I couldn't help but notice the fabulous absence of candy and non-food trash from my children's diet this Haloween season.? Nonetheless, it became hard to avoid when?I was?confronted with a blatant case of "sugar dumping" during?my 5-year-old daughter's soccer game this weekend.? It serves as an example of a larger reality where well-meaning people contrive a simple way to rid themselves of toxic stuff.? For my part, I consumed a baby "Almond Joy" to reduce the excess population of candy.? It was partly melted and tasted as they always have but I still felt compelled to participate in the "dump."? I was amazed at the rationale we all bought........ hook, line and sinker.? "I just didn't want to waste the food."

There are only two options.? Eat food that makes your body better or eat food that makes your body worse.? I chose an Almond Joy.? So what?? I'm not perfect but I am conscious and alert.? As of today I refuse to waist food any longer.? I will place food (so-called) in an appropriate receptacle and allow the town authorities to bear the burden of guilt in its disposal.?

Waisting food is your only option when sugar or high-fructose corn syrup are your only options.? Your waist will expand and your health will diminish.? It really is that simple.? I am driving a stake in the ground today.? I refuse to "waist" food ever again.? Every time you choose to eat food that you know will make you less healthy you will get exactly what you are expecting:

1. higher triglycerides
2. more inflammation
3. "a gut"
4. irritability
5. other bad stuff we haven't figured out yet

Waisting food is the worst possible personal scenario for food disposal.? Let's get together as a family and waste "junk food" by throwing it away without any sense of sin, guilt or condemnation.? Just say NO!

Antibacterial soaps are probably not a whole lot better than regular liquid soap for cleaning and overall health.? In fact, antibacterial soaps may cause more problems than they solve.? The resistance to bacteria that is becoming a problem all over the world may be caused from so much triclosan (the most common antibacterial ingredient) being in our environment.? USA Today recently (Oct 20, 2005) posted an article that pointed out the problems with antibacterial products outside of health care settings.? I agree.

More importantly, my wife is excited about having cleaning products that are made from baking soda, borax and vinegar around the house.? Not only? because they work and they are healthy, but because she can store them under the sink in any part of the house without worrying about the kids getting into trouble by touching them or (God forbid) eating them.

I'm always happy to see better health products at a better price being promoted by the press.? Check out the cleaning products course at CenterU for recipes and more details. www.centeru.com/library/householdCleaning.php