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Americans today have a greater variety of foods to choose from than ever before. Yet many people are confused and anxious about the impact of their eating habits on their health and are concerned about the safety of foods. One of the ironies of modern life is that as the technology of food production has advanced, Americans have come to rely increasingly on processed foods or convenience foods that are often stripped of nutrition and fiber. This has become the "shortcut to good nutrition." Many others take vitamins and nutritional substances that contain "pure" nutrients. Some of these products may provide heath benefits, but in terms of a healthy daily diet, they are not adequate substitutes for whole, fresh foods. The substances in fresh foods contain an astonishingly complex balance that cannot be reproduced by a pill or in any heavily processed food product. We know that eating fresh or minimally processed foods is the best way to be sure of obtaining all of the nutrient benefits that food offers.

A unique aspect to the knowledge of foods is that there are many non-nutrient substances recently discovered that can have a profound impact on your health. Consumers tend to hear about additives used to make foods more palatable or attractive, for example, the sodium added to many canned foods or the wax sometimes used on fruits and vegetables. But numerous other substances, many of which occur naturally, go to work in our bodies in various ways during the digestive process. Some of these effects appear to be highly beneficial. Dietary fiber, through it is not absorbed by the body, performs a number of valuable functions and may help to prevent such chronic health problems as heart disease and certain types of cancer. Similarly, chemical substances known as indoles, which occur in cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli and cauliflower, have been linked to cancer prevention, as has ellagic acid, which is found in certain types of berries.

On the other hand, solanine, a substance in sprouting potatoes, is toxic; hydrazines, which occurs in raw mushrooms, and aflatoxin, found in the mold that grows on peanuts, are both known carcinogens. Foods are subject to contamination from bacteria (for example salmonella, found in spoiled turkey dressing) as well as man made chemical agents such as residue from pesticides, which has an adverse effects on our health. There is a lot to be learned about foods of all kinds, but enough research has been done to provide safety guidelines when appropriate. MOSTLY!

Sugar is bad for you, right? This Thanksgiving and Holiday Season we'll all cut back on pies, cookies and homemade sweets. Sugar has calories and makes you fat! However, we have found a taste that is sweet and doesn't have any calories so it won't make you fat. The low-calorie sweetener. That is the thinking that supports the widespread use of the artificial sweeteners. Millions of people guzzle soft drinks sweetened with aspartame, a man made chemical sweetener. This compound is sold under the traditional name of Nutrasweet or Equal. This chemical ingredient is found in all kinds of diet foods, in toothpaste, and sprinkled out of small packets with tea and coffee. It is sold world wide.

The following information comes from the Aspartame Consumer Safety Network Fact Sheet, written by Lendon Smith, MD.

Aspartame is considered to be abut 200 times as sweet as sugar. It is calorie free and when ingested and metabolized, it breaks down into three substances:

1) phenylalanine (50%) one of the amino acids needed for the production of neurotransmitters essential to brain function. While this may sound OK, it is not. People with PKU (phenylketonuria) are missing the enzymes to break down this amino acid and may end up with an excess that causes brain damage. For susceptible people, phenylalanine will become neurotoxic and may cause seizures.


2) aspartic acid (40%) which can cause brain damage in the fetus.


3) methanol (10%) an alcohol which turns into formaldehyde, a known toxic substance used, among other things, as an embalming fluid.

Remember -keep it simple - use cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and brown sugar to flavor and sweeten foods. Bake fresh fruit pies and enjoy your family gathering with loved ones. Let's all give thanks to The Natural Way.