Food and Nutrition
Q: What does organic mean?
A: Organic prohibits the use genetically modified organisms and irradiation along with refraining from antibiotic and hormone use in animals. Animals are sustained on 100% organic feed. Organic farms employ positive soil building, conservation, manure management and crop rotation. Extreme attention is taken to avoid contamination during the processing of organic products.
Source: Organic Consumers Association
Q: What’s so bad about processed food?
A: If you were to look at food in its whole, natural form it would look very different from its processed result. Processed foods are manufactured and often removed of vital nutrients and laden with excessive amounts of salt, sugar, fat and synthetic chemicals. Our bodies are not designed to consume large amounts of these substances which results in a whole slew of maladies like hypertension (salt), heart disease and obesity (saturated fat), dental caries and elevated triglyceride levels (sugar) and cancer (chemical additives). Large inputs of fossil fuels and other natural resources are needed for production and distribution of processed foods. Even worse, our convenience obsessed culture has left people dumbfounded when it comes to preparing meals from “scratch”.
Source: Center for Informed Food Choices
Q. Is it true the food pyramid has been replaced?
A. Yes. The traditional food pyramid has been replaced with MyPyramid, a new food guidance system. It offers consumers with a more personalized approach to healthy eating and lifestyle.
Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture
Q. What exactly is a “healthy diet”?
A. A “healthy diet” is one that provides enough of each essential nutrient, contains a variety of foods from all of the basic food groups, provides adequate energy to maintain a healthy weight, and does not contain excess fat, sugar, salt or alcohol. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans pamphlet provides guidelines that help promote health, and reduce the risk of chronic disease such as diabetes, cancer, and osteoporosis.
Nevada Health
U.S. News and World Report 2007 Rankings of Nevada Health
What really CAUSES cancer?
- Alcohol: Yup, Yes, Certainly. According to the American Cancer Society “alcohol increases the risk of cancers of the mouth, pharynx (throat), larynx (voice box), esophagus, liver, and breast, and probably of the colon and rectum.”Ladies, listen up. Can’t mingle without having a few cocktails? Get real! “Regular consumption of even a few drinks per week is associated with an increased risk of breast cancer in women, especially in women who do not get enough folate. Women at high risk of breast cancer may want to consider not drinking any alcohol.” If you can’t exist without your booze, the American Cancer Society advises to limit your intake to no more than two drinks per day for men and one drink per day for women. And if you think beer bongs and yardsticks count as a drink, you’re wrong.
