Sherie - Diet Coke is much worse for you than regular coke.  The artificial sweetners are a major no-no, but once again, the FDA is hiding in a corner behind their big stacks of money.  Aspartame should have never hit the market.

A girl who worked for my Accountant a number of years ago had a relative who was involved in the development of Aspartame.  He said it should never have been approved, it causes so many problems.  But, they had millions in the research, and the FDA is for sale, so the product was pushed ahead. 

My Accountant was getting headaches from using the artificial sweetners.  When they read the label, it had Aspartame in it.  When he quit using the artificial sweetners, his massive headaches went away.  There is much I could write here...but I would have to write a book.

For those of you who think you are probably ok, High Fructose Corn Syrup is in so many products it would surprise you.  Just check you labels.  I no longer eat anything with this in it.  Seriously....go home and check your labels.

EDIT:  My wife assumes many of the things we have are ok...I checked an Italian Dressing in our fridge she loves...full of High Fructose Corn Syrup.  Please don't make any assumptions based on how good something tastes.

BTW...please....please....Re-Blog this.  This is very important info that needs to be seen.

Ross - You're welcome!  I hope you come back and comment after you have read it.

Stephanie - This is very useful info.  I just hope people read carefully, and will take a bit of time to read their labels.

Mary - What can say other than "Ditto" to the above comments!

Randall - No insult intended...You're the person these companies love.  Sadly, the vast majority of packaged food have lots and lots of stuff in the ingredient labels that are really, really bad for you...but the FDA doesn't tell us any of this news.  You're not eating in moderation, your body is slowly being loaded down with products that cause lots of problems.  Because there are so many "little things" being thrown at us, the culmination of these products really add up quickly.  This overloads the immune system gradually...eventually, disease takes root and the next thing you know...health problems.

Please consider going to the GROUP and reading some of what I have posted there.  Most diseases are preventable and reversable...yet most are actually caused by this little ingredients that people say won't hurt us if we use them in moderation.  We are overloaded with lots of moderation and we don't even know it.  The food industry slowly poisons us with chemicals (we don't eat food by definition anymore), then the medical industry moves in with their drugs to treat symptoms (they don't deal with the cause).  It's all a money game, and it's all being watched over by the FDA...what a joke.

Jon - You said a mouthful.  The sad thing about the FDA, they don't even come close to doing what they should.  They are more than obvious in their intentions in protecting the interests of the businesses they are supposed to be watching over.  It is so obvious in areas like the subject I linked to.  If that product did not exist today, and I made it, and as a small business tried to get it on the market, they would probably find a way to prosecute me for evil intentions and/or treason of the highest order.  The little guy can't do anything (seen way to many examples of the FDA stopping very good products that would compete with the big boys) while the big boys do whatever they want.  A couple of retired FDA directors have admitted to these things.  There is so much to be said on this subject that several books could be written..but notice that no gov't action will be forthcoming in regards to the wrong doing of the FDA.  No one can challege the gov't power and corruption.  They are the only people to possess that power, so who can stop them?

That being said, all we can do is to educate ourselves...and each other as to what is going on behind the scenes. 

Hi John - I'll let Kate support her statement and I'll be in touch with her today also...I cannot back that up with a link, but I do agree with her.  What a lot of people don't realize is that our food is processed, removing almost all of the good and leaving the bad behind, and sugar and flour are just two examples.  Sugar products have an addictive quality to them in and of themselves. 

Here in Columbia, we have a  Christian Radio Station that has lots of health programs (by doctors), and just last week one was talking about how addictive sugar products are, but yet the industry doesn't really consider sugar as addictive because it doesn't cause the "withdrawal effects" that dangerous drugs do, yet it leaves us "constantly craving" for more, more, more.

Kevin Treadeau (I know, some people think he is in left field - yet the more I research, the more I find myself agreeing with him), pointed out in his popular book that there are two ingredients in our food labels that allow more than 15,000 chemicals to be put into our food without telling us what these chemicals are..."Natural Flavors, & Spices."  Many of these chemicals are addictive much in the same way nicotene is in cigarettes, but to a lessor extent.  I tested this myself when I changed my diet and eliminated those ingredients from my diet and found it to be true.  I used to eat all day long every day and stayed constantly hungry.  Changing my diet has removed the cravings (thank goodness).

Bubba - From what I am hearing, if you aren't getting organic corn, it is most like GMO (genetically modified).  And that stuff is scarey.  You should see some of the symptoms of people who are having problems because of GMO products.  Again, where is the FDA?  Helping to kill America.  They certainly aren't protecting us, and nobody can do a thing about it other than to educate themselves and be very careful about their own diets.

Tiffany - Wow, HFCS illegal in EVERY country but here???  This certainly needs to be researched.

Russia made microwave oven illegal.  You should see some of what I have read about microwave ovens.  I will never use one again.  I will have to write a blog about it soon, very soon.

As for advertising...it is nothing but a brainwashing technique that works.  When I talk to people about health issues, they roll their eyes and offer half a laugh.  They simply don't want to hear anything other than what makes them comfortable and what agrees with what they have heard.  I can't make them listen, so I just plant a few seeds and look for those who seem a bit concerned.

Debbie - According to the article I linked to, High Fructose Corn Syrup is a major cause of obesity in this country.  It is processed by our bodies entirely differently than sugar.  This is a product that should not be allowed in our food (along with many others things in our food), so once again I find myself asking the same question over and over...where is the organization that is supposed to protect us from these things (the FDA), and the answer is the same...in the pockets of the companies they are supposed to protect us from.  I can only wonder what can be done to change this?  Our gov't is so corrupt in so many ways and most of us have no idea what is really going on behind the scenes.

All I know to do is to help educate people and hope they make the right decisions.  Sadly, many people only roll their eyes...because there are so many conspiracy theories out there, no one really believes anything anymore.  It's not hard to research, and people really only need to open their eyes to see the big picture.  Heads are buried in the sand though, and when they get sick, they will be the first people wondering why this happened to them.  Those that don't want to be helped, can't be helped, and when it is too late...it's too late.

Tiffany - Correction...partially hydrogenated oils...these are really bad.  If you want to clog your arteries, this is the product you want.  This and HFCS ARE in a lot of packaged food, along with Natural Flavors and Spices, both of which allow the food companies to put up to 15,000 different chemicals in your food without telling you what they put in.  Any of those 4 ingredients and I definitely will not buy it, which eliminates a lot of packaged food. 

Another ingredient to avoid...ENRICHED flour of any type.  This means that they removed most of the good stuff in processing, then added a few chemicals to replace the good stuff, and now they can tell you it's been enriched.  This is very deceptive. 

Nancy - Sadly, there is not a lot that is totally safe unless you buy organically.  With processed food, you have to carefully read your ingredients, and pick the less of the evils.  We have a 5 yr. old daughter and we are having all kinds of problems feeding her.  We spent a couple of hours at the health food store on Friday just comparing ingredients looking for options, and we really struggled.  It's almost like voting...figure out which is the worst and stay away.

Natural Foods - don't confuse the word "natural" with "organic."  Lots of produce is covered in pesticides, some of which are oil based and you won't be able to wash it off under water.  I talked with a lady who tests kids with cancer and she said she was finding pesticides in the cancer cells. 

Fruits and veggies are very good for you.  There is a huge difference in eating an orange vs. orange juice.  When you eat an orange, you have the pulp, which is fiber, and the fiber keeps the juice from entering your blood stream too fast.  It releases the sugars gradually, where juice goes in a whole lot faster if  you just drink juice.  We have to eat smart, which means we have to take the time to educate ourselves.

Hi Charles - Like you I gave up soft drinks too.  I feel lucky though.  I'm 47, and basically stopped drinking during high school, although I would have one (Sprite) once in awhile for a number of years.  My reasons for quitting back then had to do with the fact that I girl I went to school with dropped a penny in a Coke and it dissolved.  I wondered what it could be doing to my stomach if it ate up a penny.

As for pork, I gave that up in 1995 after studying Biblical principles of health.  The animals the Bible said we should not eat...they are all scavengers, the garbage clean up crew of the planet, and the pig is one of the worst.  I ate lots and lots of pork (almost every meal) before that though.  I wish I would have learned about this sooner.  There are a number of things happening with my body that I feel are related to my great amount of pork consumption.  Thanks for the suggestion of looking at it with a magnifying glass, I hadn't thought about that before.  I have to give that a try.  I'll have to borrow some pork...LoL!

Hi Mike - Thanks for your comments!  I wish I would have learned about HFCS many years ago.  Better late than never I guess.  The article I linked to...for those who haven't read it, please do so.  It  explains why the obesity rate has risen since this product hit the market. 

This also tells us something very important about the FDA...they are not doing the job they are supposed to be doing.  If they were, this product would not be allowed, this much is obvious.  Yes...I am taking a stand, the FDA is not our friend, it is our enemy.  We must educate ourselves!

Gita, Norma - You're welcome!

Norma - You make a very valid point in that there does seem to be a problem almost everywhere  you turn.  However, some things are much worse than others.  After reading the link, this HFCS is one product the FDA should have never approved (among many others they approved and should not have).  One can only ask what their agenda is for allowing this, as well as ask what the agenda of the producers are. 

This goes beyond greed.  There is more to this picture than meets the eye.  I have my ideas.  I am curious about the ideas of those reading this.  I am considering writing a blog about my ideas as to what is going on.  The problem with writing a blog of this nature is that those who do not/have not researched such things will only roll their eyes, and may probably be turned off to even look at this any further, so I need to carefully consider which direction to take on this subject. 

I'm sure some of you will say "to heck with the skeptical, let's hear it," and I understand your logic, however, I'm not looking to alienate the skeptical, I'm hoping to grab their attention in such a way as to give them cause to consider looking deeper into these issues.  As I debate my approach to this issue, feel free to call or write if you seriously want to discuss this further.

Hi Erol,

Been a bit busy lately, but will get back to you soon on the diet pop issue.  Just wanted to let  you know that I have at least read your comment, and will reply soon!  There is hope!!!   ~ Greg