| I just read the findings of a survey done by the | | | | they are eating a bacon cheese burger with fries |
| USDA, and I was surprised at what I saw. I am | | | | and a coke. Which one is more deadly? You have |
| sorry if I have to vent a little in this article, but it | | | | tons of saturated fat in processed white bread. I |
| disturbed me some. I am trying to see the logic. | | | | think that the hamburger meal is more deadly. |
| The survey was on food labels. To be more | | | | I read another article the other day about a study |
| specific, on how many people actually still read | | | | on the kids meals served. 93 percent of the |
| them or used them. The survey was for the | | | | meals failed. The most calories a child 4 through 8 |
| years 1995 to 2006. This report was a 33 page | | | | is supposed to have are 430 per meal. These |
| PDF report that I found very interesting. It went | | | | meals were loaded with fat and sodium and some |
| into the history of the label and how the survey | | | | of them exceeded 1000 calories. This was done in |
| was done and covered a lot of how to use it and | | | | 13 popular restaurants. I think people should start |
| why it is on our foods among other things about | | | | caring more about their kids. They are slowly |
| the label. It was very informative. | | | | killing them with the foods they feed them. |
| The results of the survey are what surprised me | | | | I am starting to think that most people don't care |
| though. Less people are taking the time to read | | | | about their health as much as they should. Sure, |
| them or look at them. What they found was that | | | | right now that processed food and those fast |
| it decreased for most label components. It | | | | meals taste great, and are fine to eat every now |
| declined approximately 3 percentage points for | | | | and then, but it is killing us slowly. Sooner or later |
| the Nutrition Facts panel, 11 percentage points for | | | | that is going to catch up with a lot of people, just |
| the ingredient list, and 10 percentage points for | | | | like smoking cigarettes does. I am not saying that |
| the panel's information about calories, fat, | | | | people can not sit and eat some pizza every now |
| cholesterol, and sodium. Only the information | | | | and then, I do, but not very often because it is |
| about fiber and sugars did not decline over the 10 | | | | not a good healthy food. I try to eat 90 percent |
| year period. The use of fiber information | | | | good healthy food, and treat myself with the |
| increased by 2 percentage points and for sugar | | | | other 10 percent. I am not a saint and I don't |
| stayed the same. | | | | expect everyone else to be. |
| It went on you break down the study by age | | | | Our body needs a well balanced diet to work |
| and race. They believe the fiber increase was due | | | | properly. It needs some fats, not the kind we get |
| to the people over 30. They said the increase in | | | | from the fast food chains, it needs protein, not |
| use may be the result of the increasing popularity | | | | the fatty kind, but the lean kind, and it needs |
| of low-carb diets, the interest in identifying whole | | | | carbohydrates. A lot of this information is right on |
| grain foods, or an aging population that is more | | | | the food products that we buy, on the nutritional |
| aware of dietary fiber's health benefits. | | | | label that less people are reading. People should be |
| My thinking was that more people would be | | | | keeping up with the food news too. There are |
| reading the labels. I thought people cared about | | | | new studies they are doing all the time, and some |
| their health more now. I guess I am wrong. | | | | of it is good news, and some of it is not so good |
| I find it funny, I guess it isn't really funny, but if | | | | news, but people need to know, and should be |
| someone lights up a cigarette people get all upset | | | | aware of the health risks and benefits of what |
| about how that person is killing themselves and | | | | we are eating. |
| the second hand smoke will kill them too while | | | | |