How much are you into your LABELS?

I know some are into Name Brand labels, some are into food labels...Today I'm going to take a closer look into Food Labels and then my next blog will be looking into Product labels that we use on a daily bases. Do you know what you are actually consuming?

A favorite of many. I know I've enjoyed cheetos myself...but do we really know what's in these crunchy orange flavored snack? 

Ferrous Sulfate: it is a type of iron

Niacin: is a B vitamin

Thiamin Monoitrate: Is a synthetic form of vitamin B1 (synthetic product such as they use in vitamins are hard to break down in our bodies and therefore we never actually get the nutrients we need.)

Riboflavin: is a form of vitamin B2

Hydrogenated Soybean Oil: is a chemical process where the liquid soybean oil is heated to high temperatures after adding a catalyst and hydrogen is forcefully passed through the liquid. _{(if it has any chemical processing in the making of the product our bodies have a very difficult time breaking down the food in our system therefore the food is devoid of any nutrients and we become nutrient deficient)} 

Maltodextrin: is a polysaccharid that is used as a food additive. It is produced from starch.

Monosodium Glutamate: is also known as sodium glutamate or MSG, is the sodium salt of glutamic acid.

Lactic Acid: is also known as milk acid, is a chemical compound that plays a role in various that plays a role in various biochemical processes.

Citric Acid: is a weak organic acid that is a natural preservative/ conservative and is also used to add an acidic, or sour taste to foods and soft drinks.

“Believe it or not, most artificial flavorings are derived from pretroleum. They have been shown to affect the RNA, thyroid, and enzymes. Most have never even been studied for safety or toxicity. They are all synthesized chemicals that don’t even have common names. Most artificial flavors actually contain many chemicals are volatile.

Sadly, the FDA doesn’t require manufacturers to list color or flavor additives on ingredients left, as long as they are recognized as safe. Some of these can cause allergic reactions in intolerant people, and these folks can find it hard to avoid those substances. Many times the ingredients will simply say “artificial flavors” without mentioning which ones. http://curezone.com/forums/fm.asp?i=1533006

If you want to read more on the dangers of artificial flavors and colors check this above article out at the http: address. The FDA also allows pink slime in some ground beef and in McDonalds chicken nuggets. http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/pinkslime-ammonia-ground-beef.htm

So hopefully this blog will help be a bit of an eye opener to find out what really is in your food and encourage you to read the labels. If you can consume whole foods at least 90% of the time you are on the right track at getting your health back on track.

Is Ignorance really BLISS?! Part 2

I wonder if people really know the cost of the typical american ignorance to what they feed themselves and their little ones.

USATODAY says, "By Robert Preidt HealthDay

The total economic cost of overweight and obesity in the United States is $270 billion per year while the cost in Canada is about $30 billion a year, a new study shows.

The $300 billion total cost in the United States and Canada is the result of: increased need for medical care ($127 billion); loss of worker productivity due to higher rates of death ($49 billion); loss of productivity due to disability of active workers ($43 billion); and loss of productivity due to total disability ($72 billion), said the Society of Actuaries (SOA)."

The George Washington University did a report that found out "The high price of a high BMI: After tabulating various costs associated with being overweight or obese, the researchers found that being an obese individual in the U.S. costs $4,879 for women and $2,646 for men each year. The overall annual costs of being overweight are $524 for women and $432 for men. The researchers defined “obesity” as a body mass index (BMI) higher than 30, and “overweight” as a BMI between 25–29. Adding the value of lost life to these yearly costs makes the price tag even higher: $8,365 and $6,518 for women and men, respectively."

Those are some scary statistics... And that's just financially. What are the risks of being overweight and obese health wise? being overweight go way beyond the ones we usually hear about, like diabetes and heart disease. Being overweight can also affect a person's joints, breathing, sleep, mood, and energy levels. So being overweight can impact a person's entire quality of life. Here is a list of things of how it impacts our lives.

· Blount disease

· Arthritis

· Slipped capital femoral epiphyses (SCFE)

· Asthma

· Sleep apnea

· High blood pressure

· High cholesterol

· Gallstones

· Fatty liver

· Pseudotumor cerebri

· Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)

· Insulin resistance and diabetes

• Depression

Who wants to live with those kind of complications day in and day out. You may not have all these symptoms but we all need to take a good look at where our health habits stand because the habits we have formed over the years will impact our future and what our futures hold. I want to live a long, energetic life. But the only way I can do that is if I start today and turn my bad eating and exercise habits into daily good habits.

Let's begin this journey together so that we can be healthy and strong for ourselves and our loved ones.