Stop reading it, stop watching it...
Use some blinders to gain the education and make good choices.
News and internet garble is filling advertising time...and then doing it again tomorrow.

We have, thanks to so many dietary needs now, (and fears), lots of healthy choices.

One of my favorite round-up quotes from Jeff Novick...
(note-in no particular order...i like 9 and 10)

-quote-
The Top 10 Super Foods :)
(In no particular order)

1) Fruits

2) Vegetables

3) Cruciferous Vegetables

4) Starchy Vegetables/Roots/Tubers

5) Intact Whole Grains

6) Beans, Peas, Lentils

7) Higher Fat Plant Foods - Nuts/Seeds/Avocado (In limited amounts)

8) A variety of foods and colors within each food/food group

9) Not over-eating.

And, last, but not least, a non food item...

10. A healthy lifestyle including fresh air, pure water, adequate sleep, rest & relaxation, emotional poise, social engagement, loving relationships, adequate activity/fitness, etc as food is only one aspect of health.

I think this is a list we can all live with, and live very well with.

In Health
Jeff

-end of quote-

Nope, not at all shocked. My ex and I owned a health food store at one time, after we sold the bar and grille. Yes indeed, from liquor to vitamins, we sold it all, LOL.

Anyway, I've always read labels, my Grandmother taught me to do that, saying that "if it wasn't a food 100 years ago, it's not a food today". Convenience mixes, frozen prepared foods, even breakfast cereals are laden with fat, salt, sugar, preservatives, dyes, and a bunch of things I can't even pronounce.

Luckily, I like to cook. I think most of us know what's good for us, things like lean meats and fresh vegetables, with as few chemical additives or sprays as possible. We also know that Wonderbread has about the nutritive value of a Twinkie, that cake mixes and Hamburger Helper are laden with dyes and chemicals and that canned soup has more salt than anyone should have.

Those things, like fast food, should be occasional treats. We all pretty much know this, but it's easy to know it and harder to practice it. Moderation in all things, that's the key in my opinion.

Annie

We should not take good healthy food for granted. It has been fairly easy for us here in the US to get over the years of my life, but it has not always been so, nor is it so for a lot of folks in this world. Caveat emptor will never go away as a useful motto! I was lucky because I grew up around food producers and still have access to them and the ability to garden and shmooze other gardeners for stuff. That helps I think. I don't think we should take food security lightly, that's for sure. But also don't loose perspective totally so you can't even enjoy a meal! But I think people need to work for what they want and stand up for it or it will be easy to watch it all go away. Look at how thing are in China with their food scandals all the time. They have even more trouble than we do holding their food producers accountable since their society is an authoritarian dictatorship. Just thank your lucky stars you don't live in that country!

I've been involved in seeking out healthy food all my adult like, and the way I see it, it is always easier to cultivate positive things in your life than to focus on what is negative. Seeking out sources of food grown and produced by folks who care about more than just the bottom line is a pleasure for me. There's a whole community of great folks out there who care about their food and each other! The community gardening movement is really taking off where I live, and lots of great friendships and networks are growing out of that. There have always been folks around who appreciate wholesome food so this positive stuff is always out there if you choose to seek it out. I am so happy to be rejoining a co-op that I was a member of 25 years ago. It is still going strong in my little town, along with two health food stores and an ever growing selection of organics in the local groceries. Plus a local farm market, milk shares, etc., etc. I work at a plant nursery, and every year the vegetable section is expanding because more and more folks are wanting to grow some of their own food, so that they know the quality!

I'm not surprised by the trends out there, but I don't fret too much about it, I'm too busy bucking the trends! :)

Here's a repost, or actually the link to a post about what's in our foods. It's about poisons, not culinary additives. I don't know if the people posting the list are calm methodical scientists or screaming maniacs, but it is interesting.

Here is a link that might be useful: the dirty dozen