Supermarkets Play Tricks Too?

Dear [first name],

Not only are the food giants (PepsiCo., McDonald's) trying to deceive you with their marketing tricks, even your local supermarket/grocery store may be trying to hide a thing or two from you. You may not be aware of this, but market researchers go to great lengths to make sure you buy more food, and of the most expensive varieties, every time you enter the store.

Being informed and aware of the tricks they use can help you to make healthier choices and get more for your money. Here are some of them:

- “Best Before” or "Use By" dates are really only suggestions. Most often, food is still good beyond those dates (within a reasonable time frame, of course).

- Food products targetting the kids are placed at their level; so it will not be a surprise to you next time as to how your little kid got that package of cookies into the cart. They’re placed on the lower shelves for that specific reason.

- There is always a price for convenience; Meat, fruits and vegetables that come in the already-cut and ready-to-use form will often cost you up to twice as much as the un-prepared form.

- You are probably aware that end-aisle items get more exposure and as a result, sell better. What you may not know is that the food companies pay to have their products placed there, because consumers are 30 percent more likely to buy items that are easily seen.

- Supermarkets/Grocery Stores make you work harder to reach for healthier foods. What that means is that desirable junk foods are usually placed right at eye level, for easier access of course.

I wouldn't exactly say that these "tricks" that the Supermarkets/Grocery Stores use are unethical, but they are quite sneaky in their efforts to get more dollar out of you! If you are aware of these "tricks" next time you stop for groceries, you can most likely save some money!

On a side note, please note that our Slimmer Summer Promotion will end in about one week, so you still have 3 weeks left to save 15% on our herbal diet tea products!

Enjoy the rest of the summer!

To your good health,

Dickens

Watch Your Health and Diet, Don't Listen To The Evil Food Giants!

Dear Friend,

In my last post I heavily criticized PepsiCo. for their use of deceptive marketing tricks to fool the unknowing consumer into consuming their products with the belief that they are "healthy". It's no wonder that people are living shorter and less healthy lives this time around being bombarded with all these unhealthy food options (or should I say junk food).

Now I'm not saying that you shouldn't consume Pepsi's products at all(And other similar products), because I think it's perfectly fine to indulge yourself with junk foods once in a while. But then there's a reason why they're called junk foods, because they do you more harm than good when it comes to your priceless health. For that reason, I advise that you only keep a small supply of these junk foods in your home to spoil yourself occassionally.

It would not be fair to say that PepsiCo. is the sole evil out there, because there are many, many companies out there that do the same things; that is, manufacturing unhealthy foods and not admitting that they're bad for you! Having said that, there is another powerful evil entity in the food industry, specifically the fast food industry, that I would like to warn you about. You'll probably know which evil I'm talking about.....YES you're right! It's McDonalds, home of Ronald McDonald the friendly, red-haired mascot.

If you have seen the documentary film "Super Size Me", written, produced, directed, and starred by Morgan Spurlock, then you would have a pretty good idea of the potential damage that ingesting McDonald's fast foods can do to you. The film may have blown certain aspects out of proportions (such as eating McDonald's 3 times a day), but lots of the things you see in the film are very true. I don't think I really need to go into the details of how bad a McDonald's meal is for you, as all of this information can be found on the internet with relative ease; what I do have to go into details about, however, is the deceptive marketing trick that McDonald's is trying to pull on us in an effort to convince us that McDonald's foods are nutritious (the exact same trick that PepsiCo. is trying to pull, see the connection here? ......P...R...O...F...I...T...S.......)

What is this deceptive trick you ask? Well, in a desperate effort to convince consumers that its food is nutritious in the aftermath of the documentary film "Super Size Me", McDonald's is planning to let a group of six mothers, in their 30's to mid-40's, go "behind the scenes" in all of McDonald's operations. These "behind the scenes" visits will include: McDonald's restaurants, processing plants, orchards, test kitchens, and many other places in their supply chain. These six mothers will share their experiences with the rest of the world through online journals. McDonald's says that they will have no control over what the women write, and that the women are not being paid, except for their travel expenses. Here's the catch - these journals will be posted on a McDonald's-run website, so I'm sure that these six mothers will be shown exactly what McDonald's wants them to see. It's a really smart marketing trick if you think about it, because they make you think that they are being really transparent with their operations and have nothing to hide. They will probably be rather successful in establishing rapport with a decent number of families after this marketing campaign. I just hope that you won't be one to fall for their deceptive marketing tricks.

I just wish that McDonald's (and other large food corporations) would just admit to the public what they really are and stop trying to sucker everyone into believing that their foods are healthy, despite all the overwhelming logic and evidence. Just how low will these big companies go just to make an extra buck? We will never know, but it's sure good to be informed, so that we can all make our own informed decisions when it comes to what we put in our mouths.

As a reader of my blog, you can be assured that I will always provide quality health tips and alerts to keep you informed so you can stay healthy for many years to come!

To your health,

Dickens

Do you like being deceived?

Dear Friend,

To the above question, I'm quite sure that you DO NOT like to be deceived, but that is what big companies do ALL the time!

I'm pretty sure you know that big companies like to lie. All right, I feel that it isn't fair to say that they "like" to lie, but they "have" to lie for the sake of the company and its shareholders.

With millions of dollars to spend on advertising and marketing, huge companies can basically say anything they want to about their own company and products. One such company is PepsiCo.

Lately, PepsiCo has created an official "government looking" symbol that they put on products they deem especially "healthy." The "Smart Spot" symbol is a green circle with a white check mark, surrounded by the slogan "Smart Choices Made Easy."

This symbol is intended to mislead consumers on a large scale. It is colored a healthy green, and designed to make you think that you are consuming something healthy.

Don't be fooled by this deceptive trick. Products displaying the Smart Spot symbol meet nutrition criteria based on FDA standards and recommendations that are ruled by dollars, rather than concern for your welfare.

There are over a hundred "Smart Spot" products such as Gatorade (Tooth-eroding property 3 to 11 times more powerful than Cola-based beverages), Diet Pepsi drinks (Contains aspartame, read below for risks associated with consuming it), and many other heavily processed snacks.

Aspartame is one of the most dangerous food additives to ever be introduced into the market, with potential side effects like migraines, seizures, nausea, weight gain, depression, and insomnia, just to name a handful out of about 90 recorded health problems. Aspartame is also one of the main culprits in triggering chronic illnesses like brain tumors, Parkinson's disease and diabetes. So if you think drinking Diet Pepsi to manage weight is the way to go, THINK AGAIN! You would be much better off drinking our All-Natural Herbal Tea from time to time; it may not taste as good as Diet Pepsi (although I think our tea tastes great!), but at least it won't jeopardize your health!

Misleading consumers to believe that they are doing something beneficial to their health by eating processed potato chips or drinking Diet Pepsi is totally unethical and beyond irresponsible.

Always keep in mind that the responsibility of multi-national food giants is NOT to you, but to their shareholders. Don't ever think that they care about your health, because they only care about their profits. You may be asking, well if people start experiencing health problems after consuming their products, won't it jeopardize their business? The answer to that is, yes it will, but since the substances in their products cause slow, gradual, deterioration to your health, you probably won't suspect them when the illnesses hit you.

But don't worry, through this blog I will inform you of the good AND the evil in the food and health industries, so that you can make well-informed decisions when it comes to what you put in your mouth!

I sincerely wish you and your family the best of health!

To everlasting health,

Dickens

Some More Bad Habits to Watch For...

Dear Friend,

The weekend's coming up, and I'm sure everyone looks forward to that! But before we wrap up the week, I would like to give you Part Two of the "Habits that pose hazards to your health", as promised in my last post. Here it is:

Habits that pose hazards to your health (Part TWO)

4. Not brushing your teeth before bedtime: I think this is a very popular one, because I used to have this habit when I was in my teens (but not anymore!). The most obvious harm done would be to your teeth, but there is more to this than one might think. Studies show that people who do not brush their teeth before bedtime are more susceptible to the flu and bronchitis. The conclusion? BRUSH YOUR TEETH BEFORE GOING TO BED!

5. Not washing your face before bedtime: This goes hand in hand with brushing your teeth before bedtime, because usually if you do one you will do the other. Anyways, what hazard does this pose for your health? Let's face it, no matter how clean the air is in your country your face will get dirty/oily during the course of the day. All these impurities will clog your pores, and ultimately affect the health of your skin. Since the skin is the first line of defense for your body, weakened defenses will leave your whole body vulnerable to attacks from foreign substances outside your body (viruses, bacteria, ultraviolet light, etc.).

6. Using a tablecloth containing plastic for your dinner table: I never knew this before, but I read in an article that there are many toxic substances in plastic, and having your cutlery and dinnerware exposed to these toxic substances will have hazardous long-term effects to your health. If you are using plastic cutlery then that's even worse, so if you are, then STOP USING THEM!

7. Using chopsticks with painted surfaces: I know that not everyone uses chopsticks, but if you do, refrain from using chopsticks with painted surfaces. The health hazards are similar to using plastic cutlery or plastic tablecloths.

So please, if you have even one of these bad habits, try your best to bust them! You'll be glad that you did! Have a great weekend everyone!

To health and happiness,

Dickens

Bad Habits Can Harm You...If You Let Them...

Dear Friend,

If you're a normal, live, breathing person, then I'm positive you have at least one bad habit (even perfectionists have bad habits!). Bad habits are hard to bust, especially if they've been acquired over a long period of time and has stayed with you for an even longer period of time(smoking is a BIG one, especially with the nicotine which chemically causes addiction). I have my own share of bad habits too, like nail-biting, rubbing my eyes periodically, and eating too fast. Some bad habits won't cause serious harm to your health, but there are some bad habits that will and those are the ones that you should watch out for (and most importantly, BUSTING THEM!).

Here they are:

Habits that pose hazards to your health (Part ONE)

1. Not eating breakfast: Perhaps one of the most important meals of the day, breakfast provides you with the energy you need to start off your day as your body system warms itself up after a long night's sleep. By not eating breakfast you are not only damaging your digestive system, but also other parts of your body because all the systems in your body need nutrients to rejuvenate/sustain itself. People who do not eat breakfast on a constant basis frequently experience stomach-aches, headaches, and fatigue; a longer-term effect would be faster aging.

2. Exercising on an empty stomach: This will only put more strain on your heart and liver, because the sudden increase in demand for energy will be met with a lack of supply. This is like trying to drive a car a near-empty tank of gas. For people aged 50 and over, exercising on an empty stomach will greatly increase the chances of a heart attack.

3. Brewing tea with boiling water: The boiling water will damage the chemical structure of nutrients in the tea leaves. It is best to brew tea with hot water with temperatures around 158F - 176F or 70C - 80C. This way the tea will be healthy to drink as it was intended to be. If you are currently a happy sipper of our all-natural herbal tea, then it is important to keep this in mind: Boil the water first, and give it about 10 minutes to cool before pouring it over the tea-bag.

I'll reveal some more bad habits that you should watch for, in my next post, so stay tuned!

To better health,

Dickens

Got a Fever? NO PROBLEM!

Dear Friends,

For those of you who may be in the colder regions of the world, it is very easy to catch the flu or get a fever. But regardless of where in the world you live, it is still very possible to get a fever due to many factors:

(1) Lack of proper rest
(2) Elevated stress levels
(3) Food poisoning

I personally got a fever last week from staying up too late and waking up too early due to extreme work load. It weakens the immune system and leaves you vulnerable to various types of sicknesses. Here are some tips for cooling a fever if you do get one:

- Drink fruit juice, water, herbal tea, and/or other replenishing liquids
- Take a sponge bath with tepid water (about 70F or 21C)
- Get LOTS of rest (preferably stay in bed)
- Avoid strenuous activities

If you follow these tips closely, the fever should go away very quickly (in a day or less).

Until next time..

To good health and happiness,

Dickens

Artificial Sweeteners Can Kill You.....Slowly....

Dear Friends,

How are you doing today? I want to share with you a little piece of information, which I think is very important to your health. Earlier today, a customer called our office and asked me if she could add artificial sweeteners to our tea. Now I remember reading in many scientific studies and reports that artificial sweeteners (Aspartame, Splenda, etc.) are cancer-causing agents. The effects of the artificial sweeteners can't be noticed within a short time-frame, and are very slow and gradual, but the chemicals slowly inflict damage on your body systems. You may know that Diet-Colas are sweetened with Aspartame; well, my father used to have cases of Diet-Pepsi (or Diet-Coke) in the garage, but after I informed him of the potential harm of aspartame he stopped drinking the Diet-Colas and now engages in more exercise instead (as everybody should) to keep fit. Anyways, I digress from my point. I recommended to the customer that she use honey instead of artificial sweeteners, as honey is a very good natural sweetener. It also has many other health benefits that I will discuss at another time. Remember, NOTHING beats natural foods in terms of providing health benefits and promoting longevity.

I will be posting more articles from my newsletter onto this blog, so that more people will have access to the articles!

Stay tuned for more health tips/articles!

To everlasting health,

Dickens