The food industry denies links between foods, nutrition and health

[Guest guest]

Hi everyone,

I was looking up sodium nitrates for an article to post, and I came

across that they actually say that Sodium Nitrate can help people

with heart problems! I was like in shock! How could this be, I even

heard that eating too much of it caused cancer.

You know all those salty foods we love, like hot dogs, salami, Lox,

pepperoni, bacon, ham, deli meats, sausage, beef jerky..ect..

I stay away from all the above, I have made beef jerky in my food

dehydrator with soy sauce and balasmic vinegar, the family really

liked it, so you dont need this ingredient, just the food industry is

cheap!

Here's some info as to the subject that I posted:

http://www.newstarget.com/001693.html

By Mike

New research published in the British Medical Journal is revealing a

game plan that can be used to fight the health-destroying efforts of

the food industry. Lessons learned from the fight with Big Tobacco

can be applied to fighting the food industry.

These results indicate there's a great deal of similarity between the

food companies that market unhealthful foods and Big Tobacco. Both

industries rely in misinformation, burying negative data, and

confusing the public with conflicting evidence. And just as Big

Tobacco has long insisted that nicotine is not addictive and there is

nothing unhealthful about smoking cigarettes, the food industry and

soft drink companies continue to insist there is no such thing as an

unhealthy food. They say that any food, no matter what ingredients

are in it, can be part of a healthful diet. They also tend to blame

lack of exercise, rather than their foods, for causing obesity.

The position of the U.S. food industry is, of course, nothing short

of outlandish. To suggest that there's no such thing as an unhealthy

food strains the credibility of logic and common sense. Clearly,

there are some foods that promote obesity, diabetes, cancer, and

other chronic diseases. At the same time, there are other foods that

even prevent those diseases.

Essentially, this can be understood by looking at the ingredients

that are in the foods. It is the ingredients themselves that give the

healthful or health-destroying characteristics to food and beverage

products. For example, any food made with high-fructose corn syrup is

likely to promote diabetes or obesity. Likewise, any food made with

refined white flour will also promote diabetes and obesity. In a

similar way, foods made with ingredients that cause cancer, such as

sodium nitrite or saccharin, will of course result in cancer if a

person consumes them in large enough quantities and with enough

frequency.

Many of these ingredients, are, in effect, slow-acting poisons, and

it appears to be the position of the food and beverage industry that

poisons really aren't poisonous. Apparently, in their view, you could

put any ingredient into a food or beverage, and it would have

absolutely no effect on a person's health. In other words, the food

industry is trying to destroy the cause-effect relationship between

the foods and beverages a person consumes and the level of health

they subsequently exhibit.

Accordingly, these industries would like to rewrite the rules of

cause and effect in the universe, and overturn the laws of physics

and biochemistry. Perhaps executives from these food and beverage

companies should also join the Flat Earth Society in order remain

consistent with their worldviews.

The real story in all of this is that foods and beverages do have a

dramatic and obvious health effect on the human body. Every cell in

your body is built from ingredients that you put in your mouth. If

you consume ingredients that promote health, you will in time become

a healthier person. If you choose, on the other hand, to consume

ingredients that destroy your health, you will, of course, experience

that outcome as well, and you will end up being diagnosed with

various chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes, osteoporosis,

mental depression, or heart disease.

It's also interesting to note in all of this that there are actually

very few ingredients that need to be targeted and outlawed from the

U.S. food supply in order to protect the health of consumers. Those

ingredients include refined white flour, refined sugars, high-

fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, sodium nitrate, homogenized

milkfats, aspartame, MSG, and artificial food colors.

If these ingredients were made illegal tomorrow, and were emptied out

of the food chain in a matter of weeks or months, we would see an

immediate drop in chronic disease and obesity across the United

States. Healthcare costs would plummet, quality of life would

skyrocket, and people would be healthier, happier and even experience

better moods and mental health. I believe that one day these

ingredients will be banned from the human food supply, and there may

in fact be massive lawsuits against food manufacturers someday for

choosing to use these ingredients even while an enormous amount of

evidence clearly shows the detrimental health effects of such

ingredients.

But once again, the food and beverage industries insist that there is

no such thing as a harmful food, and therefore there is no such thing

as a harmful ingredient, either. From their point of view, you could

insert lead, mercury, cadmium, and arsenic into any food product and

eat it without consequence. There's no such thing as lead poisoning,

the food industry seems to be saying. There's no such thing as

mercury poisoning either, and in their minds, there's no such thing

as obesity caused by foods, soft drinks, or food ingredients.

Getting back to the main point here, what we can learn from the war

with Big Tobacco is that the food industry will continue to produce

scientists that refute scientific reality in their effort to spread

disinformation about the relationship between foods and disease. At

the same time, we have good science as our ally. We can conduct

studies that show and prove these nutritional relationships. We can

publicize those studies and help make legislators and the public

aware of the true cause of obesity and chronic disease in this

country and around the world. We can counter their bad, distorted

science with good science that shows foods and beverages really do

play a role in the health outcome of individuals.

So where are we going with all of this? Let's say we've been able to

produce outstanding scientific evidence showing that the food

ingredients I've named in this article actually do promote obesity

and chronic disease. What do we do with that information as an

advanced society? How do we protect the public from ingredients that

promote disease?

There are several recommendations on the table right now. They

include taxing junk foods, which would of course make those foods and

beverages more expensive. Other ideas include banning the sale of

soft drinks and junk foods in our nation's public schools, which I

think is not only a good idea, but just plain common sense. We

shouldn't be dosing our children with harmful food ingredients in

order to raise a few dollars for public school funding. Instead, we

should be funding public schools at higher levels in the first place

so they don't need to turn to vending machine gimmicks in order to

buy textbooks for students.

Other ideas include banning the marketing and promotion of so-called

junk foods. That would be easy to implement by outlawing all radio,

television and print advertising for these foods. And finally, the

most extreme but perhaps most effective measure would be outlawing

these ingredients through action at the FDA. Fat chance of that

happening any time soon...

For my part, I am in support of each and every one of these

proposals, and I think that the faster we move on them, the more

quickly we can protect the health of Americans and people around the

world. The junk food industry, of course, will balk at all of these

proposals, and they will raise a stink in Washington at any attempt

to limit their ability to sell disease-promoting foods and drinks to

the American public. After all, they're in it for the money, and if

you protect the public by restricting the sale or marketing of these

products, you're hitting these companies in the pocket book, and they

don't like that. So you can expect a whole lot of political pressure

to be applied to lawmakers in Washington by the food and beverage

industries in order to protect their existing profits.

Ultimately, what we need as a civilized nation is for these

ingredients to be outlawed altogether. They simply do not belong in

the human food supply. We can start with things like hydrogenated

oils, which are so obviously detrimental to human health and backed

by such an overwhelming collection of scientific evidence that there

should be no question in the mind of any reasonable person that

hydrogenated oils promote heart disease and other disorders.

Similarly, hydrogenated oils simply should not be allowed in the food

supply. You could also make similar arguments for ingredients such as

high-fructose corn syrup, and if we had the political courage as a

nation, we could make the same argument for chemical additives such

as aspartame, MSG, artificial colors, and of course sodium nitrite.

None of these ingredients should be legal to use in foods and

beverages. They should all be banned.

But at each and every turn, the food industry will wage a war of

disinformation against the scientific facts in order to mislead

lawmakers and the public about the true nature of these food

ingredients. But in the end, I believe that with the freedom of

information on the internet, and the weight of scientific fact, we'll

overcome these efforts by the food and beverage industries and in the

decades ahead, I have no doubt that these food ingredients will be

banned from the human food supply. No intelligent nation should be

feeding its people ingredients that promote chronic disease, obesity,

and impaired mental function.

Here's where I got this info about how good it is! This is where you

get to use your own judgement. (Notice the gov link:)

http://www.nih.gov/news/radio/sep2005/09112005nitrites.htm

Sodium Nitrite May Be a Cheap, Potent Therapy for Heart Attacks,

Strokes and Other Ailments

Brief Description:

The salt that preserves hot dogs and other cured meats – like beef

jerky, bacon, and ham – seems to have a role to play in preserving a

person's health. According to researchers at the National Heart,

Lung, and Blood Institute, " sodium nitrite " has gotten a bad rap over

the years – and could serve as a cheap and potent treatment for such

ailments as sickle-cell anemia, heart attacks, brain aneurysms, and

pulmonary hypertension.

Transcript:

Schmalfeldt: This isn't an invitation to run down to the corner hot

dog stand to stuff yourself. But the salt that preserves hot dogs and

other cured meats like beef jerky, bacon and ham, seems to have a

role to play in preserving a person's health. According to Dr. Mark

Gladwin, section head of the Vascular Therapeutic Section of the

Cardiology Branch of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute,

the salt known as " sodium nitrite " has gotten a bad rap over the

years.

Gladwin: People have always worried about nitrite in meat curing and

its possible risk of stomach cancer. The problem was, nitrite's also

in good foods. It's in very high concentrations in spinach. Nitrite

is present in leafy green vegetables, beets. So it's not just in hot

dogs, beef jerkey, cured ham. So what happened was studies were done

looking at the association between diets rich in nitrite and stomach

cancer. And there was no association. So that risk has really been

debunked.

Schmalfeldt: Dr. Gladwin said it's been known for some time that the

chemical sodium nitrite exists naturally in our blood and tissues,

but that it was thought to be a waste product of nitric oxide, a

molecule that opens blood vessels and increases blood flow. Then

about five years ago, in collaboration with Doctor Cannon at

the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, Dr. Gladwin and his

fellow researchers started looking into blood flow in human

circulation and found that as the blood went from the artery to the

vein, nitrite levels in the blood dropped as if the nitrite was being

used for something. Dr. Gladwin said that raised the question of

whether or not nitrite was being converted back to nitric oxide. This

led to studies where subjects were given inhaled nitric oxide. Dr.

Gladwin said that nitric oxide converted to nitrite, and was

associated with an increase in blood flow. That led to further

studies.

Gladwin: So finally, about a year ago, we actually infused nitrite

into the arms of normal volunteers here in the Clinical Center. And,

to our surprise, this molecule that was supposed to be inert,

robustly increased the blood flow to the arms of our volunteers. So

what we found was (in) levels just above the physiologic level in our

own blood, nitrite actually opened up blood vessels and dilated.

Schmalfeldt: Dr. Gladwin said more study needs to be done, but the

way is already clear for some uses of nitrite in a clinical setting.

Gladwin: We currently have FDA approval for short infusions of

nitrite, such as we would use for heart attacks. So we're currently

planning studies to look at nitrite as a therapy for heart attacks in

patients, and we're working on further toxicology studies to get

approval to give it as a nebulization to babies with high blood

pressure in the lungs.

Schmalfeldt: If eventually approved for widespread clinical use, Dr.

Gladwin said nitrite could be a cheap and potent treatment for such

ailments as sickle cell anemia, heart attacks, brain aneurysms, and

pulmonary hypertension. Dr. Gladwin said more comprehensive clinical

trials are perhaps just a year or two away. From the National

Institutes of Health, I'm Bill Schmalfeldt in Bethesda, land.

Date: 09/13/2005

Reporter:

Bill Schmalfeldt

Sound Bite:

Dr. Mark Gladwin

Topic:

Sodium Nitrite, Stroke, Heart

Institute(s): NHLBI

Now here's a sensible guy:

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/16361276/

The 5 things you need to know about deli meats

What's really in those cold cuts at your local grocery store? TODAY

food editor Phil Lempert has the lowdown

By Phil Lempert

Food Editor

TODAY

updated 11:26 a.m. PT, Wed., Dec. 27, 2006

Cooked, sliced meats, also known as deli, lunch meats or cold cuts,

are a boon to brown baggers looking for simple fillings for

sandwiches, and easy-to-serve choices for parties and family

gatherings. Basically, they're just slices of sausages in one form or

the other. You can buy them already sliced in vacuum packs or have

them sliced to order at a deli counter.

Take a look next time you are in the dairy department (where you can

find these prepackaged and hanging on hooks) or in the ready to slice

deli section, and you'll find scores of varieties including:

beerwurst, bologna, pepper loaf, olive loaf, capocolla, chicken

breast, chicken roll, corned beef, Devon sausage, ham, head cheese

(which isn't cheese at all, but made from the head parts of a hog,

which are cooked together with gelatin and spices), liverwurst,

pastrami, proscuitto, roast beef, salami, pepperoni, summer sausage,

turkey breast and turkey roll. If you are unfamiliar with a type of

deli meat, ask for a sample. Sometimes the flavoring or texture might

be a surprise (either good or bad) and in this category it is always

wise to try a sample before you buy!

The five things you need to know:

1. There are three types of cold cut meat and poultry products: Whole

cuts of meats or poultry that are cooked and then sliced (examples:

roast beef, corned beef, turkey breast), sectioned and formed

products and processed products.

Whole cuts are exactly what they sound like — a section of meat or

poultry that has been cooked, possibly flavored with salt, spices or

sugars that is then sliced, typically the more expensive type of cold

cuts.

Sectioned and formed meat products are restructured meat products,

such as multi-part turkey breasts or cooked hams. They are prepared

from chunks or pieces of meat and are bonded together to form a

single piece. The substances that bind these together are non-meat

additives, meat emulsions and extracted myofibrillar proteins.

Typically they are produced by extracting the meat proteins (by

adding salt and massaging or tumbling the meat, which brings

these " sticky " proteins to the surface) or by adding non-meat

proteins. Myosin is the major protein that is extracted. The meat

becomes soft and pliable and is then shaped through the application

of force using different molds or casings. It is then cooked to

coagulate the proteins, which bind the chunks of meat together in its

new shape.

Processed meats (sausages) are the majority of what we call cold

cuts. About 15% of all meat produced in the U.S. is used to make

these which number over 200 varieties. Sausage manufacturing includes

any type of meat that is chopped, seasoned and formed into a

symmetrical shape, for example, bologna. There are two methods for

preparing the ingredients: emulsion, where the meat is finely chopped

and the hydrophobic proteins react with fat, the opposite protein,

and the hydrophilic react with water to hold fat in the solution

(bologna, Vienna sausages, hot dogs) and non emulsion, which is

typically for coarser grinds. The same basic technology is used as

for sectioned and formed meat products, but with no tumbling and

massaging required. There are several meat sources for sausages

including beef, pork, mutton, veal, and poultry; meat by-products are

also used sometimes, like lips, tripe, pork stomachs and heart.

2. Read the fine print.

One of the questions I'm most asked has to do with " nitrates " that

are listed in the ingredients on some cold cut packages.

Sodium nitrite helps prevent the growth of Clostridium botulinum,

which can cause botulism in humans and is also used alone or in

conjunction with sodium nitrate as a color fixative in cured meat and

poultry products (bologna, hot dogs, bacon). During the cooking

process, nitrites combine with amines naturally present in meat to

form carcinogenic N-nitroso compounds. It is also suspected that

nitrites can combine with amines in the human stomach to form N-

nitroso compounds. These compounds are known carcinogens and have

been associated with cancer of the oral cavity, urinary bladder,

esophagus, stomach and brain.

Research in Sweden found that Swedes who ate on average three ounces

of processed meat each day had a 15 percent greater chance of

developing stomach cancer than those who consumed two ounces or less.

Results of a study by the Cancer Research Center of Hawaii and the

University of Southern California reported in the Journal of the

National Cancer Institute (2005;97:1458-65) of 190,000 people, ages

45 to 75, for seven years state that those who ate the most processed

meat (bacon, ham, cold cuts) had a 68% higher risk of pancreatic

cancer than those who ate the least. " Most " was defined as at least

0.6 ounce processed meat, one ounce beef or 0.3 ounce pork per 1,000

calories consumed.

Dieticians suggest that you can help reduce the possible cancer-

causing effects of sodium nitrite by consuming protective

antioxidants before meals, such as vitamin C and vitamin E. But,

remember, no vitamin offers 100% protection.

Here's a glossary of some other ingredients from the USDA's Food

Safety and Inspection Service Labeling Regulations:

Added solutions (with juices): Products with added solutions that are

cooked in an impervious bag and as a result of the cooking contain

free flowing juices that are not drained, should be labeled to

reflect the solution and the juices, e.g. " Roast Beef Contains up to

12 percent solution with Juices. "

Added solutions (poultry) (boneless): Boneless poultry products

containing solutions can be labeled similarly to the PFF language for

cured pork products, that is — " Cured Chicken and Water Product X

percent of Weight is Added Ingredients. " The terms — " with natural

juices " or " water added " — are not permitted since both terms do not

adequately convey the amount of solution added to the poultry

products. Additionally, the term — " with natural juices " is

misleading when a solution is introduced into poultry product by

means of marinating, soaking, or injecting.

BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene), BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole),

tocopherols (vitamin E): Antioxidants that help maintain the appeal

and wholesome qualities of food by retarding rancidity in fats,

sausages and dried meats, as well as helping to protect some of the

natural nutrients in foods, such as vitamin A.

Bromelin: An enzyme that can dissolve or degrade the proteins

collagen and elastin to soften meat and poultry tissue. It is derived

from pineapple fruit and leaves, and is used as a meat tenderizer.

Carrageenan: Seaweed is the source of this additive. It may be used

in products as binder.

Chemical free: Beware, this term is not allowed to be put on any

meats or poultry labels.

Citric acid: Widely distributed in nature in both plants and animals.

It can be used as an additive to protect the fresh color of meat cuts

during storage. Citric acid also helps protect flavor and increases

the effectiveness of antioxidants.

Corn syrup: Sugar that is derived from the hydrolysis of corn starch.

Uses include flavoring agent and sweetener in meat and poultry

products.

Emulsifier: Substance added to products, such as meat spreads, to

prevent separation of product components to ensure consistency.

Examples of these types of additives include lecithin, and mono- and

di-glycerides.

Ficin: Enzyme derived from fig trees that is used as a meat

tenderizer.

Gelatin: Thickener from collagen, which is derived from the skin,

tendons, ligaments or bones of livestock. It may be used in canned

hams or jellied meat products.

Humectant: Substance added to foods to help retain moisture and soft

texture. An example is glycerine, which may be used in dried meat

snacks.

Hydrolyzed (source) protein: Flavor enhancers that can be used in

meat and poultry products. They are made from protein obtained from a

plant source such as soy or wheat, or from an animal source, such as

milk. The source used must be identified on the label.

Modified food starch: Starch that has been chemically altered to

improve its thickening properties. Before the starch is modified, it

is separated from the protein through isolation techniques;

therefore, the source of the starch used is not required on the

label.

Monosodium glutamate (MSG): MSG is a flavor enhancer. It comes from a

common amino acid, glutamic acid, and must be declared as monosodium

glutamate on meat and poultry labels.

Papain: An enzyme that can dissolve or degrade the proteins collagen

and elastin to soften meat and poultry tissue. It is derived from the

tropical papaya tree and is used as a meat tenderizer.

Phosphates: The two beneficial effects of phosphates in meat and

poultry products are moisture retention and flavor protection. An

example is the use of phosphates in the curing of ham where approved

additives are sodium or potassium salts of tripolyphosphate,

hexametaphosphate, acid pyrophosphate or orthophosphates, declared

as " phosphates " on labels.

Propyl gallate: Used as an antioxidant to prevent rancidity in

products such as rendered fats or pork sausage. It can be used in

combination with antioxidants such as BHA and BHT.

Rancid/rancidity: Oxidation/breakdown of fat that occurs naturally

causing undesirable smell and taste. BHA/BHT and tocopherols are used

to keep fats from becoming rancid.

Sodium caseinate: Used as a binder in products such as frankfurters

and stews.

Sodium erythorbate: The sodium salt of erythorbic acid, a highly

refined food-grade chemical closely related to vitamin C, synthesized

from sugar, and used as a color fixative in preparing cured meats.

(Note: Erythorbate is not earthworms. Perhaps the spelling or

pronunciation has contributed to this misconception because the

hotline receives many calls related to this concern.)

Sodium nitrite: Used alone or in conjunction with sodium nitrate as a

color fixative in cured meat and poultry products (bologna, hot dogs,

bacon). Helps prevent growth of Clostridium botulinum, which can

cause botulism in humans.

Sugar (sucrose): Used as sweetener in an endless list of food

products.

Texturizers/stabilizers/thickeners: Used in foods to help maintain

uniform texture or consistency. These are substances that are

commonly called binders. Examples are gelatin and carrageenan.

Whey, dried: The dried form of a component of milk that remains after

cheese making. Can be used as a binder or extender in various meat

products, such as sausage and stews.

My recommendation for those people who want to avoid any chemicals or

artificial ingredients is to buy certified organic lunch meats, which

typically cost between 10 and 40% more, but are a guaranteed way to

avoid these ingredients. However, since organic products don't

contain these preservatives be sure to store them properly and

consumer them within one or two days.

3. The danger of cold cuts: Listeria

No doubt you'll remember the story about some lunch meat products

being recalled for Listeria contamination. It happened almost ten

years ago when 35 million pounds of hot dogs and processed luncheon

meats were recalled following an outbreak when almost 100 people in

22 states became ill, and 20 people died. It's a serious food safety

issue that you need to pay attention to. Since the outbreak,

regulations have been changed and include the safety precaution that

food processors must now hold more product, and for a longer time, if

a sample tests positive for Listeria, to prevent the distribution of

potentially contaminated foods.

Listeriosis is an infection caused by eating food contaminated with

the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes, with an estimated 2,500 persons

in the U.S. becoming seriously ill and 500 of these resulting in

death each year. The disease affects primarily pregnant women (who

are 20 times more likely to become infected and develop a severe

illness), newborns and adults with weakened immune systems. The

symptoms include fever, muscle aches and sometimes gastrointestinal

symptoms such as nausea or diarrhea. If infection spreads to the

nervous system, symptoms such as headache, stiff neck, confusion,

loss of balance or convulsions can occur. Infected pregnant women may

experience only a mild, flu-like illness; however, infections during

pregnancy can lead to miscarriage or stillbirth, premature delivery

or infection of the newborn. Healthy adults and children occasionally

get infected with Listeria, but they rarely become seriously ill.

Listeria is killed by pasteurization and cooking; however, in certain

ready-to-eat foods such as hot dogs and deli meats, contamination may

occur after cooking but before packaging.

To protect against listeriosis, the government advises consumers to

thoroughly cook raw animal products, thoroughly wash all food that is

to be eaten raw like fruits and vegetables, keep foods to be eaten

raw separate from uncooked meats, and wash hands, knives and cutting

boards with hot soapy water. Also, be sure to watch out for the

juices from processed meats and sausages; it can transmit Listeria,

so wash with hot water and soap anything that comes in contact with

the juices.

Note: On Aug. 19, 2006, the Food and Drug Administration approved LMP

102, a bacteriophage-based product from Intralytix Inc., as a food

additive to be sprayed on cold cuts before packaging. The

bacteriophages are added to defend the meats from Listeria

monocytogenes, the phages infect the bacteria, binding to the host

and effectively killing all strains of Listeria.

4. How much are you paying for water?

It is perfectly legal for food companies to add a water, sodium and

water or even water and spices solution to many of the lunch meats

including ham, roast beef and turkey, but they must be labeled

clearly and state the exact percentage of solution that has been

added — for example, " 10% water-added " or " Contains Up To 10% Added

Moisture, " which means you are paying for one pound of water for

every ten pounds of meat that you buy.

Since food is sold by weight it's important to read the labels, not

only for the declaration of how much water or other solution has been

added, but to see where " water " is listed in the ingredients.

5. Deli meats are highly perishable.

No food lasts forever, especially when it comes to cold cuts. While

some of these products have natural or chemical preservatives to

extend shelf life, packaged cold cuts once opened will only last

three to five days. Cold cuts sliced fresh from the deli 1-3 days, if

stored properly. Be sure to use an airtight plastic bag to store them

and put them in the coldest part of the refrigerator.

Freshness dating of processed meats is a voluntary program and not

mandated by the federal government. However, if there is a date on

the package, by law, it must state clearly what the date signifies:

" Sell by " date means nothing more than telling the store how long to

display the product for sale. Never buy the product after this date.

" Best if used by " date means the flavor, taste and quality of the

product will be at its optimum before this date. It has nothing to do

with freshness or safety.

" Use by " date means just that — don't consumer the product after this

date.