Should foods containing preservatives and artificial colors carry warning labels
It seems like some researchers now have linked things like hyperactive behavior, and ADD in children to the crap they've been adding to the food supply (which we all know to be safe....'cause the FDA and government says so)..... ;)
What about adults? What about people that spend their whole lives eating junk that contains er...umm....junk?! :o
"In response to the study, the Food Standards Agency advised parents to monitor their children's activity and, if they noted a marked change with food containing additives, to adjust their diets accordingly, eliminating artificial colors and preservatives."
First of all....WTF is the Food Standards Agency?! :o Why could they not just call for a ban on the additives......there are many stupid parents who will never read about this report...or just don't care what they feed their kids. What "good" comes from the additives or food colors? If it's just not needed, causes harm..but no nutritional benefits.....just stop ADDING it to the food supply! :P
I didn't think this report was very surprising, but I did think people's reactions to it were:
In response to the study, some pediatricians cautioned that a diet without artificial colors and preservatives might cause other problems for children.
“Even if it shows some increase in hyperactivity, is it clinically significant and does it impact the child’s life?” said Dr. Thomas Spencer, a specialist in Pediatric Psychopharmacology at Massachusetts General Hospital.
“Is it powerful enough that you want to ostracize your kid? It is very socially impacting if children can’t eat the things that their friends do.”
How about everyone stops feeding their kids chemicals all the time?!?!?
That doctor's statement is probably the dumbest thing I've ever heard. Is that for real? No doctor I've ever visited would tell me to keep eating artificial crap so that I can improve my social skills. Yeah, I'm gonna let my kids eat lots of crap so they'll fit in. While I'm at it, when they're older I'll let them smoke, do drugs, act up in school, have sex at a young age, and other countless things that many kids are pressured by their friends to do so that they'll fit in. Don't want my children to be left out, even if they're healthy and, you know, unique individuals.
I don't have children so I can't imagine how hard it is to not give in to children asking for these items, but when I do have kids, my policy will be that if they want that stuff, okay, but I won't buy it for them. I also plan on teaching them about what exactly they're eating, because the food companies certainly don't do that job. Easier said than done, but it is possible - my mom was half-and-half too. I had my treats but she also had me eat a lot healthy foods so that I wasn't eating crap all the time. I was a kid who loved things like broccoli, any fruits, bran flakes, green beans, carrots ... I know kids are picky eaters, but honestly, I think that if kids are given healthy foods from a young age without an attached "ew, veggies" stigma, they'll eat them and like them.
bbbut, without Red 40, how will my little Bubba know which can of corn syrup and carbonated water is cherry-flavored!
I don't have children so I can't imagine how hard it is to not give in to children asking for these items, but when I do have kids, my policy will be that if they want that stuff, okay, but I won't buy it for them. I also plan on teaching them about what exactly they're eating, because the food companies certainly don't do that job. Easier said than done, but it is possible - my mom was half-and-half too. I had my treats but she also had me eat a lot healthy foods so that I wasn't eating crap all the time. I was a kid who loved things like broccoli, any fruits, bran flakes, green beans, carrots ... I know kids are picky eaters, but honestly, I think that if kids are given healthy foods from a young age without an attached "ew, veggies" stigma, they'll eat them and like them.
this is my plan if I ever have kids. I wish I could do the same for my niece and nephew, but they're miles away and already conditioned to eat SAD garbage. :-(
I know kids are picky eaters, but honestly, I think that if kids are given healthy foods from a young age without an attached "ew, veggies" stigma, they'll eat them and like them.
Yeah, this boggles my mind. Kids are only picky eaters if their parents ALLOW them to be. I don't have children, but my parents were always very firm, that we ate what was on our plates. That being said, if we really didn't like something, they would only make us eat a small bite of it (turnip greens were my nemesis!). Strangely enough, I love turnip greens now!
I just never understand these warnings or bans. When does PERSONAL responsibility come into it?
I was born in 1982, my parents are not doctors, and they did not read any research about what to feed me or what to feed themselves. Somehow, though, they reached the logical conclusion that processed sugar and all the other junk out there = bad.
Growing up, I could eat anything I wanted that was in the house. But, the ONLY thing in the house was whole, unprocessed, healthy foods. I didn't even know what junk food was until I started sleeping over at friend's houses around age 12. By then, I thought it tasted nasty as I could literaly taste the chemicals in it.
I was never forced to eat anything my parents gave me, I always had the option to choose something else for dinner, but no matter what my choice was - it was always healthy simply because we had nothing else in the house. For a long time, I thought honey and maple syrup were the ONLY forms of sugar out there, lol.
The idea of limiting processed sugar has been around for ages. It's not a big leap to avoid preservatives and artificial crap as well.
I just don't understand why people need someone else to ban it for them. That teaches zero personal responsibility. IMO, if you're an adult, and want to eat crap/junk that will give you cancer or harm you in others ways ... hey, it's your life. If you want to feed that to your children - let them take it up with you in therapy later.
The idea of limiting processed sugar has been around for ages. It's not a big leap to avoid preservatives and artificial crap as well.
Actually for some people it is. I teach contemporary health issues at a local college in the city. I can tell you that most of my students just haven't put two and two together on this subject. The looks on their faces when I tell them how unhealthy these things are is one of sheer amazement. Unfortunately I think most of America is in this boat. They just don't think about it.
I don't agree with banning things unless there is an immanent danger but do think that warning labels are more than appropriate here. It gives the consumer the opportunity to realize that this something to think about and then they can make a more informed choice. I don't think that there is any thing wrong with giving people more information.
I grew up in a home similar to yours as far as food goes but most people out there didn't so picking healthy foods isn't ingrained in them.
just to give a bit of added dimension to Dr. Spencer's reported comment, i "googled" him and found a recently published study of his which concerns itself with the effectiveness of a certain, as yet, un-marketed pharmaceutical compund, shown to treat a broad range of ADHD related diagnoses.
His interests are fairly transparent. If additives and flavorings were removed from commercial food products, or severley restricted in children's diets, his target market diminishes significantly. And you don't need a Ph.D. to see that.
there are many stupid parents who will never read about this report...or just don't care what they feed their kids.
I work nights at a grocery store while finishing school and it always upsets me when I see people coming through my lane with their kids and a cart full of crap. All processed and/or frozen food with maybe one head of iceberg lettuce and a roma tomato. :'( What bothers me more is seeing people on food stamps buying that same garbage. I can't believe the state/fed. gov't doesn't regulate what people buy. (btw...I don't have a problem with people needing assistance...just the crap they buy...in case I wasn't clear above) They wonder why kids are getting fat....and health costs going up.
I know kids are picky eaters, but honestly, I think that if kids are given healthy foods from a young age without an attached "ew, veggies" stigma, they'll eat them and like them.
Yeah, this boggles my mind. Kids are only picky eaters if their parents ALLOW them to be. I don't have children, but my parents were always very firm, that we ate what was on our plates. That being said, if we really didn't like something, they would only make us eat a small bite of it (turnip greens were my nemesis!). Strangely enough, I love turnip greens now!
I was raised with a very large vegetable garden and a poor, but clever, mother. She gave us each a vegetable to be "responsible" for each season (you could pick which) and we were in charge of the weeding, picking and other stuff for that veg. She kept us on it, because that was our winter food supply. And then when she served whatever it would be, "Oh these are Anna's beans" or "Jonny's corn" or whatever--"aren't they good!" And she would rave about how fresh vegetables are the best. Then when canning and freezing time came around, we did it "assembly line" style--one person washed jars or prepared the boxes, another peeled, another chopped, another filled...
We never had the "veg rejection" problem faced by mothers who fed their kids processed things like (ugh) canned lima beans. Don't get me wrong, I like limas...but only fresh or frozen. Anything that comes out of a tin, tastes like the tin, for my money.
I feel so lucky to live where I do. Our vegetable markets are very seasonal (like right now it's hard to get mushrooms and impossible to get oyster mushrooms) but the stuff is sooo fresh!
I don't really have a whole lot to add right now (it's Sunday night & my brain is shutting down... ;)), but I wanted to say that I really love this whole conversation going on pertaining to this topic. I am writing here now so I can keep my eye on this discussion & be back to partake when my brain is turned on! ::)
It makes me so happy to know that there are people like you guys out there! Logically, I realize that, of course, there are other people that think like I do when it comes to food, but sometimes I just feel like hardly anyone questions what they put in their bodies (or especially the bodies of their children) & how it affects so many other things (health, environment, behavior, etc.)... I'm no doctor, but I am absolutely shocked that it has taken this long for there to be a study (or one receiving media attention, at least) linking behavioral issues (like ADHD) and diet. Not to sound rude, but... Duh?!?! :o I definitely think there are wonderful uses for prescription medication, but it makes me feel really sad that it seems like most people just jump on the Ritalin bandwagon when a child is diagnosed with ADHD before even considering any other alternatives... I'm not saying Ritalin doesn't help people, or that it has no place at all, but I wish a change in diet was more widely talked about as a possible solution (or, even better, as a preventative measure...) to ADHD...
I guess I wrote more than I planned on... :)