Friday, June 21, 2013

8 Foods We Eat In The U.S. That Are Banned In Other Countries



8 Foods We Eat In The U.S. That Are Banned In Other Countries

This brings a whole new meaning to the phrase “food poisoning.” Original list found in Dr. Jayson Calton and certified nutritionist Mira Calton’s new book, Rich Food, Poor Food.


1. Artificial food dye: Makes your food pretty and inhibits nerve-cell development.

Artificial food dye: Makes your food pretty and inhibits nerve-cell development.
Found in: Practically everything we eat: cake mixes, sports drinks, cheese, candy, and even MACARONI AND CHEESE.
Why it’s dangerous: Artificial dyes are made from chemicals derived from PETROLEUM, which is also used to make gasoline, diesel fuel, asphalt, and TAR! Artificial dyes have been linked to brain cancer, nerve-cell deterioration, and hyperactivity, just to name a few.
Where it’s banned: Norway, Finland, Austria, France, and the United Kingdom.
For more information on artificial dyes, visit 100 Days of Real Food.

2. Olestra (or Olean): Lowers calorie counts while causing vitamin depletion and anal leakage.

Olestra (or Olean): Lowers calorie counts while causing vitamin depletion and anal leakage.
Found in: Fat-free potato chips, corn chips, and French fries.
Why it’s dangerous: Created by Procter & Gamble as a substitue for cooking oil, Olestra robs your body of its ability to absorb vitamins. Fun side effects include cramps and leaky bowels.
Where it’s banned: The U.K. and Canada.
For more information on Olestra, visit Time magazine’s “50 Worst Inventions.”

3. Brominated vegetable oil: Makes food dye stick to liquid, but also may cause birth defects and major organ damage.

Brominated vegetable oil: Makes food dye stick to liquid, but also may cause birth defects and major organ damage.
Found in: Sports drinks and citrus-flavored sodas.
Why it’s dangerous: Bromine is a chemical used to stop CARPETS FROM CATCHING ON FIRE, so you can see why drinking it may not be the best idea. BVO is linked to major organ system damage, birth defects, growth problems, schizophrenia, and hearing loss.
Where it’s banned: In over 100 countries.
For more info on BVO, visit Web MD’s “Brominated Vegetable Oil Q&A.”

4. Potassium bromate (or bromated flour): Great for impatient bakers, bad for your kidneys and nervous system.

Potassium bromate (or bromated flour): Great for impatient bakers, bad for your kidneys and nervous system.
Found in: Wraps, rolls, bread crumbs, bagel chips, flat breads.
Why it’s dangerous: Derived from the same harmful chemical as brominated vegetable oil, brominated flour is used to decrease baking time and reduce costs. Only problem is, it’s linked to kidney damage, cancer, and nervous system damage.
Where it’s banned: Europe, Canada, and China.
For more information on potassium bromate, visit Live Science’s “The Truth About Potassium Bromate.”

5. Azodicarbonamide: Bleaches flour, plastic, and induces asthma as an added bonus.

Azodicarbonamide: Bleaches flour, plastic, and induces asthma as an added bonus.
Found in: Breads, frozen dinners, boxed pasta mixes, and packaged baked goods.
Why it’s dangerous: Used to bleach both flour and FOAMED PLASTIC (yoga mats and the soles of sneakers), azodicarbonamide has been known to induce asthma.
Where it’s banned: Australia, the U.K., and most European countries.
For more information on azodicarbonamide, visit Food-u-cate.

6. BHA & BHT: Waxy preservatives linked to cancer and tumors.

BHA & BHT: Waxy preservatives linked to cancer and tumors.
Found in: Cereal, nut mixes, gum, butter, meat, dehydrated potatoes.
Why it’s dangerous: Used to keep food from becoming rancid, butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) are known to cause cancer in rats. And we’re next!
Where it’s banned: England, Japan, and many other European countries.
For more information on BHA and BHT, visit Berkley Wellness’ “Two Preservatives To Avoid?”
Source: amazon.com

7. Synthetic growth hormones rBGH and rBST: Harm cows and can give humans breast, colon, and prostate cancer.

Synthetic growth hormones rBGH and rBST: Harm cows and can give humans breast, colon, and prostate cancer.
Found in: Milk and dairy products.
Why it’s dangerous: Growth hormones are bad for cows and people, causing infertility, weakened muscle growth, and a whole array of cancers.
Where it’s banned: Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Japan, and the EU.
For more information on rBGH and rBST, visit the American Cancer Society’s info page.

8. Arsenic: Basically this ish will slowly kill you.

Arsenic: Basically this ish will slowly kill you.
Found in: Poultry.
Why it’s dangerous: Used as chicken feed to make meat appear pinker and fresher, arsenic is POISON, which will kill you if you ingest enough.
Where it’s banned: The European Union.
For more information on arsenic, visit NPR’s “How Trace Amounts Of Arsenic End Up In Grocery Store Meat.”

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

nutrient density sticking to the essentials


Nutrient Density: Sticking To The Essentials – Mathieu Lalonde (AHS12)


I’ve been a big fan of Mathieu Lalonde ever since I saw his Science of Nutrition lecture. Seriously, if you can buy a copy or attend one of these all day affairs, you’re going to come out with a lot of knowledge you didn’t have when you walked in.
So it was with great anticipation that I’ve been awaiting his Ancestral Health Symposium (AHS) 2012 presentation: Nutrient Density: Sticking to the Essentials. Well, it’s finally out, and as with most things Matt Lalonde, it’s well worth watching.
He starts by covering the concept of Nutrient Density in a historical context: A paper by Boyd Eaton and Lauren Cordain on Nutrient Density, NuVal scores (ideologically/politically biased towards plant-based diets), and ANDI Scores (again, artificially biased against meats). Given that all the established models had significant problems, Lalonde decided he would crunch some numbers and make his own, based on a simple formula:
Nutrient Density = (Σ Essential Nutrients Per Serving) / (Weight Per Serving)
I’m going to stop my discussion here to introduce his video. Everything that follows is based on what he talks about. After the video, I’ll continue…
Interesting conclusions:
  • The best nutrient densities for cooked grains are already negative numbers.
  • Raw grains have a better nutrient density than cooked, but alas, we can’t usually eat raw grains.
  • The notion that grains and legumes are amongst the healthiest foods come from an analysis of them in their raw and inedible state. Once you look at their cooked values, they are amongst the worst (from a nutrient density standpoint).
  • Bacon turns out to be some of the most nutrient dense meats (ditch the grease).
  • The lowest scores for beef are where the highest scores for grains started at.
  • Oysters are awesome. (I think bacon wrapped oysters might be a superfood.)
  • Game meat (like Elk, for example) is surprisingly low. I had expected it to have a higher score.
  • Organ meats (excluding tripe, lungs, and some others) are awesome.
Nutrient Density Averages:
CategoryAvg. Nutrient Density ScoresCategoryAvg Nutrient Density/Caloric Weight Scores
1Organ Meats and Oils17.05Organ Meats and Oils0.49
2Herbs and Spices16.78Herbs and Spices0.21
3Nuts and Seeds10.28Nuts and Seeds0.09
4Cacao7.97Legumes (Raw or Cooked Edible)0.02
5Fish and Seafood1.16Fish and Seafood0.02
6Pork0.69Pork0.01
7Beef0.31Beef0.009
8Eggs & Dairy-0.56Cacao-0.001
9Vegetables (Raw & Unprepared)-0.70Lamb, Veal and Wild Game-0.03
10Lamb, Veal and Wild Game-1.19Poultry-0.05
11Poultry-1.71Plant Fats and Oils-0.05
12Legumes (Raw or Cooked Edible)-2.86Animal Fats and Oils-0.07
13Processed Meat-3.10Processed Meat-0.09
14Vegetables (Cooked, Blanched, Canned, Pickled)-4.84Eggs & Dairy-0.10
15Plant Fats and Oils-5.41Refined and Processed Fats and Oils-0.13
16Fruit-5.62Animal Skin and Feet-0.15
17Animal Skin and Feet-6.22Grains and Pseudocereals (Cooked)-0.25
18Grains and Pseudocereals (Cooked)-6.23Grains (Canned)-0.38
19Refined and Processed Fats and Oils-6.43Fruit-0.44
20Animal Fats and Oils-6.88Vegetables (Raw & Unprepared)-0.53
21Grains (Canned)-7.04Processed Fruit-0.54
22Processed Fruit-8.12Vegetables (Cooked, Blanched, Canned, Pickled)-0.74
Ideally, the essential nutrients he uses to calculate nutrient density would be based on the following, but not all data are available. This introduces a bias for and against certain foods that would be nice to have corrected in the future. The data he has available doesn’t distinguish between Vitamin D2 and D3, nor does it distinguish between the various fatty acids. The table below is his proposed model for how to measure Nutrient Density. Data that was not available to him (but that he would like to be used in Nutrient Density) is indicated:
Fatty Acids:
Amino Acids:
Vitamins:
Minerals: