Mono- and Diglycerides in HWC

mlinton_mesapark

Hey folks,

I have recently informally embarked on a mission to rid my diet of processed foods, to the extent that I can. I discovered the other day, to my dismay, that my store brand heavy whipping cream is made with mono- and diglycerides. As far as I can tell from some cursory research, these are extremely common emulsifiers in milk products and baked goods (bads!), some folks liken them to trans fats (yikes!) but there is little to no evidence about their safety or lack thereof. Mary Enig, quoted on the Weston A Price website, describes their structure (similar to triglyceride fatty acid, with fewer glycerides).

This quote gives me pause:

Currently the levels of trans contributed by MGs amd DGs are relatively low, even when they appear several times in the ingredient list. However, as the public becomes more aware of the dangers of trans fats, the industry may be tempted to add more MGs and DGs containing trans fats in order to obtain the qualities they want in a food without having to list trans fats on the label. Mono-glycerides and di-glycerides are actually normal constituents of digestion of food fats, but the MGs and DGs listed on the labels of our foods are constructed from fats and oils and used as surfactants to make it easier for companies to make their products.

http://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/mono-and-di-glycerides/

I could go all the way to Whole Foods for my HWC, but I'm more likely to just switch to the organic whole milk we have in our fridge anyway, and accept the extra carbs. Thoughts?

If you need me, I'll be scrutinizing labels in my kitchen, and trying to cook up a bunch of non-labeled food. Both my husband and dad are dealing with heart problems, so health is weighing heavily on my mind these days. :-/

sweetteadrinker2

Personally, I would make hwc my last battle on the processed foods front. Canned and otherwise prepared foods would be first. Unless you're using an awful lot of hwc it's probably the least of the eVils. Take things incrementally, because all the research invOlved is enough to make your head explode!

KnitOrMiss

Careenegens (sp?) are in mine, too. I swear, I learned MSG and related stuff is in nearly everything. It makes me 12 kinds of angry that food folks use deceptive practices to sneak foods by us. There are maybe 40 labels that can indicate various types of/related things to MSG in food, just as there are a dozen to hide trans fats. It makes me angry, because we should not have to fight for honesty in food labeling.

Just like the 25% allowed "discrepancy" in the labels, per the FDA. WTH is that about??? Grr...

GaleHawkins

The thing about HWC they call a serving .5 oz so the label rules letting them round down means more Zero's and next to impossible to know what is in a quart of HWC.

KnitOrMiss

That definitely compounds the "discrepancy" allowance, for sure! It's honestly like the whole system is engineered to keep foods from being simple, pure products and to keep us from realizing it. I believe in the "if it's an ingredient you can't pronounce, you likely don't need it" school, but sometimes, there isn't a better option, sadly.

Dragonwolf

I don't know what store you shop at, but I know places like Kroger and Giant Eagle often have foods from local producers, or are willing to get them if they don't already carry them (you just need to ask). I know one of the dairies around me sells HWC that's only cream (and non-homogenized milk, oh yeah!), no glycerides or carageenans, which is nice. The only downside is they only sell it by the half gallon, and I don't go through it quite that fast.

KnitOrMiss

OMG, that would make me so happy! I'm so going to ask at my favorite local place now...just to see if they can!