Shocking Story of How Pringles Are Made?
I thought the article might be amusing, but it turns out, “shocking” is an apt description.
I’ve been writing occasionally about my slow process of evolving to a healthy, more natural diet – and for less money than on supermarket fare. This recent story on Pringles (and other chips) is just one of the reasons I’m committed to paying attention to what I eat, what I feed my sons, and encouraging others to do the same.
Do read the article, and note the ways in which food / manufacturing giants avoid informing us of unhealthy processes in everyday items – in this example, those tantalizing oven fries and potato chips, in general.
One of the most hazardous ingredients in potato chips is not intentionally added, but rather is a byproduct of the processing… Acrylamide, a cancer-causing and potentially neurotoxic chemical…
Alternative Food Providers
I know my good fortune in living in an area where many types of food stores are accessible. They include a Farmer’s Market which offers a breathtaking range of organic and locally-grown produce, as well as organic breads and wild-caught fresh fish.
As for those who insist that fish is too pricey for the tight budget, I will say again that it’s a matter of access – to no frills providers (like a farmer’s market) where fish can be as much as half the expense in a local supermarket.
I am also fully aware that the only reason I can venture to these locations is because (a) I have a car and (b) I have the additional hours each week because both my sons are now in college. I’m no longer a full-time working solo mom in a one-car household, living the chaotic muddle of “doing it all”.”
My days and nights even a few months ago?
So jam-packed, the extra several hours each week to make the drive to budget-friendly locations could not have been accommodated, or so I tell myself. Then again, had I realized then just how much money I could have saved, week after week, I might have gone to greater lengths to make arrangements for the necessary trekking.
Aging Well? You Are What You Eat
I’m not so naive as to think that heredity, lifestyle factors, and an ample dose of luck don’t come into play relative to health and aging well. And then there’s everything that we still don’t know, and hopefully, continued medical and scientific research will enlighten us.
Still, as I think (again) about how I am aging – or rather, how well I am aging (hello – we’re all aging if we’re lucky, remember?) – I am certain that the turnaround in energy and stamina that I’ve achieved in the past months is significantly tied not only to how I’m eating, but to what I’m eating.
To the quality of what I’m eating – and that’s largely not processed foods.
I’m not a purist on this score and don’t feel compelled to be one. But when I read about known carcinogens in some of our most frequently (and innocently) consumed food products (note the article referenced above), my suspicions concerning processed foods grows more acute, as I wonder about the next bit of news with an “oops, we may be killing you” message to be revealed.
It’s a healthy dose of skepticism, based on articles like the one mentioned along with “You don’t know what you don’t know.”
Healthy Skepticism, Putting My Money Where My Mouth Is
What might the Big Food Biz version of Occupy Wall Street be called?
Occupy Main Street? Occupy Aisle Three – Snack Foods? Aisle Six – Produce?
All I can say is – take a stab at treating yourself and your family better.
- Read labels.
- Pay attention to food news items.
- Seriously think about what you’re putting in your mouth.
- If you don’t have a car or access, ask a friend who does to help.
- Make (organic, natural) food shopping and preparation a priority.
- Shoot for 50% of what you consume at first. (It’s surprisingly easy.)
- Track your expenditures – you may find you’re spending the same or less.
- Try recipes that don’t destroy the nutritional value of what you’re eating.
- Read! Speak out! The Internet makes it easy!
- Put your money where your mouth is.
Food is political – it’s about dollars and cents, tax policy and big business.
Think about everything – everything – that is impacted. Our health, our health care dollars, our children and what they eat in school as well as at home.
And yes, of course, we still want the occasional gooey dessert. Why not? You could say “everything in moderation” and I might agree.
But do we follow that rule, or grab for what is fast and convenient, for what we believe is harmless, and falsely believe is less costly as well?
Should we savor our pleasures?
Absolutely. But note – I said the occasional gooey dessert (or snack), and I still insist we need to read before we eat.
And yes, of course, kids are expensive. Tight budgets mean tricky choices, a fact I’m well aware of after picking up the bulk of the tab for 20 years.
But easy-to-grab processed foods are not the least costly option, and they do not keep kids’ hunger at bay. The obesity issue can be improved upon, but I believe the quality of what we eat is a critical component of the equation, and that means education.
Our willingness to educate ourselves.
Might we pull our heads out of the sand, so we’re not pushing up daisies far younger than necessary, and we’re living more energetically and fully in the mean time?
*Note: Click on the soup image above for its recipe.
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Agreed on all your points, I try to follow the rule that if I eat junk food at home, it has to be something that I cook (a brilliant rule from author, Michael Pollan); my junk food repertoire is pretty limited so it is an excellent way to learn some new cooking skills for good quality indulgent food (i.e., creme brulee, lemon tart). Another resource to consider for toxins in your own home is the book “Slow Death by Rubber Duck“; an excellent read.
That is a great “rule,” batticus. (Crème Brulée? You’ve made me hungry!)
Thank you for the recommendation on the book. Will check it out!
This is a topic I am passionate about. I’m lucky enough to have the resources to be able to make healthy choices in the grocery store – at least in the late fall, winter, and early spring when our Midwestern farmer’s market is closed for the season. But I lament the fact that so many people in this country don’t have these choices and that so many of the food stores in our poorest neighborhoods don’t really allow residents to choose anything but which type of convenience food to buy – so it’s not Pringles vs. apples, but Pringles vs. Cheetos. I do see slow signs of progress, but hope that more and more people recognize this as the public health crisis it is.
Public health crisis. Well said, Kristen.
And shop only the perimeter of the grocery store! (That’s where the whole foods are.)
Good for you! I made some changes to my diet in between pregnancies and it’s made a huge difference to my health and overall wellness. But I refuse to read the Pringles article. I KNOW they’re not good for me but they’re so damn tasty! (And a rare treat!)
This is an issue quite close to my heart, as you know, BLW. What we’ve learned in just a few months of label-reading has changed how we buy when we go to the supermarket. Even without a farmer’s market, the adjustments in our shopping — more whole ingredients instead of processed foods — has lowered our monthly bill significantly.
I do get the more-than-occasional craving for things that crunch, though, in that special way crackers and chips do. (Sorry nuts, apples, and carrots, but you don’t always cut it.) I went on a grocery safari over the weekend and discovered these — they are good! No potatoes in any of the products they sell, either. So in case you suffer cravings as I do …
Scary stuff. Eye opening article. The worst stuff for us is often the most addicting.
When my kids were small it was so convenient to pick up fast food on the way home from work, and easy. But when it came to a point when I was a single working mother, I could no longer afford the convenience. I cooked better meals at home, tired or not and my now grown kids seem to prefer the better foods.
Just this weekend I prepared some home made soup and my daughters boyfriend couldn’t get enough. It was a cream based soup and he mentioned how fattening it must be. I told him that he would have to eat 5-6 bowls to equal the calories in a Big mac.
I agree everything in moderation, but even better to eat healthy in moderation.
Hmmmmm, I have a sudden craving to go make a stock pot of chicken noodle soup….and brownies. 🙂
Mmmmm… Brownies…. 😉
I just read the Wikipedia article on acrylamide. The more I look into the details of this stuff, the more confused I get. But fortunately you don’t need a weatherman to know the way the wind blows.