I was just reading an article a friend posted on Facebook about 8 Foods Even the Experts Won't Eat. I was pleased to see that I'm currently compliant with 6.5 of the 8 items (microwave popcorn was once a favorite snack, and I used to eat potatoes).
Here's a quick rundown of their list:
1. Canned tomatoes
2. Corn fed beef
3. Microwave popcorn
4. Non-organic potatoes (though contradictory to their claim, I've had plenty of non-organic potatoes sprout in my pantry back when I ate them!)
5. Farmed salmon
6. Milk produced with artificial hormones
7. GMO unfermented soy
8. Conventional apples
Why 6.5? Well, one point off because I'm still buying canned tomatoes (I know, I know...). I do buy Eden Organics when possible, due to the BPA-free cans, but in the back of my mind I'm always wondering what they replaced the BPA with and when it will be determined that that substance is as bad or WORSE than the BPA was. Reading exactly how much BPA you encounter in a liter of canned tomatoes drove it home a little more (50 mcg isn't much, but the fact that it definitely can be measured feels more significant than speaking about it in abstract terms). Canned tomatoes had recently felt "safer" to me because of my allergy to raw tomatoes, acquired mid-2010. I'd previously used more fresh tomatoes in cooking, but using canned meant I didn't have to ensure they were cooked enough, that whatever allergen breaks down for me to tolerate the tomatoes had been properly knocked out. So jarred tomatoes it will be from now on.
The remaining .5? Non-fermented, GMO soy. If you've ever eaten low carb, you've probably realized at some point that ranch dressing could easily become its own food group. Chicken wings and salad are staple menu items, and let's face it...ranch dressing tastes great! When I did a Whole 30 last year, I made my own olive oil-based mayo, and kept that up for several months, but soybean oil based dressings slowly crept back onto my plate because I never perfected a homemade ranch dressing that satisfied like the commercial stuff (it's been shifted higher on my list of recipes to develop!) Besides soybean oil, there's another nasty additive I need to avoid - soy lecithin. Check your chocolate bars/chips, and any other processed food you may eat - they're sneaky where they put it! So while I'm not drinking soy milk, eating edamame, or any of the low carb bars loaded with soy protein isolate (yuck!), this is one I'm going to have to tighten up on.
While I know we all have to personalize our own lists of "what to avoid," this article was a good refresher for me on some things, and opened my eyes on a couple of new points. I'd be interested to hear what you avoid and why.
Here's a quick rundown of their list:
1. Canned tomatoes
2. Corn fed beef
3. Microwave popcorn
4. Non-organic potatoes (though contradictory to their claim, I've had plenty of non-organic potatoes sprout in my pantry back when I ate them!)
5. Farmed salmon
6. Milk produced with artificial hormones
7. GMO unfermented soy
8. Conventional apples
Why 6.5? Well, one point off because I'm still buying canned tomatoes (I know, I know...). I do buy Eden Organics when possible, due to the BPA-free cans, but in the back of my mind I'm always wondering what they replaced the BPA with and when it will be determined that that substance is as bad or WORSE than the BPA was. Reading exactly how much BPA you encounter in a liter of canned tomatoes drove it home a little more (50 mcg isn't much, but the fact that it definitely can be measured feels more significant than speaking about it in abstract terms). Canned tomatoes had recently felt "safer" to me because of my allergy to raw tomatoes, acquired mid-2010. I'd previously used more fresh tomatoes in cooking, but using canned meant I didn't have to ensure they were cooked enough, that whatever allergen breaks down for me to tolerate the tomatoes had been properly knocked out. So jarred tomatoes it will be from now on.
The remaining .5? Non-fermented, GMO soy. If you've ever eaten low carb, you've probably realized at some point that ranch dressing could easily become its own food group. Chicken wings and salad are staple menu items, and let's face it...ranch dressing tastes great! When I did a Whole 30 last year, I made my own olive oil-based mayo, and kept that up for several months, but soybean oil based dressings slowly crept back onto my plate because I never perfected a homemade ranch dressing that satisfied like the commercial stuff (it's been shifted higher on my list of recipes to develop!) Besides soybean oil, there's another nasty additive I need to avoid - soy lecithin. Check your chocolate bars/chips, and any other processed food you may eat - they're sneaky where they put it! So while I'm not drinking soy milk, eating edamame, or any of the low carb bars loaded with soy protein isolate (yuck!), this is one I'm going to have to tighten up on.
While I know we all have to personalize our own lists of "what to avoid," this article was a good refresher for me on some things, and opened my eyes on a couple of new points. I'd be interested to hear what you avoid and why.
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