Foodtrients

June 1, 2015

Living Longer: Can the Future Be Bright?

The Twentieth Century gave us quite a gift: an average of 30 more years of life then people had in the previous century. What to do with all those extra years of living? In A Long Bright Future, Laura Carstensen, the founding director of the Stanford Center on Longevity, has envisioned a new approach to life, one that allows us to put to best use the extra years we have gained. She calls for nothing less than a major re-envisioning of our life cycle, one that allows for more flexibility and leisure throughout our younger years and a more active, […]

May 26, 2015

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Harmful Trans Fat Ingredients Lurk In Supermarket Foods

A new analysis by Environmental Working Group has found that harmful artificial trans fatty acids lurk in more than 27 percent of more than 84,000 processed foods common in American supermarkets. Another 10 percent contain ingredients likely to contain trans fat. EWG analysts used information from EWG’s Food Scores database and mobile app to determine which foods contained partially hydrogenated oils and other ingredients that harbor trans fat. The interactive, searchable tool rates more than 84,000 foods and 5,000 ingredients based on nutrition, ingredient and processing concerns. In most cases, the products’ trans fat content on the nutrition label doesn’t add up. The reason: an obscure […]

April 28, 2015

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Diet Pepsi Dumps Aspartame, Good News?

The people have spoken. Diet Pepsi recently announced that they are dropping aspartame from its list of ingredients and replacing it with sucralose—but is this a good thing? With sales down 5% and a public more wary of aspartame, PepsiCo is making the change. An exhaustive number of studies have been done over the last 20-plus years that weigh in on both sides of the aspartame safety issue. Apparently, the public does not believe that aspartame is safe. Dr. Joseph Mercola has been blasting aspartame for the past 17 years, sounding the alarm about its harmful effecs. In fact, he […]

March 31, 2015

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Make your Own Stir-Fry Sauce

Have you ever read the ingredients on a bottle of prepared sauce? Full of corn syrup, caramel color and artificial flavoring, these products

March 16, 2015

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Effortless Healing: Can You Help Your Body Fix Itself?

Everyone ages eventually. But you can overcome many of these troubling symptoms If you know how. In Dr. Joseph Mercola’s latest book, Effortless Healing: 9 Simple Ways to Sidestep Illness, Shed Excess Weight, and Help Your Body Fix Itself, he gives you his top proven tools for fighting the effects of somatopause (the decline of your body’s hormone production as you age), including controlling your weight, getting rid of stubborn fat deposits, and slowing down the effects of aging so you can look and feel your best. If you’re currently challenged with a chronic health issue or excess weight, know that you’re […]

March 15, 2015

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FoodTrients Team Tracks Trends from the 2015 Natural Products Expo

General Observations: New Flavors – spicier, more international dishes More Exotic Ingredients (Moringa, Ashwagandha, Baobab, Crickets, Hemp) More Superfood ingredients Earth- and Cause-conscious Simpler, Cleaner, Fresh Ingredients. Even the labels have clean, simple designs. Coconuts are everywhere – in waters, fruit drinks, snack bars, jams and sauces. This superfood is multiplying like crazy and being reimagined in lots of new ways. Protein bars just keep coming – with more exotic flavors and ingredients Kale may not be the “darling” of the food industry but it is now a hugely featured ingredient in many products. Turmeric is popping up everywhere, too, […]

March 11, 2015

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What’s Up in Natural Foods for 2015?

The intrepid FoodTrients team braved Southern California freeway traffic, severe parking shortages and wearing out the soles of our walking shoes to explore and evaluate the nearly 1 million square feet of exhibit space at this year’s Natural Products Expo West. This is the largest natural products trade show in the world and this year’s event broke records—more than 2700 exhibitors and over 71,000 registered attendees—up 7% over last year and double just two years ago. As in previous years, it always amazes us to see the level of passion, creativity and innovation at the show. Overview We observed overall […]

February 24, 2015

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Nestlé Takes Artificial Colors Out of Candy

At least one Big Business is listening to its consumers. Nestlé announced this month that they will no longer be using artificial colors in its candy products and the chocolate makers hope that other food manufacturers will soon follow suit. Artificial colors were highlighted in EWG’s recent Dirty Dozen Guide to Food Additives because of lingering questions about their safety and effects on human health. EWG research shows that artificial colors are heavily used in processed foods that have little nutritional value. The additive is an ingredient in about 12,500 products in EWG’s online food database, Food Scores: Rate Your Plate. Over the last 40 […]

February 9, 2015

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EWG Lists Dirty Dozen of Food Additives

Food additives are substances that become part of a food product when they are added during the processing or making of that food. They are added in an effort to keep products fresh, increase the amount of nutrients and make the food more appealing.