Health officials in Denmark recently banned the addition of vitamins and minerals to 18 varieties of
breakfast foods and cereals produced by Kellogg Co. The reasons given include increasing evidence that
eating those products regularly can ruin the health of children and pregnant women. Cereal is one of the
first solid foods introduced to babies, and pediatricians typically encourage parents to start feeding cereal
to their babies from between 4 and 6 months. Their advice grossly contradicts findings from a study that
cereals introduced in the diets of babies increased the risk of insulin-dependent diabetes in the children.
Kellogg had hoped to add iron, calcium, folic acid and vitamin B6 to some cereals and cereal bars, as it
is so common in other countries. However, Danish health officials believe that these toxic additives in the
cereals can seriously harm the livers and kidneys of children as well as unborn fetuses in pregnant
women. A government laboratory delivered the ban after examining the ingredient lists provided by
Kellogg.
Resolving The Whole Grain Mystery
Recently, the largest U.S. food producer General Mills announced it will start using whole grains in
some of the popular cereal products for kids. Processed flour will be replaced by whole grain flour. Whole
grain is fashionable now, so the change seems timely and healthy.
The problem is that the whole grain actually does not qualify as genuine whole grain. It is made of
flour that is processed with a newly developed milling method that grinds the whole grain into particles of
uniform size. U.S.A Today states that General Mills executives would not discuss the new technology
behind the development of their new type of whole grain. So what's the big secret? They're asking us to
accept their word that it's healthier, but they're not giving us specific details. The second biggest food
company, ConAgra, now uses Ultragrain, similar to General Mill’s “Whole Grain.” It has the look,
texture and flavor of processed grain.
The question concerning this new trend in food production is, how did they manage to make a
completely different whole grain that's just as healthy as whole grain? To have a long shelf life, which
whole grain products certainly don’t have, they must have done something to the grain to preserve it and
make it last as long as refined grains, an absolute necessity in packaged cereals.
Even if real whole grains were added to these super foods feeding our nation at breakfast time, this
certainly wouldn’t turn them into health foods. Consider what’s in a cup of Trix, for example. The nearly
iridescent colors of the popular cereal show that it is saturated with artificial coloring agents. To keep it
fresh, it has to have preservatives which “preserve” (prevent) it from being digested properly. Trix also
contains plenty of trans fatty acids (as found in canola and rice bran oil) that clog up the cell membranes
and damage blood vessels. Not to mention the 13 grams of bleached, refined sugar per cup, leaching
minerals from the muscles and bones, and leading to the beginning stages of insulin resistance. The entire
concept of manufacturing a packaged cereal that is healthy is an absolute impossibility.
The food industry is entitled to use a large variety of solvents and chemicals to improve the taste,
color, and texture of its products. Food producers have free reign over food production, and there is
nobody out there that is going to make sure our children don’t get fed with another sweet tasting poison.
But the common practice of producing food synthetically and making it “healthier” by adding
synthetically derived vitamins and minerals is at the root of many health problems afflicting both children
and adults in the developed world.
To determine whether a cereal is healthful or harmful for you and your family, try using the simple
muscle test described in chapter 1. Take your children to the grocery store and let them test out different
products. This will teach them to trust their body and its responses and reactions and make them aware