Eating For Health

The USA is well known for its safe food supply.   But there are foods and ingredients in the USA that are banned in other countries.   Each country and the European Union have their own food standards so what can be sold in one country may be banned for sale in another country.    Go on a trip to another country and you will see American food everywhere.   In France, you can easily stop at a McDonald’s for their coffee or food.   Our fast food restaurants seem to populate the globe.   But some foods you can easily buy in the USA are not sold in some other countries.   Or, there are some ingredients you can find on food labels in the USA but not in some countries.   What are some of these ingredients and what countries ban them?      1.     Artificial Food Dyes :     Many candies and other foods are colorful because of artificial food dyes.   M&M’s – one of my favorite snacks, esp...

Carbs, carbs, carbs.   Last week we discussed two big carb myths .   One, the myth that grains are bad for you when they are not.   Two, that carbs are fattening when carbs such as whole grain carbs are good for your health, help you feel fuller and help one lose weight, not gain weight.      This week we will review any more myths about carbs .   Are you falling for some of these carb myths?   For every fact out there about carbs, you probably can find some fake information about carbs.   Before believing some of these fake posts, check out the information on WebMD, Mayo Clinic, a .gov website to see if the information is true. Myth #3:   Natural Sugars:   good or bad? Sugars – Americans eat a lot of sugar.   Some of the “sugar” is natural and already present in food.   But much of the sugar in our diets is added to foods.   Look at the ingredients on food in your pantry and you may be surprised at how ma...