The FDA cited the use of multiple nutritional markers on foods, from check marks to stars, icons and even numerical ratings, that can overwhelm the consumer and in reality label foods healthier than they really might be. Foods could contain as much as 50% sugar and still receive the green check mark if they had extra fiber or were high in one of twenty nutrients. In my book, there’s not one food that is 50% sugar that I’d label as “healthy.”

The FDA is currently creating nutritional standards that would have to be met before manufacturers could list any type of healthy label on their packages, doing away with multiple different options. Having one set of standards would make it much easier to select the best choices at the grocery store and use to create the healthiest diet possible.

I’m really interested in seeing this option come to fruition – it would certainly simplify shopping for many who are pressed for time when it comes to grocery shopping and label reading.

Score a victory for truth, honesty and healthy eating!

See the Smart Choices program in action! Watch my video comparing different peanut butters with and without the Smart Choices green checkmark, and see which one is really better for your family!

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Smart Choices Grocery Program Discontinued

“A police offer who had been encouraged by his doctor decided to try a weight-loss supplement to help him shed his extra pounds. But instead of losing weight, he lost his job. His diet pills, which were imported from Brazil and sold in the United States, contained vitamin E, centella, senna, and cascara, among other “natural” ingredients. Not included on the label was the amphetamine detected in his urine drug screen. The now-unemployed sergeant is not alone. Such contaminated supplements represent an emerging risk to public health.”

The bottom line is you really have to be careful with what you trust as “safe.” In August 2009, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) found more than 140 supplements that contained undeclared active pharmaceutical ingredients. DRUGS! These represent only a fraction of the contaminated supplements on the market.

The culprit is lack of regulation in a market where “empty promises” and “quick fixes” sell. Today, dietary supplements are presumed to be safe and can be marketed with very little oversight. Supplements manufacturers are required to report serious supplement-related adverse events to the FDA, but by and large they don’t. The FDA estimates 50,000 adverse events each year go unreported.

As a nutrition expert, I make it my a priority to look at the medications and supplements my new client is taking and ask them what they take each for. It is shocking to see what they are taking and how little they can explain about what the supplement is supposed to do. While I can’t go into detail and review every supplement in this post, here is what I would recommend.

1. Think before you buy. What is in it? Do you need it? Are all the ingredients safe? Do any of the ingredients compromise a pre-existing health condition or interact with medications? What is the cost? Is it effective?
2. Research the company. Has the company been around for a long time? Does it appear reputable? What is its Better Business Bureau rating?
3. Consider the messenger. I’ve heard it all from my clients, anything from “my co-worker sells them to me and they cured her brother’s skin cancer” to “my chiropractor said this cleanse would help me lose five pounds” to “the person at the supplement store said this was the best.”

There is no assurance that hazardous dietary supplements will be identified or removed from the market in a timely fashion. You have to be the cop.

Via New England Journal of Medicine

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Do You Know What’s in Your Dietary Supplements?

One such drink that has found its way in every gas station, every convenience store, millions of  websites and even health food stores are 5-Hour Energy shots. Since many drinks contain sugar and a lot of it, they are also steeped in calories. But 5-Hour Energy shots bill themselves as the carb-conscious solution for anyone looking for a boost of energy without the calories of sugar. In addition, these small pocket-sized bottles of caffeine don’t contain any herbal stimulants and sport just four calories per two-ounce serving. They also contain Vitamin B6, B12, folic acid, amino acids and niacin.

The regular strength 5-Hour Energy shots contain about 80 mg of caffeine per two-ounce serving, which is about the equivalent of an eight-ounce cup of coffee. But the brand has also created an Extra Strength which contains as much caffeine as a 12-ounce cup of joe.

While energy drinks like 5-Hour Energy shots are popular among teenagers and young adults, many health advocates have highly criticized the potential danger of these super-charged beverages. Even the FDA cannot attest for the safety of many of the ingredients of these caffeine bombs. Possible side effects are irregular heart beats, dizziness, insomnia, jitteriness, irritability and reduced concentration.

The primary concern among the medical community is that the the effects of caffeine on the developing brains of children, teenagers and young adults has not been studied. We do know that caffeine use poses risk for the developing fetus during pregnancy and can also cause sleeping and psychological problems.

In addition, the caffeine content does not have to be disclosed on the label just as long as what is included on it is suffice enough to comply with the current labeling regulations.

So the take-home message is to exercise caution. If you’re brave enough to try one of these heart-thumping drinks, do yourself a favor and read the instructions. The 5-Hour Energy shots for both Regular and Extra Strength only recommend that you drink half of a bottle (or one ounce) to start with for a moderate energy boost. In addition, the label strongly discourages consuming two bottles in a 24-hour period. Unless of course, you enjoy bouncing off walls and visibly seeing your ticker thump through your chest.

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The Low-Down on 5-Hour Energy Shots

To date, there have been 30 reported cases of liver damage by those who take Alli, the only non-prescription weight loss drug the FDA has approved, and Xenical, its prescription counterpart. Of the 30 reports, 27 individuals have been hospitalized and six of them have experienced liver failure.

Both drugs are marketed by British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline PLC, but Xenical is manufactured by pharmaceutical giant Roche.

Proponents of the medications including a spokesperson for GlaxoSmithKline state that the liver damage may have nothing at all to do with Alli or Xenical use, but rather since liver disorders are common in those who are overweight or obese, these specific liver damage cases are likely due to excess body weight thereby predisposing them to such liver-related conditions.

While the FDA is carefully looking into these cases and determining how direct or indirect the link is between these two drugs and liver damage, the regulatory agency is encouraging all Alli and Xenical users to continue to use their medication according to their doctor’s guidance and to take careful notice of any early signs of liver damage which include nausea, unexplained fatigue, fever and vomiting. If any such signs are experienced, the individual should contact their medical provider as soon as possible.

DietsInReview.com will continue to provide you with the most up-to-date information on this breakthrough health information.

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FDA Looks Into Alli and Xenical Liver Damage Concerns

• On average our food travels 1,500 miles from the farm to our plate

• Because of the long distances that food travels, we no longer eat with the seasons and therefore eat produce that does not provide our bodies with all their nutritional benefits

• Grocery stores now boast over 47,000 products to choose from – most of which can sit on shelves for weeks or even months

• In present day, four companies control more than 80% of our poultry and meat production

• 30% of U.S. land is fields of corn, most of which is used to feed cows because of how cheap it is and because it keeps cows fat. All of this despite the fact that cows should only eat grass

• In the 1970s the FDA conducted more than 50,000 food inspections a year, in 2006 there were only 9,000 inspections

• Kevin’s Law, while not currently passed into law by government, would empower the USDA to shut down any contaminated food plants. This would have helped the widespread salmonella outbreak  that occurred recently due to a contaminated peanut facility and could have helped prevent the many who became sick

• 1 in 3 Americans will contract diabetes

• While we have been programmed to think fast food is cheap food,  we will pay much higher health care costs from the consequences of eating this fast food

If you demand good, wholesome food, farmers will deliver. It is up to us to decide what food we want to be putting on our table. Eat in season, eat locally and plant a garden of your own. These are some of the best ways to help yourself be healthy, help your family be healthy, help your environment be healthy and help our animals be healthy, too.

If you are hungry for change, visit www.foodincmovie.com to learn more about how you can take part.

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We are Still Hungry for Change with Food Inc.

Its method for working its power impacts the brain’s craving and reward system. It is here that it unleashes its ability to block the craving drive that leads to overeating and binge-eating.

While the drug is still waiting FDA approval for consumer use, obesity experts believe that this cocktail approach to weight loss pills is the face of the future. Such treatments target numerous biological pathways from appetite suppression and cravings to blocking fat and blocking starches.

In regards to side effects, nausea, headaches and constipation were the most commonly cited. In addition, results of the clinical trial showed that Contrave helped more than half of the subjects lose more than 5 percent of their body weight in a year.

But many medical professionals have been quick to point out that while these results may be better than doing nothing at all, the weight loss effects are still not incredibly substantial. And what is still not known is that once a person reaches their weight loss goal, will they have to be on weight loss medication for the rest of their lives in order to maintain their lost weight? Medications like Contrave are being bred to be just that: Chronic diet pills that support long-term weight loss.

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Contrave is a New Weight Loss Drug Promising to End Cravings

Biden co-chairs the Food Safety Working Group along with Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. The theme will be contamination prevention.

“The focus is to have a completely different emphasis than we’ve had in the past,” Biden said. “We’re going to make our new priority preventing (food contamination) from happening in the first place.”

The goal is also to tighten up loose regulatory laws. One example of how current rules have been detrimental is the Nestle Toll House Brand refrigerated cookie dough recall that happened this summer. When FDA inspectors toured the company’s plant, the company refused to provide complaint logs and pest-control records. This was perfectly legal under the current rules.

Under the proposed new rules, companies will have to provide the records, according to food safety expert Michael Taylor, senior adviser to FDA commissioner Margaret Hamburg.

Here are the proposed changes, which are immune to political opposition since they don’t have to be approved by Congress:

• Within 90 days, there will be an improved alert system at foodsafety.gov to give consumers access to food safety information.
• New safeguards designed to cut salmonella in raw eggs, E. coli in ground beef and other pathogens in leafy greens, melons, and tomatoes.
• A better tracking system will be implemented to spot the origins of outbreaks.
• Improve the typically bad communication between government agencies that regulate food safety.
• There will be new positions at the Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to oversee food safety.

(via: USA Today)

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Government Plans to Improve Food Safety

The documentary-style feature shows how the majority of the food we consume is controlled in the hands of just a few giant food manufacturers whose sometimes deplorable and shocking processing practices have not only been hidden from the American consumer but have had the consent of the government’s two food regulatory bodies, the FDA and USDA.

The movie, which features interviews with In Defense of Food author Michael Pollan and Eric Schlosser of Fast Food Nation, is more than just a jaw-dropping expose that graphically shows our food travels from farm (or machine) to fork, but it also motivates all of us to think twice before we order a hot dog at the baseball stadium, grab a box of sugar corn popped cereal or select a few tomatoes from our mass grocer for a summer salad.

As a Variety magazine movie critic commented, “Food Inc. does for the grocery store what Jaws did for the beach.”

What is equally compelling about the movie is that Food Inc. is part of a larger and growing movement to ensure more honesty in how our food is being grown, processed and manufactured. In addition, Food Inc. doesn’t just leave you feeling like the only way to safeguard your health is to grow your own garden, raise your own livestock and hull your own wheat. Accompanying the movie is a comprehensive take-action website that helps you become involved in the Hungry For Change movement. From no longer drinking sodas and other sweetened beverages to reading food labels, eating at home more and urging Congress to pass more food safety laws, Food Inc. empowers us with tools for change that you can start employing today.

Yes, it’s a terrying look into our nation’s food industry but Food Inc. is also an incredibly important movie that is worth every dollar of your $10 movie ticket. But you will probably want to forego the popcorn and post-movie burger and fries.

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Food Inc. is Hungry For Change

Cheerios, the long-time favorite breakfast cereal, is making a claim that the FDA just can’t let fall through the cracks. The agency sent a warning letter to General Mills, telling them that they can’t label Cheerios as a treatment for high cholesterol and heart disease.

The FDA points to language on the Cheerios label:

“Did you know that in just six weeks Cheerios can reduce bad cholesterol by an average of four percent? Cheerios is … clinically proven to lower cholesterol. A clinical study showed that eating two 1.5 cup servings daily of Cheerios cereal reduced bad cholesterol when eaten as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol.”

While it is OK to link soluble fiber from whole-grain oats with a lower risk of coronary heart disease, “it’s not okay to separate the heart disease and cholesterol claims,” according to the FDA.

The FDA also takes issue with claims from a website General Mills advertises on Cheerios boxes. For instance, whole-grain foods can’t be linked alone to helping with heart disease, but is supposed to mention fiber, fruits, vegetables, and a low-fat diet.

In this case, the false claims are subtle, but maybe that makes it worse because it seems all the more sneaky.

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Cheerios Makes Faulty Health Claims

Is the Food & Drug Administration protecting consumers from dangerous and fraudulent claims by supplement makers, or are they simply reacting after the fact when it’s too late? That’s what the advocacy group called the Reality Coalition thinks. And there’s some merit to that claim. The group argues that the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA), does little to protect consumers from unsafe supplements like Hydroxycut until it’s too late.

Earlier this month, the FDA ordered a recall on the popular weight loss supplement Hydroxycut, after it received 23 reports of serious liver problems, ranging from jaundice and elevated liver enzymes. In 2007, a 19-year-old died of liver damage related to the use of Hydroxycut. Amazingly, that wasn’t reported to the FDA until this past March.

To make matters worse, there have been other problems associated with Hydroxycut, including seizures, heart problems, and rhabdomyolysis, a muscle ailment that can lead to other issues.

The controversy over the dangers of certain supplements really came to the forefront when major league baseball pitcher Steven Belcher died while using ephedra. Since then, there seems to have been more sensitivity to the dangers that some supplements may pose.

As a result, the FDA has gotten more aggressive in monitoring dietary supplements. In March, the agency sent letters to 72 companies regarding unlisted ingredients, and many of the companies subsequently recalled their products.

The problem that seems to be the most pressing, and obvious, is that under the current incarnation of the DSHEA, supplement companies don’t need FDA approval before they are put on the market. How insane is that? That’s akin to testing cars for safety after they are made.

How many more people need to become sick or die before a common sense revision to the law is brought about?

“Now is the ideal time for Congress… to raise the regulatory bar for weight loss supplement manufacturers to be accountable for the safety and efficacy of their products,” says Louis J. Aronne, M.D., co-chair of Reality Coalition. “We firmly believe that there needs to be an FDA review process for all over-the-counter weight loss products.”

(via: News Inferno)

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It’s Time for Better Supplement Regulation