Why You Should Never Eat High Fructose Corn Syrup

Is high fructose corn syrup really bad for you?

Reposted from Huff Post Food for Thought | Posted: 11/12/2013 12:30 pm

Renaissance physician Paracelsus famously said, "The dose makes the poison," meaning that even harmless substances can become toxic if you eat enough of them. Many people ask me, "Is high fructose syrup really that bad for you?" And my answer to this question is "Yes," mainly for this very reason.

In America today, we are eating huge doses of sugar, especially high fructose corn syrup. It is sweeter and cheaper than regular sugar and is in every processed food and sugar-sweetened drink. Purging it from your diet is the single best thing you can do for your health!

In recent history, we've gone from 20 teaspoons of sugar per person per year to about 150 pounds of sugar per person per year. That's a half pound a day for every man, woman, and child in America. The average 20-ounce soda contains 15 teaspoons of sugar, all of it high fructose corn syrup. And when you eat sugar in those doses, it becomes a toxin.

As part of the chemical process used to make high fructose corn syrup, the glucose and fructose -- which are naturally bound together -- become separated. This allows the fructose to mainline directly into your liver, which turns on a factory of fat production in your liver called lipogenesis.

This leads to fatty liver, the most common disease in America today, affecting 90 million Americans. This, in turn, leads to diabesity -- pre-diabetes and Type 2 diabetes. So, high fructose corn syrup is the real driver of the current epidemic of heart attacks, strokes, cancer, dementia, and of course, Type 2 diabetes.

HFCS contains dangerous chemicals and contaminants

Beside the ginormous load of pure fructose and sugar found in HCFS, as an added bonus, it contains other chemical toxins.  Chemical contaminants used during manufacturing end up in the HFCS and in our food.  What we know, for example, is that chloralkali is used in making high fructose corn syrup. Chloralkai contains mercury. And there are trace amounts of mercury found in high fructose corn syrup-containing beverages. Now, it may not be a problem if we eat this occasionally, but the average person in the country consumes more than 20 teaspoons a day of high fructose corn syrup and the average teenager has 34 teaspoons a day. Over time, these heavy metals can accumulate in the body, causing health problems.

Additionally, when we look at the chemical components of high fructose corn syrup on a spectrograph, we can see that it contains many weird chemicals that we know nothing about. That's why I say better safe than sorry.

Look out for the red flag

The main reason you should give up high fructose corn syrup is that it's a big red flag for very poor quality food. If you see this ingredient on a label, I guarantee you the food is processed junk. So, if high fructose corn syrup is anywhere on the label, put it back on the shelf. You should never eat this food.

If you want to stay healthy, lose weight easily, get rid of chronic disease, and help reduce the obesity epidemic, the single most important thing you can do is eliminate high fructose corn syrup from your diet and from your children's diet. Just banish it from your house.

Purge your kitchen

I challenge you to go into your kitchen right now, go in the cupboard and refrigerator, and look at every single label. And I want you to count how many products you have right now in your house that contain high fructose corn syrup. Then, I want you to get a big garbage bag and throw them out and find replacements that are free of it.

If you want to have some sugar, that's fine. Have a little sugar, but add it to your food yourself. Don't eat food made with added sugar. Cut the high fructose corn syrup from your life forever. You'll be healthier. Our planet will be healthier. And we'll have a healthier generation of children.

Wishing you health and happiness,

Mark Hyman, M.D.

Mark Hyman, MD

Practicing physician

Mark Hyman, MD is a practicing physician, founder of The UltraWellness Center, a six-time New York Times bestselling author, and an international leader in the field of Functional Medicine. You can follow him on Twitter, connect with him on LinkedIn, watch his videos on YouTube, become a fan on Facebook, and subscribe to his newsletter. 

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Five best foods for fighting depression

Reposted from NaturalNews | Wednesday, May 21, 2014 by: Aurora Geib

(NaturalNews) Depression is a cruel disease. It starts out as an unobtrusive emotion and, when left unattended, eventually becomes a life altering and sometimes even a life threatening condition. Judging from the many stories shared on the internet describing actual cases of depression, one thing seems to stand out - a certain lack of hope. This hopelessness is further compounded by the fact that it is accompanied by a helpless feeling and manifested through antisocial behavior that characterizes depressed people.

Aside form omega 3 fatty acid rich foods, below are some more examples of foods that can also have a beneficial effect on mood:

Turkey - This food contains tryptophan, an amino acid needed to produce serotonin, a brain chemical. It is a deficiency in serotonin production that is thought to cause depression, so increasing its production could possibly address symptoms. A study published in the online journal Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior shared that tryptophan can be used as an anti-depressant in mild to moderate cases of depression and there is evidence to support its ability to decrease aggression. Tryptophan is also found in meat, beans and eggs.

Vegetables, nuts and whole grains - This food group contains B vitamins: folic acid, B2, B6 and B12. In a study published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology, it was suggested that low levels of the B vitamin, folic acid and high levels of homocysteine, a high level protein, can likely produce depression. It was further suggested that increased doses of folic and vitamin B12 could potentially improve treatment outcome in depression.

Organic Potatoes, corn and rice grain - This food group is an example of complex carbohydrates which, when broken down, become glucose. Glucose fuels the brain, boosting cognitive performance and improving adeptness at tasks involving memory and attention. Avoid eating too much sugar, however, as it causes spikes in the blood sugar and aggravates symptoms of depression.

St. John's Wort - Although there is evidence to the effect that the effectiveness of St. John's Wort in treating serious cases of depression is more akin to placebo, there is also scientific evidence suggesting the herb's efficacy in dealing with milder forms of depression. This herb is widely prescribed in Europe for depression.

Despite the evidence suggesting that depression may be treated by diet, it is still not enough to build a tight case. For now, most doctors agree that proper medical care cannot be substituted by a depression diet or from food or dietary supplements. From the current medical viewpoint, psychotherapy and medication is still the most effective means of dealing with depression.

Sources for this article:

http://www.everydayhealth.com
http://www.nypost.com
http://www.nimh.nih.gov
http://www.emedicinehealth.com/depression/page3_em.htm
http://health.yahoo.net/rodale/PV/the-happiness-diet
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0091305701006700
http://www.wisegeek.com
http://nccam.nih.gov/health/stjohnswort/sjw-and-depression.htm

Coppen A. and Bolander-Gouaille, C., (2005) Treatment of depression: time to consider folic acid and vitamin B12. Journal of Psychopharmacology. 19(1):59-65. Retrieved May 7, 2012 from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15671130

Murray, B., (2000). Food for thought: Glucose is good for learning and memory. American Psychological Association. Vol. 31(3) retrieved May 7, 2012 from http://www.apa.org/monitor/mar00/brainbox3.aspxReposted from NaturalNews | Wednesday, May 21, 2014 by: Aurora Geib

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7 Most Common Genetically Modified Foods

Reposted May 2014 | Originally Posted: 12/03/2013 8:38 am By Caroline Young

Genetically modified material sounds a little bit like science fiction territory, but in reality, much of what we eat on a daily basis is a genetically modified organism (GMO). Whether or not these modified foods are actually healthy is still up for debate -- and many times, you don't even know that you are buying something genetically modified.

It is not required to label GMOs in the U.S. and Canada, but there are substantial restrictions, and even outright bans, on GMOs in many other countries.

However, by 2018, Whole Foods Market will start labeling GMOs in the U.S. This grocery chains' locations in Britain already provide GMO labeled products, as required by the European Union. According to the EU, GMO refers to plants and animals"in which the genetic material has been altered in a way that does not occur naturally by mating and/or natural recombination."

1) Corn
Almost 85 perecent of corn grown in the U.S. is genetically modified. Even Whole Foods's brand of corn flakes was found to contain genetically modified corn. Many producers modify corn and soy so they are resistant to the herbicide glyphosate, which is used to kill weeds.

2) Soy
Soy is the most heavily genetically modified food in the country. The largest U.S. producer of hybrid seeds for agriculture, Pioneer Hi-Bred International, created a genetically engineered soybean, which was approved in 2010. It is modified to have a high level of oleic acid, which is naturally found in olive oil. Oleic acid is a monounsaturated omega-9 fatty acid that may lower LDL cholesterol (traditionally thought of as "bad" cholesterol) when used to replace other fats.

3) Yellow Crookneck Squash and Zucchini
Numbers of this GMO veggie are relatively small, but genetically modified yellow squash and zucchini can be found in two different species in the U.S. The species contain protein genes that protect against viruses. Just like their other GMO counterparts, you won't be able to tell the difference between non-GMO and GMO zucchini or squash.

4) Alfalfa
Cultivation of genetically engineered alfalfa was approved in 2011, and consists of a gene that makes it resistant to the herbicide Roundup, allowing farmers to spray the chemical without damaging the alfalfa.

5) Canola
Canola is genetically engineered form was approved in 1996, and as of 2006, around 90 percent of U.S. canola crops are genetically modified.

6) Sugar Beets
A very controversial vegetable, sugar beets were approved in 2005, banned in 2010, then officially deregulated in 2012. Genetically modified sugar beets make up half of the U.S. sugar production, and 95 percent of the country's sugar beet market.

7) Milk
To increase the quantity of milk produced, cows are often given rBGH (recombinant bovine growth hormone), which is also banned in the European Union, as well as in Japan, Canada, New Zealand and Australia.

Looking Forward: Do GMO Apples Give Us A Glimpse Of The Future?
GMO apples are currently under review by the USDA, and have been since 2010, when the company Okanagan Specialty Fruits, Inc., developed apple varieties that don't turn brownfor an entire two weeks after slicing.

Polyphenol oxidase (PPO) is an enzyme that causes the browning of Golden Delicious and Granny Smith apples, and scientists are now able to deactivate the gene. Some studies do show stripping fruits of PPO can impact a plant's susceptibility to diseases. The creators say they simply want people to eat more apples and while activating this gene slows the process of browning, it's still a natural process.

It's clear that other parts of the world view GMOs as health threats, but it's still an ongoing debate here in America. For now, many GMOs have been deemed safe by organizations like the Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

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5 foods that can treat insomnia and improve sleep

Reposted from Natural News | Monday, May 19, 2014 by: Michael Ravensthorpe

According to the Stanford Center for Sleep Sciences and Medicine, nearly 1 in 10 adults in the United States suffers from insomnia. Although most of these people suffer from short-term insomnia, many of them also suffer from chronic insomnia (i.e., difficulty falling or staying asleep for more than six months). Such sleep deprivation can significantly decrease the quality of one’s life. While stress related to work and family remains the number one cause of insomnia, eating the wrong foods — such as those rich in sugar, caffeine, gluten or polyunsaturated fat — can also contribute to insomnia. Therefore, improving one’s diet is an important first step toward ending insomnia, especially if one favors foods that are known to improve sleep.

 

Five foods that aid sleep 

1.) Almonds – Almonds are one of the best foods for treating insomnia since they’re excellent sources of magnesium, which is a natural muscle relaxant and contains anti-stress properties. A study published in the Journal of Research in Medical Sciences in December 2012 found that magnesium supplementation could “improve subjective measures of insomnia, such as ISI score, sleep efficiency, sleep time and sleep onset latency, early morning awakening, and likewise, insomnia objective measures, such as concentration of serum renin, melatonin and serum cortisol, in elderly people.” 

2.) Cherries – Cherries and cherry products have often been linked to improved sleep. For example, a study published in the European Journal of Nutrition in December 2012 found that volunteers who consumed a tart cherry juice concentrate for seven days demonstrated “significantly elevated” total melatonin content in their urine compared to the control group. Consequently, the study group experienced improved sleep quality and efficiency. 

3.) Bananas – Many people are often surprised to find that bananas can aid sleep, since they’re well-known for boosting energy. Nonetheless, bananas are also rich in magnesium, potassium and tryptophan, which are the “magic trio” of sleep boosters. Tryptophan is especially effective in this regard since it is the precursor to the two neurotransmitters, serotonin and melatonin, which modulate sleep.

4.) Valerian – The root of the valerian plant, which is usually consumed in tea or tincture form, has been used as a sleeping aid since Ancient Greece and Rome. Moreover, its sedative and anxiolytic properties have been proven by numerous studies. For example, a 2011 study published in Menopause found that valerian extracts provided a “statistically significant” improvement in sleep quality among postmenopausal women suffering from insomnia. The study authors concluded that the “findings from this study add support to the reported effectiveness of valerian in the clinical management of insomnia.”

5.) Oatmeal — Although oatmeal is usually associated with breakfast, its nutritional composition — high in magnesium and potassium — also makes it a suitable evening food. Even the very nature of oatmeal (warm, soothing and soft) is indicative of sleep and calm. Moreover, oatmeal tends to be mixed with milk, which is one of the best-known relaxation drinks.

Sources for this article include:
http://stanfordhospital.org
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23853635
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22038497
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21775910

About the author:
Michael Ravensthorpe is an independent writer whose research interests include nutrition, alternative medicine, and bushcraft. He is the creator of the website, Spiritfoods, through which he promotes the world's healthiest foods.

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'Arrogance' of ignoring need for sleep

Reposted from BBC New Health | 12 May 2014 Last updated at 18:59 ET
By James Gallagher
Health and science reporter, BBC News



Society has become "supremely arrogant" in ignoring the importance of sleep, leading researchers have told the BBC's Day of the Body Clock.

Scientists from Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard, Manchester and Surrey universities warn cutting sleep is leading to "serious health problems".

They say people and governments need to take the problem seriously.

Cancer, heart disease, type-2 diabetes, infections and obesity have all been linked to reduced sleep.

The body clock drives huge changes in the human body.

It alters alertness, mood, physical strength and even the risk of a heart attack in a daily rhythm.

It stems from our evolutionary past when we were active in the day and resting at night.

But scientists have warned that modern life and 24-hour society mean many people are now "living against" their body clocks with damaging consequences for health and wellbeing.

Prof Russell Foster, at the University of Oxford, said people were getting between one and two hours less sleep a night than 60 years ago.

He said: "We are the supremely arrogant species; we feel we can abandon four billion years of evolution and ignore the fact that we have evolved under a light-dark cycle.

"What we do as a species, perhaps uniquely, is override the clock. And long-term acting against the clock can lead to serious health problems."

He says this is an issue affecting the whole of society, not just shift workers.

Prof Foster said that this was an acute problem in teenagers and he had met children who sleep by popping their parent's sleeping tablets in the evening and then downing three Red Bulls in the morning.

Blue LightEmerging evidence suggests modern technology is now keeping us up later into the night and cutting sleep."Light is the most powerful synchroniser of your internal biological clock," Prof Charles Czeisler, from Harvard University, told the BBC Day of the Body Clock.He said energy efficient light bulbs as well as smartphones, tablets and computers had high levels of light in the blue end of the spectrum which is "right in the sweet spot" for disrupting the body clock."Light exposure, especially short wavelength blue-ish light in the evening, will reset our circadian rhythms to a later hour, postponing the release of the sleep-promoting hormone melatonin and making it more difficult for us to get up in the morning."It's a big concern that we're being exposed to much more light, sleeping less and, as a consequence, may suffer from many chronic diseases."Continue reading the main story

Tips for living with your body clock

• Ask yourself are you getting enough sleep?

• If you need an alarm clock to wake up or are reliant on caffeinated drinks in the morning you need more sleep.

• Other signs include being irritable and impulsive, do you take risks while driving?

• Prof Russell Foster says people need to "look at lives and take a bit of control".

• Your last tea or coffee should not be beyond 1400 as the caffeine lingers in the body.

• Minimise light before bed and get a small light for the bathroom for brushing your teeth.

• Also stop doing things that grab your attention eg social media and gaming.

• Shift workers should have regular health checkups due to the risk of health problems.

'Need more sleep'

Life for the Griffiths family in Rhyl, north Wales, is nothing short of hectic.

Parents Steven and Sam share the same job in the ambulance service. One works 06:30-18:30 when the other comes into work 18:30-06:30.

Throw in a 16-year-old, a 12-year-old, kickboxing classes, cycling and the fact they work in Liverpool, which is an hour away, and there's not much free time in the day.

Steven says: "In a perfect world I'd rather have more sleep, but life now doesn't let you have that much sleep.

"The kids have activities, we want to exercise and you want to cram all of that in.

"I could do with more sleep."

Pioneering genetic research is now uncovering how living life against the clock is damaging our health.

About 10% of human DNA has a 24-hour pattern of activity, which is behind all the behavioural and physiological changes in the body.

But studies have shown rhythm can be disrupted by short sleep durations or shift work.

Dr Simon Archer, who conducted the studies at the University of Surrey, said there was a "large impact" on how the body ran.

"These are all fundamental biological pathways that can be underlying links to some of the negative health outcomes that we see such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity and potentially cancer in people who don't get enough sleep or do shift work," he said.

Experiments show people can become pre-diabetic after a few weeks of shift work.

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Dr Akhilesh Reddy, from the University of Cambridge, said the body clock influences every biological process in the human body and the health consequences of living against the clock were "pretty clear cut",particularly in breast cancer.

He said: "Try to live more rhythmically, in tune with the environment and not have too much bright light before bedtime because it will affect the clock and sleep."

Prof Andrew Loudon, from the University of Manchester, said: "The problems caused by living against the body clock may be less sexy than the countless 'this or that causes cancer stories' it is none-the-less a major problem for society."

"You might not notice any short-term changes in your health following circadian disruption, but over a long period of time, the consequences could be quite severe.

"Governments need to take this seriously, starting perhaps with reviewing the health consequences of shift work, and society and legislators needs to take this on board."

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Researchers Say, Gluten Sensitivity Doesn't Exist

Researchers Who Provided Key Evidence For Gluten Sensitivity, Have Now Thoroughly Shown That It Doesn't Exist 

Reposted from Business Insider | By JENNIFER WELSH | MAY 15, 2014, 3:37 PM

Suzanne Plunkett/Reuters

In one of the best examples of science working, a researcher who provided key evidence of (non-celiac disease) gluten sensitivity recently published follow-up papers that show the opposite.

The first follow-up paper came out last year in the journal Gastroenterology. Here's the backstory that makes us cheer:

The study was a follow up on a 2011 experiment in the lab of Peter Gibson at Monash University. The scientifically sound — but small — study found that gluten-containing diets can cause gastrointestinal distress in people without celiac disease, a well-known autoimmune disorder triggered by gluten.

They called this non-celiac gluten sensitivity.

Gluten is a protein composite found in wheat, barley, and other grains. It gives bread its chewiness and is often used as a meat substitute. If you've ever had "wheat meat," seitan, or mock duck at a Thai restaurant, that's gluten.

Gluten is a big industry: 30% of people want to eat less gluten. Sales of gluten-free products are estimated to hit $15 billion by 2016.

Although experts estimate that only 1% of Americans — about 3 million people — suffer from celiac disease, 18% of adults now buy gluten-free foods.

Since gluten is a protein found in any normal diet, Gibson was unsatisfied with his finding. He wanted to find out why the gluten seemed to be causing this reaction and if there could be something else going on. He therefore went to a scientifically rigorous extreme for his next experiment, a level not usually expected in nutrition studies.

For a follow-up paper, 37 self-identified gluten-sensitive patients were tested. According to Real Clear Science's Newton Blog, here's how the experiment went:

Subjects would be provided with every single meal for the duration of the trial. Any and all potential dietary triggers for gastrointestinal symptoms would be removed, including lactose (from milk products), certain preservatives like benzoates, propionate, sulfites, and nitrites, and fermentable, poorly absorbed short-chain carbohydrates, also known as FODMAPs. And last, but not least, nine days worth of urine and fecal matter would be collected. With this new study, Gibson wasn't messing around.

The subjects cycled through high-gluten, low-gluten, and no-gluten (placebo) diets, without knowing which diet plan they were on at any given time. In the end, all of the treatment diets — even the placebo diet — caused pain, bloating, nausea, and gas to a similar degree. It didn't matter if the diet contained gluten. (Read more about the study.)

"In contrast to our first study … we could find absolutely no specific response to gluten," Gibson wrote in the paper. A third, larger study published this month has confirmed the findings.

It seems to be a "nocebo" effect — the self-diagnosed gluten sensitive patients expected to feel worse on the study diets, so they did. They were also likely more attentive to their intestinal distress, since they had to monitor it for the study.

On top of that, these other potential dietary triggers — specifically the FODMAPS – could be causing what people have wrongly interpreted as gluten sensitivity. FODMAPS are frequently found in the same foods as gluten. That still doesn't explain why people in the study negatively reacted to diets that were free of all dietary triggers.

You can go ahead and smell your bread and eat it too. Science. It works.

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Food should be regulated like tobacco, say campaigners

The food industry should be regulated like the tobacco industry as obesity poses a greater global health risk than cigarettes, say international groups.

Reposted from Health reporter, BBC News

By Pippa Stephens

COMMENTS (937)

Rules could include a compulsory reduction of sugar, salt and fat in foods

Consumers International and the World Obesity Federation are calling for the adoption of more stringent rules.

These could include pictures on food packaging of damage caused by obesity, similar to those on cigarette packets.

The Food and Drink Federation said the food industry was working to make healthy options for consumers.

'Avoid' tobacco situation

The two organisations - CI and WOF - said governments around the world should impose compulsory rules for the food and drink industry.

They said global deaths due to obesity and being overweight rose from 2.6 million in 2005 to 3.4 million in 2010.

The new rules could include reducing the levels of salt, saturated fat and sugar in food, improving food served in hospitals and schools, imposing stricter advertising controls, and educating the public about healthy eating.

Artificial trans-fats should be removed from all food and drink products within five years, said the recommendations.

Advertising to children, during television programmes such as the X-Factor, must be restricted, said the organisations.

Governments could review food prices, introduce taxes, change licensing controls and start new research to make this happen, the report said.

Luke Upchurch at Consumers International said they were asking for the "same level of global treaty" as the tobacco industry faced.

He said stricter advertising controls could include pictures on food packaging of the damage obesity can cause, similar to the images of smoking-related disease on cigarette boxes.

The food industry body said it is trying to reduce the salt and fat in food

Will Brazil lead?

The two organisations - CI and WOF - said governments around the world should impose compulsory rules for the food and drink industry.

They said global deaths due to obesity and being overweight rose from 2.6 million in 2005 to 3.4 million in 2010.

The new rules could include reducing the levels of salt, saturated fat and sugar in food, improving food served in hospitals and schools, imposing stricter advertising controls, and educating the public about healthy eating.

Artificial trans-fats should be removed from all food and drink products within five years, said the recommendations.

Advertising to children, during television programmes such as the X-Factor, must be restricted, said the organisations.

Governments could review food prices, introduce taxes, change licensing controls and start new research to make this happen, the report said.

Luke Upchurch at Consumers International said they were asking for the "same level of global treaty" as the tobacco industry faced.

He said stricter advertising controls could include pictures on food packaging of the damage obesity can cause, similar to the images of smoking-related disease on cigarette boxes.

He said: "We want to avoid a situation like the 1960s, where the tobacco industry were saying there is nothing wrong with cigarettes, they are good for our health, and 30 or 40 years later millions have died.

"If we don't take action now, we are going to have the same intransigence and foot-dragging in the food industry."

He said the new rules would be at the "highest level" of global agreement, meaning governments would be "legally required" to implement them, instead of being able to opt out, which he said was the situation at the moment.

Mr Upchurch said he was confident about Brazil and Norway's support and that the UK government had "really good ideas".

Dr Ian Campbell, clinician and founder of the UK's National Obesity Forum, said: "This is very interesting and their recommendations are largely sensible and practical."

He said only when governments "accepted their responsibilities" and put consumers before producers "will we see real change".

Dr Campbell added: "One significant difference between tobacco regulation and food regulation is that we need food to survive; we don't need tobacco.

"The inescapable fact is obesity is killing on a massive scale and only action from governments to tackle head-on the fundamental causes of obesity will lead to any meaningful decreases."

Food industry's drive

Dr Tim Lobstein at the World Obesity Federation said: "If obesity was an infectious disease, we would have seen billions of dollars being invested in bringing it under control.

"But because obesity is largely caused by the overconsumption of fatty and sugary foods, we have seen policy-makers unwilling to take on the corporate interests who promote these foods."

He said governments needed to take "collective action".

Terry Jones, director of communications at the Food and Drink Federation, said UK food and drink manufacturers were "already" supporting improvements to public health through many of the measures outlined in the recommendations.

He said: "The industry's participation in the UK government's public health responsibility deal sees manufacturers working in partnership with government, health organisations, NGOs and other stakeholders."

My Jones said it was acting to reduce salt, saturated fat and calories in products, "provide clear nutritional labelling and to promote healthier diets and more physical activity".

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The rise of generation salad: How today's youngest consumers want more..

The rise of generation salad: How today's youngest consumers want more fresh ingredients and home-cooked meals 

Reposted May 16m 2014 | From The Daily Mail UK | PUBLISHED: 13:28 EST, 13 May 2014 | UPDATED: 15:53 EST, 13 May 2014

By MARGOT PEPPERS

• The youngest generation of consumers is known as Generation Z, and consists of everyone up to the age of 23
• Fresh food consumption is expected to increase more than 11 per cent in the next five years due to the eating habits of Generation Z, with salad consumption in particular on the rise
• Generation Z also exhibits a tendency to use stove tops for preparing meals, in contrast to Gen X consumers who are more convenience-centric and therefore more likely to prepare microwaveable meals

The rising generation, which is known as Generation Z, wants more healthy and fresh ingredients than the older portion of the population ever did.

According to a new report by market research group NPD, the youngest generation of consumers - which includes everyone up to the age of 23 - is more inclined to eat fresh greens and home-cooked meals than their predecessors, Generations Y and X.

This signals an overall trend toward healthier eating, says the report.

Generation salad: According to a new report by NPD market research group, Generation Z (everyone up to age 23) is more inclined to eat fresh ingredients and home-cooked meals than their predecessors

Fresh food consumption is expected to increase more than 11per cent in the next five years, due to the eating habits of Generation Z, with salad consumption in particular on the rise.

Also forecast to increase are the consumption of savory snacks and 'better-for-you' snack foods like dried fruit and granola bars, as well as sandwiches and breakfasts that require some cooking.

Indeed, Generation Z exhibits a tendency to use stove tops instead of microwaves for preparing meals.

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This is in contrast to Gen X consumers (considered as everyone between the ages of 38 and 48), who are more focused on convenience and therefore more likely to prepare microwaveable foods.

In fact, the rising generation tends to spend more time in general in the kitchen, meaning home-made breakfasts like omelets and French toast are set to overtake packaged cereals and oatmeal.

Enlarge 

Trends: Also forecast to increase are the consumption of savory snacks and 'better-for-you' snack foods like dried fruit and granola bars, as well as sandwiches and breakfasts that require some cooking

Enlarge 

Involved: Darren Seifer, NPD food and beverage industry analyst, says Gen Z 'wants to have a hand in the production of the food so that when it hits the plate they can say that they were part of the project'

Darren Seifer, NPD food and beverage industry analyst, pointed out on his blog that it may seem counter-intuitive that the younger generation - which is typically time-pressed - is spending more time in the kitchen.

But he explains the logic behind it, writing: 'There seems to be a need to have their say or approval on the final product. 

'It's almost as if they want to have a hand in the production of the food so that when it hits the plate they can say that they were part of the project.'

Changing habits: Fresh food consumption is expected to increase more than 11 per cent in the next five years, and the consumption of convenient microwaveable meals will decrease

He added that younger consumers are increasingly using additives - i.e. putting fruits or syrups on their foods - for the same reason, to feel more involved in the overall process.

Judging by growing food trends, having what is typically considered a side dish as a main meal is another eating habit that will continue to become more popular.

And with Hispanics making up a large percentage of Millennials as well as Gen Z, the NPD group expects the consumption of Latino foods to grow by seven per cent in the next five years.

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In Health, 

The Naturally Botanicals Team

www.naturallybotanicals.com