It's your mouth and what you put into it is up to you. Therefore, our discussion of the food torah of Leviticus 11 in the Midrash this Sabbath is not intended to judge anyone by their diet, nor is it intended to force anyone's personal standards on others. What we want to get at is this: What does YHWH say is food and what is not food? Many people have felt that the content of this chapter on food is so complicated it is beyond the grasp of the ordinary person to understand. Nothing could be further from the truth. Go through this study with us and you will find out how amazingly simple it really is to understand what meats YHWH says are food and what meats are not food - and why. This gives you Divine wisdom on food that you can use to discern for yourself what is wholesome and good for yourself and your family - and what isn't. This is both a spiritual and practical discussion of vital interest to everyone who eats - so don't miss it.

In March, two mothers petitioned Kraft to use safer, natural coloring in their mac and cheese products, as the company does in other countries where the dyes are illegal. Kraft said no.

Or how about brominated vegetable oil, or BVO, that’s added to citrus-flavored soda (like Mountain Dew) and sports drinks to make the artificial colors stick to the liquid. BVO contains bromine, which is used as a flame-retardant and has been linked to neurological problems and interference with thyroid hormones.

BVO has been banned in all European Union countries, as well as India and Japan, yet it’s in U.S. products. In January, PepsiCo announced it would no longer use the additive in Gatorade, after consumers complained, but would leave it in Mountain Dew.

The full list of foods with questionable chemicals banned elsewhere comes from a new book by nutritionists Jayson Calton, Ph.D., and Mira Carlton called Rich Food, Poor Food. It was also reported by BuzzFeed.com. Here are eight banned foods available in the U.S.

1. Artificially colored food made with dyes derived from petroleum and coal tar. Yellow 5, Red 40 and six others dyes — used to enhance products from Froot Loops to Nutri-Grain cereal bars — are called the “rainbow of risk” by the Center for Science in the Public Interest. They are banned in Norway, Finland, France, Austria and the U.K.

2. Chicken with arsenic. Arsenic in chicken feed cuts down on parasites, makes chickens grow faster and gives their meat more color. It also gives the chicken we eat higher levels of arsenic, known to cause lung, bladder and skin cancers, a study last month [10] by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore found. Arsenic-laced feed is banned in the European Union.

3. Drinks with brominated vegetable oil (BVO). Bromine is a chemical used to keep carpets from catching fire, among other things, so why is it in our food? PepsiCo is removing it from Gatorade but keeping it in Mountain Dew. BVO is banned in more than 100 countries.

4. Breads with potassium bromate, used in bromated flour to make bread products rise higher and faster. Found in rolls, bagel chips, bread crumbs and flatbreads, potassium bromate has been linked to thyroid and kidney cancers in lab animals. It has been banned in Europe, Canada and China. California declared it a carcinogen [11] in 1991.

5. Frozen dinners with azodicarbonamide. This is used to bleach and stabilize flour and also to make foamed plastic products like yoga mats and sneakers. Found in frozen TV dinners, packaged baked goods and some breads, it has been associated with inducing asthma. It is banned in Australia, the U.K. and most European countries.

6. Food preserved with BHA and BHT. These preservatives are added to cereal, nut mixes, gum, butter, meat and dehydrated potatoes to keep them from turning rancid. The debate over their safety has been going on in the U.S. for years. Meanwhile, they’re banned in the U.K., Japan and many European countries.

7. Milk with rBGH and rBST, also known as bovine growth hormones. Synthetic hormones, these are given to cows and therefore found in milk and other dairy products (unless the label specifically says otherwise). They have been linked to cancer and infertility and are banned in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Japan and the European Union.

8. Chips with Olestra or Olean, a fat substitute used in fat-free chips, like Ruffles Wow. Olestra and Olean can produce cramps and leaky bowels and are banned in the U.K. and Canada.

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Since the late 1980s, HFCS has replaced regular table sugar, honey, and similar Watch out for hfcs! sweeteners. Prolonged consumption of HFCS is the topic of debate and, like other genetically modified products, may be bad for your health. A number of studies conducted over the past few decades indicate consumption of HFCS is connected with some health concerns.

1. Significant Risk of Weight Gain and Obesity

A study conducted by Princeton University, found that rats that were fed HFCS gained fat 300% more quickly than those fed an equal (or slightly larger) serving of fruit-derived sugar.

2. Increased Risk of Developing Type-2 Diabetes

Consumption of high-fructose corn syrup can lead to a huge increase in the likelihood of developing diabetes. This life-long condition can be avoided in most cases. Excessive amounts of soda, energy drinks and junk-food aren’t worth losing a foot or going blind for.

3. Hypertension and Elevated “Bad” Cholesterol Levels

High-fructose doesn’t just make your body fat, it also makes your heart fat. There is a strong link between the irresponsible consumption of high fructose corn syrup and elevated triglyceride and LDL (bad cholesterol) levels. Together, these can cause arterial plaque build-up and lead to heart problems including hypertension, heart disease, and even stroke.

4. High Fructose Corn Syrup and Liver Damage

This is a big one. Like anything else you eat or drink, your liver, gallbladder, and kidneys, processes HFCS. And it’s especially destructive to your liver. When combined with a sedentary lifestyle, permanent liver scarring can occur. This greatly diminishes the organ’s ability to process out toxins and, over time, can lead to an expansive range of other negative health concerns. Another study suggests that HFCS may also cause fatty liver.

5. Mercury Exposure from HFCS

Did you know high fructose corn syrup is often loaded with alarmingly high levels of mercury? One study found mercury in over 50% of samples tested. Mercury exposure can result in irreversible brain and nervous system damage – especially in young, growing bodies. Way too many foods aimed at children are LOADED with high fructose corn syrup!

Alternatives to High Fructose Corn Syrup

The dangers of high fructose corn syrup are both numerous and severe, if it’s in your diet, remove it. Some estimate more than one-third of the American food supply has been polluted by this trash. I urge you to read product labels and avoid those with HFCS. Replace HFCS with raw honey for sweetening needs.

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Health Benefits of Kosher Food

Reprinted from: Culinary Arts 360 By Penne Cole

Mad cow disease. E. Coli in products you would never expect, including peanut butter and spinach. Salmonella in pork and chicken. Food scares are a dime a dozen these days. Short of switching to astronaut-style vitamin pills, what can we do? Studies suggest that keeping kosher might just do the trick.

Keeping kosher, or going on a diet in accordance with the Jewish dietary laws, kashrut, is a religious choice for some while for others, it is a lifestyle choice. Whatever the reason may be, the health benefits of kosher food are myriad and undeniable.

Kosher food is prepared according to strict standards, even stricter than those of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Animals with diseases may not be consumed. Slaughterhouses even conduct postmortems on the organs of the animals to be sure that they are disease-free. Similarly, animals with broken bones or that look unhealthy are not kosher. In addition, animals raised in the kosher way are hormone-free. This extra level of safety puts another barrier between consumers and diseases.

Eating kosher food also means you are less exposed to food-related bacteria or diseases. For example, pork, which is linked to the parasitic disease, trichinosis, is not allowed in a kosher diet. Similarly, blood, a known carrier of bacteria, is drained in the ritual slaughtering that must be carried out in order for the food to be deemed kosher.

Kosher slaughtering rituals also leads to healthier meat. According to kosher law, the slaughtering of an animal must be immediate and painless. This means that the animal will feel no fear, and therefore will not release a hormone linked to fear. Studies have shown that animals slaughtered in the conventional way have elevated levels of this hormone, which leads to a range of health problems in humans, including cardiac disease, impotence, and fatigue. As the ritual slaughter rules also dictate that the animal must be killed in such a way that it does not know that it will be killed, Kosher food is also healthier for your conscience.

Kosher food may also be a healthier option for you if your family has a lot of dietary restrictions or allergies to contend with. Lactose intolerants can be sure that kosher food, being meticulously labeled, does not contain hidden dairy products while vegetarians can avoid any products that contain meat.

Keeping kosher is no longer just for the Jewish. With sales increasing but the Jewish population staying relatively unchanged, it is clear that more and more people are turning to kosher foods as a healthier alternative to conventional food. While nothing in life is certain, having Kosher’s strict guidelines standing guard leaves me feeling safer and healthier in my choice of Kosher food.