Corruption

My mom saved an article for me that she found in the Deseret News. She knew I'd like it. I do.....but I also hate it. It reminds me again that I am a little tiny black ant in a HUGE sea of bigger ants with only a teeny tiny voice. (do they even have voices?) But also, ants are strong. They can lift 20 times their body weight. They can do impressive things.
Time to get educated people. There is a little bit of corruption going on in our government...in case you didn't know. And guess what it has to do with???? CHEESE. Cheese, billions of dollars, the USDA, a little corporation known as Dairy Management that the government created in 1995, a little conflict of interest going on....and a WHOLE LOT OF CORRUPTION.

The article in the deseret news did not publish the whole story....but oh...I found it all. Read it here. Please read it, or at least read the highlights I've listed at the bottom of this post. We need to be aware of what is going on. If we all could lift 20 times our weight, stuff like this would not be tolerated. Corporations like Dairy Management would not be tolerated. NEVER. We live in America people. Remember our constitution...We the people.....secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity. I can guarantee you that when our forefathers gathered together more than 200 years ago-they in no way would have ever dreamed that there would be such a department called the USDA who has a healthy diet department that warns The People about our obesity rates (with a budget of $6.5 million) and yet has another department just across the hall who pays their chief executive $633,475 (in 2008 according to federal tax filings) to help market and sell more cheese. (with a budget of $136 million.) Did you hear me? Don't you think we have this a little backwards??? Those numbers should be swapped if you ask me. NO..really they should be eliminated. What is this world coming to? This is where I google: How to calm myself down. (I actually had to google that for real one time. This was my favorite advice: Repeat in your head....Life is crazy, but I am calm!! I LOVE it! That was when we lost our job and had a baby on the way...you would've googled that too!)

I can't do it alone, I'm just a little tiny ant with a little tiny voice. I need a colony!

Thomas Jefferson once said when writing the Decleration of Independence:
"Believe me, dear Sir: there is not in the British empire a man who more cordially loves a union with Great Britain than I do. But, by the God that made me, I will cease to exist before I yield to a connection on such terms as the British Parliament propose; and in this, I think I speak the sentiments of America."

I, like Thomas Jefferson, would like to express how much I love my country. God Bless America. But, by the God that made me, I will cease to exist before I let these terms that the government is proposing go on anymore. America is better than this. We owe it to our posterity to start carrying a little more than our own body weight....start educating yourself and everyone around you. Please.

I will post some things I find interesting just in case you don't have time to read the whole article. But please do, and picture yourself as Julia Roberts (or Denzel Washington if you happen to be a man) and pretend you are on the Pelican Brief, and you are a law student, and you are finding out all this secret information and you will bust everyones butts and there is really pretty music on. It will make you feel better, because I promise this stuff will make you ticked.

Article Highlights:


****Dairy Management, which has made cheese its cause (and funded a $12 million marketing campaign to sell Dominos 40% more cheese pizzas), is not a private business consultant. It is a marketing creation of the United States Department of Agriculture — the same agency at the center of a federal anti-obesity drive that discourages over-consumption of some of the very foods Dairy Management is vigorously promoting.

****When Michelle Obama implored restauranteurs in September to help fight obesity, she cited the proliferation of cheeseburgers and macaroni and cheese. “I want to challenge every restaurant to offer healthy menu options,” she told the National Restaurant Association’s annual meeting.

But in a series of confidential agreements approved by agriculture secretaries in both the Bush and Obama administrations, Dairy Management has worked with restaurants to expand their menus with cheese-laden products.

****Dairy Management, whose annual budget approaches $140 million, is largely financed by a government-mandated fee on the dairy industry. But it also receives several million dollars a year from the Agriculture Department, which appoints some of its board members, approves its marketing campaigns and major contracts and periodically reports to Congress on its work.

The organization’s activities, revealed through interviews and records, provide a stark example of inherent conflicts in the Agriculture Department’s historical roles as both marketer of agriculture products and America’s nutrition police.

****In 1995, the government created Dairy Management Inc., a nonprofit corporation that has defined its mission as increasing dairy consumption by “offering the products consumers want, where and when they want them.”

Dairy Management, through the “Got Milk?” campaign, has been successful at slowing the decline in milk consumption, particularly focusing on schoolchildren. It has also relentlessly marketed cheese and pushed back against the Agriculture Department’s suggestion that people eat only low-fat or fat-free varieties.


****The department (USDA) issued nutritional hints in a brochure titled “Steps To A Healthier You!” It instructs pizza lovers: “Ask for whole wheat crust and half the cheese” — even as Dairy Management has worked with pizza chains like Domino’s to increase cheese.

****Dairy Management runs the largest of 18 Agriculture Department programs that market beef, pork, potatoes and other commodities. Their budgets are largely paid by levies imposed on farmers, but Dairy Management, which reported expenditures of $136 million last year, also received $5.3 million that year from the Agriculture Department to promote dairy sales overseas.

By comparison, the department’s Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, which promotes healthy diets, has a total budget of $6.5 million. (Where's all the commercials for eating broccoli and apples??--oh wait there's no money for that...we're supposed to have that common sense..or just eat more cheese!!!!)

**** Although by law the secretary of agriculture approves Dairy Management’s contracts and advertising campaigns, the organization has become a full-blown company with 162 employees skilled in product development and marketing. It also includes the National Dairy Council, a 95-year-old group that acts as its research and communications arm.

****Dairy Management’s longtime chief executive, Thomas P. Gallagher, received $633,475 in compensation in 2008, with first-class travel privileges, according to federal tax filings. (Mr. Gallagher declined to be interviewed for this article)

****In 2005 when milk consumption was on the decline, Dairy Management developed a new marketing strategy: "Great news for dieters,” Dairy Management said in an advertisement in People magazine in 2005. “Clinical studies show that people on a reduced-calorie diet who consume three servings of milk, cheese or yogurt each day can lose significantly more weight and more body fat than those who just cut calories.”
By the way....that STILL has not been proven.....BUT....

****Meanwhile, Dairy Management, which allotted $12.4 million for nutrition research in 2008, has moved on to finance studies on promising opportunities, including the promotion of chocolate milk as a sports recovery drink and the use of cheese to entice children into eating healthy foods like string beans.


I'm not against cheese, or milk for that matter. But be aware of all the behind the scenes work to market it into our brains. Marketing is powerful.

Eat Clean and Keep it Real. Everything in moderation. Including this post....a little too much. Go calm yourself down. Repeat after me....Life is crazy, but I am calm. Life is crazy, but I am NOT!

THE DREADED POST

Oh....the dreaded post. I realize that what I am about to tell you will change your life...and I'm so sorry to have to be the bearer of bad news. But ignorance is not bliss in this case.
A couple years ago I read this book. It freaked (major emphasis on the word freaked) me out. It still haunts me. I do not recommend reading it. I wish someone could have warned me. Their whole tactic is to scare you into losing weight. They also believe in a vegan diet, which I do not...and I'll tell you why in another post. But, I did not eat any dairy or beef or poultry for a very very long time after reading that book...mostly because of the graphic images in my head regarding them. Other than those images that I'm super pissed about, I learned some very interesting things. It totally changed my whole opinion on.....drum roll.....milk.







The things I'm about to tell you might really upset you. When I discovered these things....i got the boyfriend- cheating -on -you feeling. I took a long break and then I started doing more research on milk, to make sure what I read was true. It was. Let me educate you. But I'll preface with this: I am not trying to put dairy farmers out of business or have a government bashing party, my only objective here is to educate.

Milk is the most consumed product in America. We grew up on it, I have probably had milk almost everyday. Cereal and milk are probably the #1 breakfast choice. Milk and cookies...everyones favorite....right?? That's why this is so hard...because milk has become a staple in our diets. Why? Well...it does a body good...right? It's the #1 source for calcium and vitamin D right?? Who hasn't heard...drink your milk so you can have strong bones and teeth??? The dairy industry spends millions of dollars just in advertisements every year. In 1996, they spent a whopping $216 million dollars. No wonder it’s embedded in our brains. Okay great, so they do a lot of advertising, smart, really. I mean it works, right?! Watch this.
Well, strap yourself down, cause it's about to get crazy. This is what gets me really pissed…..
The dairy industry spends about $5 million dollars a year on lobbyists and political candidates…including campaign money on certain government officials (US Senator for NV..Harry Reid—contributed $130,000 to his campaign)
In 2009, OUR government gave the dairy industry more than a billion dollars in subsidies. Don’t believe me, here’s the proof:
Okay, now I am pissed, but I’m about to get irate. We’ve been freaking lied to. Remember the food pyramid that you saw over and over and over in grade school and health class…..Yeah, get this... In 1999, the PCRM (Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine) filed a lawsuit against the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) claiming they promote the meat and dairy industry through their Dietary Guidelines and Food Pyramid. The PCRM won in December of 2000. Prior to the lawsuit the USDA refused to disclose such conflicts of interest to the general public. The USDA has a US Dietary Guideline Advisory committee made up of 11 members. SIX of those have financial ties to the meat, dairy, and egg industry.
The only reason that the official government food pyramid features dairy so prominently is because the USDA wants to promote the dairy industry.

I decided to take a look at the US Dietary Guideline Advisory Committee's newly issued (as of June 15th, 2010) Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Here’s what they had to say about milk. If I could enter swearwords, I would. Here’s the link, if you want to read the complete report:

http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/DGAs2010-DGACReport.htm


Currently, many children and adults are not consuming adequate amounts of milk and milk products. (do you mean calcium, protein, Vitamin A & D, magnesium and potassium?) NHANES 2005-2006 reported that the mean consumption of calcium does not meet the recommended Dietary Reference Intakes for any age group older than age 12. Research since 2004 shows that the under-consumption of milk and milk products may lead to an increase in cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, as well as an increased risk for poor bone health and related diseases.
Consumption of the recommended daily amounts of low-fat or fat-free milk and milk products (2 cups for children ages 2 to 8 years, 3 cups for those ages 9 years and older) should be promoted. (yet, low-fat and fat-free are hardest for our bodies to digest.)
It is especially important to establish milk drinking in young children, as those who consume milk as children are more likely to do so as adults. Those who choose not to consume milk and milk products should include other foods in the diet that contain the nutrients provided by the milk and milk products group, protein, calcium, potassium, magnesium, Vitamin D, and Vitamin A.
……
In addition to providing protein, milk and milk products are a source of many important nutrients, including calcium, potassium, magnesium, vitamin D, and vitamin A (DGAC, 2005; p. 183). This topic is further discussed in Part D. 2 Nutrient Adequacy. Previous research, as reviewed by the 2005 DGAC, has established the positive relationship between milk and milk products and bone mineral content or bone mineral density. Also milk product consumption has been linked with overall diet quality and the adequacy of many nutrients
Calcium maintains the strength and density of the bones, with 99 percent of the calcium in the body found in bones and teeth. Bone undergoes constant remodeling, a process in which existing bone is broken down and replaced with new bone. Without sufficient calcium in the diet, there is inadequate formation of new bone, resulting in osteoporosis or other bone disease. (IOM, 1997) When dietary intake of calcium is too low, the body will draw upon the calcium stored in the bones which can lead to low bone mass.
Some of the most bioavailable sources of calcium are in milk and milk products. Calcium also is found in dark green vegetables, whole grains, beans and soy protein, but it is not as well absorbed due to the oxalic or phytic acid found in these foods. Other foods may be fortified with calcium and numerous calcium supplements are available. However, calcium naturally occurring in foods is the recommended source. Absorption of calcium varies based on a number of factors, such as the amount consumed at any one time, the age of the individual, and other foods consumed including dietary fiber, phytic acid, and oxalic acid. Calcium status is also affected by the intake of vitamin D, phosphorus, and protein. Vitamin D is especially important in the absorption of calcium.


Take it how you want it. It makes me angry. I could spend hours and hours finding rebuttals against all the claims they make in just that section of the report. But I don't have enough time, and it really exhausts me emotionally.
I did however come across this blog that I LOVE LOVE LOVE about the best place to find your calcium:


Just when I thought I’d wrap this post up I found this information regarding a mom who called her school district to find out where the school lunch food came from:

The hot entrees (generally a protein and a veggie) are assembled in Berkley Ill., and made with USDA commodities. The district receives a "commodity credit" of about $700,000 annually because it participates in the National School Lunch Program. The commodities come from farms throughout the United States.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfmoms/category?cat=1680#ixzz13inDIyny

Also, the USDA requires all public schools to serve milk, and any milk alternative requires a note from a doctor. (I don't have any more words to say)

Can you seriously believe what is going on here??????????????????????????

(Take 10 deep breaths-cause I'm not done.)


Can I also mention that lactose in milk is sugar. A lot of trainers (including mine, and this trainer whose diet and fitness beliefs I like) will advise their clients to stay away from milk. On the flip side, some trainers put professional weight lifters on an increased milk intake diet to increase body mass.

ALSO: When we are born, our bodies are equipped with a lactase enzyme that is required to metabolize the milk sugar lactose. By the age of 5, for some unknown reason, our bodies have developed a partial or complete loss of this enzyme. Read more here.

EVERYTHING I have just told you is not even half of it. All the information I’m giving you mostly has come from here. Please read it. There is more you need to know, like exactly what happens to those cows on some of the farms out there. I am way too sensitive to post it. I am totally against animal cruelty. It will make you phyically sick. BUT YOU HAVE TO KNOW WHAT IS GOING ON IN OUR COUNTRY. Because it affects YOU and your CHILDREN.

To sum this whole thing up… I am fed up with our government right now. (PS I LOVE AMERICA). I feel like I did after I watched Hotel Rwanda.... Just yearning to know how or what I could do to make it all better. I feel completely helpless, and that there is not enough I can do. I feel like my voice is smaller than a “Who” in “Whoville” on the little speck in the movie Horton Hears a Who.
But, you have to start somewhere right….please pass this information on and start raising your voice. We DESERVE what is best for us and our CHILDREN. Please educate yourself.
As far as milk intake goes….Do what you want, but only do it because you think it is best for you and your family, not because you’ve done it your whole life and think this is the way it has to be.

If you do decide to keep milk in your family diet.......research the facts of pasteurization and homogenization. Here's a start. I've heard that if milk is your thing....than raw milk is best, whole milk is better, and 2% is good. But don't take my word for it.....research research research.

For me and my family....we drink Almond milk. (not the added sugar kind) And we have no problem getting in or exceeding our protein, calcium, Vitamin A, Vitamin D, potassium, and magnesium. I do keep 1 gallon of milk in our home which we go through in about 2 weeks. I feel like I don't want to all of a sudden restrict it from my children's diets. I don't want it to become the thing they want because I won't let them have it. They actually ask for almond milk. Me and my husband feel like leading by example is the best approach, and our children are excellent eaters. (right mom and sisters?) I am also going to write a post on kids and eating healthy. Until then............
***Let me add, that I am not a pro, and I'm not telling you what you should or souldn't do...this is just information I have found to be very interesting, and I CHOOSE not to drink milk. Remember to decide and learn for yourself what you will CHOOSE to do. If you do decide that milk is not for you, then make sure you remember to get protein, calcium, Vitamin A&D, potassium, and magnesium from other adequate sources.
Eat Clean and Keep it Real my friends!