Change is in the Air

In everything from food labels to thoughts on vitamins

Do you find yourself in need of a makeover this New Year? If you happen to be a food label, the answer is yes!


The Center for Science in the Public Interest is calling out the FDA on some of their tricky labeling antics. When Froot Loops are given a "Smart Choice" check of approval, you know something has got to be up. The CSPI thought so too. They imagine nutrition labels free of false claims and a clearer ingredient list: "For foods with several forms of sugar scattered around the ingredients list, those sugars would be combined so that they would show up higher on the list of ingredients. Percentages of key ingredients would be disclosed."

You can see a suggested version of the CSPI label at the New York Times Health Blog.

Still confused by all those numbers and strange chemical names? Eat more foods that eschew labels all together--fresh fruits and vegetables!





And speaking of looking at labels...

Do you ever find yourself deciphering the labels of vitamins, trying to decide which ones are best for you? You're not alone--but whether or not people understand what is in those daily tablets they take, sales of vitamins are going up by about 4% annually over the last decade. This New York Times article predicts that this year, with folks trying to save on medical bills and take their health into their own hands, vitamin sales will grow by 8%. That's a total of $9.2 billion. Spent in one year! On vitamins!

But are all these vitamins really working any wonders? Or forget medical miracles--are they doing anything at all? A slew of recent studies suggest that certain vitamins may not live up to all of their claims. Hmm, sound familiar?

An 8-year-long study by the Women's Heath Initiative, "provided convincing evidence that multivitamin use has little or no influence on the risk of common cancers or total mortality in postmenopausal women."

In another long-term study by JAMA, "neither vitamin E nor vitamin C supplementation reduced the risk of major cardiovascular events. The data provide no support for the use of these supplements for the prevention of cardiovascular disease in middle-aged and older men."

So what do the experts think you should do?

You're never going to believe what Eric Rimm, associate professor of epidemiology and nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health says. "The evidence shows that a healthy diet and exercise are the best way to ward off disease; a vitamin cannot replace those benefits."

But doesn't healthy food contain some of the same components as in vitamins? Yes, but it may be that attempt to isolate the good stuff that's causing the vitamin-related shortcomings. The health aspect of health food comes from eating the whole fruit or vegetable.

As Dr. Peter H. Gann, professor and director of research in the department of pathology at the University of Illinois at Chicago puts it:

"There may not be a single component of broccoli or green leafy vegetables that is responsible for the health benefits. Why are we taking a reductionist approach and plucking out one or two chemicals given in isolation?"

All of this uncertainty surrounding vitamins and supplements is one reason you'll never find Recess hawking any kind of powder or pills. We're all about creating "happy, peppy people," but without the mysterious side effects...



Plus, with money you save by stepping away from the supplements, you could do something that actually makes you feel good. Massage, anyone?

Here's to a happy and bountiful new year filled with smart choices for you and your health. Froot Loops need not apply.


Feel better, no supplements necessary ! >>