Preservatives

These photos were going around on the internet a couple months ago and they struck me as interesting.   Apparently a doctor had them up on her front counter in her lobby. (The photos were taken in 2012)

What have you eaten lately that doesn't have preservatives?  Some examples that come to mind for me are: a homemade soup or some homemade almond butter.   That just happens to be what I am eating today for lunch.  We played a game of clean out the fridge and pantry last night and came up with a big pot of yummy soup.  I was so happy to be able to package some up for the week.   It turned out to be kind of a veggie, chicken broth, tomatoes and spaghetti noodles soup.  It is pretty tasty.  I also made homemade almond butter with honey and sea salt, which has been a big hit in the office this morning.  I was wondering how long it would keep in the fridge, but I have a feeling we won't need to test it because it is being gobbled up pretty well.

Here is an excerpt from an article that touches on the subject, namely the SAD, Standard American Diet.

#1 & #5 are good daily standards to live by.

A Healthier Lifestyle

Eradicating every guilty pleasure in life is not the end goal here, nor is it a particularly realistic approach to making changes...we all enjoy the occasional cheeseburger, order of fries, or bag of chips.

But if we understand the consequences of making what ought to be an occasional treat into the mainstay of our diet, we can begin to make wise choices about how many of these things we are willing to eat.

When it comes to avoiding many of the questionable – and possibly deadly – additives contained in processed foods, we're only human after all, so taking baby steps toward change is usually the best approach.

If you can accomplish just one of these 10 steps, you're moving in the right direction. Try implementing one change a month...

1. As a general rule, if you don't recognize – or can't pronounce – the words on a label, don't buy it, or eat it. Opt instead for the real thing.

2. Avoid products containing

· Nitrates and nitrites (including sodium nitrite)

· Sulfites (including metabisulfites)

· Sulfur dioxide

· Benzoic acid (aka sodium benzoate)

· BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene)

· BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole)

· Coloring

· Coal tar

· Propylene glycol

· MSG (monosodium glutamate)

· Refined or bleached flour (i.e. whitened using chloride oxide)

3. Don't eat partially hydrogenated or hydrogenated trans fats

4. Don't eat products containing sugar substitutes such as saccharine and aspartame.

5. Avoid products with a long shelf life – the better they do on the shelf, the worse they are for your body.

6. Avoid products that have been enriched. They have been completely devitalized during processing.

7. Avoid food that has been genetically modified or engineered. Nearly all processed food contains GMOs.

8. Avoid products made with ingredients euphemistically described as "natural flavoring" or "natural coloring."

9. Avoid products with added sugar – watch for words with "-ose" endings such as glucose.

10. Incorporate a multi-vitamin into your health regimen.

If you've had a history of eating products high in sugar and are concerned about diabetes, incorporate disease-fighting products such as garlic, vitamin E, and aloe vera into your diet. Vitamin E supplements can also protect your body from the harmful effects of eating refined products that have been bleached with chloride oxide.

Complete Puristat Article

Reference: www.puristat.com  "U.S.A. = Processed Food Nation
The Harmful Effects of Eating Processed Foods"