Thursday, February 17, 2011

Food Rant

Have any of you seen the recent reports that there is a chemical in most soft drinks that has been linked to cancer? Apparently the ingredient listed on most of the labels called "caramel color" is causing this problem.

I have seen my fair share of these types of reports over the years... and it's always a similar type situation - the findings are based on how rats respond to the chemical in a lab. Which begs the question - of when did humans and rats become so closely linked that this is even a valid form of testing... but that's a topic for another day and time.

My issue with this report is that it brings up a memory from years past where a report just like this came up in reference to the food dye "red 40"...

Here are my thoughts...

WHY do we need to add colorings to our foods? Would you really not drink the Coke/Pepsi/Dr Pepper... or whatever if it weren't brown? Does cheese really need to be an unnatural shade of orange? Is there a real valid reason why we can't just eat food in the color that it naturally ends up being?

I remember a few years ago when one of the ketchup companies made green ketchup... and even then - I wondered why that would even matter. I guess some kid out there would rather eat it if it is green? Doubtful...

We've gone so far over the edge that we can't even eat food in it's natural state anymore. Don't get me wrong - I COMPLETELY understand convenience items... and in the current season in my life - I embrace them for what little time I can get back, but I just highly doubt that it matters to anyone if the item is a vivid color or not. Beyond that - if it doesn't look appetizing in it's natural final color... we probably shouldn't be eating it in the first place. Just a thought.

When people tell you to eat the rainbow - I don't think they quite meant that you should be doing it with the help of things like "red 40" or "caramel color"...

3 comments:

  1. I couldn't agree more. I'd rather take food in its natural state. Now that you mention the bright orange color of cheese, it kinda turns me off. Besides, some of the best things for us to eat are naturally bright and colorful - meaning vegetables. When food items are colored to the point of being ridiculous, that totally turns me off.

    ReplyDelete
  2. PREACH IT SISTER!! We totally changed our eating habits when we started infertility treatments - cut out sugar and gluten, ate only whole, organic food, etc. We've since added back in the sugar, and some of the gluten, and some fast foods.

    But I've been surprised that some things I loved before, I can't eat now. After eating "real" food for a few years, the processed stuff doesn't sit so well. The color, the texture...some of it makes me gag. Which makes me wonder what is really in a lot of the "food" we eat. I've heard that Food, Inc. is a great documentary that discusses this subject - but I'm pretty sure I don't have the stomach to watch it. I just wish real, whole food wasn't so expensive...but that's a whole blog post of its own!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I have to confess, I bought some of the green ketchup. I made a meatloaf with it for halloween. My in-laws nearly matched the meatloaf when I served it HAHAHA. However, I did it as a prank and it wasn't a standard purchase for us. I was also alot younger and stupider then.

    Honestly between food dyes, GMO, and chemicals a good portion of the food that is part of the standard American diet is scary. While I miss the convenience of picking up a pizza, I am mostly glad that we have to eat much more natural foods since so much processed food has wheat in it.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you so much for your comments. I really enjoy getting feedback on my writing!