tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5961604105772410147.post785050889721957425..comments2023-06-06T08:47:57.482-07:00Comments on a mad world: Food Nauseous FoodMadeleinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04193070164584925505noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5961604105772410147.post-76483296807431112732011-06-24T16:57:06.151-07:002011-06-24T16:57:06.151-07:00Thanks Mel! You are so knowledgable about these th...Thanks Mel! You are so knowledgable about these things, and I appreciate you taking the time to write the above (but yes, it's time you start blogging again - I miss your posts).<br /><br />I know what you mean about intolerances - J is like that with gluten. A little here and there is fine, but if he overdoes it, he sure knows about it.<br /><br />I agree about food being better if it's closer to its natural state. We make an effort not to buy too much processed stuff... but that doesn't stop me from indulging in junk too (everything in moderation, I say), but it's like you said - we know the difference. Too many people don't, and therein lies the problem.<br /><br />My sister has made some good suggestions. One is buying a mincer, to grind our own beef (although I suspect I may be a little lazy for that). The other is to look out for a meat substitute, such as Quorn, which she recommends. I'm not sure if they have Quorn here, but there has to be a similar product at Whole Foods. Also, I was just at Trader Joe's and it occurred to me that the mince they sell is probably 'safe'. I'm going to look into that... but then there's the whole slaughterhouse issue, which sits uncomfortably with me as time goes on. Tricky.Madeleinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04193070164584925505noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5961604105772410147.post-65010093518574239432011-06-24T15:25:08.161-07:002011-06-24T15:25:08.161-07:00This pink slime thing has bothered me since you fi...This pink slime thing has bothered me since you first mentioned it. I dislike buying mince (or ground beef as the Americans call it) unless you know what's in it. I'm pretty sure we don't have it here but they do put lots of other nasty preservatives into mince that bother me.<br /><br />Some years back, I read "Fed Up" by Sue Dengate in which she talks about food sensitivity rather than allergy. The book is handy because you realise how much of an impact expediency in food production, processing and storage has led to the people involved in those industries taking shortcuts at the expense of the consumer and what the effects of those shortcuts might be.<br /><br />I am not given to conspiracy theories as you well know and I don't believe this is one but I do think we have a problem with food here (and it is worse in the States). I have always stuck to the general rule that the closer something is to its natural state, the better it is. I might eat junk food but I am fully aware that it IS junk food and I know it's not good for me. Therefore I should only eat small amounts and not very often.<br /><br />What is a problem is that even basic foods which are supposed to be healthy are often not. Strange additives and preservatives are put into them to prolong shelf life and as yet, we have no real idea what these are doing to us long term. <br /><br />It does appear from what many people have observed in themselves and their own children over the years, that some of these chemicals have massive impacts on learning ability, behaviour and general health. <br /><br />An intolerance is very different to an allergy. I am intolerant to sulfites but what that means is I can only eat so much of them before they start causing symptoms. If I have one or two dried apricots once in a while, it's fine. If I were to eat them every day, I would have an asthma attack every day too. It's that kind of effect.<br /><br />I think what you've raised is really important because the ones most susceptible to these things are children. If they are spending their childhoods struggling to learn and having behavioural and health problems caused by the food we all are eating then this has big implications for where we are headed as a society.<br /><br />I don't know what the answer is except that if you find out someone is adding something bad to your food, you can stop buying it and tell them why (preservative 282 was removed from bread in Australia due to consumer backlash but mind you they left lots of other shit in there!) I'm sure most of us read labels but it is hard too when percentages make the difference in what is shown on the label and what is not (as I think you pointed out). Definitely makes informed choice very difficult.<br /><br />Sorry ... I've just written a rambling thesis on this. Talk about blog jacking! I should save my rants for my own cyberspace.melbohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14032793912135092967noreply@blogger.com