Mind/Body Weight Loss – Day 10

This begs the question, if these additive are so harmful, why are they still in use?  This is where things get a bit tricky.  In the case of both aspartame and MSG, it seems that the threshold for tolerance varies widely among individuals.  Many people have an immediate response to MSG, however it is much harder to make a cause and effect determination as far as the damage that it is doing to the brain and nervous system.  The argument could be made that we have seen a dramatic increase in illnesses such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s as the consumption of processed foods has increased, but again that would be a correlation and not causation.  With such widespread use, there is a lot of money and power behind keeping these products on the shelves.

Did you know that a box of Kraft Dinner in the US is different than the one you will find in Europe? It isn’t uncommon that many of the processed foods here in the US, have a different formulation than the same product in other countries.  This is because many of the additives are either banned or severely regulated in other countries.  In order for the companies to sell their products overseas they have to omit these ingredients, while at the same time selling them to Americans. The FDA is currently being petitioned by the dairy industry to put aspartame in the flavored milk they sell at the schools without labeling it as such.  We deserve better and in order to change the marketplace we need to speak up with our wallets.