It’s time for your daily dose of “OMG”… A lot of people know that some of the food sold in the US is far inferior to the same foods sold in other nations. In reality, there are many foods sold here that are BANNED in other countries. Yes, BANNED. Some of it is so bad that these countries wouldn’t dare sell these items to their citizens, and yet we consume them on a daily basis. As a whole, Americans’ overall health is much lower that other industrialized countries. Just think, some of these toxic foods may play a role in the rising rates of disease. Check out this list of BANNED FOODS that was recently featured in an MSN article: Farm-Raised Salmon: There are so many health benefits in fish. However, steer clear of farmed fish, particularly the farmed salmon as it is fed dangerous chemicals. It’s all about the color. Wild salmon is so bright pink, it’s practically red, and that color comes from natural carotenoids found in their diet. Farmed salmon, on the other hand, is fed and unnatural diet of genetically engineer grains, antibiotics, and other drugs and chemicals that are known to know be safe for human consumption. As a result, their flesh is a very unappealing gray color. To “pinken them up” they are fed synthetic astaxanthin made from petrochemicals. It’s not a big surprise that his is not safe for human consumption and has well known toxicities. I won’t drone on, it’s simple… avoid Atlantic Salmon, it’s usually farmed. Alaskan and Sockeye is generally wild. Farmed salmon is pink, whereas wild salmon is so bright it’s almost red. I think farmed salmon is like a boxed blond, don’t try and trick us. The good folks in Australia and New Zealand aren’t tricked, they have BANNED IT! Ractopamine-Tainted Meat: What’s that? The packaging at the stores doesn’t specify if the meat is tainted with ractopamine or not? That’s likely because they don’t even know if the meat has it or not! You are also probably wondering how this may end up in meats. This is because it is a repartitioning agent that increases protein synthesis; in other words, it makes the animals get all big and muscular so there is less fat. Ractopamine is used in a large percentage of pigs, cattle, and turkey. It is said that 20% of it remains in the meat that you buy from the supermarket. It can cause some severe problems with the human cardiovascular system, and has been suspected to cause chromosomal abnormalities and behavioral changes. Why are we still using this when over 160 countries have banned it’s use in food animals? Get it together, America! Flame Retardant Drinks: You have to laugh when you even think about that. My first thought was I would want to drink something flammable. I then found out what this really meant. Brominated vegetable oil is used in the United States in drinks like Mountain Dew and sports drinks. Originally this chemical was patented by chemical companies as a flame retardant! This chemical has been shown to bioaccumulate in human tissue and breast milk, and animal studies have shown that it can cause reproductive issues and behavioral problems in large doses. Bromine is a central nervous system depressant. The amount of problems that it can cause is soooooo not worth the sugary sweetness of those drinks! Just ask all of Europe and Japan, they don’t allow that stuff! Arsenic-Laced Chicken: We are not even making this up. This sounds like something that a wife would use to slowly poison her cheating husband, but no, this is something that you may very well buy at your local grocery. In the US arsenic-based drugs are approved for use in animal feed because they makes animals grow quicker and make the meat appear pinker (fresher). The FDA says that these products are safe because they contain organic arsenic. Well, okay, as long as the poison is organic, I am totally cool with ingesting it. I just hate when my poisons are processed or synthetic. “They” say the organic form is less toxic than the inorganic form (which is a known carcinogen). Still, there is a problem, I mean, besides the fact that it’s arsenic. The issue is that scientific reports have found that organic arsenic could transform into inorganic arsenic. There have been elevated levels of inorganic arsenic found in supermarket chickens. For this, and many other reasons the European Union has always banned arsenic based animal feed. Olean/Olestra: Oleastra is a calorie and cholesterol free fat substitute used in “fat-free” snacks. It was named one of the 50 worst inventions by Time Magazine. Still many companies use the ingredient to take advantage of people’s (incorrect) belief that a fat-free snack in always a healthier snack. This “product” can cause intestinal problems, actually increase weight gain, and delays/blocks the absorption of some vitamins. The UK and Canada aren’t fooled by this, they have BANNED it! The truth is, there are so many more food products that we use here in the US that are banned throughout the world. While we can’t control what is being sold to us, we have the power to control what we purchase and consume.
Let's Get Crackin' 