they allow it to be called a food?

Corn syrup- Why is it in our foods? (cheap)

Hydrogenated oils- they knew for decades that it was poison

The FDA is so corrupt that it needs to be shut down forever. Not reorganized. Shut down.

Only then, will our citizens begin to recover their health. M.S. and the other so called diseases our country are facing in epidemic proportions all of a sudden are a result of mass poisioning.

[HawkFire]

Oh, I must be doing this right because over the summer, my children and I were tested for vitamins etc to see if our absorption was adequate. We were fine in everything so I feel confident telling you how we get our calcium.

We eat a large dark green salad everyday. I use a variety of lettuces in every salad. I use many herbs such as thyme, dill, basil, cilantro- all fresh.

I serve a minimal amount of protein daily. We do not eat the protein with our salad.

That is all. I do not worry about it. Do you know that calcium is in everything you eat? It is. Americans typically consume three times the amount of protein they need on a daily basis! That protein is helping to flush out the calcium from your body. Eat less protein ( do not be dramatic and reduce it to nil).

A typical day for myself would be:

One free range egg cooked with coconut oil

Gluten free slice of toast with coconut oil and sea salt.

Water

Large salad with anything I desire. Raw veggies of any kind. Huge salad on my lunch salad days.

I used to squeeze an orange on it or lemon or lime, now I enjoy it plain.

If not a salad, I'll have something like homemade veggie soup- no soup starter or anything like that. I had to adjust, but now the soups taste very flavorful without the starter.

Today I plan to have a kinkinkinkinki pizza crust with hummus that I made last night. I slice in half long way (it's doable) the crust, brown the crust with olive oil first, let cool and scoop the hummus. It is very much like pita chips.

Dinner will be one tuna steak that the four of us will split becasue I am convinced that small amounts of protein are what we require, not meals of protein. We will have lots of steamed vegetables with coconut oil on them.

My children eat a salad every day. If I plan to prepare a protein at dinner, they have their salad at lunch. Yesterday, they had a large salad for their afternoon snack. There is a nightly ritual here where I or my son or daughter prepare a large salad for the next day. The bowl is empited by us the following day and refilled with a fresh salad by whoever feels like making it.

To the poster who asked... That is all we are doing. I do not take pills for calcium. I do not eat so much salad that my stomach is bursting. I simply avoid the protein foods when I consume my salad. I eat minimal protein throughout the day and always have a salad. I was dairy free for a year when I had the tests done with my children. The doctor suggested we do the blood work to confirm we were not getting gluten and that our iron was good. I suggested we just test for everything which is what I believed he wanted because he gave methe impression that dairy free would lead to broken bones in my children. I was right, he was wrong. I was told whatever I was doing was working.

[Jestgar]

Those "got milk" commercials make me so angry with the "planetinneed.com" MISinformation. I think of the aliens worshipping the dairy cow and it makes me so angry to think of all the suffering our children will face in the next 30 years. How cruel to force feed through fear of broken bones, osteoporosis and peer pressure, dairy products! Worse than tobacco companies, if you ask me.

Actually not pretending. This whole bit here made no sense and what cow worshipping aliens are you talking about? Hindus?

And I don't watch a lot of TV, so only vaguely remember 'got milk' commercials. Did they promote milk as something other than a tasty beverage?

Sorry, really clueless here. I am, however, willing to believe that I live in very different sort of world than most people. I've known for years and years that trans fat was bad and osteoporosis is a disease of 1st world countries (read - excess protein). Didn't NPR tell us these things long ago?

No other adult animal consumes milk, and they all survive, so logic would suggest that it's not required for adult humans. It's merely a convenient way to store fat (cheese, butter).

How could anyone NOT know that aspartame is a neurotoxin?

As for the food pyramid. Much of the world subsists on grain. It's not the grain itself that's bad (except for intolerant people) it's the overuse in processed food.

And since I'm revealing my complete lack of knowledge of the world, what the heck is a 'hab" (num1habsfan)?

[CarlaB]

It's merely a convenient way to store fat (cheese, butter).

And since I'm revealing my complete lack of knowledge of the world, what the heck is a 'hab" (num1habsfan)?

And, it sure makes a great latte!

I think "hab" must have something to do with a sports team.

[Jestgar]

I think "hab" must have something to do with a sports team.

Glad I'm not the only slightly clueless person here

[CarlaB]

Glad I'm not the only slightly clueless person here

In my case, at least, slightly may be an understatement!! Especially when it comes to sports!

[AndreaB]

Oh, I must be doing this right because over the summer, my children and I were tested for vitamins etc to see if our absorption was adequate. We were fine in everything so I feel confident telling you how we get our calcium.

We eat a large dark green salad everyday. I use a variety of lettuces in every salad. I use many herbs such as thyme, dill, basil, cilantro- all fresh.

I serve a minimal amount of protein daily. We do not eat the protein with our salad.

That is all. I do not worry about it. Do you know that calcium is in everything you eat? It is. Americans typically consume three times the amount of protein they need on a daily basis! That protein is helping to flush out the calcium from your body. Eat less protein ( do not be dramatic and reduce it to nil).

I need to add in more fruits and veggies. Thanks for sharing. Now I need to start my own herb planter garden. Since I've been out from my parents house (about 20 years) I've tended to rely on the grains like the food pyramid says. Since going gluten free I've been eating too much protein (in my opinion).

[HawkFire]

Open Original Shared Link

Andrea, basil grows exceptionally well in a planter. Black seeded simpson is a great lettuce to begin with as it matures quickly as you await the maturity of your other lettuce. Of course, a strawberry plant in one of those pots with many holes is fun for the kids. Other easy to grow plants are pumpkins, cucumbers and tomatoes. You can do it! It is fun. Find lumber that is not treated, though, as the poisons leach into the food.

Jestgar, I do not have a problem with Hindus. If you don't know about the current dairy compaign and it's heavy-handed tactics promoting milk (think Joe Camel) than you shouldn't make statements that indict the consumer equally with the big business. Clearly, the current campaign is a slickly crafted one. Even my children, who know why we don't drink milk, laugh at the commericals when they see them. I admit, the commercials are clever. But they're promoting poison. It has nothing to do with Hindus.

[Michi8]

Glad I'm not the only slightly clueless person here

Habs is the nickname for the Montreal Canadiens hockey team. I believe it stands for les habitants.

Michelle

[jacqui]

Thanks for the suggestions! I'll definitely check into them!

Take care,

Nama

Good luck Nama,

I called my friend who was dx'd about 6 yrs. ago to ask her info for you. I know she has told me that there are a lot of great MS support groups out there.

Take care and when I hear from her I'll let you know...

Jacqui

[Jestgar]

Habs is the nickname for the Montreal Canadiens hockey team. I believe it stands for les habitants.

Michelle

Thank you

[Rachel--24]

How could anyone NOT know that aspartame is a neurotoxin?

I'm not sure where you are from but where I live....people do not know anything about neurotoxins. Why would they?? There is no warning next to the ingredients stating that MSG and Aspartame are neurotoxins and can kill brain cells.

Maybe if it said something like that people would notice.

I did not know what these things were until I realized that they made me sick and looked them up online to find out exactly what they were. Its not like its advertised.....its not common knowledge.

Plenty of people still believe that MSG and Aspartame are safe.....generally people accept what the FDA tells us.....afterall why would they want to put something harmful into our food and not let us know about it??

This certainly couldnt be possible.....and anyone who would even suggest such a thing must be a little "quacky"....or "paranoid".

I'm sure you've had the same experience that we've all had when talking about gluten?? The majority of people dont know what the heck it is.

Gluten is another thing I had no clue about...until it was making me sick. Why would I??...I had no reason to research this...its not even listed as an ingredient. Most people dont know what casein is either.

Why would you think it would be any different with Aspartame?? Its just another ingredient to most people.....they dont know what it is and if they dont know that....how would they know that its a neurotoxin??

The people who know what gluten is are the people who are affected by it and aware of it. There are many people affected by gluten....yet they still have no clue what gluten is. I'm sure you must know people like this???

There is even less awareness about chemicals like MSG and Aspartame. Afterall...most people think MSG is just a spice in chinese food...its not labeled in most foods that contain it.....and these things dont get special sections in grocery stores with all of the food labeled "neurotoxin-free" "made in a dedicated neurotoxin-free facilty"....etc.

Nooo...we eat them because we're not aware that they are in the food.....because of the DECEPTION that we discussed earlier.

[Rachel--24]

We are not guilty for being trusting. They are guilty for misusing that trust. The FDA is supposed to protect us from bad information, bad drugs, bad food- instead it takes taxpayer money, money from the companies it protects and it doesn't do a damned thing to protect the american citizens who look to it for honest advice, information and guidance.

I agree 100%.

I'm one of the people who was "brainwashed".

I honestly never would have imagined that there would be toxic ingredients in our food. I was aware that too much junk food was bad.....but I thought it was because of sugar.

Its still hard for me to believe that the FDA would allow us to be poisoned.

Its only because of my illness and because I did the research that I now know about whats in our food.....I would have never believed it otherwise. I guess in some ways my illness has been a blessing...perhaps the knowledge I've aquired will prevent me from developing Alzheimers or MS at some point down the road.

The other night on the news ...they said that Alzheimers is now being diagnosed every 78 seconds!

1 out of 8 people over the age of 65 develops Alzheimers. Why is this happening now?? I think as HawkFire said.....the answer is in the American Diet.

[AndreaB]

1 out of 8 people over the age of 65 develops Alzheimers. Why is this happening now?? I think as HawkFire said.....the answer is in the American Diet.

This is a quote from an article by Dr. Russell Blaylock, retired neurosurgeon.

This may also explain the 10X increase in Alzheimer's disease in those receiving the flu vaccine 5 years in a row. (Dr. Hugh Fudenberg, in press, Journal of Clinical Investigation).

He also says the aspartame has a strong connection to brain tumor induction.

[Fiddle-Faddle]

How could anyone NOT know that aspartame is a neurotoxin?

I find that aspartame has a very unpleasant aftertaste, so I don't buy anything that contains it, nor do I let my children eat anything with it, but I have never bothered to research it, nor have I heard or read that it is a neurotoxin. (I'm not saying it's not, just that I never looked for info, and have never seen anything in the media discussing it as such.) Just out of curiosity, Jestgar, how did YOU know that it is a neurotoxin?

[HawkFire]

I find that aspartame has a very unpleasant aftertaste, so I don't buy anything that contains it, nor do I let my children eat anything with it, but I have never bothered to research it, nor have I heard or read that it is a neurotoxin. (I'm not saying it's not, just that I never looked for info, and have never seen anything in the media discussing it as such.) Just out of curiosity, Jestgar, how did YOU know that it is a neurotoxin?

Fiddle,

Don't buy anything with any fake sweetener. They're all neurotoxins. Here is a complete list of the names for MSG. Even things like "Yeast Extract" are the newest approved words by the FDA to conceal MSG. It's so scary. truthinlabeling.com

[Rachel--24]

Just out of curiosity, Jestgar, how did YOU know that it is a neurotoxin?

I cant speak for Jestgar...but I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess that most of the people who have learned about Aspartame and other dangerous ingredients....have done so only because of having illness related to food.

Its people like us....who spend time learning about how diet can be directly linked to symptoms and illness. If it werent for my time spent on various message boards and reading all sorts of info. on these subjects....I would not know what a neurotoxin is.

I dont think I'm totally ignorant or unintelligent but prior to becoming ill and researching....I thought Aspartame was a fake sugar. Thats it....nothing more.....nothing less. I thought MSG was a spice.

I know that I'm not in the minority...the general public doesnt know about these things. Most people arent online discussing these things. Most people arent even aware of dietary changes having a positive affect on illness. Mainstream medicine dismisses diet as being a cause for symptoms.....people dont make the connection.

If someone doesnt know what Aspartame is...its not because they are ignorant....its because the information is not "out there" for all of the public to see.

[HawkFire]

Rachel, I agree with you. I remember being convinced that MSG was simply a flavor enhancer and only annoying people had stomach issues with it. The idea that I would be so self centered as to request "No MSG" in my Chinese food was laughable. The mothers who requested peanut free tables annoyed me back in the day. The people who were sensitive to chemical smells seemed like cry babies looking for attention. I'm telling the truth. I grew up thinking I was the master of my body and all it experienced. Then I had a battle with gluten. I lost.

That will wake you up pretty fast.

I have spent the last 13 years looking at diet and nutrition. I am not an effective communicator on many levels. I try to tell others that MSG is harmful, and that processed foods are poison. I try but it's almost a religious belief that MSG is harmLESS and that Oscar Mayer Hotdogs are a symbol of Nationalistic Pride, not Nitrate laden POISON. Your summer bbq of hotdogs (NITRATES), sour cream and onion potato chips (MSG, DAIRY), soda (SUGAR, COLORING- and that's only if it's not a diet cola) is killing you from the inside out.

Some days I feel like a dinosaur. I cook all of our foods. I prepare them from scratch. I use a real pot to cook in, not teflon. I never microwave my foods. I buy organic. I don't use dairy products and we are not "allergic or intolerant" to dairy. I don't use gluten. I don't use starters. I use fresh herbs. I clean a lot of pots after I'm through. I am not immune to wanting to buy a processed food and make dinner a *snap*.

Why is it that people put a shaped pill into their mouths and call it medicine? Why do they believe that this chemical, created in a lab will illicit a response from their body, good or bad, but they do not see each bite on their fork as having the same power to harm or heal them? I do not understand the disconnect. The substance at the end of your fork, your food- is medicine. To harm or heal you, the food you chose is medicine.