BEWARE:Big Food's jump onto the "Organic" bandwagon

I was almost fooled until I carefully read the label of Hellmanns Organic Mayonnaise more carefully.The first two ingredients were soybean oil and water. Innocuous, seemingly harmless ingredients until you put the two together and realize they are the components of something health conscious people want to avoid: hydrogenated oils. Hydrogenating the oil by mixing it with water makes it shelf stable so it can sit in a store for months, or even years, without spoiling, but doing so changes it so our bodies don't.know how to deal with it because it is now a transfat.  By listing the oil and water separately, the manufacturer is trying to put one over on an unsuspecting public that is trying to eat better by buying organic versions of whatever staples they can get or afford. Big Food has no soul. Dirty tricks like this are the norm. They don't care if what they are doing is hurting people as long as they can show a profit to their shareholders. Therefore, I say beware any product from one of the Big Food companies that is marketed as "organic." It may contain some organic ingredients, but is probably not going to carry the certification of any recognized authority. My advice, read labels twice before you buy, and don't trust anything from a Big Food company..Why, you may ask would big companies like Kraft or General Mills want to get in on the trend that is growing increasingly stronger of the demand for clean organically grown food? Profits. Organic foods are more expensive to produce due to the lack of use of pesticides and herbicides which usually means a smaller yield per acre ,i.e., higher prices. All the corporations have to do is change their labels and add the word organic to the garbage they produce.

Change your genes to fit into your jeans

      In my last post I said food is information as well as calories. That means that everything we eat sends a signal to our digestive systems telling it how to process what was just ingested. Our bodies are complicated chemical factories, and as such, they need to have directions for what to do and how to do it.
     Contrary to popular belief, the expression of our genes can be changed by what we eat. It is possible to turn genes on and off through the chemical signals sent through our bloodstream in the form of hormones. There are specific strategies for affecting specific gene expression. Doctors who practice functional medicine can do tests to see which hormones are functioning properly. Chances are your family doctor is merely prescribing drugs to control symptoms, not seeking out the source of whatever problem you may be facing. Obesity, arthritis, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or emotional problems like depression and all the diseases we fear are all affected by what we eat.                The human gut has trillions of microscopic organisms that help us to break down the food we take in and convert it to molecules that the body can utilize. We contain good organisms like lacto bacteria and bad organisms like Candida yeast. These microbes affect us in many way., None the least, they can affect the way our genes and hormones react to what we eat. Each of these groups of micro-organisms has its own likes and dislikes regarding what it wants to eat, and what it wants us to eat.
     To a large extent, the bacteria in our gut control our cravings. Some thrive on sugars (and starches that they convert into sugars) while others prefer protein or fats. Fat, which is what most of our cells use for energy and cell repair, are most easily digested. Carbohydrates and starches are digested in the upper G.I. tract while protein is broken down in the lower. All of this is done with the help of bacteria.
     Too many of the bad bacteria can result in gas, bloating, and many other forms of abdominal distress. Irritable bowel happens when an overabundance of the bad kinds cause perforations in the lining of the gut that allows damaging food particles and other substances to enter our bloodstream. This can cause havoc throughout the body in the form of inflamation that is the root cause of every debilitating disease fron arthritic to dementia to cancer and everything in between.
     We Americans are painfully ignorant of how powerful an effect food has on our every action, emotion, and thought. We cannot rely on the media or government to educate us in this area as they are not reliable. It is only through my own investigation and study that I have come to this conclusion. You have to do the same. Don't just take my word for it. See for yourself, but be prepared for lots of conflicting information. My advice: see what works best for you, and stick to it.

Food is More Than Calories

     The expression, "You are what you eat", is not just an aphorism. It is a fact that most people don't understand or appreciate. Food is also information that tells your cells what to do with it and can directly influence your genes and how they are switched on or off. Sugary foods tell your body to produce more insulin, the fat storage hormone, and tell your liver to store the excess sugar in your blood infat cells fat for later use. However, most of us do not burn off those fat cells because we are not living a lifestyle that permits us to do so.
     People living in the 21st Century are not burning calories like our ancestors only one hundred years ago did. Most of us are sedentary office workers or other that do not get enough exercise to use up all of those excess calories even if we go to a gym or workout at home. Case in point: you would have to spent 6 to 8 hours on a treadmill to burn off the empty calories in one 32 oz. soda.
     In addition, that sugary drink makes us crave more because it does not satisfy our need for REAL nutrition.There are none of the vitamins, minerals or phyrochemicals found in real food like fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and berries. The things or bodies really need to survive and thrive.
     Every bite we take sends a message to our digestive tract telling it how to process what we send to it. Fast and highly processed foods bear little resemblance to what we should be eating ,i.e., whole foods that have been minimally processed and without pesticides, preservatives, and artificial ingredients added to make the color more enticing, improve shelf life, or cause an addiction.
     Did you know that sugar is ten times more addictive than cocaine? Yes, you read that right. laboratory tests on mice showed that given the choice between sugar and cocaine, the mice chose the sugar every time. It affects the pleasure centers of the brain in the same way in humans as it does in mice. Several well known doctors have even suggested that sugar should be a controlled substance. I hope this explains where your cravings for sweets originates. Now that you know, what are you going to do about it? You have a choice to make.
     Virtually every major malady causing the health crisis we all face including Alzeimer's,dementia, depression, diabetes, obesity,arthritis, cancer and heart disease can all be trace to a single cause: the toxic Standard American Diet.  You can either change your eating habits or face the painful consequences.