Archive for the ‘processed food’ tag
Processed Food Facts
In the United States, 90% of the nation’s food budget is spent on processed food. A recent government report says that over 40% of the food products found in the average supermarket contains trans fats, and there is no safe recommended limit for trans fats, or partially hydrogenated oil.
The Center for Science in the Public Interest estimates that banning trans fats from all foods would save at least 30,000 lives each year in the US alone.
Again, you need to become a keen label reader. The more ingredients on a label that you don’t recognize, the more chance is that it’s some chemical junk. If in doubt, look it up, and check what effects it might have. Isn’t a few minutes taken now, better than losing years later due to illness, that could have been avoided?
First Lady Sets A Good Example
Michelle Obama has been championing healthy living, since ditching processed junk a couple of years ago, on the advice of her pediatrician, when the kids started getting a bit chubby.
She has been extolling the virtues of community vegetable gardens, and has opened the White House kitchen to cameras.
It’s a good example to set to other Americans, many of who eat way too much high fat, high sugar, high fat containing processed foods.
Processed Food
We at TGFC shy away from much processed food.
However, not all processed food is bad by any means.
After all, when we cook food at home, we’re processing it. When we make our own sauces, gravies, and dips we’re processing food.
What we mean at TGFC, of course, is food that is highly processed, usually on an industrial scale. This kind of processed food often contains extra sodium to make it taste better; added colors to make it look better, and chemical preservatives to make it last longer.
While we don’t want everything to go bad in five minutes, if we prepare food as we need it, that’s not going to happen in any case. Of course, we can also prepare dishes in advance and refrigerate or freeze them. That way, we don’t need to add extra preservatives anyway!
Some good examples of home produced processed food:
- Ketchup
- Sausage
- Salad Dressings
- Pickles
- Jams
- Bread
Much can be made from locally sourced fresh produce too, often organic. Food that’s in season is often less expensive, and tastes better. You’re also helping the environment by not buying something that has been transported half way around the world, and you’re helping your own local economy at the same time!
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