For me, going natural is more than removing chemicals from cleaning products & toiletries. It is about removing the crap from the food I eat too. It is amazing how much added stuff is in food these days. I’ve been reading ingredient labels lately. I know, bad thing, cuz you’ll never want to eat anything again once you know what that stuff really is. Well, not completely so. It is happening more tho. Making small decisions & changes to work towards a better me. A better us. I look at labels between brands. Less ingredients is better. And if I cannot pronounce them, I don’t buy it. If high fructose corn syrup is on one label but not another, I buy the one without it. Simple things like that.
But doing this comes with a new mindset too. You have to want it. Really. Kind of like walking the walk when you talk the talk. Like over the weekend the hubby & I went to Costco. I had a couple things I wanted to get. Well, one main one got left there. I made a discovery by comparing labels. I had wanted to get some Kraft Miracle Whip from there since I figured it was cheaper to buy the big container vs. the smaller ones in the stores. That part was fine. I put it in the cart. Hubby picked it up & looked at the label. High Fructose Corn Syrup. In MY Mayo!! No way! It couldn’t be. So I walked over to look at the 2 other mayos on the shelves. One was a local brand & one was regular Kraft mayo. No HFCS in either one. Dammit. That ingredient is what kept me buying their product. And oftentimes paying more. I was addicted to the taste.
It took a bit of talking to myself but I put it back. I could make a change. I know I can’t just give up mayo right now. I like it. hubby likes it. I use it for pasta salads, for tuna, & on sandwiches. But I could make a switch to something without the HFCS. It’s no huge thing. It’s a baby step. This journey is full of baby steps. I feel so good tho, each time I take a step.
Here is a story & link to info for anyone interested ...
ReplyDeleteMonday, January 26, 2009; 12:00 AM
MONDAY, Jan. 26 (HealthDay News) -- Almost half of tested samples of commercial high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) contained mercury, which was also found in nearly a third of 55 popular brand-name food and beverage products where HFCS is the first- or second-highest labeled ingredient, according to two new U.S. studies.
HFCS has replaced sugar as the sweetener in many beverages and foods such as breads, cereals, breakfast bars, lunch meats, yogurts, soups and condiments. On average, Americans consume about 12 teaspoons per day of HFCS, but teens and other high consumers can take in 80 percent more HFCS than average.
"Mercury is toxic in all its forms. Given how much high-fructose corn syrup is consumed by children, it could be a significant additional source of mercury never before considered. We are calling for immediate changes by industry and the [U.S. Food and Drug Administration] to help stop this avoidable mercury contamination of the food supply," said the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy's Dr. David Wallinga, a co-author of both studies.
In the first study, researchers found detectable levels of mercury in nine of 20 samples of commercial HFCS. The study was published in current issue of Environmental Health.
In the second study, the agriculture group found that nearly one in three of 55 brand-name foods contained mercury. The chemical was most common in HFCS-containing dairy products, dressings and condiments.
The use of mercury-contaminated caustic soda in the production of HFCS is common. The contamination occurs when mercury cells are used to produce caustic soda.
"The bad news is that nobody knows whether or not their soda or snack food contains HFCS made from ingredients like caustic soda contaminated with mercury. The good news is that mercury-free HFCS ingredients exist. Food companies just need a good push to only use those ingredients," Wallinga said
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/26/AR2009012601831_pf.html