Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Drinkin' and Drivin'

By Bridget LeRoy

So I impulse-bought this fabulous-looking can of Green Iced Tea today. It was a tall can, like the Arizona brand, but spouted "all-natural" this and "no artificial" that all over its can.

The label said:
Green Tea
Flavored with Ginseng and Honey
Far East Style

Yeah, well....only if you consider that those natural, non-artificial Far Easterners are flavoring their Green Tea with sucralose!

I have a terrible reaction to sucralose, also known as Splenda. It feels like I've been stabbed in the solar plexus for about 12 hours after I ingest even tiny amounts of the stuff.

But it said "All Natural" on the can. So why would I read the ingredients? Of course, I didn't, until I had to pull over to the side of the road because of the pain.

And then I saw it. Sucralose, aka Splenda, aka PAIN. I felt like an idiot, but who knew? Usually there's a big ol' oval on the front that says "Sweetened with Splenda."

There are plenty of people out there who don't want to give up their diet drinks, and that's fine. Yay for you if you can take it. But don't you think something marked as natural should be natural?

This is why Pamela and I, and my family, try to eat as organically as possible. Because there are all sorts of laws being passed without our knowledge or approval, deals being made in congressional hallways and below stairs, so these manufacturers can continue getting away with this kind of crap by greasing the right palms.

My point is, read labels. You'll be surprised by what is in some of the products marked "all natural."

To be safe, try to eat food that remembers where it came from. The more natural, the better. The more processed, the worse it is for you. Nobody's perfect, but making healthier choices is like money in the bank for those times when you just can't resist the chocolate cake.

Oh, and La Vie Organic will be carrying organic chocolates with all kinds of healthy ingredients and elixirs in them. Order when you order your veggies and other specialty items. Chocolate that's really good for you!

3 comments:

  1. It really irritates me that they are allowed to tout Splenda as a natural sweetener because it is "made from sugar." Good grief. There's nothing natural about Splenda.

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  2. You're absolutely right, Snuffy. If anyone is interested in investigating a little further, there's this:
    http://www.holisticmed.com/splenda/

    In the meantime remember, just because some scientists invented this stuff and gave it a natural-sounding name like sucralose does NOT make it a natural product.
    I've said my piece.

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  3. Oh honey, get better right now. Your poor tummy. That is just NOT right ! It's NOT.
    I remember when it happened to you w/another product, not identified. Aw..<3
    Those vegen chocolates you gave me are even more than delicious. They're heaven.
    We're making such a big organic dinner with Satur Farms on Saturday. We can't wait. The most beautiful vegetables and herbs...breads.
    Heaven again.
    The organic way is the only way.
    And IMO there is no way companies should be getting away with the words "NATURAL".

    ReplyDelete