Nutella is Poisonous for You and Your Kids

I used to love Nutella when I was kidthat is before studying nutrition and
discovering its harmful ingredients. The scariest thing that people dont know
about Nutella is that it contains monosodium glutamate (MSG), also known as
E621. Its cleverly hidden inside an artifi cial fl avor called vanillin which is labeled
on every Nutella jar. It also contains the toxic GMO emulsifi er soy lecithin and
palm oil whose extraction is ravaging forests and wildlife throughout the world.

Nutella was introduced in 1964 by the Italian company Ferrero who still
manufactures the product, however they do have local manufacturers in many
countries.
 As kids we went crazy over nutella in the 70s and 80s, but parents back then
werent taking as many precautions as they are today, especially when it comes to
reading ingredient labels.

According to the offi cial US Nutella Website , the ingredients are as follows:

sugar, palm oil, hazelnuts, cocoa, skim milk, reduced minerals whey (milk), soy
lecithin as emulsifi er, vanillin: an artifi cial fl avor

Nutella claims their product contains No Artifi cial Colors and No Artifi cial
Preservatives.

The defi nition of artifi cial is made or produced by human beings rather than
occurring naturally. Every single one of their ingredients goes through very heavy
processing which would imply that the natural state of these ingredients which
contribute to color and preservation is completely absent from their formula.
Their soy lecithin alone is about as artifi cial as an emulsifi er/preservative gets.

Nutella contains 67% saturated fat and processed sugar by weight. A two-
tablespoon (37 gram) serving of Nutella contains 200 calories, 11 grams of fat, 3.5
of which are saturated and 21 grams of sugar. To put that into perspective, a
typical chocolate and nut candy bar has 250 to 300 calories and 12 to 16 grams of
fat.

VANILLIN: AN ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR (MSG)

When most people see vanillin, they thinkoh it has vanilla. However, this is likely
one of the most harmful ingredients in Nutella. Scent and fl avor of vanillin are
nothing but chemicals. When we talk about actual real-life non-imitation vanilla
fl avor, what were really talking about is a bunch of molecules that are extracted
from a vanilla bean.

The grandest chemical of all of these is vanillin. Sure, vanilla has plenty of other
odor molecules, but vanillin is about 95% of the scent. And, thanks to technology,
you can make it cheaply from petroleum and in a lab. The largest vanillin
manufacturers in the world are in China and more than 90% of food products
manufactured contain vanillin from China including Nutella.
 The worst part of vanillin is that it contains unlabeled MSG. It is not a nutrient,
vitamin, or mineral and has no health benefi ts. The part of MSG that negatively
affects the human body is the glutamate, not the sodium. The breakdown of MSG
typically consists of 78% glutamate, 12% sodium, and about 10% water. Any
glutamate added to a processed food is not and can not be considered naturally
occurring. Natural glutamate in plants and animals is known as L-glutamic
acid. MSG Lurks As A Slow Poison In Common Food Items Without Your
Knowledge and vanillin is one of them.

MSG has been proven to act as an excitotoxin which stimulates the reward system
of the brain, so we think it tastes better (than it actually does) and consequently
consume more.

There are a growing number of Clinicians and Scientists who are convinced that
excitotoxins play a critical role in the development of several neurological
disorders, including migraines, seizures, infections, abnormal neural development,
certain endocrine disorders, specifi c types of obesity, and especially the
neurodegenerative diseases; a group of diseases which includes: ALS, Parkinsons
disease, Alzheimers disease, Huntingtons disease, and olivopontocerebellar
degeneration.

PALM OIL
Palm oil is taken from the fruit of the oil palm tree.

The use of palm oil in processed foods, its most widespread application in the
United States, jumped sharply after government authorities took aggressive steps
to reduce the trans fat content in processed foods. The Center for Science in the
Public Interest reports that palm oil is second only to soybean oil in terms of
worldwide popularity as a food oil.

In support of its warnings about the dangers of palm oil, the center cites two
meta-analyses that show that palm oil raises blood cholesterol levels. A 1997
British analysis evaluated 147 human trials and concluded that palmitic acid, an
active ingredient in palm oil, raised total blood cholesterol levels. A Dutch
analysis, released in 2003, weighed data from 35 clinical studies and found that
palmitic acid signifi cantly increased the ratio of total cholesterol to so-called
good cholesterol, a widely recognized risk factor for heart disease.

In a study published in a 1999 issue of Plant Foods for Human Nutrition, three
Nigerian biochemistry researchers extol some of the nutrients found in fresh palm
oil, but point out that the oil in an oxidized state can threaten physiological and
biochemical functions of the body. They acknowledge that manufacturers of
processed foods oxidize palm oil in their products for a variety of culinary
purposes, meaning that much of the palm oil consumers eat is in an oxidized state.
The dangers of oxidized palm oil include organotoxicity of the heart, kidney, liver
and lungs, as well as reproductive toxicity, the researchers claim. Additionally,
they note, oxidized palm oil can cause an increase in free fatty acids,
phospholipids and cerebrosides.

Indonesia has achieved its goal of becoming one of the two largest palm-oil
producers and exporters in the world. But at what cost?

At least half of the worlds wild orangutans have disappeared in the last 20 years;
biologically viable populations of orangutans have been radically reduced in size
and number; and 80 percent of the orangutan habitat has either been depopulated
or totally destroyed. The trend shows no sign of abating: government maps of
future planned land use show more of the same, on an increasing scale.

In Malaysia, peat swamp forests are being obliterated , and the disappearing
forests endangering the habitat of the pygmy elephant the smallest elephant
on Earth the clouded leopard, the long-nosed tapir and many rare birds.

As word spreads about the devastation that palm oil cultivation can cause, people
are beginning to take notice and companies are beginning to make changes.
Sustainable palm oil is in its infancy, and according to Worldwatch Institute , palm
oil sustainability criteria remain controversial.

Check out saynotopalmoil.com to get a full perspective on whats happening

throughout the world because of palm oil.

Palm Oil is simply another ingredient that needs to be banned from our food
supply. We dont need it if its not sustainable in the health of our ecosystems or
wildlife.

SOY LECITHIN
Soybean lecithin comes from sludge left after crude soy oil goes through a
degumming process. It is a waste product containing solvents and pesticides and
has a consistency ranging from a gummy fl uid to a plastic solid. Before being
bleached to a more appealing light yellow, the color of lecithin ranges from a dirty
tan to reddish brown. The hexane extraction process commonly used in soybean
oil manufacture today yields less lecithin than the older ethanol-benzol process,
but produces a more marketable lecithin with better color, reduced odor and less
bitter fl avor.
Today soy lecithin is ubiquitous in the processed food supply. It is most commonly
used as an emulsifi er to keep water and fats from separating in foods such as
margarine, peanut butter, chocolate candies, ice cream, coffee creamers and
infant formulas. It also helps prevent product spoilage making it a preservative
and extending shelf life in the marketplace.

The majority of soy sources in the world are now genetically modifi ed (GM).
Researchers have clearly identifi ed GM foods as a threat to the environment,
pollution of soils and a long-term threat to human health with links to of the
world with unnatural genetic material that may have unknown long-term
consequences with links to decreased fertility, immunological alterations in the
gut and the exacerbation and creation of allergies.

Genetically engineered soy contains high concentrations of plant toxicants. The

presence of high levels of toxicants in the GM soy represent thousands of plant
biochemicals many of which have been shown to have toxic effects.

REDUCED MINERALS WHEY

Whey protein production starts with dairy cows and was actually considered a
waste byproduct of cheese production. It was typically discarded.
Dairy companies now recognize the value of whey and have set up factories to
concentrate and purify it from sources that are substandard from cows fed GMO
foods, antibiotics and hormones to boost their production. Reduced-minerals
ends up being a dark cream-colored product which companies acquire raw from
the same handful of manufacturers.

Whey powder is an additive commonly used in spreads to prevent the coagulation

of the product because it stabilizes the fat emulsions.

It is manufactured by drying whey that has been heat treated to remove a portion
of the minerals. It is used as animal feed and also by the pharmaceutical industry.

Levels of demineralization of this type of whey can exceed 90% making this
ingredient completely useless in terms of nutrition.

So dump this toxic brew of a spread and opt for a healthier alternatives below.

HEALTHY ALTERNATIVES TO NUTELLA

Raw Nutella Recipe #1

makes about 1 cup
Ingredients:
 1 cup hazelnuts, soaked for 8-10 hours
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup raw cacao powder
2-4 tbsp coconut milk

Drain and rinse hazelnuts and place in food processor or high-powered blender.
Blend until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed. Depending on the
strength of your blender, this may take 10-15 minutes to get the desired
consistency.

Once the hazelnuts turn into a buttery consistency, add the sweetener, vanilla,
salt, and cacao powder and blend until smooth. Slowly add the milk until desired
consistency.

Raw Nutella Recipe #2

Makes a 330ml Jar

Ingredients:
15 dates (around 90 g. or 3 oz.)
1/2 cup almond butter
4 Tbsp maple syrup
1/3 cup carob powder
1Tbsp coconut oil

1. Rehydrate the dates in hot water for about 10 minutes (or 2 hours in cold
water)

2. Combine all your ingredients in a blender. Scrape the sides as needed to make
sure the spread is smooth. Add only water or oilnever milk for this recipe.

Natasha Longo has a masters degree in nutrition and is a certifi ed fi tness and
nutritional counselor. She has consulted on public health policy and procurement in
Canada, Australia, Spain, Ireland, England and Germany.

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