10 Things the Food Industry Doesn't Want You to Know

I knew there was a reason I have forsworn food and started to nourish myself through photosynthesis.

One thought that came to my mind while reading the article: This is America! Where is the class action suit against the food industry, comparable to the one against the tobacco industry? This should be a gold rush!

when I was still a dirt farmer every spring I would put 6 inches of rotted manure (cow and pig ****) on my veggie garden, before planting I would add another 6 inches of hot manure (disced in) and then plant my veggies, every thng from corn to beans to strawberries to cellry and melons, tons of bacteria. I lived well.

No to hydrogenated fats, MSG, artificial dyes, BPA, tephlon, triglycerides, and no to microwaving in plastic containers.

Yes to organic when possible, especially for thin-skinned fruits and vegetables. Yes to free-ranging and natural animal products. Yes to snacks with high nutritive value (even if it's added as in LUNA bars and emergenCies).

I eat processed snacks like pita chips, corn chips, etc. I look for ones that don't have hydro-fats and that have higher iron content.

well its all natural isn't it?

To attempt a serious answer: For me as a type-2 diabetic, the #1 priority in my nutrition is to avoid sugar, starches, and white flower -- at least in general. Everything else is secondary. Since I eat my main meal in the company cafeteria, I eat whatever has the least carbs in it. Overall, this means much more meat than I would eat if I cooked my own meals. (Vegetarian meals at our cafeteria are usually based on some form of white-flour pasta.)

I buy organic if at all possible. I look for meat that is labeled to have "no growth hormones." I never eat salad dressings and the like. By law, almonds from California must be irradiated. I've always bought almonds "product of Spain" after learning that. I no longer microwave anything. If you microwave water and then use it on seeds, the seeds will not even sprout. But I am not fanatical, as some think. I sometimes eat at Denny's and Hartz Chicken. I drink a few cokes in the week.

Since Edgar mentions "organic": Does any of you have experiences with those farming co-ops where you can become a member, and, once a member, pick up a basket with fresh fruit and vegetables? Back in Germany, we had something similar called a "food subscription" (the difference being that the farm would deliver the basket to your home). Some of my friends in Munich were subscribers, and were very happy with the quality. In America, the trademark seems to be "community supported agriculture". Has any of you tried it?

Swimpy's a member of a CSA.

You're in a good spot for them - some of the members of the food forum (CT) I belong to who live near you report the most amazing contents of their CSA boxes. There are some for meat as well - the best seem to be in the Boston area (just measuring by the comments in CT)

Yes, Thomas, there are lots of orgs in BC which will deliver organic veggies to your house on schedule. You can order on line or via an order sheet that they leave with your order and you can order weekly, bi-weekly, whatever. And you can put them on hold if you're going to be out of town. You don't have to be a member, either, because they're really wanting to sell this stuff.

My neighbour, Anita, and I did together this for years because you got waaaay too much to eat in the time period yourself. You get whatever seasonal products are available and it's a treat to have them delivered. A little pricey, but worth it.

And Chai2 - yes, a McD after a night out (I never drink enough to get a hangover) and I agree with your comments about preservatives. That is one reason why I never buy boxed foods or processed tomato sauces, gravies, etc. I also just prefer the taste of my own food. However, that being said, a little in moderation isn't going to hurt anyone... it's when it's a lifelong habit that you start to wonder what it's actually doing to you.

Some of the things I was asked to order for the camp guys: white Wonder Bread, Stove Top Stuffing, Fruit Loops, and ED Smith pie fillings. I didn't even know Wonder Bread was still around and that adults ate Fruit Loops Ah well, to each his own.

Thank you ladies -- that sounds promising!

Mame, can you give me a generic name for these organic-home-delivery businesses? One I can Google for?

I buy very few processed foods and never factory farmed meat. I grow about 1/3 of my food. I freeze and can my harvest. I barter and buy local meat. I buy organic or local veggies and fruits that I don't grow. I avoid anything with a Con-Agra or General Mills label. My one Kraft item is Boca Burgers, I buy low-carb Dreamfield's pasta and for my fat phobic husband - I buy Morningstar (Kellogg) fake bacon for my husband. Once or twice a year we buy a commercial ice cream cake for a birthday. The only thing I get from fast food places is coffee, iced tea and the occasional muffin or bagel. I buy local, organic milk and yogurt. I do buy non-organic and imported cheese and butter, but I also have a good local source for milk/cream, and when time allows, I make my own diary. All grains are from our local co-op or I buy King Arthur and Old Mill Brands. I also make my own sauerkraut, pickles, kimchi, etc. I spend the same dollar amount on food as most people who buy junk. I probably get less calories, but I consider that a good thing. I also spend a lot of time cooking and preparing food, which I also consider a good thing.

I would love to do something like this, but the only local farm would supply way, way, way too much stuff for RP and me. What I suppose would be ideal would be to share this with other people, perhaps other A2Kers.

The avoidance of sugar and flour -- glycemic index, I take it -- does dovetail in with a lot of this kind of eating. Far, far less processing, and a return to eating nutrient-denser foods.

And chai, I agree, it's often no more time to make your own than it is to get it from elsewhere. We used to order in all the time (now if we do, it's a rare occasion, as in no more than once per quarter or so), and sometimes it took as long to get food as it would've taken to cook it. Sometimes it even took longer.

Where I once used huge amounts of sugar, I now use, sparingly, raw local honey. I avoid white flour as much as I can. Same with the other stuff mentioned here.

Since I found a source of organic potatoes, I can't seem to get enough of them.

I'm feasting on local new potatoes as well, Ed.

Simple is much better, IMO.

funny story jespah....

My neighbor, who considers herself a gourmet cook (has worked on yachts and for rich people in Aspen, etc) had us over for dinner a couple of weekends ago. We knew the people who were visiting them for the week.

Anyway, everyone oooohed and ahhhed over the dinner, including me, want to be polite you know.

She made a pork loin, some kind of tofu thing, brussel sprouts, salad, mashed taters....all apparantly done in some kind of gourmet fashion. I sat at her granite island in her gourmet kitchen and watched her go through about 3 different stages of cooking the brussel sprouts (and that didn't include the prep or the pre-blanching) ditto with some kind of salad dressing she made, and basting this and that.

One of the guests in considered a terrific baker (I think you're either born a baker or not), and made a simple coffee cake for dessert.

I realized after a while that I couldn't smell any of the food cooking. I kept sniffing for the spices baking in the cake, the roasting meat. Even when she took everything out of the oven, no aroma.

Then I realized her gourmet kitchen had some state of the art gourmet fan system that was wisking are the smells away...the very smell I consider an appetizer.

Anyway, when we went home I asked Wally what it thought of dinner (the company was great). He said "you do better than that on everyday meals"

The pork apparantly had a strange raisin sauce, the potatos were dry, the dressing was basically oil, balsamic and garlic, and the brussel sprouts were, well, just brussel sprouts....the cake wasn't anything to write home about either.

I swear to God, I could have thrown something like that together in half the time, you would've smelled the wonderful scents, and it would have tasted just as good, or better.

All in my sears stove/oven.


BTW, I do feel us here without kids do have an easier time doing the fresh thing.

If I don't feel like making something, we're not going to starve...it's forage for yourself.

Hard to do that with kids.

You are so right about the aroma! I appreciate a good venting system, but to not be able to smell the foods at all -- what a pity!

A late-night (more like early-morning, actually) drive through the city of my youth would take us past first a coffee roaster, then a bakery... We'd roll down the windows in the dead of winter to get those lovely smells. After which, of course, the first order of business was to find an all-night joint where we could get coffee and toast...

Ah, aromas.

Every single morning going to work, I pass a deli. It is nothing special to look at but every single morning they are making tomato sauce or something with tomato sauce. The aroma vents out onto the street, and it's marvelous. I don't need to taste the food. Frankly, I'm tasting it with my nose, if that makes any sense. It's actually helped me with cravings because I get to experience the richness without the calories. In the afternoons they are doing something with vinegar so it's harder to smell, but the mornings (perhaps they're baking lasagna?), they are simply heavenly.

And that's not the only way that aromas have helped me with cravings. I guess I've kind of turned them on their heads. I'm not saying that aromas don't make me hungry -- they do! -- but I've found that they can also sometimes just either be a trigger for a memory or I spend my time trying to figure out what's in something.

{sniff} Mushrooms. Olive oil. Tomatoes. Garlic. Basil. Onions. Very small amount of oregano. A smidge of salt.

That's what's in the tomato sauce I smell every morning, I'm quite sure.

"All natural" is one of the Big food myths-- if you think about it, what does it mean? I could be an apple farmer who sprays with not very healthy pesticides and when it comes to seeling my wares I'd label them as "all natural". There are no regulations on using the the term.

"All natural" is one of the Big food myths. the public is so snookered by this term. if you think about it, what does it mean? There are No regulations on using the term and people just assume it's healthy if its labeled that way.

The kids thing definately gets in the way. I get home from work and you have to help the kids with homework, showers, baths, etc.

BK (or before kids), my husband and I would pour a glass a wine and cook a nice meal together .... sometimes we still do, but usually that is our exciting Saturday night.