Bottled Water
The bottled water industry doesn't want you to know that its
product isn't any better than the water that comes from your tap, which has
passed strict state, federal, and local guidelines. Not to mention, it's free.
Sure, bottled water is convenient, trendy, and may well be just as pure as what
comes out of your tap, but it's hardly a smart investment for your pocketbook,
your body, or our planet. With Dasani, a Coca-Cola product, the water is
simply purified tap water that's had minerals added back in. In fact, about 40
percent of all bottled water is taken from municipal water sources, including
Pepsi's Aquafina. What's more, in a 4-year review that included testing 1,000
bottles of water, the Natural Resources Defense Council found that "about
one-third of the brands we tested contained, in at least one sample, chemical
contaminants at levels above strict state health limits." So fill up at
home rather than buying into the hype.
Dairy
The dairy industry doesn't want you to know that the hormone
rbST has been linked to cancer. See, rbST, recombinant bovine somatotropin
(also known as rBGH, recombinant bovine growth hormone), is a hormone given to
cows to increase their milk output by 10 to 25 percent. The concern with rbST
is that it produces milk with higher-than-normal levels of the insulin-like
growth factor IGF-1. Studies have shown that high levels of IGF-1 increases the
risk of several cancers, including breast, prostate, and colorectal. Other
studies contradict these findings, but we recommend playing it safe. Especially
when so many big players—Starbucks, Kroger, and Wal-Mart among them—have agreed
to sell only hormone-free milk.
Soda
The diet soda industry doesn't want you to know that
artificial sweeteners can make you fat. Sure, diet sodas are a step up from
regular sodas, but here's where things get thorny: Although it's essentially
calorie free, diet soda can drive your appetite and push you to overconsume
calories. One theory put forth by researchers is that giving the body a rush of
sugar with no calories might push it to actively seek out sources of energy.
And how does your body do that? By switching your appetite into overdrive.
Those aluminum cans are also lined with a toxic plastic. Bisphenol A, otherwise known as
BPA, is a chemical found in plastics that has been idenitifed as a threat to
your health. One study found that low doses of BPA can suppress a hormone
that protects against diabetes and obesity in human tissue. Another study
discovered that BPA disrupts brain function and leads to mood disorder in
monkeys. Further evidence has show it to lower sperm counts, up your risk of
heart disease, and increase the risk of breast, prostate, and testicular
cancers. Products containing BPA are everywhere, but do your best to avoid
them.
Juice
Juice companies don't want you to know what goes into 100
percent juice. Thanks to lax FDA regulations, industrial juicers have more than
a little wiggle room when it comes to labeling their bottles. One loop-hole
they love to exploit is the one that allows the claim "100 percent
juice" to be used out of context with the other claims on the label, which
is how they slap inexpensive sounding names onto cheap juice blends. You might
think your bottle contains 100 percent blueberry or pomegranate, but really it's
just as likely to be a blend of inexpensive sucrose-loaded fillers tinged with
a mere splash of what you really want.
Ocean Spray doesn't want you to know that its line of
cranberry juice blends contains more sugar than fruit. You might be
surprised to learn that many of them contain as little as 20 percent real
juice. What's more, none of Ocean Spray's stable of hybrid "juices"
earns few than 73 percent of its calories from added sugar, and most have sugar
loads closer to 85 percent. That amounts to about as much sugar as two scoops
of ice cream stuffed into each 8-ounce cup of juice.
info from Eat This, Not That
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