[E118]Eczema And Food Allergies

If the saying "you are what you eat" is true then I can pretty-much guarantee that most of us are already well on our way to becoming walking pharmacies.Think about it: What have you eaten in the last couple of weeks that you can honestly state exactly where it came from and what was in it?You can bet your last cent that if you bought it in any supermarket or fast-food outlet then its relationship with real food - that's natural, organically-grown, pesticide-and-growth-hormone-free food - is at best pretty tenuous and at worst probably non-existent.The problem.Nutritionist and author Joan Gussow said recently: "In the 34 years I've been in the field of nutrition I have watched real food disappear from large areas of the supermarket and from much of the rest of the eating world."What has replaced it is food-like, processed 'substances' created around commerce, greed and science. And the only thing science does better than nature is make a profit!The food and pharmaceutical industries now have complete control over what we eat. Not because they are concerned for our welfare but because we are their captive source of profit.And we are our own worst enemies because we keep clamoring for faster and cheaper food. We are not questioning how it is possible for the food industry to give us what we want.The answer is simple.If you shop in the supermarket or eat any form of fast or processed food then you are eating chemicals. You are eating growth hormones, preservatives, pesticides, flavour-enhancers, animal antibiotics, trans-fats, phosphates, etc, etc. This is how you get cheap food. There is no other way.What you're not eating is real food. Food that has flavor because it's grown slowly and allowed to develop naturally. Food that doesn't need 'enhancing' to make it taste like it should, or last longer on the shelves.Real food comes from local producers, it's grown organically, it's slaughtered humanely, it's picked and shipped in season and if it's not consumed when fresh it rots!This is what it's supposed to do. It's not designed to sit on shelves and in refrigerators for weeks. But that means more waste and less profit for the food industry so guess what?They fill it full of chemicals and give you exactly what you're asking for - cheap, fast food.Your body is their chemical dump. You are probably ingesting and absorbing enough unknown chemicals to be considered a waste-disposal hazard in some states!Take control of your body.We all have the power to make our own decisions on what we put in or on our bodies. We don't have to shop at the supermarket and we don't have to eat fast or processed foods.

• Start questioning where your food comes from, and what goes into it.
• Shop at farmers' markets and organic food stores.
• Read the labels and ask the seller what's in it. If there's anything you don't recognise, you don't want to be eating it.
• Eat food that's in season and experiment with foods that may be new to you. This will diversify your diet as well as your palate.
• Don't eat elaborately processed foods, products with long lists of unpronounceable ingredients, or sad-looking, ageing foods from countries you need a 747 to get to.
• Avoid food that's marketed as 'healthy'. It will most probably be made by one of the big food companies. They're the only ones who can afford the official approval required to make these 'healthy' claims.

Bear in mind that if food comes in any form of pretty packaging it's more than likely a processed food of some sort, therefore it's probably the product of food science. And, as we now know, the only thing science does better than nature is make a profit!So do you want to be bright-eyed, healthy and in control? Or do you want to be a walking pharmacy? It's your call.Make the decision to start controlling your food intake and you will be well on your way to a healthier and happier life. Start right now, it's never too late.Your health and maybe even your life could be at stake.