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by Amanda Froelich
January 8, 2014
from
TrueActivist Website
As complementary and holistic healing
modalities rise in popularity, consumers are becoming more vigilant
about what they consume.
This means that the $37 billion
processed food industry is finally dealing with scrutiny from the
FDA and concerned citizens regarding the ingredients and sourcing of
many food items.
With this increase of awareness,
Americans are realizing that not only are the types of foods
consumed imperative in supporting or degenerating health, but the
source is just important as well.
And while measures have been adopted in
other countries to ensure citizens are protected from toxic
chemicals and low quality products, the United States is one of the
only nations that has yet to increase it’s food standards.
To increase awareness and education, a
list of foods available in the United States, but illegal elsewhere,
follow:
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Genetically Engineered Papaya
The United States sources most
of its papaya from Hawaii. Unfortunately, a large percentage
of the tropical fruit imported from this state is
genetically engineered (GE) to be ringspot virus-resistant.
Research shows that
animals fed with
GE foods, such as soy and corn, suffer
intestinal damage, multiple-organ damage, massive tumors,
birth defects, premature death, and/or nearly complete
sterility by the third generation.
Long-term research measuring the
danger to humans is still unknown.
Where it’s banned:
The
European Union
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Ractopine – Tainted Meat
It is a common practice to pump
the asthma drug ractopine (Ractopamine) into about 45 percent of US pigs,
30 percent of cattle, and an unknown percentage of turkeys
before slaughter. And up to 20 percent of this drug is still
present in meat when it is bought.
Since 1998, more than 1,700 pork
consumers have been "poisoned" in this way.
Because of the
threat ractopine presents, it has been banned in over 160
countries! In fact, Russia issued a ban on US meat imports,
effective February 11, 2013, until it is certified ractopine-free.
The dangerous drug is linked to
reduced reproductive function, increased mastitis, and
increased death in animals. In humans, it damages the
cardiovascular system and may even cause hyperactivity,
chromosomal abnormalities, and behavioral changes.
What’s
more, US meats are not even currently tested for ractopine.
Where it’s banned:
160 countries across Europe, mainland China,
and Taiwan.
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Farm-Raised Salmon
When it comes to health,
wild-caught salmon is often recommended, and for good
reason.
Farm raised fish are usually fed
an unnatural diet of genetically engineered grains,
antibiotics, and chemicals unsafe for humans. To mask the
resulting graying flesh, they are given toxic and
potentially sight-damaging synthetic
astaxanthin.
The difference between
wild-caught and farm-raised (sold in most restaurants) is
that wild sockeye gets its’ red color from natural
astaxanthin and carotenoids.
To differentiate which fish
you’re being served, look at the fat. Thin strips of fat
mean the fish is ‘lean’ and wild-caught, while pale pink
cuts with wide fat marks mean the salmon was farm raised.
It is recommended to avoid
‘Atlantic Salmon’, and instead look for ‘Alaskan’ or
‘Sockeye’ if you choose to consume fish. These two types are
illegal to farm and have very high natural astaxanthin
concentrations.
Where it’s banned:
Australia and New Zealand
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Flame Retardant Drinks
Did you know that many soft
drinks in the United States contain the synthetic chemical
brominated vegetable oil (BVO)?
'Mountain Dew' and other
drinks are just a few that contain this patented flame
retardant.
In humans, BVO from fizzy drinks
accumulates in human tissue and in breast milk. And in
animal studies, BVO accumulation has been shown to cause
reproductive and behavioral problems.
Bromine alters the central
nervous and endocrine systems and promotes iodine
deficiency, causing skin rashes, acne, loss of appetite,
fatigue, and cardiac arrhythmias.
Featured in
MSN,
-
"The FDA has
flip-flopped on BVO’s safety, originally classifying
it as ‘generally recognized as safe,' but reversing
that call, now defining it as an ‘interim food
additive,’ a category reserved for possibly
questionable substances used in food."
Where it’s banned:
Europe
and Japan
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Processed Foods and Artificial
Dyes
In most processed foods, there
is an arsenal of artificial colorings and flavorings added
to enhance flavor and appeal.
In fact, more than 3,000
preservatives, flavorings, and colors are added to US foods,
many of which are banned in other countries.
Common additives such as,
...have been linked with behavioral
problems, Cancer, birth defects, and
many other health issues
in animals. Yellow #6 and Red
#40 are specifically recognized as causing an allergy-like
hypersensitivity reaction in children and migraines in
adults.
Using dyes and toxic chemicals
for food appeal is not only harmful, but now completely
unnecessary. In countries where food colorings are banned,
companies like Kraft employ natural colorants like paprika,
turmeric, and beetroot.
Where it’s banned:
Norway
and Austria. Britain advised companies against using
food
dyes by the end of 2009. The European Union requires a
warning notice on most foods containing dyes.
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Arsenic-Laced Chicken
Because arsenic-laced drugs
allow animals to grow faster and meats products to look
pinker and "fresher", they are approved in US produced
animal feed.
The FDA says arsenic-based drugs
are safe because they contain organic arsenic, but organic
can easily turn into inorganic arsenic, run through
contaminated manure, and leach into drinking water.
It is important to note that the
European Union has never approved using arsenic in animal
feed; US environmental groups have sued the FDA to remove
them.
Where it’s banned:
The
European Union
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Bread with Potassium Bromate
Cheaply produced breads (as well
as hamburger and hotdog buns) with
refined, white flour
commonly include
potassium bromate.
Food ‘enriched’ with this
ingredient (which is also known as bromide) is linked to
kidney and nervous system damage,
thyroid problems, gastrointestinal discomfort, and
cancer.
Commercial baking companies may
claim it renders dough more tolerable to bread hooks, but
natural brands that source wholesome ingredients use only
unbromated flour without experiencing ‘structural problems’.
Where it’s banned:
Canada,
China, and the EU
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Preservatives BHT and BHA
BHA (butylated
hydroxyanisole)
and
BHT (butylated
hydroxytoluene) are common preservatives
in foods like cereal, nut mixes, chewing gum, butter
spreads, meat, and beer.
According to the National
Toxicology Program’s 2011 Report on Carcinogens, BHA may
trigger allergic reactions and hyperactivity, and is
"reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen."
Where it’s banned:
Both are banned in parts of the European Union and Japan;
the UK does not allow BHA in infant food.
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Olestra/Olean
Created by Procter and Gamble,
Olestra, or Olean, is a calorie and carbohydrate-free fat
substitute in fat-free snacks like chips and french fries.
Three years ago
TIME magazine named it one of the 50 worst inventions
ever.
And a study from
Purdue University concluded that rats fed potato chips
with Olean ended up gaining weight. Several reports of
adverse intestinal reactions to the fake fat include
diarrhea, cramps, and leaky bowel syndrome.
Because it interferes with the
absorption of fat soluble vitamins such as A, D, E, and K,
the FDA requires these vitamins to be added to any product
that is made with Olestra or Olean.
Where it’s banned:
The UK
and Canada
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Milk and Dairy Products made
with rBGH
Large-scale dairy factories are
not only
unethical, they also utilize hormones and toxic
chemicals detrimental to human health.
Recombinant bovine growth
hormone (rBGH), a synthetic version of natural bovine
hormone, is injected to cows to increase milk production.
It
was
developed by Monsanto from genetically engineered E.coli
bacteria, marketed as "Polisac".
But rBGH is banned in 30 other
countries.
Why? It has been shown to convert normal tissue
cells into cancerous ones, increasing colorectal, prostate,
and breast cancer risks. Among other diseases, injected cows
suffer exorbitant rates of mastitis, contaminating milk with
pus and antibiotics.
Activists have been trying to
expose the
dangers of rBGH
for over a decade. In 1997, two
Fox-affiliate investigative journalists, Jane Akyre and
Steve Wilson, tried to
share the harmful effects of the hormone, but lawyers
for Monsanto shut down their story, promising ‘dire
consequences’ if it ever aired.
Other nations are more aware of
the dangers it poses, however. In 1999, the United Nations
Safety Agency ruled unanimously not to endorse rBGH milk,
resulting in an international ban on US milk.
Support to change the acceptance
of rBGH is slowly gaining momentum in the states,
thankfully.
The Cancer Prevention Coalition
(trying for years to affect a dairy industry ban of rBGH)
resubmitted a
petition to FDA commissioner Margaret Hamburg in January
2010.
But the FDA still refuses to change its false position
that rBGH-treated milk is no different than milk from
untreated cows.
Where it’s banned:
Australia, New Zealand, Israel, EU, and Canada
Take control of your health.
Foods may be still available for
consumption in the states, but if you are vigilant of what
chemicals, additives, and food sources should be avoided, those
products can be easily omitted.
For optimal health, avoid foods that
contain harmful ingredients, exclude processed foods, and include as
many wholesome plant foods as possible.
Sticking with organic, fresh-raised, and
natural food products will ensure toxic ingredients banned elsewhere
will remain outside of your home and clear of your body.
Source
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