Eating For Health

Almost every day we read about chemicals, preservatives, other additives in our foods that are not good for our health.   This week, my husband showed me an article in the Wall Street Journal, Research Delivers A Gut Punch About Emulsifiers Used In Food .    What are “emulsifiers”, why are they in food, what foods have emulsifiers, and what are the health concerns about emulsifiers in the foods we eat? What are emulsifiers? Emulsifiers help mix food components together like oil and water.   Salad dressings often have emulsifiers in them.   Food manufacturers add emulsifiers to foods to improve the texture, appearance, taste and shelf life of the foods we buy.   What emulsifiers are commonly added to foods?   According to WebMD , “there are over 100 different emulsifiers that can be added to foods”.   In the US, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates what emulsifiers can safely be added to foods and list these on the list of G ene...

Lots of people are talking about what RFK, Jr. may do to the food industry as he focuses on making foods healthier with less additives and chemicals.   Many articles have been written about it.   What foods might be affected by health policies favored by RFK, Jr.? Foods with additives:   Ever take the time to read the ingredient label on foods?   So many have ingredients that are hard to pronounce and most people have no idea what the chemical or additive is.   Food manufacturers add chemicals “to enhance flavor, color, or shelf life” but in doing so such chemicals may adversely affect our health.   Food Dyes :   EWG notes that three food colors comprise 90% of the food dyes in food, including Red Dye No. 40, Yellow Dye No. 5, and Yellow Dye No. 6.   o    Red Dye No. 40 – so many foods have been colored with red dye including candies, snacks, and many beverages like fruit punches and fruit drinks.   In fact, EWG says “more ...

Plant-based milks like oat milk and almond milk have been in the news lately.   And not for a good reason.   So many people have flocked to replacing real cow’s milk with either almond milk or oat milk.   I was never a fan of plant-based milks and now there seems to be more concerns about plant-based milk’s “health halo”.   This week the Daily Mail came out with the headline, Oat milk linked to ANOTHER cancer-causing chemical as people flock back to dairy .   Earlier in October, the Daily Mail had another headline, Additive in oat and almond milk linked to colon cancer ”.   Both articles presented information I had not been aware of before. What is oat milk? Oat milk is a plant-based, non-dairy milk that is made by soaking oats in water, blending and then straining.   The texture is creamier than cow’s milk with an oatmeal-like flavor.   There are many flavors of oat milk and you can buy it unsweetened or flavored with vanilla or chocolate....

Summer is here and so is hot weather.   We are all looking forward to a nice cool beverage on hot days.   Will your favorite beverage may be missing from the shelf?   The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is recalling 28 different beverages including sodas, juices and even some bottled water.   Why?   Because of some harmful ingredients and even some cancer-causing chemicals.   Is your beverage on the list? Why is the FDA recalling some beverages? The FDA is recalling 28 beverages because of harmful ingredients.   One tea was recalled because it contained some anti-inflammatory medication, not listed as an ingredient.   An apple juice was recalled because it contained high levels of arsenic.   Arsenic actually “occurs naturally in the environment.” FDA has guidance on how much arsenic can be in foods as high levels are associated with “increased risk of bladder and skin cancers”.     Sodas were recalled because of sugar co...