Hey Everyone,
Today I have to post about something that has just been killing me for quite some time now and this week I think it has hit a tipping point. There are so many foods out there that claim to be healthy, boasting labels and check marks on their boxes, promising whole grains and "all natural ingrediants." I have tried to use a lot of my blog posts in the past to help people decipher the myths from the truth because some people will actually believe that General Mills Fruity Pebbles are good for their kids because they have a check mark on the front.. but how do we know whats real and whats a lie to get us to dig in our pockets? Have advertising and genetic modifications of food gone entirely too far?
Last night in my one of my MBA classes, we were discussing business ethics..what makes a leader ethical? what makes a PERSON ethical? and then someone said the magic words.. "What about truth in advertising?" I promise you folks, probably 80% of the "healthy" foods that you see advertisements for are not actually good for you at all. Most are filled with chemicals, preservatives, salt and replace sugar with fat or vice versa.
One of the main culprits of the disastorous eating habits of the United States is a compound that has been getting a lot of hype in the last few months..High Fructose Corn Syrup. HFCS has become the main ingrediant in so many common foods.. look at your breads..yes thats right even whole grain breads, yogurt, cereals, drinks, ketchup, pasta sauce.. everything you can think of that isnt something like a pure fruit or vegetable. HFCS has been rumored to mess with the your bodies natural metabolism causing major problems with digestion and proper nutrient absorption. It causes weight gain and mood swings.. but some people think that even with all these side effects from this chemically created artificial sweetener.. there are some people who think that regardless .. HFCS is getting a bad rap!
Has anyone seen the commercials talking about how HFCS is the same as table sugar? "its ok to feed to your child HFCS in large quantities of fruit juice ma'am.. it is the same as table sugar!..dont worry little lady.. you just dont understand ; )" Smile.. wink** What those commercials dont tell you is that processed white table sugar has its own slew of problems it can cause in your body. In other words.. yes it is the same as table sugar.. in the sense that they are both horrible for you if eaten regularly.. and with it being in everything! How are you supposed to avoid it?!
SO since the American people have started to get wise to the issues that HFCS can cause.. (how dare we want people to educate themselves on healthy habits.. tisk tisk..what are you thinking?) The food industry gurus-that-be.. have decided that people arent giving HFCS a chance because there is an unfair stigma attached to it.. so they need to change the name.. to do what? Confuse people into continuing to buy it and hurt themselves and their childrens health.. yep.. thanks Corporate America! You're Awesome!
The FDA was approached by the Corn Refiners Association recently to allow the name change from High Fructose Corn Syrup to the much friendlier "Corn Sugar." I know that people are smarter than to fall for this.. please dont..Dont listen to commercials that say its ok.. please just reach for an apple instead : )
The other story thats been in the news lately has literally blown my mind. Scientists have succeeded in creating genetically modified salmon. Basically, our population has exploded so much.. and we are using so much more food than we should be.. that we are over fishing and not allowing the water ecosystems enough time to replenish themselves. We are wiping out some fish species because of our overconsumption. So the solution was not to stop being glutonous but was instead, to use chemicals and the science of playing God to create more fish.
The FDA is in the process of examining the modified fish and determining whether or not it is safe for human consumption but the general concensus is that they will approve it. I dont know about anyone else but I am not all that confident in the "research techniques" of the FDA..
I dont understand why we have to add chemicals and processing to food that could be delicious on its own? Fruits and vegetables are delicious and they are good for you.. they help you grow, live, play and work.. while Twinkies are delicious and they help you do nothing.. its a no brainer!
What are your thoughts on genetic modifications of food? Processing? Chemical additives?
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