Many of you know that I have several rules that I use as a basic foundation for my eating habits.  If you have not  seen  them, I will display them at the end of this post.  The main goal of those rules is to try and keep your foods as unprocessed and as natural as possible.  I understand in a fast paced world this is not always possible, but we should try and eat healthy at least 90% of the time.  That means if you eat 6 meals and snacks a day or 42 per week, you could eat less healthy about 6 times that week.

That being said, there are some things you just should steer clear of such as chemicals that don't belong in foods, such as the ones you can't even pronounce or items such as dyes and coloring.  The body can't use this stuff and eventually the liver and kidneys will have to filter it out and it may even do cellular damage in the meantime.

In addition, a study posted in The New England Journal of Medicine a couple of years ago declared trans-fats as toxic in very low quantities to our system.  Low is defined as 1-3 grams.  You can get over 10 grams in a small french fries!  That is why they have called for the outlaw of this substance.  Many European nations have already banned trans-fats from their food system.

Many of you know that I recommend staying away from High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS).  I know what you are saying, it is in everything and the medical community including the dieticians keep saying they can't find much wrong with it other than it is another empty calorie that we don't need.  Well, this past week they found something wrong with it.  The report, published on the web site of the Minneapolis-based nonprofit Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP), shows detectable levels of mercury in 17 out of 55 tested products rich in high-fructose corn syrup.  I don't have to tell you of the toxic dangers of mercury do I?  Do you remember the Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland?  The term was coined due to mercury that was once used in the lining of certain hats like top hats which leached into the body through the skin causing people to go crazy as mercury damages the brain.

Well, guess what?  We have been eating this stuff in a lot of our food for years, and although the process that produces mercury induced HFCS is all but gone in 90% of the US manufacturers, much of our food ingredients are globally sourced and it is still being used in other parts of the world as well as in the United States.

The research group purchased 55 products that list high-fructose corn syrup first or second on their list of ingredients, which means high-fructose corn syrup was a leading ingredient in those products.

They found detectable mercury in 17 of 55 samples, or around 31% of the products tested.  These were products on the shelf during the fall of 2008.

Here is the list of those products:

• Quaker Oatmeal to Go bars
• Jack Daniel's Barbecue Sauce
• Hershey's Chocolate Syrup
• Kraft Original Barbecue Sauce
• Nutri-Grain Strawberry Cereal Bars
• Manwich Gold Sloppy Joe
• Market Pantry Grape Jelly
• Smucker's Strawberry Jelly
• Pop-Tarts Frosted Blueberry
• Hunt's Tomato Ketchup
• Wish-Bone Western Sweet & Smooth Dressing
• Coca-Cola Classic: no mercury found on a second test
• Yoplait Strawberry Yogurt
• Minute Maid Berry Punch
• Yoo-hoo Chocolate Drink
• Nesquik Chocolate Milk
• Kemps Fat Free Chocolate Milk

Do not be fooled into thinking these are the only products that have this problem. They only tested 55 and there are on average thousands of products on our shelves that contain HFCS.  This is a big problem which every food manufacturer will deny or admit that the levels are permissible by law and not dangerous.  The problem is that HFCS is in everything, just check your ingredient labels.  Our children get tons of it all day, especially in some ketchups which they tend to put on everything.  As such as consumers we need to be aware of not just the one product but the total daily consumption as mercury accumulates in the system and is difficult to get rid of.

So what kind of Russian Roulette do you want to play with your health and the health of the innocent child that relies on you to keep them safe from harm?  They need you to make good decisions for them until they are able to think and fend for themselves.  A quick tip, Heinz makes an organic ketchup that does not have HFCS.

One last comment if you think that the food industry has your best interest at mind... Peanut Butter... the item all our kids eat has been tainted and evidence is mounting the the company that sold it may of known about it and let it go out.  Their peanut plant in Texas was unlicensed for 3 years and has been shut down.  The CEO was called in by a congressional committee and the CEO has pleaded the 5th, no comment...

Rules for healthy food consumption:

No trans fats (hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils)
No artificial sugars
No high fructose corn syrup
Reduce or eliminate caffeine - Drink Green or White tea
Consume 35 grams of fiber daily
Consume low glycemic load carbohydrates
Sleep at least 7 (adults) - 9 (children) hours per night
Consume a multivitamin daily
Get at least 500-1000 mg of vitamin C daily
Get at least 1200-1500 mg of Calcium daily
Consume foods high in Omega 3's
Reduce consumption of Red meats - lean meats only
Reduce refined sugars and carbohydrates
Increase whole grain foods instead of white processed flour
Consume 5-6 meals per day (3 meals and 2 snacks)
Consume organic meats and produce, eliminate chemicals and hormones
Avoid artificial food dyes
Drink approximately 1/2 your body weight in ounces of water daily
Reduce saturated fats to 10% or less of caloric intake
Do not skip meals and do not fast
Always eat breakfast and make it your largest meal of the day
Eat as soon as possible after exercise to expedite muscular recovery