:.Food Advertising Affecting the Children of Today?

Food industries in our society today have changed quite drastically from the way that they used to be. One major reason was by switching their target from the population as a whole to particularly the young minds of children. An entire industry practically arose just to mold the young minds of children to crave the products that these companies were advertising and selling. By doing so, the parents were cast the role of "financier" of these newly fabricated wants.
One recent example of this new technique can be found in the advertising done by General Mills Incorporated. Their commercials, targeted at children, involving the sugary, delicious, yet extremely unhealthy breakfast cereals reel kids in every time that the bright colors flash on their TV screens. The General Mills company is soon planning to launch a new campaign that concerns the health benefits of eating breakfast cereals. This advertising attempt involves the debate over who's responsible for the nation's obesity epidemic, especially in children. Criticism due to the heavy marketing to children by General Mills, Kraft, and other food companies prompted Kraft to stop advertising some of its sweetest cereals to kids. However, General Mills has the completely opposite viewpoint on the subject. They believe that by playing up the benefits through ads on popular children's programs this can portray itself as part of the problem. But which side is the "right" side of the argument? Which viewpoint do you agree with?

:. Pepsi.... Or Coke?.

There has always been controversy about which soda beverage company is the better choice. Pepsi has beverages such as Pepsi, Mt. Dew, Sierra Mist, and Dr. Pepper. I happen to love all of these drinks except the actual Pepsi. Id prefer Coke instead of Pepsi. Coke, Sprite, and Fanta are the only Coke product I actually like in the soda aspect of the product debate. But Coke also makes a beverage called vitamin water which is nutricious, good, and has many different flavors.

Let me know your opinion on this ongoing debte about Coke vs Pepsi!

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.circusicecream.com/images/WebSite_037.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.circusicecream.com/Candy.html&h=1728&w=2304&sz=748&tbnid=Z0ku06WUGZP0nM:&tbnh=113&tbnw=150&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dpepsi%2Bproducts&zoom=1&q=pepsi+products&usg=__5iik-xKgXNogJWzrY5S4QGOISyk=&sa=X&ei=6G_-TOT7N6aNnAfCtpneCw&ved=0CEgQ9QEwBQ

http://www.sodahead.com/living/coke-or-pepsi/question-329279/?link=ibaf&imgurl=http://www.fabulousfingerfood.com.au/images/drinks_soft.gif&q=coke%2Bproducts

:. Choose Water over Soda!

I have been a soda addict since I was in my childhood. Soda producers like Coke, Pepsi, and companies of that nature provide a caffeine, carbonized based, sugar enhanced killing liquids that are bad for peoples health.
Carbonated beverages make you awake and stimulated at first, but you soon decline into a crash. The crash comes quicker and quicker until eventually it makes you just feel sluggish after drinking it. Soda contains more sugar than any person ever needs in one serving.
Some companies even use the phrase "diet" drinks and fool you into thinking that they aren't using sugar when really they are using NutraSweet or a product of that sort that has been proven to give people cancer.
Water is the better alternative. It is everywhere. And the best part is that it is 100% FREE! You can get it for FREE at any local water fountain which most every building in this nation provides. And it is in most local sinks in ones home! Wow, imagine this amazing opportunity to save so much money if you are an usual soda consumer! Being free isn't even the best part! The best part is that it is also healthy for you. :)
Make the switch today!
Drink more water, and save money.
--Foodasaurus

:. Healthy Foods Under A Dollar?! Hells YEAH!

Believe it or not, there are many foods that you can by that are less than one dollar. Yes, I said less than one dollar!
Apples are one of these cheap foods that are very healthy for you. And they usually cost from 40 cents to 80 cents each.
An apple is a great snack you can enjoy with caramel, a salad, or pretty much anything for that matter.
Another great food that is, again, less than a dollar is a banana.
A banana cost about 45 cents and contains 121 calories, 3.5 grams of fiber, 14% your daily value for potassium, and 20% your daily value in vitamin C.
Oranges at the insane price of 40 cents, contain a daily value of vitamin C of 200%.
Other foods such as a bag of baby carrots, pears, yogert, canned beans, and canned tomatos all cost under a dollar and give people nutrition will having good flavor.
All of these foods are alternate choices for the unhealthy dollar foods such as the junior bacon cheese burger, crispy chicken sandwich, the mcdouble, and a five piece chicken nuggets that you can buy from many fast food places. So next time, hit up a grocery store instead and get a couple bananas, apples, or whatever else healthier you can find.
http://www.webmd.com/diet/guide/10-healthy-foods-under-1-dollar

Want to live LONGER?

Living longer focuses strongly on what a person consumes on a daily basis. A food that people should consider eating more is broccoli. Broccoli contains sulforaphane that fights off free radicals and eliminate the body of toxins that cause heart disease, aging, and cancer. Lycopene, that is contained most vegetables that are red, helps to reduce risk of disease and aging as well in recent studies. Vegetables which contain vitamin A boost a persons vision, healthy skin, and reduces some cancers. Generally fruits and vegetables are the main food groups in which contribute to living a longer healthier life. Buying organic makes the fruits and vegetables even higher in their concentration of sulforaphane, lycopene, and vitamin A. (http://ezinearticles.com/?These-Everyday-Foods-Can-Help-You-Live-Longer-And-Healthier&id=418556)

Well.. Guess I can't buy my chicken nuggets anymore..

Ice Cream? Nope, this image shows what mechanically separated chicken looks like. Mass chicken producing companies do this to remove all of the bones from the chicken meat easier. This sludgy looking substance is what our precious chicken nuggets are. Disgusting. It makes me never want to eat a delicious chicken nugget ever again. This method does not seem healthy for people to eat at all. But is it? People would be much better off not getting chicken nuggets. Doing this process for meat has been banned because the spinal and brain tissue can not be processed out by these machines so the meat would contain mad cow disease. Chicken is the only processed food that is allowed to be made through these machines. The FSIS said that this process was safe for the making of chicken. The process acts as a cheaper way for companies to produce this meat that so many Americans intake everyday.
Please comment on this issue and let me know how you feel about our chicken being made like this.

:. Obesity

I look at obesity as an issue that I find to be sad but fixable. I feel that being obese is harder than being fit. I have never had a problem with weight because I played sports all my life and work out on a daily basis. Some people might tell you, well kids these days are lazy because their parents do not influence them to go out and be active, but I on the other hand played sports because of my own choosing. Everyone has the ability to make their own decisions no matter what their influences are. My actions never really pretained to what someone else was doing. Obesity can be prevented. Fast food chains appear pretty much in every town in America, but people have the choice to not be lazy and find better food than what is offered from those companies. Arkansas is ranked number eight on the list of the most obese states in America. There are fifty states, so I find this pretty sad that the state I was born and raised in is in the top ten most obese. Maybe if there were some restritions on fast food, and some law standards of how much physical activity a person needs to live a healthy live, then America would not be ranked number one out of the whole world having the most obese people.

- Please comment :D

:. Pesticides in our food*

For many years now, farmers have been using pesticides or also known as insecticides to help kill bugs and other animals so that they do not destroy their crops. Pesticides are the most extensively used chemicals in the world today. They are also one of the most hazardous of chemicals to human beings. Even though these chemicals work in the fight for farmers to keep bugs from killing their crops, these chemicals also do more than what they are intended to do. These chemicals get absorbed into the foods we eat to where we can't just wash them off for them to be alright. Pesticides that get absorbed into foods have killed thousands of people in the long run due to the chemicals toxicity to humans. Before my generation was born, pesticides were not used as much as they are today. People naturally grew their crops and the only thing you had to do to them was wash them off. There also was the chance of bugs in the crop, but I believe that is a lot less harmful than a pesticide that is going to kill you. Don't you think so? I think scientist should come up with a better way for farmers to keep their crops safe from bugs and other things without killing people in the process. I rather get my nutrition with a chance of a little dirt or bugs than die for a little vitamin C.
I would like to hear others opinions. Please Comment.

Picture copyright 2008 The Corporation

:. Organic Food

The majority of Americans only eat regular processed food. Over half of us do not think about healthier options. Most of the American people just think of food that sounds "good" or convenient at the time. Organic foods are a much healthier alternative to these fat and salty processed foods. Organic foods most of the time do not obtain GMOs. GMOs have been proven harmful to animals in many situations. Organic foods sometimes cost a little more than the unhealthy foods that people are inclined to buy but over all will help people live longer and healthier lifes. More people in recent years have made the switch to organic foods because of studies people have done proving that regular processed foods are unhealthier than these new organics. I am still puzzled on things such as: Why have all people not switched to organics when the facts of living longer are proven? What is keeping the food industries from switching completely to organics?
I would love to hear others thoughts on this matter.
Please Comment!

:. GMOs *

I am a student at the University of Central Arkansas. I am interested in the ongoing topic of GMOs. The abbreviation "GMO" means genetically modified organism. GMOs are and have been an issue for some time now. Around six years Americans have been consuming GMOs. GMOs are very controversial because of the fear of the unknown side affects they might have on people. Many articles I have researched contain the good and bad about GMOs. The good include benefits such as making crops have longer fresh taste and easier shipping by the crops lasting longer. Some of the bad are things that are badly affecting Americans such as obesity because the FDA did not tell us about some of these GMOs being put into our food (http://www.relfe.com/GMOs.html). How does someone not need to know about what one eats? I think everyone deserves the right to know if GMOs are in their food because they could possibly be the source of obesity or diabetes. GMOs were also proven to reduce the life span of some animals, and increase allergies of some humans (http://www.relfe.com/GMOs.html) I want to know about others opinions on this matter! Please comment.