Our food supply has become so polluted that it’s difficult to discern what’s a whole food and what’s not. I’ve divided my ‘Top 10 Worst Foods of the Decade’ in half. Today’s blog contains the second half: 5 through 1. Click Here to see Part One. I’ve listed them in descending order. The most obvious foods, which we regularly eat, are mentioned in my previous blog. The not-so-obvious unhealthy foods we often believe are healthy are covered in today’s blog, ending with the one food parents really believe is a health food, but it’s full of sugar.

#5 — Fried Chicken (A popular kids’ menu item.)
Fried chicken comes in many forms for kids: chicken fingers, chicken nuggets, chicken sandwiches, etc. Parents often think this is a better choice than a hamburger. There’s six to ten grams of trans fat in each order of onion rings or chicken fingers.  KFC Original Recipe Chicken Dinner has seven grams of trans fat, mostly from the chicken and biscuit.

#4 — Microwave Popcorn
A report from the FDA indicates that a chemical coating used in microwave popcorn bags breaks down when heated into a substance called perfluorooctanoic (PFOA). The Environmental Protection Agency has identified PFOA as a “likely carcinogen.” Another study has found an acid that can be extracted from the chemical causes cancer in animals and is “likely to cause cancer in humans.”

Why is cereal on ‘Nonna’s Top 10 Worst Foods’ list? Madison’s not sure.

A second potential danger in microwave popcorn is diacetyl, an FDA-approved chemical found in the fake butter flavoring. There’s even a debilitating respiratory disease called “popcorn workers lung,” (the medical name of the condition is bronchiolitis obliterans) suffered by microwave popcorn factory workers caused by extended inhalation of the chemical’s fumes. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, (NIOSH) concluded that diacetyl needs further study so that workers in the flavorings and snack industry are no longer at risk. Do your family a favor and purchase a hot-air popper! It’s just as fast as the microwave variety and when you use organic popcorn and real butter, it’s a healthy snack.

#3 — Processed Lunch Meats
Hot dogs are considered “kid food.” You’ll find them on many children’s menus and are considered a summer staple. Most cured meats, expecially breakfast and other sausage, bacon, luncheon meats, and hot dogs, contain nitrites and nitrates. They’re added to processed meats to prevent botulism and enhance the taste and color of the meat. Without nitrates processed meats would be brown, just like cooked hamburger. Once inside the body, they can form nitrosamines, a cancer-causing chemical. These carcinogenic compounds have been associated with cancer. They have also been linked with leukemia and ADD/ADHD in children.

#2 — Boxed Cereal (including instant oatmeal)
More than 2.7 billion packages of cereal are sold in grocery stores each year. It’s the third most popular supermarket product (behind soda pop and bread). This translates to an average of 10 pounds, or 160 bowls, of cereal per American each year.

Extruded grains are industrially processed foods, including “healthy” breakfast cereals, which really aren’t so healthy. For all boxed breakfast cereals, grains are extruded — forced out of a hole at high temperature with pressure in order to make them into the various shapes typically found in breakfast cereals. The extrusion process destroys most of the nutrients in the grains, including fatty acids. Boxed cereals end up being empty calories. Cereals marketed to children are even worse as they are loaded with added sugars. Even the organic oatmeal pictured has 3 teaspoons of sugar per serving. Make your own hot oatmeal, it’ll cost less, taste better, and have less sugars.

#1 — Fruited Yogurt
The number one food parents believe is a healthy food and it’s NOT…is fruited yogurt. Yogurt is full of probiotics. Probiotics live in the tube that runs right through the middle of us. It includes our nose, sinuses, mouth, upper airways, lungs, esophagus, stomach, small and large intestines, rectum and anus. We no longer eat a healthy diet with natural foods containing good bacteria, so the bad bacteria proliferate. We think we’re eating healthy foods with probiotics, such as fruited yogurts. But fruited yogurts have up to 7 teaspoons of sugar in a serving. The sugar feeds the bad bacteria, so we’re not better off than when we started. The solution is to eat PLAIN yogurt with active ingredients and add fruit-only jams for flavor. (Vanilla flavored yogurt is not the answer, either. There’s more added sugar in the vanilla yogurt!)

Click Here for The Decades Top 10 Worst Foods…items 10 through 6.

CLICK HERE for ordering information for Baby Bites: Transforming a Picky Eater into a Healthy Eater and The Forest Feast: Baby Bites Mealtime Adventures. For info about the free Baby Bites Ezine, CLICK HERE.

I must admit this list was harder to put together than I first thought. Our food supply is mostly processed and when you’re talking about processed anything, well, it’s just not healthy. I decided to pick the most common horrible foods I could think of. Ones we regularly eat and many times think of as healthy food choices.

I’ve divided my ‘Top 10 Worst Foods’.  Today’s blog contains the first half of my Worst Foods List: 10 through 6. I’ve listed them in descending order. The most obvious foods, which we regularly eat, are mentioned in today’s blog. The not-so-obvious unhealthy foods we believe are healthy will be covered in my next blog, ending with the one food parents really believe is a health food, but it’s full of sugar.

“According to a recent report, due to the recession, Americans are eating cheap, unhealthy, fatty foods. So apparently, the recession started in 1957.”
…Conan O’Brian

Angel’s tongue is blue from the dyes in birthday cake frosting. You can’t readily see the effects of trans fat in the icing.

#10 — French Fries
French fries come in at number ten, because we really know this is an unhealthy food. Still, 21 percent of toddlers eat French fries EVERY DAY! French fries are potatoes, so what could be bad about that? Most French fries are purchased out. They are cooked in altered fats and seasoned with salt and many times with MSG (a hidden toxin). There is between 4 and 7 grams of trans fat in a single serving of fries.

#9 — Soda Pop
More than 15 billion gallons of soda pop were sold in 2000. That’s least one 12-ounce can per day for every man, woman, and child in America. But, kids drink more soda pop than their parents. In the past 10 years, soft drink consumption among children has almost doubled in the United States.  Most parents are in denial about the amount of soda pop their children regularly drink. Studies have found over half, 56 percent, of 8-year-olds down soft drinks daily. Soda has been dubbed, “liquid candy” and rightly so, as soda pop is the number one source of sugar in our kids’ diets. A single can of soda pop has between 14 17 teaspoons of sugar!

#8 — Birthday Cake
Kids go to parties all the time. Birthday cake is made from white flour, sugar and altered fats. The icing is primarily trans fat and food coloring. Trans fat has a half-life of 51 days, so if your child goes to a party every 2 months, then trans fat is continually in his body!

#7 — Non-Dairy Whipped Topping (like Cool Whip)
Cool Whip is made of water corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated coconut and palm kernel oils (”hydrogenated” IS trans fat). Trans fat molecules are absorbed into your cells, compromising the cell’s metabolism. Trans fat lowers the HDL (good cholesterol) and increases the LDL (bad cholesterol), leading to heart disease. In pregnant women, trans fat, like alcohol, drugs, carbon monoxide from cigarette smoke, and pesticides, pass through the placenta to the baby, affecting the baby’s metabolism in direct proportion to the amount ingested by the mother. In addition, there’s a correlation between trans fat and Type 2 Diabetes. To make matters worse, trans fat inhibits the absorption of vitamin K (vital for bone growth). Trans fat is a toxin interfering with all membrane function.

#6 — Store-Bought Cookies and Crackers
Cookies and crackers range from 30 to 50 percent trans fat. Many baked goods are moving away from trans fats and using interesterifed fats. Interesterified fats are like trans fats raising the blood levels of the “bad” LDL cholesterol. At the same time, lowering the “good” HDL cholesterol levels. Just because the package boasts, “No trans fats” doesn’t mean that it’s a healthy product. Look for interesterifed fat on the nutrition label.

Click Here for The Decade’s Top 10 Worst Foods…items 5 through 1.

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Rita left this comment on my Summer Food Fun blog, ”That’s sad. Are we really so health concerned that we’d deprive a kid of cotton candy or ice cream during the summer? I’m not saying you have to eat that every day, but come on.”

Rita has a point. Happy memories are tied to special summer foods, like cotton candy and ice cream. So what’s the harm?

Cotton candy and shaved ice are purchased at carnivals, fair grounds, and amusement parks. They’re synonymous with fun. Their very essence is sugar, artificial colors and flavors. These treats are eaten a few times a year, but they aren’t the only foods our kids eat containing artificial colors and flavors.

Artificial colors aren’t reserved for special summer treats, but are continuously consumed throughout the day. Many children begin their morning with artificially colored breakfast cereals and synthetic vitamins made just for kids. They snack on orange colored cheese puffs, gulp down colored pop, kids’ drinks, and powdered lemonade. Medicines are artificially colored bright pink and have an artificial flavor like bubblegum.

Roxy is afraid I’ll take her cotton candy!
Now, why would I do that?

Kids brush their teeth with tri-colored toothpaste. Jell-O^TM, is often served as a summer salad, but in reality it’s sugar and chemicals. Bread and bakery products may have yellow coloring added so they look buttery. Lunches, picnics, and barbeques are often nitrate-filled. Nitrates are added to preserve luncheon meats; they give hot dogs and bologna their pink color. Even boxed macaroni and cheese usually include artificial colors. Our kids are eating a steady stream of chemicals.

Food coloring not what it used to be
Natural plant and vegetable compounds were used to add color to foods until the 1950s. Red colors were derived from beets, green from chlorophyll, yellow and orange from extracts from plants and spices like saffron. After WWII, man-made chemicals were created. They have brighter colors. They are more convenient, cheaper to use, and have an unlimited shelf life.

The majority of artificial food coloring ingredients today are made from crude oil. Any artificial food color which is followed by a number, such as Blue 1, Yellow 5, or Red 40 is derived from, yikes…PETROLEUM. They’re mostly made in China and may even contain heavy metals such as lead and mercury.

These chemicals should under no circumstances be ingested by humans or even pets. They have been linked to cancers, tumors, asthma, headaches, kidney damage, skin problems like eczema, and hyperactivity (ADHD & ADD) and other behavioral and learning problems in children. The FDA and EPA do not require detailed testing of these chemicals to determine the effects they might have on adults or children.

What can you do?
Don’t give your children anything containing artificial food coloring! Today, you can easily avoid purchasing products with artificial colors, by reading labels. There are alternatives to processed snack foods in the grocery store which are free from artificial colors and flavors. Of course the healthiest choice for your family will be organic, natural foods which don’t contain man-made disease-causing chemicals. Watermelon and cherries are natural, healthy summer memory-makers.

Many fun foods can still be occasionally enjoyed and not be detrimental to health. Often it’s just a matter of choosing a more healthful alternative. Today, grocery stores carry ice creams made with real milk and eggs, which do not have any artificial colors or flavors added. Even highly processed chips and cookies can be purchased without artificial colors and flavors.

You can make gelatin deserts and salads, without Jell-O’s^TM package of chemicals, by using unflavored gelatin and adding real fruit and fruit juices for color and flavor. You can purchase or make real fruit juice Popsicles. There are natural sodas in the grocery store and you can even make your own with fruit juice and carbonated water. You can enjoy shaved ice made at home with real fruit juice.

Would I take cotton candy from a baby?
Sorry Roxy, you can be sure that I would…or rather she’d never get it in the first place! There is no a way around this one. Cotton candy contains only sugar, corn syrup, and petroleum (artificial colors and flavors). I never purchased cotton candy for my kids. They didn’t feel deprived and grew up loving healthy foods. The amount of fun you have and memories you make this summer are not determined by the amount of sugar and chemicals ingested.

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Picky eaters love soda pop! Don’t think toddlers and preschoolers drink much pop? Soft drinks provide more added sugar in a typical 2-year-old’s diet than cookies, candies, and ice cream combined. Yikes!

More than 15 billion gallons of soda pop were sold in 2000. That’s least one 12-ounce can per day for every man, woman, and child in America. But, kids drink more soda pop than their parents. In the past 10 years, soft drink consumption among children has almost doubled in the United States.

Sugar, primarily high fructose corn syrup, is only one of the many health concerns with soda pop. Phosphoric acid is an additive in most soft drinks and we never hear about it.

It’s the active ingredient giving soft drinks a sharper flavor and it helps to keep the carbonated bubbles from going flat. Phosphoric acid slows the growth of molds and bacteria, which would otherwise rapidly multiply in the sugary liquid.

Improved flavor and keeping bacteria in check are good enough, but phosphoric acid robs the body of vital nutrients, as it increases the loss of magnesium and calcium in the urine. It also dissolves the calcium in enamel. Obviously, weakened enamel makes it easier for bacteria to enter the teeth, causing cavities in children.

Avah knows healthy drinks like water, milk, and fruit juice are yummy, too.

While parents may believe that sugar is the primary culprit of soft drink’s adverse effects on tooth decay, enamel erosion occurs whether the soft drink is sweetened with sugar or artificial sweeteners. According to a report published in General Dentistry, phosphoric acid in soft drinks causes tooth enamel erosion, even when occasionally consumed.

“Drinking any type of soft drink poses risk to the health of your teeth,” said Kenton Ross, a dentist and spokesman for the Academy of General Dentistry. “My patients are shocked to hear that many of the soft drinks they consume contain nine to 12 teaspoons of sugar, and have an acidity that approaches the level of battery acid,” Ross said.

With less calcium available, the bones become more porous and prone to fracture. Phosphorus is a major contributor to the rising increase in osteoporosis. Recent human studies suggest that girls who drink more soda pop are more prone to broken bones. Even a few cans of soda pop per day can be damaging, especially when they are consumed during the critical bone-building years of adolescence and childhood.

Dr. Bess Dawson-Huges, a bone-disease expert at the Tufts University in Boston, said, she’s especially concerned about teenage girls. “Most girls have inadequate calcium intakes, which makes them candidates for osteoporosis when they’re older and may increase their risk for broken bones today.”

The pH of most soda pop is very acidic 2.8. As I discuss in Healthy Kids and pH Levels, for health people need to eat more alkaline foods. Soda pop is a highly acidic drink which does the opposite. There is an easy solution: replace soft drinks with healthful drinks, like water, milk, and fruit juices.

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Carbonated Soft Drinks
Soda Pop Part 1: High Fructose Corn Syrup

To beat the heat, we often reach for an ice-cold can of soda pop! Today, more than a quarter of ALL drinks consumed in the U.S. are carbonated drinks.

Most parents are in denial about the amount of soda pop their children regularly drink. Studies have found over half, 56 percent, of 8-year-olds down soft drinks daily. Even picky eaters love sodas.

Would you allow your child to eat 17 teaspoons of sugar? Never!… unless your child drinks a soda. During summer it’s easy to let down our guard, because a can of pop is so refreshing (and easy). Soda has been dubbed, “liquid candy” and rightly so, as soda pop is the number one source of sugar in our kids’ diets.

Ethan and John beat the heat in the sprinklers.

According to government data, carbonated drinks contribute about 10 percent of the calories in the American diet. Carbonated drinks have replaced fruit juice, milk, and even water in our daily routine. Studies have linked soda to obesity, tooth decay, osteoporosis, and even heart disease. Carbonated drinks contain High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS). There are so many problems with HFCS that it’s hard to know where to begin. Yes, there’s a huge campaign to try to undo the negative aspects of the High Fructose Corn Syrup, but don’t be fooled.

According to the Corn Refiners Association, there has been a misunderstanding about HFCS. They say, “High fructose corn syrup meets the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s requirements for use of the term natural. It is made from corn, a natural grain product and contains no artificial or synthetic ingredients or color additives.” They also say that HFCS has the same number of calories as sugar, so it’s okay to eat.

Sounds like HFCS is really a health food! Not so fast. According to physicians Mehmet Oz and Michael Roisen, high-fructose corn syrup is the worst sweetener added to our food supply. In their book, You: The Owner’s Manual, they state: “One of the biggest evil influences on our diet is the presence of high-fructose corn syrup, a sugar substitute that itself is a sugar found in soft drinks and many other sweet, processed foods. The problem is that HCFS inhibits leptin secretion, so you never get the message that you’re full. And it never shuts off gherin, so, even though you have food in your stomach, you constantly get the message that you’re hungry.”

Other studies by researchers at UC Davis and the University of Michigan have shown that consuming fructose, which is more readily converted to fat by the liver, increases the levels of fat in the bloodstream in the form of triglycerides. And unlike other types of carbohydrate made up of glucose, fructose does not stimulate the pancreas to produce insulin.

Peter Havel, a nutrition researcher at UC Davis, who studies the metabolic effects of fructose, has also shown that fructose fails to increase the production of leptin a hormone produced by the body’s fat cells. Both insulin and leptin act as signals to the brain to turn down the appetite and control body weight. And in another metabolic twist, Havel’s research shows that fructose does not appear to suppress the production of ghrelin, a hormone that increases hunger and appetite. “Because fructose in isolation doesn’t activate the hormones that regulate body weight as do other types of carbohydrate composed of glucose, consuming a diet high in fructose could lead to taking in more calories and, over time, to weight gain,” he says.

Researchers are finding new problems with high fructose corn syrup. A study in Journal of the National Cancer Institutesuggests that women whose diet was high in total carbohydrate and fructose intake had an increased risk of colorectal cancer.

Dr. Mel Heyman, chief of pediatric gastroenterology and nutrition at UCSF, is seeing sick children whose bodies have been overloaded with fructose from naturally occurring fructose in fruit juice combined with soda and processed food.

“The way the body handles glucose is different than fructose, Heyman says, “It can overload the intestines’ ability to absorb carbohydrate by giving it too much fructose. That can cause cramps, bloating, and loose stools.”

If you were to avoid only one sugar, HFCS would be the one! Replace sodas in your family’s diet with healthful alternatives: water, milk, 100 percent fruit juice (then dilute), homemade lemonade and fizzy drinks (half fruit juice and half carbonated seltzer water with no added sugars).

Look for Thursday’s blog: Part 2 Soda Pop: Phosphoric Acid

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How much sugar is there in processed foods?

1) Carnation Instant Breakfast has 20 grams or 4¼ teaspoons of sugar in one serving!

2) Cereals usually give one cup as a serving size. Children’s cereals like Lucky Charms, Trix or Fruit Loops have the same amount of added sugars: 13-15 grams or 3 teaspoons of sugar at one sitting! MultiGrain Cheerios is a little better at 6 grams or 1½ teaspoons of sugar. A warm breakfast sound nutritious, doesn’t it?

But what about…
3) Instant Oatmeal: All flavors have between 12 -13 grams or 3 teaspoons of sugar, not any better than the cereals.

4) The last item in our list is Nutella. This has taken the place of wholesome peanut or almond butter in many homes. Can you guess what’s the first ingredient? Yes, Sugar! 2 tablespoons of Nutella, has a whooping 20 grams of sugar or over 4 teaspoons. Share and Enjoy: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.

Not the First to Deceive

The years of controversy ended with consumers being warned of the many dangers. Today, trans fat is being replaced, primarily because the consumer is aware. Nutrition labeling must list trans fat as an ingredient (at least when it contains over a half a gram per serving).

We have a similar situation with the additive monosodium glutamate or MSG. The web is full of sites proclaiming the safety of MSG. It’s common to read statements like this one, “One food ingredient that is commonly on the receiving end of bad press is monosodium glutamate or MSG. However this is unfounded. Monosodium glutamate can be safely used to add flavor and appeal to foods, and even to reduce sodium levels in foods.”

Delphine reacts to the mere mention of MSG.

MSG the Flavor that Kills
Is MSG is receiving bad press or is there something to the claims? MSG is the salt of glutamate. A “salt” is the chemical name for a molecule held together by opposite charges. MSG does not have a distinct taste of its own. It adds flavor to other foods. It’s believed that MSG stimulates glutamate receptors in the tongue to enhance meat-like flavors.

Glutamate is an “s” neurotransmitter commonly found in the brain and spinal cord. So far, so good, but when their concentrations rise above a critical level they become deadly toxins to the neurons containing glutamate receptors. Not so good.

Perhaps the most well-known work about MSG is the book, “Excitotoxins: The Taste that Kills” by Dr. Russell Blaylock, a board-certified neurosurgeon.

Blaylock explains, “Excessive glutamate will not only kill the neurons with the receptors for glutamate, but it will also kill any neuron that happens to be connected to it, even if that neuron uses another type of transmitter. Both glutamate and aspartate can cause neurons to become extremely excited and if given in large enough doses, they can cause the cells to degenerate and die. It is for this reason that the nervous system carefully controls the concentration of these two amino acids in the fluid surrounding the neurons (called the extracellular space). Even small doses can damage these neurons without actually killing them. Within 15-30 minutes after being exposed to high doses of MSG, neurons suspended in tissue culture are seen to ’swell’ like balloons. Within 3 hours those neurons are not only dead, but the body’s defense mechanism begins to haul away the debris.”

As Baylock mentions, there is another common excitotoxic substance in addition to MSG, it’s Aspartame, sold as Nutrasweet®. Aspartame has been scientifically linked to brain tumors, brain cell damage, and neurological conditions such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. Aspartame is found in low-calorie foods and soft drinks.

Children Should NEVER Consume Aspartame or MSG
Some people immediately experience headaches, numbness, pressure in the chest, etc. after eating Chinese food (usually containing MSG) or consuming a product with MSG. It’s easy to believe this is a just a sensitivity or allergic reaction and MSG affects only a few people. It’s not true. This is a toxic reaction occurring in virtually everyone, with some people experiencing outward symptoms.

MSG a Hidden Food Ingredient
There’s a lack of government regulation concerning MSG. It can take a detective to find it in processed foods. Unlike trans fat, which now must be labeled, MSG is a hidden ingredient in various additives with numerous names.

There are some food additives which ALWAYS contain MSG: Monosodium Glutamate, Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein, Hydrolyzed Protein, Hydrolyzed Plant Protein, Plant Protein Extract, Sodium Caseinate, Calcium Caseinate, Yeast Extract, Textured Protein (Including TVP), Autolyzed Yeast, Hydrolyzed Oat Flour, Corn Oil, Malt Extract, Malt Flavoring, Bouillon, Broth, Stock, Flavoring, Natural Flavors/Flavoring (may contain up to 20 percent MSG!), Natural Beef or Chicken Flavoring, Seasoning, Spices.

The short list to avoid is products with these ingredients: monosodium glutamate (MSG), caseinate, hydrolyzed (anything), flavoring, or bouillon.

If you eat out, you’re most likely eating MSG. It’s in most fast food (most dipping sauces), soups, and salad dressings. It’s in Ramen noodles and instant soup mixes, Jello®, Accent®, Doritos®, Cheetos®, and items with cheese powder. This is just the tip of the iceberg of products containing MSG.  For a comprehensive list of foods containing MSG, Click Here for MSG Truth.

The best solution for avoiding harmful ingredients is to eat out infrequently and cook at home. I stopped eating fast food a long time ago. The landmine of chemicals in their food is too comprehensive. I just couldn’t keep up. If you have a baby or a toddler, don’t allow them to eat fast food. I know the play areas are fun, but they are a trap. Not only are play areas a breeding ground for germs, but they indoctrinate kids to the fast food lifestyle.

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In the United States, typical French fries have about 40 percent trans fat, and many cookies and crackers range from 30 to 50 percent trans fat. Doughnuts have approximately 35 percent trans fatty acids. A couple of the worst offenders are found in many kitchens-stick margarine and Crisco®.

Trans fatty acid is created when the molecular structure of a vegetable oil is altered to a hardened form found in margarine or shortening. Because trans fat increases the shelf life of foods, it’s most commonly found in restaurant foods, fast foods (French fries, fried chicken, and chicken nuggets), snack food, packaged bakery products (cookies, crackers, donuts, and cakes), microwave popcorn, potato chips, peanut butters, and salad dressings.

Jacob didn’t know that fries have so much trans fat!

Trans fat is far worse than natural saturated fat ever could be. The production process of injecting liquid fats with hydrogen gas converts them into indigestible trans fatty acids. Trans fat can’t be metabolized in the human body, because they don’t release any helpful mediator. Their shape keeps them from being recognized by enzymes. In fact, trans fat has a half life of 51 days. That means three months after consuming trans fat, you’re body is still dealing with it.

Trans fat molecules are absorbed into your cells, compromising the cell’s metabolism. Trans fat lowers the HDL (good cholesterol) and increases the LDL (bad cholesterol), leading to heart disease. In pregnant women, trans fat, like alcohol, drugs, carbon monoxide from cigarette smoke, and pesticides, pass through the placenta to the baby, affecting the baby’s metabolism in direct proportion to the amount ingested by the mother. In addition, there’s a correlation between trans fat and Type 2 Diabetes. To make matters worse, trans fat inhibits the absorption of vitamin K (vital for bone growth). Trans fat is a toxin interfering with all membrane function.

Eating Fried Food Out Is Dangerous To Health
Eating out can be more of a challenge than reading food labels. Now it’s required for food manufactures to list on nutrition labels over a half a gram of trans fat. Unfortunately, picky eaters love fast food! Five small chicken nuggets from a fast food chain may contain between two and four grams of trans fat. A large order (six ounces) of McDonald’s® French fries contains a whopping eight grams of trans fat!

Many restaurants are moving away from trans fat, even McDonalds says they no longer use trans fat. Are we any better off? Not really. Restaurants usually use inferior, cheap vegetables oils. A healthy oil will go rancid. Then an inferior oil is used for frying , it’ reused for a week. It’s used over and over again, until it turns to sludge. Trans fat is created when a vegetable oil is overheated. So, in effect, a restaurant may start with a more healthy oil, but it ends up with a trans fat. When you eat out AVIOD all fried foods.

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Researchers at Ohio State University analyzed government data on 6,500 children and teens, ages 2 to 18. They found the children were consuming an average of 2 cups of fruit, vegetables, and juice combined a day. French fries account for 25 percent of their vegetable intake. Someone consuming 2,000 calories a day should be eating 2 cups of fruit and 2½ cups of veggies a day—over TWICE the amount recorded.

Then there’s the nagging statistic that French fries compose 25 percent of children’s vegetable intake. While writing “Eat Your French Fries Vegetables,” I decided to see if the claim that a Happy Meal will last for years is true. I purchased a Happy Meal on March 3, 2009. To follow Nonna’s Happy Meal Blog, you’ll want to subscribe to the Baby Bites Ezine.

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Nonna’s Happy Meal Blog:

March 3, 2009
My newly purchased Happy Meal smells yummy and it’s very colorful. I receive a PetShop virtual pet dog in a yellow plastic doggie carry-case, along with my child-size hamburger, small fries, and a soft drink. On one side of the cardboard box the meal comes in are cutouts for a pet shop window and door. What little girl wouldn’t absolutely love it? The boy’s side of the box has a Spider-Man scene. The Spider-Man side states, “Meet the spectacular Spider-Man in McWorld at HappyMeal.com and go on your own superhero adventure!” WOW what fun. As colorful as my Happy Meal is, the food is mostly colorless. French fries are made from starchy white potatoes and a hockey puck-size brown hamburger is served on a mini-white-bread bun. There’s no lettuce, cheese, or otherwise healthful topping, just a dab of ketchup and a slice of pickle.

March 4
Happy Meal greets me as I walk into my office this morning. It’s perched on a shelf behind my desk and there is a faint smell of French fries as I enter the room. My husband is concerned about the odor. I ask, “What do ya mean?” After all it smells yummy. He says, “What about when it putrefies, decomposes, and turns rancid?” I answer, “That’s the point of my experiment. It’s NOT supposed to decompose, only a natural food would do that! If it does, I’ll move it into a glass container, to control any unpleasant smell. Then, I’ll have more to report.

March 5
Day three, my cheery Happy Meal’s yummy smell is hardly noticeable as I come into my office. I can’t help but think about the hidden ingredient in much of McDonalds’ food. It’s even in their fries …MSG. MSG is an excitotoxin, which over-stimulate brain cells to the point that they die. Many people experience headaches when this occurs. MSG is an excitatory neuro-transmitter or “excitotoxin.” Excitotoxins are chemical transmitters allowing brain cells to communicate. Unfortunately, excitotoxins over-stimulate your brain cells and they die. It’s a toxic substance. As you would guess, children are most at risk from ingesting MSG in Happy Meals. It can pass the blood brain barrier and even the placental barrier, affecting unborn children. Morgan Spurlock, from the movie SuperSize Me, experienced extreme headaches on his McDonald’s diet. In his movie and book, he says his health team was at a loss for the reason. It’s a shame they missed the connection to MSG. For more information about MSG, Click Here.

March 6 AM
I now own my very own McDonalds’ Spiderman toy. Yep, I went back to McDonalds and purchased the toy alone. Now I have a toy for each side of the McDonalds’ box. A toy meant for a girl and one for a boy. I was motivated to purchase the second toy, because yesterday, Kelly wrote a comment on my Facebook page after I mention the “Nonna’s Happy Meal Blog.”Kelly observed, “Sadly, with all the marketing it seems to be more about the toy.” And then offered her solution, “I often will make them a healthy lunch at home, and then go thru the drive thru and just buy the toy!”Checking my original receipt, I found my purchase of a Happy Meal cost me $3.02 (after taxes, before taxes $2.79). The toy with the Happy Meal is listed on the receipt as zero.  When I purchased the toy alone, it cost $1.69 (of course, plus tax). Using a rule-of-thumb that the cost of an item is doubled, the toy most likely cost McDonalds about 80 cents. It would be my guess the paper products (the box, napkins, and cup) were next in expense for McDonalds. That alone speaks volumes about the quality of the food.

March 6 PM
YIKES, I’m becoming a regular McDonalds’ costumer! Yes, I went back there today and purchased a second tiny hamburger. Yesterday, I realized my experiment hamburger had ketchup and a slice of pickle on it. I was afraid these two toppings would alter the result, so I went back and purchased a PLAIN tiny burger. It cost me another 89 cents, plus 6 cents tax. Now, I have a control burger without toppings, albeit three days fresher. While I was there, I checked out what it would cost to purchase a small order of fries: $1, plus 7 cents tax. That means that the FOOD and PAPER portion of my original Happy Meal cost me $2.02 and the toy $1.00.

March 7
You’d think at least the ketchup your child is dipping her French fries in and the dab on the hamburger is healthy, after all it’s made of tomatoes. Tomatoes are a super food, right? Not so fast. Ketchup is usually one-third sugar (unless you purchase a healthy brand at a whole foods store).The ingredients on the McDonald’s Fancy Ketchup read: “Tomato concentrate (not whole tomatoes), distilled vinegar, High Fructose Corn Sweetener, Corn syrup, water, salt, natural flavorings.” When you add the High Fructose Corn Sweetener with the Corn syrup, most likely sugar will be the real first ingredient. Ketchup is sugar and worst kind of all. Click Here for more info on High Fructose Corn Sweetener.

March 8
It’s day five, and somehow I don’t feel consoled by McDonald’s website reassurances: “McDonald’s offers a range of menu options to help meet your family’s nutrition needs. When it comes to eating with your kids at McDonald’s, you can feel good knowing that our Happy Meals and Mighty Kids Meals contain important nutrients that growing kids need. Many of the foods we serve at McDonald’s are the same trusted brands you might purchase for your family at your local grocery store.

“My Happy Meal looks pretty much the same as the day I purchased it. The only difference I can tell is the ketchup and the pickle are being absorbed into the mini-white bun. Of course, the plain burger I purchased looks the same, so do the fries. If this were real food, there should be some decomposition. In Morgan Spurlock’s (Super Size Me) McDonald’s experiment found fries are turning black from decomposition by 2 weeks. But, McDonald’s fries never did decompose. That can’t be food, for food to nourish your body it needs to decompose.

Could the lack of decomposition be because of trans fat? I thought McDonalds said they no longer use trans fat, but according to the McDonlds website their French fries are prepared in hydrogenated soybean oil, corn oil, or canola oil. Any hydrogenated oil is a trans fat! Trans fat is created when a vegetable oil is overheated. Restaurants use their frying oil for a week. It’s heated over and over again. Trans fats can’t release any useful mediators. Their shape keeps them from being recognized by enzymes. Explains a lot, don’t you think.

March 9
How many times have I heard “It’s cheaper to eat out than cook at home“? I don’t know maybe a million! I don’t get it. A Big Mac Meal costs $5.39 and a Happy Meal, $2.79, plus tax. For a family of four that’s $16.36 or a mom and one child $8.18; not including taxes. Not a bargain when you think what that could purchase. Last Spring, I worked out a food budget for two people on food stamps. ( Click Here for my Food Stamp Budget blog.) With a meager food stamp budget of $300 a month for two people, about $10 a day you can feed two people whole foods. One trip to McDonalds would cost almost as much as a day’s groceries. If you ask me, that’s NO bargain.

March 10
Today, is day 7. My Happy Meal still looks happy. The fries haven’t changed a bit, although the French fry smell is faint. The hamburger itself looks like it did on day one. The ketchup and slice of pickle have dried. The mini-white bun is now hard and has split. If you look closely at my original photo at the top of this blog, you can see a vertical crease in the bun. It looked as if it had been squished or bent before the patty was placed on it. The split is in the crease. (My second PLAIN Burger, purchased three days after is still perfect.)

March 12
What is a natural flavor, exactly? McDonald’s says their fries contain a natural flavor. A substance can be natural, but it may violate a religious or dietary restriction or it may cause allergic reactions in some people. It turns out that today, “natural” can mean just about anything. The natural flavor in McDonald’s fries is beef flavor containing hydrolyzed wheat and hydrolyzed milk as starting ingredients.

March 15
The Happy Meal was launched in 1979, by 2003 the Happy Meal accounted for 20 percent of all meals sold at McDonalds! It was pure marketing geniuswhen Ronald McDonald became their mascot. In commercials, Ronald McDonald inhabits a fantasy world called McDonaldland. He has adventures with his friends Mayor McCheese, the Hamburglar, Grimace, Birdie the Early Bird, and The Fry Kids. Our kids have been taken captive, by a clown. According to Barna Research, kids ages 2 to 7 watch an average of 25 hours of television a week and see about 40,000 television ads per year. It’s no surprise Ronald McDonald was number two on a list of the most recognizable people in the world. This, of course, relates directly to our kids’ addiction to junk food!

March 16
My Happy Meal is 12 days old. I’m taking it off my shelf, just for a little peek to see how it’s doing. Ya’d think that there would be some sort of decomposition going on by now. I don’t see any…nope none at all. My Happy Meal is still looks perky.

March 19
It’s too bad that even in the midst of the recession, parents are finding the financial wherewithal to keep their kids supplied with Happy Meals. February’s sales were up 5.4 percent above last year. January’s global comparable sales leaped 7.1 percent. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if parents cooked whole foods at home? No only would they save during these tight financial times, but their kids would be healthier, too.

March 30
Do you know the:
1) percentage of potatoes which end up French fried: 22
2) age when a toddler first eats a French fry: 6 mo
3) percentage of toddlers who eat French Fries everyday: 21

March 31
I’m taking my Happy Meal on its first field trip. It’s going to be my show-and-tell for tonight’s presentation to preschool moms in Littleton, Colorado. No one will believe my Happy Meal is one day shy of four week’s old! It looks as good as it did on day one.

April 10
You remember the jingle, “Two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun.” What’s in the  Big Mac® special sauce: Soybean oil, pickle relish [diced pickles, high fructose corn syrup, sugar, vinegar, corn syrup, salt, calcium chloride, xanthan gum, potassium sorbate (preservative), spice extractives, polysorbate 80], distilled vinegar, water, egg yolks, high fructose corn syrup, onion powder, mustard seed, salt, spices, propylene glycol alginate, sodium benzoate (preservative), mustard bran, sugar, garlic powder, vegetable protein (hydrolyzed corn, soy and wheat), caramel color, extractives of paprika, soy lecithin, turmeric (color), calcium disodium EDTA (protect flavor). CONTAINS: WHEAT, EGG AND SOY.
Looks like sugar is the number one ingredient in the Big Mac® Sauce.  (And by the way, the Happy Meal purchased on May 3 looks as good as it did on day one.)

April 29
Since I began this blog, I’ve written another post about Monosodium Glutamate. MSG is a common ingredient in McDonald’s food.  Click Here to read “Hidden Toxin in Food.” Unappetizing as it is, my Happy Meal is just as perky as the day I bought it, nearly two months ago!

June 3
How sad are Americans? Despite all the cautions about fast food, a recent poll found that 44 percent of Americans say they like the taste of fast food too much to give it up. Greg Chu, senior vice president of health care for Synovate in North America, says people in the USA have “a love-hate relationship” with fast food. “We love the convenience. We love the taste. We love the assurance that you can count on it. But we know it’s not good for us.”

December 14
I wish I could say that my Happy Meal has changed in some way. But it looks pretty much the same nine months after I purchased it. The bread is crusty. That’s all!

March 3, 2010
Read about my Happy Meal’s first birthday, CLICK HERE.

Click Here for a synopsis of “Baby Bites: Transforming a Picky Eater into a Healthy Eater”

The FDA has said that BPA doesn’t pose a risk to people. BPA (bisphnol A) is a hormone-like chemical found in plastics. Although, the three studies which the FDA based their opinion, were funded by the chemical industry.

Hundreds of independent studies suggest the chemical poses serious risks. The latest research links BPA to both heart disease and diabetes in adults. BPA has been detected in the bodies of virtually all Americans who were tested. Adults with the highest BPA levels in their urine were more than twice as likely to have heart disease or diabetes, than those with the lowest levels.

Ben & Nicole think BPA is…
super YUCKY!

Obviously, it’s important to protect fetuses and infants from BPA, because they are the most vulnerable to hormonal influences. Babies are exposed to more than 12 times as much BPA per pound of body weight as adults. The most common means which babies are exposed to BPA is through plastic baby bottles and formula containers.

Other Not-So-Friendly Effects From BPA Exposure:
(According to the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy’s Smart Plastics Guide)
1. Structural damage to your brain
2. Hyperactivity, increased aggressiveness, and impaired learning
3. Increased fat formation and risk of obesity
4. Altered immune function
5. Early puberty, stimulation of mammary gland development, disrupted reproductive
6. cycles, and ovarian dysfunction
7. Changes in gender-specific behavior, and abnormal sexual behavior
8. Stimulation of prostate cancer cells
9. Increased prostate size, and decreased sperm production

To Avoid BPA Exposure:
1. Only use glass baby bottles and dishes for your baby.
2. Give your baby natural fabric toys instead of plastic ones.
3. Store your food and beverages in glass—NOT plastic containers.
4. If you use a microwave, don’t microwave food in a plastic container.
5. Stop buying and consuming canned drinks.
6. Avoid using plastic wrap (and never microwave anything covered in it).
7. If you opt to use plastic kitchenware, at least get rid of the older, scratched-up varieties, avoid putting them in the dishwasher, and don’t wash them with harsh detergents, as these things can cause more chemicals to leach into your food.
8. Avoid using bottled water; filter your own using a reverse osmosis filter instead.
9. Before allowing a dentist to apply a sealant to your children’s teeth, ask your dentist to verify that it does not contain BPA.

Click HERE to purchase Baby Bites: Transforming a Picky Eater into a Healthy Eater.

Click HERE for the Podcast Can Fat Be Good?