...so it started with this:
"...umm, Caolan what were those things I had to look out for on the labels of my food again??"
...well, for starters - real food doesn't have labels - the tomatoes or bananas I pick up in the produce sections don't have a list of ingredients on the side...I'm pretty sure this is because a tomato is 100% tomato, and doesn't really need much explanation...
...but if, for convenience sake, you decide to buy something in a can - this site has a pretty comprehensive list of the additives that have been shown to be potentially harmful, and the side effects that may occur if they're consumed regularly...
...but let's get back to those canned goods:
...I hope you can all see the difference between these two...but what other differences exist?? What price do we pay for having the convenience of a can of "fresh" produce we can have sitting in our cupboards for months?? For me, the disturbing fact here is that a fresh tomato has a shelf life of about 5-7 days yet a can of tomatoes has a shelf life of 12-18 months...hmm, how is that possible?? We know that all food will naturally decay over time, so how have the tomatoes been altered so that they can last 52 to 78 times longer than normal??
...well, the most obvious answer is to first read the side of a can of tomatoes - you'll notice that it does not say 100% tomatoes, and that there are a few other ingredients in your can (one of which is sugar, and hopefully you've already read my blog on that one). Now, those ingredients will obviously be there to help preserve the quality, taste and colour of the tomatoes but I have to ask - what are they actually doing to the food?? To my mind, they're actually altering the food in a manner that normal bacteria will no longer break food down...if that sounds familiar to you, this might jog your memory:
...above exists the most well known example of how altering a food and removing many of the natural nutrients can extend the shelf life of a product...and extending a shelf life means that the company providing the "food" doesn't have to produce the food as often because the "food" now does not degrade as quickly as food normally should...
"...okay, I'm guessing Maccas is off my new diet list..."
...I'm guessing you'd be right, but I should probably explain why the fact that bacteria struggle to breakdown modified food is such a concern...actually, it's really easy: our digestion and absorption process in our body relies on favourable bacteria to breakdown and absorb nutrients in our gut...
...this also explains the white vs brown rice conundrum:
...brown rice requires less processing and less handling to be manufactured, so why is it often three to five times the price? Because brown rice spoils quickly, it is broken down by the bacteria in nature...therefore, it's shelf life is much shorter than white rice...so essentially, you (this includes me) are punished for selecting a food that is healthier and cheaper to produce (read smaller carbon footprint here too) because it's more expensive for the food manufacturers to store and ship it...hence, they make white rice so much cheaper because it's more convenient for them to store and ship...
...which brings me to the following point, if food is heavily modified the body's ability to absorb nutrients from it (those few that remain after the food has been modified) is severely reduced. Which means if you're consuming a diet high in processed (or modified) foods, you could actually be setting yourself up for vitamin and nutrient deficiencies in the future...
...my ideal situation would be that we would all cook from scratch again...that we would use foods from their natural states, and therefore, receive all the nutrients from them as nature has intended...I understand that people feel that cooking from scratch is time consuming, but short cutting our food is not the way to counteract that - try reducing your preparation time instead (this guy has some pretty good ideas on how to accomplish that)...
...and as always, if you want to know more - ask me: the.chiro@mail.com or now on Twitter: @caolanthechiro
...this also explains the white vs brown rice conundrum:
...brown rice requires less processing and less handling to be manufactured, so why is it often three to five times the price? Because brown rice spoils quickly, it is broken down by the bacteria in nature...therefore, it's shelf life is much shorter than white rice...so essentially, you (this includes me) are punished for selecting a food that is healthier and cheaper to produce (read smaller carbon footprint here too) because it's more expensive for the food manufacturers to store and ship it...hence, they make white rice so much cheaper because it's more convenient for them to store and ship...
...which brings me to the following point, if food is heavily modified the body's ability to absorb nutrients from it (those few that remain after the food has been modified) is severely reduced. Which means if you're consuming a diet high in processed (or modified) foods, you could actually be setting yourself up for vitamin and nutrient deficiencies in the future...
...my ideal situation would be that we would all cook from scratch again...that we would use foods from their natural states, and therefore, receive all the nutrients from them as nature has intended...I understand that people feel that cooking from scratch is time consuming, but short cutting our food is not the way to counteract that - try reducing your preparation time instead (this guy has some pretty good ideas on how to accomplish that)...
...and as always, if you want to know more - ask me: the.chiro@mail.com or now on Twitter: @caolanthechiro
