This is a guest post from Vani Hari (a.k.a. The Food Babe) and New York Times Best Selling author. You can read more about her take on the food industry in her second book, Feeding You Lies!
Thoughts of outrage, unfairness, disbelief, and ultimately grief consumed me while I was doing this investigation. A list of ingredients that are banned across the globe but still allowed for use here in the American food supply recently made news.
While I have written about some of those ingredients before, this list inspired me to look a little deeper and find out how pervasive this issue is for us. Could these banned ingredients be contributing to the higher mortality and disease rates here in the U.S.?
The health of Americans is downright grim according to a report just released by the Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council. It declares "Americans are sicker and die younger than other people in wealthy nations." The United States spends 2.5 times more on health care than any other nation, however, when compared with 16 other nations we come in dead last in terms of health and life expectancy for men and near the bottom for women.
Here is the breakdown for you:
- More than two thirds of United States citizens are overweight – 33% being obese.
- 32% of children are either obese or overweight.
- 43% of Americans are projected to be obese in 10 years.
- After smoking, obesity is America’s biggest cause of premature death and is linked to 70% of heart disease and 80% of diabetes cases.
- And 41% of Americans are projected to get cancer in their lifetime!
These reports and statistics scream the word HELP!
Recently, I spent some time down in Mississippi volunteering in the most obese county in the nation. I found that while social and economic factors do play a part in this epidemic, the main culprit was the lack of nutrition education.
The victims of obesity are likely the same victims of systematic brainwashing from Big Food marketers, relying on diet soda or low fat products or looking only at calories on product labels. Basically, they are doing what the food industry has been teaching them about losing weight versus finding out the truth about real food.
And that's the problem - the food industry is the one leading our conversation in this country about food and nutrition, educating the mass public about what to eat and what not to eat. Coca-Cola recently even went as far as creating a special campaign to combat obesity - yes you read that right - a sugar filled soda company trying to stop obesity. (You can read my reaction to that here).
Unfortunately, the doctors in this country are not exactly leading the discussion either, since nutrition is not currently a focus in medical school. And the government has their hands tied by big food industry and chemical company lobbyists that basically control what the FDA approves, deems safe for human consumption, and our overall food policy.
So who is going to finally tell us the truth about our food?
The food industry does not want us to pay attention to the ingredients nor do they care about the negative effects from eating them. They certainly don't care about the astronomical medical bills that are a direct result of us eating the inferior food they are creating.
The HELP we need starts here. We as a collective nation must stop this trajectory of sickness and rising health care costs, by understanding the ingredients we are putting into our bodies. We must challenge the U.S. food industry to discontinue the use of banned ingredients that are not allowed elsewhere in the world. We deserve to have the same quality food without potential toxins.
Food is medicine, and plain and simple, if our food is sick (filled with GMO’s, chemicals, additives, artificial ingredients, and/or carcinogens), collectively we as a country are going to continue to be sick.
Using banned ingredients that other countries have determined unsafe for human consumption has become a pandemic in this country. To prove this point, I found the best and easiest place to look for evidence was just across "the pond" in the United Kingdom, where they enjoy some of the same types of products we do - but with totally different ingredient lists.
It is appalling to witness the examples I am about to share with you. The U.S. food corporations are unnecessarily feeding us chemicals - while leaving out almost all questionable ingredients in our friends' products overseas. The point is the food industry has already formulated safer, better products, but they are voluntarily only selling inferior versions of these products here in America. The evidence of this runs the gamut from fast food places to boxed cake mix to cereal to candy and even oatmeal - you can't escape it.
Want to Save this Recipe?
Enter your email below & we'll send it straight to your inbox. Plus you'll get great new recipes from us every week!
Some of the key American brands that are participating in this deception are McDonald's, Pringles (owned by Kellogg's), Pizza Hut and Quaker (owned by Pepsi), Betty Crocker (owned by General Mills), Starburst (owned by M&M/Mars), and Ritz Crackers (owned by Kraft). In the examples below, red text indicates potentially harmful ingredients and/or ingredients likely to contain GMOs.
Having a pre-made box of flour, baking soda and sugar all ready to go saves time for some people when it comes to making a cake, but does saving time have to come at the expense of chemically derived and potentially toxic ingredients?
The United States version of Betty Crocker Red Velvet cake not only has artificial colors linked to hyperactivity in children, food cravings, and obesity, but it also has partially hydrogenated oils (a.k.a. trans fat). Trans fat has been shown to be deadly even in small amounts. “Previous trials have linked even a 40-calorie-per-day increase in trans fat intake to a 23% higher risk of heart disease.” This could easily be the amount of trans fat in one serving of Betty Crocker icing alone.
Sodium benzoate is an ingredient that Coca-Cola actually removed in their Diet Coke product overseas, but you'll still find it in their product Sprite, cake mixes and loads of other products across the USA. The Mayo Clinic reported that this preservative increases hyperactivity in children. Also, when sodium benzoate combines with ascorbic acid (vitamin C), it can form benzene, a carcinogen that damages DNA in cells and accelerates aging.
Fast Food giants like McDonald's and Pizza Hut are just as guilty as General Mills' Betty Crocker.
Look closely at the ingredients in McDonald's french fries above. Do you see how the french fries in the U.K. version are basically just potatoes, vegetable oil, a little sugar and salt? How can McDonald's make french fries with such an uncomplicated list of ingredients all over Europe, but not over here?
Why do McDonald's french fries in the U.S. have to have TBHQ, trans fat and "anti-foaming" agents? Correct me if I'm wrong, but the last time I checked - I didn't think Americans liked foam with their fries either!
The anti-foaming agent - dimethylpolysiloxane - is a type of silicone used in caulks and sealants and as a filler for breast implants. It's also the key ingredient in silly putty.
Thanks FDA for allowing companies to put silly putty in our french fries. Seriously - this is out of control.
McDonalds Strawberry Sauce in the United States includes high fructose corn syrup, red #40 and sodium benzoate, while the citizens of the U.K. get off scot-free. Instead, they get 37% real strawberries in their product and no additional flavoring or harmful preservatives.
Pizza Hut does a huge disservice to us (and their workers) by using Azodicarbonamide in their garlic cheese bread. This ingredient is banned as a food additive in the U.K., Europe, and Australia, and if you get caught using it in Singapore you can get up to 15 years in prison and be fined $450,000.
The U.K. has recognized this ingredient as a potential cause of asthma if inhaled, and advises against its use in people who have sensitivity to food dye allergies and other common allergies in food, because azodicarbonamide can exacerbate the symptoms.
However, Pizza Hut and many other fast food chains like Subway and Starbucks use this ingredient in their U.S. bread products.
Natural and artificial flavors and hidden MSG (in the form of autolyzed yeast extract, in this case) are commonly found throughout products in America but not elsewhere. Junk food companies intentionally add this combination of ingredients to create sensory overload by exciting your brain cells to remember the food you are eating and make less nutritious ingredients taste better to you.
I'm not saying that the food industry has completely eliminated these same tricks abroad - but when you look at the U.K. version of garlic cheese bread, the ingredients look pretty basic. Many of the ingredients you could use at home to make garlic bread. I've never found TBHQ in the baking aisle at the grocery store, have you?
TBHQ, by the way, is a preservative derived from petroleum and used in perfumes, resins, varnishes and oil field chemicals. Laboratory studies have linked TBHQ to stomach tumors. This preservative is also used by Chick-Fil-A in their famous chicken sandwiches.
Reviewing the ingredients in Pringles really got me worked up....ever wonder why you can't stop eating chips after having just one? MSG is the culprit - and in the U.S. version of Pringles, it's added twice! Once in its known name and again in a hidden source, called "yeast extract."
This begs the question "Why are Americans so addicted to processed food?!" The food industry has designed it that way on purpose to line their pockets with profits, at the expense of our health.
The U.K. Ritz Crackers ingredient list resembles items that you'd find in every household around the country - but the United States version goes the extra mile to include trans fat, HFCS and natural flavor. Natural flavor can be also be a hidden form of MSG, which, again, is an additive that will likely make you eat more than you would otherwise.
In the United States, Quaker Oats has several different flavors of oatmeal that contain different fruit flavored, artificially dyed pieces of dehydrated apple but that don't actually contain any of the fruit shown on the package. But in the U.K. - they don't even attempt to sell that garbage. They instead have a product called "Oats so Simple" that actually has REAL strawberries in it - light years ahead of our version that includes trans fat, artificial food coloring, and artificial flavors.
There's only one difference in Rice Krispies between the U.S. and U.K. version - but it's a big difference. It's one ingredient that is banned virtually in every other country, except here in the United States. That ingredient is called BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene) or BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole) and is a very common preservative used rampantly throughout packaged food in the U.S.
Test studies published by the IPCS (International Program for Chemical Safety) "show tissue inflammation, enlargement, and/or growths in 100%, and cancer in 35% of [animal] subjects" as reported in this article. How can the U.S. allow this chemical in our food - much less in cereal aimed and targeted at our kids?
And speaking of targeting our kids - food companies have found a way to naturally color candy all over Europe, but our candy here is still full of artificial substances made from petroleum and GMO sugar. Looking at the ingredients in Starburst Fruit Chews provides a great example of this disgrace.
I saved the most startling fact for last. One very cautionary set of ingredients that are included in almost all of the American products but not the U.K. products are GMO's, in the form of either corn or soy.
There have been no long term human studies on GMOs and preliminary studies on animals show horrific consequences. For instance, a study showed GMOs caused toxic and allergic reactions, sick, sterile, and dead livestock, and damage to virtually every organ studied in lab animals.
Another study revealed that female rats fed GMO soy for 15 months showed significant health issues in their uterus and reproductive cycle, compared to rats fed organic soy or those raised without soy. A 2009 French Study concluded that Glyphosate (used on GMO soy) can kill the cells in the outer layer of the human placenta, the organ that connects the mother to her fetus, providing nutrients and oxygen and emptying waste products.
A Russian study conducted on hamsters that were fed GMO soy diets for two years over three generations found that by the third generation, most of the hamsters lost the ability to have babies, showed slower growth, and suffered a higher mortality rate.
In the U.K. food companies are required by law to list if a certain ingredient is derived from a genetically modified or genetically engineered material on the label. Out of all the products I researched, I couldn't find one product with this label. (See example from GMO-Compass and BBC above of what it would look like if I did.)
This was very telling considering that not only have food companies taken out all sorts of hazardous chemical ingredients abroad - but they also have willingly reformulated their products without GMOs.
Food corporations in the U.S. claim reformulating their products to remove harmful ingredients or changing labels would be too expensive - but they've already done just that in Europe and in many other countries. Their governments listened to the outrage of their people and took the safety of their citizens' health above everything else.
Is it too much to ask the same for us in the United States of America? How much do our sickness, obesity, and mortality rates have to worsen before they respond to us?
I will leave you with this note: Lisa and I are very disturbed about the shameful hypocrisy allowed to happen with our food supply here in the U.S. In fact we are feeling very compelled to do something about it. Stay tuned, because we are going to need every one of you to help when we are ready. In the meantime, I hope you'll come check me out at Food Babe and also share this article (you can use the green ShareThis button below).
March 5th Update: Lisa and I have started a petition - please sign and share it now. Together we can make a change.
Comments have been closed on this article, which was written by Vani Hari. If you have a question or comment you can reach her at http://FoodBabe.com.
Tiffany says
Do you have a list of the phone numbers for these companies for all of us to call and complain?
maureen says
Correspond to companies and tell all as consumers must not buy products until all inredients removed. Money Talks
Marci says
The government does not have their hands tied. They tell the FDA what it can and can't do. If the FDA doesn't do what they want, they can shut them down. It's what they need to do and should do, but they won't. They receive too much money from these companies to do it. If we are really interested in this, we must stop buying their crap and buy from companies that don't use it or make our own. It's not easy, but it must be done.
Kristen says
Your information is so helpful. So thankful for women like you helping us make better choices for our families!
Amanda Daniels says
Thanks for sharing this! Being a mom of two little girls and a heart disease survivor it's so important that people are aware of what they put in their body. I'm going to share this with my network too!!
Tammy says
I don't know about that ingredient list for cream cheese frosting in the UK, the ingredient list looks way worse than the US version. Yuck!
Mark says
Very good and informative. A couple of notes, however. Just because something is a chemical does not mean its bad for you. Water is a chemical. A chemical is just two or more elements that are chemically bonded and require a chemical reaction to separate (heat or fire for instance). They do occur naturally. However, many of the lab made, and naturally occurring chemicals, are not healthy. I also question calling corn syrup bad. HFCS is unnatural and terrible for you. However, an ear of corn has plenty of corn syrup and unless you're willing to call corn bannable, the. I wouldn't point to corn syrup. It is, after all, the staple of many very healthy and fit people's in the world.
Secondly, there is no avoiding GMO's 100% even if outlawed. Bees, butterflies, and wind have been causing genetic modification via cross-pollination since time began.
Thank you for referencing peer reviewed research and not just anecdotal evidence. Regarding animal research, however, more controls are needed to verify the research. There are not yet enough data points to establish causative factors.
Otherwise, very good and informative and useful.
Michele says
I think we all know what she means when she writes "chemical" and "genetically-modified." I don't think being critical of semantics is helpful here.
Jane says
I do think the semantics and tone of the article matter. She unearthed some great findings, but these need to be summarized in less of an inflammatory, accusatory tone. It has the same tone of many other articles that summarize nonscientific findings. The difference is, I do think she's onto something, but the tone of the article, and some of the semantics did made my scientific mind immediately question many of the assertions. Ultimately, the tone of the article means she is unlikely to be taken seriously by those in power to make changes.
Elizabeth Fann says
Start with changing what you buy and how you think about food, and punch those meanies in the pocket book. :) SO happy to hear so many getting on board. Yay!
Matt says
Ya but our food tastes so much better than the UKs food!!!
Rachel says
Just curious - have you tried these products in the UK? I haven't in the UK, but have in China (McDonalds, KFC, and Coca-cola, particularly), and I thought it actually tasted better there than here!(Sodas, especially) I never knew why - and people swore it was the same stuff! Now I know differently!!
Phoebe says
I'm an American living in Ireland. We have lots of UK stuff here. I've also been to the UK. The food does taste slightly different - it's less sweet. McDonald's food actually tastes better. Coke tastes different because it's made with sugar, not HFCS. It's not as sweet.
So there is a difference, but I think American's have equated "sweet" to "tastes good". After two years of being here, my taste buds have definitely changed for the healthier.
Elizabeth Fann says
Fantastic work. Thanks for giving us the numbers and information to back it up. Really appreciate your dedication and hard work! You are making a huge difference in this country, and world. Thank you.
Stephanie Agledal says
This is disturbing on so many levels. What can I do???
David C. Jones says
Great article and I will share it - but not using your Share This button. I don't like that it wants to access my info in exchange for sharing.
tara pollard pakosta says
we need to take a stand!
we are behind you 100%, let us know WHAT WE CAN AND NEED TO DO!
tara pakosta
Jen says
My question is why aren't we doing something? Why not start a petition or send all these companies letters stating we will not buy them until they change and we are able to buy food that is already available in other countries? Is there anything like this going on currently?
Ashley says
Thank you for this article! Let's make a change! We not only need to demand more of our government and food system, but we have to learn to think for ourselves.
Toni South says
Wow, this is the most enlightening article I have read so far on this topic. It is absolutely unnerving to know just how bad our foods are. I know my friends are getting tired of all my rants and don't quite understand GMOs and what the big deal is. This is a perfect post for me to share with everyone I know because it's so simple to see the comparisons. Thank you for going above and beyond and get information that is easy to understand for the average citizen.
Toni South says
Sorry, have to correct my grammar *to get information, not "and get information" ...I feel like this article should be titled, "America, You Just Got Punked!"
Cyndi says
I live in South America. All of our food that is imported from the US is marked "For export only", for the above mentioned reasons. Argentina refuses to import food from the US because of GMO's. When my family and I return to the US each summer, we invariably get sick. Between the additives and the portion sizes in the US, our systems are out of whack for weeks. All is not rosy here, however. My daughter struggles with chronic, almost daily migraines. We took her to a neurologist last week to try and figure out what's going on before she returns to the States for college in June. Instead of helping us explore possible environmental causes, he put her on blood pressure medication. At the age of 18.
Thank you for posting this and for all of the research. I'm sure I will be here frequently while I try to get this under control!
Chris says
It is not uncommon for certain blood pressure medications to be used in the prevention of migraines. It can reduce the severity and frequency of migraines in most cases. While there can be environmental factors that trigger a migraine, genetics also plays a role. The unfortunate truth is that the underlying cause of migraines is unknown so it can be difficult to treat. I do hope the medication is helping!
Rachel says
Besides sharing the link, what are some things we can proactively do to help?
Jennye says
Great article! One question though, are you aware carmine is a coloring derived from bugs? I noticed it in the UK version of Betty Crocker cake mix, but it is also in many red/pink colored foods in the US including yoplait low-fat yogurts! Personally, I don't see why my food needs to be colored by bugs when other brands can do without :(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carmine (the info listed on this wiki page is cited).
And in response to other posters - as for ingredients not automatically being back because they are in non-food items (like propylene glycol in antifreeze), but some of us actually have allergies to those items. I personally have a contact allergy to propylene glycol, but when I cut it out of my diet my eczema cleared up more than it has with any medicated lotion or ointment in three years!! I realize this may not be the case with all such ingredients though.
Chris says
Why not color with bugs? And you can't fall back on 'because it's icky'. In plenty of other nations, bugs are prepared and eaten as a dish. And they are plenty good for us, too. Bugs are rich in protein and some minerals and are lower in cholesterol than beef or pork.
Jennifer says
You do an amazing job of helping the general public understand what is going on in the food industry.
Melissa says
It would be nice to include a petition on your articles or an address for people to write letters to help get this changed.
Jayne W says
Excellent work. Thank you.
I think it's so important to pressure the medical community to get on board with REAL FOOD healthy diets. I know many people who have received advice from their doctor that eating whatever they want is fine, they just need to take drugs to solve the problem Like Statins for their high Cholesterol or blood pressure meds.
The public gets their nutrition info from the Food Industry and Doctors are receiving their education from the Pharmaceutical industry. Thank you for taking the time to research real information.
Chris says
What doctors are your friends going to? Diet and exercise are first line prevention/treatment for hypertension, cholesterol, and type 2 diabetes. Any medical school in the country will tell you that.
Allie says
Great Article. What can we do to start changing things? I wish your article would have included a place to start.
Susan says
We could start by not buying any of their food!
Christy Z says
Laura-I just had my 2nd child in October and wish I would have known there was an option! I'll be sure to pass on to my pregnant friends. Learning new stuff each day!
Mark says
First, let me say that I agree with this article, and I hope a lot of people read it.
But there is a “tactic†that I see in a lot of these types of writings that I disagree with. You say, “The anti-foaming agent – dimethylpolysiloxane – is a type of silicone used in caulks and sealants and as a filler for breast implants. It’s also the key ingredient in silly putty.†I’m not defending dimethylpolysiloxane; I don’t want myself or my kids consuming it. But to point out that it’s used in non-food items doesn’t make a good argument. You kind of set up a false equivalency when you do this. Just because an ingredient in something that is on the grocery store shelf is also in something that is inedible and poisonous doesn’t by itself make it bad. I could say that table salt (or Sodium Chloride) contains Chlorine which is also used in bleach; therefore, you should never eat salt. Arguments like this are easy targets for people to attack and make your entire point seem off base just like the author of this post did in his second point: http://scienceblogs.com/moleculeoftheday/2007/03/29/tbhq-mixed-feelings/
Food Babe says
Mark - Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment. It's not really a tactic - but a fact. This blog is about real food - and the last time I checked silly putty is not real food - I think it makes a perfectly good argument from staying away from that ingredient if you are trying to eat a real food diet.
Scott says
I have to agree with Mark. Again, I agree with your points, but your arguments would not pass through any scientific community, and you are most definitely using a tactic that preys on people's emotions and tendency to not doublecheck facts. Sodium hydroxide, listed in the Betty Crocker icing in the UK, cannot be considered a food by any stretch of the imagination (using your above rationalization). Type it into google and see what it does to someone...IN THE WRONG DOSE. You see, toxicity is all about dosage.
Jocelyn says
I appreciate this article and the amount of time and energy it took to research all of this information. I agree with the article and am appalled by the ingredients that are included in processed foods in America as well as other countries. I am angered by the practices the American food industry uses to fill food items with dangerous chemicals and GMOs. However, I do see Mark's point about how we relay that information. We're never *just* relaying facts - we're relaying facts to support an overall argument. In this case, the argument is that the food industry fills processed food with many questionable and/or dangerous materials that are not included in the same products in other countries. One of the ways that you are making this argument is by setting up a false equivalency between the ingredients included in food and non-food products. Just because an ingredient is in one dangerous product (like caulk or paint or silly putty), it doesn't necessarily mean that the ingredient is inherently dangerous. Water is an ingredient in many dangerous products, but that does not necessarily mean that water is dangerous. I agree with your assessment that the chemicals and GMOs that are being put into food products in America are dangerous and should be changed. I am working hard in my life and in my community to support real food and appreciate what you are doing to help raise awareness about these issues. I know this may seem like a small quibble with your article - and it is really - but I consistently find books, articles, and movies that rely on these types of logical fallacies to make their cases against the food industry, and I don't think we need them. The facts are shocking enough without weakening the argument by including these types of false equivalencies.
Rachel says
Well said Jocelyn! I too agree with much of this article and hate the helplessness I feel from it... other than avoiding processed foods and such, but it would be so much easier if politics didn't have our food so messed up. I was all set to hit the share button til I read the silly putty line too. Now I don't want to deal with the snips on that line that I'm sure I'll see if I share it with non-believers who shoot down the whole article because of one little line. Thank you Food Babe! I just hope the logical fallacies can be left behind, so I can share with more confidence.
Jeff says
Mark, you do miss the overall picture here. Table salt is not healthy or natural. No, you should not be eating chlorine. (Did you really just question that?)
Switch to sea salt, buddy.
Chris says
You really don't get this fact checking thing do you? Sea salt still contains sodium chloride. Don't be too heavy handed with that sea salt, it can be just as bad for you as table salt. http://www.abc.net.au/health/talkinghealth/factbuster/stories/2010/11/23/3073792.htm#.UULB8VdvdLE
me says
I hope that was a really bad joke, otherwise it was an incredibly ignorant comment Jeff. Read a book.
Laura says
For anyone reading this who is pregnant right now, sodium benzoate and citric acid from corn are just 2 of the nasty ingredients in the glucola drink that they use for the glucose test. There are alternatives available, so ask your doctor/midwife!
Stacey says
I have always avoided that nasty test. That time around I did a random blood sugar draw, and it was fine.
Jennifer says
Wow, this is insane! I shared on Twitter since this is quite disgusting and others need to see. I try to minimize processed foods as it is, but it's unreal how they alter foods that could be minimally processed like that! Thanks for the information!!
Ellen S says
I knew that our food was bad. I knew that I needed to do something for my family; I just didn't realize the extent of the hypocrisy! It makes me sick to know that election after election WE as a nation continue to vote in the same type of people that have absolutely NO concern or interest in the American people and are willing to turn a blind eye in order to line their pockets more.
I would love to help in any way that I can. But like some of the other people above, I am not sure where to start (other than not feeding this stuff to my family, which we cut all of these things out almost a year ago). I am located in Tennessee, and if there is a task that I can do, or a list of people that I can call or email, please let me know! I WANT to help!
Jen says
Interesting. Any insight on food allergies elsewhere? Do they run as rampant there as they do here?
Julie Moore says
Great article! Makes you think, and makes you upset! Passing the word along, for sure!
Kelly says
This is infruriating. I am looking forward to helping however I can.
Food Babe says
Thank you Kelly - You'll hear about what we are planning soon.
Brooke says
I am definitely looking forward to hearing about how we can unite to make a change. I am totally outraged but I am not sure where to start. Looking forward to your team's future plans!!
Mike says
Great article. Saddening, sickening, infuriating, but a great article nonetheless. Thank you so much.
Food Babe says
I echo the same feeling! Thank you Mike.
Robby Comstock says
Thank you for sharing this story. I have passed it along to my blog followers as well.
Beth Hoden says
Thank you so much for this article. I would love to help. If you have e-mail addresses to specfic places that I could e-mail or phone numbers that I could call, that would be great. I can get a lot of people here in my city to do the same. I just don't know where to begin so if you could help with some info, that would be so great. I'm heading to my pantry right now and throwing away the ritz cracker and rice krispys. Thank you so much again for this work.
Amy says
WOW! I have heard that we keep using additives that other countries have banned, but have never seen it broken down the way you all have. I have no words for this, it is so so scary. I used to be a big offender of the low fat fad and even giving my kids goldfish. We've tried to get away from all of this, but living in America, it's a tough one. Thank youf or this article
Beth says
Thank you for sharing this information. I thought that I was a very healthy person. I was training for a marathon, had a great diet (so I thought), took care of myself and my family. However. 2 years ago I ended up in the hospital fighting for my life. Long story short after several months of excrutiating tests, I was found to have an autoimmune disease that was killing me. So, I was given the "magic" pill and several specialists to deal with this condition. I asked how this could happen and was given the generic, "we're not sure!" After starting my own research, I was able to pinpoint a lot of factors that contributed to it. Number one was food and water. My body was/is so overrun by toxins that it can no longer eliminate. I have been diligently evaluating everything that I eat. I no longer drink any tap water as it is okay to have chlorine and other chemicals in it. I eliminated processed foods (for the most part). I read every label. I doubled my garden. Shop at farmer's markets and stock my freezer and can foods for me and my family. Today I feel 85% better. I still struggle with running and over-doing it. I am down to one "magic" pill, which I tried to eliminate but can't. It surpresses the antibodies that attack me. I was told it would be several more years before I felt like I did. I have reduced my pain to near nothing. My migraines have stretched from 1 a week to 1 every 25-28 days and counting. I will never take for granted the food that I eat. Knowledge is power and health. I am thankful that the news about GMO's and other deadly products are finally coming out. Thanks again! I do post on my blog my progress with my condition.
Mike V says
Beth, great story, hope for a full recovery soon. Watch this video: http://www.abcliveit.com it was a major life changer for me.
LindseyJo says
This is the single best article I have EVER read on this topic. I hope this goes crazy viral. Thank you so very much Food Babe, Lisa and Jason for being a huge resource for me, my family and the entire world. I have you three to thank for the improved health of my family and for my own transformation into a Food Patriot, Jamie Oliver Food Ambassador and lover of real food. Singing this as far and as wide as I can...you guys rock the hizouse. xoxo
Food Babe says
Thank you so much LindseyJo. Believe it or not - this was one of the hardest topics I've ever written about because I became so impassioned with anger every time I found another example of how food companies are exploiting us.
Danyelle says
Are they required to list/label everything we are? Are they adding TBHQ without labeling/acknowledging it on their ingredient list? I know that Europe and the UK do not allow MANY things we do but that has made me curious if we are comparing apples to apples or not?
Food Babe says
Danyelle - Yes - we are definitely comparing apples to apples. For example - You'll see the McDonalds french fries are fried in a non-hydrogentated oil - vs. ours which is completely different. The U.K. does use E codes that are a little different than our labels for food additives. But there is a guide available to look up each E code - which I used to make the comparison.
http://www.ukfoodguide.net/enumeric.htm
Critical Reader says
Danyelle, you nailed it. Food Babe is comparing apples with oranges, because the UK/Europe have different labeling rules.
Ms. Question says
Critical Reader is absolutely right...I have many food allergies, one major one being soy...When their labels say vegetable oil, most of the time in includes soy & can be hydrogenated & labels there do not have to state this fact...I can give many more examples...I won't, simply because at least someone is trying...But truly this is a case of comparing apples to oranges...
gg says
Thanks critical reader. That was my question as well. Also, have thsee companies been contacted to offer a response?
Lori says
You know, i am so thankful you have written this article. It has opened my eyes. Something really, really needs to be done. I am looking forward to your next writings on this subject!
Gwen says
How do those statistics compare to, say, the UK? Are there similar projections for other countries?