Artificial Ingredients... UGH.

I need to vent. Modern convenience foods are disgusting, and I'd never really stopped to consider how often artificial ingredients appear in common snacks. Having found paleo, I knew they were bad on a nutritional level, but half of what's included in popular foods isn't even food!

I'm not always strictly paleo. Sometimes, I fall off the horse and it takes me a bit to get back on. "Cheat days" are something I've never been able to kick.

But looking at labels more closely, I'm pretty astounded at the amount of artificial stuff that ends up in food. Christmas candy? Even traditional candies like candy canes are artificially flavored or colored.

Did you know that Totino's pizzas use 'imitation' mozzarella cheese?

Satisfying cravings with whole foods is the only way forward. The artificial ingredients in most junk foods are just too gross to consume.

I agree and then you read articles that can’t figure out why cancer is on the rise, or ALS, or kids obesity and diabetes. Is it any wonder? Consuming things not meat to be put in our bodies on a regular basis just doesn’t work in the long run.

Then there is a pill for that, but oh yeah it comes with a list of side effects that require other meds to treat those side effects.

Our bodies have become nothing more than trash cans.

While I am definitely not perfect, I will take the good whole food over trash and I will attempt to remind myself daily of why.

Cheat days" are something I've never been able to kick.'

I think this is a common problem. Way too many people start off planning to have cheat days, then they become permanent features. As you state in the balance of your post, you'll probably have enough deviations just trying to eat what you should, and to remain socially acceptable in groups that you will run 70-80% primal in any event.

Satisfying cravings with whole foods is the only way forward.

Agree 100% Eat the real stuff, virtually everything else is compromised in one way or another.

I've long been a Michael Pollan fan and appreciate his recommendations related to "food":
- don't eat anything your great grandmother wouldn't recognize as food
- Avoid food products containing ingredients that are unfamiliar, unpronounceable, more than 5 in number, or that contain HCFS
- Avoid food products that make health claims
- Shop the peripheries of the supermarket and stay out of the middle
- Get out of the supermarket whenever possible (farmer's market, garden, local grower, etc.)

From In Defense of Food copywrite 2008

Mostly I do this, but sometimes I just want a treat... when I can, I try to at least pick something with less scary (more recognizable) ingredients, avoiding the pure chemistry-sounding items.

Meant2Move wrote:I've long been a Michael Pollan fan and appreciate his recommendations related to "food":
- don't eat anything your great grandmother wouldn't recognize as food
- Avoid food products containing ingredients that are unfamiliar, unpronounceable, more than 5 in number, or that contain HCFS
- Avoid food products that make health claims
- Shop the peripheries of the supermarket and stay out of the middle
- Get out of the supermarket whenever possible (farmer's market, garden, local grower, etc.)

From In Defense of Food copywrite 2008

Mostly I do this, but sometimes I just want a treat... when I can, I try to at least pick something with less scary (more recognizable) ingredients, avoiding the pure chemistry-sounding items.  

Agree! I like to eat food, not chemicals. And I like to buy organic where possible .. supermarkets I use for washing up liquid, loo roll, tinned tomato etc. Greengrocer and farmers markets for veg, butchers for meat, fishmonger for fish. Simple!

I completely agree, Red Comet. But I'll spin it for you.....for me actually reading the ingredients saves me from "cheating" (I hate that word, BTW. We're adults here and only accountable to one's self). I try to think, "if all those fake ingredients were on a spoon would I put the spoon in my mouth? That's usually a good way to not desire to eat it.

I've always done this to my kids as well when they ask if we can buy X grocery item. I tell them, "Sure! Here's the box. You read the ingredients and if you still want it you can have it.". 90% of the time they pass. But if they genuinely want it after their informed consent then I let them. And now I have two teenagers who recognise that fake food makes them feel like crap. They now also question everything food and health wise. I love it!

I personally think the problem with the food industry is that people aren't making informed choices. They just aimlessly pick up items and assume the government is taking care of the food source in terms of health and safety for them. It's no different than big pharma in that people blindly trust in the little white script a doctor hands them. It might be consent but it sure isn't informed consent. People aren't yet taking responsibility for their own health. It's getting better but there's still a long way to go.

I also like Michael Pollan's books. Definitely worth the read.

I think some of that stems from what parents have passed down to their kids. For instance, I guess if I wasn’t a questioner or had not worked I the medical field, I may have done the same. My mother will do whatever a physician says without question. I can show her tons of evidence against using a particular med, or how to eat to reduce or eliminate said med, but if the Dr didn’t say it - nope
Same goes for food, the blind trust that they could not sell us food that wasn’t safe for consumption.

So that gets passed on unless, someone like Ontario or the others here question and teach their kids to do the same.

I also agree that reading the ingredient list will keep me from purchasing what I thought might be a treat.

I also don’t like the word cheat. Cheating what? Best I can figure is your own opportunity for health. Any food we consume is a choice, so therefore we can’t cheat on it. It’s not a test. You either choose to eat something or not.

ONTARIO wrote:I completely agree, Red Comet. But I'll spin it for you.....for me actually reading the ingredients saves me from "cheating" (I hate that word, BTW. We're adults here and only accountable to one's self). I try to think, "if all those fake ingredients were on a spoon would I put the spoon in my mouth? That's usually a good way to not desire to eat it.

I've always done this to my kids as well when they ask if we can buy X grocery item. I tell them, "Sure! Here's the box. You read the ingredients and if you still want it you can have it.". 90% of the time they pass. But if they genuinely want it after their informed consent then I let them. And now I have two teenagers who recognise that fake food makes them feel like crap. They now also question everything food and health wise. I love it!

I personally think the problem with the food industry is that people aren't making informed choices. They just aimlessly pick up items and assume the government is taking care of the food source in terms of health and safety for them. It's no different than big pharma in that people blindly trust in the little white script a doctor hands them. It might be consent but it sure isn't informed consent. People aren't yet taking responsibility for their own health. It's getting better but there's still a long way to go.

I also like Michael Pollan's books. Definitely worth the read.

Smart teenagers.
I can feel full, but not satisfied with fake foods. I know there are those out there who say they're "fine" on junk diets but they've never given it up for a few months to see what the difference actually is.
Just today there was an article on a pet forum about adding healthy leftovers/fresh foods to your pets meals. Sounds great. But the vet mentioned foods people say are "Fresh foods" that they add to their pets diet. (Quote)...

"This seemed promising until I read a little further. Many of the "fresh foods" people are feeding to their pets, according to their survey answers, are downright disturbing. They include:

Breakfast foods such as biscuits, donuts, pancakes, muesli, sausage and gravy
Sandwiches such as ham and cheese and peanut butter and jelly
Fast food French fries, hamburgers, hot dogs, and KFC fried chicken, along with ketchup, mustard and hot sauce
Hot meals, including beef stew, macaroni and cheese, meat and potatoes, and meatloaf
International foods and ingredients, including Belgian cheese, curry, mango, papaya and salsa"

Ughh.
(Article: https://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2017/12/16/fresh-foods-for-pets.aspx

Narrowminded wrote:I think some of that stems from what parents have passed down to their kids.  For instance, I guess if I wasn’t a questioner or had not worked I the medical field, I may have done the same. My mother will do whatever a physician says without question.  I can show her tons of evidence against using a particular med, or how to eat to reduce or eliminate said med, but if the Dr didn’t say it - nope
Same goes for food, the blind trust that they could not sell us food that wasn’t safe for consumption.

So that gets passed on unless, someone like Ontario or the others here question and teach their kids to do the same.

I also agree that reading the ingredient list will keep me from purchasing what I thought might be a treat.

I also don’t like the word cheat. Cheating what?  Best I can figure is your own opportunity for health. Any food we consume is a choice, so therefore we can’t cheat on it.  It’s not a test. You either choose to eat something or not.

My thing with certain food stuffs is finding them in the store and realizing the taste isn't there. I used to always buy those boxed bakery-style sugar cookies with the beautiful frosting and realized that the cookies taste like chemicals. Even before I went primal those types of cookies were always so pretty, but such a let down in flavor that I decided "screw this, I can bake them much better myself and include real ingredients and less crap." So I do =)

Even childhood favorites like Reese's Cups seem to have lost their zing. Either my tastes have changed or they changed the formula, but a lot of what used to be "good treats" ain't so good anymore...

Either my tastes have changed or they changed the formula, but a lot of what used to be "good treats" ain't so good anymore...

If you are like me, once I got into Primal, I found that there were a just a whole bunch of things that I used to like, or crave in some instances, that no longer tasted good. Some became actually off-putting.

Rig D wrote:

Either my tastes have changed or they changed the formula, but a lot of what used to be "good treats" ain't so good anymore...

If you are like me, once I got into Primal, I found that there were a just a whole bunch of things that I used to like, or crave in some instances, that no longer tasted good. Some became actually off-putting.

This!!! Yes, me too. I have been GF since 2013 and people ask if I miss this or that. Nope. You lose the desire.

Rig D wrote:

Either my tastes have changed or they changed the formula, but a lot of what used to be "good treats" ain't so good anymore...

If you are like me, once I got into Primal, I found that there were a just a whole bunch of things that I used to like, or crave in some instances, that no longer tasted good. Some became actually off-putting.

What I find so strange is how many things I remember as being so awesome way back when, but suck today. Cereal, for one. Hell when I was a kid cereal was "it" and now it's a total let down. Soda used to be awesome and now it's garbage. It used to be SODA, now it's sugary water with bubbles. I think back to when Trix was a slightly sweet cereal and now it's like a taste bud assault. Kids today won't ever know what actual real cereal is like. I feel so old saying that. Damn kids get off mah lawn LOL *waves a walking cane madly*

I'm not one of those die-hard body building primal-paleo types that freaks out if someone plonks rice or fruit onto my plate. But lately any sugary treat I craved, even 6 months ago, is gross but I'm craving rice and potatoes like some kind of weird carb-zombie. It's weird. I guess rice and potatoes aren't bad compared to candies and cookies but it's so unlike me.

The only thing I can think of is I've been taking things to murder Candida and I wonder if these carb cravings aren't part of that.

What I find so strange is how many things I remember as being so awesome way back when, but suck today. Cereal, for one. Hell when I was a kid cereal was "it" and now it's a total let down. Soda used to be awesome and now it's garbage.
,,,The only thing I can think of is I've been taking things to murder Candida and I wonder if these carb cravings aren't part of that.

Could be a reaction on the Candida front, but it sounds to me like your tastes are just changing. When I went Primal in 2012 I was seriously hooked on soda, I would get a physical pleasure surge as I sucked it down. Today, I don't like the flavor of most drinks at all, and my use of colas is exclusively as a mixer for my occasional bourbon.

I gave up on cereal forever ago, I just never got a satisfied sensation from eating the stuff, and would have to eat 2 or three large bowls of the stuff to even approach satisfaction. I gave up on cereal in favor of bacon/eggs/toast when I was in Jr. High. I gave up rice with no problems, but still enjoy an occasional baked 'tater, but now use sweet potatoes more often than not, very good with butter and cinnamon.

It's funny (and awesome) how our bodies respond to real food. I can eat an entire box of cookies or crackers and even though my stomach is full I want more, because I haven't had what I want/need. On the other hand, fish, veggies, and a tiny baked potato make me feel really satisfied and happy. (I have white or sweet, depending on my mood, every couple of days).

I noticed Saturday that I felt "done" and full faster eating meats and veggies, and that I was going a lot longer before wanting food again. It's definitely a nice change.

Oh yea, my moment of disgust came in ~2 months ago when I discovered the bacon bits they hand out @ salad bars is actually - get this - Hydrolysed soy protein. Yeesh, talk about garbage treated with garbage and served as food.
Pathetic, and the sheeple cluelessly eat on and cant imagine why they're getting fatter.

Narrowminded wrote:I also don’t like the word cheat. Cheating what? Best I can figure is your own opportunity for health. Any food we consume is a choice, so therefore we can’t cheat on it. It’s not a test. You either choose to eat something or not.

Oh, I like this! Yep, it is about choices, and making the best ones for ourselves, isn't it?

Its supposedly naturally occouring in figs and jackfruit.
Has anyone tried it ?

Never heard of it. Doing a quick search here are the things it seems are all pretty much agreed to, at least so far:
1. It is derived from non-gmo corn according to Tate & Lyle who brought us the sugar cube and Splenda.
2. Small amounts of allulose are also naturally found in figs, raisins, and maple syrup.
3. Chemically very similar to fructose, has the same bulk as table sugar, but the chemical arrangement makes it indigestible in the stomach and small intestine, so the available calories are 10% of those in table sugar
3. if you consume it in large quantities it can lead to severe bloating, pain, and gas due to its being fermented in the large intestine.  But, Tate & Lyle claims that

NPR wrote:UPDATE: August 25, 7:30 p.m. — Tate & Lyle tells us that this doesn't happen, at least not very much, with allulose. This particular low-calorie sugar, the company says, "is absorbed by the small intestine and excreted in the urine without being significantly metabolized." According to one study, in which 14 people consumed allulose, more than two-thirds of it was excreted in the urine. The rest presumably went into the large bowel, but according to Tate & Lyle, it did not appear to be very fermentable.)
...And further down...
The companies that are planning to use allulose in foods have assured the Food and Drug Administration that they won't use a lot of it. Allulose will never replace all the ordinary sugar in food.

Such small amounts of allulose, they say, won't cause any problems.

But there also could be other effects that aren't as well understood. Robert Margolskee, director of the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia, says that when a once-rare carbohydrate like allulose enters the food supply, it could affect the living community of microbes in our gut — the so-called microbiome.

"That would be another issue that one would want to know about with any of these compounds," Margolskee says. "What do they do to the microbiome? And then what does that do to the person?"

NPR link

It has it's own web site: http://allulose.org/allulose-info/about-allulose/
As in most things of this kind, I'll let others do the pioneer work in seeing how it goes.

I’ll stick with honey.

I’m suspicious when something like this is isolated, concentrated, and packaged for sell to the public as the next big sweetener.

Give it a few years to see what the consequences are for the “guinea pigs” who jump into using this stuff in full force first. That’s the only way we will know.

Intersting aside, DH found a show on Netflix called Rotten. They look into various food issues. Neck you mentioned honey. Make sure it’s locally sourced and made preferably from the grower, as they are finding its being imported from China and its being mixed with syrups of some kind. As each is discovered, China changes the recipe, so to speak. According to this documentary, bee population is down, but honey consumption is way up. The two don’t balance.

Fermented in large intestine actually is good, its the function of all prebiotic and fiber based foods to ferment in large intestine and produce butyrate, which is actually calorie dense for all intents and purposes, but its got the fun side effect of increasing your calorie burn rate during its presence and shortly thereafter, that it nearly negates itself.
I am not a big honey consumer, it wont work in tea for me, its got too much of a flavor, its dayummmmm delicious, but I cant drink it @ the 3-5 a day I down tea. So an identical to sugar is a good option, but its over $30 for 3lb and its 70% the sweetness of sugar, so its like a $2 cup of tea, so I am not touching it for now atleast.

I'll stick to honey or coconut sugar. I am very adverse to trying out stuff that is modified, etc. I have never been a fan.

Would someone like to make a case against moderate use of sugar (e.g., to sweeten coffee)? The case I heard several years ago seems alarmist now. Sure, if you overeat baked goods and drink several sugary beverages per day, you'll have problems. But if that's your issue, a non-calorie sweetener just puts a paleo veneer on it.

If it was a small amount and just 1 cup of coffee a day it would be OK, I am on my 3rd of the day and I got a very very late start due to being @ dentist and only getting in to work @ 9:30. And its atleast 30gm in a 8oz cup for me if it was sugar.
OTOH, sucralose I have eaten under 3oz of 100% sucralose in a year.
I cant see myself going back to sugar, but I cant seem to kick the sucralose habit either. So a different and non funky super super cooked up sweetener is a good option for me.

sharperhawk wrote:Would someone like to make a case against moderate use of sugar (e.g., to sweeten coffee)? The case I heard several years ago seems alarmist now. Sure, if you overeat baked goods and drink several sugary beverages per day, you'll have problems. But if that's your issue, a non-calorie sweetener just puts a paleo veneer on it.

Agreed. This is a beef I have with a lot of the paleo bloggers who also develop recipes. Just because you don't use wheat and you substitute coconut sugar for white sugar does NOT, NOT, NOT make it paleo.