"Odd, said the duck, very odd."
So, my favorite pickles are now on my blacklist. Darnit.
Don't even get me going on the MSG I found lurking in an innocent enough can of cream of mushroom soup. It has many aliases, so it is even more difficult to identify in a myriad of foods. If I should say anything about it, it is this: that in lab experiements, when they need to fatten up a mouse, standard procedure is to feed it MSG.
In another place, on another day, I happened to pick up a tube of toothpaste (fluoride-free mind you) and upon skimming the ingredients noticed Sodium Lauryl Sulfate was listed there. Huh. The same sudsing agent in most shampoos that actually can make your hair fall out more, and I'm supposed to put it in my mouth?
"Odd, said Mabel, very odd."(Haven't you read Duckat?)
There is always a struggle between convenience and principles going on in my head, and for the most part principles win. However there are those times when a nostalgic candy or soda beckons, or when you are really hungry at the grocery store and see that vegetable combo sushi tray and just grab it to go eat in the car (knowing that it has HFCS in the rice vinegar--why?). Bottom line though, is that the minute you let your guard down, you let the junk in.
It is not always fun or easy to stay informed and on alert about the foods/products you purchase, but it is the fight worth fighting. If you and I don't, then the products and foods we are handing to our children (and teaching them to eat/use) will continue to be compromised by those who see dollar signs rather than healthy humans.
Pssssst-- don't eat the pickles!
Attempting daily not to be a hypocrite,
~Momrit
good thoughts! remember though not to be afraid just because something has a "chemical" name. it's cool to hate "chemicals" these days, but this trend comprises people who are afraid of what they don't know and reduce ideas such as "vegan" "gluten-free" or whatever to create an identity for themselves. just because scientists have identified the components of matter and given it a name doesn't mean it's unhealthy or even unknown to you. it's good that you actually look up what things are! i remember one of my friends looking at the ingredients of vit c tablets and being like "ascorbate???!!! oh my god what do they put in these things"... ascorbate IS vit c... food awareness is such a hard thing and most people go with extremes for easy answers, but i think you are a smart enough person to actually put down what the companies are trying to sell you, ignore what the social media is telling you is hip, and look at the facts.
ReplyDeletefood is so hard though because there aren't just the health of ingredients to consider, but environmental factors like where and how something was grown. endlessly complicated! i wish i could keep up with it all. but you must be doing something right because Harbani is the most beautiful healthy little thing i've ever seen :)
although all that being said i do agree with the general rule of thumb that a long ingredients list and many unrecognizable compound names is typically not a good sign.... i just wanted to present a different approach to thinking about food because, as with anything, there are so many paths up the mountain.
ReplyDeleteover and out!
You would! ;) I am glad that you put that out there because I do agree that many people take up a "crusade" against something without knowing enough about it, or putting things down because it's the new fad. However, if one takes the time to look up a certain ingredient, (msg, hfcs, sls) then one is empowered by the knowledge of its origin or purpose and can make an educated choice (or at least guess haha). I was reading the ingredients in the soymilk that I had been drinking and one of the ingredients listed was carageenan. It is derived from red seaweed (can't be bad right?) and used as a thickener, but studies have shown that its consumption has been linked to gastrointestinal cancer in lab animals and inflammation in the human intestinal system. For more information, see this article : http://www.prevention.com/food/healthy-eating-tips/carrageenan-natural-ingredient-you-should-ban-your-diet
ReplyDeleteSo, based on my findings I have decided not to purchase items which contain the above substances.