Waaaaait! Before you eat that bag of chips, ask yourself this, is it really food?
I mean, the Doritos taste good, when you look at the ingredients it has corn, vegetable oil, malto-something, salt, cheese, mono-something, something else, and some other stuff, but corn, VEGETABLE oil, salt, and cheese are good things to eat so you're good right?
I mean, the Doritos taste good, when you look at the ingredients it has corn, vegetable oil, malto-something, salt, cheese, mono-something, something else, and some other stuff, but corn, VEGETABLE oil, salt, and cheese are good things to eat so you're good right?
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| [1] Photo source: Bing Search |
On its own, yes, those ingredients are good to eat (except corn but that'll be covered in another article). But once those ingredients are modified and processed, they are no longer considered natural foods. If you don't believe me just ask the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). According to the FDA, "it is difficult to define a food product that is 'natural' because the food has probably been processed and is no longer the product of the earth. That said, FDA has not developed a definition for use of the term natural or its derivatives. However, the agency has not objected to the use of the term if the food does not contain added color, artificial flavors, or synthetic substances [1]."
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[2] Photo source: McDonalds website
[3] Photo source: Bing search
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Before we go any further, let's see what Merriam-Webster has to say about what is natural. Natural means, "existing in nature and not made or caused by people; not having any extra substances or chemicals added : not containing anything artificial [2]." So if the processed food we eat, processed meaning the opposite of natural, is no longer a product of the Earth, what is it? Can we even call it food?
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| [4] Photo source: Bing search |
According to Dr. Herbert Shelton, "...to be a true food the substance eaten must not contain useless or harmful ingredients [3]." For example, the bun that is used on McDonald's sandwiches contains (hold on to your seats): "Enriched Unbleached Flour (Wheat Flour, Malted Barley Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Water, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Yeast, Soybean Oil, Contains 2% or Less: Salt, Wheat Gluten, Sesame Seeds, Leavening (Calcium Sulfate, Ammonium Sulfate), May Contain One or More Dough Conditioners (Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, DATEM, Ascorbic Acid, Mono and Diglycerides, Monocalcium Phosphate, Enzymes, Calcium Peroxide), Calcium Propionate (Preservative) [4]."
Because of all of the useless ingredients, the McDonald's bun, is not food. So instead of calling it food, we'll call it foodstuff.
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| [5] Photo source: Bing search |
Now let's look at what ingredients are in home cooked bread: flour, sugar, salt, water, yeast and butter. That's it! That's really all there is to it (smile).
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| [6] Photo source: Bing search |
So why is all of this important? Because the things we consume directly affects how well we function on a day to day basis. The food we eat should compliment our bodies, not fight against it and cause illness/disease. Just because something tastes good and fills you up for the moment (until you're hungry again 30 minutes later) does not mean it is food/nutritious.
In the next article, I will go into detail about the types of foods that are good for us to eat. Until then, try this Life Changing Challenge (LCC), the next time you go to the store, look at the ingredients, and if you don't know what it is don't eat it. Try to choose foods that contain simple ingredients. For example, if you want some chips, instead of buying Doritos (or chips like it), buy the Classic Lays potato chips. It only contains potatoes, vegetable oil and salt. However, since not everything on the shelf contains 3 ingredients, you can also purchase the foods that contain the least amount of "useless" ingredients. So instead of buying "Classic White Wonder Bread", try 100% Whole Wheat Bread, it will still have some additives in it, but it is a whole lot better than white bread.
At the end of each post there will be a Life Changing Challenge (LCC). These challenges are meant to guide you step by step into the right direction. If you choose to try it please feel free to leave a comment or send me an email (located in the "About" section) and let me know how everything went. I'd love to hear about your experiences and I hope this post was helpful!
"The foods you consume can heal you faster and more profoundly than the most expensive prescription drugs...with only positive side effects [5]."
Literature sources:
[1] U.S. Food and Drug Administration. What is the meaning of 'natural' on the label of food. 2016.
[2] Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Online. 2016.
[3] Shelton, Herbert. Food Combining Made Easy. Page 10. 1951
[4] McDonalds. Big Mac Nutrition and Ingredients. 2016
[5] T. Collin Campbell. Whole: Rethinking the Science of Nutrition. Page 6-7. 2013
Photograph sources:
[1] http://d75822.medialib.glogster.com/danielnancy2013/media/10/10abca77d383acf7eb33be0b01a3796eece56d70/chips-doritos-food-fritos-hot-cheetos-lays-favim-com-70962.jpg
[2] http://www.mcdonalds.com/content/us/en/food.html
[3] http://editorial.designtaxi.com/news-macs011012/6.jpg
[4] https://www.diabetes.org.uk/upload/MyLife/Young%20People/Vegetables.jpg
[5] https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8DhLue4A5VA4YYVLJqPMiaYBM2WxYCdyC5Q3h75c1Atx8lYu_QBiQcM1adOT6knM20H5LXqOmmXg1grFYjCFMj3-oPsPPE12SGWPK57n0pxokGrYOHTTcZiyF2d4eBrB2J8dyNscL2yY/s1600/IMG_1007.JPG
[6] http://lindawagner.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/MG_5040.jpg
