Good Monday Morning!

From Think Progress:

The USDA Is Working On A New Type Of Sustainable Food Packaging

The good news is you can eat it.

Think about the food you have sitting in your refrigerator right now: the blocks of cheese, the packages of apples, the cartons of eggs. Chances are that more than a few of those items are wrapped in plastic, and while some of those materials are recyclable, certain kinds of plastic food packaging — the thin film of plastic used to wrap cheeses or meats, for example— can’t be. That creates a stream of non-recyclable, non-biodegradable, fossil fuel-sourced waste that ultimately ends up adding to the 20 million tons of plastic waste floating around the ocean, not to mention landfills. What’s worse, that type of plastic wrapping doesn’t actually help keep food from spoiling, and might actually imbue food with harmful chemicals.

Luckily, researchers from the USDA have devised a different way to package things like meat, bread, and cheese. Instead of using plastic, they’ve developed an edible, biodegradable packaging film made of casein — a milk protein — that can be wrapped around food to prevent spoilage.

The United States produces a lot of milk, but milk consumption has been on the decline for years. So the USDA has been working for decades to find a way to take that excess milk — usually stored in powder form — and create something usable with it. Laetitia Bonnaillie, the principal investigator on the project, told ThinkProgress that the USDA has been working on creating food packaging from leftover milk products for decades. But it was only in the last few years that researchers cracked the code for making casein-based films competitive with plastic-films.

The biggest problem researchers faced with casein-based films, Bonnaillie explained, is that casein is extremely sensitive to water — a serious problem when you’re trying to create a product that is supposed to keep food sealed and dry.

“They are proteins, which love water, and they soak up moisture in the air,” Bonnaillie said. So the team at USDA decided to try adding pectin to the mixture, which Bonnaillie said acts like “a fishnet around the casein particles, to hold them in place.”

Adding pectin to the casein mixture created a film that, while still more sensitive to moisture than plastic, did not immediately dissolve in water or areas with humidity. Moreover, the casein-based film was actually more effective at blocking oxygen than plastic — 250 times more effective, according to Bonnaillie’s measurements. That keeps food from oxidizing and going stale, and also slows down the growth of bacteria.

“Number one product you want is a strong film because if it is too fragile there is no packaging you can make. But you also want it to be a good packaging, and be a good barrier against oxygen and moisture,” Bonnaillie said. “These are qualities that plastic is not good at. It does not block oxygen or light very well.”

There are still some issues associated with the casein-based packaging. Because it is moisture sensitive — and because one of the selling-points is that it is edible — the packaging can’t be used alone on store shelves, yet. In order to keep the packaging both stale and sanitary, Bonnaillie explained that the packaging would need to be used in conjunction with another, secondary layer of packaging. And while that might seem like it would just create more waste, Bonnaillie said that many products already use two layers of packaging —the plastic bag inside of a paper box, for instance. Bonnaillie also suggested that the casein-film could be used to make single-serving packaging for items like a soup or coffee, that, when dropped into hot water, would dissolve completely. The added benefit, she said, would be that the casein-film, when dissolved, would add protein to the food, making it more nutritious.

And it’s not just protein that could be added by the casein-film.

“Proteins are very good at encapsulating materials, so you could add other nutrients to it,” Bonnaillie said. Things like probiotics, or vitamins, could be added to the casein-packaging, creating a kind of single-serving coffee packet that, when dropped in hot water, would give you coffee with a side of probiotics — without all of the plastic.

Beyond food packaging, Bonnaillie said that the casein-based film could be sprayed directly onto food — or directly onto packaging — to create a moisture resistant barrier or add nutrients. Bonnaillie explained that, in tests, cereal flakes sprayed with the casein protein retained their crunch and were much stronger than cereal flakes sprayed with sugar, which is the traditional method producers use to make sure that cereal flakes don’t immediately turn soggy upon contact with milk. If nutrients were added to the casein before it was sprayed on the cereal, then Bonnaillie argued that it would be a more effective, and much healthier alternative to spraying with sugar.

Bonnaillie also said that her team has tested spraying the protein on pizza boxes as a grease repellent. Earlier this year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration banned the use of perfluorinated chemicals as lining in pizza boxes, due to concerns over potential toxicity — Bonnaillie suggested that manufactures could use the casein-protein in its place.

Though the technology is still in its early stages, Bonnaillie said that, with the right industry partners, consumers could see packaging on the shelves in as little as a year. And while the cost of the material will almost certainly, at least at first, be higher than traditional plastic packaging, Bonnaillie hopes that both companies and consumers will see the benefit in packaging that is both more eco-friendly and potentially healthier.

“The consumer is more and more interested in saving the environment while also optimizing their nutrition,” she said. “There is definitely interest in this.”

🍅🌽🍉

Readers: What do you think? Progress? Good for the environment?

Blog me.

Happy Monday! Peace & Love

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the “Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)

Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:

Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129

Thank you for your loyal support!

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2008-2016

“Though she be but little, she be fierce.” – William Shakespeare Midsummer Night’s Dream 

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Good morning!

Well, it picked up a bit didn’t it? Here I thought perhaps everyone was out kissing instead of blogging. But I see you were doing both. :) Loved the history and interesting stats too. It just shows us how much kissing means to all of us that it’s so worth studying.

Since all the talk is about lips, it seemed only natural to blog about something delicious that passes through them.

I LOVE avocados. I eat them regularly. I try to buy local/organic as much as possible but I have to admit I am one who has bought them from Mexico too. But now I know better.

From Think Progress:

Your Guacamole Is Hurting Mexican Forests

Eating avocados has been linked with better diet quality and nutrition for years, well now it seems a surging love for this fruit is driving deforestation in Mexico.

Avocados grow best in the same climate and altitude as the pine and oyamel fir forests in Michoacan, a state that produces 88 percent of Mexico’s avocados. The Associated Press reported Tuesday avocado demand is driving local growers to slash and burn forest to plant avocados, a crop that has enjoyed exponential prices in recent months.

The U.S. is a major importer of Mexican avocados. And over the past several months, demand across the country has increased as some major national avocado growers in California have experienced heat waves that have hurt local production. In a time of increasing trade between the two countries, U.S. consumption is likely boosting prices and encouraging Mexican growers to expand into new territories.

“Even where they aren’t visibly cutting down forest, there are avocados growing underneath [the pine boughs], and sooner or later they’ll cut down the pines completely,” Mario Tapia Vargas, researcher at Mexico’s National Institute for Forestry, Farming and Fisheries Research, told the Associated Press.

Encroachment has already reached natural reserves for Monarch butterflies, a severely endangered species that spends its winters in Michoacan before it migrates to as far north as Canada. In the past few years, the numbers of Monarch butterflies that migrate across the United States have dropped to all-time lows. What’s more, oyamel forest is Mexico’s most endangered ecosystem. Just about 2 percent of the original oyamel forest remains.

Transforming forest into avocado orchards also puts Michoacan water resources at risk. Avocados are water-intensive fruits that when massively produced can demand more water than a natural dense forest. Growing a pound of avocados in Mexico needs nearly 32 gallons of water, Mother Jones reported.

“Beyond the displacement of forests and the effects on water retention, the high use of agricultural chemicals, and the large volumes of wood needed to pack and ship avocados are other factors that could have negative effects on the area’s environment, and the well-being of its inhabitants,” Greenpeace said in a statement.

According to government data, avocado land use is making Michoacan lose some 1,200 acres of forest a year. (One acre is roughly the size of a football field.) But the effects of deforestation go beyond Mexico’s borders. Losing forests exacerbates climate change because trees function as carbon sinks that withhold CO2 from the atmosphere.

A Monarch butterfly sits on a branch at the Sierra Chincua Sanctuary, in the mountains of Mexico’s Michoacan state. High avocado prices in 2016 have fueled deforestation in Michoacan state, where farmers cut down pines to clear the way for more avocado trees. Michoacan’s forests contain much of the wintering grounds of the monarch butterfly. CREDIT: AP Photo/ Marco Ugarte.

But the Mexican government is taking action. Last month, federal police in Morelia, the Michoacan state capital, detained a dozen people, seized avocado plants, and vehicles used to switch a deforested area into an orchard.

The federal government also invested about $500,000 six years ago in a program that pays rural communities in Michoacan to conserve water-capturing forests like the ones now under threat. But in a state that has been battered with drug violence and poverty rates of nearly 60 percent for years, conservation programs may be insufficient given the need.

“Avocado farming is very attractive, because of the prices being the way they are,” Tapia Vargas said.

U.S. avocado consumption is likely playing role in Michoacan deforestation. Over the last year, avocado prices skyrocketed in the United States, according to the Haas Avocado Board, pointing to a clear spike in demand. One Haas avocado — the type of avocado Michoacan grows — cost $1.50 on average in July. That’s 50 cents more than same time last year.

The U.S. is a net importer of Mexican avocados. In fact, Mexico supplied most of the avocados the U.S. imported last year. This comes as trade deals like NAFTA allow avocados from approved orchards in Mexico to be distributed around the country.

Meanwhile, recent record-breaking high temperatures in California burned some of the state’s avocado production, and may have also harmed next year’s crop. California, already struggling with drought, is by far the largest avocado producer in the country. If California can’t supply the market, the U.S. might have to rely more on Mexican avocados to fulfill the growing demand that a recent study attributed to millennials, the nation’s largest living generation.

The connection between climate change and avocados is not new. Companies like Chipotle, which thrives on millennial consumers, have already included climate change-triggered avocado shortages in their business plans. In 2014, the company told investors climate change could force prices for raw produce like avocado to jump, pushing their guacamole off the menu. ClimateProgress broke the story and prompted many headlines and an assurance from Chipotle that the disclosure of climate risk was a “non-issue.” Yet two years later, with higher prices and drought conditions forcing avocado supply shifts, Chipotle’s risk disclosures may still prove prudent.

So while avocados are good for the body, and extra guacamole on a burrito is always great, it seems that there is such thing as having too much guac.

*****

Readers: Something to think about.

Happy Saturday! xxxxx

Blog me!

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the “Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)

Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:

Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129

Thank you for your loyal support!

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2008-2016

“Though she be but little, she be fierce.” – William Shakespeare Midsummer Night’s Dream 

" Politics, god, Life, News, Music, Family, Personal, Travel, Random, Photography, Religion, Aliens, Art, Entertainment, Food, Books, Thoughts, Media, Culture, Love, Sex, Poetry, Prose, Friends, Technology, Humor, Health, Writing, Events, Movies, Sports, Video, Christianity, Atheist, Blogging, History, Work, Education, Business, Fashion, Barack Obama, People, Internet, Relationships, Faith, Photos, Videos, Hillary Clinton, School, Reviews, God, TV, Philosophy, Fun, Science, Environment, Design, The Page, Rants, Pictures, Church, Blog, Nature, Marketing, Television, Democrats, Parenting, Miscellaneous, Current Events, Film, Spirituality, Obama, Musings, Home, Human Rights, Society, Comedy, Me, Random Thoughts, Research, Government, Election 2008, Baseball, Opinion, Recipes, Children, Iraq, Funny, Women, Economics, America, Misc, Commentary, John McCain, Reflections, All, Celebrities, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Theology, Linux, Kids, Games, World, India, Literature, China, Ramblings, Fitness, Money, Review, War, Articles, Economy, Journal, Quotes, NBA, Crime, Anime, Islam, 2008, Stories, Prayer, Diary, Jesus, Buddha, Muslim, Israel, Europe, Links, Marriage, Fiction, American Idol, Software, Leadership, Pop culture, Rants, Video Games, Republicans, Updates, Political, Football, Healing, Blogs, Shopping, USA, Class, Matrix, Course, Work, Web 2.0, My Life, Psychology, Gay, Happiness, Advertising, Field Hockey, Hip-hop, sex, fucking, ass, Soccer, sox"

Good morning! 

I cried last night. I was glued to my television watching President Obama give his speech at the DNC – it was bittersweet.

On the one hand, I am so going to miss him, his optimism, humbleness, boldness, faith, fairness, his way with words that inspires me to no end. I could keep going I admire the man that much. He truly is a charismatic leader, and I know I’m about to sound banal, and probably a little mushy too, but he makes me want to be a better person…and make the world a better place. OK, I said it. But that’s how I feel he moves me so much.

Thank you Mr. President for all that you have done and continue to do for our country. I am so grateful. #LoveOurPresident

And on the other hand, I’m thrilled to welcome Hillary, our first woman president. How awesome is this for our sisters, for all!? As Michelle Obama stated, “And because of Hillary Clinton, my daughters and all our sons and daughters now take for granted that a woman can be president of the United States.”

And as Obama said last night: “There has not been a man or a woman..not me, not Bill, nobody more qualified than Hillary Clinton, to serve as president of the United States of America.” I’m excited to do all I can to support her in becoming president, and helping her to be successful by taking the reins and finishing the job that Obama so successfully started for our already great country. (That’s a snub to you Trump.)

If we learn one thing, please let it be that we don’t get Lazy and go through another four (or eight) years without coattails. I know…I know…you’re probably sick of me saying it but I can’t help it. It’s so important we all remember that it is US who makes the decisions of who gets to represent us. We can get so much more done when we have the support we need.

#DontBooVote ~Obama.  Love that line.

Enough said for now. But as you know me, this won’t be the last time I’ll say this. :)

Onto today’s write. I gave blog time to our First Lady, Michelle Obama, whom I too will miss dearly. I know that beside every great man is a woman who is equally great. Thank you Michelle for being that woman and all that you have done for our country. Her man, our president deserves blog time too.

From the Huff Po: (Unlike the write, I’m posting his full speech.)

Obama Praises ‘The America I Know,’ Says Hillary Clinton Is The One To Lead It

President Barack Obama on Wednesday night told Americans they face a stark choice in November ― an unusual election that has raised “fundamental” questions “about who we are as a people,” and pitted one of the most qualified candidates in history, Hillary Clinton, against an untrustworthy con man, Donald Trump.

In a Democratic National Convention speech that was at turns emotional and blistering and ended with Clinton appearing by his side, Obama began with a recitation of his accomplishments in office ― reducing unemployment and saving the auto industry, passing health care reform, a nuclear agreement with Iran and the killing of Osama bin Laden.

He acknowledged problems that the country still faces ― people struggling with bills, an epidemic of gun violence ― but he also professed his strong belief in the country’s ability to fix its problems, even if “change is never easy, and never quick.”

“The America I know is full of courage and optimism and ingenuity,” Obama said, contrasting this vision with the dark, pessimistic message that came from the Republican convention in Cleveland last week.

“What we heard was a deeply pessimistic vision of a country where we turn against each other, and turn away from the rest of the world,” Obama said. “There were no serious solutions to pressing problems ― just the fanning of resentment and blame and anger and hate.”

After laying out those two visions, Obama made his case for Clinton, reminding people not only of her experience and expertise but also of her record of championing groups such as children and veterans.

Obama made a particularly big deal about Clinton’s commitment to public service, in an apparent attempt to turn one of her biggest political liabilities ― her experience in politics ― into an asset. “She knows she’s made mistakes, just like I have; just like we all do. That’s what happens when we try.”

Obama likened Clinton’s grit and determination to Theodore Roosevelt’s. “Hillary Clinton is that woman in the arena.  She’s been there for us ― even if we haven’t always noticed.”

And then it was time to talk about Trump. Previous speakers ― including Vice President Joe Biden and vice presidential nominee Tim Kaine ― had already worked up the crowd. Obama picked up where they left off ― at first, by adopting the same mocking tone he’d used in 2011 at the White House Correspondents Dinner.

“He’s not really a plans guy,” Obama said of the real estate mogul turned Republican nominee. “Not really a facts guy, either. He calls himself a business guy, which is true, but I have to say, I know plenty of businessmen and women who’ve achieved success without leaving a trail of lawsuits and unpaid workers and people feeling like they got cheated.”

But Obama quickly turned serious, mentioning Trump’s record in business as proof that he would not protect the economic interests of everyday Americans. “Does anyone really believe,” Obama said, “that a guy who’s spent his 70 years on this earth showing no regard for working people is suddenly going to be your champion? Your voice?”

He also questioned Trump’s ability to protect Americans from foreign threats: “He cozies up to Putin, praises Saddam Hussein, and tells the NATO allies that stood by our side after 9/11 that they have to pay up if they want our protection. Well, America’s promises do not come with a price tag. We meet our commitments.”

At one point, Obama invoked an iconic figure from Republican Party history to press his case. “Ronald Reagan,” Obama explained, “called America ‘a shining city on a hill.’ Donald Trump calls it ‘a divided crime scene’ that only he can fix. …  He’s just offering slogans, and he’s offering fear. He’s betting that if he scares enough people, he might score just enough votes to win this election.”

“That is another bet that Donald Trump will lose,” Obama continued. “Because he’s selling the American people short. We are not a fragile or frightful people. Our power doesn’t come from some self-declared savior promising that he alone can restore order. We don’t look to be ruled.”

But the strongest part of his speech came at the end ― when, after painting Trump as somebody who doesn’t believe in America, Obama reasserted his own belief that democracy can work and that, given the chance, they will make the right choices for the country.

“That’s America,” Obama said. “Those bonds of affection; that common creed. We don’t fear the future; we shape it, embrace it, as one people, stronger together than we are on our own.”

Obama’s speech brought the partisan crowd to its feet ― and the roars grew louder when Clinton made her dramatic, if predictable, entrance onstage to join him. The two exchanged words, embraced and then stood on the stage soaking in the applause as the convention’s third night drew to a close.

Readers: It was an amazing night to remember. Although Obama has passed the baton to Clinton, there is still 6 months left in his presidency. And Obama is no lame duck. Let’s continue to support him.

Blog me.

✌🏽&❤️

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the “Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)

Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:

Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129

Thank you for your loyal support!

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2008-2016

“Though she be but little, she be fierce.” – William Shakespeare Midsummer Night’s Dream 

" Politics, god, Life, News, Music, Family, Personal, Travel, Random, Photography, Religion, Aliens, Art, Entertainment, Food, Books, Thoughts, Media, Culture, Love, Sex, Poetry, Prose, Friends, Technology, Humor, Health, Writing, Events, Movies, Sports, Video, Christianity, Atheist, Blogging, History, Work, Education, Business, Fashion, Barack Obama, People, Internet, Relationships, Faith, Photos, Videos, Hillary Clinton, School, Reviews, God, TV, Philosophy, Fun, Science, Environment, Design, The Page, Rants, Pictures, Church, Blog, Nature, Marketing, Television, Democrats, Parenting, Miscellaneous, Current Events, Film, Spirituality, Obama, Musings, Home, Human Rights, Society, Comedy, Me, Random Thoughts, Research, Government, Election 2008, Baseball, Opinion, Recipes, Children, Iraq, Funny, Women, Economics, America, Misc, Commentary, John McCain, Reflections, All, Celebrities, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Theology, Linux, Kids, Games, World, India, Literature, China, Ramblings, Fitness, Money, Review, War, Articles, Economy, Journal, Quotes, NBA, Crime, Anime, Islam, 2008, Stories, Prayer, Diary, Jesus, Buddha, Muslim, Israel, Europe, Links, Marriage, Fiction, American Idol, Software, Leadership, Pop culture, Rants, Video Games, Republicans, Updates, Political, Football, Healing, Blogs, Shopping, USA, Class, Matrix, Course, Work, Web 2.0, My Life, Psychology, Gay, Happiness, Advertising, Field Hockey, Hip-hop, sex, fucking, ass, Soccer, sox"

Good morning!

Readers: We’re heading into a holiday here in America. Which means you’ll possibly be doing things to your body in excess. If you have a sweet tooth you might just reconsider what the sweets are doing to your health as you party into the 3-day weekend and beyond.

Here’s the write:

Sweetened to Death: Exposing Sugar for What It Is

What you don’t know IS hurting you… and I don’t just mean weight problems. I mean chronic disease. I mean a whole generation dying younger than their parents for the first time in modern history.⁽¹⁾ If you were ever looking for a single smoking gun for obesity and health problems, this is it. And you’re about to learn how to dodge the bullet and come out on top.

Poison.

Addictive substance.

Alcohol without the buzz.

Worse than cocaine.

The reason we can’t stop eating.

The culprit behind the chronic disease epidemic of our times.

These are just a few of the things it’s been called.

And that’s not by extremists or fanatics… but by some of the most influential and respected medical experts on the planet.^2,3,4

But you know it as sugar.

And right now, we’re all eating it in unprecedented amounts, often without even knowing it.^5,6

And it’s doing far worse things in our bodies than just making us fat… though it’s definitely doing that, too.

Sugar is killing people. And I’ll prove it in this article.

I’ll show you how it managed to dominate your diet and how unnatural it actually is.

I’ll show you how it behaves in your body like both cocaine and alcohol. (It does this in your children’s bodies, too.)

I’ll also show you how to overcome the need for it. It’s very doable… and very necessary.

And no, this doesn’t mean you can’t have anything sweet. Trust me on this. I’ll explain everything.

Really quickly, though… Before I get down and dirty on sugar, let me address something a few people have asked me about the articles I’ve been writing lately:

April 1973.

Senator George McGovern was presiding over the Senate Select Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs. This was the Committee’s first meeting on diet and disease.⁷

However, just a couple of years prior, he’d retired to write a controversial book titled Pure White and Deadly: The Problem of Sugar.⁹ In it, he proposed that sugar — not fat — caused obesity, heart disease, and diabetes.¹⁰ This flew right in the face of the popular low-fat diet advice of the time.^11,12

After Yudkin explained his sugar theory to the Committee, Senator McGovern, in utter disbelief, asked:

Yudkin responded in his usual polite, precise manner:

Yudkin went on to insist that cutting dietary fat was not the answer to the growing public health concerns. But McGovern, unable to accept this, responded:

And after the hearing, things went straight downhill for Yudkin. He was shut out of international nutrition conferences, and several prominent scientists who supported the the low-fat theory publicly blasted him.¹⁴

One of these scientists was Ancel Keys, the most famous nutritionist in America. He published a scathing critique of Yudkin, calling his research “propaganda.”¹⁵

Scientists everywhere then began to distance themselves from Yudkin and his theories. Almost overnight, he went from being England’s premier nutritionist to being a complete outsider.¹⁶

After all, he’d contradicted the establishment. Right or wrong, he had to pay the price. And no one else wanted to end up like him.

Sheldon Reiser, another prominent nutritionist of the day, later recalled:

By the time Yudkin died in 1995, his book was out of print, and he had faded largely into obscurity.¹⁸

Meanwhile, the low-fat diet advice of Keys and his colleagues became mainstream and was treated as gospel, giving rise to dangerous U.S. Government health recommendations.¹⁹

The food industry responded with sugary low-fat and fat-free foods. The American public responded with growing waistlines and declining health.^{20,21,22,23,24}

In fact, it wasn’t until 36 years later that everyone finally started to realize that Yudkin had been right all along. And it was largely thanks to a prominent endocrinologist named Robert Lustig.^25,26,27

And this brings us to…

May 2009.

Professor Robert Lustig was just over a half an hour into a lecture on sugar at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). A charming public speaker, he’d gotten a few laughs from the crowd over the past 30 minutes. But now, the lecture hall was dead silent.²⁸

UCSF was one of the top-ranked medical schools in the world.²⁹ And Lustig, its star pediatric endocrinologist, had just steamrolled over the past 30 years of undisputed nutrition guidelines. He was going against the grain with a vengeance.³⁰

-Dr. Robert Lustig on Keys’ Seven Countries Study

You see, most nutrition advice had been based on Ancel Keys’ legendary Seven Countries Study — the one that landed him on the cover of Time Magazine.³¹ And Lustig had just spent the past several minutes pointing out flaw after flaw in that study’s science.

And this was only a third of the way in. The lecture was almost 90 minutes long. Lustig was just getting warmed up.

He spent the next hour using a mountain of research to thoroughly make the case for sugar being most damaging toxin of our time.

Two months later, UCSF posted a video of the lecture on YouTube, and it promptly went viral. To date, it has more than 6.4 million views.³²

Lustig had clearly struck a nerve. People were tired of being fat and sick. The nutrition advice they’d gotten their whole lives hadn’t been working at all.

In the aftermath, several New York Times bestsellers emerged highlighting the dangers of sugar.^33,34,35 Articles on the topic appeared in multiple newspapers and journals.^36,37,38,39 News programs like 60 Minutes did stories on it.⁴⁰

book — Pure White and Deadly — was re-released to a more welcoming public.⁴¹ After all, Lustig had made several references to it in the lecture.⁴²

The tides had finally shifted. Sugar — in all its forms, including high-fructose corn syrup — was now being called out for the poison it was.

And on that note, it’s about time we got into the nitty-gritty of sugar’s toxicity.

Natural?

Lately, I’ve heard many people say, “Cane sugar is natural. How can it be poisonous?”

Red kidney beans are natural, too. Yet, as the FDA’s own Bad Bug Book points out, eating just five of them raw can land you in the hospital.⁴³

Natural doesn’t mean healthy. Most toxins are natural. Cyanide is perfectly natural.

And I should also point out that sugar manufacturing starts with this:

…and ends with this:

What’s natural about a man-made process that turns dirty sticks into sweet, paper-white, granulated crystals?

The truth is that it’s an extensive operation that involves multiple rounds of high-temperature treatment, evaporation, filtering, and spinning.⁴⁴ Not to mention, industrial chemicals like sulfur dioxide are bubbled through the sugar to bleach it.⁴⁵

Long story short: You won’t find this stuff anywhere in nature.

And yet you’re likely eating it at every meal.

However, as bad as this all sounds, simply being unnatural isn’t what makes sugar so harmful. You’re about to find out what is, though. Read on.

The devil’s in the details.

I’ll get right to it. There’s one thing above all else that makes sugar poisonous. And that thing is fructose.

You see, sugar, otherwise known as sucrose, is 50% glucose and 50% fructose. Fructose is the sweetest part of sugar. It’s the thing that makes your favorite candy irresistible.⁴⁶

And it’s not just in sucrose. Fructose is highly present in high-fructose corn syrup (55%), agave syrup/nectar (84%), honey (50%), and any other syrup/added sugar you can think of.^47,48,49

And why is fructose so bad?

Well, unlike glucose, which is mostly broken down by insulin, fructose is 100% processed by the liver. This is very similar to how alcohol behaves in the body.^50,51 In the process, the following things happen:

• Fat deposits in your liver increase, which ultimately leads to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.⁵² (Hint: It’s essentially the same effect as alcoholic liver disease.⁵³)

• Insulin resistance increases, which makes your pancreas start producing way too much insulin. This shortchanges your brain’s ability to read signals that you’re full, causing you to overeat.^54,55 It also leads to Type II Diabetes.⁵⁶

• The insulin resistance elevates insulin-like growth factor (IGF), which can dramatically increase your risk for multiple types of cancer.⁵⁷

• The fats in your blood rise out of proportion, skyrocketing VLDL — the worst cholesterol in human nutrition. This condition is known as dyslipidemia, and it’s a MAJOR marker for heart disease.^58,59,60

• Uric acid, a byproduct of fructose metabolism, rises in your blood. This cranks up your blood pressure (hypertension). It also increases your risk for developing gout.⁶¹

And here’s something that will really shock you…

30% of the fructose you consume becomes fat in your body.^62,63

Yep, you read that right. 30%. And that’s compared to around 2% of glucose (think potatoes and rice) turning into fat.^64,65

So, take a look at that sugar cube next time you want to drop it into your coffee. You can actually see the portion of it that will become fat inside you.

And there’s another feature of fructose that makes all of this much, much worse…

Sweet Cocaine?

Perhaps the most insidious part about sugar is how hard it is to stop eating it. Sugar is, in fact, genuinely addictive.^66,67

And much of this addictiveness has to do with reward signals in your brain — specifically, the sweet reward, which is supplied directly by fructose.^68,69

The effect is so powerful that scientists in France, the U.S., and Canada have observed cocaine-addicted rats demonstrating a clear preference for the sweet reward over the cocaine they were addicted to.^70,71,72

And it doesn’t stop there. Fructose actually reprograms your body to overdose on sweet food.

You see, fructose messes up two things your brain uses to regulate your eating:⁷³

1. It blinds your brain to leptin, the hormone that makes you feel full.
2. It fails to stop ghrelin, the hormone that makes you feel hungry.

This brutal 1-2 punch turns you into an unstoppable eating machine. Combine this with the drug-level addictiveness of the sweet reward, and you have a serious problem on your hands.

To experience this effect in the real world, eat your fill of raw vegetables. When you feel like you can’t eat anymore, grab a piece of your favorite chocolate or candy and put it in your mouth. Chances are, you’ll reach for seconds.

In fact, if you’re anything like me, your eyes probably dilated at the thought of tasting that candy just now. Perhaps you even considered going and getting some.

Now you know why you can’t stop eating.

And now you know that what you can’t stop eating is a toxin.

And it gets even worse…

It’s everywhere you turn.

The absolute worst part about sugar (and the fructose it carries) is that food manufacturers put it in so much of what you eat. Here’s a few of the less obvious things that have added sugar in one form or another:

Sneaky Sugar Foods:

Beef jerky hides a surprising amount of sugar.

Bread
Beef Jerky
Yogurt
Pasta Sauces
Barbecue Sauces
Pretty Much ANY Sauces
Salad Dressings
Canned Soup
Peanut Butter
Coleslaw
Ketchup
Dried Fruits
Canned Fruits
Smoothies
Instant Oatmeal
Granola
Anything labeled “lowfat” or “fat free”
Anything processed

And then, there’s the matter of what we drink, which is one of the main ways we’re getting way too much fructose.

Sodas, for example, are loaded with fructose. And fruit juice has even more fructose than sodas.⁷⁴ Both drinks are bad news. And do you like to sweeten your coffee? How about your tea? Do you like flavored waters?

Thanks to the food industry’s penchant for feeding us sugar, fructose is coming at us from all angles.

You see, for most of our existence, we consumed 16-20 grams of fructose per day. Most of that came from whole fresh fruits. However, we’re now consuming 85-100 grams per day.⁷⁵

And most of that has happened in the last 30-40 years.⁷⁶ Is it any wonder we’re having so many health problems?

(Click here to share this with others on Facebook while you keep reading!)

So, what do I do?

You’ve stayed with me through the bad news, so here’s the good news:

While the problem is complicated, the solution is not.

Lustig made key suggestions I agree with in his presentation, and I’ve added some of my own. Here’s the combined list:⁷⁷

1) Cut out sugary drinks. This includes fruit juice.

This will remove a HUGE amount of fructose from your diet. If you do nothing else, do this. And avoid sugar in your coffee and tea. If you must sweeten it, use stevia. Drink water (regular, unflavored) more than anything else.

2) When you eat carbs, eat them with fiber.

3) When you’ve eaten, wait 20 minutes before going back for seconds.

4) For every minute you spend watching videos/movies/shows, exercise for one minute.

• Decreases stress and cortisol release, helping to keep you from stress-eating and storing fat.
• Speeds up metabolism. Basically, you burn off the sugar before it can turn into fat.
• Reduces insulin resistance, and all the problems that come with it.

5) Drink MORE water. PLAIN water.

And there you have it. The truth about sugar, and how to deal with it.

I urge you to start acting on these steps today. But don’t worry… You don’t have to do the whole list on the first day.

Many people incorporate these 7 steps one at a time. Take your time, and pay attention to how you feel. And don’t forget to congratulate yourself on your progress!

And as always, I hope you’ve found this enlightening. Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below. And if you’ve found this information helpful…

Don’t forget to share it with your friends and family!

So…what do you think of sugar now?

Blog me.

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the “Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)

Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:

Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129

Thank you for your loyal support!

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2008-2016

“Though she be but little, she be fierce.” – William Shakespeare Midsummer Night’s Dream 

" Politics, god, Life, News, Music, Family, Personal, Travel, Random, Photography, Religion, Aliens, Art, Entertainment, Food, Books, Thoughts, Media, Culture, Love, Sex, Poetry, Prose, Friends, Technology, Humor, Health, Writing, Events, Movies, Sports, Video, Christianity, Atheist, Blogging, History, Work, Education, Business, Fashion, Barack Obama, People, Internet, Relationships, Faith, Photos, Videos, Hillary Clinton, School, Reviews, God, TV, Philosophy, Fun, Science, Environment, Design, The Page, Rants, Pictures, Church, Blog, Nature, Marketing, Television, Democrats, Parenting, Miscellaneous, Current Events, Film, Spirituality, Obama, Musings, Home, Human Rights, Society, Comedy, Me, Random Thoughts, Research, Government, Election 2008, Baseball, Opinion, Recipes, Children, Iraq, Funny, Women, Economics, America, Misc, Commentary, John McCain, Reflections, All, Celebrities, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Theology, Linux, Kids, Games, World, India, Literature, China, Ramblings, Fitness, Money, Review, War, Articles, Economy, Journal, Quotes, NBA, Crime, Anime, Islam, 2008, Stories, Prayer, Diary, Jesus, Buddha, Muslim, Israel, Europe, Links, Marriage, Fiction, American Idol, Software, Leadership, Pop culture, Rants, Video Games, Republicans, Updates, Political, Football, Healing, Blogs, Shopping, USA, Class, Matrix, Course, Work, Web 2.0, My Life, Psychology, Gay, Happiness, Advertising, Field Hockey, Hip-hop, sex, fucking, ass, Soccer, sox"

Good morning!

Gotta love it. News from E:

NEWS/ A Drag Queen Named Mama Tits Schooled a Group of Anti-Gay Protesters on God and the Bible

We subscribe to the “if you don’t like it, don’t click it” approach to life. If you don’t like reading about something, don’t click stories about it on the Internet. If you don’t like a certain TV show, don’t turn to that channel. If you think all gays are going to burn in eternal hellfire and their celebration of pride is revoluting to you, DON’T GO TO A GAY PRIDE PARADE.

Which is why we’re constantly baffled every time we see a group of anti-gay protestors with their “GOD HATES F-GS” signs on the sidelines at a gay pride parade (where, it’s worth pointing out, no one is bothering anyone). But these bigots got more then they bargained for in Seattle: They got the a crash course in Christian love by a drag queen named Mama Tits.

“Before I knew it, I was standing t-ts to nose with the leader guy on the megaphone,” Mama Tits said. “I pushed his sign away from my face and hair, because you DO NOT TOUCH my hair. And, it was all I could do to NOT get violent, but I didn’t because once that happens, we all lose.”

Here is her entire speech, transcribed:

…use the Bible to spew their hate, when actually, if they followed by all the teachings of this book that they use to hate, they themselves are sinners. They are wearing cotton-poly blend. That is an abomination. Did you kill your daughters if they had sex out of wedlock? Do you sleep with your wife if she happens to have that time of the month? You’re not even allowed to share the bed with her. Should we stone you for that? Why don’t you read your own book and actually follow the teachings to the letter of God, and learn to support and love.

You need to drop the hate. You are a sad, sad, excuse for a human being. Once you learn to drop the hate, you too can find happiness, because we will welcome you in open arms if you learn to open your mind. Not today, Satan. Not today.

“I wanted [the crowd] to make so much joyful noise to drown out the hate…and, boy did they ever!” Mama says. “The crowd made the walls rattle down on 4th and Pine!…It is always interesting how religious whack jobs misinterpret EVERYTHING in the Bible and bend it to their will to create HATE, when all they are doing is showing their ignorance.”

What you don’t see in the video is the protestors being escorted away. But you might not have noticed anyway, since Mama Tits was the true star here. We don’t usually do this, but we’re making an exception here: YAAAAAS, MAMA TITS! PREACH!

♥♥♥♥♥

Readers: Mama Tits knows what she’s talking about.  Thoughts? Blog me.

Thank so much for your concern. I appreciate it, however, I am perfectly fine. With respect to the “blond” hair, I won’t comment on that. Just know that I take precautions to protect my anonymity. But if you think you see me, please come up and say hello!

Are you wearing your Sunday best? :) I’m donning mine and out to have a grand time. I HOPE you are too!

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the “Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)

Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:

Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129

Thank you for your loyal support!

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2008-2014

“Though she be but little, she be fierce.” – William Shakespeare Midsummer Night’s Dream 

" Politics, god, Life, News, Music, Family, Personal, Travel, Random, Photography, Religion, Aliens, Art, Entertainment, Food, Books, Thoughts, Media, Culture, Love, Sex, Poetry, Prose, Friends, Technology, Humor, Health, Writing, Events, Movies, Sports, Video, Christianity, Atheist, Blogging, History, Work, Education, Business, Fashion, Barack Obama, People, Internet, Relationships, Faith, Photos, Videos, Hillary Clinton, School, Reviews, God, TV, Philosophy, Fun, Science, Environment, Design, The Page, Rants, Pictures, Church, Blog, Nature, Marketing, Television, Democrats, Parenting, Miscellaneous, Current Events, Film, Spirituality, Obama, Musings, Home, Human Rights, Society, Comedy, Me, Random Thoughts, Research, Government, Election 2008, Baseball, Opinion, Recipes, Children, Iraq, Funny, Women, Economics, America, Misc, Commentary, John McCain, Reflections, All, Celebrities, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Theology, Linux, Kids, Games, World, India, Literature, China, Ramblings, Fitness, Money, Review, War, Articles, Economy, Journal, Quotes, NBA, Crime, Anime, Islam, 2008, Stories, Prayer, Diary, Jesus, Buddha, Muslim, Israel, Europe, Links, Marriage, Fiction, American Idol, Software, Leadership, Pop culture, Rants, Video Games, Republicans, Updates, Political, Football, Healing, Blogs, Shopping, USA, Class, Matrix, Course, Work, Web 2.0, My Life, Psychology, Gay, Happiness, Advertising, Field Hockey, Hip-hop, sex, fucking, ass, Soccer, sox"