Keep your eyes open

 

A text from a good friend has prompted me to write this post.  If you don't learn anything else from reading this post, remember: 

 

Keep reading ingredient labels and buy locally as often as possible!!!  

(However, if you are just getting started on a healthy diet, don't get overwhelmed by this post.   Start with the weekly challenges which provide easy steps to help you transform your diet within a year from typical unhealthy man-processed foods to a diet of nutritious foods as provided to us by God.  I know if you stick with these challenges that you will reap the benefits of health and vitality!  And you will be ready to delve deeper into issues like the ones presented in this post.)

 

The text message that I received shows the importance of continually checking out the ingredient lists on all products.  Organic Valley is one of the few companies that has not been bought out by a large corporation and thus I thought to be 'better' quality.  I knew the organic brands sold at Walmart, such as Horizon, were poor quality but Organic Valley is a farmer cooperative with higher standards, or so I thought.  But perhaps all companies get to a point where they are too big to maintain top quality and still meet market demands.  Here is a great article from 2006 that you might want to read.  The situation has only gotten much worse over the last 8 years, so that now in 2014 it is more important than ever to find local top quality ingredients.

 

Back to the text message.  What are the ingredients in Organic Valley's heavy whipping cream?  It is hard to read in the photo, but they are listed as: Organic Grade A Cream (Milk), Carrageenan.  Why is 'carrageeanan' needed in a carton of whipping cream?  Good question.  I am so glad that I never buy whipping cream, but use the fresh cream that I skim off my raw milk straight from the cow.  No processing; no additives.  So I investigated and found the following about the additive, carrageenan and Organic Valley.  Read the rest of the article if you wish to further understand why Organic Valley is using this additive.  Here are a few details from the article:

 

At the May 2012 meeting in Albuquerque, the NOSB carried out their legally mandated "sunset" review of carrageenan, and, despite disturbing evidence that this synthetic ingredient causes digestive problems and cancer, decided to allow it in organic for another 5 years. With carrageenan allowed in organic for at least another 5 years, the only thing left for organic consumers to do is to ask companies to voluntarily phase it out. So far, nearly 3,000 Organic Consumers Association members have sent letters to organic brands that use carrageenan.

Stonyfield Farm and Organic Valley are the first companies to respond to the thousands of letters from consumers asking them to stop using carrageenan, a synthetic emulsifier linked to digestive problems and cancer, in their products.

 

It's great that Organic Valley is actively trying to phase out their use of carrageenan, but it is somewhat ironic given that National Organic Standards Board member Wendy Fulwider, an employee of Organic Valley, voted in favor of continuing to allow carrageenan as a synthetic material on the USDA's National List of Approved Substances, and that Organic Valley CEO George Siemon called NOSB members by phone prior to the meeting and lobbied them, urging the re-listing of carrageenan.
 

Hmmm, is big business more concerned about making money or about your health?  I don't like bringing up negative things or to dwell on these issues.  But knowing big food companies, even those who sell organic products, don't have my health as their number one concern is important.  Knowing this, I like to focus my energy on growing, raising and obtaining the best local ingredients that I can find.

 

So, it is very important that you understand that the quality of the ingredients that you buy is key.  Once you accept the fact that man-altered foods have detrimental effects on your health, this is probably one of the most important things for you to realize and pursue. 

One way that quality is greatly reduced is when a large food corporation buys out a small company.  Many of the small companies from the 1980's and 90's that were concerned about the quality of the foods and offered excellent quality products have been bought out by large corporations.  These buy-outs occur for a number of reasons but bottom line, the large food corporation is not concerned with supplying the best quality but with the amount of profit they can make.  When they can cut corners, they do.  They also often try to hide the fact that the small company has been purchased.  For example, Stonyfield yogurt.  If you google Stonyfield, and click on the link 'about us', you get a wonderful story about a little farm in 1983 that started selling quality yogurt.  Nowhere does it mention that a large corporation, bought out this small company. 

So how do you find quality ingredients???  Each year this question gets harder and harder to answer.  It is frustrating for me to even address this topic but two things you should do regularly:

 

1.  Read ingredient labels (while trying to minimize buying things that have ingredient labels).

2.  Find high quality local sources for your foods.

 

Remember, just because it says it is 'organic', it may not be a quality product.  Don't be lured into thinking all is o.k. by these big corporations who have changed the food game again.  Big business and organics often don't mix.... be informed, start a garden, grow some herbs, find local farmers' markets, join a food coop.  Keep your eyes open, great local food choices are all around us!