Sports Drinks and Your Teeth

This year I have been a guest speaker to various Chamber of Commerce's and service clubs like the Kiwanis, Rotary, Lions and even private businesses like Mission Foods. Several times I covered the topic of health, water, sports drinks and other types of drinks such as vitamin waters. 

I have spoken largely against them because of the use of artificial sweeteners, deceptive food labels and the

misconceptions of their benefits to health and sports performance. Of greatest interest was the topic of BVO (Brominated Vegetable Oil) and it's use in sports drinks. Today's public is becoming more and more aware of what is being added to our food and/or food products as technology, social media and other avenues of spreading information has advanced. In an article by Men's Journal, PepsiCo., has chosen to address public concern of the use of certain ingredients like BVO by removing them from their products like Gatorade (Yes,   in case you didn't know Pepsi owns Gatorade and other drinks. Also, Coca-Cola Company owns drinks like Vitamin Water). 

Do you research and you will find that acidity has been linked to diseases like Kidney Stones, Osteoporosis and various Cancers to mention just a few. Sugar as we know has various detrimental effects to our health including tooth cavities. Research reported by NASM (National Academy of Sport Medicine) Insider Monthly Blog, published this conclusion: 

In agreement with the literature, it appears that fruit juices and energy drinks appear to have greater erosive potential versus sports drinks. However some in vitro studies (researchers immersing samples of human tooth enamel in sports drinks) demonstrates a potential to damage teeth. To mitigate such problems athletes should follow proper oral hygiene care and limit sports drink consumption to exercise sessions lasting 60 minutes or more. Physical activity lasting 60 minutes or less warrants the use of water to help keep athletes hydrated and minimize tooth enamel erosion.

When we talk about investing money into our future it may be a good idea to consider investing money into foods that protect and prolong our personal health. The Choice is Yours!

All Eggs Are Not Equal

One popular discussion I have with my clients revolves around the deceptive practices of food labeling. On labels you see words like Fat-Free, Sugar-Free or Low-Sodium to name a few. This is to done to imply that you are having a healthier meal if you eat what is in the package. 

If you started doing your research and placed greater emphasis on reading the ingredients list, what you found is that there is more fat, sugar or salt and possibly a lot of calories that you normally would not have seen in a similar food. Today you see all kind of labels on Eggs and you even see egg products. 

So what do all these food labels mean? A website called TakePart.com  did a great job of helping us to distinguish the differences. Below is a summary of the article:

• Cage-Free: The absence of a cage. Birds that qualify as cage-free can still be packed tightly into an overpopulated and darkened barn.
• Free-Range: When chickens are free-range, they’re required to have access to the outdoors—but that may amount to a narrow patch of dirt. Access to it can be a tiny door cut into the back of the shed.
• Organic: This label dictates that the birds are antibiotic and hormone-free, in addition to being provided with access to the outdoors. Still, some organic farms abuse the system by housing their hens in overcrowded sheds.
• Certified Humane: According the Humane Society, even this certification allows for farmers to house chickens indoors at all times if they choose, and also permits beak cutting. A similar term, "American Humane Certified" allows laying hens to be caged.

So what kind of eggs should you look for? According to the website Take Part you should be looking for the label 'Pasture-Raised'. Why? Here are the reasons:

• Chickens are raised outdoors in an actual pasture.
• They have access to shelter when they desire.  
• They are raised without harmful chemicals
• Chickens don't experience painful procedures such as beak trimming
• Loaded with more nutrients

If you want to read the full article you can go to:  http://www.takepart.com/article/2013/03/28/ethical-eggs?cmpid=tpfood-eml-2013-3-30-eggs