Earlier this month on my Facebook page, I asked you to share your biggest “ah-ha” moment when you started to read ingredient lists. I asked this question because I’m curious about what opened your eyes to the processed chemicals the food industry is dumping in our food.
There were over 1,500 responses on Facebook to my question, and I tried to read every single one of them. I found your comments insightful, really encouraging, and some were really funny! I’m glad to see that so many of you are changing your eating habits and reading ingredient lists! I saw several recurring ah-ha moments (the same ones I had when I started my journey), so I am summarizing the top 10 most popular ones here for you to share with your friends and family, just in case they haven’t had these “ah-ha” moments yet. You might even see your own ah-ha moment quoted below! If you didn’t already know about any of these major offenses at the grocery store, this will also give you tips for what to look out for next time you’re shopping.
10 Grocery Store Items You Should Never Buy Again:
1. Pickles & Relish That Contain Artificial Food Dye
- “WHY do they need to add artificial chemical coloring? Same with everything that adds chemical for coloring. It’s just WRONG” ~ Sara
- “Pickles started a food change in my house when I realized my children couldn’t even eat a pickle without eating yellow #4 & #5. Totally changed how we eat!” ~ Tracy
- “Yellow #5 in my Pickles…huh?? Why on God’s green earth is that in there?!!” ~ Carrin
- “There’s Yellow-5 in Mt Olive dill pickles!!” ~ Josh and Erika
- “Food dyes. It’s even in pickles! Really?!?! Couldn’t understand that one. Grandmas pickles were always green and she never used yellow #6” ~ Becky
- “This week it was Vlasic dill pickles, which we usually keep a giant jar of. Why do pickles need food coloring?” ~ Julie
- “Dyes. Especially items like food coloring in pickles. Um, WHY?” ~ Heather
- “Pickles have yellow #6! WTH?? Why??” ~ Amber
- “Why do we insist on putting artificial colors in everything?!! Pickles aren’t supposed to be fluorescent!!! Nature colors things beautifully on its own!” ~ ChelsLyn
- “Food dye in pickles..idk why but it pissed me off” ~ Tina
- “Relish…would never have thought there would be food coloring in relish. Blech!!!” ~ Kim
- “Omg pickles?” ~ Vanessa
Recently I looked at every single jar of pickles in a conventional grocery store, and only found one brand that didn’t contain artificial yellow food dye. Of course, there is no real reason to add dye to pickles, as it’s just used to make them look prettier and gives us no other benefits. Artificial colors are linked to health issues and have been banned or require a warning labels in several other countries – so food manufacturers often take them out of their products in other countries. Most pickles contain Yellow #5 or #6, which have been shown to contribute to childhood behavioral problems. Better Store-Bought Alternative: Real Pickles (brand) organic pickles, Woodstock organic pickles.
2. Canned Soups With MSG!
- “That all my favorite soups have MSGs in them”. ~ Teresa
- “When I compared a cream of chicken soup label to a recipe & realized how basic & easy it is to home-make with only 4 ingredients!…I literally got angry!!” ~ Brandi
- “I ate my usual Dr MacDougalls lentil soup today and then noticed it had “yeast extract” in it. Seriously??? Hidden MSG in “healthy” soup?? Ugh!!!” ~ Andrea
- “High fructose corn syrup in canned and boxed tomato soup. I couldn’t find any available product without sugar, so I had to make my own!” ~ Sara
- “When I realized that the chicken bullion I put in my soup was basically a block of msg.” ~ Kelly
- “Just how awful most canned and boxed foods are. And how extensive the naughty list is. I used to keep “cream of” soups in the pantry and use them in my casseroles. I just can’t bring myself to do that anymore.” ~ Christine
- “Campbell’s chicken and stars soup – shocked it has High fructose corn syrup and MSG! Never giving this to my kids again!” ~ Candice
- “Soy in 90% of soups in grocery stores” ~ Melanie
MSG (aka Monosodium Glutamate) is a really common ingredient in packaged soup, along with hidden MSG ingredients like hydrolyzed protein and autolyzed yeast extract. These flavor enhancers trick your brain into eating more than you should and have been linked to headaches, obesity, depression, and mental disorders. Better Store-Bought Alternative: Amy’s Organic Lentil Soup or make your own like I do. Here’s a recipe for one of my favorites – carrot ginger soup.
3. Salad Dressings That Are Full Of GMO Oils!
- “Salad dressings!! They all have soybean oil!!! And basically how EVERYTHING has soy in it” ~ Sierra
- “Gluten in salad dressings” ~ Davi
- “Yellow food dye in Italian salad dressing. Why?!?!” ~ Neeka
- “Can’t eat salad dressings because of soy/canola oils. I now must get over it and make my own.” ~ Norma
- “MSG is in a lot of foods even salad dressings no wonder I was getting migraines! I’m highly sensitive to it” ~ Caroline
- “That nearly every salad dressing has Xanthan gum or guar gum in it.” ~ Susan
- “SOYBEAN OIL and/ or canola in every single salad dressing or mayonnaise!! We just make our own now.” ~ Melissa
This is why I make my own salad dressing. It’s super easy to whip up a vinaigrette at home to avoid dumping GMO soybean oils all over your healthy salad. You might be surprised to know that even salad dressings that say they are made with olive oil (like Wishbone Olive Oil Vinaigrette) typically contain soybean oil as a main ingredient. Almost all store-bought salad dressings also contain emulsifier ingredients to help them stay blended on the shelf, but don’t do anything good for your health. Better Store-Bought Alternatives: Raw Foodz Salad Dressing (not available everywhere), Hilary’s Eat Well Salad Dressing & Wilderness Family Naturals Salad Dressing. If you are a Food Babe Eating Guide subscriber, you’ll get a new (and easy) salad dressing recipe every month as part of the plan. Check it out here.
4. Bread That Has Way Too Many Nasty Ingredients!
- “Many packaged breads and baked goods contain L-cysteine—a non-essential amino acid made from dissolved human hair (often from China) or duck feathers (mmmm). Food manufacturers use the ingredient as a commercial dough conditioner, meant to change the texture of breads and baked goods.” ~ Arthur
- “High fructose corn syrup in bread.” ~ Sean
- “Color and corn fructose in my 100% whole wheat bread. Argh” ~ Vanessa
- “GMO corn syrup in bread.” ~ Krystl
- “High fructose corn syrup in “light” wheat bread.” ~ Katie
- “Bread! Such a simple food is now a health hazard if purchased in most grocery stores.” ~ Farmhouse Blues Interiors
- “High fructose corn syrup and the long list of ingredients that go into bread.” ~ Arushi
- “Once I started noticing all the products (Baked items/Breads) that have Azodicarbonamide in them. Since quitting eating foods with that my respiratory issues have gone away. SO glad I found out about that horrible, unnecessary ingredient being put in food.” ~ Trae
- “Bread…something you think is a simple staple” ~ Laurie
- “One thing that drives me nuts it bread with 30 ingredients! Wth! It should have maybe 5! Egh!” ~ Jacqueline
- “How about store bought bread?! Can you believe all of the “stuff” that is in it?! Homemade is sooooo much better for you. Time consuming, yes, but way better for you!” ~ Darcy
It’s nearly impossible to find bread at the store without dough conditioners (like the yoga mat chemical azodicarbonamide), added sugars, artificial colors and GMOs – which is ridiculous because it really only takes 4 ingredients to make bread. Although I don’t eat a lot of bread, when I do I don’t want to be subjected to unnecessary and harmful ingredients. So, I generally stick to sprouted grain breads or gluten-free varieties that are made up of primarily seeds and healthy grains like millet and quinoa. Better Store-Bought Alternatives: Food For Life Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Grain Bread, Manna Gluten Free Ancient Grains Bread. Here’s a list of more clean ingredient breads.
5. Coffee Creamer That Is Full Of Trans Fat!
- “Coffeemate coffee creamer. Omg???!!!!!!! Switched to organic half and half this week.” ~ Homaira
- “Coffee creamer…..silicon dioxide anyone?????” ~ Miriam
- “Coffee creamer. So gross to even think about how much of that I’ve consumed!” ~ Julie
- “Coffee creamer. I now make my own with all organic ingredients and couldn’t be happier!” ~ Cara
- “Coffee creamer…still breaks my heart!” ~ Crista
- “You’ve opened my eyes with carrageenan..I had no idea! I was drinking it every morning in my organic coffee creamer!” ~ Kate
- “Creamers with carrageenan!!” ~ Brandi
When I found out that Coffee-Mate Non-Dairy Creamer’s primary ingredient was partially hydrogenated oil I was disgusted. Millions of people are dumping deadly trans fat into their coffee every morning. Sure, they only use a bit in their coffee, but would anyone pour themselves a full glass of it? Of course not. Yet, they’ll eventually consume the entire container. This is the perfect example of why I think the motto “Everything in Moderation” is bogus. A FDA loophole allows Coffee-Mate to claim that it has no trans fat because it contains less than 0.5 g. per serving, although their “serving size” is only 1 tablespoon. According to the CDC, trans fats are linked to 7,000 deaths and over 20,000 heart attacks! Better Store-Bought Alternatives: Coconut milk – it’s thick and creamy and most only contain 1 or 2 ingredients if you stick to the culinary version like Natural Value and Native Forest. You can also make your own coconut milk by combining 1/4 cup coconut manna and 4 cups water into a blender. Blend on high for 1-2 mins and keep milk in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
6. Baby Formula That Contains Corn Syrup!
- “Baby formula. I was so upset I gave my kids this after I read what’s in it.” ~ Jennifer
- “Baby formula. For some the first ingredient is high fructose corn syrup. Ugh !” ~ Mary
- “Baby formula really made me angry when it had to become my daughters main source of food!!” ~ Krista
- “Corn Syrup in organic baby formula” ~ Carolina
- “Baby formula! Poor little ones! The victims of industry.” ~ Alle
- “Domestic baby formula. After I stopped breastfeeding at six months I wanted to find an organic formula that was free from ingredients that I discovered infants should not ingest. I was disgusted by what was included in the ingredients – even organic formula. I now purchase a formula from the U.K. as they don’t allow those same crap ingredients in baby formula.” ~Becky
It’s outrageous that most conventional baby formulas in the store contain GMOs and milk from cows treated with antibiotics or artificial growth hormones. Even organic formulas aren’t perfect, and can contain carrageenan, synthetic preservatives, refined sugars with detectible levels of arsenic, and DHA extracted with hexane. As put in this guest post by Nutrition expert, Charlotte Vallaeys other options include donor milk and this recipe from the Weston A. Price Foundation. Better Store-Bought Alternative: Baby’s Only Organic Formula and HiPP Organic Formula.
7. Canned Tuna That Has Hidden Soy (GMOs)!
- “Canned tuna in water may contain soy.” ~ Jeanne’
- “Soy in cans of solid white albacore tuna. Wtf.” ~ Hillary
- “I can’t believe gmo corn and soy is in everything!!! Please look at tuna. Why does it need soy?” ~ Christie
- “Tuna “packed in water”–which is actually broth, which contains soy!” ~ Diane
- “Soy in everything!! Even my tuna! WTH???” ~ Linz
Tuna is not a main staple in my diet because the practices largely used in the industry aren’t sustainable and are endangering marine species. Couple that with the fact that mainstream tuna brands typically pack their tuna in a soy-based vegetable broth, and not actually in “water” like it says on the front of the can. If you like to occasionally eat tuna, seek out a brand from a sustainable fishery that uses pole & line (and troll-caught) fishing methods, preferably from North American waters and packed without additives in BPA-free cans. When tuna are pole & line caught they are younger and much smaller, so they do not have the high mercury content that is found in most regular tuna. Better Store-Bought Alternative: American Tuna (brand) MSC Certified Sustainably Caught Albacore Tuna and Seafare Wild-Caught Tuna.
8. Soda That Is Full Of Artificial Ingredients!
- “Diet coke (and other diet sodas) being chemical nastiness in a can! Went cold turkey 4 years ago and haven’t been tempted once since that day…when you know better, you do better” ~ Andi
- “Ginger ale isn’t really healthy..all pop (soft drinks) are just chemicals!” ~ Elizabeth
- “Aspartame will cause seizures in those prone to them. For me: No diet coke=no seizures.” ~ Allisa
- “I will also never regret the day I gave up diet coke!!” ~ Katie
- “I had a “lightbulb moment” about the huge bottles of diet coke I’d drink daily. I had no idea that they were robbing me of my bone density. I quit that day and had another bone density test a few months later and it was amazingly wonderful. I never looked back.” ~ Chris
- “Mine was when I saw the women’s heart association label on Diet Coke cans several years ago. Made me think that’s like cigarette companies putting lung association labels on the package. Food/ drinks that come with warnings of what it contains….like gum, diet pop ….fair warning..it’s toxic.” ~ Beth
- “Aspartame. I use to be obsessed with diet coke and thought I was making a better choice cuz it was diet” ~ Denean
- “Hansens “natural” sodas containing artificial sweeteners in the diet varieties.” ~ Amber
- “It wasn’t what I read on a label, but giving up sodas has been an eye opening experience. I get full faster and I have no sugar cravings any more. Although I was drinking diet sodas I am amazed at how that crap was influencing my diet.” ~ Laurie
- “Boiling soda just once. Never drink another one.” ~ Thomas
- “Years ago when I worked in a marine store and sold ‘Fozz’, which is used to remove rust from metal. Then reading the ingredients in Coca Cola, which has the same ingredient: phosphoric acid! I stopped drinking soda from then.” ~ Maggie
A common ingredient in regular soda is high fructose corn syrup, which has been shown to be processed by your body differently than regular cane sugar. According to a 2007 study, high fructose corn syrup contains “astonishingly high levels of reactive carbonyls”, which are not present in table sugar, and these carbonyls are believed to cause tissue damage, and may contribute to the development of diabetes. Even more disgusting is the use of chemical artificial sweeteners (like aspartame and sucralose) in diet drinks, as these have been shown to stimulate your appetite, increase carbohydrate cravings, and promote weight gain. Better Alternatives: Homemade REAL Ginger-Ale, homemade iced tea or Kombucha.
9. Very Controversial Ingredients That Are In Cereal!
- “Aspartame in Fiber One cereal” ~ Erica
- “BHT in so many cereals” ~ Jenny
- “I started noticing BHA & BHT in the kids cereal and various other foods and looked it up. I found out they are carcinogens and banned in just about every country but ours.” ~ Michelle
- “Breakfast cereals….BHT, sugar, preservatives…and many more. GROSS” ~ Rachel
- “Kashi cereal. Wondered what was on it to keep you full. First ingredient is soy. Now what to do with boxes i have. … throw away or donate and let this poison feed someone else? I think i just answered my own question…” ~ Rochelle
- “The amount of sugar in cereals I thought were healthy, & serving to my kids!” ~ Traci
- “Paint thinner in children’s cereal” ~ Kim
- “TSP in cereal!” ~ Michelle
- “Life cereal has RED FOOD DYE?” ~ Heather
- “Seeing BHT in almost all cereals. What? WHY?” ~ Don and Jen
- “Six different names for sugar (sucrose) in the ingredients list for a cereal, to hide the fact the main ingredient is SUGAR.” ~ Emilia
- “Fiber One original cereal. I just couldn’t believe I ate that junk for so many years almost daily with skim cow milk. Now I read the ingredients in all their new products and just hope nobody buys them.” ~ Jeezus
To think that this childhood morning staple is loaded with artificial colors, GMOs, preservatives, refined grains and sugar, makes me sick. One of the worst ingredients in many cereals is the preservative BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene). It’s a known human allergen that has also caused tumor growth in animal studies. Due to serious health concerns, it’s been banned or restricted in several countries, yet it’s widely used in cereals here in the U.S. Better Alternatives: Oatmeal, Parfait Porridge, Two Moms In The Raw Plain Grain Free Cereal (gluten-free), Homemade Granola, Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Whole Grain Cereal & Qi’a from Nature’s Path.
10. Juice That Is Full of Junk!
- “My 9 year old went from a juicebox a day to water. She sometimes asks for juice but when I look at the ingredients i put it right back.” ~ Ana
- “Corn syrup!! They put this in juices. Lol.” ~ Lorraine
- “Naked juice, just crushed!” ~ Tawny
- “Pasteurization kills all the benefits of orange juice and real fruit juice :(“ ~ Carol
- “‘Natural Flavoring’ = corn and/or corn derivative to which I am highly allergic. I am not allergic to apples or cranberries; however, I had to take a Benadryl after drinking Mott’s-advertised and Ocean Spray-advertised 100% pure juices. I reported this to the FDA requesting that these juice companies cease advertising their juices as 100% pure.” ~ Diane
- “Most orange juices now have natural flavors! That is just crap! We don’t need this crap in our orange juice!” ~ Nan
- “Naked juice… Something that’s supposed to be great for you is full of junk.” ~ Kate
- “All the crap in kids’ “juice” drinks.” ~ Heather
Most of the juice at the store is just glorified sugar water. They’re often made from concentrates, which means that the fresh juice has been heated down to syrup and reconstituted with water. During the concentration process, natural nutrients and flavors are lost, so they add those back in artificially. Even “100% Juice” often contains proprietary natural flavors that may be derived from anything natural, including animals. The juice is then heated up a second time to be pasteurized, which also denatures enzymes and destroys nutrients. So, after all that processing, it’s really not worth the money. Better Alternatives: Suja Essentials Line that is cold-pressed and organic or try making your own, this Ravishing Red Juice is a great one to start with! Also if you are looking for alternatives to Gatorade, please check out these ideas.
Help Others Avoid These Pitfalls – Share This Post!
I hope this post inspires you to choose better alternatives at the grocery store or to start making your own homemade versions of this overly processed food! If you know someone who could benefit from these swaps, please share this post with them. Thank you for changing the world with me one person, one product and one company at a time.
Xo,
Vani
P.S. If you like investigations like this, you will love my books. In my #1 best selling book The Food Babe Way – I teach you even more ways you can break free from the hidden toxins in your food, lose weight, look years younger and get healthy in just 21 days. In my 2nd book, Feeding You Lies, I blow the lid off of the lies we’ve been fed about the food we eat – lies about its nutrient value, effects on our health, label information, and even the very science we base our food choices on. And, my first cookbook, Food Babe Kitchen, contains over 100 mouthwatering recipes to show you how delicious and simple it is to eat healthy, easy, real food. Available anywhere books are sold.
Thanks Vani
I have been reading labels for a few years now. It seems like when you can’t even pronounce some of the ingredients found in our food , its not good for you. I was reading some of the 10 foods you should not buy. Hopefully I changed her mind on the Coffee Mate and also the diet ginger ale. Our pastor really got us started to eat healthy. We even have a healthy hints before his sermon.Thanks once again for all that you are doing for all of us. Great photo shoot and video, really enjoyed it
Stan
Whole foods does not sell anything with gmos. I shop there and buy their store brand of many items.
I don’t thinks Whole Foods is 100% GMO free. I shop there too, but I can’t say I am convinced they are GMO free throughout the entire store.
When you shop WF, unless it is labelled as Certified Organic, it usually isn’t. I was in a store yesterday and they were sampling pumpkin cookies – I ate one then checked the ingredients. As I remember, it listed canola oil (GMO) several colorings, and other unhealthy ingredients. And watch out for the “Natural Flavors”! Check the chips isle – most of the stuff their is junk too.
I was at Whole Foods this past weekend. Everything in there is not GMO-free or even organic. They even label regular non-organic fruit as “conventional”. Unless it states it on the package, I’m not buying it.
They are not 100% GMO free. They’re working on labeling now but not all items are labeled. I believe their website has info about it.
Hi,
A few years ago i read a book called Empires of Food. It was a chronological account of early civilizations and their relationships with food, and how the countries that had the most food had the most power. It also documented how these different societies learned how to preserve and store food. The interesting thing about the book is it also referenced a term called ‘capacity’ which is a term that is used in biology to mean that when there is plenty of food the population swells to ‘capacity’ meaning that it consumes all the food available. Then the inevitable decline in food production, and subsequent hunger and famine. The point I’m getting at is that the author notes that in our country we may have reached capacity and this is the reason for all the food that isn’t food…Food like food that has no nutrition..manufactured food because the powers that be are trying to stretch what little resources we have to meet demand.
It is well known that the organic food industry is not sustainable as a commercial industry, because it is labor intensive to produce, and land suited for organic farming has been used up by conventional farming, also hard to purchase on a limited budget. However, people can still eat well, even on a limited budget they just won’t be able to really buy everything they want (I’m one of them).
Well, my 2 cents!
You can grow more real food in a given acreage than commercial food. Food can be grown in a small space indoors hydroponically, even – or with actual soil – and produce a LOT more per acre than mechanized and sprayed crops. There’s a YouTube video of a black fellow in a ghetto growing food in a pave alley and giving it away that is a real eye-opener.
You might want to check out all the “ORGANIC” heavy whipping cream !!! Everyone I’ve found contains CARAGEENAM !!! A KNOWN CARCINOGEN !!! WTF ???
Hi Aaron. Whole Foods brand heavy whipping cream does not contain carrageenan.
Thank You Heidi !!! When I get to Phoenix, I will definitely check out Whole Foods !!!
Kalona sells whipping cream sans carrageenan. Whole Foods here only sells Kalona whipping cream for Thanksgiving. I have asked for it for other times but to no avail. Didn’t know WF has their own. What’s the container look like?
All ultrapasteurized cream contains carageenan as a stabiizer as the ultrapasteurization process removes the cream’s ability to whip. You need to find regular pasteurized cream. Brands are usually local. However, many mainstream markets do not carry a locally produced organic cream, so the only options are Horizon/Organic Valley.
Some of these are real eye openers! Colours in pickles…. Wow. The GMO stuff kills your article though. I objectively still can’t find any studies that link genetically modified foods to any actual health problems, and I look all the time. Also, while I agree that hydrogenated oils are bad, they represent only half the story when it comes to trans fats. Natural trans fats (CLAs, vaccenic acids) are not evil like their man made counterparts, and it’s unfortunate that they still get a bad rap. Regardless, it’s always nice to see a list of things to be aware of as a consumer. Keep up the good work!
Talk to the farmers who have sick animals from GMO based diets. You won’t hear about them on the news, which is highly censored. Animal research indicates that the 3rd generation test animals of various species that were fed GMO diets tended to be 90% sterile. Check out the research database maintained by GreenMedInfo.com. You’ll find lots of adverse research that is properly indexed. Or else do a Google search but preface you search with the word Research. While I’m writing this, I did the following search: Research GMO bad for human health and found lots of information. The lead references are about 10 studies that show GMO foods can be harmful to humans. It’s not yoru fault that you didn’t know this. Google does their censoring by requiring a specific word to be at the head the search list.
One can also use Google Scholar. That will avoid all the monetized blogs and websites that publish stuff (true or not) in hopes the person landing on their site will click one of the ads. Much of the research papers require membership in a professional organization, or on average $30 to buy the full paper. Otherwise, we have to be satisfied with abstracts. But still in all, abstracts usually contain enough information for the non-professional science people (like me!)
If you want unbiased gmo studies you need to look outside the U.S. Because our national economy is based on agrichemicals, you won’t find any published studies done here. That doesn’t mean there are no scientists willing to do the studies. They’re just concerned about being black listed or worse.
Both Whole Foods and Trader Joes have pickle relish without food coloring. Once you start reading the labels you can’t help but to see how products contain food coloring. It’s crazy!!!
If you can afford it, the safest way to avoid junk in your food is to buy organic.
Foodbabe is undoubtedly well meaning, but the facts stated about these additives are just opinions. For every study indicating problems, there are other studies negating that. Most of the additives are really harmless to 99% of the population. If you want to go crazy avoiding economic, tasty and basically healthful food, be my guest.
Comment is to Bernie. If you want to stay blind to the truth, be my guest.
So the additives are okay and tasty? – I really don’t think so.
What Food Babe states is facts — poisons purposely added to factory-made foods. What you are stating is opinion. Read Howard Silverman’s reply to Matt above.
My children are facts to a boatload of these statements. My kids get horribly sick and have emotional issues when they eat food with dyes, artificial ingredients and preservatives. But then again you probably would argue that agent orange is safe in small amounts too. Maybe you should go work for Monsanto.
Correlation does not prove causality. People in general, and especially here, are very confused about the differences between facts, opinions, and speculation.
John, I hate to break it to you, but I have proof and facts to back up what happens with my children when they eat these ingredients. I have been diligently working with what has been causing the episodes and other major problems that I have been having and the common denominator has been ingredients in her food. Get your head out of your butt a realize that this is a huge problem. My guess is you work for Monsanto or have worked for Monsanto or have padded pockets by Monsanto. Until you have lived it you can comment. This is not my opinion or speculation, these are pure facts of mine and my children’s life that we live daily.
Bernie: I live in Switzerland where GMOs are banned throughout except in certain imported packaged products which must label the GMO content. Also, very few food products sold in this country contain any additives other than aspartame, which most everyone has started to avoid. So, we are extremely lucky because it means that we can trust the food served in any restaurant or cafeteria or gas station shop. Not so in the U.S., where you cannot trust the food served in any restaurant or cafeteria or anywhere else unless it is specifically labelled organic.
Think about that: you cannot trust the food served anywhere in the U.S. unless labelled organic. What a lousy situation.
Yeah, and now the USDA is in the process of “changing” (basically gutting) organic standards. Organic Consumers Association has all the information about this. It’s pretty upsetting. They (food manufacturers) are petitioning the NOSB (National Organic Standards Board) to allow more synthetic ingredients, pesticides, and other toxins in organic foods. This is an outrage.
My question is… What the hell are the rich people supposed to eat? Aren’t they the main consumers of organic foods? Why aren’t they getting pissed off about this!?
Thank you for posting this.!! Thank you for researching for our health and yours. Its so very crucial.!! I try telling ppl about Gatorade and seems most don’t care. My grandson plays sports and at the football games, they give the kids Gatorade and I don’t like that, but there’s nothing I can do about that. But I’m letting my daughter know how to make her own drinks to replenish his electrolytes. Thanks Food Babe !! 🙂
I am allergic to glyphosate, (active imgredient in all GMO food found im the weed killer Round Up) It also aggravates the fibromyalgia I have to live with. Organic foods are very expensive. At the very least, why aren’t our food manufactures required to label GMO foods? Why, with all the regulations these days, doesn’t labeling GMO foods go through.
Labeling GMO foods isnot a law bc Monsanto and other corporate giants oppose it, and are pouing in millions of dollars to fight it. The labeling is on the ballots in Oregon and Colorado this November, and these corporations are spending big so the labeling is voted down.. They are even suing Vermont for its labeling law akready in place!
If you’d like a good resource, check out Organic Consumers ASsociation.
The American electorate (citizens) do not vote. There was every reason for labelling to be made into law, but it was defeated due to lack of voting when the time came.
Coffee creamer. Canned or powdered (or a combination) GOAT milk is fine nutrition and tastes good in my strong coffee. Here’s a secret that works for me: When I put this in coffee in the morning, I am not hungry until 5 p.m. or so. It quiets appetite nicely.
Speaking of coffee, it’s a few years now since the lovely USDA allowed ground coffee to contain PECAN SHELLS. That’s why your coffee doesn’t taste good any more. Gevalia Costa Rican Peaberry tasted WAY off: Even my cowboys, who drink coffee made by pouring boiling waters in a cup of ground coffee, wouldn’t drink it. Then Folgers that my help bought when I just put ‘coffee’ on the list. I now buy Costco’s Supremo Columbian beans, and grind them fresh. Nice.
Did you just say you drnk only coffee and don’t eat until 5:00 pm?! Ironic that you are reading an article about eating healthy. And you also used the phrase “my help” when referring to other human beings?! Usually I don’t respond to others’ posts but your comments seem pretentious and entitled.
My my, pretentious, hey?
Coffee and goat milk is a highly nutritious natural way to kill appetite. Coffee is good for you, especially if you grind it yourself and don’t eat pecan shells (sigh). Goat milk is the universal milk replacer: Cows’ milk will kill newborn elk, deer, and most other wildlife. (I own an elk and deer refuge.)
After my morning and afternoon fast, which is to lose weight because I am so very sedentary, I eat more healthfully than you ever would dream of. Have been doing that since ‘way before it was fashionable. I own a farm and ranch, and write recipes for a food bank.
My help helps me and I help my help. That makes everybody happy and profitable. Sounds to me like you have not found your happy niche, but what do I know? I’m only a psychic.
Yeah, because working on a ranch and shopping at Costco is so elitist. Dumbass. Emily sounds just fine to me. You, however, have issues.
Ok John. We all have our issues, and yes I do as well. I did not mean to say that Emily was elitist for shopping at Costco and working on a ranch, nor was I arguing against the nutritious value of coffee and/or goats milk. I think that is all great. I was responding to her choice of words (“my help”) and the idea of not eating all day. I admit that I judged Emily and that judgement probably came from my own experiences. I don’t know her; she doesn’t know me; you don’t know me. I apologize for offending everyone.
Yeah, my help helps me and I help them. I stay working for fifteen or more hours a day at a desk, concentrating intensely.
Coffee and goat milk quiets cravings for food. Then I eat more healthfully that you ever dream of: I own a farm and ranch, and the tribe runs it, and we all live happily ever after.
Sounds to me like you have not found your happy space, and that’s not my fault.
Yeah, you seem more than a little pretentious to me, but what do I know, I’m only a psychic.
ok, have i got a treat for you! i grind fresh organic coffee beans and use a french press. when coffee is ready, i pour into a bowl and add one tablespoon each of organic coconut oil and raw, grass fed butter…whip it with a hand blender about 15 seconds,, add a bit of honey and OMG! before you say “butter in coffee? ewww”, you’d better try it. gives you a great start in the mornings with excellent fat and mct (only found in breast milk and coconut) that the body is meant to burn (instead of carbs). hey mikey, you’ll like it!
That does sound unique. I copied it for when I am not trying to lose this extra inch or two all over myself! Thank you. I think I would add to the health boost of that with some cinnamon.
Thank you. I copied your recipe and shall implement it when I lose some inches.
oops…i forgot to say UNSALTED grass-fed butter. emily, this “good” fat does not make you fat. if you give this to your body it won’t crave the carbs that DO put on the pounds.
I’m a Exercise Phys. major and Nutrition minor, so I have to be pretty frugal when buying groceries. I’ve been avoiding salad dressing with soybean oil for a while now and have been choosing “Brianna’s” salads dressings, since they are the only dressing without soybean oil at my local cheap grocery store. I am wondering if anything is known about Brianna’s and whether or not they are non-GMO..
I can never get past the first ingredient on the list, canola oil. Wouldn’t knowingly touch the stuff
Canola is primarily a GMO crop. I also don’t believe this brand is verified by the non-GMO project, so it’s possible that it contains GMOs. I usually make my own salad dressings because it’s difficult to find one without canola or soybean oil in the store. It is also cheaper than any store-bought dressing 🙂 There are some recipes here: https://foodbabe.com/search/salad+dressing
Ezekiel bread contains sprouted soy. It is my understanding that all soy, whether GMO, non-GMO or sprouted non-GMO is high enough in plant estrogens to be detrimental to human health. In the past, Buddhist monks consumed soy to help them to be celibate. There is research that suggests that infants who consume soy products during their first 12 weeks of life have a high probability of having a gender crisis (early homosexuality) and females have a high probability of having an early puberty (about age 8). In addition, soy is reported to have goitrogenic properties that adversely affect the thyroids of some people. The only safe way to consume non-GMO soy is in a naturally fermented form, which leaves out most tofu. A better bread to recommend would be Rudi’s Organic Spelt bread. I’ve check with the manufacturer and received an email stating that it contains no bromides.
I understand that there are concerns about soy.
However, to bring in “early homosexuality” as a consequence of ingesting soy at an early age? Really? I find it hard to believe that “a gender crisis” is a result of soy formula or foods.
PhD credentials or not, that’s just plain homophobia.
Apparently there is a misunderstanding. I don’t understand where homophobia comes into the picture. I personally feel that homosexuality should be a choice, not epigenitically induced. Research indicates that feeding an infant soy during the first 12 weeks of life results in their estrogen levels spiking to adult levels with adverse effects on their future sexual development. There are very few baby formulas available that don’t contain soy, but there are a few. Look up the research and decide for yourself whether to believe it or not. Don’t shoot the messenger! I didn’t do the research. I’m only reporting it, since most people aren’t aware of the findings.
Let me apologize. I don’t think that I expressed myself properly in by rebuttal. the word “choice” does not express my meaning appropriately. I have had friends and patients who were heterosexual, bisexual, and homosexual. It can be a choice for those who are bisexual. For many homosexuals it is not a choice. Over the years I’ve spend many hours helping some of them to accept self worth while living in a society that treats them badly in many ways.
The original anti soy comments that I made in reference to infant formulas reflects my belief that infants should not be subjected to hormonally disruptive procedures, foods or environmental toxins. They have a hard enough time growing up without that type of interference. I trust that you will agree.
You are simply amazing – Thank you so much for all the work you do, I just discovered you and have already learned so much! God bless you, seriously for giving so much for free… Look forward to learning more, buying your food guide & spreading the truth about food to my loved ones <3 xo
HIPP is a German brand 🙂 Being a German this makes me very proud. Klaus Hipp has strong values and he runs the Family Enterprise. Hipp truely is the best and tastiest brand for baby food!
Hi Vani,
I’m surprised to see Amy’s Soups in your alternative list as “spices” are included in the ingredients. Is there a difference in the spices in organic prepared foods? I’m under the impression that anything with the blanket term of “spices” is to be avoided.
With eternal thanks for all you do,
Dana
You’re joking right? EVERYTHING IS CHEMICALS! Let me say that again: EVERYTHING IS CHEMICALS! And that is coming from a chemist. Everything.Is.Freaking.Chemicals.Period.
I like how you have buzz-words to support your outlandish ideas and no actual peer-reviewed research. Well of course not! Reading that science bs is way to hard and time consuming. Easier to just spew out unsupported, nonsensical ideas, based on the popular media’s buzz-words than actually doing proper research and knowing what you’re saying.
If you want to talk about stuff like this, please at least read Wikipedia. It would be awesome if you would read some scientific articles as well. Proper scientific, peer-reviewed articles, not some blogs written by other “food babes”. WTF is aufoodnews? And how can you cite them as a reference? And then to add an insult to injury you go and cite some web site cspinet by saying that they have proved that the dyes make kids go nuts… Jeez!
Angry Chemist
In reference to your first paragraph: Artificial food dyes are chemicals, as you say, everything is chemicals. Does that mean artificial food dyes are as healthy for a child as a piece of whole, fresh, organic fruit NATURALLY beautiful in color, to attract a hungry human to want to eat it? Or, natural orange coloring of a carrot, as in beta carotene…would you prefer that, or a combo of artificial yellow and red dyes? Have you or anyone else proven that artificial food dyes (for one thing) are not causing behavioral problems or illnesses? I prefer not to take that chance on our children. One reason is because I know there are many diseases, illnesses, and syndromes that neither the Medical field, the Chemists, or anyone else can tell us what their cause is. What is your point in saying everything is chemicals? Cyanide is a chemical, would you feed that to your child for lunch as opposed to a bowl of organic vegetable soup? No difference, huh? Yes, research is important, as is a thing called common sense.
Actually, if one believes that nature provides food that’s healthy, in it’s whole state, with the correct proportions of vitamins, enzymes, water, etc., tons of research and millions of dollars wouldn’t be necessary to figure out that blueberries are good for you and artificially flavored, artificially colored, artificially preserved anything, is not. Tons of research and millions of dollars wouldn’t be necessary to figure out that raw food containing life-giving enzymes is healthy, and processed, chemically preserved, or chemically altered, or genetically altered, food is not. After those years of research are done, it always comes back to: food in it’s totally natural state is what is best. Maybe you’re sitting in a Monsanto Lab (not accusing you of this, just saying maybe, because I’ve heard the same argument from Monsanto chemists who want us to believe their chemicals will better the world’s food supply) being brainwashed into believing Man knows more than God, and can create a better product. Man does not know more than God, or you can say Nature if you’re an atheist…PERIOD! This is why Man has to research to find out what is in naturally occurring foods, to try and find out what Nature has put in there, and they are nowhere near knowing everything! Or knowing everything about the many ways the chemical compositions of these naturally occurring, non-processed foods benefit our health. The more Man researches, the more he learns that these are the health building blocks that were put there to nourish our bodies. And yes I have read everything on this subject I can get my hands and eyes on, for fourty years, it’s my ‘hobby’.
Just try eating nothing but processed, chemically laden foods for a month, see how you feel. Then try eating whole, organic foods for a month, and compare. Will you believe your own body? Try it.
Point: some chemicals are very bad for our health, and some are not. What a concept, huh? Some chemical compositions will kill you fast, some will kill you slowly, some will only (?!) prevent you from achieving your optimal state of health. Other chemical compositions (those that are the makeup of natural, whole, unprocessed foods that are there for human consumption) will nourish your body and help to fight off disease, simple. I wish this benefit for you, everyone reading this, and the rest of the people of the world.
Kim, thank you . Your reply to Angry Chemist was very well put. And thank God that more and more people are no longer thinking like the Angry Chemist and coming to their senses and seeing what is happening to the food industry. I try to do as much research as I am able to do. And once I’m finished such, for that day, I always come to the same conclusion: Food in its natural state, without the chemical additives, preservatives, alterations, etc. is what is best for the body. I’ve been eating organic for a while now, and my body feels the difference and looks different. What better proof is there than one’s own body telling you?
And if Angry Chemist wants to eat GMOs, so be it. He/she will definitely see and feel the results down the road, eventually.
~ Well Said Food Babe ~ Many Chemists are paid to come up with chemically produced flavors that match the flavors that naturally occur in Real Healthy Raw Foods. Its a shame that this society does not realize just what has happened to our food supply because of chemicals, a tomato is not what it was years ago, an apple covered in wax is not Natural, etc.etc etc. etc. Unless certified organic forgetaboutit……I’d rather not eat! Cheers! Keep up the Great Work Food Babe!!!!!!
Thanks to Kim for your excellent response; after 40 years of educating myself in nutrition, I agree with you 100 %. Also, why do we not have mandatory food labeling of GMO ingredients in this country while 70 other countries do require such labeling? this, obviously is a rhetorical question; the health of the US public always plays second fiddle to profits of big business. When and if we begin to label GMOs in this country, we will then have the freedom to choose; I, for one, will continue to buy organic food from my food coop and farmers market; I’m not sure what Angry Chemist will choose, but at least we will have a choice of what we put into our bodies.
“fruit NATURALLY beautiful in color, to attract a hungry human to want to eat it”
“nature provides food that’s healthy, in it’s whole state, with the correct proportions of vitamins, enzymes, water, etc.”
“believing Man knows more than God, and can create a better product”
“find out what is in naturally occurring foods, to try and find out what Nature has put in there”
“natural, whole, unprocessed foods that are there for human consumption”
So much for centuries, if not millennia, of artificial selection to breed all of today’s food crops you enjoy. Nature only goes so far.
Never ever read Wikipedia for anything even slightly controversial. It is open source. Contributors and editors with an agenda always find themselves in the control chair. It would be nice to have one website with answers to all of our controversial questions, but its silly to think one exists. Angry chemist has had a bit too much red dye. Most of the dangers mentioned on this website I already know to be well supported. There is so much money behind bad health and a war against good health practices, there is an ample supply of misleading studies to be inserted in Wikipedia. Often I study a topic and recommend my conclusions to friends or others online, and get responses like this. They want every reference to everything i have learned and said so they can be instantly convinced 100% without lifting a finger. I say truth is a journey. Benefit from the time I have taken but then research for yourself. Most people here have already done that to some extent. If angry chemist wants to show us that the metal pipe corrosion cleaner glyphosphate in roundup sprayed on Monsanto crops genetically modified to not die instantly when all of its mineral are instantly absorbed only to then ingest glyphosphate, kill the natural flora and fauna in your gut and slowly suck the minerals out of your body, go right ahead Angry.
And no I will not include a bibliography with this post.
Ah, cereal, if I could eliminate this from our diets. And I confess to the occasional can of soup when a recipe calls for it. Otherwise I’m blessed with a bit of land and rural neighbors and the time to do it myself. Even at that reading the ingredients on my ingredients takes some effort. Definitely worth it for our health. I was pleased to skip over several sections as we no longer drink soda, gave up creamer for real dairy, make my own bread, and try to eat what grows nearby including eggs and meat from my hens, venison from the woods, and beef from a neighbor’s steer.
Has the alfalfa in the Suja Juice Mighty Greens been verified GMO free? Most alfalfa these days is GMO.
Also, thanks for all of your hard work. I think it would be a splendid idea to start highlighting companies that are still family owned and who care about the quality of what they are producing… like Amy’s. This would help to educate your followers and also support these companies as they would likely receive an outpouring of support and gratitude. Then, there would be less chance of them selling out the way Annies did.
Hi Peg – Yes, the Suja juice is non-GMO project verified and organic.
I read labels also and avoid the processed, chemical GMO stuff as much as possible. Unfortunately, in my area, organic food costs twice as much as non-organic and I just can’t afford it. Ezekiel bread? $6.00 a loaf. Yeah, I don’t think so. I’d rather just not eat bread at all. Sad truth 🙁
I LOVE So Delicious Chocolate coconut milk and actually wrote to the company after you advised against the consumption of carrageenan. The company is phasing it out; however, they did assure me of the following: “The carrageenan we use is the un-degraded type that has no adverse health effects and no damage to your body. However, there has been a great deal of confusion about carrageenan, a natural polysaccharide (carbohydrate) extracted from red seaweed. The confusion arises because there are two types of carrageenan: undegraded (food-grade) and degraded (hydrolyzed with acid.)” Would appreciate your thoughts since it’s one of my favorites!
Hi Terry! This post discusses the two different types of carrageenan:
https://foodbabe.com/2014/08/19/breaking-major-company-removing-controversial-ingredient-carrageenan-because-of-you/
I have to watch for every manner of MSG… Guar gum is a hidden MSG…as is a lot of sea salts….so many of these have sea salt in them…I am glutamate sensitive and it is in everything from Pumpkin seeds to tumeric…as well..thankfully I can tolerate small amounts of the more natural glutamates..but please know that Guar gum is a hidden MSG…I do not use sea salt and try to not buy foods processed that add it….it has become very hard to find anything with out it..
Caroline Colbert, I’ve never heard that sea salt has MSG in it. I use Celtic sea salt with no additives. Is it in sea salt naturally?
Here is a link that explains things better than I can…some sea salts are better than others..I do not use any of them since I feel the glutamate issues rise in me with the use of most of them. http://www.msgtruth.org/
Here is another more direct link from the Msgtruth.org page.. http://www.msgtruth.org/avoid.htm
Great advice. Keep up the good work you are doing.
I hope you can find time to investigate the bottle waters we drink sometime in the future. I worry that a lot of it is from faucets in New Jersey and just bottled and labeled to make us think it is purified.
What about broth? I found out that most broths contain less than 2% actual broth, the rest is chemicals that are used to trick our taste buds into thinking it is real. Is there any real broth that isn’t full of chemicals?
What amazes me is how much worse our USA food standards are than many other countries! Gee… to think that everyone is drinking diet soda and it actually increases your appetite. Some companies should really be ashamed.
There is an election coming up… Tues, Nov 4…. please be sure to vote, even if you aren’t totally confident about your knowledge of your choices. It is a great habit to get into and over time you will become more and more informed.
The first rule of government should be to not harm people. It is amazing how much good our government could do if it just STOPPED doing a few things…. like supporting / subsidizing bad food practices.
Number 11 should be peanut butter – ever look at Skippy and JIF (and other brands) jars? – HFCS and more chemicals. I thought peanut butter was supposed to JUST peanuts!! And how many children eat PB&J?
Trader Joe’s is the only one I buy – their label? -> Ingredients: dry roasted peanuts <- period.
I've been reading labels for the past 25 years so none of this is a surprise to me, and I don't use any of the 10 bad products discussed here. It is all disgusting, really, that most people just don't pay attention, don't care and/or believe everything that the media espouses.
Ah, peanut butter. So sad. And the grind your own kind just doesn’t taste good nor spread easily.
I shocked recently to find natural Walmart brand peanut butter that is inexpensive and yummy. Anyone tried it?
Vani-
Regarding infant formula – have you ever investigated Earth’s Best Organic Sensitive Infant Formula? Reason I ask is because that’s what I recommend to the mother’s of my patients. I’ve never heard of Combiotic until your blog today.
Thanks!
Hi Francesca, good question! This post discusses Earth’s Best baby formula:
https://foodbabe.com/2013/05/28/how-to-find-the-safest-organic-infant-formula/
What about commercially packaged stevia whose main ingredient is not stevia, but dextrose
Hi Ralph – Check out this post on stevia: https://foodbabe.com/2013/04/25/stevia-good-or-bad/
Dont eat cold cut meats will make you sick all the time. Red sauces will alway make you sick
Steven Roberts, what kinds of red sauces — enchilada sauce? Sauces made from red bell peppers? This did not make sense to me.
Cold cuts are not the best choice of meat, as they are heavily processed and contain nitrates and/or nitrites, though nowadays there are more and more kinds of cold cuts that are nitrite/nitrate-free. However, I do love them and eat them regularly, and as long as I stay away from whole wheat and dairy I don’t have symptoms. (Many brands of salami contain dry milk!)
The cancer-causing effect of the nitrates/nitrites can be neutralized with vitamin C.
Cold cuts are eaten extensively in Norway, whose population’s health tends to top the statistics. It’s certainly a better choice for your bread than, say, jam.
i noticed the cereal contains “trisodium phosphate” which is a cleaning substance used to prep walls for painting. its in quite a few cereals. children`s cereals mostly. if i could leave a picture comment here i`d show it.
The big problem is many of these swaps are not only cost prohibitive on a super tight budget but not allergy friendly.
To clarify, because there are two Kims on this blog, I’m changing my name to Kim C. Not sure if it will work, but just want to be fair to the other Kim and not have it look as if my comments were hers and vice versa.
Thank you Lorraine:)
My comment was the one in reply to Angry Chemist.
The big problem for us is we live in very small town where many of the healthy good brands are not found in any of the stores.
Best pickles and relish are made by Bubbies!! Their Kosher Dill Pickles, Kosher Dill Pickle Relish, and their Sauerkraut are all made the old-fashioned way with live cultures. They are in the refrigerator section so the cultures are still living when you consume the product. Good stuff for the gut. Happy gut = happy brain.
What about Trader Joe’s breads that are generic versions of Ezekiel bread? Are they ok?
Take a closer look at that ingredients list for your “organic” baby formula. It’s FULL of stuff I wouldn’t feed my baby, including limestone (calcium carbonate). Why? As for Amy’s, every last one of her products (except a couple of desserts) has onions in it. Onions are a fairly common allergen, something I’m allergic to. And now that she’s sold out to one of the big food manufacturers, all bets are off anyway.
Hi Pat, thanks for your comment. I’m just letting you know that Annie’s is the company that recently sold to General Mills. On the other hand, Amy’s Kitchen (the soup brand that is recommended in the post above) is a private company. Amy’s also has donated to support recent GMO labeling initiatives.
Hi, Pam, Thanks for the clarification. Amy’s is the one that insists on putting onions in everything. I have multiple family members that cannot tolerate onions, and they are in so many things that there is a real limit on what we can eat, if it is at all prepared.
Foodbabe,
ALL cans and ALL plastic are NOT TESTED for BPx (not just bpa, ALL BPs!)
MOST CANS and MOST PLASTIC BOTTLES are LINED with PETROLEUM. One that isn’t that you NEGLECTED to even address is ***EDEN FOODS***
How about doing TESTING, MUCH NEEDED testing that the HEALTH RANGER (Mike Adams) HAS REFUSED TO DO!?!?!?
MANY TUNA CANS CONTAIN FISH THAT IS IRRADIATED and STILL NOT TESTED.
WHEN is ANYONE going to TEST the food that SITS in CANS and BOTTLES to SEE what the levels of CHEMICALS NOT PUT INTO THE FOOD EXISTS FROM SITTING in those POISONED CONTAINERS????
You are a godsend food babe !!
This is a really good post. It is a small grocery list. Thanks for all your research too make my life better.
Mother Jones magazine has an excellent article on the recent craze of coconut products as health food. If you’re going to use them, please make sure they’re Free Trade.
I don’t even know what to eat anymore! I’ll try to stick with cooking at home and packing my own lunch…
Thanks for another wonderful and informative report.
I am looking for a suitable formula to occasionally supplement with. My baby seems to have a dairy and grain sensitivity, so I’m looking for one that is lactose and gluten free. One of the ones recommended here has milk (HiPP), so I assume that is out. The other one’s (Baby’s Only) first ingredient is brown rice syrup (sugar)!! Can these really be the best two out there? Anyone know what’s wrong with Earth’s Best Organic? (Though again, I dont think I can use it for a baby with milk sensitivity). Any other good options out there??
Hi Telina – check out this post for more information on Earth’s Best formula:
https://foodbabe.com/2013/05/28/how-to-find-the-safest-organic-infant-formula/
Thank you for the link. It is informative, but I am still very confused at what formula is best. Are there any good, organic hypoallergenic formulas out there??
Love this post!
I love coffee with good creamer. Another fabulous alternative to the chemical-filled brands is StonyField Organic half and half. Only organic milk used, tastes awesome and is really affordable. Just add some stevia or whatever sweetener and its yum-city!
Just want to make sure I understand: Anytime is says yeast extract its really MSG???? Seriously ??? Like Saffron Road chick-peas that I eat and let me kids eat as a “healthy snack”…..I says NO MSG on the package, how them can there be MSG in there only under a different name???? Help, is there any thing I can trust anymore AT ALLL….. Uggg and I’m “that” Mom everywhere, my kids never get anything cool that all the other kids eat. The chick-peas were something I felt good about and they liked..
Unfortunately, most of the preferred healthy brands you mentioned are not available around my home town.
The answer to expensive store bought organics is to raise your own food. Can it, freeze it or ferment it. Prepare your own meals in quantity and freeze them in meal proportions. The hard work of raising an organic garden can be accomplished in almost any yard with sun, but the labor can be minimized by properly preparing the soil. I did it, so I know it can be done. Turn the soil as deep as possible and remove completely from the soil all the weeds you can find. Then plant marigolds all around the perimeter. (keeps most bugs out). Use composted manure mixed with soil around every organic plant or seeds. When the plants are large enough, weed one more time, then use wood mulch to cover the whole garden as deep as possible, without smothering the plant. That will prevent most weeds from continuing to infest your garden. All you have to add, after that, is water. I use my roof to collect water and a soaker hose to minimize the use of spraying with city water. I made a few mistakes with planting at the right time on some of my veggies, but I produced tremendous amounts in a very small area and froze a lot for winter consumption.
I read this and all the comments. It’s funny to watch the trolls. Hey I don’t claim to be smart enough to figure out if the aluminum in antiperspirant is bad for me . The conflicting studies make it even more difficult to determine for myself. So you know what? I just avoid it to be on the safe side. I think about a cave man and what he would eat. If I stick with that I am erring on the side of caution. All food is chemicals true, I prefer mine to be naturally occurring. GMO is it good or bad? Don’t know so I avoid it.
very informative articles thank you for all the information. Certainly something to think about.
Any packaged food items is not safe.Better prepare and ear your own food.
Great article.
Shared on my blog:
http://charlottebharris.blogspot.com/2014/10/thursday-thoughts-think-before-you-buy.html
Caveat: MSG and other “stuff” can hide under the label, “spices,” “and other spices.”
The body does not handle man made things. It can’t take all the things made by man just because it is called food. It’s an oxymoron to consider a food dye a food.