By Raluca Schachter
Contributing writer for Wake Up World
A pat on the back and a big smile of appreciation. A hand-made crown of flowers and twigs. Longer times to play and a visit to the park. These were the types of rewards I received from my teachers and parents when I was a child. Guess what? I went through more than 20 years of school with NO CANDY or KIDDIE FOOD as rewards! I survived! Oh my, how was that possible?
Seriously, CANDY-MANIA is out of control. I’m so tired of people offering me and my family CANDY everywhere I go, no matter what the occasion! It became more than a simple indulgence. It grew deep addictive roots around it.
Studies have shown that sugar is actually more addicting than cocaine, since it tastes better!
“In most mammals, including rats and humans, sweet receptors evolved in ancestral environments poor in sugars and are thus not adapted to high concentrations of sweet compounds. The supranormal stimulation of these receptors by sugar rich diets, such as those now widely available in modern societies, would generate a supranormal rewards signal in the brain, with the potential to override self-control mechanisms and thus to lead to addiction.”
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Here is how a typical day for a typical family looks like, in a society that became addicted to CANDY:
Morning. Mom takes her kid to school where she receives rewarding CANDY because she wears her school spirit t-shirt on that particular day.
Birthday celebration in class. Since parents can’t bring treats that get messy and require too much cleaning, everybody will have a CANDY-type of “treat”, pre-packaged, never-goes-bad, fluorescent non-food, most likely in the form of muffins.
After she drops off her kid, mom checks out the school’s up-coming events and makes a list of things she needs to buy for all these. Let’s see: it has to be cheap, known and loved by everyone and in big quantity. She runs to the local grocery store where she buys packages of CANDY like gummi bears, M & Ms, loli pops and fruit rolls. Done!
She goes to the bank where the teller is so nice and offers her a CANDY, just to show her how much the bank is appreciating her as a customer.
After a few more errands she runs back to school to pick up her kid. The kid comes out of the class with a big smile, holding in one hand CANDY leftovers from the birthday celebration and in the other…you guessed! another rewarding CANDY, a “licorice” that she received for exceptional behavior in class! (as you noticed, “licorice” is in commas, because there is nothing in this toxic candy that resembles the healthy licorice plant!)
Afternoon. Mom and child get ready to go to the pediatrician. Child throws a fit in the car (no wonder after all the candy and school hours, a recipe for disaster is in place). Mom tries to focus on driving and throws another CANDY to her child in the back, to “calm” her down…
They reach the doctor’s office. All goes well and because the child puts herself together and stops crying, hence presenting such a good behavior, the nurse is rewarding her with…you guessed again! Another CANDY!
It’s evening now and the whole family just had dinner. They all agree they had such a full, hard day. They look at the cupboard thinking the same thing: well, we all deserve a “treat” today, we worked so hard and did our best… Don’t you think it’s about time we had some…CANDY???
I hope you see the big picture here…And for the non-believers that still invent excuses to have CANDY, here is a glimpse of the top 4 toxic ingredients these contain and how they affect our health:
1. High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS)
HFCS is in virtually every candy and hard to avoid. It is strongly connected to obesity, heart disease, diabetes and liver problems. Plus, it comes from Genetically Modified Corn (GMO) – no, that doesn’t feed the world, it feeds your disease.
2. Artificial colors
Food coloring (especially Blues 1 and 2, Red 3, Green 3, and Yellow 5) are associated with a handful of cancers, allergic reactions and asthma. Many of them have been banned in various countries around the world. You can still find plenty in US.
3. Trans fat
Very common in most candy bars. They lead to clogged arteries and overall inflammation in the body. Trans fats generate a multitude of imbalances in the body and are one of the major reasons for poor health. There is no safe amount of trans fat in your diet and you should avoid it like the plague.
4. Sodium
To counteract the nauseating sweetness of HFCS-supercharged candies, most are balanced with a hefty dose of salt. Often high amounts of processed salt leads to high blood pressure and stroke. There is a big difference between this type of salt and the healthy variety like Celtic and Himalyan Salt.
Still not convinced?
Then brace yourself for what follows! Science has gone really far these days…It actually has gone so far, that it broke any natural law and forgot about common sense, in the name of selling cheap Franken-food with high profits. Many of these ingredients are listed as being “natural flavors and colorings” . I’ll let YOU be the judge in deciding how “natural” they really are :
1. “Shiny” Carnauba Wax
Carnauba wax is a common ingredient in car waxes, shoe polish, cosmetics, floor polish, surfboard wax. It is also very common in Halloween candy. Talk about glowing in the dark!
2. Beetle Juice, anyone?
Shellac is a resin secreted by the female lac bug. It is processed and sold as dry flakes, which are dissolved in etyl alcohol to make liquid shellac, which is used as a brush-on colorant, food glaze and wood finish. Just perfect to glaze candies like Skittles, or sprinkles on cupcakes and ice cream sundaes!
3. Insect Powder as Red Food Coloring
Carmine (carminic acid) is used in the manufacture of artificial flowers, paints, crimson ink, rouge, and other cosmetics, and is routinely added to food products such as yogurt and certain brands of juice, the most notable ones being those of the ruby-red variety.
To prepare carmine, the powdered scale insect bodies are boiled in ammonia or a sodium carbonate solution, followed by a variety of treatments. This ingredient might be listed as “natural color”.
4. Have some Coal Tar with Cotton Candy?
Coal tar is a brown or black liquid of extremely high viscosity. It is among the by-products when coal is carbonized to make coke or gasified to make coal gas. Coal tar is listed as number 199 on the United Nations list of “dangerous goods,” but that doesn’t stop people from using it in food. The coloring Allura Red AC is derived from coal tar and is commonly found in red-colored candies, sodas and other sweets. It is banned in Europe. Allura Red AC was originally introduced in the US as a replacement for the use of amaranth as a food coloring.
5. A fancy word for Beaver Anal Glands – Castoreum!
Castoreum extract is a natural product prepared by direct hot-alcohol extraction of castoreum, the dried and macerated castor sac scent glands (and their secretions) from the male or female beaver. It has been used extensively in perfumery. In the US castoreum has been approved by the FDA as a food additive, often referenced simply as “natural flavoring”. You’ll find it in candy as a vanilla, raspberry and strawberry flavoring.
To find out which are the specific foods your metabolism thrives on and obtain a customized, CLEAN, non-toxic diet plan that can help you reverse disease and keep you healthy, visit this page.
Article Sources
1. Wikipedia
2. Deep Nutrition by Catherine Shanahan MD
3. 141 Reasons Sugar Ruins Your Health by Nancy Appleton
4. Intense Sweetness Surpasses Cocaine Reward. Lenoir M. PLos ONE. 2007; 2(8):e698)
Recommended articles by Raluca Schachter:
- Vitamin D Supplementation: This is Why It Can Be Wrong
- Hypothyroidism or Hashimoto’s? What You Need to Know and Why It Matters
- Understanding Cannabis Oil
- 6 Steps to Solve Your Blood Sugar Problems Permanently
- Antibiotic Resistant Infections: The Dangers… and How You Can Avoid Them
- What Really Happens When You Take Antibiotics?
- Understanding Inflammation and How to Eliminate It Naturally
- Listen to Your Body. Correct Food Ratios. Reverse Disease.
- Cholesterol Myths Debunked
- Follow The Money In “Sick-Care”: What’s Behind The Drugs And Needles?
- What Happens In Your Body When You Suffer From Thyroid Disease?
About the author:
Raluca Schachter is a dedicated Clinical Nutritionist / Natural Health Practitioner a.k.a “The Health Detective”. Raluca was able to naturally reverse chronic health conditions she was struggling with most of her life, and now uses her knowledge to help as many people as possible do the same. Her health programs and diet plans offer a very unique and comprehensive approach to health, where individual nutritional and biochemical requirements are firstly met using specific nutrients and foods that each metabolism thrives on. Raluca offers her services to international clientele and her practice is fully online based. You can connect with Raluca at www.metabolicenergy.net and https://www.facebook.com/raluca.schachter.metabolicenergy
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