The Blessings of International Commerce

   Our forefathers ate much better than we do today. Their food was less processed and fresher. They enjoyed fresh vegetables and fruits in season, and preserved what they could to get them through the winter. We can do the same today, but we are blessed with the gifts of international commerce. We can get fresh fruits and vegetables throughout the entire year because of the differing growing seasons around the world. Just think, it would have been difficult to have orange juice or a banana for breakfast 150 years ago. I live in upstate NY which is rich in farmland and orchards. My wife and I enjoy many fruits and vegetables throughout the late spring through autumn. The farms here produce many wonderful edibles. But, you would be hard pressed to find pineapple, mango, papaya or citrus fruits from our local farms. Commerce brings these sought after products to the cool northeast.

   And the country and world around us benefits from the apples, peaches, pears, cabbage and other produce that our area grows. Our area also produces lots of milk, which of course is turned into so many other dairy products.

   Commerce also allows us to experiment, if we wish, with so many international and ethnic foods and dishes. I think it is wonderful the vast diversity that commerce allows us to experience in our stores. Our local supermarket proudly displays their selection of produce, cheeses from around the world and lots of natural and organic foods and produce.

 

   Often, people look at commerce as evil and greedy. There may be some of that, but we also gain some incredible blessings from it. I wish you all good health and an energetic life.

 

Reading the Label – How much fat?

   The labels on food give us information that we need and give us the information that the manufacturer wants you to have. For instance, you might be trying to watch your animal fat intake, you know, cutting back on saturated fats. If you are looking to use ground beef in your meal, you might gravitate to the more lean packages. They are usually numbered 73/27, 75/25, 80/20, 85/15, 90/10, 93/7, 95/5 and 96/4. The first number is the amount of lean meat by weight in percentage, the second number is the amount of fat by weight in percentage. 73/27 would be 73% lean meat and 27% fat.

   So, armed with that knowledge, you would definitely go with the package that shouts out, “I’m 90% fat free.” You even select the ground sirloin. You walk away confidently knowing that you picked the one that was 90% lean. You would have gone with the 96% lean but you know that the flavor is in the fat, so you compromise at 10%.

   The numbers may vary slightly, but a serving of 90/10 natural ground beef sirloin weighs 4 ounces or 112 grams. Total calories for this serving is 200. The amount from fat is 100. Cool, the amount of fat is just 50% of the calories. Wait a minute, that’s half!! I thought this was 90% fat free? Shouldn’t it be 20 calories from fat, I mean that’s 10%, right? How does that work? Half the calories are fat. Let’s check the label. The total amount of fat by weight is 11 grams. Okay, 11 is 10% of 112. But I thought I was being good. 11 grams of fat is 17% of the Daily Value of a diet based on 2000 calories. Of this fat, 4.5 grams is saturated fat or 23% of the Daily Value. But it is very low sodium and it has 22 grams of protein.

   At least, you think, I drink 2% milk. I mean, that’s a lot better than whole milk right? It’s 98% fat free, how can that be bad.  It’s a good choice. It’s low fat. At least I think so. Let’s look at the label. Again, the numbers may vary slightly. The serving size for 2% milk is 1 cup (240ml, or 244 grams). The total calories is 130. The calories from fat is just 45. Hey, that means that 35% of the calories come from fat. The total fat is 5 grams, and that is 2% of 244 grams. It has 15% of the Daily Value of Saturated Fat, 3 grams.

   Whole milk is about 47% of calories from fat. However, fat free milk is actually fat free. There are many alternatives to cow’s milk. There are nut milks, soy milk, hemp milk as well as combination milks such as Coconut Almond milk. Some of them are quite good, especially if you wish or must avoid dairy.

   Marketers use fat by weight for their labels. This is how they can claim such low fat content even though fat might make up a substantial amount of the calories. It is easy to be captivated by the claims on the packaging. Check the label. If you are trying to limit your fat intake, you may want to use a calculator to figure out the percentage of fat that is coming from your foods. Be warned that the information is on the label, it just isn’t necessarily easy to read.

   Fat is not bad, but you may want to watch your total intake of saturated fat. Certain saturated fats, such as coconut and avocado are very good for you, much better than animal fats. I still eat meat, but I use it now more for flavoring.

 

   If you are concerned about where your calories are coming from, read the label. Do not trust the marketing on the package. The package is designed to attract your interest and prompt you to buy the product. You may still buy the product, but now you can arm yourself with the information you need before you consume it. Good health and a great life to you.

 

Put a label on it

So what are genetically modified foods and why are they controversial? GMO foods, as they are often called, refer to any plant or meat product that has its DNA artificially altered in a laboratory using genetic engineering methods not found in nature to introduce genes from other plants, animals, viruses, bacteria, or other foreign compounds into that food. While reasons for using these experimental methods vary, foods are often genetically modified to be pesticide resistant, or to introduce new crop traits such as those that would produce foods at a faster rate, in larger quantities, or to have a greater nutrient profile. Use of these techniques provide the food industry with far greater control over a food's genetic structure than previously afforded by methods such as selective breeding and mutation breeding. To date, most genetic modification of foods have primarily focused on cash crops in high demand by farmers such as wheat, corn, soybean, canola, and cotton seed oil.

The issue surrounding the safety of GMO foods first came about at a meeting of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Health Organization (WHO), and biotech representatives in 1990. Then in early 1996, the "substantial equivalence" concept was proposed in which the food industry was allowed to market and sell new GMO foods without any safety or toxicology tests as long as the GMO foods “were not too different in chemical composition to foods already on the market.” To decide whether a modified product is considered a substantial equivalent, the product is tested by the manufacturer (not an independent research body) for unexpected changes and only on a limited set of variables such as toxins, nutrients, or allergens known to be present in the unmodified food. If these limited tests did not show any significant difference between the modified and unmodified products, then no further food safety testing is required.  It is this very limited testing that serves as the public declaration of the safety of GMO foods for human consumption. And unlike the strict safety evaluations required for the approval of new drugs, no long term studies have been conducted on the long term effects of genetically engineered foods.

In addition to limited testing, labeling is also an issue. Namely, do you have the right to know what’s in a food before you consume it? While there was a time when we did not label foods with calorie, nutritional value, or common allergens, we do now. In fact, most consumers read labels and use this information every day to make healthy decisions about food choice. 

Now consider the following global statistic… while 61 countries representing over 40% of the world’s population including the entire European Union and China already label genetically-engineered foods, Vermont is the only state in the US currently requiring labeling. In addition, views of your favorite grocer varies. For example, Whole Foods Markets has made the decision to require labeling of all genetically modified foods they sell with labelling being implemented over the next few months, Wegmans Food Markets on the other hand has taken a "neutral stance" but essentially denying a consumer's the right to know. 

Ultimately, as a consumer the choice is yours. Do you or don’t you want to know what is in your food before you eat it? The simplest way to identify genetically modified foods  is to label it the same way as we do calories, nutrients, and allergens…and require your grocer to put a label on it! For more information, go to http://justlabelit.org/.

Here’s to good eating and good health!

Let's go shopping!

Now that you have gone gluten-free / grain-free (GF2), now what? While shopping may have always been a fun-filled experience, it now all seems too overwhelming. After initially saying  "now what?", the next question that comes to mind is "how do I adjust my buying habits to support this new lifestyle?" We're here to say you do not have to travel this path alone. You are among a community of friends who are here to help. Help comes in the form of our Shopping page, where we have provided you with a roadmap as to what to buy, what not to buy, where to shop with tips on how to shop to support your GF2 journey... complete with a printable shopping list!