Happy Friday the 13th!
Do you believe in crazy things happening on this day? I always seem to have a crazy great day on Friday the 13ths.
In honor of Freaky Friday, I offer this as your Friday Food For Thought:
Freaky Food Facts…
- Castoreum, which is used as vanilla flavoring in candies, baked goods, etc., is actually a secretion from the anal glands of beavers.
- Artificial trans fat is an artery-clogging synthetic blamed for 20,000 heart attacks and 7,000 deaths yearly but companies like JIF, Peter Pan, Skippy and Resse’s… are still using it.
- The phosphoric acid found in cola is so acidic that it can dissolve a nail in 4 days.
- Methylene chloride, one solvent used to decaffeinate tea and coffee is a known carcinogen.
- There are no standards for packaging labeled “NATURAL” except when used on meat and poultry products. So that box of crackers or canned soup that says “natural” right on the front doesn’t mean a lot. (“Natural” foods are not necessarily sustainable, organic, humanely raised, or free of hormones and antibiotics.)
- More than 80 percent of all GMOs (genetically modified organisms) are designed for herbicide tolerance. This means their existence and survival relies on the use of chemicals known to damage human and environmental health. Roundup, Monsanto’s toxic glyphosate-based herbicide has increased 15 times since GMOs were first introduced in the 1990s.
When we eat, we don’t always think about where our food came from or what ingredients were used, but perhaps the above facts might make you take a closer look at what you are feeding yourself.
Your Healthy Challenge This Week: Read labels, inquire about where your food is sourced from and ask what’s in your food!
