The Good, The Bad and The Ugly of Food Processing

1. Food Processing History of food processing dates back to the use of fire & the cold environment to preserve food. Sue Olson

2. Food Processing MSG Nitrite BHT Today, there are over 14,000 man-made chemicals added to our food supply. Food additives are not natural nutrition for humans.

3. TheGood Food processing does provide many benefits, such as pasteurization of milk. This is done to destroy harmful bacteria without changing the milk composition. Vegetables are blanched in boiling water to kill off as many microbes as possible and then frozen. Canning is a common way to preserve food. First it is heated to destroy any microbes and then sealed in an airtight can usually lined with tin.

4. The Bad There are some processed foods that are bad for you but not the worse. These foods do contain some food products but have been changed in a way that all the good nutrients and enzymes have been washed away.

5. The Ugly Then we have the artificial foods that contain more unhealthy additives than real food. Some of these products in this category contain no food at all but is 100 % artificial.

6. The Beginning of Chicken Nuggets Someone figured out in the 1960s that meat processors can eek out a few more percent of profit from chickens, turkeys, pigs, and cows by scraping the bones 100% clean of meat. This is done by machines, not humans, by passing bones leftover after the initial cutting through a high pressure sieve. The paste you see in the picture above is the result. There's more: because it's crawling with bacteria, it will be washed with ammonia... Then, because it tastes gross, it will be reflavored artificially. Then, because it is weirdly pink, it will be dyed with artificial color.

7. If the idea of fish slurry or chicken puree glued together with an enzyme isn't appealing to you, use it as motivation to learn more about where your food comes from. Try shopping from farmer's markets more, so that you know who has grown your vegetables, or raised your meat if you eat it. Although between the chemicals, pollutants, cruelty and carbon emissions from its production, maybe reconsider (again) what it means to eat meat at all. ? Technically called thrombian, or transglutaminase (TG), it is an enzyme that food processors use to hold different kinds of meat together. Meat Glue

8. Instead of using artificial and chemical ridden foods why not use the real thing. Instead of fruit gummies use real fruit, instead of artificial sugar use the real stuff or even Honey 6 oz. of Real Fruit gummies is $4.29 versus buying fresh which varies but is usually cheaper or or Real versus Artificial

9. Top Ten Reasons to Avoid Processed Foods aim4health.com a Aim4health.com

10. Dangerous Chemicals Artificial Coloring: most are synthetic and are suspected of being toxic or carcinogenic, many have been banned, choose foods without dyes BHA & BHT: added to foods to prevent oxidation and retard rancidity. International Agency for Research on Cancer consider them to be possibly carcinogenic (capable of causing cancer) to humans. These are totally unnecessary and should be phased out of our food. Nitrate: Used to preserve meat. When nitrite combines with compounds called secondary amines, it forms nitrosamines which is a powerful cancer causing chemical. Long been suspected of causing stomach cancer. Olestra: All snacks containing Olestra has to carry a warning label. This additive is fat free but its side effect is it attaches to valuable nutrients and flushes them out of the body. Potassium Bromate: used to increase the volume of bread. Bromate has caused cancer in animals and is banned everywhere except Japan and United States. Not used in California because it has to have a cancer warning label.

11. Read the Label No matter what you are buying READ THE LABEL Beef Hot Dog

12. Read The Label Miss Breakfast, pass these bye and grab an apple, Peanut Butter Sandwich or Rice Cakes are more filling Strawberry Pop Tarts (100 grams) Calories: 408 Protein: 4.6 grams Fat: 13.3 grams Sugar: 30.9 grams Fiber: 1.1 grams Granola Bar (100 grams) Calories: 464 Protein: 9.8 grams Fat: 17.6 grams Sugar: 27.52 grams Fiber: 3.1 grams Kellogg’s NutriGrain Fruit Bar Calories: 368 Protein: 4.4 grams Fat: 7.5 grams Fiber: 2.1 grams

13. Whole Foods Whole food is unprocessed and unadulterated. Whole foods include grains (such as whole grain flours, brown and wild rice, quinoa, millet); organic or minimally treated fruits and vegetables; wild caught or sustainably farmed seafood; organically raised meats; organic, unprocessed dairy products and free-range eggs. Whole foods do not contain preservatives, and consequently have a shorter shelf life.

14. Better Choices for Better Health Brown Rice