Although the macro environment for food manufacturers remained challenging, we are encouraged by our first quarter results, said Sam K. Reed, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer. We experienced continued softness in our cold weather products due to unseasonably warm weather; however, the remainder of our retail grocery portfolio performed very well and posted volume growth of 5.5%.

In April, we were also pleased to close the acquisition of Naturally Fresh, with its portfolio of premium refrigerated dressings, sauces, marinades and dips. Naturally Fresh complements our existing lineup of private label dressings, dips and salsa; expands our refrigerated manufacturing and packaging capabilities; and broadens our distribution footprint, Mr. Reed said.

Adjusted operating earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization, non-cash stock based compensation, and unusual items, or Adjusted EBITDA (reconciled to net income, the most directly comparable GAAP measure, appears on the attached schedule), was $70.2 million in the quarter, a 1.8% decrease compared to the prior year. Adjusted EBITDA was marginally lower as the improvement in net income was offset by a lower add-back for stock compensation expense.

Net sales for the first quarter totaled $523.8 million compared to $493.5 million last year. Sales for the North American Retail Grocery segment increased 7.2% as the Company realized the benefits of increased pricing. Sales for the Food Away From Home segment increased 1.5% compared to last year, while the Industrial and Export segment showed growth of 5.5%.

Selling, distribution, general and administrative expenses were $60.9 million for the quarter, a decrease of 7.0% from $65.5 million in the first quarter of 2011. The decrease was due primarily to lower expenses resulting from the efficiencies of last years warehouse consolidation program and lower stock based compensation costs.

Other operating expense in the quarter totaled $0.5 million compared to $2.7 million in the prior year, and is primarily related to the previously announced closure of the Springfield, Missouri pickle plant.

Interest expense in the quarter was $13.2 million compared to $13.9 million last year. The decrease was due to lower interest rates and lower debt levels.

Income tax expense decreased in the quarter to $9.6 million due to a lower effective income tax rate. The Companys first quarter effective income tax rate was lower than originally anticipated at 30.4% compared to last years first quarter rate of 33.8% due to the impact of the repayment of certain intercompany debt and a decrease in the Canadian statutory tax rate.

Net income for the quarter totaled $22.1 million compared to $19.8 million last year. Fully diluted earnings per share from continuing operations for the quarter were $0.60 per share compared to $0.54 per share last year. Excluding unusual items, adjusted earnings per share from continuing operations for the first quarter of 2012 was $0.63 compared to last years first quarter adjusted earnings per share of $0.59.

SEGMENT RESULTS

The Company has three reportable segments:

1. North American Retail Grocery This segment sells private label and branded products to customers within the United States and Canada. These products include pickles, peppers, relishes, condensed and ready to serve soups, broths, gravies, jams, spreads, salad dressings, sauces, non-dairy powdered creamers, salsa, powdered drinks, hot cereals, macaroni and cheese, skillet dinners and aseptic products.
2. Food Away From Home This segment sells primarily pickle products, non-dairy powdered creamers, Mexican sauces, aseptic products, hot cereals, refrigerated products and sauces to foodservice customers, including restaurant chains and food distribution companies, within the United States and Canada.
3. Industrial and Export This segment includes the Companys co-pack business and non-dairy powdered creamer sales to industrial customers. The non-dairy creamer is either repackaged into single serve packages for the foodservice industry or is used as an ingredient in other foodservice applications. Export sales are primarily to industrial customers outside North America.

The direct operating income for the Companys segments is determined by deducting manufacturing costs from net sales and deducting direct operating costs such as freight to customers, commissions, as well as direct selling and marketing expenses. General sales and administrative expenses, including restructuring charges, are not allocated to the business segments as these costs are managed at the corporate level.

North American Retail Grocery net sales for the first quarter increased by 7.2% to $379.0 million from $353.5 million during the same quarter last year, primarily due to a 6.1% increase in pricing and a 1.4% increase in volume/mix. Direct operating income margin in the quarter decreased from 18.5% last year to 16.3% in the current year as higher input and production costs were partially offset by pricing actions.

Food Away From Home segment sales for the first quarter increased 1.5% from last year to $75.3 million from $74.2 million during the same quarter last year, primarily due to a 3.4% increase in pricing as volume/mix declined 1.7%. Contributing to the volume/mix decline was continued softness in pickles and Mexican sauces. Direct operating income decreased to $9.8 million in the quarter compared to $10.8 million last year due to higher input and direct selling and marketing costs.

Industrial and Export segment sales for the first quarter increased 5.5%, primarily driven by increased pricing. Direct operating income decreased to $11.0 million compared to $12.8 million from last year as a result of higher input and production costs.

OUTLOOK FOR 2012

With regard to the outlook, Mr. Reed said, As weakness in the retail grocery environment persists, we are maintaining our cautious stance on the coming two months, and believe that our second quarter results will be very similar to this quarter.

In light of our first quarter results, we now expect 2012 revenue growth slightly below our original guidance of 8-9%. Offsetting that, however, will be the realization of further targeted price increases and greater internal savings due to our operating teams relentless focus on managing costs at our plants and distribution centers. And, as input costs stabilize and conditions improve, we expect margins to begin their recovery in the back half of the year. Taking all these factors into account, we are reaffirming our 2012 adjusted earnings per share guidance of $3.00 to $3.15, he continued.

We remain steadfast in our belief that private label is absolutely the right place to be, as both consumers and customers seek quality, convenience and value without compromise. With a healthy balance sheet and strong cash flow, we are well positioned to continue our pursuit of acquisitions both tuck-in and larger scale that present opportunities for organic growth, favorable category dynamics and go-to-market synergies, concluded Mr. Reed.

COMPARISON OF ADJUSTED INFORMATION TO GAAP INFORMATION

The adjusted earnings per share data contained in this press release reflect adjustments to reported earnings per share data to eliminate the net expense or net gain related to items identified in the above chart. This information is provided in order to allow investors to make meaningful comparisons of the Companys operating performance between periods and to view the Companys business from the same perspective as Company management. Because the Company cannot predict the timing and amount of charges associated with unusual items or facility closings and reorganizations, management does not consider these costs when evaluating the Companys performance, when making decisions regarding the allocation of resources, in determining incentive compensation for management, or in determining earnings estimates. These costs are not recorded in any of the Companys operating segments. Adjusted EBITDA represents net income before interest expense, income tax expense, depreciation and amortization expense, non-cash stock based compensation expense, and unusual items. Adjusted EBITDA is a performance measure and liquidity measure used by management, and the Company believes it is commonly reported and widely used by investors and other interested parties, as a measure of a companys operating performance and ability to incur and service debt. This non-GAAP financial information is provided as additional information for investors and is not in accordance with or an alternative to GAAP. These non-GAAP measures may be different from similar measures used by other companies. A full reconciliation table between reported net income for the three month periods ended March 31, 2012 and 2011 calculated according to GAAP and Adjusted EBITDA is attached. Given the inherent uncertainty regarding unusual items in any future period, a reconciliation of forward-looking financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP measure is not feasible.

CONFERENCE CALL WEBCAST

A webcast to discuss the Companys financial results will be held at 9:00 am (Eastern Time) today and may be accessed by visiting the Investor Overview page through the Investor Relations menu of the Companys website at http://www.treehousefoods.com.

ABOUT TREEHOUSE FOODS

TreeHouse is a food manufacturer servicing primarily the retail grocery and foodservice channels. Its products include non-dairy powdered creamer; canned soup, salad dressings and sauces; powdered drink mixes; instant oatmeal and hot cereals; macaroni and cheese, skillet dinners and other value-added side dishes and salads; salsa and Mexican sauces; jams and pie fillings under the ED Smith brand name; pickles and related products; and other food products including aseptic sauces, refrigerated salad dressings, and liquid non-dairy creamer. TreeHouse believes it is the largest manufacturer of pickles and non-dairy powdered creamer in the United States and the largest manufacturer of private label salad dressings, powdered drink mixes and instant hot cereals in the United States and Canada based on sales volume.

FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS

This press release contains forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include all statements that do not relate solely to historical or current facts, and can generally be identified by the use of words such as may, should, could, expects, seek to, anticipates, plans, believes, estimates, intends, predicts, projects, potential or continue or the negative of such terms and other comparable terminology. These statements are only predictions. The outcome of the events described in these forward-looking statements is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the Company or its industrys actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievement expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. TreeHouses Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011 discusses some of the factors that could contribute to these differences. You are cautioned not to unduly rely on such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made, when evaluating the information presented in this presentation. The Company expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to disseminate any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statement contained herein, to reflect any change in its expectations with regard thereto, or any other change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any statement is based.

FINANCIAL INFORMATION

By CAROL MATROO Sunday, April 29 2012

Obesity in children is a major problem and has been increasing over the last ten years. It has reached to a point where, in some areas, one in four children is overweight or obese.

Consultant paediatrician at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex in Mt Hope, Dr Maritza Fernandes, who is leader for Wee Fit, a team dedicated to the complications of childhood obesity, says this is a very worrying situation for the future generation.

She said a draft policy on obesity in children has shown that obesity has doubled or even tripled in children between the ages of seven and 12 in the past ten years.

Another alarming fact, she said, was that data collected from schools in the St George East area showed that one third of the children had cholesterol levels over 200. Cholesterol reading in a child should be less than 170, she noted.

“It should be150 to170 and we are getting over 200 and that is what we are seeing in adults who need medication,” Fernandes warned during an interview at a workshop held at the University of the West Indies, St Augustine, recently.

“Fast food is one of the big problems because obesity follows a balance. It’s input out and how you balance it, but if you put in a lot and you put in unhealthy foods, you cannot exercise it off. You can walk around the (Queen’s Park) Savannah, you can walk off 200 or 300 calories, but you can’t undo what you’ve done. You can’t work it off.”

She said the results of body fat in St George East were startling.

“We do a body mass and body analysis and we have 50 percent body fat in a lot of these children. We can see from other signs of their development that there is a rash that they get at the back of the neck where they get a thickening in the skin, called acanthosis nigricans. They nearly all have it and that tells you they are at risk of developing diabetes,” she said.

To help combat a condition that is fast threatening to become chronic, Fernandes and a group of medical and health professionals formed the Healthy Lifestyle Clinic in January this year. The clinic currently has about 100 overweight children in its care.

Fernandes said their study of the children under their watch has shown that many of those who were overweight often skipped breakfast at home and opted to eat out.

“They have aloo pies and soft drinks and doubles and fried pies and that is what they are eating at school, so there are a lot of problems with what they are eating and what they are eating out several times a day,” she said.

“The other thing that alarms us is that even though it is more important what they are putting in than their activities — physical education (PE) — the Ministry of Education says we must focus on the PE. When we ask the children what they do for PE, it’s minimal.

“For some of them it’s a joke, they stay in their classroom and play video games for PE. When we ask what are your facilities, do you have a playground, do you have a football field, they say no.”

Fernandes warned that if they could not get the children healthy now, in ten or 20 years they were going to be taking care of a “very, very sick population”.

She added that while they were targeting the between seven-to-12 age group, they will also have to start looking at those under the age of five.

“If we don’t look at those under five, we would have lost. That is a really hard group to target, but we have to look at the critical developmental period – what they’re feeding the children, breast feeding for six months and what you do before school, because once you are overweight by five, we have already lost half the battle. Even if we go and tackle what’s in school, unless we tackle the mothers, we can’t tackle what is going on before school.”

Fernandes said because so many parents are too busy to pack lunches for their children, the School Feeding Programme will become important in ensuring children get proper nutrition, but they must also eradicate the stigma that only the poorer children get school feeding.

“I think what we should be trying to do is to try and feed everybody healthy. Somebody should be looking again at what they get, because with school feeding programmes, sometimes I get feedback that some of their meals aren’t so healthy,” she said.

“In terms of the balance of it (meal), it is not in the correct proportions of vegetables to meat sometimes. Sometimes they do say they get pies or roti and other things that we probably wouldn’t want them to get at school, so I think we should look at school nutrition again and try to make it more standard.”

Fernandes said children should also be encouraged to have fruit and vegetables for snacks during the day, and while sodas are a definite no-no, fruit drinks also should not be an option.

“Water, and we feel very strongly about that. You don’t need juice and even if you go out and get unsweetened juice it still has a lot of calories. All you need is fruit and water, you do not need juice. If you see the amount of sugar is in these drinks you would never drink it, and you would never give it to your child,” Fernandes said.

“Energy drinks are full of sugar, they are caffeinated and they can cause children to become hyperactive. That’s another problem, people feel they can give their children diet drinks. There are two things coming out of that. The artificial sweeteners are not completely tested and recommended for children, so we don’t know what will happen to your child 20 years down the line.

“The other thing is that there are actually studies that show that people who drink diet soft drinks fool their bodies into creating more sugar, so you have to put on more weight. That is not the way to go, the way to go is not to encourage anything, no drinks, just water.”

She said meals each day should consist of breakfast, lunch and dinner with two small snacks of fruit and vegetables. The most standard breakfast, she said, was oatmeal, since most box cereals contain too much sugar.

“Oatmeal and cereal that you cook for yourself with fruit is the ideal breakfast. I have oatmeal every morning and there are ways to make it different. Sometimes I boil it in apple juice, I put nuts, cinnamon, flax seeds, things that have different flavours, maybe a little yoghurt,” she said.

Fernandes admitted, however, that eating healthy could be expensive and they were trying to get together with the Food Production Ministry to encourage people to grow their own foods and introduce children to a choice of healthy foods.

“Some of the children who have joined the clinic have lost some weight, but it was not as good as I thought it would be. However, I can’t say we are losing because the whole point is not just to lose weight, the point is to eat healthy, educate and motivate parents, and I know it is something that will take time,” Fernandes said.

“It is a bit disappointing, but that is not the point of it, because if we don’t understand what is going to happen down the line, if you don’t change your whole lifestyle, it’s going to be a problem.

“And the thing about a child is that you can’t diet one child, the whole family has to adopt a healthy lifestyle. When we get in the parents to talk with them, we are directing some of this at them as well, because some parents of overweight children are overweight themselves.”

Fernandes said a sedentary lifestyle contributed to obesity in children, because no one walked any where any more, and too much time was being spent in front of the television and with ipods and iphones.

“We need to limit screen time in total so you can’t have more than two screen time hours, and I say during the week when you have school you should have none. I studied in England and one of the things in Trinidad that is appalling is that we do not have many options for outside activities,” Fernandes lamented.

“I had the option when we were in England, if it was summer I would be out in the park. I could take my children without having to take an entire entourage, I could go hiking, I could go camping. It was safe so I could choose to do a lot of outdoor things.

“Here it’s the holidays, but you can’t really do too much.You have to wait until your husband comes home or wait for other members of your family to go for a walk down Chaguaramas. We don’t have easily accessible parks that are safe, so we don’t have a lot of outdoor things to do. Community facilities are really not up to scratch.

“In fact, it does not really encourage us. I don’t let the children play in the yard unless I am sitting and watching them. As a child we would jump on our bicycles while our mother was in the kitchen and she would not bat an eye. Now, the children can’t even climb a tree in our backyard any more.”

She said it was a worrying situation because if we had a population that will be needing insulin and medication and getting cancers and diabetes in the next 15 or 20 years, then we will be seeing a sick workforce, which will impact negatively on the country’s economy.

‘We have taxes on unhealthy goods such as tobacco and alcohol. And we don’t have taxes on books as they can be seen as a public good to be encouraged.

‘There would be benefits for the healthcare system too. It would save taxpayers’ money through reduced NHS costs as well as combat diet-related disease such as obesity and heart disease.

‘It is also likely that a tax on unhealthy foods would act as an incentive to encourage manufacturers to change what goes into their products and make them healthier over time’ he added.

A tax on sugary drinks is not going to cure obesity by itself, said Dr Rayner, there needs to be a strategy to deal with the affordability, the availability and the promotion of unhealthy foods.’

VAT is already applied to some foods and drinks in this country, but it is done inconsistently – as the recent pasty tax debate revealed.

‘VAT should be totally reformed in line with health goals’’ says Dr Rayner.
Taxes can have untoward or unexpected effects, and it is possible that a tax on saturated fats, like that introduced in Denmark, could be counter-productive, suggests Dr Rayner.

In avoiding some foods high in saturated fat, people could replace them with foods high in carbohydrates – food that also tends to be high in salt. The overall effect on health might be negative.

That is why Dr Rayner believes a tax on sugary soft drinks is the best option. Even if people moved to diet drinks instead, it would still be beneficial for health.

‘A tax on sugary drinks is one measure that is a sure, safe bet that would change how many calories people consume across the nation and have a significant effect on obesity levels,’ says Dr Rayner.

Research published in the British Journal of Nutrition last year said a 10 per cent ‘fat tax’ would drive down sales of sugary drinks and encourage consumers to swap to healthier alternatives.

A similar rise in the price of full-fat milk would lead to people drinking reduced fat milks instead.

Discovered serendipitously in 1965, by a German chemist developing an anti-ulcer drug for the company Searle aspartame was a chemical that caused much excitement as a potential saleable product. The resulting company brands of Nutrasweet and Equal quickly found eager buyers, and both companies have been sold on a number of times since.

Here we had essentially a protein that was 200 times sweeter than sugar, delivered negligible calories, didn’t cause tooth decay and was relatively cheap to produce. What’s not to like?

It took 16 years for the the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to approve the product as a tabletop sweetener, the UK following a year later. 15 years passed before it was allowed to be used carte blanche in all industry food and drinks.

Now we find aspartame in every diet product imaginable, as well as in places you might not expect to: all diet drinks, weight loss meals and products, effervescent vitamins, cold and flu treatments, hot chocolate, chewing gum, toothpaste, orange squash, lite yoghurts and some flavours of crisps.

So – with this heaven-sent chemical we can stuff our faces, happy in the knowledge that we will not gain weight and are making informed, healthy choices, right? Well

Despite an industry selling the slim dream to us, and consumer trolleys packed with diet products, the developed world is fatter and unhealthier than ever before. Something has gone awry, or we are being given a bum steer.

Realistically, the companies selling you the diet products have no interest in your weight loss success. They would go out of business quite quickly if nobody needed to lose weight. In fact, data from a recent study has demonstrated that diet soft drink consumption is associated with increased waist circumference in humans. Dr H J Roberts – a US director of medical research and knighted the Order of St George for his professional and humanitarian efforts – has written many articles and books about this “ignored epidemic”.

Dr Roberts has stated in his lectures that once free of aspartame diet products, and with no significant increase in exercise, his patients lost an average of 19 pounds over a trial period.

In truth, the diet drinks that we opt for as a healthy and slim-line alternative actually increase our cravings for carbohydrate. The aspartame in diet drinks – often consumed by diabetics – may affect with blood sugar levels, with insulin being released and no sugar to process.

Other studies have shown that those using aspartame as a sweetener tend to gain weight through an increase in appetite (J E Blundell amp; A J Hill, The Lancet).

The reason the FDA took 16 years to approve the chemical was because of doubts over safety. There have been accusations that the laboratory data flawed and manipulated (tumours were reputedly cut out of mice in the study and not recorded, malignant tumours allegedly recorded as benign). In fact the data had been so distorted that it has since resulted in a criminal prosecution.

Should we be reassured by the industry telling us that aspartame is safe because it is the most studied food additive we have ever encountered? Dr Ralph Walton, a professor of psychiatry, carefully analysed each and peer reviewed the studies on aspartame. The outcome was this:

• 74 industry funded studies 100% found zero incidence of side effects
• 90 independent studies – 90% found side effects and complications

The breakdown products of aspartame have been called neurological toxins by some. It is composed of formaldehyde, methanol (wood alcohol) and a dipeptide. The latter does occur naturally in our bodies. However, it doesn’t occur naturally in large amounts floating in the system. There is some evidence to suggest that the breakdown products of aspartame affect the neurotransmitters in the brain.

Formaldehyde converts to formic acid, which in turn causes metabolic acidosis. The methanol toxicity has been said to mimic, among other conditions, multiple sclerosis and systemic lupus.

There is plenty of anecdotal evidence to be found on the web of MS sufferers and children with ADHD who have had a complete recovery when aspartame drinks were removed from their diet.

The transcript of a radio interview with neurosurgeon Russell Blaylock makes for interesting reading:

Interviewer: Dr Blaylock, we touched lightly on ADD and ADHD. What are learning disorders that aspartame can aggravate or even cause?

Dr Blaylock: Well, this is something that’s of a lot of concern to people that particularly work with ADD children and ADHD which is the hyperactive form of Attention Deficit Disorder. One of the persons involved is Dr. Keith Connors who has written the book called Feeding the Brain: How Foods Affects Children. In this book he talks about a four year old child who was drinking some aspartame sweetened rootbeer and just became berzerk. The child was hyperactive, violent, complaining of headaches and the doctor suggested to stop the NutraSweet sweetened rootbeer. The mother took it away, the child just returned to normal, pleasant, normal mentation, no headaches and she was kind of skeptical so she decided just to let this child start drinking it again. She did and the same thing happened. He gives case after case like this which if you examine what we’re talking about is actually doing double blind studies in single individual cases which demonstrate quite clearly that the only variable is the NutraSweet. So this is producing some ADHD type problems that are very clear.

Another study in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggests that aspartame is a powerful neurotoxin: The aim of this study was to discuss the direct and indirect cellular effects of aspartame on the brain, and we propose that excessive aspartame ingestion might be involved in the pathogenesis of certain mental disorders (DSM-IV-TR 2000) and also in compromised learning and emotional functioning.

It is thought that the toxins affect protein synthesis, neurotransmitters and cellular DNA – the genetic information within every single cell – and ultimately affect the way our brain uses amino acids. The symptoms associated with aspartame toxicity are varied and widespread, with many having a neurological connection. They can include: headaches, foggy thinking, poor short-term memory, nausea, vertigo, tinnitus, epilepsy, migraines, blurred vision, slurred speech, mood changes, eye problems, numbness and depression.

Depression is often treated with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) drugs, which optimise the use of available serotonin but aspartame is known to have the exactly opposite effect on serotonin. It could well have an adverse affect on mood.

The troops in the Gulf War were supplied with copious amounts of diet fizzy drinks, and drank huge volumes of the stuff. However, the drinks were stored on pallets in the searing heat. The unstable aspartame would have broken down (at 29.5C) into the neurotoxic substances mentioned. Gulf War Syndrome - a previously unrecognized but comprehensive list of unexplained symptoms – suffered by many of those who served their time in the Gulf, bears some resemblance to the list above.

According to the Aspartame Consumer Safety Network,the US Air Force has formally warned all pilots to refrain from consuming aspartame-sweetened diet drinks, as they found them linked to grand mal seizures, vertigo, heart disease, and suicidal depressions.

Aspartame has been linked with lymphoma, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, fibromyalgia, premature birth and chronic fatigue, among other things.

It can be difficult to separate the wood from the trees with regard to genuine peer-reviewed scientific studies and conspiracy theories.

There are certainly many studies that refute the toxic effect on humans, and there may some overkill on claimed disease associations, but there is enough medical and scientific evidence to raise a large question mark over the toxicity of the substance.

Craig Petray, the CEO of Nutrasweet, is adamant that his product is safe. When invited to comment on the outcome of the peer reviewed studies mentioned in this article, he was keen to cite the company’s medical affiliations: ”Aspartame is safe. It has been tested for more than three decades, in more than 200 studies, with the same result: Aspartame is safe for use. Aspartame has been reviewed and determined to be safe by the FDA, Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) of the Food and Agriculture Organization/World Health Organization, EFSA and the regulatory bodies of over 100 countries.

In addition, The American Medical Association’s Council on Scientific Affairs, the American Diabetes Association, and the American Dietetic Association have reviewed research on aspartame and found it to be safe. Links to numerous other health organizations, which have confirmed the safety of aspartame, can be found at www.aspartame.org.

Some scientists and medics agree, others disagree on the validity of some studies, and there is certainly a suggestion from anti-aspartame groups that there is collusion between some aspartame manufacturers and areas of the medical establishment.

It’s certainly an area worthy of a bit of research given you are likely ingesting the chemical unknowingly in many foods. If you take the time to read around the subject, you might well decide to make some changes. I for one will eschew diet food and drinks, and stick the finger to the big companies that seem to be happily profiting from making us fat and sick.

If this article has peaked your interest, Dr Blaylock and Dr H J?Roberts, have written books on Aspartame Poisoning.? Dr Blaylock’s book is entitled Excitotoxins: The Taste That Kills’. Dr. H J Roberts, a diabetes specialist, ?has written a book entitled Defense Against Alzheimer’s Disease.

• Pepsi Next claims to have 60 percent less sugar without sacrificing taste. The secret to keeping its sweet taste comes from the use of THREE artificial sweeteners: aspartame, acesulfame potassium, and sucralose.
• Aspartame (Nutrasweet and Equal) is believed to be carcinogenic and accounts for more reports of adverse reactions than all other foods and food additives combined.
• Acesulfame potassium (Acesulfame-K) has been linked to kidney problems, and sucralose (Splenda) has been found to reduce the amount of beneficial microflora in your gut by 50 percentin addition to being associated with many of the same adverse reactions as aspartame.
• Contrary to popular belief, research has shown that artificial sweeteners can stimulate your appetite; increase carbohydrate cravings; stimulate fat storage and weight gain. Diet sodas may actually double your risk of obesity.

GREENWICH, Conn., May 16, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ –
Blyth, Inc.

/quotes/zigman/332710/quotes/nls/bth BTH
+2.33%

, a leading designer and marketer of candles, accessories for the home and wellness products sold through the direct selling and direct marketing channels, today announced the election of Jane A. Dietze to its Board of Directors.

Robert B. Goergen, Blyth’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, said of Ms. Dietze’s appointment, “Jane brings a strong technology background and financial management expertise to Blyth. We are very pleased to have her join us now as a significant percentage of our capital expenditures are being used for strategic technology investments in our direct-to-consumer businesses.”

Ms. Dietze is Director of Private Equity and Bowdoin College’s Investments Office. Prior to joining Bowdoin College she was a Managing Director at Fortress Investment Group, a global alternative investment and asset management firm. Before Fortress Investment Group, Ms. Dietze was a General Partner at Nextpoint Partners, an early-stage technology investment fund, where she was also Acting CEO of Secured Services, a publicly-traded software firm. She has been a General Partner at Columbia Capital, an IT and communications fund, and she was President, CEO and Co-Founder of TORSO, Inc., which is now owned by Oracle Corporation. Prior to that she served as Investment Officer, Europe Department at International Finance Corporation, a private investment arm of the World Bank. Ms. Dietze started her career as a financial analyst in mergers and acquisitions with Goldman, Sachs & Co.

During the course of her investment management career, Ms. Dietze has served as a board member or observer of Adjoined Consulting (now Capgemini), Approva, Netuitive, Pihana Pacific (now Equinix), RiverMine Software, Affinity Internet (now Hostway), Spaceworks (now Manugistics), Relera, Digital Paper (now ePlus) and Intersect. She is currently involved with Half the Sky Foundation, a non-profit organization nurturing China’s orphaned children.

Blyth, Inc., headquartered in Greenwich, CT, USA, is a multi-channel company primarily focused on direct selling. We design and market home fragrance products and decorative accessories, as well as weight management products, nutritional supplements and energy drink mixes. These products are sold through the home party plan method of direct selling and through network marketing, respectively. The Company also designs and markets household convenience items and personalized gifts through the catalog/internet channel, as well as tabletop lighting and chafing fuel for the foodservice trade. The Company manufactures most of its candles and chafing fuel and sources nearly all of its other products. Its products are sold direct to the consumer under the PartyLite®, Two Sisters Gourmet® by PartyLite and ViSalus Sciences® brands, to consumers in the catalog/Internet channel under the As We Change®, Miles Kimball®, Exposures®, Walter Drake® and Easy Comforts®, and to the Foodservice industry under the Sterno®, Ambria® and HandyFuel® brands. In Europe, Blyth’s products are also sold under the PartyLite brand.

Blyth, Inc. may be found on the Internet at
www.blyth.com .

This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include statements concerning plans, objectives, goals, strategies, future events or performance and underlying assumptions and other statements that are other than statements of historical facts. Actual results could differ materially due to various factors, including the slowing of the United States or European economies or retail environments, the risk that we will be unable to maintain our historic growth rate, our ability to respond appropriately to changes in product demand, the risk that we will be unable to integrate the businesses that we acquire into our existing operations, the risks (including foreign currency fluctuations, economic and political instability, transportation delays, difficulty in maintaining quality control, trade and foreign tax laws and others) associated with international sales and foreign sourced products, risks associated with our ability to recruit new independent sales consultants, our dependence on key corporate management personnel, risks associated with the sourcing of raw materials for our products, competition in terms of price and new product introductions, risks associated with our information technology systems (including, susceptibility to outages due to fire, floods, power loss, telecommunications failures, computer viruses, break-ins and similar events) and other factors described in this press release and in the Company’s most recently filed Annual Report on Form 10-K.

SOURCE Blyth, Inc.

Copyright (C) 2012 PR Newswire. All rights reserved

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BTH

BLYTH Inc.

US

: U.S.: NYSE

$
75.41

+1.72
+2.33%

Volume: 206,113
May 17, 2012 4:05p

P/E Ratio42.60
Dividend Yield0.40%

Market Cap$634.47 million
Rev. per Employee$454,033

Financial Glossary

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A report card is an excellent way to measure and record academic achievements, and can be used for each of us on our own healthy living path.

I think averaging your exercise with your eating habits and sleep patterns can give you a good measurement of how well you are doing. Start by asking yourself how much you exercise each week.

If you’ve answered more than five times a week for at least 30 minutes a time, you’ve got an “A” for effort. Pat yourself on the back, and get yourself a smelly sticker or a new set of markers. You’re doing great!

If you answered three to five times a week, a “B” is your exercise grade. You may want to think about upping your workouts per week if you are stalling out on your weight-loss efforts. If you’re just there to maintain your health, not for weight loss, it’s OK to stay where you are.

If you answered three times a week, give yourself a “C” because you’re doing the bare minimum amount of work.

You’re passing, but you may want to consider committing some more time each week to walking, biking or swimming.

You get bonus points for weight training or yoga time, so be sure to include that in your average.

Eating habits are a little less cut and dry, and can vary widely based on how much activity you do. But for our metaphor today, I’d say there’s a few key measurements on your food intake you should try to watch out for.

First, how many times a week do you eat fast food. If you answered more than five times a week, give yourself a “C” and start thinking of ways you can prepare a few of those meals at home instead of leaving your health to the Hamburgler.

Next, ask yourself if you tend to snack throughout the day, or eat one big meal. If you eat three small meals and a few snacks, you’re probably better able to manage your hunger than if you eat one or two meals a day, and you get an “A”.

Now of course, if your lifestyle is such that snacking is out of the question, that’s OK. Just be sure your three squares include healthy whole grains, lean proteins like chicken, fish or turkey, and healthy fats such as those derived from plant sources, like olive oil or avocados.

If you include many of those items in each of your meals, also give yourself an “A.”

Take points away from your diet score if you drink more than two 12-ounce soft drinks a day. Carbonated beverages, even the diet drinks, can increase your stomach’s capacity and also provide no nutritional value. Many are sugar- and sodium-laden and should be limited.

Sleep is the last key item on your fitness report card. If you average seven-eight hours per night, give yourself an “A.” If you get six-seven hours, you get a “B” and if you get any less than six hours a night, give yourself a “C.” As we age, our need for sleep decreases, but you still should try to aim for eight hours a night, especially if you are trying to exercise and limit your caloric intake.

Those activities are hard on our bodies and sleep gives us the opportunity to heal.

Being well-rested also allows you to exercise to your greatest potential and studies have shown it may even have an effect on your ability to fight hunger.

Taking these variables together should give you an accurate depiction of your health and fitness goals.

And like any report card, if improvement is needed, you are at least aware and can make changes to your habits to get a better fitness “grade.”

© 2012 Times Record News. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Dr. Adam Bernstein is an expert on preventive medicine at Cleveland Clinics Wellness Institute and authored the study. The doctor and his team of researchers studied more than 127,000 soda-drinking men and women for nearly 30 years.

They found an association between those who drank more sugar-sweetened and low-calorie sodas, and stroke. Researchers think the sugar may lead to glucose intolerance and inflammation, which influence atherosclerosis and plaque stability- both risk factors for stroke.

The association between diet sodas and stroke risk is not as clear-cut. Dr. Bernstein says more studies are needed to shore-up the link, but he says you still may want to start looking for other beverage options, like coffee.

Taking sugar sweetened or low-calorie soda out of the diet and replacing it with caffeinated or decaffeinated coffee conferred about a 10 percent reduction in stroke risk, said Dr. Bernstein.

Dr. Bernstein says they saw similar results with skim milk. He says coffee contains compounds that act as anti-oxidants. Complete findings for this study are in the Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

First of all, they mentionas we do in our exercise myths postthat water is probably your best bet during exercise to stay hydrated, even over something like a sports energy drink that could be loaded with sugar and calories. They suggest adding a little flavor to your water to keep things interestingmaybe with a little lemon, lime, or cucumberand note that people who drink flavored water tend to drink more during their workouts than people with straight water do.

They suggest a nice, low-glycemic-index meal (food that causes your blood sugar to spike less after eating) before you start your exercise, like those higher in protein and fiber rather than complex carbohydrates. After your workout, a tall glass of milk (or even chocolate milk) is a great way to recover, or even a banana or peanut butteressentially, after your workout is where the carbs should come into play.

Weve tackled the topic of what to eat before and after your workout before, but this piece addresses the importance of protein in your diet, and asserts that instead of carbs before your workout, theyre better afterward instead. What do you think? What do you eat before and after your workouts, and what do you prefer to drink while you work out? Share your experiences in the comments below.

The Best Fitness Foods: What to Eat Before, During, and After a Workout | Eating Well

Photo by malouette (Shutterstock).