James Colquhoun, director of the film Food Matters, along with health and nutrition expert, Daniel Vitalis, offered insight on why food companies purposely make you addicted to their food, and how eating the right things can make you healthy and stave off illness. There have been a lot of different food fads and diets that have come and gone, said Vitalis, and people are really confused about what to eat. "Either by design or a grand pattern, there's a food conspiracy now," and people out there are starving to death, even though they keep eating and eating, he continued, explaining that many processed foods lack nutrients and are detrimental to health.
Artificial sweeteners like aspartame, and flavor enhancers such as MSG are particularly addictive, as well as unhealthy, said Colquhoun, which suggests to him that these additives are put into our food for economic reasons. The FDA doesn't really protect the consumers' interests, but rather, is there to facilitate various substances into the marketplace, he added. Vitalis addressed the problem of diet foods, noting that while they may have reduced calories, they have low nutrition. To lose weight, he suggested people increase their nutrient to calorie ratio. Colquhoun also talked about the problems of sugar being abundantly used in food processing and manufacturing, and the rise of GMO foods.
Vitalis outlined methods to detox the body including consuming whole fresh food, using saunas, and drinking clean water (preferably from a natural spring). He also advocated eating organic foods, shopping at local farmer's markets, or even growing your own food from heirloom seeds. For more, check out this trailer from Colquhoun's new documentary, Hungry for Change.
Understanding Habits
First hour guest, investigative reporter Charles Duhigg talked about how habits shape our lives, and how we can shape our habits. There is a three-step neurological process involved in the creation of a habit, he explained-- a cue or trigger that tells the brain to go into automatic mode, the routine itself, and a reward, which causes the habit to form. By targeting the cue or reward rather than the behavior itself, we can have the best success in changing a habit, he noted. Duhigg also revealed how various marketers study buyer's habits or try to develop them in the first place, such as in the case of Claude Hopkins who convinced Americans to use Pepsodent, at a time when many people didn't brush their teeth.
News segment guests: Catherine Austin Fitts, Victor La Fountaine