The Sad Truth about Shelf Life
Food processing is performed upon almost all foods found on grocery store shelves. Historically, processing was done in order to increase the shelf life of food, make food safer to consume, increase the availability of food, and feed more people as the population expanded. And yes, food processing did create profit. Even the simplest foods are being processed. For example, salt. Salt not only made foods taste better, but could preserve foods; and salt was necessary to the human body. So, now we mine it, take out everything but the sodium and chloride which alone are not healthy, and sell it in the grocery store. To add back in the life-giving minerals such as iodine, it costs more.
One does not have to doubt the truth of the above explanation: just stroll down the cereal aisle in the grocery store. Breakfast cereals are the only food to be given their own entire aisle! And if you watch a popular cable program called “How it is made” showing how sugar-coated cereal is made, you should never eat it again. The heating of foods denature proteins, and then sugar is added by the pound. And to save money spent on sugar, high-fructose corn syrup is substituted, which is even sweeter and more deadly. You see, fructose is not used by your body in its original form, but stored as fat in a 4:1 ratio. And, according to a local honey farmer, fructose syrup is allowed to be added to a food product without putting it on the label if the amount is under 30%.
The more one hears advertised that products are now improved (and at a higher cost) by removing dyes, chemical preservatives, MSG (maybe, but what does “natural flavoring” mean?), and high fructose corn syrup (maybe), the more one must wonder if the increase in chronic disease world-wide (such as diabetes) is not due to the over-processing of the foods. So one asks, just what can I eat? Eat fresh fruits, vegetables, and meats from local farmers. Support the local farmers so large food manufacturers are not left as our only source. Help organize farmers’ markets, co-ops, church gardens, community gardens, and so on. Learn how to prepare foods for freezing and drying. Canning typically requires sugar or salt.
Drink more water. The over consumption of sugar in beverages is another concern. Rather than drinking the processed juice, eat the fruit. As far as pesticides go, wash the fruit thoroughly and peel it. Organic fruits should not have pesticides on them. If the skin of the fruit or vegetable is thick such as a mango, orange, squash, or kiwi, organic may actually be an unnecessary expense. Knowing your local sources to find out how a product is grown and processed could also avoid these concerns.
Alcohol acts like high fructose corn syrup in creating fat in a 4:1 ratio. Consuming alcohol should be kept at a minimum. Have that glass of wine, just not the bottle. Pull out those sherry glasses and share a glass of wine of that size with your significant other as you mull over the day and give thanks for the opportunity to have another day in good health.
