Here are some of my favorite food facts from the book "The Little Book of Shocking Food Facts" by Craig Holden Feinberg and Dale Peterson.
There are currently 923 million starving people in the world.
A single lettuce receives 4 spray rounds of insecticides, 2 spray rounds of fungicides and 2 spray rounds of herbicides (lettuce might be a good one to buy organic)
96 billion pounds of food is wasted in the US each year
Food colouring and additives increase hyperactivity in children (maybe candy is not the best reward in your class)
Four reasons to not drink pop:
1) High fructose corn syrup the sweetener used in most soft drinks and processed food is metabolized directly into fat.
2) Benzene a toxic and carcinogenic chemical has been found in soft drinks.
3) Once ingested the artificial sweetener Aspartame converts into formaldehyde a toxic and carcinogenic substance which accumulates in tissues such as the liver, kidneys and brain (so much for drinking diet)
4) Carbonated caffeinated drinks leach calcium from bones, contributing to osteoporosis
Some Positives:
Curcumin, a compound in tumeric and curry powder, stops the growth if certain cancer cells and protects the brain against Parkinson disease
Mushrooms, along with barely and oats contain beta-glucans which are able to stimulate the immune system and overcome bacterial, viral, fungal and parasitic infections.
Green tea is a very effective cancer inhibitor and preventer.
on a side note: Adding lemon juice to your green tea toughens up the catechins (the cancer fighting ingredients)so that more survive the digestive process and absorb into your body to do some good
High blood pressure or hypertension can be reduced by celery
Conditions like depression and bipolar disorder can be relieved by consuming omega-3 fatty acids only found in oily fish like salmon.
This is a great book and I suggest that if you have a chance sign it out and take a peek through it!
2 comments:
The formaldehyde fact is misleading, though. It IS true that aspartame eventually can be broken down into formaldehyde, but the process is aspartame metabolizing into methanol, which is then broken down into formaldehyde, which is turned into formic acid, which is ultimately turned into water and carbon dioxide. Tomato juice, fruit juice, etc. produce methanol in your body too. More, in fact!
Hey Gina, do you have a reference where I can read more about that?
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