Flavor Additives & FDA’s Definition Of “Natural Flavorings” | Be Well Buzz

“If it’s not a pure extract, food chemists create their own proprietary natural flavors. Natural doesn’t mean that it fell off a tree. The flavorist will identify the “primary” chemical constituents in an essence and extract it from any plant or animal source, or any combination of these, of their choosing. In the case of vanilla, a source unrelated to the vanilla bean has been famously used. It’s on the GRAS list.[4] It’s called castoreum. And it comes from a beaver’s ass.

Yes, you read correctly and yes, it’s really true. Castoreum is commonly found in the commercially approved foods you love, including vanilla ice cream. (To see a fairly recent study on the safety of castoreum, and just in case you didn’t believe me, check out the scientific study below.[5]) According to FDA requirements, manufactures aren’t required to announce the presence of animal products in their natural flavors, a calamity to vegans and vegetarians, and the reason why it’s so vital to stay informed.”

I’d like beaver’s ass flavored ice cream, please! :-D

Yoga Isn't Just Good For Your Mind, It's Good For Your Genes

“What’s the Deal?

Laughing Lotus

Photo by Jordan Shakeshaft

In one recent study, researchers recruited a small group of newbie meditators and trained them for six weeks in the art of breathing deeply,  repeating mantras, and ignoring intrusive thoughts. At the end of the training, researchers drew blood before and 15 minutes after participants listened to a 20-minute guided meditation CD. What they found was remarkable: All the blood samples showed positive changes in gene expression (the process by which certain genes are turned “on” or “off”).

Specifically, genes linked to energy metabolism, mitochondria function, insulin secretion, and telomere maintenance were activated, while genes associated with stress and inflammation were deactivated. Researchers also ran the same experiment on a group of more experienced meditators, and found that the pros’ blood samples showed even more significant, positive changes in gene expression.

Other recent research has yielded similar findings. Scientists have found that yoga induces changes in the expression of genes related to the immune system (in other words, yoga may boost immunity), and that practicing yoga and meditation can help the body heal faster from disease [1] [2].”

What's Really in Your Sanitary Pads and Tampons?

Story at-a-glance

  • When chemicals come in contact with your skin, they are absorbed straight into your bloodstream without filtering of any kind, going directly to your delicate organs
  • Feminine hygiene products such as tampons and sanitary pads are an oft-ignored source of a variety of potentially toxic ingredients, including genetically modified organisms and pesticides
  • Manufacturers of tampons and sanitary pads are not required to disclose the ingredients used in their products
  • One conventional sanitary pad contains the equivalent of about four plastic bags
  • A number of plasticizing chemicals have been linked to endocrine disruption and disease processes associated with heart disease and cancer. Conventional tampons and pads may also contain dioxins, synthetic fibers and petrochemical additives
  • Tampons can react with bacteria in your body to create the ideal environment for bacteria to flourish, triggering potentially fatal toxic shock syndrome (TSS)

The World's Worst Warm-up: Why Static Stretching Leaves Us Weak

“The New York Times recently wrote on two new studies — with different methodologies — that illustrate the anti-performance effects of static stretching pre-workout [2] [3]. The first study, conducted at Stephen F. Austin State University, showed significant strength impairment in individuals who practiced static stretching before lifting as opposed to those who performed dynamic warm-ups. (Even when a subjects performed both types of warm-up, static stretching seemed to negate the positive performance boost of dynamic moves like explosive lunges.)

The second study by researchers in Croatia looked at a total of 104 previous studies on stretching and athletic performance. Almost across the board — and regardless of age, sex, or fitness level — static stretching before a workout impaired explosive movement and strength performance [4]. And while more research is needed to determine exaclty why static stretching hurts our performance so much, it’s likely that loosening muscles and tendons in the “traditional” manner leaves them less able to move quickly and on command come workout time.”

Breakup of physician, drug company relationship could improve health care, cut cost

“A new report suggests that improved health care and significant reductions in drug costs might be attained by breaking up the age-old relationship between physicians and drug company representatives who promote the newest, more costly and often unnecessary prescription drugs.

This system, which has been in place for decades, at one time benefited doctors by keeping them up to date on new medications, and always provided generous amounts of “free” samples to get patients started on the newest drugs, as well as other supplies and gifts.

But it’s actually a powerful marketing process into which the pharmaceutical industry pours tens of billions of dollars a year, with more than 90,000 drug representatives providing gifts and advice. There is one drug representative for every eight doctors in the United States. This doesn’t necessarily serve the best interests of the patient in terms of economy, efficacy, safety or accuracy of information, experts say.”

Progressive Eaters, Unite!

America’s food industry is in the midst of a dramatic culture shift that’s challenging everything we’ve been taught about eating. Here’s how to take advantage of this exciting new movement and eat more healthfully than ever before.

Oct08_Prog1.jpg

Time to Eat

The good news is it really doesn’t take much to lend your support to the positive trends in today’s food movement. And doing so will build a healthier, more soul-satisfying relationship with your food. Here are a few simple ways you can help revolutionize our food system for the better:

1. Do Your Homework
As organics take off and multinational food companies acquire small producers, consumer research becomes more important than ever. (For a graph displaying who owns what in the organic foods industry, visit www.msu.edu/~howardp/organicindustry.html.) Check out labels through nonindustry sources like the Environmental Working Group (www.ewg.org) or Sustainable Table (www.sustainabletable.org) — they’ll explain which food producers uphold the highest standards of land management, labor practices and animal treatment. (See Web Extra! for more on the intricacies of the burgeoning organics industry.)

You can also take your pick of books like Kingsolver’s and Pollan’s, or Daniel Imhoff’s Food Fight: A Citizen’s Guide to a Food and Farm Bill (University of California Press, 2007). Plus, two recent documentaries — King Corn (2007) and The Future of Food (2004) — will help you better understand the dangers of monoculture crops and genetically modified seeds. For a clever, but strongly positioned, lesson about factory-farmed eggs, milk and meat, check out the flash animation films at The Meatrix (www.themeatrix.com).

2. Get Involved
Find your local food co-op and become a member. (You can track down the nearest one at www.sustainabletable.org.) Start a weekend ritual of visiting a nearby farmers’ market. Buy a share in a CSA (find one at www.localharvest.org) and get weekly deliveries of fresh produce from a local farmer; some CSAs even offer fresh eggs and chicken. (For more on eating local, see “Closer to Home: 5 Steps Toward Eating Local” in the April 2008 archives.)

Get involved with urban farming or spend a day volunteering at a nearby farm, especially great activities to do with kids. See if you can get your school hooked up with a local farm for the lunch program. Or consider donating to good food causes, like the People’s Grocery in Oakland, Calif., or the folks at Urban Farming, who are working to increase urban food security by turning empty city lots into farms (www.urbanfarming.org).

Finally, don’t be intimidated by legislation — there are plenty of primers on the Farm Bill (see Imhoff’s Food Fight) that will get you up to speed on the basic issues. Call and write your legislators (www.congress.org) to press for a better “food bill” that supports a more sustainable food system. Meanwhile, you can continue to “vote with your fork” by shopping for local, sustainable whole foods.

3. Choose Your Battles
Here are a few modest changes that can make a big impact:

  • Become a “whole-food-avore.” Strive to incorporate into your diet more fresh foods that look pretty much as they did in nature, and you’ll not only be healthier, you’ll bypass many of the problems associated with the food system: The worst agricultural sins are not committed in the name of fruits and vegetables.
  • Know the “dirty dozen” fruits and vegetables, and buy the organic varieties. Peaches, apples, bell peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, lettuce, imported grapes, pears, spinach and potatoes carry the worst pesticide load, according to a 2007 study by the Environmental Working Group. Read more about the study at www.foodnews.org.
  • Stick with grass-fed dairy and meat products and avoid any food raised in a commercial feedlot. Supporting grass-fed operations is not only more humane for animals and significantly easier on the environment, it’s also much better for your health. Visit www.eatwild.com for more information and to find your nearest sources of pastured meat and milk.

4. Follow the Foodies
When you find yourself too busy to hit the farmers’ market or weed the vegetable gardens at a CSA, you can still support a healthier food economy by choosing farm-to-table restaurants when you eat out. (The Eat Well Guide at www.eatwellguide.org will help you find them.)

Today’s food activists are helping bring our food systems and eating habits full circle: When we eat more local, seasonal, whole foods, we are eating much like our ancestors.

“In the history of European cooking, preparing local food was more of a necessity,” says Mike Phillips, head chef at the Minneapolis restaurant The Craftsman, one of hundreds nationwide that support local growers of whole foods. “There weren’t means to refrigerate or ship food thousands of miles, so traditional cooking and preserving techniques evolved out of using foods locally. There’s also a strong pride taken in regional foods — only wine grown in the Burgundy region can carry that name — and I want to support farmers who are developing those traditions of quality here.”

Indeed, there is pleasure and a sense of pride in knowing where our food comes from — and a deeper connection with our food is born out of appreciation for the labor that brought it to our plate. Familiarizing ourselves with what we eat and buying whole, local foods sustains our food culture and promotes dignity in food production and consumption.

This more mindful approach to food — and the food system at large — transforms an everyday act of consumption into an act of grace. And who doesn’t want a bigger serving of that?

How GMO Plants Harm Food Production and Your Health

Story at-a-glance

  • The health of the soil has a profound influence on the nutritional composition of the food crops grown in it, which means soil health has a profound influence on your personal health as well
  • Healthy plant growth is dependent on having the right helper organisms in the soil; beneficial species of bacteria, fungi, protozoa, beneficial nematodes, microarthropods, and earthworms, which take the mineral material from the soil and convert it into a plant-available form
  • Once you’ve identified the optimal communities of soil organism, you can modify your compost to correct imbalances. A starter culture can be used to boost the fermentation and generation of beneficial bacteria, much in the same way you can boost the probiotics in your fermented vegetables.
  • For compost, this strategy is used if you want to compost very rapidly. In that case, you can use a starter to inoculate the specific sets of organisms that you need to encourage in the compost
  • Optimizing the soil with high performance agriculture techniques is a simple inexpensive and practical alternative to reliance on bioengineering, GMO crops and reliance on dangerous herbicides

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