Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Smart Choices? Define "Smart"

I just got this email from Food Democracy Now. It isn't surprising that once again these designations are being bought to fool people to think their processed food choices are good for their kids or themselves. Read more:

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Dear Terri,

Ever get the feeling that multinational food corporations are just trying to sell you a bunch of junk in a pretty package? Well, the new Smart Choices® Program proves that hunch to be true.

Recently, an alliance of over a dozen giant food conglomerates and some industry “experts” came up with a new nutrition labeling program meant to help consumers make “smarter food and beverage choices.”1 You might be surprised what they define as a “Smart Choice”: products like Froot Loops®, Keebler Cookie Crunch® and Lucky Charms®.

Are they serious? In an age when childhood obesity and type II diabetes has become an epidemic, labeling sugar cereals as smart choices is unacceptable. Please join us in telling the FDA and USDA to investigate the Smart Choices® Program and put an end to deceptive labeling.

http://fdn.actionkit.com/go/39?akid=23.1199._q4AcM&t=1

The new Smart Choices® label, a large, bright green checkmark, is starting to appear on packages of processed food across the country thanks to the help of major corporations like ConAgra, General Mills, Kellogg’s, Kraft, PepsiCo, Tyson Foods and Unilever.2 For only $100,000, a company can join the Smart Choices® program3 and “recommend” products that contain as much as 44% sugar to your children.4

This new label is a sign of everything that is wrong with food industry driven labeling programs.

According to Michael Jacobson, the executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, the criteria for the new “smarter food” label is so low that: “You could start out with some sawdust, add calcium or Vitamin A and meet the criteria.”5

Jacobson, who was on the original panel of experts that worked to create the nutritional standards for the Smart Choices® program, resigned last September in disgust because the results were so far in favor of the industry.

Thankfully, the FDA and USDA have taken notice. The agencies sent a joint letter saying they would “be concerned if any FOP (front of package) labeling systems…had the effect of encouraging consumers to choose highly processed foods…”6 The letter is a good start, but The FDA and USDA need to do more. The Smart Choices program will encourage bad food choices if it's allowed to proceed. And the FDA and USDA have the ability to stop it.

Please sign this petition now and tell the FDA and the USDA that Froot Loops® is NOT a Smart Choice for our children.

http://fdn.actionkit.com/go/39?akid=23.1199._q4AcM&t=1

Thanks for all you do,

Dave, Lisa and the Food Democracy Now! Team

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Don't be fooled, read those labels, know what those ingredients are and what they do to a growing mind and body and leave them on the shelf. Remember, with cold and flu season upon us, sugar is a MAJOR immune depressant. Don't leave yourself open to infection by loading yourself or your kids up on sugar.

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Vitamin D3 and protection against swine flu!


Anyone concerned with health and worried about the flu/swine flu needs to click this link and watch all 4 of the videos with Dr. Mercola interviewing Dr. Blaylock.




They shed light on this big scare tactic about swine flu but they offer practical advice to protect yourself! Once bit of advice is to make sure you get your vitamin D and specifically D3. It will help you immune system and with the whole overblown issue about sunscreen, most people are now deficient in vitamin D. You need 15 minutes of strong sun exposure - without sunscreen - to get adequate amounts. So, if you are not getting that, you should look into a supplement, it will definitely boost your immune system.


And, Great Plains Labs just did a study on the effectiveness of Mycellized vitamin D versus emulsified vitamin D.


"A recent double blind study by The Great Plains Laboratory, Inc. showed Micellized D3 had approximately 5 times greater increase in serum 25(OH) Vitamin D levels versus emulsified vitamin D. Micellized D3 is far superior in reaching and maintaining optimal levels of vitamin D3
over other forms of Vitamin D. Studies have been conducted on micelle vitamin preparations to
determine the effectiveness of this new delivery system when compared with both standard oil forms and other emulsified forms. The studies were conducted with normal healthy individuals varying in sex and age. The data shows that these micellized forms of fat-soluble micronutrients increased plasma levels greater than the oil forms and emulsified forms."
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Here is also more info from Mayer Eisenstein MD, JD, MPH from his blog. This contains several emails from other doctors on their use and success of Vitamin D3 in preventing H1N1.

1:30 PM PST, Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Dear Dr. Cannell:
Thanks for your update about the hospital in Wisconsin. I have had similar anecdotal evidence from my medical practice here in Georgia. We are one of the 5 states with widespread H1N1 outbreaks.
I share an office with another family physician. I aggressively measure and replete vitamin D. He does not.He is seeing one to 10 cases per week of influenza-like illness.
In my practice-- I have had zero cases. My patients are universally on 2000-5000 IU to maintain serum levels 50-80 ng/ml.
Ellie Campbell, DO
Campbell Family Medicine
3925 Johns Creek Court Ste A
Suwannee GA 30024
Dear Dr. Campbell:
That's good news. Now, if we just had a way for the CDC and the NIH to pay attention. Critics say we should not recommend vitamin D to prevent influenza until it is proven to do so (It has not been). The critics are thus saying, although they seem not to know it, you should be vitamin D deficient this winter until science proves being vitamin D sufficient is better than being Vitamin D deficient. Such advice is clearly unethical and has never ever been the standard of care. This is not rocket science. If I am wrong, and Vitamin D does not prevent influenza, what is lost? A few dollars. If they are wrong, and it does prevent influenza, what is lost? So far, the CDC says 41 kids are dead from H1N1, and the flu season has not yet started. Please contact your senators and congresspersons. Ask them to have hearings on vitamin D and H1N1: http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml
John Cannell, MD
PresidentVitamin D Council
585 Leff Street
San Luis Obispo, CA 93422

From Dr. John Cannell
September 16,2009

I'm writing to alert readers to a crucial email from a I'm I'm I'm writing to alert readers to a crucial email from a physician who has evidence vitamin D is protective against H1N1 and to ask you, the reader, to contact your representatives in Washington to help protect Americans, especially children, from H1N1 before winter comes. Dear Dr. Cannell: Your recent newsletters and video about Swine flu (H1N1) prompted me to convey our recent experience with an H1N1 outbreak at Central Wisconsin Center (CWC). Unfortunately, the state epidemiologist was not interested in studying it further so I pass it on to you since I think it is noteworthy. CWC is a long-term care facility for people with developmental disabilities, home for approx. 275 people with approx. 800 staff. Serum 25-OHD has been monitored in virtually all residents for several years and patients supplemented with vitamin D. In June, 2009, at the time of the well-publicized Wisconsin spike in H1N1 cases, two residents developed influenza-like illness (ILI) and had positive tests for H1N1: one was a long-term resident; the other, a child, was transferred to us with what was later proven to be H1N1. On the other hand, 60 staff members developed ILI or were documented to have H1N1: of 17 tested for ILI, eight were positive. An additional 43 staff members called in sick with ILI. (Approx. 11-12 staff developed ILI after working on the unit where the child was given care, several of whom had positive H1N1 tests.) So, it is rather remarkable that only two residents of 275 developed ILI, one of which did not develop it here, while 103 of 800 staff members had ILI. It appears that the spread of H1N1 was not from staff-to-resident but from resident-to-staff (most obvious in the imported case) and between staff, implying that staff were susceptible and our residents protected. Sincerely, Norris Glick, MDCentral Wisconsin CenterMadison, WI Dear Dr. Glick: This is the first hard data that I am aware of concerning H1N1 and vitamin D. It appears vitamin D is incredibly protective against H1N1.

Dr. Carlos Carmago at Mass General ran the numbers in an email to me. Even if one excludes 43 staff members who called in sick with influenza, 0.73% of residents were affected, as compared to 7.5% of staff. This 10-fold difference was statistically significant.
John Cannell, MD
PresidentVitamin D Council
585 Leff Street
San Luis Obispo, CA 93422


Dr. Eisenstein's Comments:

No one knows what treatment will be effective against the H1N1 Flu. However, the data from Dr. Norris and now Dr. Campbell are very compelling, that Vitamin D will be protective for H1N1.

To lower your families incidence of colds and flu this winter and to lower your probability of Swine Flu, start by measuring their vitamin D levels, keep it above 50ng/ml and by giving the whole family daily probiotics and vitamin D.
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New Beginnings carries mycellized vitamin D for $19.00 per bottle and a variety of probiotics. That is 600 ius per drop. Drs. Mercola and Blaylock recommend 2000 iu for kids and between 5000 & 10000 for adults.
Click the New Beginnings logo at the top of this page to order you vitamin D today!