We are what we eat

[Guest guest]

http://www.thecrazymakers.com/food_facts.shtml

From " The Crazy Makers " (How the Food Industry is destroying our brains and

Harming our Children) a book on nutrition by Carol Simontacchi

consider these " food facts " :

Over $750 million is spent annually on vending machine sales alone, bringing

huge dollars into schools. Nearly $6 billion are spent by U.S. elementary

and high schools on foods served at school. Top vending machine sellers

are soft drinks, coffee, juice and juice drinks, candy, chips, pretzels,

cookies, and even French fries.

Many of our most popular baby foods contain high levels of organophosphate

insecticide residues that are toxic to the neurological and

endocrinological systems. Nine out of ten children under the age of five

are exposed to thirteen different neurotoxic insecticides in their baby

foods.

Infant formulas lack the fatty acid DHA, a deficiency which can alter not

only neuron development but development of the retina as well. The amino

acid profile in infant formulas leaves the brain deficient in tryptophan, a

deficiency that leads to aggressive behaviors and sleep disorders in

children. Soy based infant formulas have been linked to changes in the

function of the sex glands, the central nervous system, the thyroid, and may

lead to behavioral problems in adolescence. A daily supply of soy-based

formula provides as much estrogen as is found in several birth control

pills, and yet research is not being done on the endocrinological or

neurological effects of supra-physiological doses of estrogen during the

formative period in a child's life.

Millions of metric tons of MSG are routinely added to foods marketed to

children and adults. Although it is illegal to put MSG in infant foods,

food additives that contain glutamate are added, bypassing federal

regulations. MSG is categorized as an excitotoxin, a chemical that

over-stimulates brain cells and may cause their premature death.

The average American consumes over two hundred pounds of sugar and

artificial sweeteners per year, or over twenty teaspoons per day. Most

popular cereals contain more sugar, ounce for ounce, than soft drinks.

Thousands of adverse reactions to aspartame have been reported, including

depression, fatigue, irritability, insomnia, vision problems, hearing loss,

anxiety attacks, slurred speech, loss of the sense of taste, tinnitus,

vertigo, and memory loss.

Packaged entrees marketed to children contain from six to eight different

forms of sodium, and many of these entrees contain over 1000 mg of sodium

per container, along with forty to sixty grams of sugar. These entrees are

packed as a school lunch.

The typical teenage boy drinks over fifty ounces of soft drinks per day.

Teenage girls drink over forty-five ounces of soft drinks per day. Soft

drink companies sell over nine billion servings per day, and are reaching

for an even bigger share of the beverage market.

Our milk supply is becoming increasingly contaminated with hormones that

wield a powerful influence on our own hormones. Little to no research has

been done on how these hormones affect the endocrine system in young,

growing bodies. Genetic testing is now underway to boost the estrogen

content in milk even higher.

What Are We To Do About It?

This is the big question. We already know that our food culture is

destroying our brains. We instinctually know it. We feel it. We feel a

little guilty when we pull up to the drive-through and order dinner for the

family. The question is easy to ask. The answer is painfully difficult,

isn't it?

But once we come to the decision that we need to feed our brains, that we

want to encourage good dietary habits in our children so they will be smart

and well-adjusted, it isn't so difficult, after all. Nature has provided a

virtual cornucopia of flavor and color, vibrant foods that enrich our

brains, foods that stimulate our imaginations and our reason. We can choose

from over one hundred vegetables and over thirty fruits on the American

market shelves to fuel our bodies with vitamins and minerals. We can choose

avocados, olive oil, nuts and seeds, and real butter, all rich in essential

fatty acids. We can choose from a variety of both vegetarian and animal

proteins to provide essential amino acids.

Instead of cramming our days with activities (TV and computer or work) that

crowd out kitchen time, we can spend time with our children in the kitchen.

While we're teaching them how to chop, wash, create, blend, and feast, we

can talk. We can make mealtimes a time rich in flavor and tradition instead

of a rushed affair before we race out the door for yet another meaningless

activity.

Nature plays a part. Nurture plays a part. But in the face of bad

nutrition, nature and nurture are shackled. Our food is, quite literally,

driving us crazy.