CONSPIRACY THEORYIs the U.S. Government Undermining Health?

Paleo by Christopher GregorioThe objective of the government is to

theoretically serve the citizens of the United States of America, but in reality this may not be the case. The government is controlled by a multitude of individuals each with their own interests. Instead of these interests coinciding with the public, they often coincide with certain powerful industry after money comes into play. According to the health division of the government, grains are a highly advised food, but there has been little scientific support for this assertion. When the government is analyzed more closely it is revealed that a large amount of people in the government have ties to the agricultural industry as well as others which can and do cause conflicts of interest.

Fortunately for all of you, there is a viable alternative to the foods pushed onto us by the government. A new, or should I say old, diet has emerged in recent years called Paleo. The basic concept is creating a diet based off of what cavemen used to eat. While many people believe that the diet of caveman caused their lives to be nasty, short, and brutish, this is not the case. A diet based on primarily meats and greens has been proven to be one of the most healthiest things you can do for your body. The theory behind Paleo is that our bodies have not yet been able to adapt to these foods such as grains that have been invented over the past 10,000 or so years. Instead our bodies are used to the foods of our ancestors.

If you are serious about your health, you should seriously consider removing all the toxic foods from you health which can cause a myriad of health concerns. People report that after switching to a Paleo diet they have more energy, lose weight, and just feel better all together. The government however chooses to ignore these new progressions in health since it could cause detrimental effects to the industry they are so tightly bound to. Following the government like a sheep could be a cause of an early demise, take your health into your own hands and change your diet today!

March, 2013 VOL #1 ISSUE #1 Editor: Christopher Gregorio

High Fructose Corn Syrup by Michael SeiverdFoods back in the day did not start off as being

really sweet and sugar packed.  People back in the day were not as prone to weight gain, and chronic illness.  Food industries were not so widely competitive to make the quick buck.  Over the years competition drove industries to change their ways and cope with the demand of increasing consumers and other industries willing to meet their needs. What the people started wanting were sweeter foods and drinks that tastes better to them so they could fully enjoy their meals.

When competition rose and forced food industries to either cope with the high demand, or fall back, they started to scramble around ideas to make sure they stayed in the race.  They knew that if they increased the rate at which sugar was included in the ingredients of our food, the price would have to be raised, since the tariffs on natural sugar were high.  This increase in price would drive customers away and their business as well.  After years of research scientists were able to extract the glucose from corn.  Since this was readily available, renewable crop, the business liked the idea greatly, and thought of ways to subsidize crop fields to house great amounts of corn that would allow them to have all the extracted glucose they needed.  It wasn’t, however, the glucose they were after, they needed a form of fructose to add in foods and drinks to make them sweeter, so scientists found a way to chemically transform glucose into fructose with the help of a secret enzyme.  Being able to do this, the food industries started using this technique across the globe and using this “naturally processed” ingredient, that was cheaper to make, cheaper to harvest, and easily to put into foods and drinks that made them sweeter, but also preserved them for longer periods of time.

Although this advance in food technology had its down side.  Years to follow, numbers in obesity began to sky rocket to almost 5 times as much as they were no less than 5 years ago.  With the increase in obesity, chronic illnesses such as heart disease and diabetics were on the rise as well.  To this day those numbers are still at an increase, but most journalists and researchers wonder, who is to blame?  Is it the industries to blame for producing this ingredient and not labeling its effects to consumers, forcing them to directly affect their bodies?  Or is it the consumers fault for purposely eating foods containing high amounts of sugar just for its’ sweet taste, knowing it will lead to weight gain and maybe chronic disease?

March, 2013 VOL #1 ISSUE #1

March 2013 VOL #1 ISSUE #1

The Benefits of Daily Exercise By Steven Bevilacqua

For too many Americans exercise is a word that equates to drudgery.  It brings to mind ideas of weight lifting, running a 5 K, multiple sit ups, or organized classes at an expensive gym.   Unfortunately, these are not activities that most of us will stick with for the rest of our lives.  Research has shown that even ten minutes of brisk exercise affects our metabolism for an hour or more after we stop.  Exercise can be any form of enjoyable brisk physical activity that can be incorporated into our daily routine.

There are multiple benefits of regular physical activity including weight control, better emotional health, higher energy levels, prevention of chronic health conditions,

improved quality of sleep, and can actually be fun.  Seems like a no brainer, right?  Who doesn’t want to feel good, tighten loose abs, and actually enjoy themselves?

Finding ways to achieve this is easier than we think, it doesn’t cost a dime, and can be done by the majority of people with minimal inconvenience.  Easy, simple changes in our daily lives can go a long way.  A brisk walk with the dog around the block instead of just letting them out in the back yard, don’t drive to the park, try a brisk walk or bike ride, take the steps instead of the elevator, park the car at the far end of the lot and walk to class or the office, between classes or at break time get up and walk the parking deck.  It is easier to fit exercise in our lives than we think.

It is a proven fact that exercise increases our endorphins, which are hormones that give us a natural high and make us feel better about everything, even our current physical condition.  So park your car, get your comfortable shoes on, turn on your music and dance, walk, climb or ride your bike for the ultimate high.  

INTERVIEWSPaleo Interview with S Boyd Eaton by Christopher GregorioQ. Do you believe that the health guidelines put forth by the government have the public's best interest in mind?A. I don't believe the government is actively trying to sabotage the public's health, but since many officials in the government have strong ties to the agricultural industry, they end up with biased opinions based on preconceived notions rather than scientific fact.

Q. Do you believe that the Paleo diet is a viable alternative to the government's suggestions?A. While it is impossible to prove whether or not Paleo is a perfect diet, I can say with certainty that it is magnitudes better than other diets in existence.

Q. What about the Paleo diet is a viable alternative to the government's suggestions?A. Paleo is based on the idea that humans have not yet been able to adapt to the foods at our disposal due to the invention of modern technology.

Q. Do you think the government will ever adopt the Paleo diet as a recommended diet for the American people?A. Unfortunately it does not appear like the government as any intention of making Paleo the standard suggested diet for the American people. Over a very long period of time the government may be able to see the light, but for now individuals will be responsible to take their health into their own hands.

Q. Will the prominence of Paleo continue to grow over the next five years? If so, what impact will it have on the American people?A. I do believe that Paleo is a diet that is here to stay, it may end up changing it's name to appeal to a broader base, but the underlying principles will continue to remain in all legitimate diets that follow Paleo. If Paleo continues to see the kind of popularity growth it has in the past few years, I believe the overall health of the American population could greatly improve.

High Fructose Corn Syrup Interview with Allison Ford by Michael SeiverdQ. What is the difference between high fructose corn syrup and table sugar?A. Table sugar is mainly sucrose (fructose and glucose) and this sucrose is naturally made by plants, like in cane sugar.  High fructose corn syrup is a syrup that is produced by a procedure where scientists chemically transform glucose, from corn, with an enzyme into fructose at a 55/45 fructose to glucose.

Q. How effective is high fructose corn syrup in foods/drinks?A. Other than its inexpensiveness to make foods/drinks with, HFCS is also a good preservative that also keeps the producers locked into using it.  It keeps foods fresher, longer and helps breads stay fluffy and cookies stay crispy.  HFCS also makes these foods/drinks cheaper to buy

Q. What do producers choose to use this product instead of table sugar?A. In 1970’s food manufacturers became awesome at making HFCS from a huge availability of corn.  Since there is a high tariff placed on imported sugar, HFCS became cheaper and more readily available, than soon became the favored US sweetener.

Q. Is the addition of high fructose corn syrup in our foods/drinks consumed daily, leading to the nationwide pandemic of obesity?A. One reason they say it is making us fat is because fructose is processed differently by the body, being broken down by the liver instead of any cell in the body, like glucose.  This makes the liver turn leftovers into triglycerides, a harmful fat to our heart.  It also gets processed into fat much quicker than “real” sugar does because it simple chemical structures.  So yes it does in  a way lead to obesity, but people can choose to eat it or not.

Q. What other effects come from high fructose corn syrup?A. It effects the land, by the rapid production of corn and not rotating in other crops, it forces farmers to use more pesticides because the soil quickly becomes depleted of its natural nutrients and these pesticides pollute the groundwater as well.

INTERVIEWS CONTINUED

March, 2013 VOL #1 ISSUE #1

Exercise Interview with Jyothinagaram by Steven BevilacquaQ. Do you believe that exercise is an effective way to improve health?A. Yes, exercise is a great way to improve your overall health since it gets your body in shape and provides more energy to your body to perform everyday activities. To be a healthy individual you need to integrate exercise into your daily routine. Another huge benefit of exercise of its ability to get your blood flowing at a faster rate which provides your muscles with more nutrients.

Q. How would you recommend people to get involved with exercising?A. I would recommended finding a good local gym that you can attend on a regular basis. I would then suggest finding a basic exercise routine to get you started and begin improving their health.

Q. What are some of the detrimental effects that can be caused by a lack of exercise?A. A lack of exercise can be one of the primary causes of obesity which results in a large variety of issues including lack of energy and obesity.

Q. What are some of the immediate benefits of exercising daily?A. Exercise has a plethora of immediate benefits, one of the biggest thing is a boost of energy to be able to perform more activities you're interested in doing.

Q. If more Americans took up exercise as a common activity, what effect would that have on the general public?A. The entire public would become much more healthy, and a lot of health issues that we have a large trouble fighting today would decrease significantly in the next 5 years.

INTERVIEWS CONTINUED