Food for Thought Newsletter - Issue 005

IN THIS ISSUE:

• What’s in your food? Spotlight gums, carrageenan, Red dye #3, and more.
• What is ultra processed?
• Simple ideas to start eating healthier

🧂 Bon Appétit

First, I want to talk about ingredients. A person would think an ingredient is a food that goes in a recipe with other foods to make a dish, correct? I mean, that’s what I would think.

 

I’d think of things like flour, eggs, milk, etc.

 

When I think of ingredients, I’ll admit I don’t think guar gum, carrageenan, or titanium dioxide.

 

What even are those?

 

I’m so glad you asked! Let’s talk about some of the “ingredients” being added to our foods.

 

Let me share a story. Pretend you’re walking on the beach, and you come across some red seaweed that’s just washed to shore. It’s fresh and good, so you bring some home to add to your stir-fry.

 

However, you have some extra, and you find yourself wondering what to do with it. So you decide to slather it in acid, denature it, pulverize it, and then pour some over your ice cream.

 

Excuse me? No thank you.

 

Except - that’s what carrageenan is - and it’s in your ice cream!

 

And heavy whipping cream.

 

And almond milk and deli cheese, and the list goes on.

 

Here’s the deal. Sure, the red seaweed might be edible, but carrageenan is so far from its original roots that it no longer resembles where it came from. Not only that, but it goes from being nutritionally dense to being toxic.

 

You heard that right.

 

It’s toxic for your body.

 

But hey, we need smooth ice cream, right?

 

That was a long-winded description of how natural foods have been DENATURED and made extremely unnatural.

 

Quote from Medical News Today article:

"The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have approved the additive for use, but concerns about its safety remain.

Some scientists believe that carrageenan can cause inflammation, digestive problems, such as bloating and irritable bowel disease (IBD), and even colon cancer…"

 

Tandy talking here: READ THIS PART CLOSE: However, the validity of these claims is hotly debated because the only supporting evidence comes from studies in cells and animals.

 

Clearly I’m missing something because – the studies are ONLY done in cells and animals?!?!?! Aren’t we made of cells, and aren’t we animals? Isn’t every study done on animals?

 

As opposed to what?

 

Things that make you go hmmmm ….

 

At this point, I decided to hop out of the Carrageenan rabbit hole I’d found myself in and just get to work.

 

When was the last time you looked at a food label?

 

I looked at my cream cheese label the other day. I’ve made cream cheese before - so I expected to see milk, cream, salt, and some form of culture in the list of ingredients. I did not expect to see guar gum, locust bean, carob bean gum, xanthum gum, - what the what?

 

WHY? And what even is guar gum? So glad you keep asking these questions!

 

Guar gum is a slurry made from the guar bean - which could be considered healthy as a whole bean. However, they completely strip the bean of anything good, then the slurry is added as a thickener to foods like salad dressing, kefir, and pudding - and most store bought cream cheese.

 

And the denatured slurry goes from being a whole food to an inflammation causing shipwreck.

 

But wait, there’s more!

 

Most ultra-processed foods also contain soy, maltodextrin, MSG, Red dye 3 (which was BANNED for cosmetics over three decades ago and was PROVEN to cause behavioral issues and even cancer), plus brominated vegetable oils, and the list goes on and on and on.

 

Let me show you a few ingredient lists side by side:

 

It’s sickening - and it’s making us sick. We truly can’t ignore labels anymore. We have GOT to start getting a better understanding of what REAL food and REAL ingredients - and we’ve got to stop putting our dollars toward food that has absolutely no value other than to take us one step closer to pharmaceuticals and an unhealthy life.

 

And it’s seriously that simple. And it’s that serious.

 

I was speaking with Holistic Hilda today (recording an INCREDIBLE class for Alaska Homestead Academy) and she said this:

 

“Traditional diets maximize nutrients. The modernized diet minimizes nutrients. So we need to steer clear of everything having to do with the modernized diet if we want any sort of happy, healthy life.”

 

Simple as that!

 

We’re trying to cut out the crazy ingredients and for our family, that has meant changing our shopping habits (we shop primarily at Azure Standard or local farms), and I make a lot more of our food than I ever dreamed I would need to.

 

But I refuse to give my body, which is created in His image, and fill it with junk that is made to keep us medicated and sick.

 

⚙️ WHAT IS ULTRA PROCESSED?

Most foods are processed unless you pick them right out of the garden or off the tree and eat them.

 

You process wheat into bread, veggies in a brine ferment, and even home canned soup is a processed food. In every case here, the foods are made more palatable AND more nutrient dense.

 

However, ultra processed foods are taken to a whole new level. First they are heated, pulverized or just plain stripped of any nutrients - then oftentimes synthetic nutrients are added, but also addictive additives are also tossed in for good measure. Because your body doesn’t recognize it as food, your taste buds would reject it if it didn’t have something added to make it palatable.

 

Think about something for a minute. When was the last time you gorged yourself on Doritos? They are just so good, it’s hard to stop, right? That’s because your body has no idea what you’re eating so your receptors that tell you when you’ve had all you need - the ones that recognize when you have consumed all the nutrients that are required for this round - they don’t know what to do so they just don’t do anything!

 

However, when was the last time you gorged on carrot sticks? They are nutrient dense! As are raspberries and watermelon. Sure, they might be so tasty that you eat more than you need, but it’s completely different from the addictive “I can’t stop” feeling that you get from eating ultra processed foods.

 

This isn’t conspiracy theory talk here - it’s scientific, it’s freely admitted, and it’s really cold, hard truth - our food is killing us. 

Another quote from our dear Holistic Hilda: (You really gotta join the Academy and tune into this talk - it’s incredible!)

 

“We weren’t just made to endure. It’s truly our responsibility to cultivate good health. Instead of being reactive, we need to be proactive.”

 

Unfortunately, the grocery store isn’t the place to do that.

 

WHERE TO START❓

 

If you’re feeling like you need to get processed foods out of your kitchen and get nutrient dense foods into your family, that’s awesome! But starting can be so HARD!

 

I have a couple of ideas for you that are surprisingly simple and super yummy.

 

First, if you don’t want to get raw milk from a farmer, get Alaska Range Dairy milk for your crew. Most stores carry it, and it’s minimally pasteurized, and it still contains the cream. Just shake it up before you take a swig - it’s really good!

 

Also, learn to make homemade yogurt. It’s super simple, fast, and it’s so much cheaper than the store! Make homemade jam to drizzle over the top and everyone wins!

 

We are very serious about helping Alaskans eat more natural, local foods - stay tuned for much more information!