Fake Food

With the idea that I am aiming for a healthier lifestyle rather than a short term diet or eating plan (no offence to others, whatever works for you I say) I have taken a closer look at my food. Especially processed and refined foods and the treatments and additives these foods under go.

I have concerns over the widespread use of additives and preservatives used in convenience foods. Now I am not just meaning ready made meals of the heat and eat variety. But almost every pre-packaged foodstuff that comes home from the supermarket. Jars of pasta sauce, loaves of bread, sweetened boxes of cereal, condiments and the list goes on.

Back in high school a friend heard a rumour about cheeseburgers from a leading fast food chain. The rumour was that a cheeseburger untouched for a year would result in the burger being the same as the day it was purchased. He decided to conduct his own experiment. He purchased a cheeseburger and left it untouched on top of a cupboard for a year. When it was time to unwrap, the burger was indeed as purchased... almost. It had shrunken slightly and was hard. But otherwise the same. No mould, no rotting, no nothing. I saw this with my own eyes. This can't be healthy for us.

I am setting myself another goal, to use only products with few ( I am realistic in this modern age) or preferably no ingredients that sound like they came out of a laboratory rather than a farm or orchard. This may mean a little more of my time is spent reading labels and making my own convenience foods and stocking up the freezer.