Did you know that whole grain products, such as whole grain cereals and popcorn, are extremely healthy and not only for their high fiber content? These common breakfast and snack foods are rich in antioxidant substances, of which fruits and vegetables were generally considered to be our only really significant source until now. These antioxidants, called “polyphenols,” can also be found in wine, tea leaves, coffee, olive oil, walnuts, and chocolate. However, not to the same degree as in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. These polyphenols may be the leading way to reduce risk of cancer and heart disease.

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Based on claims made on your product’s label, we have determined that your Cheerios Toasted Whole Grain Oat Cereal is promoted for conditions that cause it to be a drug.

Let’s see: the FDA failed consumers when it came to the peanut-Salmonella outbreak. It recently suggested lifting the fish consumption warnings for children and pregnant women, despite mercury worries (and not to mention the mercury in high fructose corn syrup!). When U.S. infant formula was found to have low levels of melamine–but still above international standards for the chemical–the FDA simply said, “Meh. We’ll just raise the amount allowable.”

The Food and Drug Administration is busy ignoring all of these potentially problematic issues, but has plenty of time to harass a cereal company about its claims about whole grains. Seriously?!

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5 million people in the United States have heart failure.

550,000 new cases are diagnosed each year.

More than 287,000 people in the United States die each year with heart failure.

The estimated direct cost for heart failure each year is $29.6 billion in the US alone.

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I have found that cooking with your favorite guy or gal is a great way to spend time together and learn something new. Aaron and I tend to make a lot of whole grain pasta with chunky organic veggie sauce. Whole grain pasta is less processed than typical pasta and any foods made from grains rather than meat are less energy intensive to produce.

After this hearty meal you can rent a movie that you have both wanted to watch. Renting instead of buying is a way to share and re-use resources, in this case DVDs or tapes, as much as possible before they must be recycled or sent to a landfill. For us, renting is a particularly attractive option because theater tickets are so expensive these days and rental businesses definitely give us more choices. If you’re not keen on renting but want the same effect try Netflix or buying movies on iTunes.

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