Video - Beyonce new contract with Pepsi - $50 million -- And Video of Dr. Mercola's "Nutrition Plan"

When Great Superstars Endorse Bad Lifestyle Choices

January 09, 2013

Beyonce recently signed a $50 million deal with Pepsi as its global brand ambassador. The Center for Science in the Public Interest and many of her fans are now urging the singer to reconsider her collaboration with Pepsi, citing the many well-known health dangers of drinking soda

Another far more bizarre example of unhealthy celebrity endorsements is that of the Olsen twins, who recently released a very limited edition collection of handbags, retailing for an absurd $55,000 per bag. Besides the outrageous price tag, the most shocking thing about these bags is that they're decorated with prescription pills, which has raised more than a few eyebrows. 
As reported by Toofab.com³:

"Making the artistic decision even more odd is the knowledge that Mary-Kate Olsen's friend, Heath Ledger, died of an accidental overdose of prescription drugs including pain killers, sleeping pills and anti-anxiety medication."

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/01/09/beyonce-endorses-pepsi.aspx?e_cid=20130109_PRNLv2_art_1

Beware: It Starts Early — Your Child's Taste Preferences are Created by Age 3!

Did you know that when you feed preschool-aged children junk foods high in sugar, salt and unhealthy fats, it has a lasting impact on their taste preferences? Think about it — how many kids and teens do you know that don't like soda and sweet foods? Part of the reason for this limited taste preference is the fact that their taste buds are literally trained within the very first years of life (in some cases from birth, as infant formula can contain loads of sugar!).

In a recent study⁸, all of the children tested showed preferences for junk foods, and all (even those who were just 3 years old!) were able to recognize some soda, fast food, and junk food brands. The researchers concluded what you probably already suspect: kids who were exposed to junk food, soda and fast food, via advertising (and also because their parents fed them these foods), learned to recognize and prefer these foods over healthier choices.

This does have an impact on their health, as nutrients from quality foods are critical in helping your child reach his or her fullest potential.

Another study⁹ from British researchers revealed that kids who ate a predominantly processed food diet at age 3 had lower IQ scores at age 8.5. For each measured increase in processed foods, participants had a 1.67-point decrease in IQ. As you might suspect, the opposite also held true, with those eating healthier diets experiencing higher IQ levels. For each measured increase in dietary score, which meant the child was eating more fruits and vegetables for instance, there was a 1.2-point increase in IQ.

The reality is, the best time to shape your kids' dietary habits is while they're still young. This means starting from birth with breast milk and then transitioning to solid foods that have valuable nutrients, like egg yolk, avocado and sweet potatoes. (You can easily cross any form of grain-based infant cereal off of this list.)

From there, ideally you will feed your child healthy foods that your family is also eating -- grass-fed meats, organic veggies, vegetable juice, raw dairy and nuts, and so on. These are the foods your child will thrive on, and it's important they learn what real, healthy food is right from the get-go. This way, when they become tweens and teenagers, they may eat junk food here and there at a friend's house, but they will return to real food as the foundation of their diet -- and that habit will continue on with them for a lifetime.