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Food Network Alarmed - How Fast Is Your Mouth Eating You?Food network the British Alliance for Natural Health and US groups are mounting a desperate fight to preserve health access worldwide. They say that legislators around the globe are beginning to strangle the natural supplement industry at a time when nearly $9 Billion worth of treatment was required last year in the US alone - just to counteract preventable disease. Beauty and fitness rely on a lot of things - not the least of which is what passes through your mouth. And frighteningly, recent research shows that First World countries may be killing themselves - and their health and beauty - faster than many Third World regions. Ailments that would never arise if people took more care of what they shoved in their mouths are rampant. And governments are playing a push-pull tango that can only result in accelerating the decline in health. So the food network war is raging on two fronts - political and personal.
Now that's a dangerous mix! Political Food Network Early in 2005 the European Court of Justice heard a challenge from the ANH to proposed European Union legislation designed to ban - in August 2005 - many leading-edge nutritional supplements. ANH also led food network initiatives to offset proposed limits on dosages and health claims through Codex and other EU legislation. It said those critical events in Europe were likely to lead to restrictions in the US and elsewhere, as there was considerable political and commercial pressure for trade harmonisation and regulation at a global level. Opponents say this is a re-run of 1997 attempts by lobby groups to restrict access to supplements through something called the Codex Alimentarius. The Codex was set up among 165 nations to govern food standards...supposedly to ensure international food safety. The food network lobby groups claim it was initiated by drug companies who want supplements re-classified as drugs - thereby creating its own list of "approved" supplements, raising their prices and availability, and banning the rest. Personal Food Network Even if you think you're eating the right things, are you? Even if you study the labels and the research assiduously, are you doing yourself more harm than good? Unfortunately, the answers may not be good. We're often admonished to adhere to the '5 food groups' and the 'food pyramid' - yet increasing scientific evidence suggests that those ideas are dangerously outdated. Conceived in the days before pesticides and GM, and even the gigantic sociological shift of people from the country to the city in the 1930s and 40s, 'oils ain't oils no more, Sol'. An apple a day may no longer keep the doctor away. And even using lots of 'fresh produce' may even be harming your health. Studies show that essential nutrients are missing or tarnished, and the maligned 'junk food' may really be no worse than many so-called 'healthy' alternatives. And the more 'advanced' the country, the more likely such impediments impact lives. In the US, for instance, a recent survey of 8000 adults showed that only 1% met the minimum dietary requirement of the USDA's food pyramid. Little surprise, then, that enterprising groups have had such success with supplements and vitamins, food recipes and diet programs (not necessarily just weight loss programs). And of course, their claims are not just that their offerings replace 'tainted' traditional fare, but they positively add/subtract inches/pounds, energy, beauty, self-esteem and a zen-like calmness. It's the food recipe's fault? In Australia, the second-most obese country in the world after the US, researchers are reaching the conclusion that no matter their weight, too many people are spending too much time obsessing about food. "It isn't just a weight issue, it's a food issue," Melbourne doctor and weight-loss specialist Rick Kausman told the Weekend Australian. 'Taste your food and enjoy it, and stop when you've had enough. It's amazing what you can achieve with just that one thing." His view is supported by Elspeth Probyn, professor of Gender Studies at the University of Sydney. "Food is now an overwhelming site of anxiety, regulation, control, self control ... pride, shame, despair, anguish," she said. Food recipes trends offer hope So, how are ordinary mortals expected to navigate these new minefields without a degree in molecular biology or political science? Diet books will continue to top best-seller lists, fuelled by the latest celebrity scandal, but for those intent on living their lives enjoyably, these food network trends might offer hope. 1. One-on-one meal planning guidance programs that use technology to commoditize prices for healthy meal plans. They are emerging as one growth sector of 'healthy eating alternatives' - 'diet' in its broader sense, not just weight-loss plans. 2. Another is packaged meals from food networks - healthy gourmet fare balanced for your lifestyle, amazingly varied and tasty, yet requiring little recipe-planning or kitchen prowess. 3. Then there are the vitamins and supplements, a subtle guidance system for those who want lifetime fitness or to maintain control of their weight loss products and grocery shopping lists. This series looks at some of the offerings in this vital field. Hopefully, our findings will guide you to the system or the nutrients that best suit your current reality and your desired future. If you're serious about your beauty fitness lifestyle, take note. The revolution starts with YOU! Get your Beauty Fitness JOLT! here.
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