What's For Breakfast?
Did you grow up eating cereal for breakfast? Many of us did and many of us still do. For parents it's easy, and convenient during those hectic mornings; off to work and school. Just pour and breakfast is served.
With breakfast, you intend to give your body nourishment and the fuel it needs to get you through until lunch. It receives the vitamins and minerals necessary for optimal health. Breakfast is important! With breakfast, we intend to give our bodies some of what they need to keep them functioning, assisting in the multiple chemical reactions taking place in our bodies every second of every day. The constant cell turnover, the constant filtering of blood, the building of bones, our immune systems monitoring, our brains processing, our bodies are in a constant state of activity!
"Just Be Healthy"?
When you consider the various jobs your body has it helps you to realize the importance of providing it nutrient-dense fuel (Food). Is that what you thought you were doing when you purchased the Cheerios, Honey Nut Cheerios, Frosted Cheerios, and Oat Crunch Oats N’ Honey Cheerios? The package says, "Just Be Healthy". I mean geez, corporations like General Mills and Quaker Oats have been around for a long time. We can trust them. The boxes say right on them, "Heart Healthy, Good Fiber, Lowers Cholesterol, Gluten-free", oh and, "Only Cents a Day"! With these claims some believe their getting a good breakfast.
What's For Breakfast, again?
If you read the label, you are aware of what you are eating and, feeding your family, you would think, anyway.
However, I don't see chlormequat on this label! Do you? It's in there tho!
What is Chlormequat?
Chlormequat is a highly toxic agricultural chemical the EPA has referred to as a pesticide and has allowed it on imported oats and grains. It works by altering plant growth. It is applied to oat and grain crops while they’re growing to prevent the plants from bending over, making it easier to harvest.
Not only does the EPA allow it on imported oats and grains, but currently, the EPA is proposing to allow chlormequat on domestic wheat and oats and permit residues in our milk, meat, dairy, and eggs.
Animal studies show chlormequat can damage the reproductive system and disrupt fetal growth, creating alarming and particular concerns about how ingesting it might harm children.
Chlormequat exposure has been linked to health problems in mammals:
Disrupting fetal growth
Changing how heads and bones develop
Altering metabolism
Delaying development during puberty
Changing sperm’s ability to move efficiently
Decreasing testosterone production
Harming the nervous system
in research, a study conducted by Anresco, an independent, accredited lab in California, chlormequat was found in all but one of 13 non-organic oat-based cereals, granola, and other products (including Quaker Oats Old Fashioned Oats & Walmart Great Value Oats & Honey Granola). Of these products, 11 had chlormequat levels higher than The Environmental Working Group feels is safe for children’s health!
2 Class Action Lawsuits Have Been Filed Against General Mills and Quaker Oats
Two separate class action lawsuits have been filed against General Mills and Quaker Oats. Both class actions allege dangerously high levels of the toxic pesticide chlormequat chloride in the companies' products. Lab testing revealed Cheerios, Honey Nut Cheerios, Frosted Cheerios, and Oat Crunch Oats N’ Honey Cheerios contain dangerous levels of chlormequat. Similarly, lab testing found very high levels of chlormequat in six Quaker Oats products. "Consumers, including plaintiffs, would not have purchased the products had their labels accurately disclosed the presence of chlormequat in Cheerios," the General Mills class action states.
What Can You Do?
If you have these items in your pantry I encourage you to return them to the store for a full refund. Tell the store clerk you did not intend on purchasing chlormequat for breakfast.
Unless & until federal regulators act to get chlormequat out of our food, buying organic can help reduce your potential exposure to the chemical.
You can also take action and tell the EPA it shouldn't allow chlormequat in our foods. Also, contact your representatives. Be a squeaky wheel! Please stand up for your health and the health of our children!
You can share this information so that others are aware!
or
Wishing you and yours the best of health
-Val
Comments