I read
labels. You can judge whether it is a
sickness or an indication of my curiosity.
I like to know what’s in the stuff I’m feeding the family and often that
means that for some small reason a product is going back on the shelf.
We buy
almost no processed food over here at Fresh Fun Foods. Our freezer contains ice cream, stocks,
bones, cubes and a bottle of Polish vodka.
I have never bought a skid of Stauffer’s lasagna from Costco, although I
do recognize that there are bargains to be had there. We shop for seasonal produce. We dry foods, we smoke meat and fish. We ferment apple cider. I preserve cherries and peaches in
brandy. We do this because it tastes
good and makes for a healthy way of eating.
I acknowledge that it takes extra time and effort.
It is
important that I do this. I am
diabetic. My sugar numbers are under
very tight control and have been for a decade. I certainly could use to lose more
weight and that is a struggle. I am in
constant contact with a number of doctors who treat me with great respect. Don’t worry about me, I’m doing OK.
I’ve become
concerned about the latest fad sweeping the food world. As a cooking teacher, I know that trends come
and go, but this gluten free thing seems to have real legs and is causing
confusion for people who genuinely want to eat healthy. The first rule of dieting and exercise is to
consult your physician before making any substantive changes and I don’t see
that happening. The gurus and the food
companies pushing gluten free products are in no way encouraging people to go
gluten free in a safe, healthy or interesting way. They simply want you to adopt their
philosophy and buy their stuff.
Here’s a
good example. Last week at the
supermarket, I spotted a container of 4C Gluten Free Seasoned Crumbs.
Always
interested in a new product, I spun it around to read the food label. While it is gluten free, something the mega
food companies want you to associate with healthy, this is a killer
manufactured product, the food version of astro turf. The 1/3 cup portion contains 450 mg of sodium,
just 30 mg short of a McDonald’s hamburger, something that you should also
avoid. 24 grams of carbs and 110
calories, about a beer’s worth, also jumps off the page. Besides that, there is almost nothing listed. 4C Gluten Free Seasoned Crumbs are a nutritional
Sahara.
The
ingredients list tells a similar story.
I don’t know what the glycemic index is on this, but I’m concerned that
the main ingredient, gluten free crumbs, is made up or three things that will
quickly turn into sugar. Salt is listed
3 separate times and it contains 3 spices (dehydrated parsley flakes, onion
powder, garlic powder) whose flavor degrades with processing and are always
better fresh. The “grated pecorino
romano cheese” does not list powdered cellulose as an ingredient, however I
suspect that the sawdust is included since 4C chose to specify that the cheese
had been grated and powdered cellulose is included with every grated cheese on
the market. No Soylent Green is
listed. That’s probably good.
The panic
produced by Wheat Belly is leading
many to adopt a diet that is slim in minerals, vitamins and fiber. While the aim is admirable, it is not a good
plan to eliminate a whole class of healthy products from your diet simply
because they contain one thing that is perceived as bad. Strict portion control, eating less, is
probably a better idea. Unless you have
celiac disease, contrary to Dr. Davis’ advice, cutting out all wheat is not
going to make you more alert and thin.
And I’m getting a little tired of people who constantly tell me that if
I would just cut out flour the diabetes will disappear. That belief shows a profound misunderstanding
of physiology, besides being kinda judgmental and mean. Someone actually told me that they, “didn’t
want to have a wheat belly like you.” It
is easy to forgive someone who doesn’t know your challenges.
A few months
back, a friend suggested that I do a couple of blogs about gluten free
foods. In preparing to do that, I looked
back and saw that about a third of what I had written to that point was already
gluten free. Another large percentage of
the recipes could be vegan if you subbed out the butter for oil. I think I’m on the right track. A healthy diet is varied and will include
some foods that contain gluten. It
should be made up of fresh products and eliminate processed foods. Bottom line, gluten free foods are an
important part of any diet, but unless you have celiac disease, there is no
reason to completely cut out items with gluten, because many are nutritious
foods that your body needs. As a
consequence of planning a varied diet, some courses will have gluten, others
will not.
Our mantra
here at Fresh Fun Foods has always been “Think at the stove.” Do your homework. The interwebs are often wrong, except my blog. Evaluate sources and think critically about
what you read. I’m agreeing with Tom
Waits on this, we confuse information with knowledge. See your doctor. Use your head.
