Chemicals in Food Can Make You Fat

(CBS)  It used to be that diets meant cutting down on the fat and calories, more exercise, more fish in the diet, more fruits and vegetables. That was a healthy diet 50 years ago.

Has human anatomy changed? No, but food has changed a lot. Foods that were healthy 50 years ago may not necessarily be healthy in 2010.

Today, according to Stephen Perrine, author of "New American Diet," we have all sorts of chemicals in our foods, pesticides, growth hormones, antibiotics, and plastic pollutants, to name a few. He says they aren't good for the environment, they aren't good for our bodies, and they also cause you to be overweight.

Perrine says certain toxins in your food can contribute to weight issues and obesity. The chemicals that disrupt the function of our hormonal system are called obesogens. Obesogens can cause heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and high cholesterol. These chemicals are found in many of the most popular foods we eat and enter our body through a variety of sources: natural compounds found in soy products, artificial hormones fed to the animals we consume, plastic pollutants in some food packaging, chemicals added to processed foods, and pesticides sprayed on our produce.

Perrine told "Early Show" co-anchor Harry Smith that only recently the American Medical Association has come out in support of the idea that these obesogens play a significant role in our national obesity crisis.

Perrine's book, "New American Diet," addresses this correlation, and gives guidelines on how you can change your diet to eliminate obesogens. In interviewing test subjects who tried the New American Diet, Perrine said, people reported an average weight loss of 15 pounds over two weeks.

But where can we find these obesogens? What are some foods that are the worst offenders? Perrine took a look at some basic obesogens and examined where they can be found in foods:

Where do you find "obesogens"?

In your fridge: pesticides and PCBs
• The Dirty Dozen: Non organic peaches, apples, sweet bell peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, kale, lettuce, imported grapes, carrots, pears
• Unsustainable fish: farm-raised salmon
• Corn/soy-fed beef and chicken

In your pantry: plastic compounds (in particular BPA)
• Lining of canned foods such as canned tuna, soup, beans and tomatoes
• Lining of canned beverages such as energy drinks, baby formula
• Sports drink bottles

NOTE: We produce six billion pounds of the obesogen BPA every year and it's detectable in 93 percent of Americans.

PLASTIC POLLUTANTS:
Detectable in 75 percent of Americans, phthalates are plastic softeners that mimic estrogen. They're found in the lining of canned foods and beverages, sports drink bottles, and pesticides. We create about one billion pounds of phthalates a year worldwide, and they leach easily into our blood, urine, saliva, etc. We produce six billion pounds of the obesogen BPA (bisphenol A, an organic compound used to make plastic) every year, and it's detectable in 93 percent of Americans. BPA leaching occurs from food and drink packaging, cans, and bottle tops.

TAKE TUNA FOR EXAMPLE:
Canned tuna is one of the most BPA-heavy foods out there. BPA is an ingredient in the lining of cans that leaches into foods and interferes with the hormones that tell your body when it's full. In fact, if you empty out a can of tuna, wash it out and run your finger along the side, you can feel the plastics. Those can be really dangerous for someone on a diet. The easiest fix is simply swapping out canned tuna for tuna pouches.

ARTIFICAL HORMONES:
A study in the International Journal of Obesity from researchers at 10 different universities, including Yale University School of Medicine and Johns Hopkins Unversity, found that the use of steroid hormones in meat production and on conventional dairy farms could be a possible contributor to the obesity epidemic.

Consumption of meat from cattle treated with hormones, means you are taking them in, too. Naturally-occurring horomones, such as estrogen, progesterone and testosterone are being pumped into our cattle. In addition, trenbolone acetate or TBA is also givent to cattle to "beef them up." TBA is an anabolic steroid that's eight to 10 times as potent as testosterone. That means if your cattle has it, your meat has it, and you then have it.

Also, when you are picking meats, keep this in mind: A lot of obesogens are fat soluable, so they accumulate in fatty tissues. So pick leaner cuts if you can, 95 percent lean beef for example. But the best advice is to go organic, free range, grass-fed beef. Check the labels, as there are several grades of organic foods.

LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT STEAK:
Because conventionally-raised beef are fed corn and soy (an obesogen) and injected with six different steroids (all obesogens), the typical conventional steak has seven and a half times as much fat as a steak normally should have.

Those obesogens -- and the fat they create -- go into your body when you eat the steak. But order a grass-fed steak, and you'll avoid all that fat and those obesogens.

ANTIBIOTICS/SOY-FED:
Antibiotics are often given to chicken and fish to promote growth and keep them healthy, as they are often kept in tight pens with one another. Antibiotics are an obesogen. As is soy, and soy is a great protein-rich way to feed chickens, beef and fish cheaply, but it's not what these animals were bred to eat. This means they need more antibiotics to keep healthy.

TAKE A LOOK AT SALMON:
Because farmed salmon are fed a mix of soy (an obesogen) and fish meal, their flesh is naturally white, not pink. And because they are farmed in enclosed pens, they are fed antibiotics (an obesogen) as well. To create that healthy pink salmon color, farmers use pellets that come loaded with pink dye, and use a "Salmo-fan" or "Salmo-ruler" -- a paint fan for choosing the desired color of salmon flesh. Farmed salmon are up to 10 times higher in pesticides like PCBs as wild salmon.

PESTICIDES:
The average American is exposed to 10 to 13 different pesticides through food, beverages and drinking water every day. And nine of the 10 most common pesticides are endocrine-disrupting, which have been linked to weight gain. While pesticides chemicals have a number of different effects on our bodies, one of the scariest is that they mimic estrogen; it's like giving us a shot of female hormones, which undermines our ability to build lean muscle and promotes fat storage.

But according to a recent study in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, eating the right fruits and vegetables and avoiding the most contaminated ones, for just five days can reduce circulating pesticide based obesogens to undetectable or near undetectable levels.

LOOKING AT FRUIT:
An apple a day may keep the doctor away, but not if that apple contains high levels of pesticides and obesogens. The most dangerous fruits are apple, pears, peaches, imported grapes and strawberries. We urge you to buy organic when buying those fruits. Oranges, grapefruit, kiwi, bananas, pineapple, mango, and watermelon are safe for conventional diets.

For more information about the New American Diet, click here.

[Kierstal]

"The most dangerous fruits are apple, pears, peaches, imported grapes and strawberries." You say this, but neglect to say -why- they are more dangerous than the other fruits you mention

The reason is, the skins of these fruits are commonly eaten, rather than peeled, whereas with fruits like watermelon and oranges, only the insides are eaten, not the rind, where topical pesticides don't usually touch. So if you prefer not to buy organic apples for whatever reason, take the extra time to peel it, since whatever pesticides used on them are probably designed to not wash off easily in the rain, it stands to reason your sink faucet wouldn't do the job either.

[tracylynnlove]

I am a Bachelors prepared Registered Nurse and have spent over ten years at the bedside of critically ill patients at various Intensive Care Units in the Pacific Northwest. Currently, I am the Director of Clinical Research for a busy cardiology group in Spokane, WA. One of my responsibilities is to ensure the safety and efficacy of the latest pharmaceutical and medical technologies available to patients suffering from acute and chronic illness.

With that, one of the most effective things I do to improve people's health is to share the benefits of nutritional cleansing and replenishing. In addition to my full time job, I am a Personal Health and Wellness Coach for Isagenix, the largest health and wellness company in the world. Isagenix offers an array of organic, 'no-compromise' products that are known for their ability to safely and naturally boost energy and burn fat all while helping to build a strong, lean, healthy body.

Check out my website www.tracylynnlove.isagenix.com for more information and feel free to contact me via my website for a consult!

[d_obama]

Nice discussion. I faced same problem. Then I purchased an e-book.
This book is very impressive, I am very happy as I lost lots of weight within a month, and I want you to try this, trust me, this book going to rock.


visit:-http://carnproofwebproducts.com/Weight_Loss_Action/

[The_Cleanse_Zone]

Obesogen is the new buzz word we need to be aware of. It's true it's not just about cutting and counting calories anymore. We must be aware of what we eat, how it is packaged and how it was grown. Then try and level the playing field by cleasing....

[emh1701]

So what if you cannot afford to buy organic? I mean seriously, that kind of food is out of price range for many people.

[satwood111]

I make up for the money I spend on organic just by eliminating junk groceries and rationing food better, i.e., eating less. That said, just by cutting out the poison in my diet, I lose weight on 2300 calories per day. Before, when I was only counting calories, I couldn't eat more than 1600, or I would gain weight. I went semi-vegitarian when I watched Food, Inc. and decided I didn't want to ingest all that bad karma. I vowed only to eat meat that was grass fed and free range. Even then, meat is not the main course. I found Applegate Farms hot dogs. They were $3 more per pack than Oscar Meyer, but they tasted like heaven!! And really, what's $3? Especially when it comes to your family's health. We know we cannot trust the Government or corporations when it comes to our health. Its up to us. Chickens are fed hormones to give them more white breast meat because that is what we as consumers demand. If change our demands, they will change their practices. Also, many staples can be cheap like brown rice and beans. A $5.00 McDonalds meal could have bought enough brown rice to eat for a week. Its all about choices.

[sturtium]

mcs217, I agree with you that it's difficult to know who to trust. (Why is the FDA allowing food to producers to poison us?!)

We should be able to go into a grocery store and be able to pick up healthy, safe, nutritious food without having advanced degrees in nutrition, food science, agriculture, packaging, plastic manufacturing, chemistry, etc.

I don't know anything about obesogens, but I think I can address some of your questions. First, if a food is certified organic, the farmer did not use chemical fertilizers or pesticides. Healthy soil is full of nutrients, and organic farmers add even more nutrients with natural materials such as plant matter and aged manure. So no, they don't use "fertilizers" (man-made chemicals) on organic produce.

Also, you're right that "grass-fed" doesn't mean hormone free. So you have to read the labels. Or - even better - (and I don't know where you live) get to know some local, small-scale meat producers. They will gladly show you around and tell you how your food is raised. On the other hand, the industrial, large-scale producers will not welcome you in and show you around because they don't want you to see the horrible conditions the animals are living in.)

CBS, I'm glad to see that you're doing several stories on food safety, and hope you continue to do it. I hope there's sound science, though, that backs this one up. If not, it could backfire and a lot of people (not me, of course) could dismiss the whole idea of toxins in our food as being another nutjob idea from the liberal media. Thank you, though, for helping people sort out this information.

[barbaram99]

I went to a blind meeting the other day and no I am not alone..Yet I get sick of the able bodied who think they are miss know it all. I met a 90 year old lady blind who feels useless. I have never asked any one pity..Never.. I live on a tiny check. I was never taught to cook . Bet there the young that spent their time with a ipod in their ears.Spend time playing games that are combat in nature. There them too lazy to get out of the car and walk.Have ye learnt from a senior.
I am on other sites..I think the gleed hurts all but the rich..

[mcs217]

Who was that guy and where did he get his information. Does he think that they don't use fertilizers on organic produce? And grass fed beef is leaner, but not all of it is hormone free--there are plenty of corn finished hormone free cattle. 'Grass fed' doesn't necessarily mean they are happy cows out in a pasture--most are still 'finished on a grain diet(just no corn).

I'm all for eating healthy but who to trust?? For instance, if you are a Vegan it doesn't mean you are an expert on anything!

[SunDog8259]

Well in a note I just received: Know your plastics. Plastic items are marked with a resin identification coding system (the number surrounded by arrows), which stand for:
1 polyethyelene terephthalate (PETE)
2 high-density polyethylene (HDPE)
3 vinyl, polyvinyl chloride (PVC)
4 low-density polyethylene (LDPE)
5 polypropylene (PP)
6 polystyrene (PS)
7 other (includes polycarbonate, acrylic, polylactic acid, fiberglass.

Avoid deli-wrap and similar generic packaging since you can?t ascertain the plastic type used. When sliced cheese and meats are sold in plastic bags and/or plastic deli wrap, transfer them as soon as possible to unbleached wax paper or a safe container.

[SunDog8259]

I wonder if BPA is a main ingredient in that horrid plasticy soft & smelly "Deli Wrap" they bundle up cheese, meats and vegetables in all of our supermarkets these days. If I buy cheese from the Deli wrapped in that stuff instead of say waxed paper, I find it stinks to high heaven when I unwrap it -- I am not a smoker so maybe I just notice it more? I have complained to the markets to no avail. I just cut off all the outside layers of cheese and toss it in the garbage, the dog will not even touch it! I then air out the rest of the cheese for a couple of days until it becomes eatable. Anyone else notice this or am I just going nuts?