FDA’s Michael Taylor Promotes Himself
On Jan. 13, 2010 Michael Taylor, who was only recently hired as Food Safety Czar by President Obama, has now promoted himself to the new title Deputy Commissioner for Foods. He created this position to head his newly created Office of Foods for the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA).
According to an FDA press release Taylor’s new mission is, “to develop and implement a prevention based strategy for food safety, plan implementation of new food safety legislation, and ensure that food labels contain clear and accurate information on nutrition.” The web site also goes on to suggest that Taylor is a nationally recognized food safety expert. Of course legitimate nationally recognized food safety experts point out that he is anything but.
As part of Taylor’s credentials the press release cites his previous experience in the FDA and USDA. It also attempts to add authenticity by mentioning that he has served on several National Academy of Sciences expert committees. What it fails to mention is that he has spent most of the past 30 years as a lawyer and lobbyist for the nefarious Monsanto Company. It was Monsanto’s genetically modified corn process that introduced humanity to e coli. And they used your tax dollars to do it.
So while the FDA’s web site tries to convince people that Michael Taylor is the right person to have governing their food safety, the reality is that he is likely just securing more amnesty and tax dollars for Monsanto. That, after all, was the result of the his previous tenures in public service.
The Huffington Post has called Taylor, “The person who may be responsible for more food-related illness and death than anyone in history,” and that tends to be the consensus throughout the food safety world. Only the future knows how many more Americans will have to die before Taylor is done. One thing is for sure, no good will ever come of this.
HFCS Proven To Be More Harmful Than Sugar
Princeton University recently re-enforced what nutritionists, dietitians and chefs have been saying for over a decade. High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) is far worse for humans than regular table sugar. Check it out:
A sweet problem: Princeton researchers find that high-fructose corn syrup prompts considerably more weight gain.
A Princeton University research team has demonstrated that all sweeteners are not equal when it comes to weight gain: Rats with access to high-fructose corn syrup gained significantly more weight than those with access to table sugar, even when their overall caloric intake was the same.
In addition to causing significant weight gain in lab animals, long-term consumption of high-fructose corn syrup also led to abnormal increases in body fat, especially in the abdomen, and a rise in circulating blood fats called triglycerides. The researchers say the work sheds light on the factors contributing to obesity trends in the United States.
“Some people have claimed that high-fructose corn syrup is no different than other sweeteners when it comes to weight gain and obesity, but our results make it clear that this just isn’t true, at least under the conditions of our tests,” said psychology professor Bart Hoebel, who specializes in the neuroscience of appetite, weight and sugar addiction. “When rats are drinking high-fructose corn syrup at levels well below those in soda pop, they’re becoming obese — every single one, across the board. Even when rats are fed a high-fat diet, you don’t see this; they don’t all gain extra weight.”
One of the most intriguing things about this whole HFCS situation is the FDA’s stance on it. Recently, FDA head Margaret “Peggy” Hamburg sent a letter to tea company Salada telling them that their claim that green tea is, “scientifically proven to fight cancer” needs to be amended. Now Salada’s claim is not false. There are countless studies overwhelmingly proving that green tea does in fact fight cancer.
So why would the FDA tell them to change their claim? Because the FDA has not conducted any studies on the subject. They want Salada to add, “This statement has not been evaluated by the FDA.” On the surface this may seem like a reasonable request.
The fact that the FDA should have long ago researched green tea’s ability to fight cancer is an over site of genocidal proportions, however, it is not the issue here. The issue here is that the FDA has not required the Corn Refiners Association to make the same statement in its “Sweet Surprise” ad campaign.
You know the ads, a young couple sitting in the park, the girl (Grey’s Anatomy’s Zibby Allen) offers the fella some of her Popsicle. At first he refuses because it contains HFCS but since he cannot remember any of the dozen or so adverse side effects of the sugar substitute she convinces him that it is no worse than actual sugar. At no time in any of these commercials will you see the line, “This statement has not been evaluated by the FDA.”
If the FDA has evaluated the statement than either their evaluation is wrong or they are covering up the same results other scientists are getting. It is more likely they simply have not bothered to look into the issue. After all HFCS is a Monsanto product and the FDA is run by Monsanto.
If this whole thing is an indication of anything (other than a corrupt bureaucracy) it is that any supplement that carries the disclaimer, “This statement has not been evaluated by the FDA,” is actually good for you. Conversely anything the FDA has approved, isn’t.
weet problem: Princeton researchers find that high-fructose corn syrup prompts considerably more weight gain
Slice of Life: Healthy Meatball Pizza
Slice of Life is a series on inventive styles of pizza. Some may have toppings you’ve never thought of putting on pizza and a some use crusts that are a little out of the norm.
March Madness is here and that means pub grub. Everyone loves meatballs and everyone loves pizza so I have combined the two. Now I’m not the first person to ever make a meatball pizza, they are pretty common. But this may be the first ever healthy meatball pizza. Whole wheat naan for the crust, turkey meatballs, low-fat mozzarella and no-sugar added tomato sauce makes this a heart healthy pizza. Did I just say that? I think I did; in fact I’ll say it again: heart healthy pizza.
For those interested in the nutritional value of the ingredients just click on the links. What makes this pie even better is it is quick to make (provided you grocer’s bakery makes whole wheat naan like mine does – if not use whole wheat pita bread). Open a jar of Ragu Light No Sugar Added Tomato & Basil Pasta Sauce and spread a generous amount on the naan. Lightly sprinkle Sargento Reduced Fat Mozzarella Shredded Cheese over the sauce. Open a package of Honeysuckle Italian – style Turkey Meatballs slice them in half with the flat side down onto the pizza. Top with a little more cheese and bake in a 425 degree oven for 5 – 6 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and toppings are hot.
Oh, and my prediction? Kentucky over Kansas.
