To answer the adjacent Kellogg’s advertised question:  What will you gain? I believe the evidence is clear… that answer is FAT and potentially diabetes.

America, I need your help to influence the FDA to stop confusing food label claims.

ConAgra Foods, one of the worlds largest grain processing and packaged food companies has submitted an application to the FDA for approval of the following health claim(s):

• “Scientific evidence suggests, but does not prove, that diets low in saturated fat and cholesterol that include three servings (48 grams) of whole grains per day may reduce the risk of diabetes mellitus type 2.” 


• “Scientific evidence suggests, but does not prove, that whole grains (three servings or 48 grams per day), as part of a low saturated fat, low cholesterol diet, may reduce the risk of diabetes mellitus type 2.”

While this may appear innocuous, I believe the claim is purposefully vague, represents grossly unrealistic serving sizes and attempts to deliberately confuse consumers over the blood glucose stabilizing benefits of fiber (a component found in grains, fruits, vegetables and legumes) to the inverse rise in blood glucose from energy rich processed whole grain consumption.

One thing is clear… health claims on food packaging – sells products. Whether or not the health claims are clear, concise, factual and actually promote health – well that is far more ambiguous.

Today I filed a dispute comment requesting the FDA deny the application of ConAgra Foods petition: (Docket # FDA-2012-Q-0242) regarding whole grain consumption and the alleged “ample scientific evidence” of whole grains ability to reduce the risk of diabetes mellitus type 2.

While it is clear that diabetes mellitus type 2 (DMT2) has reached epidemic proportions, I believe ample scientific evidence points instead to the excessive consumption of grain products (including whole grains) as a probable contributing cause of DMT2.

Pink Slime in your burger, chicken laced with caffeine and Prozac, antibiotic laden pork and dead bug juice in your Starbucks Frappuccino… that is just a sampling of last week’s media headlines regarding the foods we eat.

As tantalizingly delicious as the aforementioned examples sound, given a choice… I would prefer to pass, which I contest is precisely the point: Consumers have a right to know what we are eating and make conscious educated decisions whether or not we want to eat something.

Judging by the unappetizing headlines it appears obvious that industry would prefer consumers not know what is in their food or how it is produced, so many companies stick to a game plan of deception and patronization, either omitting the truth or twisting it with healthy sounding adjectives.

Check out the three-minute video of Grant and the ten Unified Lifestyle principles at Hooplaha

To learn more visit:

www.unifiedlifestyle.com

Photo of Grant Roberts : courtesy of Vogue Italia

We all know the highly publicized risks of obesity such as diabetes and heart disease, yet fewer are aware of the direct correlation between obesity young developing children and low IQ, and now with an unprecedented rise in the number of children diagnosed with autism, obese pregnant mothers according to a new study increase the risk of autism by 67%.

Autism is a disorder characterized by repetitive behavior and social challenges now is estimated to affect one in 88 children in the US.

Researchers considered potential risk factors such as the increased age of mothers, premature births and nutritional deficiencies however the most prevalent likely cause appears consistent with obese mothers. Pregnant Mothers with diabetes were twice as likely to contribute to autism and or developmental delays in children.

Once word leaked out that pink slime could be found in 70% of the US ground beef supply, an outraged public responded loud and clear… Given a choice we don’t want to eat scraps of beef formerly deemed unfit for human consumption separated and chemically treated with industrial grade ammonium hydroxide and mixed into fresh ground beef to increase yield and profit for its manufacturer.

Seems simple enough… given a choice, who would choose to eat pink slime? The real problem is, the public’s two cents worth of opinion falls short of the estimated three cents per pound of profit pink slime adds to yield, so now the manufacturer is crying foul.

Spin doctors for the USDA, American Meat Institute and Beef Products Inc. are insisting and remain focused on convincing the consumer that pink slime, or what they prefer to call lean finely textured beef trimmings is safe to eat.

While food safety is certainly an issue, this is also a matter of public trust, integrity and of course money.

Yesterday marked the 24^th annual American Diabetes Association Alert Day, encouraging Americans to take the Diabetes Risk Test to assess their potential risk for type II diabetes.

Type II diabetes, formerly known as Adult Onset Diabetes, underwent a recent name change because the disease is now pandemic afflicting an estimated 26,000,000 (twenty six million) adults and now children.  Twenty-five percent of that number don’t even know they have the disease and more than three times that amount, approximately 79,000,000 (seventy-nine million) Americans of all ages are considered to be pre-diabetic and at high risk.

The reason for the epidemic rise is self-evident; poor nutrition, inactivity and chronic stress.

I ask you to consider the following rhetorical question:

What if the greatest advancement in the science of human health and prevention of diabetes was actually a step backwards…into the past?

History provides clear evidence of what I believe is the greatest contributing factor to type II diabetes: carbohydrates

For the first 3.5 million years of our existence man thrived on a diet high in protein, fat and exceptionally low in carbohydrates. It is noteworthy that carbohydrate sources were limited to health promoting highly fibrous fruits and vegetables because most of the foods we know and consume today did not exist.

It was only 10,000 years ago… a mere blink in time in the scope of human history that agriculture entered the scene. Genetically speaking the overnight shift in diet reversing the essential nutrients of protein and fat in favor of non-essential grains had devastating consequences. Man became shorter in stature, bones more brittle, tooth decay and diabetes.

The surge in diabetes today is a result the post agriculture industrial age of even greater consumption of grains in particular highly processed grains coupled with the detrimental consequences of physical inactivity.

Our pre-agriculture ancestors had it right… we have it wrong.

Today is Diabetes Awareness Day.  Considering the pandemic rise in the largely preventable disease, the American Diabetes Association’s one-day “wake up call” should be everyday!

Well perk up…one thing that a significant portion of the population does everyday appears to reduce the risk of developing diabetes by up to 30% according to the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study.

The nine year study of 42,659 people demonstrated that drinking at least four cups of coffee per day reduced the risk of type 2 diabetes between 23 – 30% compared with people consuming less than one cup of coffee per day.

What I found fascinating in the study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2012, Volume 95, Pages 901-908  is the inconsequential role of caffeine. The highest consumption of caffeinated coffee (four cups per day or more) was associated with a 23% decrease in the type-2 diabetes, while the same amount of decaffeinated coffee correlated to a 30% decrease.

The other day I was listening to a morning show radio when two hosts’ commenced debating over the advice their respective personal trainers had given them. “My trainer said drinking coffee makes you store fat,” she said, while he responded, “Well my trainer says coffee helps you burn fat”

Followed by a public appeal in search of a definitive answer. So here it is:

First let me be perfectly clear, we are talking about hot black coffee nothing more nothing less, no milk, no cream, no sugar, no artificial sweetener, no whip, no nothing… hot black coffee in a cup – that’s it, that’s all.

The Nations largest supermarket chain Kroger just announced that its 2,435 stores are joining the list of grocers who will not sell pink slime / or what the USDA and Beef Products Inc. prefer to call “lean, finely textured beef” (LFTB).

This is my fourth straight blog on the topic … and I am tickled pink – which is a lot better than being pink slimed – with the public outcry and response from retailers of ground beef products.

The unfortunate truth is that if you eat ground beef you more than likely have been slimed as it is estimated that pink slime is in 70% of all ground beef sold in America. Regardless, the unapologetic USDA stands by it position that is was under no obligation to tell consumers they were eating remnants of the carcass that were previously destined for dog food. Instead they purport that (LFTB) aka Pink Slime that consists of the scraps being heated and treated with commercial grade cleaning ammonia because of the high susceptibility to E. coli, salmonella other bacteria is safe to eat and is considered beef therefore requires no additional labeling or warnings.