Just because something is labeled as "bread" doesn't mean that's what it is. Typical bread ingredients would include flour, water, yeast and salt. Throw in a few different herbs or other "natural" flavors and you've got yourself a loaf. However, selling traditional bread in aisle 3 of your local grocery store is not economical for bread makers – something you may have noticed if you've left fresh bread out on the counter for more than a couple of days.
Mold and staleness are two of the first things that make themselves a home on that fresh baked bread. As a result, bread makers must incorporate food additives to help prevent the freshness thieves from attacking. Meet datem, azodicarbonamide, calcium propionate, etc, otherwise known as emulsifiers, mold inhibitors and additives to keep dough elastic. By adding these and countless other chemicals, bread can now sit on a shelf for several weeks and still look and taste "fresh."
What Else is in Food?
There are many food additives, from bleaching agents to dough conditioners and many others whose purpose is questionable – think antifoaming – that add up to form an ingredient label a mile long. A certain yellow cake with cream filling has 37 of them and a popular chain's chicken "tenders" total 38. If you do look at the ingredients, you'll have a hard time pronouncing them let alone knowing what they are.
Here's a couple defined (and what else it might be used for in non-food items):
Sodium Alginate
- gelling agent for thickening drinks and ice cream
- used in the manufacturing of paper and textiles
- used for waterproofing and fireproofing fabrics
Propylene Glycol
- used as a solvent for food colors and flavorings
- ingredient in paintballs
- main ingredient in deodorant sticks
What's the Big Deal About Food Additives?
One of the main issues today is that while single food additives (by themselves) may not be considered unhealthy, how they work together with other food additives is unknown and understudied. Many of our food additives these days show linkages with carcinogestic (cancer causing) properties, are linked with causing hyperactivity or irritability in children and other food additives cause a whole host of gastrointestinal irritations.
While many studies show many of the food additives are safe at low levels, many others are showing these ill effect correlations. Additionally, think of younger generations: your children, your grandchildren. They've been exposed to these chemical containing foods starting at a younger age. We don't know how these food additives may affect them in 10, 15, 30 years from now. Currently, studies are being conducted that look into the relationship with food additives (food dyes included) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Know What's in Your FoodRead, read, read...your food's ingredient list. Yes, knowing how many calories, grams of fat, and grams of carbohydrates you are eating per serving is important; knowing exactly what's in your food is even more important. If you can't pronounce the ingredients, stay away from it. Having your diet made up of mostly whole foods (whole grains, fruits, vegetables, plant proteins, lean/local meats and healthy fats like olive oil) will steer you in the right direction.
A good rule of thumb to go by is an ingredient list of less than six ingredients (to start). If there's more than that and you can pronounce them all, then it's worth a second look. Think plain oatmeal (not the instant). There's only one ingredient: whole rolled oats. Consider that fruits and vegetables do not have an ingredient label. Start small with a couple of different categories of foods like bread and cereal. Then, work your way up to include most of what you eat. Occasional treats aren't off limits, but once you experience how much better your body will feel, you may not ever want to go back to the "food lab."
Melinda Lund - Writing has been my "secret" passion for as long as I can remember. In fact, occassionally I'll find "creative writing" projects that I ...
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