Chemicals: It's in everything, including "natural" food
Replies
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My problem is adding chemicals excessively or when we don't need them. Like adding high fructose corn syrup and sugar...why do we need both? I believe in altering our food when it creates a better product...like cooking tomatoes to produce more lycopene. I just don't understand the processing of food when another product that is just slightly less processed is just as good.
Do you defy the laws of physics when you cook tomatoes?
ETA: this is just one example of the lack of scientific understanding the OP is calling out
ETA: not to mention that the health claims around lycopene are wildly over stated. There's only 1 FDA highly limited health claim around prostate cancer prevention and 1 preliminary study around ischemic stroke prevention.
Let me guess...you heard of lycopene on a Heinz commercial
Wow, for starters, you're rude. There are plenty of legit scientific studies about cooking vs raw food. Look up the Cornell study for starters. I also read conflicting studies and the conclusion is basically there are benefits from raw and benefits from cooked food. Why do you assume everyone is an idiot who can't find "scientific studies." I didn't get it from a Heinz commercial, I got it from reading for weeks about raw vs cooked because I was deciding whether to start consuming mass amounts of raw vegetables. Jesus, some of you guys are really high and mighty and think you are the end all be all to everything. Thanks for the vote of confidence that us plebeians can do a little research before making a decision about our health and food choices.
You do not produce more lycopene when you cook a tomato. Lycopene synthesis is not as simple as cooking a tomato. Cooking with oil will help extract lycopene and increase its bioavailability but will not produce more of it. Using such imprecise language is further evidence that you, and many other people, do not have a working understanding of basic science.
If you think that assessment is rude, I'm fine with that. But this is a problem we should work on in the states, where we lag behind most other developed nations. It's why clever marketing has made orthorexics of perfectly normal people. It's why we have so many chemophobes,0 -
Not to mention cryptosporidium. Of course if one ingests either, they can claim it as a natural "detoxifier".:laugh:I would, have have, drank fresh water from a river, that had bugs on it's surface and was running fast.. you're right.. it's not always perfect.. but i have a brain and i know how to use it.
to each thier own.
Apparently you've never had giardia...
To which I say "lucky you!" I aint fun.
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Just had someone call off from drinking fast running mountain snow melt water at 12,000ft! Bugs be everywhere.0 -
great article
It better articulates what I have believed forever
thanks for sharing 0 -
My problem is adding chemicals excessively or when we don't need them. Like adding high fructose corn syrup and sugar...why do we need both? I believe in altering our food when it creates a better product...like cooking tomatoes to produce more lycopene. I just don't understand the processing of food when another product that is just slightly less processed is just as good.
Do you defy the laws of physics when you cook tomatoes?
ETA: this is just one example of the lack of scientific understanding the OP is calling out
ETA: not to mention that the health claims around lycopene are wildly over stated. There's only 1 FDA highly limited health claim around prostate cancer prevention and 1 preliminary study around ischemic stroke prevention.
Let me guess...you heard of lycopene on a Heinz commercial
Wow, for starters, you're rude. There are plenty of legit scientific studies about cooking vs raw food. Look up the Cornell study for starters. I also read conflicting studies and the conclusion is basically there are benefits from raw and benefits from cooked food. Why do you assume everyone is an idiot who can't find "scientific studies." I didn't get it from a Heinz commercial, I got it from reading for weeks about raw vs cooked because I was deciding whether to start consuming mass amounts of raw vegetables. Jesus, some of you guys are really high and mighty and think you are the end all be all to everything. Thanks for the vote of confidence that us plebeians can do a little research before making a decision about our health and food choices.
You do not produce more lycopene when you cook a tomato. Lycopene synthesis is not as simple as cooking a tomato. Cooking with oil will help extract lycopene and increase its bioavailability but will not produce more of it. Using such imprecise language is further evidence that you, and many other people, do not have a working understanding of basic science.
If you think that assessment is rude, I'm fine with that. But this is a problem we should work on in the states, where we lag behind most other developed nations. It's why clever marketing has made orthorexics of perfectly normal people. It's why we have so many chemophobes,
OH! OH!
Lycopene from tomato juice was one of the extractions my wife did! You can not create more lycopene by cooking or not cooking a tomato. To produce more lycopene through cooking you would have to include additional chemicals that convert other chemicals to lycopene on a hot plate. It's possible to synthesize lycopene, but not with the specific chemicals within a tomato. Lycopene is litterally the red pigment in a tomato. Here, have the experiment:
Isolation of Lycopene from Tomato Paste using Column Chromatography:
http://infohost.nmt.edu/~jaltig/Lycopene.pdf0 -
Not to mention cryptosporidium. Of course if one ingests either, they can claim it as a natural "detoxifier".:laugh:I would, have have, drank fresh water from a river, that had bugs on it's surface and was running fast.. you're right.. it's not always perfect.. but i have a brain and i know how to use it.
to each thier own.
Apparently you've never had giardia...
To which I say "lucky you!" I aint fun.
A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
Just had someone call off from drinking fast running mountain snow melt water at 12,000ft! Bugs be everywhere.
The city my parents live in (in BC) finally started treating their drinking water a few years ago. The population was in an uproar about it because they liked their "fresh mountain spring water" and are very upset that they will have chlorine in the water and "they will get cancer from showering in it" (no word of a lie I heard someone say this - and laughed because they do go to the puplic swimming pool .....) The area is in ranching country and if these people could only see what gets into the streams around the area.... it is simply smart to treat the water you drink, you cannot see the bugs that will make you sick0 -
OH! OH!
Lycopene from tomato juice was one of the extractions my wife did! You can not create more lycopene by cooking or not cooking a tomato. To produce more lycopene through cooking you would have to include additional chemicals that convert other chemicals to lycopene on a hot plate. It's possible to synthesize lycopene, but not with the specific chemicals within a tomato. Lycopene is litterally the red pigment in a tomato. Here, have the experiment:
Isolation of Lycopene from Tomato Paste using Column Chromatography:
http://infohost.nmt.edu/~jaltig/Lycopene.pdf
*sighs* Thank you. You understand me.
Best of luck with Orgo 2. I didn't enjoy it much, though if I had to do it over again (without 18 additional credit hours of coursework to compete with it), I'm sure it would be a lot more fun.0 -
Not to mention cryptosporidium. Of course if one ingests either, they can claim it as a natural "detoxifier".:laugh:I would, have have, drank fresh water from a river, that had bugs on it's surface and was running fast.. you're right.. it's not always perfect.. but i have a brain and i know how to use it.
to each thier own.
Apparently you've never had giardia...
To which I say "lucky you!" I aint fun.
A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
Just had someone call off from drinking fast running mountain snow melt water at 12,000ft! Bugs be everywhere.
The city my parents live in (in BC) finally started treating their drinking water a few years ago. The population was in an uproar about it because they liked their "fresh mountain spring water" and are very upset that they will have chlorine in the water and "they will get cancer from showering in it" (no word of a lie I heard someone say this - and laughed because they do go to the puplic swimming pool .....) The area is in ranching country and if these people could only see what gets into the streams around the area.... it is simply smart to treat the water you drink, you cannot see the bugs that will make you sick
I'm not sure of the rules in Canadaland, but where I"m at they're required to provide an annual water contaminate report. Putting out a contaminate report with the projected contaminate levels after chloramination (they won't do straight chlorine except for a month every 3-5 years to kill resistant strains) may do some good in quelling the hysteria.0 -
Snake and Jellyfish venoms are sometimes fatal to humans yet they're 100% natural, the same with toxin produced by Clostridium Botulinum.
What matters to me personally is not whether my food is 'natural' but whether it contains anything harmful. I'm not going to avoid food that contains Ascorbic Acid and Cyanocobalamin simply because their mouthful names sound like 'chemicals'.
If you have ever been hospitalized for Typhoid Fever (I have), you'll begin to appreciate the role of disinfecting chemicals in our water. Sure, tap water might taste a bit funny, but it beats getting sick from Salmonella or Hepatitis A.0 -
Not to mention cryptosporidium. Of course if one ingests either, they can claim it as a natural "detoxifier".:laugh:I would, have have, drank fresh water from a river, that had bugs on it's surface and was running fast.. you're right.. it's not always perfect.. but i have a brain and i know how to use it.
to each thier own.
Apparently you've never had giardia...
To which I say "lucky you!" I aint fun.
A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
Just had someone call off from drinking fast running mountain snow melt water at 12,000ft! Bugs be everywhere.
The city my parents live in (in BC) finally started treating their drinking water a few years ago. The population was in an uproar about it because they liked their "fresh mountain spring water" and are very upset that they will have chlorine in the water and "they will get cancer from showering in it" (no word of a lie I heard someone say this - and laughed because they do go to the puplic swimming pool .....) The area is in ranching country and if these people could only see what gets into the streams around the area.... it is simply smart to treat the water you drink, you cannot see the bugs that will make you sick
I'm not sure of the rules in Canadaland, but where I"m at they're required to provide an annual water contaminate report. Putting out a contaminate report with the projected contaminate levels after chloramination (they won't do straight chlorine except for a month every 3-5 years to kill resistant strains) may do some good in quelling the hysteria.
Not sure of the rules either although I am pretty sure there is something like that available if you look for it. But, in my experience the large majority of people here in this area aren't interested in doing the research - especially if doing the research will refute their beliefs. (not just about food or chemicals but anything really). On the flip side of that though you can probably find equal amounts of research to support both sides of most arguments these days lol
Taking Hydrology though was a real eye opener when we covered contaminants and pollution (not just man-made pollution) and health regulations etc of water 0 -
Thanks for posting this. It is an excellent source of information. I knew a good bit of it already, but it was good to see it all pulled together. I highly recommend reading it!0
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OH! OH!
Lycopene from tomato juice was one of the extractions my wife did! You can not create more lycopene by cooking or not cooking a tomato. To produce more lycopene through cooking you would have to include additional chemicals that convert other chemicals to lycopene on a hot plate. It's possible to synthesize lycopene, but not with the specific chemicals within a tomato. Lycopene is litterally the red pigment in a tomato. Here, have the experiment:
Isolation of Lycopene from Tomato Paste using Column Chromatography:
http://infohost.nmt.edu/~jaltig/Lycopene.pdf
Now THIS is information. Not condescending, not rude--just good information! Thanks for posting! And I am loving that you have learned so much from your wife and her class! Double value on that investment I would say and a marriage bonding boost to boot! ( how's that for alliteration??0 -
thanks for sharing OPbut i have a brain and i know how to use it.
to each thier own.
welp0 -
OH! OH!
Lycopene from tomato juice was one of the extractions my wife did! You can not create more lycopene by cooking or not cooking a tomato. To produce more lycopene through cooking you would have to include additional chemicals that convert other chemicals to lycopene on a hot plate. It's possible to synthesize lycopene, but not with the specific chemicals within a tomato. Lycopene is litterally the red pigment in a tomato. Here, have the experiment:
Isolation of Lycopene from Tomato Paste using Column Chromatography:
http://infohost.nmt.edu/~jaltig/Lycopene.pdf
Now THIS is information. Not condescending, not rude--just good information! Thanks for posting! And I am loving that you have learned so much from your wife and her class! Double value on that investment I would say and a marriage bonding boost to boot! ( how's that for alliteration??
Actually, we hate each other as a married couple and will be getting separated/divorced once she's on her feet financially. Educating her is part of the process, but I like to learn. Thanks for the thought, but I wouldn't want to leave any misunderstandings on the table. Sorry to ruin the fairy tale ending.
Your alliteration is the boon of marketers and the bane of enunciators.0 -
Should have people make lists of things they trust the government with. Always interesting to see.
Would you trust the government to tell you the water from that natural spring hasn't been polluted by fracking or something else?
When is the government ever honest? :laugh:
______
Thanks for posting this, OP!0 -
Actually, we hate each other as a married couple and will be getting separated/divorced once she's on her feet financially. Educating her is part of the process, but I like to learn. Thanks for the thought, but I wouldn't want to leave any misunderstandings on the table. Sorry to ruin the fairy tale ending.
Your alliteration is the boon of marketers and the bane of enunciators.
Doh! sorry to hear that! Well, at least you have some really awesome information that you were able to glean from the "process"!0 -
Hi, I'm going to study chemistry at college in a few months. Had some interesting, educational classes and lectures on food&chemicals aaand well... it ain't that bad. I wash my fruit well to get rid of those chemicals, it's not clean of them then, but it's okay. Tend to buy fresher fruit, fresh meat, fresh fruit right from the market and not the shops. When it comes to shopping of packaged products: The less ingredients, the better. The amount of additives you consume ain't that bad. The 'chemicals' we're talking about here and additives, 'cause chemicals is what... what IS food. That's FOOD. There are ridiculous foods, really, with SO many additives. Don't buy them and you're perfectly fine 0
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OH! OH!
Lycopene from tomato juice was one of the extractions my wife did! You can not create more lycopene by cooking or not cooking a tomato. To produce more lycopene through cooking you would have to include additional chemicals that convert other chemicals to lycopene on a hot plate. It's possible to synthesize lycopene, but not with the specific chemicals within a tomato. Lycopene is litterally the red pigment in a tomato. Here, have the experiment:
Isolation of Lycopene from Tomato Paste using Column Chromatography:
http://infohost.nmt.edu/~jaltig/Lycopene.pdf
*sighs* Thank you. You understand me.
Best of luck with Orgo 2. I didn't enjoy it much, though if I had to do it over again (without 18 additional credit hours of coursework to compete with it), I'm sure it would be a lot more fun.
You could have replied in a way that wasn't rude AF.0 -
Exactly. There are regulations to protect the water supply from fracking. Do you believe they are effective?
After having watched Gasland 2.0 last week, I'm thinking if there's fracking near an aquifer, there's eventual water contamination -- regardless of regulations.
From internal memos of companies involved in fracking -- 10% of wells fail at installation. 50% fail within five years. And they have no idea or way to fix them. Sooner or later that's bound to percolate to an aquifer if one is anywhere in the vicinity.
I would like sensible regulations to actually be enforced, and think calls for the EPA to be abolished are outrageous. It was created for a reason (unless we actually like having rivers catch on fire and burn for days, which was what led to the creation of the EPA in the first place).If you fully trust government food oversight, but fully distrust the government in other ways, is that sensible?
At any rate "chemicals" and "natural" can be misleading nomenclature. Naturally occuring things such as table salt are chemicals. "Natural vanilla flavoring" (as opposed to actual vanilla) is sometimes made from beaver anal secretions (hey, truth in advertising, it IS natural...)
In the end, though, it is often good to know what's in your food.0 -
Not much useful info here. FYI:
"Natural" is marketing. Means nothing.
"Organic" actually MEANS something. To be organic that is an actual classification where the producer has to meet standards.0 -
Terrible and toxic? Where are the dead bodies attributed to this?this is like opening pandora's box, at least it was for me and it stressed me out as I slowly realized there was no way to eat truly healthy without growing it yourself. Unfortunately, if you buy from the commercial food supply, the nutrition if that food is terrible and highly toxic. There is NO way around it. Even organic doesn't mean much (although it's still better than non-organic).
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Not much useful info here. FYI:
"Natural" is marketing. Means nothing.
"Organic" actually MEANS something. To be organic that is an actual classification where the producer has to meet standards.
Sure. And those standards do nothing to produce food that is more healthful of sustainable than food that is produced by conventional means.0 -
I like the definition of pollution as being the wrong concentration of a compound in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Our metabolism depends on chemical reactions. We're made of chemical elements.
Hey, here's a suggestion: why don't we all learn some elementary chemistry and stop believing the word of scientifically illiterate journalists and 'fitness professionals'?0 -
This. As mentioned in the OP, this is just going back to advertising alternative ideas, lifestyles, etc. as a means to make some money.Not much useful info here. FYI:
"Natural" is marketing. Means nothing.
"Organic" actually MEANS something. To be organic that is an actual classification where the producer has to meet standards.
Sure. And those standards do nothing to produce food that is more healthful of sustainable than food that is produced by conventional means.
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Agreed. It's high time that using fear to initiate weight loss or correct eating be stopped. If sticking to actual science, it can be done with foods eaten everyday on a regular basis.I like the definition of pollution as being the wrong concentration of a compound in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Our metabolism depends on chemical reactions. We're made of chemical elements.
Hey, here's a suggestion: why don't we all learn some elementary chemistry and stop believing the word of scientifically illiterate journalists and 'fitness professionals'?
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I'm less bothered by chemical sounding names in food and more about why some things are added in the first place. after all, bread can be made with flour, yeast, water and salt. The only reason stabilisers are added is for the commercial market.
ice cream - cream, egg (not always) and sugar. etcetera etcetera.
organic doesn't mean chemical-free - it just means it meets certain standards and a strictly controlled regimen of treatments that are available.
I like to cook and I like to bake, and I'd rather make my own versions of products that on the shelves are full of chemicals. I guess thats a choice I've made about how I want to live my life. But beer is processed...........0 -
I'm less bothered by chemical sounding names in food and more about why some things are added in the first place. after all, bread can be made with flour, yeast, water and salt. The only reason stabilisers are added is for the commercial market.
ice cream - cream, egg (not always) and sugar. etcetera etcetera.
organic doesn't mean chemical-free - it just means it meets certain standards and a strictly controlled regimen of treatments that are available.
I like to cook and I like to bake, and I'd rather make my own versions of products that on the shelves are full of chemicals. I guess thats a choice I've made about how I want to live my life. But beer is processed...........
When it comes to flavorings and whatnot, my main concern is "what real food ISNT here because they used a chemical shortcut to achieve the flavor." It's more of a food snobbery thing than a fear based reaction.
What is it about stabilizers in food that scares you so much? I mean, I think it's great to bake and make homemade ice cream...but do you do it because you fear certain stabilizers and preservatives? And if so, on what do you base this fear?0 -
I just gotta say that people worry about all the "chemicals" in food, but when it comes to hygiene and personal "enhancement", it's not even a second thought for many.
Realistically the people who condemn food with "chemicals" in them probably shouldn't use hair products, make up, sun block, nail polish, or perfume/cologne since they are inundated with "chemicals" and put directly on the body.
Not to mention the air quality that one breathes (one breathes more than one eats), or the exposure to industrial "chemicals" (like hand wipes or sanitizers) daily.
Just food for thought.
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I just gotta say that people worry about all the "chemicals" in food, but when it comes to hygiene and personal "enhancement", it's not even a second thought for many.
Realistically the people who condemn food with "chemicals" in them probably shouldn't use hair products, make up, sun block, nail polish, or perfume/cologne since they are inundated with "chemicals" and put directly on the body.
Not to mention the air quality that one breathes (one breathes more than one eats), or the exposure to industrial "chemicals" (like hand wipes or sanitizers) daily.
Just food for thought.
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I am fine with chemicals
but this is going to sound odd. I read about an oil method for facial cleansing and thought - why not? My skin has never been better. I still wouldn't care if my products have chemicals but man that method was amazing 0 -
Lol, I suffer from dry skin (had little acne as teen because of it) so I have to moisturize daily. Baby soft skin, but all due to chemicals.:laugh:I just gotta say that people worry about all the "chemicals" in food, but when it comes to hygiene and personal "enhancement", it's not even a second thought for many.
Realistically the people who condemn food with "chemicals" in them probably shouldn't use hair products, make up, sun block, nail polish, or perfume/cologne since they are inundated with "chemicals" and put directly on the body.
Not to mention the air quality that one breathes (one breathes more than one eats), or the exposure to industrial "chemicals" (like hand wipes or sanitizers) daily.
Just food for thought.
A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
I am fine with chemicals
but this is going to sound odd. I read about an oil method for facial cleansing and thought - why not? My skin has never been better. I still wouldn't care if my products have chemicals but man that method was amazing
A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
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Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition0 -
Lol, I suffer from dry skin (had little acne as teen because of it) so I have to moisturize daily. Baby soft skin, but all due to chemicals.:laugh:I just gotta say that people worry about all the "chemicals" in food, but when it comes to hygiene and personal "enhancement", it's not even a second thought for many.
Realistically the people who condemn food with "chemicals" in them probably shouldn't use hair products, make up, sun block, nail polish, or perfume/cologne since they are inundated with "chemicals" and put directly on the body.
Not to mention the air quality that one breathes (one breathes more than one eats), or the exposure to industrial "chemicals" (like hand wipes or sanitizers) daily.
Just food for thought.
A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
I am fine with chemicals
but this is going to sound odd. I read about an oil method for facial cleansing and thought - why not? My skin has never been better. I still wouldn't care if my products have chemicals but man that method was amazing
A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
for the time that I tried it, the olive oil and castor oil method was very moisturizing lol
I suffer from the dry skin too lol0
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