We’ve harped on the concept of the obviously bad-for-you stuff here a time or three. This morning, we got ganked by a stealth attack from an unexpected direction — foods that don’t at first glance look all that awful, but which play the role of mimic. Sure, on the face of things, they seem all healthy and wholesome. Then you’re left feeling vaguely betrayed and maybe a little nauseated after you scratch the surface.
I admit to being surprised (and more than a little bummed) by some of the stuff on the list; other things were less eye-opening.
The least shocking item on the list was probably the milk from hormone-injected cattle. There have been any number of theories and studies about the effects of this on us humans, but I hadn’t heard the cancer angle before. Yikes.
From spending a lot of time reading about healthy proteins, the bit about grass-fed, free-range beef being a lot healthier than commonly available corn- and grain-fed stuff wasn’t too surprising. Similarly, farmed salmon being less healthful than the wild-caught falls into the same category. Animals raised in a manner contrary to their natural environment and diet are necessarily going to be stressed by it, even if they’re not being fed an unnatural diet, which is definitely the case here. The fact that meat from animals that are raised in this manner can pass along bad stuff to us is just one more reason to try and find healthier alternatives. Whether it’s by eschewing meat altogether, or just choosing your meat more carefully is entirely up to you.
I was most surprised by the apples and potatoes. I remember the demonstrations when I was a kid, where you’d scrape an apple with the back of a knife to take off the waxy buildup. That said, knowing that they absorb as many of the chemicals used to keep them healthy while they’re growing is sobering. Potatoes, even more so – it’s understandable, if naive, to think that they’re not going to get that stuff on them because they’re underground. However, this inconveniently overlooks their basic function as storage modules.
And, sadly – my beloved microwave popcorn, instant lunch many a day at the office, is bathed, enveloped, and suffused with a bunch of stuff I can barely pronounce – much less want to ingest. I need a moment….
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The tomatoes really get me. I make pasta sauce and chili that I have been adding canned tomatoes to for quite a while.
Apples are another, I usually have 4-6 per week.
Mr. Alton Brown taught me the wonder of stove top cooled popcorn and I haven’t turned back. I even bought a very large stainless steel bowl so I could make it easier.
When I first gave up meat one big reason was the lack of a healthy and clean product for a reasonable price given the high demand. When I learned more about it it was very easy to give up, same thing with milk. Cheese…that’s another story. I find myself letting in feta from time to time.