Did you know that American farmers feed their cattle corn because the government subsidizes it?

Even worse, did you know that farmers must drug cows so their stomachs can tolerate grain rather than grass?

The US population is addicted to corn, for the worst reasons. Processed food contains corn syrup and cows and chickens are fed corn instead of grain because it’s cheaper. In our country, corn is snuck into everything, from candy bars to baking powder (corn starch is the starch used).You’ll find corn in sauces, flours, sugars and syrups.

Michael Pollan was one of the first to discover how this unhealthy state of affairs has emerged about in his 2006 book, The Omnivore’s Dilemma, and how the industrialization of agriculture has denuded soil, poisoned animals and helped to bring about the rise in type 2 diabetes.

Corn and the Omegas

Corn Syrup

Farmers drug cows to feed them corn because their stomachs don’t tolerate corn like their preferred grain/grass.

What about the Chickens?

In addition to the cows, chickens have been forced to eat corn as well. When chickens are fed corn instead of grain or grass, it makes the natural omega 3′s lower and forces the omega 6 in the egg to sky rocket. This imbalance of omega fatty acids can lead to many health issues.

This dietary imbalance may explain the rise of such diseases as asthma, coronary heart disease, many forms of cancer, autoimmunity and neurodegenerative diseases, all of which are believed to stem from inflammation in the body. The imbalance between omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids may also contribute to obesity, depression, dyslexia, hyperactivity and even a tendency toward violence.

Bringing the fats into proper proportion may actually relieve those conditions, according to Joseph Hibbeln, M.D., a psychiatrist at the National Institutes of Health, and perhaps the world’s leading authority on the relationship between fat consumption and mental health. At the 2006 Nutrition and Health Conference sponsored by the University of Arizona’s College of Medicine and Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons, Dr. Hibbeln cited a study showing that violence in a British prison dropped by 37 percent after omega-3 oils and vitamins were added to the prisoners’ diets.

What are Omega-3 and Omega-6?

Omega-3 and omega-6 are types of essential fatty acids – meaning we cannot make them on our own and have to obtain them from our diet. Both are polyunsaturated fatty acids that differ from each other in their chemical structure. In modern diets, there are few sources of omega-3 fatty acids, mainly the fat of cold water fish such as salmon, sardines, herring, mackerel, black cod, and bluefish. There are two critical omega-3 fatty acids, (eicosapentaenoic acid, called EPA and docosahexaenoic or DHA), that the body needs.

Vegetarian sources, such as walnuts and flaxseeds contain a precursor omega-3 (alpha-linolenic acid called ALA) that the body must convert to EPA and DHA. EPA and DHA are the building blocks for hormones that control immune function, blood clotting, and cell growth as well as components of cell membranes.

A few healthy tips from Pollan

In the Guardian, they write about this issue and about Pollan’s new book. “Pollan has written a digestible paperback, Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual. It extends his manifesto into 64 injunctions, including “Buy a freezer” and “Don’t eat breakfast cereal that changes the color of the milk“. Here’s hoping that Pollan will go on to expose other perverse food chains that afflict the world’s diet.

Everyone pretty much agrees that soda isn’t good for you. Even those who drink it regularly know it isn’t wise, yet continue to consume it for some odd reason. (addiction?)

The Facts

The average cola contains carbonated water, caramel color, natural flavors, caffeine, phosphoric acid and high-fructose corn syrup. Carbonated water is plain water infused with carbon dioxide, which creates the bubbles. Caramel color is a natural additive that tints food products, providing the familiar color consumers expect to see. Natural flavors are often of the citrus variety and added for taste. All of these are simple, harmless ingredients. Next is caffeine, a diuretic and stimulant known to be addictive.

What’s left on the list of ingredients is what solidifies soda’s bad name: sugar. Phosphoric acid is a chemical that adds a tangy or sour flavor by breaking down starches into sugar. We should consume as little sugar as possible, especially refined sugar.

Many products on supermarket shelves contain the final ingredient on our soda list: high-fructose corn syrup.

High-Fructose Corn Syrup: ‘Most horrific ingredient’

High fructose corn syrup is in most foods because it is a way cheaper form of sweetener than anything else.  “It is also one of the single most horrific ingredients in the food supply.” says Jonny Bowden, PhD, CNS. Adding high-fructose corn syrup to foods provides little or no nutrition and but lots of calories.

If this is the case, then what about diet soda: Does it help or hinder weight loss? “There’s no hard-core scientific evidence that it hinders,” says Bowden. “But there is a ton of anecdotal information and intelligent observation that leads one to think that might be so.

Diet Soda Is No Diet At All

New research shows that noncaloric food and beverages deregulate our innate ability to judge caloric intake. Secondly, there’s the psychological part: Many people subconsciously think they’re taking in less calories by drinking no-cal drinks and then subconsciously allow themselves more food.

Two years ago, a study at the University of Texas Health Science Center found that there was a 41% increase in the risk for being overweight for every single can of diet soda a person consumed daily.

Lastly, there is some buzz among nutritional scientists that sweet tastes (through a Pavlovian conditioning method) might signal insulin to release even though there are no actual calories or sugar. (another reason Splenda sucks)

EW!

A recent study in International Journal of Food Microbiology found that 48% of soda fountains at fast food restaurants in the U.S. contain a bacteria that grows in feces – coliform bacteria.

Do you REALLY need another reason not to drink it?

(I have more if you do…!)