Back to Basics vs. The Hidden Ickies

Around our house, we've been making a progression over the years to more natural, back-to-basics kinds of foods. With the recession, we're doing it even more to save money on our grocery bills, but mostly we do it because of what we've been learning about what's IN the most processed foods.

15 years ago, you might have found my husband and I cooking a gourmet masterpiece of macaroni and cheese highlighted with dogs du hot, or using Hamburger Helper. It was our salad days and there weren't many salads. We just wanted to get something in our stomachs with the least amount of fuss.

Luke sure changed all that. In order to try to understand what's going on in his system (and I don't, not completely), I do a lot of reading about different foods and additives and ingredients. I've been amazed at some of the things I've found, and there's some foods even I won't go near anymore.

Chief among them is artificial colors. Like Red 40. Oh, that lovely bright red color of Kool-Aid and Jell-O. This color is derived from....coal tar. Yummy. Blue #5 is derived from the same source.

These colors, including Yellow #5, have been linked to hyperactivity. My son and I , and a friend and her daughter have both benefitted GREATLY from taking artificial colors out of their diet (a subject for another post or nine).

In the course of figuring out Luke's allergies, I found out citric acid, which is found naturally in citrus fruits, is manufactured artifically by feeding sugar to mold strains. Mold! Because Luke reacts to yeast, I think that's why citric acid bothers him (yeast and mold are both fungus).

And today I got an email from a friend with something new: U.S. researchers find traces of toxic mercury in high-fructose corn syrup. The article notes: "The source of the metal appears to be caustic soda and hydrochloric acid, which manufacturers of corn syrup use to help convert corn kernels into the food additive. A handful of plants across the US still make the soda and acid by mixing a briny solution in electrified vats of mercury. Some of the toxic metal ends up in the final product, according to industry documents cited in the study."

What I've learned from all this is two things: First, educate yourself on what you're eating. Second, the closer to its natural state a food is, the better it is. It's also harder to make---cooking up a pot of chicken broth takes a lot more time than picking up a package. But it's more healthy than MSG-laden cheap broth, and less expensive than the natural versions.

With the economy the way it is, "more healthy" and "less expensive" are hitting a nexus. And when it's -10 F outside, a simmering pot of homemade chicken soup makes you feel pretty good.