Well, this cartoon is funny and probably close to the truth. Most of us don't even have a clue what we are eating and what is in our foods. I urge you to watch Food Inc to see what happens to our food and what is in it. Here is a very small clip about the processing of one meat plant:
Now that you have watched how yummy just that one clip is... let's play a game!
It's called "What's that Chemical" I am so creative, I know... I am going to tell you some commonly used preservatives in our foods and tell you what they are and what it does to your body. Some of my friends asked "What are the problems with eating this stuff, I don't have any medical problems?". Ok, well let me just tell you, sometimes you don't know how bad you feel, until you feel good. The other thing is, sometimes it takes years of eating it before you know what damage it has done and then it's too late. There are also some aliments that you may have from time to time, and it's coming from what you eat and you don't even know it.Oh, let's not forget..that includes our children. You will be searching out my friend farmer, Wendi, after this one. I know what is in her animals (nothing but what God gave them)....
Now that you have watched how yummy just that one clip is... let's play a game!
It's called "What's that Chemical" I am so creative, I know... I am going to tell you some commonly used preservatives in our foods and tell you what they are and what it does to your body. Some of my friends asked "What are the problems with eating this stuff, I don't have any medical problems?". Ok, well let me just tell you, sometimes you don't know how bad you feel, until you feel good. The other thing is, sometimes it takes years of eating it before you know what damage it has done and then it's too late. There are also some aliments that you may have from time to time, and it's coming from what you eat and you don't even know it.Oh, let's not forget..that includes our children. You will be searching out my friend farmer, Wendi, after this one. I know what is in her animals (nothing but what God gave them)....
Nitrates: Inhibit growth of bacterial spores..commonly used in meat to help enrich the color. They react with amino acids (which or body if full of) and create a new molecule , nitrosamines, which are known to cause cancer and can cause birth defects. That's why they are only allowed in small amounts. Hmmm, pregnant women are advised not to eat them..well I am not eating them either.
Butylated Hydroxyanisole (BHA): Dry food preservative in most cereal boxes. Helps prevent rancitidy, which happens to fatty foods which come in contact with oxygen. Causes skin rashes, asthma and hyperactivity in children.
Sulfites: Sulfites, including sodium and potassium bisulfite and metabisulfite as well as sulfur dioxide. Used to treat light-colored fruits and veggies to preserve them. Also used to bleach flour and food starch. Cause breathing problems, stomachaches, hives, and anaphylactic shock in the most severe case.
Benzoates: On lists includes sodium, potassium, and calcium benzoates. Kill bacteria, yeast, and fungi. Appear as preservatives in acidic foods. When combined with vitamin C results in benzene, which causes cancer.and is highly regulated in other countries.
Pesticides (click here for my entry on that), fertilizers, additives, preservatives and even coloring agents are sprayed directly on crops right from the beginning. The meat you buy, if it is not organic and labeled how it is raised, will have been given antibiotics and growth hormones.
Antibiotics: Sick animals are pumped full of antibiotics so that they can be sold at market for meat processing. This is risky for getting very sick from eating meat from a sick animal.
The biggest controversy centers around taking antibiotics that are used to treat human illnesses and administering them to the livestock that we eat. If a group of animals is treated with a certain antibiotic over time, the bacteria living in those animals will become resistant to that drug. The problem for humans is that if a person ingests the resistant bacteria via improperly cooked meat and becomes ill, he or she may not respond to antibiotic treatment.
Hormones: Hormones are given to animals so that they grow bigger, faster, produce more milk and eggs, and bring in more money. Growth hormones induced in cattle are totally banned by the European Union from the last 20 years. On the other hand, around 1/3 of the total cattle in the US are being fed on rbGH. This specifically designed hormones is injected in the cows to increase the milk production.Steroid hormones cause girls to undergo puberty prematurely, an occurrence associated with increased risk for breast cancer later in life. It also causes in increase in prostate cancer in men.
So know what to buy..read your labels or go to the farmers market and know your farm and farmer:
Meat and dairy..look for no hormones, no antibiotics, organic if possible. Beef should be grass fed instead of corn fed... grass fed, hormone free beef is higher in omega fats and lower in saturated fats.
In addition..look for nitrate free lunch meats and hot dogs.
Eggs: look for no hormones, no antibiotics, free range eggs..It has 1/3 less cholesterol, 1/4 less saturated fat, twice as much omega-3 fatty acids, and 7 times more beta carotene than other eggs.
Fruits and Veggies: I don't buy all organic everything....Know the dirty dozen..These are the ones highest in pesticide absorption.. these are the ones that you want to buy organic in the whole and juiced...
Click here to see the list of those....
Butylated Hydroxyanisole (BHA): Dry food preservative in most cereal boxes. Helps prevent rancitidy, which happens to fatty foods which come in contact with oxygen. Causes skin rashes, asthma and hyperactivity in children.
Sulfites: Sulfites, including sodium and potassium bisulfite and metabisulfite as well as sulfur dioxide. Used to treat light-colored fruits and veggies to preserve them. Also used to bleach flour and food starch. Cause breathing problems, stomachaches, hives, and anaphylactic shock in the most severe case.
Benzoates: On lists includes sodium, potassium, and calcium benzoates. Kill bacteria, yeast, and fungi. Appear as preservatives in acidic foods. When combined with vitamin C results in benzene, which causes cancer.and is highly regulated in other countries.
Pesticides (click here for my entry on that), fertilizers, additives, preservatives and even coloring agents are sprayed directly on crops right from the beginning. The meat you buy, if it is not organic and labeled how it is raised, will have been given antibiotics and growth hormones.
Antibiotics: Sick animals are pumped full of antibiotics so that they can be sold at market for meat processing. This is risky for getting very sick from eating meat from a sick animal.
The biggest controversy centers around taking antibiotics that are used to treat human illnesses and administering them to the livestock that we eat. If a group of animals is treated with a certain antibiotic over time, the bacteria living in those animals will become resistant to that drug. The problem for humans is that if a person ingests the resistant bacteria via improperly cooked meat and becomes ill, he or she may not respond to antibiotic treatment.
Hormones: Hormones are given to animals so that they grow bigger, faster, produce more milk and eggs, and bring in more money. Growth hormones induced in cattle are totally banned by the European Union from the last 20 years. On the other hand, around 1/3 of the total cattle in the US are being fed on rbGH. This specifically designed hormones is injected in the cows to increase the milk production.Steroid hormones cause girls to undergo puberty prematurely, an occurrence associated with increased risk for breast cancer later in life. It also causes in increase in prostate cancer in men.
So know what to buy..read your labels or go to the farmers market and know your farm and farmer:
Meat and dairy..look for no hormones, no antibiotics, organic if possible. Beef should be grass fed instead of corn fed... grass fed, hormone free beef is higher in omega fats and lower in saturated fats.
In addition..look for nitrate free lunch meats and hot dogs.
Eggs: look for no hormones, no antibiotics, free range eggs..It has 1/3 less cholesterol, 1/4 less saturated fat, twice as much omega-3 fatty acids, and 7 times more beta carotene than other eggs.
Fruits and Veggies: I don't buy all organic everything....Know the dirty dozen..These are the ones highest in pesticide absorption.. these are the ones that you want to buy organic in the whole and juiced...
Click here to see the list of those....
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