Food seems hard to come by

Okay, the title of the thread may be misleading, but if it got your attention, it did its job. Without getting into anything too specific right now, it has become clear to me that much of what we eat in the US is not even food. Ever check the ingredients list? Look for things like carnuba wax (used in car wax) or BVO (brominated vegetable oils). In case any of you reading were not already aware, benzene can form in your sodas. Artificial colors such as Red #40 have been shown to have carcinogenic effects at high levels.

Of course, they are regarded as "safe" by the FDA - but then there is the question of long-term effects. Perhaps these chemicals are safe - if one can of soda is all you ever drank. What of a lifetime of consuming these laboratory made "foods?"

On the other hand, not every chemical added to foods is going to harm you. If you see an ingredient you don't recognize, be vigilant and look it up. If you have a kid who is hyperactive, maybe s/he is sensitive to Yellow 5 Lake.

If this type of thing worries you then buy the raw ingredients and make it yourself!

There's food, and then there's processed food with all the padding. The latter is not a problem per se, just a choice.

I would be more worried about the amount of salt, sugar and fats in processed food rather than the other chaff. The fact that manufacturers add other "chaff" is a testament to the poor quality of the original ingredients. For example, "how do you get fat, sugar and salt to taste nice", well... "add some of this and that"!

a reply to: scorpio84

So give us some links.

This is the definition of a shi$ post, and I've certainly authored my fair share.

I'm sure this will be flagged and starred like crazy, but it shouldn't be. You haven't offered ANY information. You've basically said terrorism is bad.

I will get shat on for calling out this half assed attempt, a bunch of people will come in and talk about GMO, I bet we hear a few anecdotes about people that now raise and eat all of their own food (they don't, they have a small spice garden), and we get to listen to the people that tell us McDonald's is evil and we should destroy our TV.

BACK IT UP! I don't know what Yellow 5 Lake is. Is it bad? If it is, then give me a freaking link!

I make my own muesli, my own ice cream, and my own pizza.

all from processed crap

how can you make your own oats unless you grow them. Or any of the fruits you find so delish.

and ice cream - I am so cheap I just use sweetened condensed milk and cream. I am sure it is worse than a tub of bulla.

and pizza.. I think that would be the healthiest thing I can make. All of the ingredients are fresh vegetables, maybe some processed salami - if at all - but all the chilli and tomato and onion and.. god now Im hungry..

But even the base is made from plain flower, egg and milk. I like it hard and thin.. the pizza crust you freak.

basically the best pizza for me is a damn huge cracker with a bunch of fresh veg on top, and then smothered in smoky cheese. that might be the worst culprit in my ideology.

but I grow none myself. so if society perished, I'd be eating your dead cousin and his dog. sorry.

originally posted by: Domo1
a reply to: scorpio84

So give us some links.

This is the definition of a shi$ post, and I've certainly authored my fair share.

I'm sure this will be flagged and starred like crazy, but it shouldn't be. You haven't offered ANY information. You've basically said terrorism is bad.

I will get shat on for calling out this half assed attempt, a bunch of people will come in and talk about GMO, I bet we hear a few anecdotes about people that now raise and eat all of their own food (they don't, they have a small spice garden), and we get to listen to the people that tell us McDonald's is evil and we should destroy our TV.

BACK IT UP! I don't know what Yellow 5 Lake is. Is it bad? If it is, then give me a freaking link!

HAVE A SNICKERS BAR DUDE, YOU AINT YOURSELF WHEN YOU'RE HUNGRY!!!

allcapsallcaps..

a reply to: Domo1

I'm sure this will be flagged and starred like crazy, but it shouldn't be. You haven't offered ANY information. You've basically said terrorism is bad.

Huh ??????????????

This thread reminds me that I was looking through the bowl we put bread and chips in and I looked at a quarter of a loaf of White Great Value bread that had been there for a month. No signs of mold on that bread and it still felt kind of soft. It got me thinking of the high dollar organic bread we have used and it never made it even a week without the mold getting at it. It made me think for a minute "If simple mold will not even eat this crap after a week should I even think it is OK for me to eat it? Perhaps these added ingredients are good for the manufacturer but are they good for anyone else?

Even bottled water has an expiration date.

Think about it.

a reply to: paraphi

You are absolutely right - especially about salts and sugars. I'm also thinking a lot of people may not know about the real danger being less saturated fats and more partially hydrogenated oils.

a reply to: Domo1

You have every right to ask for links. It's my job to research and write about various ingredients. Here's a link to a brief summary of artificial flavors.

As for Yellow 5 - the primary concern with Yellow 5 is that it may cause hyperactivity in children - or exacerbate it. Furthermore, it could be bad for people with asthma.

You're also correct that this post was a huge generalization - but if it gets people talking about the subject, then good. Also, I'm sure people will be sharing links, as will I once we get the convo rolling. The OP is just to start the conversation.

a reply to: machineintelligence

That's the flip side to a lot of the additives - they're there to increase shelf-life and without them, food would go bad quickly. So, it's a give and take. Not everything about food additives is bad, but the consumer should at least be aware so they make an informed decision. Another thing (and I'll get a link later if anyone wants to not Google it) is that sometimes foods and supplements have metals that are not listed on the ingredients labels. For example, if lead is part of a spice, it need not be listed and is perfectly legal.

a reply to: laminatedsoul

Pizza actually isn't the worst thing in the world for you and ice cream contains a good amount of calcium. Really, I'm not sure what the fuss is about all these diets. Yes, if you have Celiac's disease, type 2 diabetes, sensitivity to sulfites, etc., you need to watch what you eat - but for the rest of us without any allergies or conditions, moderation is key.

One thing about, say a watermelon smoothie vs. artificial watermelon flavor with the same vitamins added: the added vitamins are synthetic and come without the necessary co-factors (your body depletes itself of some of its reserves).

So, if you see "ascorbic acid" - that's the main part of Vitamin C, but without all the co-factors that actually make it do its job.

originally posted by: Domo1
a reply to: scorpio84

So give us some links.

This is the definition of a shi$ post, and I've certainly authored my fair share.

I'm sure this will be flagged and starred like crazy, but it shouldn't be. You haven't offered ANY information. You've basically said terrorism is bad.

I will get shat on for calling out this half assed attempt, a bunch of people will come in and talk about GMO, I bet we hear a few anecdotes about people that now raise and eat all of their own food (they don't, they have a small spice garden), and we get to listen to the people that tell us McDonald's is evil and we should destroy our TV.

BACK IT UP! I don't know what Yellow 5 Lake is. Is it bad? If it is, then give me a freaking link!

Have you been drinking!,...

a reply to: scorpio84

Are fresh meat, fish, fruit and vegetables still readily available to people in U.S? I would be interested to know. I mean are there shops nearby for everybody where the raw ingredients can be purchased?

a reply to: paraphi

First of all, I would tell Domo to eat a snickers, but I think Domo just needs a hug.

Secondly, you can't just go out and buy fresh ingredients and cook from scratch at any ole grocery store. I do not eat processed foods, period. There are very few ingredients that I can get at my local Kroger. Very few. Heck, I wouldn't touch Morton's salt because it has been too highly processed. I have to get 95% of my food at various specialty stores or local growers and producers. Heck, even with whole foods, you have to be careful and double check what you are buying.

I believe that processed food is a problem. I could back up my reasons why, but I am lazy and falling asleep. I am only here to post about the difficulty getting non-processed ingredients at your local grocery store.

www.naturalgrocers.com... dont-sell/

The link above is one of my favorite stores, and give their own reasons why they won't sell certain products.

a reply to: smirkley

All food is required to have pull dates. In many of them, they're essentially meaningless.

a reply to: scorpio84

... it's a floor wax and a dessert topping!

a reply to: seagull

Of course. And they are meaningless. But if it can go in your mouth, it must expire. It must.

But the stuff is still better than fully organic, as organic expires while you are driving it home.

I miss the old twinkies. You know, the ones that were good for 200 years or so.

a reply to: scorpio84

Some things people consume are not food. Sodas are carbonated water and corn syrup. Neither has nutritional value, but they serve as an efficient delivery system for the drug caffeine. Studies have shown that Americans have strange attitudes towards food. Here is an extract from one fascinating study:

There is a sense among many Americans that food is as much a poison as it is a nutrient, and that eating is almost as dangerous as not eating. This great concern, or perhaps epidemic, of food worrying, is believed to be supported by cross-cultural data, such as the supposed longer life of the people in Southern Europe who live on the “Mediterranean diet”. In fact, overall, people in the countries of central and northern Europe live longer than those of the south, and these central/northern people eat a diet relatively high in fat.

The American attitude to food contrasts with what seems to be a much more relaxed, pleasure-oriented attitude to food among the French. This attitudinal difference is accompanied by relatively high consumption of high-fat foods by the French; for example, only 4% of a sample of French adults consumed a diet that met U.S. dietary recommendations for percent of calories from saturated fats. Many Americans believe fats to be harmful to health at even trace levels. From the American standpoint, “excess” fat intake in France should manifest itself in health. To the contrary, cardiovascular disease occurs at much lower rates in France than in the U.S.A.

faculty.som.yale.edu...

[Edited for readability. --DJW001]

a reply to: DJW001

The for posting that it confirms what I suspected with attitudes towards food in that part if the world