I would like to address the importance of reading labels on the foods you consume. I believe that most Americans do not even have a slightest clue what’s in their favorite meals. After all, the majority’s mentality is “if it tastes good—it must be good”. Let’s see if it is really so. I am going to use a simple wheat bread as my example… well, at least you might think it is simple, but let’s see if you will change your opinion by the time we are done. I hope that you will hang with me. It you find it too hard, just scan through the list of ingredients and get to the part right after.I picked a well known brand as my example: Wonder® Bread, Soft, 100% Whole Wheat. Sounds simple. And it sounds like a healthy option to the regular white bread. Right? Let’s look at the ingredients.
INGREDIENTS: Whole wheat flour, water, wheat gluten, high fructose corn syrup, contains 2% of less of: soybean oil, salt, molasses, yeast, mono and diglycerides, exthoxylated mono and diglycerides, dough conditioners (sodium stearoyl lactylate, calcium iodate, calcium dioxide), datem, calcium sulfate, vinegar, yeast nutrient (ammonium sulfate), extracts of malted barley and corn, dicalcium phosphate, diammonium phosphate, calcium propionate (to retain freshness).
I am sure that your concentration was broken by the time you got to mono and diglycerides. Let’s dissect ingredients, but for the sake of time, only the most mysterious, the ones that you can’t even pronounce, one by one.
High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is a cheaply produced sweetener and preservative made from genetically modified corn, treated with genetically modified enzymes, and it’s found in many of the processed foods we eat, such as hamburger buns, soda, salad dressing and ketchup - items that are often high in calories but low in nutritional value.
High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is a cheaply produced sweetener and preservative made from genetically modified corn, treated with genetically modified enzymes, and it’s found in many of the processed foods we eat, such as hamburger buns, soda, salad dressing and ketchup - items that are often high in calories but low in nutritional value.
In a recent public statement comments came from the FDA's Geraldine June, supervisor of the Product Evaluation and Labeling team at FDA's Office of Nutrition, Labeling and Dietary Supplements, in response to an inquiry. June is quoted: "The use of synthetic fixing agents in the enzyme preparation, which is then used to produce HFCS, would not be consistent with our (…) policy regarding the use of the term 'natural'. Consequently, we would object to the use of the term 'natural' on a product containing HFCS."
So even US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) states that products containing high fructose corn syrup cannot be considered 'natural' and should not be labeled as such, the has said.
Shall we move on?
Shall we move on?
Mono and diglycerides: a mono-glyceride (MG) is made of one fatty acid attached to glycerol, a di-glyceride (DG) is made of two fatty acids attached to a glycerol molecule, and a triglyceride is made of three fatty acids attached to glycerol. Glycerol is the special alcohol that forms the backbone of a triglyceride, which of course is the regular fat or oil molecule. While regular MGs and DGs listed on labels represent one form of surfactant or emulsifier and are usually from the regular oil industry supplies, other surfactants such as ethoxylated mono- or di-glycerides are also used. MGs and DGs work as emulsifiers because one end (the fatty acid) is fat-soluble and the other end (the glycerol) is water soluble.
Exthoxylated mono and diglycerides: ethoxylation is a chemical process in which ethylene oxide (IUPAC name: 1,2-epoxyethane) is added to fatty acids in order to make them more soluble in water.
Are you still hanging in there? Can you keep going a bit longer?
Sodium stearoyl lactate is made by combining lactic acid and stearic acid, and then reacting the result with sodium hydroxide or calcium hydroxide to make the sodium or calcium salt. It is used as an emulsifier in processed foods.
Calcium iodate (also called lautarite) is a compound of calcium and iodate anion (derived through chemical reaction).
Calcium dioxide—a common waste product of respiration in living organisms.
DATEM is an emulsifier primarily used in baking. It is an acronym for Di-Acetyl Tartaric Ester of Monoglyceride. Its main function is as a softener. DATEM is composed of mixed esters of glycerin in which one or more of the hydroxyl groups of glycerin has been esterified by diacetyl tartaric acid and by fatty acids. The ingredient is prepared by the reaction of diacetyl tartaric anhydride with mono- and diglycerides that are derived from edible sources. The major components are a glycerol molecule with a stearic acid residue, a diacetyltartaric acid residue and a free secondary hydroxyl group.
Just a little longer… I hope you are mad by now… REAL MAD… But not just mad at the food industry, but mad enough to change what you haven’t been doing: reading and understanding labels, and hopefully avoiding products such as this.
Calcium sulfate is a common laboratory and industrial chemical. In the natural state, unrefined calcium sulfate is a translucent, crystalline white rock.
Ammonium sulfate is an inorganic chemical compound commonly used as a fertilizer. It is not soluble in alcohol or liquid ammonia. Ammonium sulfate is prepared commercially by reacting ammonia with sulfuric acid (H2SO4). Ammonium sulfate is prepared commercially from the ammoniacal liquor of gas-works and is purified by recrystallisation.
Dicalcium phosphate, also known as calcium monohydrogen phosphate, is a dibasic calcium phosphate.
Diammonium phosphate (DAP) (chemical formula (NH4)2HPO4 ) is one of a series of water-soluble ammonium phosphate salts which can be produced when ammonia reacts with phosphoric acid. DAP is used as a fertilizer and a fire retardant. When applied as plant food, it temporarily increases the soil pH (more basic), but over a long term the treated ground becomes more acidic than before upon nitrification of the ammonium.
Calcium propionate or calcium propanoate is the calcium salt of propionic acid. Propionic acid, in the pure state, is a colorless, corrosive liquid with a pungent odor.
I don’t know about you, but I am tired from even trying to collect this information. I am beyond being mad and upset. After all, we are the only ones responsible for what passes from our hand to our mouth.
I hope you are ready to explore the alternatives. I am sure that you and your family deserve and need to consume foods that are made from natural and organic sources and not developed as byproducts of chemical reactions.
Things you can do when it comes to finding better bread:
1. Find a local bakery; get to know the baker and find out what he or she puts in their breads. It is better to buy their products and support their business rather than filling your body with toxins and giving your hard-earned money to huge corporations that don’t care about your life, your family or your health.
2. Find a local market, such as Whole Foods Market, in your area. Check to see if they make organic breads in the store. Just to give you a quick example of what you might find one of Whole Foods’ breads: Whole Grain Onion Focaccia: active dry yeast, maple syrup, water, whole white-wheat flour, salt, extra virgin olive oil, sweet Spanish onions. Isn’t that a huge difference? Doesn’t it sound much better?
3. Make your own bread. The bread that you see at the top of this post is home-made! You might think that it is easier said than done, but it isn’t. You don’t even have to get your hands dirty in dough… Buy a bread machine! The instruction manual will most likely have a few recipes, or you can find some on-line. All you will have to do is through all of the ingredients in, push a couple of buttons and let the machine do the rest.
Rule of thumb, when buying bread, or anything else that you consume, if you can’t say the ingredient, or don’t know how it is derived or what it is, you should not be consuming it. Remember that your health is important. It is much cheaper to stay healthy than not… I am sure that you know that the medical industry is not trying to save you a dollar. Medicine is overpriced. Your money can be better spent by being healthy and going on a dream vacation, rather than paying a doctor’s salary.
You choose :) It is your life after all.
Remember: EAT HEALTHY!!! BE HAPPY!!!
Things you can do when it comes to finding better bread:
1. Find a local bakery; get to know the baker and find out what he or she puts in their breads. It is better to buy their products and support their business rather than filling your body with toxins and giving your hard-earned money to huge corporations that don’t care about your life, your family or your health.
2. Find a local market, such as Whole Foods Market, in your area. Check to see if they make organic breads in the store. Just to give you a quick example of what you might find one of Whole Foods’ breads: Whole Grain Onion Focaccia: active dry yeast, maple syrup, water, whole white-wheat flour, salt, extra virgin olive oil, sweet Spanish onions. Isn’t that a huge difference? Doesn’t it sound much better?
3. Make your own bread. The bread that you see at the top of this post is home-made! You might think that it is easier said than done, but it isn’t. You don’t even have to get your hands dirty in dough… Buy a bread machine! The instruction manual will most likely have a few recipes, or you can find some on-line. All you will have to do is through all of the ingredients in, push a couple of buttons and let the machine do the rest.
Rule of thumb, when buying bread, or anything else that you consume, if you can’t say the ingredient, or don’t know how it is derived or what it is, you should not be consuming it. Remember that your health is important. It is much cheaper to stay healthy than not… I am sure that you know that the medical industry is not trying to save you a dollar. Medicine is overpriced. Your money can be better spent by being healthy and going on a dream vacation, rather than paying a doctor’s salary.
You choose :) It is your life after all.
Remember: EAT HEALTHY!!! BE HAPPY!!!
