As many of you know, I have started to change the way I have been eating, what started off as a decision to take a break from sugar (for maybe a week or two), has now turned into something much much bigger.
A few weeks ago, I literally got hit with a ton of bricks, and realized that not only are the foods I eat on a regular basis packed full of sugar (the substance I was actually trying to go off of) but they are also packed full of a bunch of other things too. I read somewhere that we aren't really eating real food, we are eating "food like substances" and that those things listed on the back of your food, the ones you can't even pronounce...those are chemicals. WHAT! How could there really be chemicals in my food? But then again, those things listed on the label sure weren't anything I'd ever heard of...so what exactly are they?
I decided to try to figure out what some of those other things were. And I started reading some of my food labels. What in the heck is thiamine mononitrate, ferrous sulfate, monosodium glutamate? Luckily (or not so luckily )I had heard of MSG. I remember MSG being in the news years ago. I remember packaging coming out that said NO MSG and I really did think they had banned it. Nope. It is everywhere. I couldn't believe it. And after doing a little bit of research I discovered that it too causes Migraines. I needed to not be eating MSG either. I went through my cupboard and I filled an entire brown grocery bag full of cans which contained MSG. ugh... What on earth have I been eating??? No wonder I feel like crap. No wonder I have had a headache for the last 3 1/2 years of my life. No wonder I'm ALWAYS tired...no wonder I feel like garbage...
What have I been doing to myself? To my kids...
I will be completely honest when I say, I had no idea how bad I was eating. If people would have told me I was addicted to eating processed foods I would have laughed in their faces and said "NO WAY!" I mean, I make homemade dinners every night. I don't buy egos, or frozen lasagnas, or let my kids eat pop tarts. I don't buy the "sugary" cereals, and I hardly ever even buy white bread. And I definitely don't consume soda pop on a regular basis. Sure, I like my peanut butter m&m's and my Oreos...but seriously who doesn't have a few weaknesses. But my addiction to Processed foods goes a lot farther than just eating an occasional Oreo. I am beginning to realize what a scary mess I am in...
Today, I wanted to take a look at my sour cream...
WHAT is all this stuff doing in my sour cream???
MEADOW GOLD GRADE A PASTEURIZED SOUR CREAM:
Here we go...
1. cultured milk and cream
2. whey
3. food starch-modified (corn)
4. maltodextrin: (an additive commonly found in "junk food", used as an artificial sweetener, and filler)
I couldn't find any direct evidence that maltodextrin is dangerous to have in our food. It sounds to me like long term research is not really available. In general foods containing maltodextrin are considered unhealthy because it is an additive commonly found in "junk food." Whether the following health implications are directly related to maltodextrin is unclear, but people who consume diets high in maltodextrin will typically have some of the following symptoms:
- skin rashes, itching, wheezing, asthma, etc.
- bloating sensation in the abdomen and flatulence.
- problems in digestion, diarrhea and in some cases even constipation.
- hypoglycemia.
- As maltodextrin contains carbohydrates it can cause an insulin spike. This may lead to the excess storage of energy in the form of fat, which can result in unhealthy weight gain.
- Some researchers also believe that maltodextrin can also cause tooth decay and other dental problems like plaque, tartar etc.
- Induced vomiting
- Headaches, which may range from mild to severe
- Upset stomach
- Dizziness and fainting spells
- Generalized body weakness
- Fatigue and body ache
Food-grade STPP may cause acute skin irritation, and prolonged contact with skin should beavoided. STPP is listed on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenti-cide Act as a registered pesticide, and it is also registered as an air contaminant under California’s Occupational and Safety Health Act. Although the FDA considers STPP to be“generally recognized as safe” as a food preservative, its household and industrial uses — such as in cleaning and sanitizing agents — suggest that exposure can be dangerous in the short-term, particularly if it is inhaled.
6. Sodium citrate:
Citric acid is the acid in lemon juice. Sodium citrate is the sodium salt of citric acid. Table salt is sodium chloride which is the sodium salt of hydrochloric acid. (Too much sodium citrate would be comparable to having too much table salt in your diet.)
7. Guar Gum:
"Guar gum in low amounts has a minimal effect on the body. Larger doses of guar gum have potentially hazardous side effects...Guar gum is an extremely viscous thickening agent that has the potential to expand up to 20 times its original size. Guar gum is often marketed as a weight loss additive since it has the potential to minimize appetitive by creating a feeling of fullness. However, the possibility that guar gum could expand and completely block your gastrointestinal tract, according to the Drugs website, indicates that you should minimize your consumption...Diets that utilize guar gum as the primary fiber source might run an increased risk of colon cancer. A study in rats published in "International Journal of Cancer" in 2002 illustrated that high levels of guar gum exacerbated colon cancer risk. Although there have been correlation studies in humans, there have not been any complete clinical trials in humans to examine this possible impact. If you have any history of colon cancer in your family, you should be cautious when consuming large amounts of guar gum."
This ubiquitous additive is found in foods such as. ice cream, half & half, cream, cottage cheese, chocolate milk, some hemp milks, rice milk, almond milk, soy milk, cheesecake, processed meats, hot dogs, frozen desserts, apple cider, jellies, prepared sauces, pies, puddings and baby “formulas.” It is in other processed foods, but it may not be listed on the label, because it is part of another ingredient...it has been found to cause colitis (inflammation of the large intestine/colon) and anaphylaxis (life threatening allergic reaction) in humans...carrageenan can cause ulcerations and cancers of the gastrointestinal tract.”...Experimentally carrageenan is used as an agent to induce, intense inflammation in experimental animals. A recent study found that when carrageenan was injected in animals along with a cancer causing chemical, tumors appeared more rapidly…than in control animals injected with the carcinogen alone. The same was seen when human breast cancers were implanted in animals along with carrageenan. The combination made the tumors grow faster and spread more rapidly than in control animals. As a result carrageenan is classified as a tumor promoter.” Dr Blaylock named carrageenan as an additive that may contain MSG.
Dr. Joann Tobacman, M.D., University of Iowa Assistant Professor of Clinical Internal Medicine did a number of studies on carrageenan. She said, “Evidence from animal models has demonstrated that degraded carrageenan causes ulcerations and malignancies in the gastro intestinal tract.” After conducting epidemiological and laboratory research on carrageenan, Dr. Tobacman published an extensive review of 45 investigations on harmful gastrointestinal effects of carrageenan in animal experiments. The article was published in an issue of Environmental Health Perspectives, the journal of the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences. In the studies she found that carrageenan is taken up by the intestinal cells rather easily, but the cells are unable to metabolize it. As carrageenan accumulates in cells, it may cause them to break down, and over time this process could lead to ulceration. In the past I came across information that carrageenan was an emulsifier and it caused the pores in the intestinal tract to become larger; permitting larger molecules of undigested food to enter the bloodstream. This would cause a burden on the lymphatic system, whose main function is to clear out “foreign invaders” from the bloodstream.
Dr. Joann Tobacman, M.D., University of Iowa Assistant Professor of Clinical Internal Medicine did a number of studies on carrageenan. She said, “Evidence from animal models has demonstrated that degraded carrageenan causes ulcerations and malignancies in the gastro intestinal tract.” After conducting epidemiological and laboratory research on carrageenan, Dr. Tobacman published an extensive review of 45 investigations on harmful gastrointestinal effects of carrageenan in animal experiments. The article was published in an issue of Environmental Health Perspectives, the journal of the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences. In the studies she found that carrageenan is taken up by the intestinal cells rather easily, but the cells are unable to metabolize it. As carrageenan accumulates in cells, it may cause them to break down, and over time this process could lead to ulceration. In the past I came across information that carrageenan was an emulsifier and it caused the pores in the intestinal tract to become larger; permitting larger molecules of undigested food to enter the bloodstream. This would cause a burden on the lymphatic system, whose main function is to clear out “foreign invaders” from the bloodstream.
Dr. Mercola writes: “A number of studies have found that the widely used food additive carrageenan causes cancer in food animals and its use in human foods should be reconsidered…enough evidence exists about the cancer-causing effects of carrageenan to limit the use of this food additive.
9. calcium sulfate:
10. potassium sorbate:
Should be considered a genotoxic and mutagenic compound (which means it is damaging to DNA, and thereby capable of causing genetic mutations or cancer)
11. locust bean gum:
Welcome, my friends, to the truth about your food. I invite you to join me this year on my quest to rediscover real food. Nutritious foods that will make you feel good, that will actually make you feel healthier and happier. I hardly know where to begin, or what to do...I just know I have to do something...
1 comment:
This made me curious about our sour cream. The Strauss brand listed milk, cream and enzymes. The Horizon Organic one listed a bunch of ingredients including guar gum and carrageen. This reminded me why we prefer Strauss dairy.
-David Kirk
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