Styrofoam: Is it contaminating your food?

All natural antioxidant support for great health

There was a time not long ago when I thought nothing of heating or reheating my food on a Styrofoam plate in a microwave. Today I seldom microwave anything at all (the reason will be addressed in another post). Before curbing my microwave habit I stopped using Styrofoam plates in them. It seems I read something or other a few years ago about the ability of Styrofoam to leach chemicals onto the food. It turns out that heeding the advice and not using Styrofoam in the microwave was a pretty good idea. Just last month (June 2011) the US Department of Health and Human Services made a bold, yet necessary, decision to add the chemical styrene to the list of substances reasonably known to cause cancer in humans. It is has been known to cause cancer in animals for years.

Styrene is a chemical used in the production of Styrofoam, some rubber products and cigarettes. In fact the majority of exposure to styrene is thought to come from smoking or inhaling second hand smoke. Second to smoking would be the use of Styrofoam products for containing or holding foods and beverages as a chief mode of exposure. With either heat in general or the aggressive manipulation of molecules through microwaving comes the breaking down of Styrofoam allowing chemicals like styrene to attach itself to our foods.

It has been established that long term exposure to styrene through ingestion or inhalation can be very hazardous. The Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for styrene explains these hazards clearly. The acute (immediate) concern for styrene exposure is that it can irritate the skin, eyes, and respiratory system causing inflammation and pain. The chronic (long term) health concerns include nervous system toxicity, upper respiratory tract toxicity, targeted organ damage and cancer.

Using Styrofoam has become a way of life for most people. If used sporadically one lessens their risk from the long term damaging effects of styrene. Avoid using Styrofoam in microwave ovens or for serving hot foods and beverages. In fact, perhaps the best advice is to avoid any use associated with food all together.

Sources:

http://abcnews.go.com/US/styrofoam-chemical-styrene-added-possible-carcinogens-list/story?id=13815600

http://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9925112

All natural antioxidant support for great health

Formaldehyde is not for the Living: Part 2

Flawless cosmetics without poisonous ingredients

Formaldehyde is an extremely nasty substance. At just 0.1 parts per million, which is not very much, it can cause eye irritation and significant breathing problems. If a person is asthmatic formaldehyde can be a nightmare triggering an asthma response without ever being fingered as the culprit. Continued exposure has caused cancer in animals and has long been regarded to cause cancer in humans. Studies of mortuary workers have revealed an increase in rare nasal cancers after being exposed to high levels of formaldehyde.
Does anyone remember the FEMA trailers used after Hurricane Katrina? After many complaints and hospitalizations of the occupants the trailers were all but abandoned with some choosing to live on the street instead of the trailers. Why? Formaldehyde was making the people sick causing a plethora of medical conditions. If the hurricane didn’t get them then the formaldehyde did.

The Chemical Industry
As you can imagine the chemical industry is incensed. There is nothing wrong with formaldehyde they say. This will cost American jobs they say. The science does not bear out the findings they say. Interestingly in 1999 the Canadian government, using science, labeled formaldehyde a toxic substance. And to this date many European nations have completely banned the use of formaldehyde based on scientific studies. It seems the only science the chemical industry likes is their own manipulated version (which is not science) with all other science being wrong. As far as jobs are concerned the job market in the European nations did not collapse do to the banning of this toxin.

Reducing exposure
There isn’t much a person can do about their work environment or the home that is already built. However, what follows are some things you can do now and in the future to avoid formaldehyde:
1. Avoid all personal care products that contain formaldehyde. Look at nail polish and any other nail care product. Also pay attention to all hair treatments and conditioners.
2. If you are having a new home built be sure the material used are labeled as U.L.E.F. (ultra-low-emitting formaldehyde), N.A.F. (no added formaldehyde) or C.A.R.B. (California Air Resources Board) Phase 1 or Phase 2 compliant.
3. Ventilate new cars as much as possible. This will assist in ridding the car of excessive formaldehyde accumulation do to off-gassing. New car smell is hazardous to one’s health.

We should be encouraged by our government finally stepping up on behalf of ‘we the people’. I would not be surprised one bit, though, if the government bends to the will of the chemical industry in the name of profit and recants its position. Regardless, we now know what most of the world as known for some time. Go in good health and prosperity.

Interested in a complete line of non-toxic personal care products and beauty aids including nail polish and make up? Visit mysisel.com/thoughtfulhealth.

Sources:
http://healthland.time.com/2011/06/11/why-the-federal-government-finally-acted-on-chemical-safety/

http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/roc12.

http://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/08/28/the-awful-odyssey-of-femas-hurricane-katrina-trailers/

Flawless cosmetics without poisonous ingredients

Formaldehyde is not for the Living: Part 1

Flawless cosmetics without poisonous ingredients
http://thoughtfulhealth.mysiselpro.com/v1/Products/beauty/mineral_pressed_foundation.aspx

Just recently the U.S. government finally issued a safety warning about formaldehyde and placed it on the list of known carcinogens. It would seem that the U.S. is catching up to the rest of the world even if it is years after the fact. But why is formaldehydes new designation important to us?
Formaldehyde is a widely used substance and can be found in the products we interact with the most. Chief among these products are our homes, automobiles and personal care items.
The plywood used in home building is usually treated with formaldehyde. Automobile upholstery and other components are also treated or manufactured with formaldehyde. So the next time you are enjoying that new home or new car smell please know that it is the carcinogen (cancer causing) formaldehyde off-gassing right into your lungs. One exposure will probably not do too much damage but how long have you been inhaling these noxious vapors…10, 20, 30 years?
If you have ever been in a nail salon (or anywhere else where nails are done) you probably noticed the nail technician using a mask to cover their mouth and nose. It is not because they are afraid of your germs. They cover themselves to avoid exposure to particulates containing formaldehyde (as well as other harmful chemicals to include parabens). You may have also noticed who doesn’t have their faces covered. That would be the customers and anyone else who is with them like husbands, friends and children.
Hair salons are not exempt either. In fact, the exposure can be even more hideous since a good bit of heat steams the formaldehyde through any potential filters (read nasal cilia aka nose hair). Even certain treatments regarded as safe can contain formaldehyde or its parent chemical aldehyde (more on this in an upcoming post).
Part 2 will be posted within the next few days with important information on the chemical industry and how to avoid or minimize exposure to formaldehyde.
Interested in a complete line of non-toxic personal care products and beauty aids including nail polish and make up? Visit mysisel.com/thoughtfulhealth.

Flawless cosmetics without poisonous ingredients
http://thoughtfulhealth.mysiselpro.com/v1/Products/beauty/mineral_liquid_foundation.aspx

Sources:
http://healthland.time.com/2011/06/11/why-the-federal-government-finally-acted-on-chemical-safety/
http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/roc12.
http://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/08/28/the-awful-odyssey-of-femas-hurricane-katrina-trailers/

If Swallowed Call Poison Control Immediately

When we think of ominous statements the title of this post ranks right up there at the top. It conveys a sense of urgency that should make one ready to spring into action to save life and limb in case disaster strikes. The disaster, as it were, in this case would be to do something as simple as swallowing toothpaste. All fluoride containing toothpastes carry this warning. Don’t believe me? Please go check. To be exact the warning goes like this: “Keep out of reach of children under 6 years of age. If you accidentally swallow more than needed for brushing seek professional help or call poison control immediately”. There are not many products on the market today that we are supposed to put in our mouths that carry a poison warning.

Commercially used fluoride is a by-product (read waste) of the organophosphate fertilizer industry. This is what manufacturers put into toothpaste. Fluoride has the ability to accumulate in our body’s overtime and is thought to lead to chronic illnesses and ironically brittle teeth through fluorosis. While fluoride in toothpaste work its long term damaging effects on adults our children can suffer immediately. All that is required to kill an average weight 2 year old is for them to ingest 60 mg of fluoride. The average tube of toothpaste contains twice that amount(it can average between 120 and 150 mg). Half a tube of fluoridated toothpaste can kill a 2 year old while an entire tube can kill a 9 year old. To be fair there aren’t many kids out there eating vast quantities of toothpaste but there are many consuming more than their fair share. When put into perspective the conclusion must be that there is no such thing as a safe amount of poison. Remember, fluoride has a cumulative effect. This toxin also has the ability to attract and then bind to heavy metals most notably aluminum. Once bound together the body has a notoriously difficult time ridding itself of either without specific detoxification protocols. Essentially, the poison that doesn’t kill you today will hang around and hover over your head like a toxic sword of Damocles. This is what we give our kids and continue to take ourselves on the daily basis.

At this point the collective groan of some reading this post can be heard saying: “We need fluoride for healthy teeth…or so we’ve been told”. As a matter of fact Western European nations have the same rate of tooth decay or lower when compared to America. The point is that most of the communities in these nations have long stopped fluoridating their water and use non-fluoridated or extremely low fluoridated toothpaste. Refusing to bath our teeth in sugar baths daily (sodas, chips and other highly processed sugary snacks) combined with proper nutrient intake and brushing with non-fluoridated, non-toxic toothpaste will lend us a better outcome.

The industrialized nations are beginning to wake up from its toxic slumber to reclaim health and vitality. Let us be more conscious of what we partake in and what we allow others to do to us against our own best interest. Our health is ours and it is up to us to reclaim it.

If you are looking for non-fluoridated, non-toxic toothpaste that is effective and safe for you, the kids, and your loved ones follow or copy this link (http://www.mysisel.com/vip/thoughtfulhealth/productscategory.htm?categoryId=83) for your answer. You can also find other great non-toxic dental products for your family to enjoy.

Sources:
http://fluoridealert.org/toothpaste

Akiniwa, K. (1997). Re-examination of acute toxicity of fluoride. Fluoride 30: 89-104.

Gessner BD, et al. (1994). Acute fluoride poisoning from a public water system. New England Journal of Medicine 330:95-9.

Levy SM, Guha-Chowdhury N. (1999). Total fluoride intake and implications for dietary fluoride supplementation. Journal of Public Health Dentistry 59: 211-23.

Spak CJ, et al. (1990). Studies of human gastric mucosa after application of 0.42% fluoride gel. Journal of Dental Research 69:426-9.

Shulman JD, Wells LM. (1997). Acute fluoride toxicity from ingesting home-use dental products in children, birth to 6 years of age. Journal of Public Health Dentistry 57: 150-8.

Whitford GM. (1987). Fluoride in dental products: safety considerations. Journal of Dental Research 66: 1056-60.

Is Vitamin Water Bad for Your Health? Well...It Won't Help It

How innocuous is Vitamin Water? Its water and vitamins, right? What is the harm? When you watch the comical commercials you would think Vitamin Water was some sort of miracle tonic from yesteryear. Up all night clubbing and drinking? Down a Vitamin Water. Playing hard on the court or ‘ye old’ ball field? Pep up with Vitamin Water. After all, the water hydrates you and all those vitamins are great for energy and rejuvenation. A closer look, however, reveals a beverage that is at best mediocre and at worst an outright detriment to health.

Let’s start with what should be obvious about any type of water. Water has no color yet Vitamin Water does. This fact is often overlooked but is very important. The Coca Cola Company, having made $700 million last year distributing Vitamin Water, adds artificial dyes to the water. These chemical dyes have been linked to ADD/ADHD and other adverse health conditions.

Then we come to the sugar content. Vitamin Water is sweetened with crystalline fructose, a version of High Fructose Corn Syrup. Consuming Vitamin Water can inevitably lead to spikes in blood sugar which ultimately crashes. It is the spike that makes you feel ‘energized’ giving you a false sense of energetic elevation. Unfortunately the crash leaves you needing another sugar fix or you must face the wrath of lethargy and poor performance. While we are on the subject of wrath, let us consider all of the sugar that is in Vitamin Water. It contains approximately 30 grams or 6 ½ teaspoons of sugar. By contrast a Hershey Bar has 24 grams of sugar. Along with the spikes and crashes the toxic nature of processed sugar must be considered. Over consumption of sugar hinders the body’s immune system by adversely interacting with the white blood cells changing their shape, number and function. Processed sugar has no place in a beverage that claims to be beneficial to the body.

Calorically Vitamin Water can sabotage a workout. The nutritional label, an oxymoron in regards to this product, explains that there are 50 calories per serving. Unfortunately, there are 2 ½ servings per bottle for a total of 125 sneaky calories. When you consider what processed sugar does to the immune system combined with blowing up your workout due to calories or adversely affecting your athletic performance (sugar crash) it hardly seems worth it.

In addition to everything that has been mentioned the true crime are the vitamins. People who think of Vitamin Water somehow think vitamins are in it. That’s probably because the name is ‘Vitamin Water’. In nature there are many vitamins ranging from A to K and the B complexes are numerous but Vitamin Water only contains five – C, B3, B5, B6, and B12. To add insult to injury these few vitamins (and the electrolytes as well) are synthetic. Synthetic vitamins are not always bioavailable. In other words, the body may not recognize the synthetics as vitamins. So, Coca Cola only uses five vitamins in their product and they may not be assimilated in the body. Brace yourself because the insults continue. If the body doesn’t recognize the synthetics as vitamins they are attacked by the immune system as a foreign substance. This taxes the immune system in addition to sugar’s role in adversely affecting it. No wonder chronic illness is so prevalent with the dubious nature of products marketed in a way that makes us think they nourish us.


If you are working out, playing hard or just wanting to recharge drink some purified water and eat a small healthy snack. You could also insist on an all-natural, non-toxic beverage. They do exist. Be aware of what you consume and let LeBron and 50 Cent (avid spokesmen for Vitamin Water) consume this nutritionally suspicious product.

For a great non-toxic, all natural and rejuvenating beverage checkout SISEL Splash at: http://www.mysisel.com/vip/thoughtfulhealth/productdetail.htm?id=2022

Distracted to Death: The Taco Bell Lawsuit

Taco Bell has found itself in the midst of a lawsuit and the gest of it is this: Taco Bell sells a beef mixture as opposed to 100% beef as it claims. A class action suit brought by an Alabama law firm alleged that the 'beef' in Taco Bell products are nowhere near the 100% claim but is actually closer to 35%. The remaining 65% is a combination of grains, spices, and chemical fillers and binders.

According to the USDA, if the ingredients are as the suit alleges, Taco Bells meat mix does not meet the minimum requirements to be called beef.

The class action suit didn't seek any monetary damages. Indeed, all that was sought was advertising that is no longer deceptive by making Taco Bell tell the truth about their so-called 'beef'. It seems like a reasonable request worthy of the time and attention or is it?

Taco Bell's current legal woes has been created by the good intentions of others but we know where the road paved with good intentions lead to. There's no doubt that if Taco Bell is being deceptive they should be held accountable. However, most people who consume food products from the Bell aren't likely to care that their burrito or chulupa is mostly a hybrid beef concoction. In fact, most consumers of Taco Bell are only interested in a quick, cheap meal.

Realizing this made Taco Bell's reaction very curious, however. They went on an all out advertising campaign with TV commercials and full page newspaper ads but who are they trying to convince? On the one hand you have a class action lawsuit that would not have changed much of anything if it succeeded or failed (it has since been dismissed). On the other hand Taco Bell is defending itself to a public that doesn't care what percentage of beef is in their products.

The beef percentage isn't the main problem

Lost among the ad blitzs and lawyers is a real and material matter that has a point that needs to mercifully emerge for a better, healthier tomorrow. That point lies in the ingredients and how they affect the body. Let's take a closer look at the ingredients which are:

Beef, Water, Seasoning [Isolated Oat Product, Salt, Chili Pepper, Onion Powder, Tomato Powder, Oats, Soy Lecithin, Toasted Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Maltodextrin, Sugar, Soybean Oil (Antidusting Agent), Black Pepper, Oregano, Cumin, Autolyzed Yeast Extract, Citric Acid, Caramel Color, Cocoa Powder (Processed With Alkali), Lactic Acid, Natural Flavors, Natural Smoke Flavor, Modified Corn Starch], Salt, Sodium Phosphate.

Right out of the gate some hidden allergy issues must be addressed. It is not uncommon for people to be allergic to soy, oats or maltodextrin (maltodextrin is derived from corn) which could lead to life threatening situations or other allergic reactions that are simply regarded as nuisances. Consumers would likely never know out was the 'meat' in their Nacho Supreme that caused their reaction. And since a list of these ingredients are not prominently posted in the restaurant how would a consumer know.

Along with the potential allergic reactions is the nearly automatic inflammatory response caused by more than a few of the ingredients. Chronic inflammation is a mostly unaddressed negative hallmark of human health today. One of the chief causes of inflammatory responses is sugar especially refined sugar. When you take a look Taco Bell's beef ingredients you may be surprised that they use four different kinds of refined sugar (maltodextrin, sugar, caramel color, cocoa). These simple sugars enter the blood stream quickly creating inflammation and spiking insulin and triglyceride levels. Consistent increases and spikes of insulin and triglyceride levels leads to metabolic disorders such as diabetes and obesity which is reaching epidemic proportions in western societies.

A third and final point to be made is the hidden MSG used by Taco Bell. It's called autolyzed yeast extract and it is a well known excitotoxin. The "excito" part explains how it stimulates nerve cells in the brain. The "toxcin" part describes the fact that the simulation leads to damaged nerve cells in the brain and eventually cellular death. In addition, it is thought to cause scarring in the hypothalamus which controls appetite. A damaged hypothalamus leads to increased appetite leading to more consumption making people heavier (obese). There are a few more ingredients of concern but for the sake of brevity we'll move on.

Taco Bell is certainly not the only questionable food entity out there. The fast food industry as a whole needs to be addressed. With that said the lawsuit being leveled against Taco Bell was a honorable endeavor. No know one wants to be lied to but it must be seen for what it is: a distraction. When it comes to what really matters, however, the true mark is missed. We simply end up going in circles without the information that would truely benefit society and we end up distracted to death.

Sources

tacobell.com

msgmyth.com

naturalnews.com/009379.htm

msgtruth.com

www.foxnews.com/health/2011/01/25/wheres-beef-taco-bell-sued-ingredients/?cmpid=cmty_email_Gigya_Taco_Bell_Sued_Over_Meat_That's_Just_35_Percent_Beef

A return in imminent!!!

Dear readers of this blog:

I will return shortly to posting full content weekly. I am in the midst of finishing up my certification work in nutritional consulting. It will definitely enhance the content of the blog and will allow me to continue on with my course work in holistic health. Thank you for your patience and go in good health!