 Do you read food labels?
In my college days I would buy twinkies by the boxful, nosh on Doritos and donuts and have a stockpile of microwaveable popcorn. It's only been recently that I've become more health conscious to the point of reading the food labels of everything I buy.
Maybe you've heard about partially hydrogenated oils, also known as trans fats. They come in many varieties, including "vegetable shortening". I had heard of them before, but never knew what the big deal was. Now I know. It's one of the worst things possible to put into your body, and it's everywhere.
In order to prolong shelf life, companies developed partially hydrogenated oils. They take regular oil and inject molecules of metal into it, like nickel or alumninum. (It's more complicated than that of course, but that's part of it.) The human body has no idea what to do with this stuff, so it just sits around in your body as a toxin, greatly increasing your risk of cancer and other diseases. Why do you think food containing trans fats lasts longer? Because the bacteria don't want it. Why should you?
I've made all my family members aware of what I've learned, and now they check their food labels too. I just wish I had known this sooner. I used to LOVE margerine, french fries, ramen noodles, cookies and microwave dinners. All poison. I'm trying to make more people aware so the food industry will take a hint and stop putting this crap in all their food.
Now that more people are becoming aware, the food industry is getting sneakier with their labels. Hydrogenated oils can also be hidden as "mono diglycerides", commonly found in ice cream. Even Dreyers has it. Thank goodness Ben & Jerry's does not.
Be aware of what you eat. Read the labels. The healthier stuff will most likely cost more, but isn't your long-term health worth it? |