Saturday, September 20, 2008

Labelwatch: High Fructose Corn Syrup

I have to tell you the whole idea that the Corn Refiner's Association is running ads to change consumer perception of high fructose corn syrup doesn't surprise me one bit.  And why shouldn't they?  The FDA has yet to make a solid determination on what's natural and what's not which leaves a gaping hole for them to imply that this un-natural sweetener is actually "natural."  

Just for the record, high fructose corn syrup is produced from corn starch that has been enzymatically-treated with alpha-amylase, glucoamylase and then xylose isomerase.  The mixture is then subject to a liquid chromatography, and then to numerous filtration, ion-exchange and evaporation steps to form a liquid sugar that is chemically similar to regular table sugar.  Honestly you don't have to have a PhD in food science to know corn starch is not sugar, yet for some reason the FDA refuses to take a stand and simply say: corn starch is corn starch and sugar is sugar.  End of story.  

To add insult to injury, these ads mention that high fructose corn syrup should be "used in moderation." So we ran a query in the LABELWATCH system to see just how many products actually contain this questionable ingredient.  We were astonished to find that over 25 percent of the products in our system (and on your grocery store shelves) contain this sweetener.  So this begs the question, how do we consume this ingredient in "moderation" when it's in one-quarter of our food supply?  This cheap, un-natural sweetener is in everything from 100% whole grain breads, to all-natural yogurts, to healthy bran cereals and beyond. This my friends is a travesty.

So if the Corn Refiner's Association thinks they can wave their magic refiner's wand and make all of us think that high fructose corn syrup is indeed an all-natural sugar, then they are gravely mistaken.  The point here is desperate people or in this case desperate associations, do desperate things.  And these fools are throwing down $30 million dollars in a last ditch advertising effort to erase numerous scientific studies and years of negative publicity that linger around this one "un-natural" sweetener.  

I say, let's all stay focused on the real truth, the truth the health and wellness community repeatedly advocates: Consume only minimally-processed foods (this of course would exclude highly processed, high fructose corn syrup) eat only 100 percent whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables and lean proteins. In short stay away from all un-natural foods and eat real fresh foods as often as possible.  

Here's to your health!

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

IBS: My Truth

Numerous people have contacted the me through the LABELWATCH.com site to inquire about my battle with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS.)  So here are the facts:

I suffered from IBS-C (constipation form) since as far back as I can remember.  As I aged (specifically when I neared 40) the condition become unbearable and I looked for every possible solution to no avail. Finally I tried an "elimination diet" whereby I ate nothing but fresh fruits, vegetables and lean protein for two weeks.  Within the second week my condition completely disappeared!  Slowly I began to add different types of foods back in my diet such as dairy, soy, nuts & seeds, wheat, corn, and finally processed foods.  In the end the culprits were: 

1.  Enriched Wheat Flour: This overly processed refined flour is chemically bleached with chorine and peroxide agents, as well as fluffed up with the use of potassium bromate.  Many of these additives are banned in countries throughout the world.  (click here to learn more.) 

2.  Modified Food Starch: This additive is a chemically-modified food starch used in mass production because it is more stable than natural corn starch.  (click here to learn more.)

I am able to eat products that contain whole wheat and even unbleached/unbromated wheat flour (organic wheat flour as well), but I have to steer clear of ALL chemically-processed wheat and starches, because the effect is almost immediate.

If you suffer from IBS, try an elimination diet and within a few weeks you will most likely know the cause of your condition and how to avoid it and live IBS-free!  

Here's to your health!

Monday, August 18, 2008

BUILDING THE BUZZ

After three radio interviews and various news articles and blogs, LABELWATCH.com is up and getting some much anticipated online action. It's nice to see an idea come to life and get a positive reception from users!

I thought now would be a good time to introduce everyone to my three invaluable business partners, without whom I could never have launched this much needed site!


Andrew is the technical wizard behind LABELWATCH. A technology veteran with over 25 years of groundbreaking expertise, having worked for many Silicon Valley giants such as Adobe and Silicon Graphics to name a couple. He's one of those brilliant minds most of us only read about, but of course living in the San Francisco Bay Area does indeed have it's benefits when it comes to hooking up with the best of the best!



Creating a site is one thing...making it look "big time" is a whole other thing. It takes an enormous amount of talent and skill to create a site that looks great and is easy for the users. Well, Guy hit it out of the park on this one! It's colorful, clean and easy-to-understand. But then again, I wouldn't expect anything less from a guy who's spent that last 20 years in the ad & internet business working for such big names as McDonalds, E*Trade, National Semiconductor, Skyy Vodka, and Mauna Loa Macadamia Nuts just to name just a few.

So they say ideas are a dime a dozen...I beg to differ. Coming up with great ways to promote a product or website is tough business and that's where people like Karen Monté come in. The difference between Karen and the rest of the so called marketing big wigs, is that Karen drives her groundbreaking ideas forward to completion, the others always tend to compromise their concepts when it comes to execution. Well too bad for them I say...and good for us!


So there you have it, the team that brought LABELWATCH.com to life.

Here's to your health!

Saturday, August 16, 2008

LABELWATCH.com Lauches!

You might say this is quite an exciting time for me and my LABELWATCH team! After a year and a half of development, our baby is out of the server womb and taking it's first breath on the World Wide Web!

Everyone keeps asking me to explain the basic idea behind LABELWATCH, so here it is...

LABELWATCH.com is the first and only information site that allows consumers to go beyond the fancy food packages and
actually understand what's really inside. It's the only site in the universe that helps consumers decipher the long list of additives and ingredients found on every label in the grocery store. We have a growing database of over 25,000 brand-name products and an ingredient glossary with definitions and determinations for over 1,000 commonly used food additives and ingredients. We created our glossary using information supplied by many reputable sources including; government agencies, universities, non-profit foundations and other credible sources.

We linked the database of 25,000 products to our glossary of ingredients and the chips fell where they fell. Any products that contain an ingredient that our glossary classifies as "cautionary" does not receive our coveted "Smart Ingredient Seal." LABELWATCH is a completely unbiased third-party site, we have absolutely no affiliation with any food products whatsoever. Also on the site you'll find information to help you shop, cook, diet, get fit, get beautiful and get healthy!

So if you're concerned about the foods you're putting in your (or a loved one's) body, you might just want to check out LABELWATCH.com.

Here's To Your Health!





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