Many people when starting SCD ask, "Why can't we just believe what's on the label?" There are a bunch of reasons, but a quick Google search turned up a couple that I'd like to share with you.
Based upon evidence uncovered by the government. Beech-Nut, its president, and a vice president were indicted late in 1986 by a federal grand jury for marketing as apple juice a product that in reality was nothing more than sugar water and a blend of chemicals that simulated the taste and look of apple juice.
Nice, huh? You can read the story here.
The worst part is that during that time, Beech-nut was trying to capitalize on an increasingly aware market. Nutritionists had been howling about the amount of sugar and starch added to baby foods. Beech-nut started touting itself as an all natural provider of baby foods, and publicly removed sugar from all products except those marketed as desserts.
So, they were telling everyone what a health-conscious supplier of food they were while their executives turned a blind eye toward their apple juice supplier.
The executives did this knowingly, in the hopes of saving the company from bankruptcy. I wonder if they thought the jail time was worth it?
But wait! I mean, come on, that was like 20 years ago. Stuff like this isn't still happening, is it?
Of course it is.
In 2005, in response to consumer concerns about trans fat labeling, the Florida agriculture and consumer services commissioner had his department analyze 33 food products to determine if the trans fat labeling was accurate.
Out of the 33 food products, ONE of them was labeled correctly. The rest? Wrong.
I wrote another post for you about how labeling can be legally deceptive. But this is about illegal deception. And it happens every day, everywhere. We've only just recently noticed that practically every toy out of China is full of lead. What else are we missing?
Fanatical adherence. That's why all of us moms are in our kitchens day in and day out, cooking with ingredients we know and trust, chopping up veggies and meats that don't have long hyphenated emulsifiers, stabilizers, or chemicals to enhance shelf life, using nuts and eggs that don't have hidden additives or other possible tricks of the food industry trade that they don't have to tell us about.
We just make food.
2 comments:
Hi there Susan,
I'm a 25 year old girl from Oz and have been diagnosed with RA for about 5 years now. I've just started the SCD diet and was pleased to come across your site. I cant seem to find any testamonies or connections to treating RA with this diet. I'm starting to lose hope for finding a way to the light at the end of the tunnel! I've tried (what seems to be) EVERYTHING, as far as natural treatment goes! I'm getting closer and closer to making the decision to medicate.
Anyway, there was a hint of relief when I read your story, I think its wonderful what you've put together. I'd really love to have a chat with you, maybe phone or email, about your journey and how the SCD has helped you, and what foods trigger you off.
Wasn't sure how else to contact you, other than in response to this post :)
Anyway Susan, hope to hear from you soon. Laine
Hi Laine,
I am following the protocol on the Pecanbread web site (http://www.pecanbread.com). It is usually recommended for autistic kids but I think it's a good idea for anyone starting SCD. It has a 2-5 day intro phase, and then after that you introduce more foods slowly.
Everybody reacts to different foods, and it doesn't always mean you can't eat them forever -- it just means not now. I didn't tolerate almond butter for a while but now I do, for example. I'm having trouble with mushrooms and tomatoes.
I think you should come along to the listserv on Yahoo! groups:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/pecanbread
There are a few others on that list who are treating RA with this diet. Hope to see you there. :)
Susan
Post a Comment