Clean Eating In The News: Another Study Links Processed Meats To Early Death Rates

The study, published in the European journal BMC Medicine, comes on the heels of a 2012 Harvard University study that found people who ate just 1.5 ounces of red meat daily were more likely to die early deaths than people who ate less than that. The latest study, which chronicled more than 500,000 people from 10 European countries, found those who ate the most processed meats (including ham, bacon, sausages, and ready-to-eat packaged meats) were most likely to die prematurely.

"We estimated that 3.3 percent of deaths could be prevented if all participants had a processed meat consumption of less than [.7 ounces a day]," write the authors, from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition.

People who ate more than five ounces of processed meats daily were more likely to die of cardiovascular diseases and cancers than people who ate fewer processed meats. Many processed meats contain carcinogens "or their precursors," according to the study.

People who consumed the most processed and red meats had the lowest fruit and vegetable intake and were also more likely to be current smokers. The authors say that after correcting for these lifestyle differences, people who eat processed meat are still more likely to die early than people who don't, but that they saw no increased risk of mortality for people who ate large amounts of red meat. In the original Harvard University study, the researchers considered all processed meats to be red meats.

So what does this mean to you? If you are someone who is investigating Clean Eating or who eats little processed foods but still consumes processed meats like bacon or cold cuts - you are doing your body a grave disservice by continuing to eat processed meat. It's not the meat itself that is bad for you, it is the processing, the nitrates that preserve and cure the meat that are to blame.

Want to know more?

I've written about the Cult of Bacon and America's unhealthy obsession with it. ( Full disclosure - I love LOVE bacon. I could eat it every day. But in the years since I began eating Clean? I've probably consumed 5 to 10 strips of bacon, total - over that time period. ) It is an unhealthy food, and something we're learning really gums up your body's machinery.

Here's some reading material:

Dissecting the Cult of Bacon

Processed Meats Raise the Risk of Heart Attack By 42%

BBC News: Processed Meats Linked to Early Death

BMC Medicine - PDF of the medical study at this link

Your Choices Will Change The ( Your ) World

Listen to the tea. It's smart. Every decision you make matters.

*Do I eat the salad with a bottled dressing ( convenient ) or do I take a minute to whisk together my own?
*Do I carve out time during the weekend to prep Clean foods ahead of time or do I stare vacantly into the fridge to cobble together something last minute ( and ultimately rely on foods that aren't Clean )?
*Do I sit in front of the tv, flipping channels absently looking for something to watch or do I turn off the tv and get some exercise?
*Do I fill my water bottle vigilantly - almost obsessively - or do I hear the "Pfffft!" noise of a soda pop being opened?

The choices you make in the here and now have direct consequence to the health and well being of your body. The choices you make in the here and now either lead down the path of Clean Eating, or they reinforce poor eating habits.

Look at this smart tea bag, and remember it's wisdom the next time you are hungry or bored.

What are you going to do? Do you want the same old same old or are you ready to change your world?

Ever Vigilant...

Last week I went to the grocery store, and in the Organic / Healthy food type aisle spotted a "Manager's Special" - canned oranges for $1 a can. Now, that's a really good deal. As I got closer, I realized the mandarin oranges were in "light syrup" - meaning, added sugar; not Clean.

 

But I picked up the can anyway. I contemplated picking up a few for emergency rations. Canned fruit would be a nice addition, and at 50% off? Yeah, in an emergency I would eat it.

Thanks, no. Trying to cut down on poisoning my family with arsenic and pesticides that are illegal in the U.S. - thank you very much.

This was in the organic food aisle. Be vigilant. Read labels. Question what is in your food, and consider where the food is canned / packed / grown. Do they have the same regulatory food standards we do in the U.S.?

Just because a grocery store has it on display in a prominent location does NOT mean it can be trusted.

Tosca's "Eating Clean Will Help You Lose Weight" Article

     Tosca Reno wrote the following article over at bridalguide.com and I'm reposting it here in its entirety - it's straightforward, 10 point highlighted wrap up of Clean Eating is on point for understanding each aspect of Clean Eating. ( And a big TY to my friend and fellow Clean Eater Mary who Pinned this article and brought it to my attention! )

Clean Eating For Weight Loss

1. Eat more—really! Following this plan, you’ll have six small meals each day, at two-and-a half to three-hour intervals. Your metabolism will steadily hum along all day and you will avoid the blood-sugar spikes that can trigger weight gain.

2. Eat only “clean” foods that have not been overly processed. Say no to processed items like pre-made snacks, cookies, cakes, chips, diet sodas and meals. Food should be real food, not a science project.

3. Eat your veggies—and some fruit. Learn to spend a majority of your grocery-shopping time in the produce aisle. Vegetables should make up nearly three-quarters of each meal. Eat fruit in moderation and steer clear of fruit juice—too sugary and lacking in fiber.

4. Eat lean protein and complex carbohydrates at each meal. By combining them at every meal you create a nutritional package (example: chicken breast and spinach) that your body can process effectively.

5. Include healthy fats daily. We need a moderate amount of fat each day from “good” fats like avocado, fish oils, flaxseed, nuts, nut butters and more. Consuming small amounts at will help you shed those last 10 pesky pounds.

6. Drink two to three quarts of water each day. You need one quart (32 ounces) of water daily for every 50 pounds you carry. Add even more if you exercise.

7. Have breakfast every day, within an hour of rising. Eating breakfast gets you on track for healthy eating and will kick-start your metabolism so it is burning efficiently all day long.

8. Eat your last meal three hours before bed. Eating your last meal of the day well before sleeping gives your body a better chance to burn calories.

9. Portion control is key. Your hands are the perfect tools to measure out how much to eat at every meal. Aim for a serving of lean protein the same size as the palm of your hand, one handful of complex carbohydrates from whole grains and fruit and two handfuls of veggies and leafy greens. Easy!

10. Take it with you. Some of the biggest diet downfalls occur when you’re away from home, so pack your meals into a little kit or cooler and take them with you wherever you go. This way, you’ll never have an excuse to grab a fat-laden, fast-food lunch! You’ll save money, too.


Eating Clean Meal Plan

Want to try eating clean? Try this sample meal plan.

Breakfast: Oatmeal topped with berries, flaxseed and wheat germ; black coffee;4 hard-boiled egg whites

Mid-Morning Meal: Boneless, skinless chicken breast; sliced cucumbers and tomatoes

Lunch: Green salad topped with tomatoes, onion and chopped turkey breast, dressed with a squeeze of lemon; water

Mid-Afternoon Meal: One apple; handful of almonds; water

Dinner: Grilled salmon; brown rice; steamed asparagus; water

Last Meal (only if hungry): Scrambled egg whites with sliced tomato and spinach; herbal tea

The Food Porn Problem

I'm a regular Pinterest user, and often browse sites like Foodgawker.com  for Clean Eating recipes to bring to this site.

I also browse fitness sites, Tumblr sites devoted to Fitness, and everything in between.  I stumbled up this article: Fitbie.com: The Food Porn Problem over at Fitbie.msn.com that I think bears reading. It's about the psychological impact of looking at tempting high calorie foods on sites like Pinterest and Foodgawker - aka Food Porn.

An excerpt:

It's your classic money shot, the camera tight to reveal every detail of steamy cinnamon buns drizzled just so. Jam-glazed pork falling off the bone. A slice of buttery-crusted apple pie letting it all hang out. Sweet or savory, slow baked or flash fried, it's food porn--and experts say it's whetting our appetites in ways we never imagined. "Like the sexual kind, food porn allows us to lust after taboo things," says psychologist Susan Albers, Psy.D., author of Eating Mindfully. "And now it's on our terms: We can search for exactly what turns us on, enlarge the images, and linger for as long as we want."

{snip}

 Photos seem harmless, but they provoke a real emotional and physical hunger response that can be tough to control, says neuroscientist Laura Martin, Ph.D., an assistant professor at the University of Kansas Medical Center who studies how we respond to food. And straight out of the insult-meet-injury department: Those who are overweight appear to be more sensitive to the effect of viewing irresistible food. Does that mean you can never ogle your cake without eating it too? Not necessarily. There are savvy ways to curb your appetite--online and in real life.



Eating with Our Eyes
The best food porn plays on the fact that the more indulgent a photo appears, the more likely it will trigger our instinct to eat. "Food porn relies on a phenomenon called supernormal stimuli, which exaggerates qualities we're already hardwired to love," says Deirdre Barrett, Ph.D., an evolutionary psychologist at Harvard Medical School's Behavioral Medicine Program and author of Waistland: The Revolutionary Science Behind Our Weight and Fitness Crisis. Usually, that translates to visual cues that a food is high in calories--things like pooling oils and the sheen of sugar--which were coveted assets back in hunter-gatherer days, when calories (particularly the gooey, fatty ones) were harder to come by, says Barrett. That might explain why, according to a recent study from 360i, a marketing firm that studies online trends, pictures of desserts are the most likely to be shared online. Cheesy, oozy comfort foods also get favorited more frequently on sites like Food Gawker.

I highly recommend reading this article to understand a more psychological level to food cravings and how visual cues stimulate cravings. As a Clean Eater and someone learning to navigate the sea of temptations out there, I think it is key to understanding our psychological underpinnings which trigger our brain to want foods our minds understand are no good for us - but we eat it anyway. 

Dr. Oz Clean Eating Grocery List

I found this nice list over at Dr. Oz's website ( Click HERE  to see a larger picture / printable list ) Sorry I can't post it larger.

There are some great tips here for beginning Clean Eaters - but here are a few items I'd like to comment upon for those of you who might be unfamiliar.

#19 - Chicken. Make sure you are buying chicken that isn't injected with a sodium solution.
See this post: Eve Was Partially Right : Beware Enhanced Chicken

#20, 21 - Seafood - Make sure your seafood is sourced from a country that has good standards for aquaculture. Avoid fish grown, raised, and packed in Asiatic countries like China, Thailand, and Vietnam.
See this post: Eve Was Partially Right : The Seafood Dity Dozen

#25 - Canned beans - make sure you rinse all canned vegetables and beans to remove as much sodium as possible.

#29 - Canned Mushrooms - DON'T. These are a huge no-no, and I'm shocked Dr Oz would put these on his list. I double dog dare you to go into a grocery store, pick up any can- ANY CAN - of canned mushrooms and try to find one NOT GROWN AND PACKED IN CHINA. You won't find one. The quality is low, and the amount of fecal matter ( the growth medium for mushrooms! ) is often high.

DON'T BUY CANNED MUSHROOMS. THIS MEANS YOU.

#32 - Jams - These are ok, but try to find ones with no added sugar. Hard to do, but it can be done. I avoid sugary fruit spreads.

#34 - Canned beets - the artificial purple color in those beets and added sugar make these a CE no-no. Avoid them.

#62 & 63 - Soy hot dogs and burgers - Not for you, Clean Eater. Keep your soy intake limited to edamame and the occasional tofu. Soy hot dogs and burgers are processed, and unnecessarily will boost soy consumption which has been linked to breast cancer.

#90 - Protein bars - Be really - REALLY careful here. Most are very Unclean. The only Clean examples I've come across are things like Larabars. Clean bars are few and far between.

#93 - Slow churned ice cream - Um, really Dr. Oz? *rolls eyes* Not Clean. Do Not Eat.



Use common sense with this list. Buy organic where you can ( especially important for fruits with skins you eat, like apples, pears, tomatoes. Not as important for things you peel - like bananas or oranges. Free range beef and chicken is wonderful, but in some areas - crazy expensive.

This list wasn't published as a Clean Eating grocery list - but it can be used as a good starting point.

At some point, I'm going to publish a list of 20+ brand name food items I buy and consume on a regular basis. Items that are Clean and you didn't even realize it.

[Rant] Clean Eating / Oxygen Magazines [/Rant] - Seriously?

I follow Tosca Reno on Pinterest. She usually pins recipes from CE bloggers, pics from her photo shoots, weightlifting info, etc. So when the picture above hit my Pinterest feed...I said "WHAT???" loudly ( in my head, of course. )

This was the last straw. I've been slightly irked at CE Magazine for a few months now - slowly but surely, Unclean content has been filtering into the pages. Recipes for desserts, unclean ingredients. Inappropriate ads.

You might not have noticed - I specifically didn't do a "Newsstand Alert" post for the October 2012 issue of Clean Eating Magazine. Why? I was really unhappy with the content - and I didn't renew my subscription to the magazine when it lapsed.

Poor content:

Page 9 - Advertisement for King Arthur Flour. WHY on Earth are they advertising white flour in a magazine where it is much more appropriate to advertise whole wheat flour? A core tenant of CE is removing white flour from your diet. DUH to whoever checks their advertisements.

Page 17 - "Cheers to A Fat Fighter: Red Wine" - Seriously? Alcohol is a CE no-no - regardless if studies show a small amount is good for you. You can get the same heart healthy type benefits from other foods ( raw grapes, for example ) without drinking wine. Wine and alcohol are detrimental to your body's machinery. It's a don't, any way you slice it. Sorry CE Magazine. You muffed up.

Page 33 - Advertisement for Kashi Peanutty Dark Chocolate bars. Another in the "Who the heck is in charge of advertising over there?" questions - The bars shown in the advertisement have over 30 ingredients - MANY of which are forms of sugar.

You and I both know people will buy this product thinking it is Clean when it is FAR from Clean.

And the KICKER as far as I am concerened...

Page 42: "Loaded Baked Potato Pizza" recipe - which includes ham as an ingredient. This recipe was developed by Chef Jo, CE Magazine's resident chef. The recipe calls for Deli sliced, all natural ham, chopped - and advises "Try Applegate Farms Natural Slow Cooked Ham."

a ) Processed meats are NOT Clean, regardless of the "all natural" attribute to the label.
.
b) Applegate Farms brand claims the ham isn't cured - but you'll find celery powder in the ingredient list. Why is this important? Meats cured in celery powder are just as loaded with nitrates as meats cured with chemical additives. It's the nitrites that are the bad news, folks - doesn't matter if the source is natural or man made. ( For the record, celery naturally has nitrates. You'd have to eat THOUSANDS of stalks to get the nitrate load you get in one "naturally cured" ham slice. So eat celery without worry. It isn't heated. )

c) Why are nitrates bad for me?  The problem with nitrates in ham, bacon, or hot dogs isn't the nitrate itself, but the carcinogenic nitrosamines that are created when nitrate and amino acids are heated together, i.e., when the ham ( or bacon ) is cooked. These have been clearly and directly linked with cancers, heart disease, and COPD. During the meat processing, the food is heated to a high temperature to kill bacteria and make it safe to ship. So even if you eat the ham cold or the hot dog straight from the fridge - you are still eating those nitrosamines that resulted from high heat application.

Using ANY processed meat is not Clean, not healthy - and this recipe is NOT Clean. CE Magazine's quality control has gone way WAAAAY down if this made it past the editorial board review.


Page - 74 - Photo for "Fall Weeknight Dinners"shows a family at the dinner table - and Mom and Dad don't have a glass of water in front of them - they both have a glass of red wine. Tsk, Tsk Showing alcohol consumption as an everyday occurrence. Again - alcohol ISN'T Clean. Period. .

And to wrap it up?

Page 98 - Recipe for "Gooey Peanut Butter Brownies" - CE Magazine has somehow lost their path, and more and more dessert recipes are popping up in the magazine. ANYONE who eats Clean on a regular basis will tell you: The more you eat sweets, the more you crave them. And the more you crave them, the harder it will be to avoid processed desserts like candy bars and packaged baked goods. I really don't care the recipe has mainly organic and natural ingredients. It's best for the CE Lifestyle to not eat desserts or sweets. There are so many temptations out there - your brain can't discern a "healthy" brownie from the high test version. It just knows "WANT!" and will scream at you until you buy that candy bar at 7-11 or eat a dessert when you know you shouldn't.



So when I saw the graphic at the top of this post, I got redheaded, boiling irritated at CE Magazine/ Oxygen magazine. Bacon is Clean? Just because it is cured in a jillion pounds of celery powder?

Sorry, Tosca. Color me one very disappointed follower.

Homemade Garlic Powder

Over the weekend, I came across this post for homemade garlic powder over at The Burlap Bag,  a funky little DIY blog I peek at every now and again.

Why on EARTH would anyone go to the trouble of making their own garlic powder. Are you serious? I've got better things to do with my time than make garlic powder when I can buy perfectly good garlic powder from the grocery store. Her post talks about all the preservatives in garlic powder.

Really?

So I went to my pantry, and looked at my container of garlic powder. Mine happened to be Safeway brand. I couldn't find ANY listing of ingredients on the jar ( Um, isn't that a legal requirement for labeling? ) but what I DID see startled the snot out of me.

Made in China. 

In the trash bin my garlic powder went. Do not pass go, Do not collect $200.

From wikipedia on garlic:

 Garlic is grown globally, but China is by far the largest producer of garlic, with approximately 10.5 million tonnes (23 billion pounds) grown annually, accounting for over 77% of world output. India (4.1%) and South Korea (2%) follow, with Egypt and Russia (1.6%) tied in fourth place and the United States (where garlic is grown in every state except for Alaska) in sixth place (1.4%).^[16] This leaves 16% of global garlic production in countries that each produce less than 2% of global output. Much of the garlic production in the United States is centered in Gilroy, California, which calls itself the "garlic capital of the world".^[17]

When I was at a different grocery store, I specifically looked at the garlic cloves packed 4 in a mesh sleeve - Product of China.  I looked at the minced garlic in jars - no indication of country of manufacture. I'm going to need to research that further.




Homemade Garlic Powder ( courtesy of The Burlap Bag )

-Getcha garlic. Lots and lots of garlic ( Maura's Note: Look for garlic in the store labeled "organic" OR grown in California. If it is organic, it couldn't have been grown in China. If it is grown in the US, you're on the right track )

 
-Peel them all.
-Cut them into thin, uniform slices.
-Stick them in the oven at the lowest temperature yours will go (mine goes to 150). OR a dehydrator! But we don’t have one of those.
-Leave it in there for forever. (ok, a couple of hours. your oven is barely on) But they need to be VERY VERY DRY. Brittle. If they are a little “wet” still and you do the next step, they will jam everything. (i know from experience with a few fatter garlic pieces. oooooops)
-Then stick them in a coffee grinder. OR a mortar & pestle if you like a good arm workout. 30 seconds in a coffee grinder and you will have garlic powder EXACTLY like the kind you’d buy at the store. Except without the preservatives that some of the store ones have. Yuck, preservatives! Yay, all natural garlic powder!

Thanks to The Burlap Bag for the pictures, too!

Think Eating Clean Is Expensive? Think Again, Part 2...

 

( Please keep in mind Clean Eaters consider Morningstar meatless  products to be Border Food - a food that is ok for occasional consumption ( a few times a month ) but not Clean enough for several servings per week use. )

Thanks for the pictures, Sparkpeople!

McDonald's Cherry Berry Chillers - Clean Eating or Another Wolf In Sheep's Clothing?

     Couponers love free stuff. A few weeks ago, there was a coupon ( above ) in the Sunday Parade magazine for a free McDonald's Cherry Berry Chiller. Of course, the couponers have been going nuts to get their hands on these things.

     Now, given what we know about raspberry flavoring,  I thought "Ha, Ha, beaver butt" and went looking online for the ingredients to show to one of the couponers I know who is trying to get as many of these coupons as she can.

Here are the ingredients I found online:

        Cherry Berry Flavored Juice Blend Base

Ingredients: Water, apple juice concentrate, grape juice concentrate, natural flavor (botanical source), colored with fruit and vegetable juice, cherry puree, raspberry juice concentrate, citric acid, xanthan gum.


Wow - this drink might actually be Clean! water, fruit juices, real raspberry juice. Huh!

Then I saw the nutritional data. All you've got in there is frozen fruit juice and water. 200 calories? 49 grams of sugar? From where? The fruit juice may add some natural sugar...but NOT 49 grams worth.

 200  Calories  

1g Protein  

0g Fat (0%)

49g Carbs (16%)

25mg Sodium (1%) 

Calories from Fat	0	Dietary Fiber	0g (0%)	Calcium	25mg (2%)
Saturated Fat	0g (0%)	Sugars	49g	Iron	0.5mg (2%)
Trans Fat	0g	Vitamin A	0IU (0%)	Vitamin C	0mg (0%)

Then I saw it. 

Ingredients: Water, apple juice concentrate, grape juice concentrate, natural flavor (botanical source), colored with fruit and vegetable juice, cherry puree, raspberry juice concentrate, citric acid, xanthan gum.

Sugar comes from a plant. It's a flavoring. It's natural. It's from a botanical souce. Those sneaky S.O.B.s hid the sugar under the guise of "natural flavorings." !!!

If you bothered to look at the ingredients in a Cherry Berry Chiller, you could be fooled into thinking this new drink was quite wholesome. Another example of Fast Food / Large Food Conglomos manipulating data and misrepresenting information to make their product appear healthier.

Drinking this is the equivalent to eating 49 packets of sugar. Gak!

McDonald's Cheery Berry Chiller is a wolf in sheep's clothing - and a great example for beginning Clean Eaters to start really thinking about their food - start examining and questioning the labels of what you are eating, and really understand what you are consuming.

Updated Seafood Dirty Dozen list

Did you know:

• Less than 2 percent of imported seafood is inspected.
• Over 70 percent of domestic shrimp and about 60 percent of domestic oysters came from the Gulf of Mexico prior to the April 2010 oil spill.
• The average consumer eats about 16 pounds of seafood annually, approximately 4 pounds of which is shrimp.

 For a while now, I've been extremely conscious of the country of origin for the seafood I eat - I don't buy seafood raised and processed in Asian countries, and instead prefer to buy seafood that indicates it is wild caught, processed at sea, or farm raised in the US.

Questions you to ask before making a seafood purchase:

• Where is this seafood from?
• Is it caught or farmed locally?
• How is this fish caught?
• How is this fish farmed?
• Is this seafood associated with any contaminants?

 Food and Water Watch  has come out with an updated list of 12 seafood species to avoid, why you should avoid them, and better choices for the consumer who is concerned about where their seafood is produced and sourced. It's well documented that seafood raised outside the US is subject to questionable animal husbandry tactics ( antibiotics, growth hormones ), and seafood from Asiatic countries are particularly suspicious.


The Seafood Dirty Dozen 

12 fish that fail at least two of our criteria for safe and sustainable seafood (the order listed does not reflect a ranking) The Food & Water Watch uses five major criteria when it comes to recommending seafood:
- Contaminants
- Status of the Stock
- Catch Method or Farming Method
- Economic/Cultural/Social Significance
- Key Species

Atlantic Bluefin Tuna

Bluefin tuna poses a very high health risk due to high levels of both mercury and PCB contamination. Bluefin tuna are internationally overfished, nearly to levels of extinction. They are believed to be 80% or more below their original abundance levels. The eastern and western Atlantic Ocean stocks to which bluefin tuna are native are listed as “endangered,” and “critically endangered,” respectively, in the IUCN Redlist of the world’s most threatened species.

Catfish, Imported (also known as Basa, Swai, Tra or Pangasius)

Imported catfish often come from Southeast Asia, where use of chemicals and antibiotics is barely regulated. Because the U.S. Food and Drug Administration inspects less than two percent of imported seafood, imported catfish may be contaminated with antibiotic, pesticide or bacterial residues.

Caviar, especially from beluga and other wild-caught sturgeon

The beluga sturgeon, also known as the European or great sturgeon, is found primarily in the Caspian and Black Seas. The beluga sturgeon can live for over 100 years and does not reach maturity until at least 15 years of age. As a result of its long lifespan and slow maturation, this species has low resilience and is vulnerable to overfishing. The salted eggs of the beluga sturgeon, known as caviar, are considered a delicacy. The demand for highly valued beluga caviar has led to overfishing and poaching of the species. The construction of dams as well as pollution has further diminished the population.

Cod, Atlantic

The Atlantic cod stock collapsed in the early 1990s and is currently undergoing overfishing. It is listed on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. This species is frequently caught using bottom or otter trawls, nets that drag along the seafloor, and can damage the bottom habitat and remove or cover animals and plant life. This fishing method also can result in the unintended capture of many other types of marine life (bycatch).

Eel, American (also known as “yellow” or “silver” eel)

The American eel is known to have high concentrations of mercury and PCBs, toxic chemicals that can prove harmful to human health.

Flatfish, Atlantic (e.g. flounder, sole and halibut)

Most other Atlantic flatfish stocks are also seriously overfished. Atlantic halibut has been overfished off the coast of the Northeastern United States since the 1800’s. Despite management practices that currently prevent targeted fishing of Atlantic halibut and attempt to reduce bycatch of the species, the fishery has not recovered.

Imported King Crab

Although many varieties of crabs live in North American waters, the United States also imports crab from other countries. Often, exporters will sell crab caught here in the U.S. to other countries where they can receive a higher price, while importing cheaper crab, often from Russia, for local consumption in the U.S. Exacerbating the situation, much of the crab caught in Russia exceeds the total allowable catch, making it illegal.

Imported Shrimp

Shrimp is the most popular seafood in the United States, but about 90 percent of the shrimp consumed in the U.S. is imported from other countries where seafood production and employment conditions are often not well regulated.

Roughy, Orange

Orange roughy may contain levels of mercury contamination that pose a health risk for adults and children. Orange roughy are caught in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans with fisheries off the coast of New Zealand, Australia, Namibia, the Northeast Atlantic, and Chile. This fish is particularly vulnerable to overfishing due to its long lifespan and slow maturation.

Salmon, Atlantic and Farmed

Farmed salmon may contain levels of PCB contamination that pose a health risk to adults and children. It may also be contaminated with pesticides and antibiotics. Farmed salmon are usually raised in cages in open waters. These cages allow free-flow of anything from the farm into the wild, and promote transfer of diseases, especially sea lice, from caged to wild fish.

Seabass, Chilean

Chilean seabass may contain levels of mercury contamination that pose a health risk to adults and children. For nearly a decade, illegal fishing has plagued Chilean seabass populations, while killing seabirds by the thousands, including several species of endangered albatrosses.

Shark

Shark may contain levels of mercury contamination that pose a health risk to adults and children. Shark populations are vulnerable to overfishing, as they mature slowly and do not reproduce quickly. Sharks can be caught and killed by fishermen when targeting other types of fish.


If you'd like a PDF of this information - the Dirty Dozen and a list of alternative species to look for when shopping for seafood - click this link for a printable PDF.

Clean Eating in the News: Class Action Lawsuit Aginst Kashi For Hazardous Ingredients

  

      A class action lawsuit was filed last year against Kashi and its parent company Kellogg’s. The reason? Kashi’s GoLean and TLC products are marketed as “all-natural” and state that they contain “nothing artificial” when, in fact, they are “composed almost entirely of synthetic and unnaturally processed ingredients”, so says the lawsuit. On August 31, 2011, a class action lawsuit was filed against Kashi for allegedly misleading consumers with its "natural" claims. One Kashi product in particular, GoLean Shakes, is composed almost entirely of synthetic and unnaturally processed ingredients, according to the plaintiff.

But wait, it gets worse. MUCH WORSE.


The Kashi class action lawsuit alleges that some of these synthetic ingredients are even listed by the FDA as prescription drugs, irradiated substances, pesticides that are a by-product of uranium mining, and federally declared hazardous substances.

Here are just a few examples from the lawsuit of ingredients that have been included in Kashi’s products and claim to be “all natural” or contain “nothing artificial”:

- Phytonadione (Vitamin K) has not been listed by the FDA as generally recognized as safe as a food additive. Its injectible form is listed as a prescription drug.

-  Bromelain is an enzyme derived from pineapple. According to the National Library of Medicine’s Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB), its production requires acetone, which is a hazardous synthetic substance.

- Sodium Molybdate has not been declared to be generally recognized as safe by the FDA. According to HSDB, molybdenum salts are by-products of uranium mining and can be found in fertilizers for leguminous crops, citing American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists.

 The class action lawsuit against Kashi and Kellogg’s lists 14 claims including making false, deceptive and misleading representations and omissions, negligence and negligent representation, false advertising, and conspiracy.

A blogger on Greenit all.com recently wrote about Kashi's use of GMOs in their cereals labeled as organic and natural. GMOs are not permitted in any product labeled with the USDA Organic stamp. Right click on the Greenitall.com link and open it in a new browser - well worth the read. 

Some of the items cited are specifically because they contain GMOs - so take that portion for what you will. 

Kashi Heart to Heart Blueberry Cereal was found to contain organophosphate pesticides implicated as causes of neuropathy in humans.

"Natural" Kashi Golean Honey almond Flax was found to contain malathion in the wheat and chlorpyrifos and piperonyl butoxide in the almonds both which are prohibited in organics due to their neurotoxicity and hormone disrupting ability in mammals.

Other toxic ingredients in Kashi cereals include GM canola oil, GM corn flour, GM corn meal, GM corn bran, irradiated cinnamon and soy lecithin.

Golean Original Cereal contains GM soy grits and protein, GM corn meal, GM corn flour and GM corn bran.

Golean Crisp! Cinnamon Crumble contains GM soy grits and protein, GM canola oil, GM corn flour, irradiated cinnamon and soy lecithin.

Golean Crisp! Toasted Berry Crumble contains GM soy grits and protein, GM canola oil, GM corn flour and soy lecithin.
 

WHY SIGNIFICANT FOR ORGANIC CONSUMERS?
A logical question that one may be asking right now is “Ok, they’re cracking down on ‘all-natural’ advertising but what does that have to do with organic?”
The answer is very simple.
Many consumers mistakenly believe that “natural” is superior to and healthier than “organic”. Yet, this is absolutely not the case.
If, however, as a result of these lawsuits, “natural” is no longer unfairly exploited and people soon realize that “natural” doesn’t really mean much at all, organic food can only benefit.

 They will soon realize that the healthiest food available is organic food.

If you'd like to read the entire class action lawsuit filed in California as a PDF click here!

A Thought From My Weekend...

     On Sunday, my boys took me to the movies for Mother's Day. We saw The Avengers ( All Hail Joss Whedon ) and I thoroughly enjoyed the rare movie theater outing with my family - and I enjoyed the movie, too. The theater we went to is an old one, and the seats aren't like those Barcoloungers in the Metroplex style theaters built today. It's an old school theater - small seats, small aisles. The last time I was physically in this theater - I was overweight. I remember being so incredibly uncomfortable in the seats. Today, I sat in the seat more than comfortably, and didn't give it a second thought...until I noticed the people around me.

     Please, reserve judgement until you finish reading this post.

     To my left, in the same row I was in a few seats down from me was a really large man. He had a large bucket of popcorn that he was eating almost compulsively. I mentally noted he didn't seem to be tasting or savoring the popcorn. It was mechanical. Hand, popcorn, mouth, repeat. Absolutely no thought going into the literally hundreds of calories he was consuming. 
( Researchers found movie theater popcorn offerings range from 400 to 1,200 calories, with one to three days' worth of saturated fat and up to 1,500 milligrams of sodium. Make it a combo and add 300 to 1,110 empty calories worth of candy and another 150 to 500 calories from a sugary soft drink to wash it all down. ) And in the middle of the movie, this man got up with the bucket, went to the lobby, and got a full refill of his tub of popcorn.

     In front of my husband but down a few seats was a really large woman. Literally - and I'm not being mean - I have no idea how she got herself into the seat. She was that big. Her actions during the movie were on the verge of distracting. She had boxes of candy in her purse ( along with the theater popcorn she had bought ) and when she polished off a box of candy, she'd wait 5 minutes or so, reach down, and grab another box. This went on for the 2 1/2 hour duration of the movie.

     I had a really good weekend, nutrition wise. I've eaten almost perfectly Clean for the past 2 weeks or so, and had a likewise stellar weekend. I wasn't about to unwind it over a few minutes of movie theater popcorn, so I pointedly did not reach out to have a handful of my son's popcorn during the theater.

     About 7 years ago, I smoked cigarettes. About a pack a day. I was feeling awful, and slowly but surely weaned myself down to just a few cigs a day. Finally North said to me "If you are only smoking one or two a day, you should quit." - And I did. For the first few weeks after quitting, the sight of someone with a cigarette would make me instantly crave it. But as I got farther and farther away from my last cig - I noticed the sight of  seeing someone smoking was repulsive. Absolutely nauseating. The physical act of raising a cigarette to the lips, drawing in smoke, blowing it out - repulsive. I knew I'd never smoke again.
I was over my addiction.

     Today I had another of those moments. The sight of these people mindlessly eating, mindlessly gorging- it was repulsive to me. Not them, mind you. The eating. I  saw, with perfect clarity, who I used to be. I saw people not in control of their eating response. I saw people eating without thought or regard to consequence. It hit me, very hard - how far I've come. As we walked out of the theater, my husband asked me what part of the movie I liked the best. I told him that it was the realization that I'll never allow myself to be overweight again. He squeezed my hand, and said "The lady in front of me?" and I nodded. He had seen her. I wasn't just being sensitive. Others had seen - and that made me feel even worse for that poor woman.
 
     About 32 million more Americans will become obese by 2030, upping obesity rates to 42 percent of the U.S. population, according to a new report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The report also predicts that the proportion of Americans who are severely obese, meaning more than 100 pounds overweight, will reach 11 percent, about double the current rate.CDC Obesity Predictions for the US by 2030 - ABC News.

     Watching the conveyor belt of junk food to mouth I witnessed today, it once again struck me. I knew I'd never be overweight again.

I am over my addiction. 

   

Gross Foods - Do You Know What's In That??

  Those fine folks over at Men's Health Magazine ( Eat This, Not That )  have put together this  list of 5 gross food additives. Additives you aren't aware of, and backing up my discussions about avoiding seafood that isn't locally ( USA ) sourced.

 Gross Food #5: Grain Products 

 Why it's gross: Many packaged breads and baked goods contain L-cysteine-a non-essential amino acid made from dissolved human hair (often from China) or duck feathers (mmmm). Food manufacturers use the ingredient as a commercial dough conditioner, meant to improve the texture of breads and baked goods.

Why it's bad: Eating something derived from the human body violates the religious and ethical beliefs of Muslims and vegans. Plus, eew! If you want to avoid ingesting hair and feathers-and really, who doesn't?-try eating unprocessed whole grains like oats and brown rice, and make your own baked goods whenever possible

Gross Food #4: Shrimp

 

 

Why it's gross: Depending on where your shrimp comes from, it could be tainted with chemicals used to clean filthy shrimp-farm pens. Just as disgusting, farmed shrimp from overseas is often full of antibiotics, mouse and rat hair, and pieces of insects (yummy!).



Why it's bad: Only about 2 percent of all imported seafood is inspected, meaning this nasty stuff is making its way onto your plate. Contaminated shrimp tends to come from critters imported from overseas shrimp farms, so if you're looking for safer-and more appetizing-options, choose domestic shrimp.

Gross Food #3: Salad Dressing

 

Why it's gross: Big food corporations often add the chemical titanium dioxide-commonly found in paints and sunscreens-to processed foods like salad dressing, coffee creamers, and canned icing to make them appear whiter.



Why it's bad: Titanium dioxide is a component of the metallic element titanium, a mined substance that's sometimes contaminated with toxic lead. Plus, most white dressings (like cream-based ranch) aren't great for you anyway. Both your health and your waistline will fare better if you go with an olive oil- or vinegar-based salad topper instead. Or, better yet, make your dressing at home.

 

Gross Food #2: Jelly Beans

 

 

Why it's gross: Many artificial food dyes-found in hundreds of everyday foods-are made from petroleum-derived materials. Food producers use these chemical dyes in cereals and candy to make them more "fun" for kids, in pickles to make them appear fresher, and in place of real ingredients in a variety of other packaged foods. Betty Crocker Carrot Cake Mix, for example, is actually a carrot-free product, with "carrot flavored pieces" cooked up from corn syrup and artificial colors Yellow 6 and Red 40.



Why it's bad: Orange and purple food dyes have been shown to impair brain function, and other dyes have been linked to ADHD and behavioral problems in kids, as well as brain-cell toxicity. And not only are these additives potentially hazardous, but they're also a rip-off! It's cheaper for food companies to use fake dyes in place of real ingredients, so you end up with food frauds like Tropicana Twister Cherry Berry Blast, a "juice" product without a trace of cherry or berry juice

Gross Food #1: Canned Mushrooms 

 

 

Why it's gross: The FDA legally allows 19 maggots—tiny, rice-shaped fly larvae that feast on rotting foods—and 74 mites in every 3.5-ounce can of mushrooms. Bon appetit!


Why it's bad: While maggots do have their place in the medical world—they can help heal ulcers and other wounds—most of us would agree that they don't have a place in our mouths. Opt for fresh mushrooms instead, and if you need another reason to ditch canned goods, consider this: Most are lined with bisphenol A (or BPA), a plastic chemical that causes unnatural hormonal changes linked to heart attacks, obesity, and certain cancers.

( Maura's note: Also - a lot of canned mushrooms are actually produced in China. No thanks! )

http://fitbie.msn.com/slideshow/5-grossest-things-youre-eating/slide/1

Think Eating Clean Is Expensive? Think Again...

Quakeover

     The manipulation of the American public through advertising is something that interests me so much more now that I'm so in tune with what I'm eating. I'm so much more aware of advertising gimmicks and smoke & mirrors.

      In an effort to reinforce the healthy benefits of eating oatmeal, PepsiCo ( who owns Quaker Oats ) has given the Quaker Oats Logo a bit of subliminal manipulation: the Quaker Oats guy is thinner, with no double chin. His cheekbones are flatter, his face less round.

The Quaker Oats man has undergone a cereal makeover.
The smiling, white-haired man will be sporting a slimmer face, broader shoulders and tamer hairdo.
PepsiCo Inc., which owns the 134-year-old brand, chose to put the sweet-faced mascot on a diet to help consumers associate the products with “energy and healthy choices,” Justin Lambeth, Quaker’s chief marketing officer, told The Wall Street Journal.
They were careful to keep him jolly and inviting — no chiseled cheekbones or Botoxed grimace — but they axed his double chin and gave him a more flattering haircut.
“We took about 5 pounds off him,” said Michael Connors, the head designer of the firm hired to give the Quaker Oats man his new look.

 http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/quaker-oats-man-thinner-face-hairdo-broader-shoulders-promote-heathy-choices-article-1.1052762

It's funny how standards change over time. When they first thought him up, being fat was probably still a symbol of prosperity and health. In an effort to make you think "healthy" - they gave their logo a leaner look.

Clean Eating In The News: The Government Doesn't Have Your Best Interests at "Heart" - Shocking, I Know...

      The National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (that’s a government agency, an arm of the National Institute of Health - NIH  ) has partnered w/ Diet Coke to help spread “The Heart Truth” and encourage “heart healthy behaviors”.

What, like drinking liquid plastic with caramel coloring? Yeah, that’s great for your heart.


" Diet Coke^® continues to support The Heart Truth^® through a variety of awareness-building activities including retail programs across the country and online advertising, partnerships and visibility on more than 6 billion packages of Diet Coke featuring The Heart Truth logo.
This year, Diet Coke is asking its fans and followers to help raise awareness and funding for women's heart health programs. Funds raised will go to the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH) in support of The Heart Truth and women's heart health education and research.
For the fifth consecutive year, Diet Coke will also be the presenting sponsor of The Heart Truth's Red Dress Collection Fashion Show. The Diet Coke Heart Health Ambassador will walk in the Red Dress Collection 2012 Fashion Show to further raise awareness of the issue. For more information on how to participate in the campaign, visit www.DietCoke.com/HeartTruth."

     How Noble! Next, I think Phillip Morris should support the American Cancer Society. And putting a "Heart Healthy" logo on their soda cans? Nearly criminal.

      Ironically, their non-diet product, Coke, contains HFCS. That’s been directly linked to heart disease. Just more sad evidence that the government is NOT necessarily looking out for your best interests, particularly when it comes to health and nutrition. If they were, they wouldn't accept corporate money from a company that is devoted to making their heart unhealthy product the number 1 soda in the world.

Maybe partner with a water bottling company next time?

     Why is this Clean Eating news? Part of Clean Eating is filtering out all the background noise corporations throw at you to position their product in a more favorable ( read, healthy ) light. Learn to recognize marketing and promotion that is not in your best interests. Diet Coke is in this promotion only so they can slap that "Heart Healthy" logo on 6 billion packages - when it isn't, at all. It simply gives their product the impression of being heart healthy.

Always take the information you are given with a careful eye. While the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute might have good intentions, partnering with a soda manufacturer lacks the forethought someone over at NIH might have had before accepting a large check from a conglomo who is taking their carefully designed logo and using it for unhealthy purposes.

Clean Eating In the News: Arsenic in Apple Juices

     This post is taken verbatim from the Consumer Reports website: Arsenic in Apple Juice . I've edited out for brevity some passages that give certain background information or aren't as relevant to the information. If you'd like to read the article in its entirety, click the link above.

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     Arsenic has long been recognized as a poison and a contaminant in drinking water, but now concerns are growing about arsenic in foods, especially in fruit juices that are a mainstay for children.

Controversy over arsenic in apple juice made headlines as the school year began when Mehmet Oz, M.D., host of “The Dr. Oz Show,” told viewers that tests he’d commissioned found 10 of three dozen apple-juice samples with total arsenic levels exceeding 10 parts per billion (ppb). There’s no federal arsenic threshold for juice or most foods, though the limit for bottled and public water is 10 ppb. The Food and Drug Administration, trying to reassure consumers about the safety of apple juice, claimed that most arsenic in juices and other foods is of the organic type that is “essentially harmless.”

     But an investigation by Consumer Reports shows otherwise. Our study, including tests of apple and grape juice (download a PDF of our complete test results), a scientific analysis of federal health data, a consumer poll, and interviews with doctors and other experts, finds the following: 

• Roughly 10 percent of our juice samples, from five brands, had total arsenic levels that exceeded federal drinking-water standards. Most of that arsenic was inorganic arsenic, a known carcinogen.
• One in four samples had lead levels higher than the FDA’s bottled-water limit of 5 ppb. As with arsenic, no federal limit exists for lead in juice.
• Apple and grape juice constitute a significant source of dietary exposure to arsenic, according to our analysis of federal health data from 2003 through 2008.
• Children drink a lot of juice. Thirty-five percent of children 5 and younger drink juice in quantities exceeding pediatricians’ recommendations, our poll of parents shows.
• Mounting scientific evidence suggests that chronic exposure to arsenic and lead even at levels below water standards can result in serious health problems
• Inorganic arsenic has been detected at disturbing levels in other foods, too, which suggests that more must be done to reduce overall dietary exposure.

     Our findings have prompted Consumers Union, the advocacy arm of Consumer Reports, to urge the FDA to set arsenic and lead standards for apple and grape juice. Our scientists believe that juice should at least meet the 5 ppb lead limit for bottled water. They recommend an even lower arsenic limit for juice: 3 ppb.

“People sometimes say, ‘If arsenic exposure is so bad, why don’t you see more people sick or dying from it?’ But the many diseases likely to be increased by exposure even at relatively low levels are so common already that its effects are overlooked simply because no one has looked carefully for the connection,” says Joshua Hamilton, Ph.D., a toxicologist specializing in arsenic research and the chief academic and scientific officer at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Mass.

As our investigation found, when scientists and doctors do look, the connections they’ve found underscore the need to protect public health by reducing Americans’ exposure to this potent toxin.

What our tests found

Juice samples
 
     We tested juice from bottles, cans, and juice boxes that we bought in three states. We went shopping in Connecticut, New Jersey, and New York in August and September, buying 28 apple juices and three grape juices. Our samples came from ready-to-drink bottles, juice boxes, and cans of concentrate. For most juices, we bought three different lot numbers to assess variability. (For some juices, we couldn’t find three lots, so we tested one or two.) In all, we tested 88 samples.

     Five samples of apple juice and four of grape juice had total arsenic levels exceeding the 10 ppb federal limit for bottled and drinking water. Levels in the apple juices ranged from 1.1 to 13.9 ppb, and grape-juice levels were even higher, 5.9 to 24.7 ppb. Most of the total arsenic in our samples was inorganic, our tests showed.

     As for lead, about one fourth of all juice samples had levels at or above the 5-ppb limit for bottled water. The top lead level for apple juice was 13.6 ppb; for grape juice, 15.9 ppb.

     The following brands had at least one sample of apple juice that exceeded 10 ppb: Apple & Eve, Great Value (Walmart), and Mott’s. For grape juice, at least one sample from Walgreens and Welch’s exceeded that threshold. And these brands had one or more samples of apple juice that exceeded 5 ppb of lead: America’s Choice (A&P), Gerber, Gold Emblem (CVS), Great Value, Joe’s Kids (Trader Joe’s), Minute Maid, Seneca, and Walgreens. At least one sample of grape juice exceeding 5 ppb of lead came from Gold Emblem, Walgreens, and Welch’s. Our findings provide a spot check of a number of local juice aisles, but they can’t be used to draw general conclusions about arsenic or lead levels in any particular brand. Even within a single tested brand, levels of arsenic and lead sometimes varied widely.


Minute Maid Apple Juice

• Lowest sample for arsenic: 2 parts per billion
• Highest sample for arsenic: 3 parts per billion

Apple and Eve apple juice

• Lowest sample for arsenic: 3 parts per billion
• Highest sample for arsenic: 11 parts per billion

Mott’s

• Lowest sample for arsenic: 4 parts per billion
• Highest sample for arsenic: 16 parts per billion

Juicy Juice

• Lowest sample for arsenic: 2 parts per billion
• Highest sample for arsenic: 22 parts per billion

Gerber

• Lowest sample for arsenic: 3 parts per billion
• Highest sample for arsenic: 36 parts per billion

     Arsenic-tainted soil in U.S. orchards is a likely source of contamination for apples, and finding lead with arsenic in juices that we tested is not surprising. Even with a ban on lead-arsenate insecticides, “we are finding problems with some Washington state apples, not because of irresponsible farming practices now but because lead-arsenate pesticides that were used here decades ago remain in the soil,” says Denise Wilson, Ph.D., an associate professor at the University of Washington who has tested apple juices and discovered elevated arsenic levels even in brands labeled organic.

     Over the years, a shift has occurred in how juice sold in America is produced. To make apple juice, manufacturers often blend water with apple-juice concentrate from multiple sources. For the past decade, most concentrate has come from China (PDF). Concerns have been raised about the possible continuing use of arsenical pesticides there, and several Chinese provinces that are primary apple-growing regions are known to have high arsenic concentrations in groundwater.

     We also wanted to know whether people who drink juice end up being exposed to more arsenic than those who don’t. The resulting analysis of almost 3,000 study participants found that those reporting apple-juice consumption had on average 19 percent greater levels of total urinary arsenic than those subjects who did not, and those who reported drinking grape juice had 20 percent higher levels.

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    So - Maura here again. Should you be curtailing your apple juice consumption? I think if I knew now what I did when my son as small...he wouldn't be drinking apple juice. Apple juice is regularly used to sweeten foods as well. Should you be avoiding those? Possibly. I think if you get down to the nugget of truth, the kernel at the heart of this story -...it is not that our food supply is untrustworthy. It is the use of products grown outside of the US - specifically, the apple juice concentrate most companies use is imported from apples grown in China - that is the harmful and potentially dangerous part of the equation.

     The answer? Buy local. Do you have apple juice / apple cider produced in small batches within a few hundred miles of your home? Buy that. If you drink a lot of apple juice, or regularly have it in your house - look for locally produced alternatives. You can be more assured that the product does not have a banned chemical, or a harmful additive. Have a little one at home? This is a decision you'll have to make. Juice consumption for toddlers is supposed to be really controlled. They are probably better off without much ( if any ) fruit juice - but that is a personal decision each parent needs to make after weighing the pros and cons.

Clean Eating In The News: Eating 2 Slices of Bacon A Day Increases Cancer Risk by 1/5

     Eating two slices of bacon, one sausage, or 2 slices of cold cuts a day can increase a person's risk of a deadly form of cancer by almost a fifth, according to a Swedish study. This, along with the Harvard School of Public Heath's link of processed meats with heart disease  should be scientific proof enough for any intelligent person that processed meats like cold cuts, bacon, and ham are significant health risks.

     New research by the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm found that eating 1.8 ounces (50 grams) of processed meat a day can increase the risk of pancreatic cancer by 19 percent. For people consuming 3.5 ounces (100 grams) of processed meat, the increased risk jumps to 38 percent and 57 percent for those eating 5.3 ounces (150 grams) a day.

      The authors of this study have suggested that one of the reasons could be that some of the chemicals that are used to preserve processed meat are turned in our bodies into some really harmful chemicals which can affect our DNA and increase the chance of cancer. The World Cancer Research Fund is advising consumers to limit their intake of cooked red meat to 500g ( a little under 20 ounces ) a week and to avoid processed meat altogether.