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Panera is Cutting Food Additives…Finally!

PaneraPanera Bread has announced that they will be eliminating some of the chemical additives in their food. Additives?

Today, the company publicly published a “No No List” of artificial additives including colors, flavors, preservatives, and sweeteners that are banned from its restaurants as of today in the US (its rollout date in Canada has yet to be determined). The restaurant says it will remove more than 150 ingredients, including aspartame (taken out of Diet Pepsi last month) and azodicarbonamide (aka, the much-maligned yoga mat chemical), as well as old health foes like high-fructose corn syrup and lard. (Also on the list: sucralose, the artificial sweetener replacing aspartame in Diet Pepsi and acesulfame K, the beverage’s other sweetener.)

Click here for the complete NO-NO List from Panera Foods.

Check out this article about Panera’s announcement about taking another step toward ethical meat practices in Forbes Magazine.

 Subway Restaurant

Remember the yoga mat incident?  Well it looks like Subway has made another step toward helping their PR and announced  plans for a significant reduction in sodium at its U.S. stores that could ultimately nudge much of the fast-food industry to follow.

Beginning today, sodium content in Subway’s “Fresh Fit” sandwich line in the U.S. will be cut 28% vs. 2009, when Subway first began to cut salt. And sodium in its overall sandwich line will be cut by 15%, compared with the same period.

Kraft Foods

Kraft Foods, a few weeks ago, declared that they will be eliminating the food dye they were using Maccheesein their Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, the stuff that makes it orange, and replacing it with natural ingredients.

Maybe Kraft is making this move because it’s losing market share to organic products — although the company still sells half-a-billion dollars worth of the stuff annually.

As it turns out, the famous nuclear-orange color of Kraft’s mac and cheese can be obtained from natural ingredients like turmeric, annatto,and paprika — instead of artificial food dye.

But the BIGGEST news was….ta dah! CHIPOTLE GIVES UP GMOS!  The public has spoken. Take that Monsanto who has no problem morally or ethically poisoning the consumer if it can make a profit.

WHAT IS A GMO? (Genetically Modified Organism)GMO

A GMO is created by inserting genes from one species (typically bacteria or a virus) into the DNA of another. This can result in a plant with characteristics that wouldn’t occur naturally, such as producing pesticides or the ability to withstand high doses of chemical herbicides.

Not all GMOs are designed in the same way. Crops can be engineered to do a number of different things. The traits that cause the most concern to agricultural, environmental, and medical experts are:

1. Herbicide Resistance: Plants engineered to survive applications of glyphosate, a chemical that would otherwise kill them.

2. Pesticide Production: Plants engineered to produce insecticidal toxins

(Picture source: Chipotle website)

If you eat processed food, you are more likely to consume GMOs.

Why are GMOs bad for me?

Why You Should Be Concerned About GMOs

Contributed by

Genetically modified organisms () have been grabbing headlines in recent weeks, with the U.S. Department of Agriculture () suddenly reversing bans on one genetically engineered crop after another. The list of genetically modified food ingredients is growing at an alarming rate. And what’s even more disturbing is the fact the USDA seems to have sided with big business in allowing GMO foods to be sold without any labeling whatsoever.

Consumers have been left largely in the dark, unable to make informed choices about buying Panera2foods containing GMOs. By some estimates, over 75% of all processed foods sold in the U.S. contain a GMO ingredient. Corn, soy, canola, cottonseed, sugar, beef and dairy products are among the most likely to have been genetically modified.

Scientists, environmental activists, supporters of organic farming and consumers alike are joining forces to protest the USDA’s decisions. Organizations like the Organic Consumers Association, Alliance for Natural Health USA and Say No to GMOs! are just a few examples of those working to fight back against GMOs.

What’s behind all of the outrage and fervor? Here’s a brief overview of the case against GMOs. It’s important to educate yourself now, because the onslaught of approved GMO foods entering our food supply is likely to continue, as the government refuses to acknowledge that they could be harmful.

Why do GMOs exist?

If you listen to the government and the Big Agra companies it supports, GMO foods are perfectly safe, and their benefits include lower cost crops, more productive farms and even healthier foods. But the truth is, genetically engineered plants exist for a single reason — profits. Companies like Monsanto have been known to bully farmers into paying “technology fees” to use their GMO seeds.

In most cases, the reason that seeds are genetically modified is so they plants can withstand massive doses of herbicides and pesticides. And guess who sells these toxic chemicals? The same companies that make the GMO seeds.

 

Why should you be concerned about GMOs in our food supply?

Genetically engineered plants have had either genes from bacteria or viruses, or genes that make plants resistant to toxic chemicals like the herbicide Roundup — spliced into their DNA. These genes were never part of the human diet until the first GMO plant was created in 1996.

To date, there have been no long-term human safety studies conducted on GMOs. To assume that they are safe defies common sense, as we lack any scientific evidence to prove that they do not pose a threat to human health. In fact, more research points towards potentially harmful effects of consuming GMOs.

The American Academy of Environmetal Medicine (AAEM)’s official position on GMOs is that they “have not been properly tested and pose a serious health risk” and that a more research shows that GMOs are posing a harmful effect to humans.

The Center for Food Safety has launched a free mobile application for smartphones called the True Food Shoppers Guide, a program that allows shoppers to quickly and easily identify grocery items that contain genetically engineered ingredients.

Here is an list of great apps you can help you eat GMO FREE!

So now that the gauntlet has been thrown down by Chipotle maybe more food companies will start following their example. We can only hope.

Thanks for reading.

Terry Ryan, Health Blogger

www.slimhealthysexy.com

 

 

From Size 14 to 0: Andrea’s Story

Http://slimhealthysexy.com

From Size 14 – 0

Wow, was my reaction when Andrea walked into Panera’s on Cattleman Road, Sarasota, FL. The last time I saw Andrea, she had lost about 20 pounds but she still had a ways to go. Now here she was, down to a size 0 and looking fabulous!  Andrea had sent me an email to a link to the movie The Genetic Roulette, and I watched it and was just as outraged as she was by what the FDA and Monsanto are doing to our food supply. She had said in the email that she had lost a substantial amount of weight. So, she is health conscious and concerned about GMOs, just like me, so I called her and suggested that we get together over coffee at Paneras, our normal place to meet.

Here is my conversation with Andrea:

Me: What was the catalyst that motivated you to lose weight?

Andrea:  I watched the move Genetic Roulette and got so mad at what Monsanto was doing to our food, that I just decided that I wanted to eat healthier.  I was determined that Monsanto wasn’t going to poison me. All of my family is gone, they all died young and I am determined to live longer than them. I want to live until I am 150. (That is not a typo.)

Me:  What was a typical day for you?

Andrea:  (She hands me a flyer that she has made.) Breakfast consists of smoothies made with a Bullet (mixer). Everything is organic (of course), lots of fruits, nuts, dates, maple syrup for sweetness. Lunch and dinner is veggies such as tomato, red onion, red bell pepper, red cabbage, avocados, cukes, kale, potatoes, miller, lentils, chick peas, garlic, ginger, mushrooms, onions. They can be prepared raw or steamed. Snacks are dehydrated apples and bananas.

I noticed that Andrea had a glass bottle of cloudy water with her. She said it was water and fresh squeezed lemon juice.  She also had samples of her dried apples and bananas that she gave us that were very good.  “I needed something crunchy to snack on so I make these,” Andrea told us.

Me: So how much weight have you lost all together and when did you start?

Andrea:  I have lost 60 pounds and I began October 2012. (Today’s date is 1/8/2014)

Me: Did you make little changes or did you go full on cold turkey?

Andrea:  Cold turkey.

Me: Did you crave anything or feel terrible when you started?

Andrea:  No, I felt fine because I was already eating pretty healthy when I started. I did go to bed for the first week crying because I couldn’t eat my bowl of popcorn at night.

From Andrea’s Flyer:

This is how I started the switch, (I watched Genetic Roulette Movie, The World According to Monsanto.)

1.  Dr. Oz Three Day Cleanse.

2.  Two week Alkaline diet. (“Dropping Acid“)

3.  Rainbow diet – 100% Organic foods. (Basically means eating a lot of colorful veggies.)

4.  Commit to non processed foods, and go vegan if you can, non-gmo and as much organic as possible. Eat “whole, fresh foods.”

5.  Clean your liver first thing in the morning with lemon in your water in place of coffee.

6.  Also read Natural Cures by Kevin Trudeau. Great info.

Me:  Kevin Trudeau as in the guy who ran to Switzerland to avoid paying taxes?

Andrea: Yes, he has a lot of good information in the book.

Me:  What do you do when you go out to a restaurant?

Andrea:  I bring my own food.

Me: What? No, that’s not possible. Really, what do you do when you go out to dinner with friends.

Andrea:  I don’t go out to eat.

Me:  That would be a big problem for me and my friends who like to go out to eat.

Andrea: Yeah, that would be tough, I agree, but I don’t go out.

Me: Do you ever go off the diet and eat a hot fudge sundae?

Andrea:  No never. Do you know what is in dairy?

Me:  Yes. (Bovine growth hormone, antibiotics, etc.) What about organic milk?

Andrea: I don’t really trust that it is organic.

“I’m passionate about removing all the toxins from my bod and my life. My goal is health and longevity.”~Andrea Page

Me: Do you use a sugar substitute like Stevia?

Andrea:  I don’t really trust that either.

Me: Health wise do you feel any differently?

Andrea:  I no longer have migraines, my knees don’t hurt anymore, and my skin is clearer.

Me: Did you notice anything else?

Andrea:  My taste buds reset after 90 days where I no longer had any cravings or desire for sweets or other non healthy food.

We finished our conversation ended it with what Andrea was up to with her business with Send Out Cards and we agreed to meet on Tuesday (1/14/2014) at Tanya’s house to clean out all the junk food and go shopping for organic veggies. I’m bringing the video camera and will be recording the entire process.

More to come…

 

Genetic Roulette

Jeffrey M. Smith, author of the world’s bestselling book on GMOs, Seeds of Deception, is a leading consumer advocate promoting healthier non-GMO choices. grmcover_new_small

Genetic Roulette – The Gamble of Our Lives has won the 2012 Movie of the Year by the Solari Report and the Top Transformational Film of 2012 by AwareGuide!

Never-Before-Seen-Evidence points to genetically engineered foods as a major contributor to rising disease rates in the US population, especially among children. Gastrointestinal disorders, allergies, inflammatory diseases, and infertility are just some of the problems implicated in humans, pets, livestock, and lab animals that eat genetically modified soybeans and corn.

Monsanto’s strong arm tactics, the FDA’s fraudulent policies, and how the USDA ignores a growing health emergency are also laid bare. This sometimes shocking film may change your diet, help you protect your family, and accelerate the consumer tipping point against genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Don’t miss this film!

http://geneticroulettemovie.com/