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Junk food disguised as health food
21 February 2005
I realise I've been conned.
This morning I was having breakfast with the kids. I had my usual two slices of toast and orange juice, while they tucked into some honey-flavoured cereal.
Now, honey can't be bad for you, right? Surely honey is positively good for you.
What's more, this cereal was fortified (yes, fortified!) with vitamins and minerals. It all sounds pretty good, until you take a closer look at the packet…
You see, this cereal was absolutely rammed with sugar, salt, fat, and additives. Yet it was packaged as a healthy alternative, complete with pictures of real honey and golden fields of corn.
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Beware the marketing men - they could be damaging your health
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People are trying to look after themselves a little bit more these days. And big businesses are wising up.
So they're marketing junk food as healthy options to try and get at your money.
Don't be fooled. These health bars actually do nothing for your health. Energy bars and chocolate bars pretend to be health foods just by adding some fibre. Sugary cereals boast that they're good for you because they've added some vitamins. But these are no substitute for the real thing - whole foods with natural sugars, vitamins and fibre.
Eating a balanced, varied, fresh diet will fill your body with vital nutrients, vitamins and minerals that no amount of gimmicky manufactured food will ever give you.
From now on, I'm going to let my kids have this cereal (a smaller bowl full), but I'll add chopped up fresh fruit.
And when this packet runs out, I'm going to try and get them hooked on a healthier alternative.
Maybe I'll even use REAL honey!
I may even throw that packet of cereal away and get them started on a more natural diet right now, because poor diet could be leaving them vulnerable to all sorts of conditions...
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Why a fish could help your child get A grades
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Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) is a particularly upsetting illness, especially when you see it affecting a child.
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A neighbour's eldest boy suffered from ADD, back when we lived in Bristol. For years this kid had been a real handful. He suffered mood swings, impulsiveness, and found it hard to focus on anything. He also problems at school, and was often in trouble with parents and teachers.
Of course, back then we just thought he was a problem child - just one of those things. But the more involved I've become in health and natural remedies, the more I'm sure he suffered from ADD.
Now, there are many different causes of ADD including allergies, food intolerances, anxiety, low muscle tone, depression, family problems and poor discipline.
But there's also another cause - DIET!
And just by making some simple, healthy changes to your child's diet, you could be cutting the risk of this condition ever getting a grip.
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Add more fatty acids to your diet
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Remember the days of being forced to swallow cod-liver oil?
Not nice, and I'm sure our parents didn't really know why it was good for us (in our household it was always used as a punishment). But as is often the case, the old-timers knew best...
You see, fish oils are rich in fatty acids. And fatty acids are essential to our well-being.
A recent study in the US showed that kids low in Omega-3 essential fatty acids are significantly more likely to be hyperactive, have learning disorders, and to display behavioural problems.
Omega-3 deficiencies have also been linked to dyslexia, violence, depression, memory problems, weight gain, cancer, heart disease, eczema, allergies, inflammatory diseases, arthritis, diabetes, and many other conditions.
It all sounds horrifying, but getting fatty acids into your diet is easy.
Salmon, flax seeds, eggs and walnuts are all excellent food sources of omega 3 fatty acids. So make sure you include these foods in your weekly diet, and give your brain the food it needs!
And while I'm on a rant about children's diets...
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Is the burger behind diabetes?
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Research has just come to light linking fast food with diabetes.
Dr David Ludwig of the Children's Hospital in the US conducted a study that showed eating fast food more than twice a week dramatically increases the risk of diabetes.
The more junk food you eat, the more pounds you pile on. Not healthy muscle of course, but dangerous fat. And this increase in weight increases insulin resistance.
This means that your body is unable to properly process the sugars in your blood, and this can lead to type II diabetes.
The study looked at 3,000 adults between 18 and 30... and I bet YOU can guess what happened...
Those who ate fast food more than twice a week pout on 10lb more than those eating less fast food.
Weight gain = insulin resistance.
Insulin resistance = diabetes.
It's obvious really, but it's always nice to have it confirmed by men in white coats. So cut out regular visits to your local fast food restaurant.
Have some salmon instead!
That's it for now. Have a great weekend.
Yours as ever,
Ray Collins
The Good Life Letter
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