The movement is growing.
We speak of the trend toward healthier eating. The latest evidence is General Mills’ decision to remove all artificial colors and flavors from its cereals. By the end of 2015, the company outside Minneapolis plans to have Trix, Cocoa Puffs and Reese’s Puffs free of the contaminants. In their places will be colors made from spices and fruit and vegetable juice concentrates.
In the Puff — going au naturel
Actually, 60 percent of the company’s cereals already are artificial-flavor-and-color free, and all of them will have gone natural in 2017, Jim Murphy, president of General Mills’ U.S. cereal business, said Aug. 24.
That’s good news, but even better would be the discontinuance of breakfast cereals in favor of proteins, such as Greek yogurt and eggs. The Minneapolis Star Tribune said that trend already is under way.
Egg on their faces
Which means people must not be paying a lot of attention to The You Docs, Drs. Mehmet Oz and Michael Roizen, who advise people to limit their intake of eggs and eat only the nonfat variety of Greek yogurt because, don’t you know, saturated fat is bad for you. They’ll keep harping on that discredited theme till the cows come home offering raw milk with lots of great saturated fat.
Drs. Mehmet Oz, Michael Roizen
The famous docs, as well as most docs of ordinary profile, also advise eating wheat, which causes one’s glycemic index to spike higher than a missile-bearing drone. But the myth that wheat is nothing but healthy probably will take longer to dispel. So, cereals likely will be around for a long time.
The Japanese eat a lot of natto, or fermented soybeans, especially in eastern Japan. Nattokinase, an enzyme formed from natto, helps with blood circulation, which is probably one reason – the other is healthy fats from fish – they have low incidence of heart disease despite their heavy smoking habits.
Bland is grand
Minneapolis Star and Tribune
General Mills is the latest of several big food companies to rid their products of artificial color and flavors, the Star Tribune reported. In recent weeks, Subway and Taco Bell announced they were doing so. As the paper said, “Companies are responding to consumers’ changing perceptions.”
Maybe the American people are beginning to realize that what they hear and read about healthy eating often is money-fueled propaganda.
