Cereal???

stonerdude

This is from Sherry Brescia:

The sheer, raw power of creative marketing never ceases to amaze me.

I swear some people would buy used cat litter and eat it if it was marketed as a fat burner or a cure for baldness.

And nowhere is there a better illustration of the profound effect of creative marketing than in the food industry.

After all, what other industry could take something that's perfectly tasty and healthy the way it comes from Nature, completely transform it into something that can actually harm you, yet make you believe that you're buying something good?

Genius.

Here's an example for you. Let's look at some of the ingredients of one of the most blatant, disgusting illustrations of an unhealthy so-called food positioned to appear healthy all in the name of profits--a children's breakfast cereal.

In this case, Kellogg's Corn Pops. (but we could look at any cereal and find much of the same)

I've got to be honest, as a kid I loved Corn Pops (although they were called "Sugar Pops" back then...it was probably wise to change the name). But as an adult (and one educated in nutrition), I can say that I'd rather feed my kid a bowl of ice cream for breakfast.

Here's what I mean:

Anatomy of Corn Pops

Here are the main ingredients in Kellogg's Corn Pops and how they can harm yours and your child's health:

Milled corn

Corn in its natural state (on the cob!) is considered a whole grain, but the milling process eliminates the inner germ portion and the outer bran layer, as well as the naturally occurring nutrients that are in them.

Plus, milled corn can be ANY kind (including GMO corn!) and in any form, so you could be getting the scraps and waste products from other processed corn products--not the pretty yellow kernels you're picturing.

And because of the processing, milled corn is lacking significant amounts of natural B Vitamins and Vitamin C, as well as much of the phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, zinc, copper, iron and selenium that are present in fresh corn.

So what you have left is nutrient-poor starch that can make your backside as wide as a tractor-trailer.

Sugar

In addition to the obvious concerns about overweight and obesity, having excessive amounts of glucose in the blood consistently can stress your pancreas because of increasing insulin needs.

Eventually it may not be able to keep up, or insulin resistance may develop (and eventually Type II diabetes). More and more kids are being diagnosed as diabetic and this is a major reason why.

Sugar also nourishes the harmful bacteria in the gut and encourages the development of harmful bacteria overgrowth. When this happens, your immune system can be weakened and digestion hampered.

Each 1/2 cup "serving" of Corn Pops has 10 grams (about 2 1/2 teaspoons) of sugar. But seriously, when was the last time you or your kids ate just 1/2 cup of cereal? Measure out how much is in the bowls after your pour it out.

Soluble corn fiber

This is the "adding in" of corn fiber from the outer bran layer of corn that was "processed out" when the corn for Corn Pops was milled. It's why the box can state "Good Source of FIBER!" to make the product appear healthy (and entice parents to buy it).

While soluble fiber of any kind can encourage regular bowel movements, in this case the same fiber could be had from an ear of corn in its natural state, plus have all the original (now missing) nutrients present.

Salt

Sodium is a necessary electrolyte and helps regulate your fluid balance and pH in your body...BUT the salt in Corn Pops is highly processed sodium chloride -- a far cry from the natural mineral that our bodies need.

Soybean oil

Soybean oil is a polyunsaturated fat derived from soybeans that is acclaimed to be a "heart healthy" oil like many of the other polyunsaturated oils.

However, this oil was heated in the creation of Corn Pops...and whenever you heat a polyunsaturated fat, it gets transformed into a trans-fat!

So even though the product's label claims 0 grams trans-fat, that's simply not accurate. (More on trans-fats below.)

Partially hydrogenated vegetable oil

ALL hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils are sources of trans-fats.

Trans-fats do not come from Nature, so your body doesn't have the enzymes to metabolize them. Instead they stick to your arteries and tissues and can encourage the development of atherosclerosis and inflammation, leading to heart disease and various other chronic conditions.

Additionally, trans-fats multiply themselves like rabbits once they're inside your body, so the amount that you get from foods like Corn Pops is just the beginning of the tidal wave.

BHT (Butylated hydroxytoluene)

This is a petroleum by-product as well as a preservative. It can be irritating to your liver and kidneys, and allergic reactions have been known to occur.

And last but not least--the parade of nutrients

Since Kellogg's knows that no one in their right mind would buy this nutrient-poor, health harming junk for their kids unless they can somehow justify it, voila--you have the addition of the following synthetic nutrients:

- Sodium ascorbate and ascorbic acid (Vitamin C)
- Niacinimide (Vitamin B3)
- Zinc oxide
- Iron
- Pyroxidine hydrochloride (Vitamin B6)
- Riboflavin (Vitamin B2)
- Thiamin hydrochloride (Vitamin B1)
- Vitamin A Palmitate
- Folic Acid
- Vitamin D
- Vitamin B12

But note that these are synthetic versions of the nutrients. Our bodies are designed to best use nutrients in their natural state from REAL foods (along with the other properties of the foods such as protein, carbohydrate, fat, phytochemicals, fiber, etc.).

Plus, processed foods (like all kids' cereals) create excess acid wastes in your body, which makes it next to impossible to properly absorb nutrients. So it's likely that most kids are getting zero benefit from these synthetic "essential vitamins and minerals."