Is the cardboard box more nutritious than the cereal?

The cold cereals we eat undergo a process called extrusion. An extruder is an industrial machine that produces little flakes, O's and other shapes and puffed grains using high temperatures and pressures. As you will read in these studies, rats that ate the cardboard boxes and another group that ate nothing lived longer than the rats that ate the extruded cereals. Even worse, the whole grain cereals may be even worse for us than the typical supermarket brands.

http://editor.nourishedmagazine.com.au/articles/puffed-grains-should-we-eat-them

Here is too much information, but a really great overview of cereals, described by the EPA. What bothered me also was the toxic emissions (volatile organic compound, air, particulate matter) involed in the production of cereal.

http://www.epa.gov/ttn/chief/ap42/ch09/final/c9s09-2.pdf

I would love to hear your comments on this because I'm finding the information I'm finding disturbing.

Questioning the Health Benefits of Agave

I read an interesting article in the Wall Street Journal the other day. It talked about agave syrup and the skepticism doctors have about the product. Before I comment, read the article for yourself:

Agave Syrup May Not Be So Simple
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704335904574497622806733800.html

So what do you think? Confusing? It sure is. Well let me tell you I used to use a lot of agave and literally bought it by the cases. Maybe I was over doing it, but every time I had it, I felt like it was rotting my gums and it gave me a very heavy feeling in my stomach. After that, I started reading articles, similar to this WSJ article, that were critical of agave. For me -- I don't use agave syrup anymore, but instead use honey and sometimes organic turbinado raw sugar. I feel better using those "sweeteners." For you, just remember, everything in moderation and if you are using something that just does not make you feel right -- switch -- there are lots of alternatives out there. Just ask!

With this JOOS blog, I hope that we can share stories and recipes, and also ask questions of each other. We all have a lot to share! What are your thoughts?