Water, Water, Everywhere and Still You Do Not Drink?

We see the necessity of water in the world around us daily. Trees and crops need water to grow. Rain replenishes the streams and streams feed the biggest and smallest creatures in our environment. We see what happens when there is a drought like what the west coast is currently experiencing. Less life, limited life, death. Why then do many of us imagine the case will be any different if we deprive our own bodies of water? 

Water is needed for nearly all the essential functions of the body. You’ve likely heard that over 60% of the body itself is made up of water. Did you also know that your blood is more than 90% water? Meaning the highway by which every system in your body receives nutrients and takes out the trash is, almost entirely, water. Imagine for a moment attempting to wash a dirty car without water. You could scrub away and even apply soap but without water, you’d still have a mess. Your body is essentially the same way. Your major organs, such as the kidneys, liver, colon and skin work pretty hard to get rid of trash whether it’s through defecation or sweating. Garbage that yields no nutrients to the body and could actually be quite harmful if it hung around is ejected through one mechanism or another and all of it requires a good deal of water. This built in detoxification system that runs on water is really the baseline of every gimmicky “detox” plan you might see. Before one spends a ton on a special pill or powder to cleanse one’s body of toxins, one might try simply increasing one’s daily water intake for a month instead. You might be surprised at the difference just that small change can make. There is no magic amount of water intake that everyone should drink but a good starting point is your weight in ounces divided by 2. So for example, if you weigh 150 lbs, that would be 150/2 = 75 ounces of water. It’s also important that a person pair an increase in water intake with a balanced diet so that they maintain the level of nutrients they need as they increase their body’s ability to use them. 

There are also a number of additional factors that could determine how much water you drink. Exercise requires more water as sweating, one of those very important toxin-flushing systems we mentioned, also dehydrates you. So, if you sweat for a while, you need to replace the water lost. The same is true of crying, bathroom use and even bleeding. Certain foods can also require more water to process or cause you to flush water from your system faster. American culture has readily incorporated a coffee habit into common, daily life. You may have heard that coffee is a diuretic, albeit a relatively mild one. That said, coffee, while a liquid, may actually increase your overall need to drink water as you excrete fluids more often. These dietary and lifestyle adjustments are usually pretty minimal but if you find them overwhelming, regularly consuming the recommended amount of water for the day is an excellent beginning! 

Below are a few links regarding the importance of water consumption if you’d like some additional reading. Later, we will talk about water quality here in the U.S. and if it’s still a relevant issue today!

Medical New Today Article

Additional Reading

Now What?

So you’ve read about Big Food and its hold on the larger part of the food industry. What do you do now? We’ve talked briefly about buying locally but what does that really look like? How do you find good options? 

Farmers’ Markets

One great way to buy food locally is to find out if your town or city holds a regular farmers’ market. During the summer and spring this would be a great way to find veggies and fruits native to your area in their freshest state! If you are in the D.C. area, Agora Farms is a great location for seasonal, fresh produce. Agora Farms is actually open year round and hosts farms from Maryland and Pennsylvania as well. 

Co-ops

You could also join a co-op. A food co-op is basically a grocery store that is owned by the members of the co-op. They decide what is carried and how much to charge and compensation for those working in the co-op, etc. They often carry local produce and more. You may even be able to connect with local butchers and dairies through a co-op and regularly carry the best quality goods in the area! There’s much to be gained from a local co-op and even if you don’t become a member, you can still find some quality goods by asking which products were locally sourced. This is also a great city option if you don’t have the space to set up your own garden.

Person or Shared Garden

If you have the space, one of the best ways to work around Big Food is to grow your food yourself! Start a little garden or even a group of planters for your favorite herbs. Get together with a few like minded friends and trade your surplus! Additionally, canning what you don’t use for the winter months supports having clean, fresh food all year long. 

Direct Connections

Sometimes, local farmers, dairies, wineries and beekeepers will sell directly to the consumer. If you know what you want, it doesn’t hurt to do a little research and go directly to the source yourself. They may be open to working with you as an individual or a one person involved in a bigger program like a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) where consumers pay for a season’s worth of food upfront and pick up their share of delicious produce each week!

Locally-sourced Grocery Stores

Lastly, it’s not unheard of that a smaller, local grocery store might buy some of its produce locally. Ask the store’s manager if they buy some of the things you normally get from a local farmer. Some items might be more difficult to find locally as an individual so supporting a grocery store that supports local farmers is very important. 

In the end, all of these options help to ensure that you are getting your food from as close to the source as possible and you are making what’s important to you known. Larger, Big Food companies keep track of what people as a whole want so the more people interested in cleanly sourced foods, the more we raise the standards of what we will find acceptable within the food industry. 

Here is a link to Agora Farms

Here’s another for CSA information and how to find one.

Find a co-op here.

Lead: Is It Really That Bad?

There’s a substantial amount of hype around lead and other heavy metals being found in paint, turf, toys, and even dietary supplements. Why does this matter and is it really as important as regulations and media coverage for incidents like what happened in Flint, Michigan would lead us to believe? Short Answer? Yes. 100% yes. Lead is a serious toxin that causes a wide spectrum of health issues, the most notable affecting the young. Adults are by no means protected from the impacts of lead poisoning but children, and even developing fetuses, can be stunted intellectually and physically for the rest of their lives from lead poisoning. Even more significant, the damage done is thought to be permanent. So, yes. Lead poisoning is truly the horror many have made it out to be. 

So, where is one most likely to encounter lead? Unless you have a job where you are handling lead solder or lead bullets regularly, your most common encounters are going to be in older home construction elements such as paint or pipes. Though lead has been phased out in the construction of new homes since about 1978, the renovation or just habitation of older homes makes lead a pretty common consideration to this day. Even just a small amount of lead dust in the air from peeling paint can cause serious issues as lead builds up in the body. Not only that but lead is stored in the bones of the body and can re-enter the bloodstream years later. In pregnancy, the earlier exposure of the mother often leads to the poisoning of the child before it is even born. Small children absorb lead more easily and if they are lacking in certain nutrients, specifically iron and calcium, they will absorb even more. Issues in brain development and damage to the nervous system are just a few of the wide range of negative consequences children may suffer. Though there is a treatment used to reduce lead in the body, the treatment is not without its own risks, especially for children and has historically caused a number of deaths on its own. The best way to combat lead poisoning is to prevent exposure in the first place. 

If you have to work with lead because you are renovating an old home or something similar, the EPA has put out a guide booklet to assist you in limiting your exposure. Additionally, there are often trained service professionals available to take this step for you. If you are exposed, you might give the National Poison Hotline a call at: 1-800-222-1222. For non-emergency situations where one would definitely call 911, they can help you respond responsibly and effectively to a less urgent incident of lead poisoning. 

For some additional reading check out these three articles: 1, 2, 3

Food Brands and the Illusion of Limitless Choices

Fig. 1.1 Oxfam Food Brands Visual Wheel

You’ve likely heard the term Big Pharma to refer to the pharmaceutical industry as a whole, but have you heard of Big Food? Many haven’t but when you look into who makes your favorite brands and who owns them, you might be surprised to find that you often come up with the same 11 names. The somewhat obscured truth is that most of today’s food market is owned by a handful of mega sized corporations! You will almost certainly recognize the names that make up big food but few realize the overwhelming reach of each company 

For example, you walk into a grocery store to buy a drink and decide to go with a healthier choice so you pick up a Smartwater instead. Would you be surprised to find that you are still buying a Coca-Cola product? Maybe not but perhaps you would find it interesting that Coca-Cola makes Dasani and Vitamin water, too. Interesting when each of those companies claims to value different things in an effort to encourage the consumer to buy one over the other.  If you are a new parent, you may have done quite a bit of research on picking the best diaper for your child. Luvs and Pampers are two of the leading brands and a 30 second search will yield a dozen articles giving you all the reasons you should pick one over the other. The material sourcing, the company’s reputation, the environmentally responsible practices of one versus the other. You probably guessed it but yes, they are owned by the same umbrella company. The same with Oral B and Crest or Gain and Bounce. In fact, all six of the brands just mentioned are made by the same Big Food player, P&G. 

So, what’s the problem with the market being dominated by a few big brands when we, the consumers, seem to still be getting exactly what we want? First, you might have seen a simple but important problem with these examples which is the illusion of getting a deal or a better quality product when you compare between two brands you thought were in direct competition. Take away that element and there is nothing driving up the standard of production or ensuring that we are getting a fair price. If one company is setting the cheaper option’s price and the more expensive option’s price, then the whole range is nothing more than a constructed illusion devised to give us the appearance of a bargain. Additionally, it removes the balance of competition which prevents one company from setting prices that are ridiculously high for a specific item. Another issue is that it is harder for the consumer or even a large group of consumers to hold a company accountable for producing a low quality product when it is setting the industry standard. Only buying a certain type of product might influence one of the Big Food monsters to produce more of the more popular items but you will barely be affecting their bottom line. 

So what can the consumer do to push back against these monster companies? First, shop for as much as you can outside of these beasts of commerce. Shop as locally as you can and for everything else, don’t be swayed by the comparison of the brands but buy the quality you need and pay less attention to who appears to make it. Get what you need and don’t buy into the illusion! 

If you’d like to learn more about a specific brand and how they are doing with their global, ethical responsibility, here is one resource you can use!

Monsanto: Brought to You by the Products You Love

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You’ve probably heard of the biotech agricultural corporation, Monsanto. They are responsible for the much debated, possibly cancer-causing weed-killer Roundup. They are also one of the biggest names in genetically modified organism technology to date. GMOs are incredibly controversial but to outline the basics they are plants or animals that are modified, usually to be more resilient to the environment. GM crops are often easier to maintain and resistant to both pests and weed-killers and produce crop yields that are often more bountiful than their non-GMO counterparts. GM crops are often able to be sprayed down with more resilient and potent chemicals and still produce beautifully. Let’s think about that last part for just a second. Stronger chemical resistance encourages stronger chemical usage. Though the available information is quite varying in its conclusions for or against GMOs, it should be noted that the rise of GMOs correlates with a rise in infertility, liver disease, cancer, antibiotic resistance, gastrointestinal issues and food intolerances. Correlation is not causation but it is something to consider. Additionally, the bottom line in any industry is usually money and GMOs are cheaper to produce so the profit margin for a company like Monsanto is much greater. 

GMOs aside, are there other reasons to believe that a company like Monsanto might not have the consumer’s wellbeing at the top of their list? One big red flag no matter who you are is that while data is finally coming into the light that confirms a traceable link between Roundup and other glyphosate products and a multibillion dollar settlement is currently being hammered out, Monsanto is busy starting a very similar cycle all over again with their more recent herbicide, dicamba. As you might guess, dicamba is already being linked to multiple forms of cancer, including but not limited to leukemia, liver cancer and mantle cell lymphoma. Only time will tell if this product is allowed to exist on the market for a couple decades before significant formal and social pushback.

Let’s say you do look at the available information and decide that GMOs and Monsanto owned products are not for you. What is your next step? As with minimizes the possibility of food fraud or any contamination in the supply and demand chain, the biggest thing you can do to protect yourself is to buy local! After that, educate yourself on the companies that are sourcing their ingredients responsibly. Next time we will talk about how about a dozen companies actually produce the majority of the food options we see on grocery shelves but for now, here is a list of companies that are openly affiliated with Monsanto for your convenience.

If you are interested in reading more about the Roundup cases, click here and here. For more information on dicamba, right here!

The Framework of Food Fraud

If you’ve been following some of our recent cases, you know that we often investigate products that have been misrepresented or adulterated. What exactly does that mean and why is it important? Misrepresentation and adulteration are two ways in which food fraud can be accomplished. In the case of misrepresentation, a product is presented in a way that is misleading to the consumer in order to induce the purchase of the product. For example, a misrepresentation would be claiming that a meat product has “never been frozen” when it was absolutely frozen somewhere along the supply chain. The misrepresentation might also be paired with mislabeling if the product itself carries this incorrect description. Adulteration usually refers to something being added to a product. It is usually something cheaper than the product itself that allows for a profit because now the original amount of genuine supply can be stretched further. For example, a wine seller takes a line of dessert wine and adds sugar water to it. Now the same amount of wine that would have filled 150,000 bottles might instead fill 200,000. A few methods used in food fraud include substitution, counterfeiting and dilution. All three involved a cheaper ingredient or food being swapped with or added to the product and the product being sold as if it were pure.

Besides the obvious ethical and legal implications, why is food fraud so important? Simply put, it can be incredibly dangerous for the consumer. For example, one of the most common foods in the US that is susceptible to food fraud is olive oil. Think what might happen if something like peanut oil were to be used to dilute and “stretch” the original product? Anyone with a peanut allergy might consume the oil in their own cooking or even in a restaurant and the result could be catastrophic. At that point, the fraudulent behavior might be found out but it would be too little, too late for that consumer. This is why identifying food fraud and holding everyone along that chain of supply and demand accountable BEFORE there is a major health concern is so important!

If you would like to read more about food fraud and its impacts on society, as well as several examples of real food fraud cases, click here.

Melatonin: The Highlights and Darkside

Sleep, that sometimes elusive healer of the day's wear and tear. It is so incredibly important for brain function and physical wellbeing. Sleep takes out the mental trash we store up during the day and gives the body an overall reset to an optimal state to face the next day. However, if you’ve ever had poor sleep, you know it’s an experience that can throw your whole day into disarray. If this experience becomes a common one, you may, like many, search for something to facilitate better sleep. Melatonin is often at the top of the list when it comes to natural supplements you can take to increase your chances of getting a good night’s rest. Melatonin is a hormone made in the pineal gland in the brain. It is released into the rest of the body via the bloodstream. This hormone helps to induce sleep and when taken, it has been shown to help you get to sleep faster on average. So, what’s the problem? Well, simply put, when you introduce artificial melatonin into the body it can affect your body’s ability to produce melatonin on its own and it can have an impact on your glucose levels. The body produces a very small amount of melatonin naturally, but even the smallest common dosage, about 3mg, can be 5 or 6 times what the body needs. This flood of a synthetic hormone is thought to be part of the reason why a meal eaten close to bedtime has a greater negative impact on your glucose levels and thus overall weight than an identical meal eaten at the beginning of the day. That said, most research supports the idea that a small amount of melatonin taken occasionally to smooth an adjustment in one’s sleeping cycle will probably have few lasting effects beyond making you a bit sleepy the next day. Notably the small dosage is key even in this limited usage so when shopping for a melatonin supplement, it is important to find a product whose labeling is clear and free of misleading information. 

While we do not endorse or recommend any specific product or company, the evaluation process used by the sleep foundation might give you an idea of what to look for if you choose to use a melatonin supplement. Check out their list here. 

If you would like to read more about melatonin and its impact on the body, including glucose production, check out this article.

CBD 101: Facts, Fillers, and Avoiding False Claims

Whether or not you plan to take advantage of the new wave of CBD products flooding the market, it never hurts to understand the basics about this booming industry and some of the dangers that come with it. Right now, companies producing CBD product lines are popping up all over as many turn to natural resources to combat the stresses of their daily grind. One common form of CBD that’s easy to use and therefore incredibly popular for those who don’t plan to take the time to incorporate a CBD oil into their cooking themselves, is gummies! We’ve all seen the relative success of gummy vitamins for all ages and now you can take CBD in the same way! They often come with some added supplemental benefits like Vitamin D or B or include melatonin(which we will talk about in a later article), which is commonly added as a sleep aid. It’s pretty easy to find a flavor you enjoy but with so many companies out there, how do you know you are really getting the product advertised. The short answer is, research! Some companies will and have undergone third party testing to ensure that the amount of CBD they claim is in their product, really shows up. Always check for that third party approval to ensure your gummies aren’t just sugar candies with an aftertaste! 

If you’d like to read more about this and check out an article that does a bit of that research for you, click here!

COVID-19 and The Vitamin Hype: Creative Marketing or Misrepresentation?

Over the last year, many of us have made adjustments due to the arrival and spread of COIVD-19. Some of us have endeavored to make some more general lifestyle changes in order to combat the corona threat itself or in an effort to balance out our higher than ever average time on the couch! Jogging, hitting the gym and other outdoor activities are high on that list of changes with the adoption of supporting supplements and vitamins following right behind them. Many natural supplement companies have tried to anticipate this trend by widely proclaiming that their product will give you an additional level of protection, throwing around phrases like “boosted immune system” or “increased immunity.” This might just seem like creative marketing but unless their specific product can be backed up by thoroughly tested, scientific data, it might actually be closer to a blatant misrepresentation. The NAD has already pinpointed a number of companies who were unable to show a measurable increase in an individual’s protection, or in some cases, any scientific data to support their claim at all! As a consumer, it’s more important that ever to be aware and wary of companies that promise protection without proof!

Check out the NAD article here.

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Lawsuits Say Protein Powders Lack Protein, Ripping Off Athletes

A growing number of companies are accused of selling workout supplements spiked with cheap fillers that they’re passing off as protein, including MusclePharm, the multi-million dollar company endorsed by Arnold Schwartzeneggar.

(Source: Forbes.com, Alex Morrell; Photo: @kellysikkema)

Read: Lawsuits Say Protein Powders Lack Protein, Ripping Off Athletes

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Is Your Protein Product Spiked? No Whey!

Here’s something to think about… Is the protein in your supplement spiked? No Whey? No Way! Realistically, chances are, it could be. Learn more about this controversy, and how to protect yourself as the consumer.

(Source: naturalproductinsider.com, Jacqueline Kuler; Photo: @HowToGym)

Read: Is Your Protein Spiked? No Whey!

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The FDA and Adulterated Supplements - Dereliction of Duty

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) plays an essential role in ensuring the safety of vitamins, minerals, botanicals, probiotics, amino acids, and glandular extracts sold as dietary supplements in the United States. While the FDA does not assess the safety of supplements prior to market, the agency is tasked with identifying and removing adulterated and hazardous supplements from the marketplace.

(Source: jamanetwork.com, Pieter A. Cohen, MD; Photo: Derick McKinney (@derickray))

Read: The FDA and Adulterated Supplements - Dereliction of Duty

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DNA testing reveals ‘widespread adulteration’ of herbal products

Fresh research utilizing DNA testing technology has highlighted ‘widespread’ global adulteration in herbal products, with almost one-third of items tested found to be fake.

(Source: foodnavigator.com, Katy Askew; Photo: @v2osk)

Read: DNA testing reveals ‘widespread adulteration’ of herbal products

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Federal officials seize adulterated dietary supplements from Life Rising Corporation due to poor manufacturing practices

“This seizure underscores the agency’s commitment to taking aggressive action when manufacturers distribute adulterated dietary supplements that have the potential to put consumers at risk.”

-Melinda K. Plaisier, the FDA’s Associate Commissioner for Regulatory Affairs.

(Source: fda.gov, FDA News Release, June 14, 2019; Photo: @freestocks)

Read: Federal officials seize adulterated dietary supplements from Life Rising Corporation due to poor manufacturing practices

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Nitrogen Spiking: Is Your Protein Powder Giving You What You Paid For?

Nitrogen spiking - also known as “protein spiking” or “amino spiking” - is a technique that allows supplement companies to put less protein in their product than is supposedly listed on their nutritional label.

(Source: boxlifemagazine.com, William Imbo; Photo: @freestocks)

Read: Nitrogen Spiking: Is Your Protein Powder Giving You What You Paid For?

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Amino Spiking: What It Is And How To Spot It In A Protein Powder

If you see amino acids like glycine, glutamine, arginine, and creatine in the other ingredients section of a supplement facts panel, it's more than likely been amino spiked.

(Source: endurelite.com, Matt Mosman, MS, CISSN, CSCS; Photo: @emilianovittoriosi)

Read: Amino Spiking: What It Is And How To Spot It In A Protein Powder

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Fraud in herbs and spices hasn’t vanished

Over six years ago, the Institute for Global Food Security became very interested in the amount of fraud linked to herbs and spices. This was spurred on from tip off I received from an insider in the murky world of herb and spice trading.

(Source: newfoodmagazine.com, Chris Elliott; Photo: Max-Jakob Beer @beerphotography)

Read: Fraud in herbs and spices hasn’t vanished

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Should You Use Collagen Supplements?

Collagen is found throughout our bodies, but we lose more of it over time. Should you use supplements to rejuvenate it?

(Source: health.usnews.com, Vanessa Caceres; Photo: MrBig_Photography)

Read: Should I Use Collagen Supplements?

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The Analyst’s Take: Global supplement sales pass $150B in 2020

Despite the global pandemic, supplement sales continue to soar into the billions.

(Source: naturalproductsinsider.com, Claire Morton Reynolds; Image: Kentoh)

Read: The Analyst’s Take: Global supplement sales pass $150B in 2020

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What's next for the dietary supplement industry?

“This market has seen increases in adulterated products marketed by bad actors. For instance, 965 of the products tested by the Food and Drug Administration from 2007 to 2019 were identified to include potentially hazardous substances or hidden ingredients. This level of adulteration poses significant risks for consumers and is at odds with the practices of industry’s responsible participants.”

(Source: drugstorenews.com, Christine Burdick-Bell, DSQC)

Read: What's next for the dietary supplement industry?