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View Full Version : What kind of junk and poisons are in our food?



R Gitananda
25 March 2012, 11:00 AM
namaste

Some disturbing things have come to my attention about what
appears to be harmless vegetarian foods sold in the United States.

Pink, red and purple coloring

Since Jan. 5, the FDA has required food manufactures to disclose whether red cochineal beetles are among their products' ingredients. These beetles are farmed, harvested, dried and crushed to produce a red dye called carmine that, until this year, had been disguised in the ingredient list as "artificial color," "color added" or the all-encompassing "natural and artificial coloring."

Carmine provides pink, red and purple coloring to foods such as ice cream, yogurt, candy, and fruit drinks (should you permit that last one to be categorized as a food). Because of lax labeling laws, the extent of carmine in foods and drinks is not known. http://www.livescience.com/9251-foods-beetles.html

For me the question arises - 'If the FDA allowed food manufacturers to conceal ingredients that
most consumers wouldn't want, WHY would I trust them to vigorously enforce their new regulations?'

Caramel Coloring

An artificial pigment created by heating sugars. Frequently, this process includes ammonia.

Why it’s scary: Caramel coloring shows up in everything from soft drinks and sauces to breads and pastries. When made from straight sugar, it's relatively benign. But when produced with ammonia it puts off 2-methylimidazole and 4-methylimidazole, chemicals that have been linked to cancer in mice. The risk is strong enough that the California government, a bellwether for better food regulation, categorized 4-methylimidazole as “known to cause cancer” earlier this year. Unfortunately, companies aren't required to disclose whether their coloring is made with ammonia, so you'd be wise to avoid it as much as you can. http://health.yahoo.net/experts/eatthis/top-10-scariest-food-additives

Orange and purple food dyes

Many artificial food dyes-found in hundreds of everyday foods-are made from petroleum-derived materials. Food producers use these chemical dyes in cereals and candy to make them more "fun" for kids, in pickles to make them appear fresher, and in place of real ingredients in a variety of other packaged foods. ...

Why it's bad: Orange and purple food dyes have been shown to impair brain function, and other dyes have been linked to ADHD and behavioral problems in kids, as well as brain-cell toxicity. ... http://fitbie.msn.com/slideshow/5-grossest-things-youre-eating/slide/5

Trans Fats

Trans fats are in moist bakery muffins and crispy crackers, microwave popcorn and fast-food French fries, even the stick margarine you may rely on as a “heart-healthy” alternative to saturated-fat-laden butter.

Once hailed as a cheap, heart-friendly replacement for butter, lard and coconut oil, trans fats have been denounced by one Harvard nutrition expert as “the biggest food-processing disaster in U.S. history.” Why? Research now reveals trans fats are twice as dangerous for your heart as saturated fat, and cause an estimated 30,000 to 100,000 premature heart disease deaths each year.

Trans fats are worse for your heart than saturated fats because they boost your levels of “bad” LDL cholesterol and decrease “good” HDL cholesterol. That’s double trouble for your arteries. And unlike saturated fats, trans fats also raise your levels of artery-clogging lipoprotein and triglycerides.

Check the ingredient list for any of these words: “partially hydrogenated,” “fractionated,” or “hydrogenated” (fully hydrogenated fats are not a heart threat, but some trans fats are mislabeled as “hydrogenated”). The higher up the phrase “partially hydrogenated oil” is on the list of ingredients, the more trans fat the product contains.

Replacing trans fats with good fats could cut your heart attack risk by a whopping 53 percent. http://www.rd.com/health/4-most-harmful-ingredients-in-packaged-foods/

Salad Dressing

Big food corporations often add the chemical titanium dioxide-commonly found in paints and sunscreens-to processed foods like salad dressing, coffee creamers, and canned icing to make them appear whiter.

Why it's bad: Titanium dioxide is a component of the metallic element titanium, a mined substance that's sometimes contaminated with toxic lead ... http://fitbie.msn.com/slideshow/5-grossest-things-youre-eating/slide/4

Mushrooms and other canned goods

The FDA legally allows 19 maggots—tiny, rice-shaped fly larvae that feast on rotting foods—and 74 mites in every 3.5-ounce can of mushrooms.

... if you need another reason to ditch canned goods, consider this: Most are lined with bisphenol A (or BPA), a plastic chemical that causes unnatural hormonal changes linked to heart attacks, obesity, and certain cancers. http://fitbie.msn.com/slideshow/5-grossest-things-youre-eating/slide/6

Potato chips and French fries

These popular snack foods contain acrylamide, a known carcinogen and neurotoxin that is formed when foods are baked or fried at high temperatures. "I estimate that acrylamide causes several thousand cancers per year in Americans," said Clark University research professor Dale Hattis.

When CSPI conducted tests on some popular brands of French fries and chips, they found that the acrylamide in a large order of fast food fries was at least 300 times the amount allowed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in a glass of water. http://www.sixwise.com/newsletters/05/07/20/the-6-most-unhealthy-foods-you-should-avoid-at-all-costs.htm

Grain Products

Azodicarbonamide - A synthetic yellow-orange dough conditioner ...
This chemical is used most frequently in the production of industrial foam plastic, and although the FDA has approved its use for food in the States, the United Kingdom has labeled it a potential cause of asthma. In a review of 47 studies on azodicarbonamide, the World Health Organization concluded that it probably does trigger asthmatic symptoms. The WHO concluded, “exposure levels should be reduced as much as possible.” I’ll put it more concisely: Avoid it. http://health.yahoo.net/experts/eatthis/top-10-scariest-food-additives

Many packaged breads and baked goods contain L-cysteine-a non-essential amino acid made from dissolved human hair (often from China) or duck feathers (mmmm). Food manufacturers use the ingredient as a commercial dough conditioner, meant to improve the texture of breads and baked goods. http://fitbie.msn.com/slideshow/5-grossest-things-youre-eating/slide/2

For me the answer is real whole foods prepared
at home. The time and effort is well worth it.

Hari Aum

R Gitananda
25 March 2012, 11:26 AM
namaste

Here is a short video showing how to easily make healthy bread:
http://www.amazon.com/Healthy-Bread-Five-Minutes-Day/dp/0312545525

I think most people can find their way after watching it
without having to purchase the book.

Hari Aum

c.smith
25 March 2012, 02:51 PM
Hari Om!

Thanks for the enlightening information. Myself? I will look into some of my eating habits and make changes as necessary. Health is important. We are not the body, but we must take care of the body.

One point to mention - in my opinion, several foods taste better "natural" anyway. Take salad for instance. Why ruin it with dressing? Aren't the vegetables full of flavor all in themselves? That's the reason I eat it in the first place without.

Jai Jai Hanuman!

rainbowlotus
25 March 2012, 02:54 PM
Hari Om!

Thanks for the enlightening information. Myself? I will look into some of my eating habits and make changes as necessary. Health is important. We are not the body, but we must take care of the body.

One point to mention - in my opinion, several foods taste better "natural" anyway. Take salad for instance. Why ruin it with dressing? Aren't the vegetables full of flavor all in themselves? That's the reason I eat it in the first place without.

Jai Jai Hanuman!

I've never even thought about eating a salad without dressing. I should try it someday.

Eastern Mind
25 March 2012, 03:10 PM
Vannakkam: I like home shaked dressing ... oil, cider vinegar, very finely chopped fresh garlic, basil, (fresh if you can find it ... or better yet, grow it) and some (not much) salt. I'm sure you could add some more flavors too. Then you pretty much know what's in it, and you can experiment to get to something you really like.

But c.smith makes a great point too ... especially with certain veggies like cauliflower.

Aum Namasivaya

Believer
25 March 2012, 04:28 PM
Namaste Gitananda,

Now I know why my comprehension is slowing down, why I don't feel too good, why my disposition is deteriorating and why I am not personable and combative with people. It is all because of the additives in my food and has nothing to do with me as a person. ;)

I am going to go on a month long fast to cleanse my system, and if I survive that, then I will start eating healthy foods only. Hopefully, I will become a better poster and more pleasant to converse with. :)

On a serious note though, thanks Gitananda for all the valuable information. It sure makes me stop and think about all the junk that I unknowingly have been putting into my system. Dead ground beetles and all those carcinogens, Yikes!

Pranam.

JaiMaaDurga
25 March 2012, 09:42 PM
Namaste,

I was aware of some on the list, but not all. The basic factor I have to
tried to keep in mind is that-
for these companies, it's always about money first.

Perhaps some here may have heard about the effort to develop the ideal
tomato for supermarkets? The tomato was to be as glossy and bright red
as possible, because marketing studies favored it. It was also required
not only to be pest-resistant, but very thick-skinned to minimize damage
or bruising during long-distance shipping. Yet the highest priority was placed
on the tomato's shape being as close to a cube as possible,
because that was a much more efficient shape- many
more tomatoes could be packed in the same amount of space.

After a great deal of time and money, the researchers claimed success-
the new breed of tomato was glossy, bright red, thick-skinned,
pest-resistant, and cube-shaped!

However, the entire exercise was a failure, due to one small fact:
it tasted terrible.
They had forgotten the entire reason a person buys tomatoes
in the first place!

Which is healthier for an infant, the milk from its own mother's breast-
or some powdered "formula"?

Which one makes companies millions every year?

I know that there are always at least some unwanted compounds and toxins
in the air, the water, the food- everywhere...
and that there is only so much control one can have over these things,
as an individual, on a day-to-day basis.

Yet this does not mean that I shall be fatalistic,
or remain "blissfully ignorant", when I have the knowledge,
and the means to "vote with my pocketbook" concerning such matters.

JAI MATA DI

charitra
26 March 2012, 08:25 AM
I believe Anna Hazare eats just one meal, something like a veg brunch if you will, i would recommend a time tested practice on those lines before undertaking any more self immolating stricter regimes.;)

Namaste Gitananda. ;)

I am going to go on a month long fast to cleanse my system, and if I survive that, then I will start eating healthy foods only. Hopefully, I will become a better poster and more pleasant to converse with. :)

Pranam.

Eastern Mind
26 March 2012, 08:29 AM
I am going to go on a month long fast to cleanse my system, and if I survive that, then I will start eating healthy foods only. Hopefully, I will become a better poster and more pleasant to converse with. :)


Vannakkam: This one month fast could lead to a very one-sided conversation! Most certainly there would no arguing. Reminds me of my father and his buddies dark graveyard humour ... "Well, I'm afraid the old guy ain't talkin 'is way out of this one."

Aum Namasivaya

Believer
26 March 2012, 09:28 AM
Namaste,

"Well, I'm afraid the old guy ain't talkin 'is way out of this one."
Exactly, and this avoids designating someone to be responsible for 'pulling the plug' on me. ;)

Pranam.