Eating For Health

So many people grab bottled water and have no idea if they will be drinking purified tap water or spring water.   As the LA Times noted , “You do know that, in most cases, bottled water is just tap water?”   And Americans drink A LOT of bottled water as it is now the #1 beverage, even surpassing sodas.   In 2018 , an American consumed about 42 gallons of bottled water and sales were huge reaching $31 billion.   People drink bottled water thinking it is healthier and it is healthier than sugared sodas.   But is bottled water healthier than plain tap water?   Is bottled water tap water? In many cases yes.   Rather than open up the tap or fill up a glass of water from your refrigerator, Americans are choosing bottled water .   Both Coke and Pepsi filter tap water, bottle it and then sell it at a nice mark up.   In fact, a study found that “nearly 64% of bottled water in America is just tap water...” What major brands of bottled water are from tap water? Popular brands including

A number of states across the country have decided to ban a number of popular snacks because of concerns over food or color additives.   However, other states are relying on the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) to make these decisions.   Which states and which food additives? California has passed a law known as the “Skittles Ban”.   This law prohibits certain potentially carcinogenic food chemicals like brominated vegetable oil, potassium bromate, propylparaben, and red dye No. 3. This law won’t take effect until 2027.    Other states , including New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Illinois and Missouri are considering similar bans on food additives.   New York is considering a similar ban to California and includes the same food additives but also adds titanium dioxide. What are the health concerns and health risks states are concerned about? Red Dye No. 3:   Consumer Reports has an article about Why Is Red Dye No. 3 Banned in Cosmetics but Still Allowed in Food?  

Lunchables are a very popular lunch kit for kids.   And Lunchables are served in some school lunch rooms.   Consumer Reports is out with an article, Should You Pack Lunchables for Your Kid’s School Lunch?   This article created a firestorm in the media.   The reason is that Consumer Reports found that some of these popular prepackaged meals contain relatively high levels of lead, cadmium, and sodium.   What products did the Consumer Reports test? They tested 12 store-bought Lunchables and similar prepackaged meal kits for lead and used the food label for sodium content. CR measured lead in terms of percentage of California’s maximum allowable dose level.   The sodium % is the percentage of the U.S. Dietary Guidelines.   What products were tested and what are the lead and sodium percentages? (Table adapted from Lead and Sodium in Lunch Products .) Lunchable Lead % Sodium % Lunchables Turkey and Cheddar Cracker Stackers 74 4