LIfe-Changing Affects of Surgical Weight Loss

Arsenic in your Foods

Consumer Reports just released a new report on high arsenic levels found rice products such as organic rice baby cereals, rice breakfast cereals, brown rice, and white rice.

Arsenic not only is a potent human carcinogen but also can set up children for other health problems in later life.
The FDA will be doing a study on these levels and will be releasing a report hopefully by the end of the year.

In virtually every product tested by Consumer Reports (CR), they found measurable amounts of total arsenic in its two forms. They found significant levels of inorganic arsenic, which is a carcinogen, in almost every product category, along with organic arsenic, which is less toxic but still of concern. Moreover, the foods CR checked are popular staples, eaten by adults and children alike. See the chart summarizing results of our tests for arsenic in rice or rice products.

CR also discovered that some infant rice cereals, which are often a baby’s first solid food, had levels of inorganic arsenic at least five times more than has been found in alternatives such as oatmeal. Given our findings, we suggest limiting the consumption of rice products. Use CR recommendations.

Consumers Union believes a standard for arsenic should be set for rice, and industry should accelerate efforts to reduce arsenic levels in rice. They should also develop types of rice that take up less arsenic, and use rice with the lowest possible arsenic in products for young children, such as infant rice cereal.

CR scientists are also asking regulators to prohibit agricultural practices that may lead to increases in arsenic in rice:

• The EPA should phase out use of pesticides containing arsenic.
• The USDA and the EPA should end the use of arsenic-laden manure as fertilizer.
• The FDA should ban the feeding of arsenic-containing drugs and animal byproducts to animals.

To find out more about what Consumers Union is doing on the subject and to get involved, go to ConsumersUnion.org/arsenic. On the international stage, a group advising the World Health Organization is meeting in 2014 to consider proposed arsenic standards for rice. Limits of 200 ppb (inorganic) for white rice and 300 ppb (total or inorganic) for brown rice are under discussion.

After the concerns raised by our juice story, the FDA says it is confident in the overall safety of apple juice. “FDA has made significant progress in developing a proposed action level for arsenic in apple juice and is nearing completion of this work,” the agency says in a statement.

The FDA also says it is studying arsenic in rice and rice products to determine the level and types of arsenic typically found and to identify ways to reduce it.

“The need for a standard for arsenic in food is long overdue,” says Trudy Bialic, director of public affairs for PCC Natural Markets, a Seattle-area chain that is America’s largest food co-op. “Certainly there are excellent and committed people in FDA’s ranks, but it’s shameful the agency has not addressed this problem more systematically, leaving us to figure it out on our own to protect ourselves.”

To view entire Consumer Report article,  click here

Kelly Devine Rickert MS RD CSSD LDN
St. James Outpatient Dietitian
708-679-2717

ENER=G Class Starting 10/11/12

Franciscan St. James Presents:

ENER=G

Education for Nutrition, Exercise and Reducing stress and fatigue = Good life

4 Month Weight Loss & Wellness Program

ž Fight Fatigue                    ž  Lose weight ž  Gain Energy                    ž Burn fat/build muscle ž  Whole foods diet             ž  Combat Stress ž  Take charge of life                  ž  Increase activity ž  Learn how personality affects weight and health

 

ENER=G (“energy”) is a 16 week group class led by a certified Registered Dietitian and Personal Trainer. This program will help you learn your eating, personality and lifestyle patterns and how these patterns impact weight loss attempts and health.  ENER=G will focus on the 4 pillars of health: nutrition, movement, stress management and self appreciation. 

Start Date:        10/4/2012 When:              Classes will meet weekly on Thursday from 6:30 – 7:30 pm (see reverse for detailed schedule) Location:          St.  James Hospital Nursing Education Center                         20201 S. Crawford Ave.                         Olympia Fields, IL 60461 Cost:                $312.00  (HMOs accepted with a referral,flexible spending eligible) Registration:    Kelly Devine Rickert MS RD CSSD LDN (708) 679-2717 or  Kelly.Devine@franciscanalliance.org * A minimum of 12 participants is required, cash/check/credit card and payroll deduction are accepted, no refunds will be given after second class

 

Education for Nutrition, Exercise and Reducing stress and fatigue = Good life

Date	Topic
Week 1 10/4/12	Introduction:  Creating  a life vision, body fat testing, food journaling and individual assessment scheduled
Week 2 10/11/2012	Meal Planning: Individual meal plans with body fat test results, grocery shopping, portion sizes and meal planning
Week 3 10/18/2012	Exercise 1
Week 4 10/25/2012	Understanding Hunger I:  hunger vs. cravings
Week 5 11/1/2012	Personality and Health Habits
Week 6 11/8/2012	Exercise II
Week 7 11/15/2012	Holiday Eating and midpoint testing:  eating healthy through holidays
Week 8 11/29/2012	Eating Healthy While Dining Out
Week 9 12/6/2012	Understanding Hunger II:  mindful eating, visual cues,  food addiction
Week 10 12/13/2012	Whole Foods Diet II:  calorie dilution,  fiber, phytochemicals
Week 11 12/20/2012	Exercise  III
Week 12 1/3/2013	Supplements and Meal Replacements
Week 13 1/10/2013	Lifestyle Patterns: eating, physical activity and coping
Week 14 1/17/2013	Stress Management I
Week 15 1/24/2013	Exercise IV :  final body composition test
Week 16 1/31/2013	Preventing Relapse:  final results, personal profile packet and party

8 Ingredients You Never Want to See on Your Nutrition Label - Men's Health Article

From Men's Health
By David Zinczenko with Matt Goulding
Aug 23, 2012

Here is the full article

The year was 1950, and The Magic 8-Ball had just arrived in stores. It looked like a toy, but it wasn't. It was a future-telling device, powered by the unknown superpowers that lived inside its cheap plastic shell. Despite a bit of an attitude—"Don't count on it," "My reply is no"—it was a huge success. Americans, apparently, want to see their futures.

A few decades later, Congress passed the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act that, among other things, turned the 45,000 food products in the average supermarket into fortune-telling devices. Americans inexplicably yawned. I'm trying to change that. Why? The nutrition label can predict the future size of your pants and health care bills.

Unfortunately, these labels aren't as clear and direct as the Magic 8-Ball. Consider the list of ingredients: The Food and Drug Administration has approved more than 3,000 additives, most of which you've never heard of. But the truth is, you don't have to know them all. You just need to be able to parse out the bad stuff. Do that and you'll have a pretty good idea how your future will shape up—whether you'll end up overweight and unhealthy or turn out to be fit, happy, and energized.

While researching the new Eat This, Not That! 2013: The No-Diet Weight Loss Solution, I identified 8 ingredients you never want to see on the nutrition label. Should you put down products that contain them? As the Magic 8-Ball would say: Signs point to yes.

Click Here to read the entire article and learn all 8 ingredients