By Ashley Fink
Sustainability Studies student
When most people think about preserving, they don’t consider its possible connection to degrading our resources. After all preserving is intended to “keep safe from injury, harm, or destruction,” according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. But when it comes to our food system, the opposite is the reality. Preservatives and other food additives have taken over. If we want to continue to have a future, we have to protect our resources by realizing the necessity to scrutinize the preservation-degradation connection of the present.
Next time you go to the grocery store, pick out any packaged product from the shelf. Chances are, that it contains preservatives. But what are these for? How does it affect our health? Are they necessary? Some of these questions are harder to answer, but can be done with a little research. Some labels are kind enough to outright answer these questions. If you read the ingredients, a select few are self-explanatory, like red dye #40. Apparently, without this, the flavor of that strawberry Pop-Tart wouldn’t be recognizable without that rich berry color. Other ingredients aren’t quite as clear. Here is a list of common additives, their intended purposes, and their effects.
It’s true that a lot of these added ingredients can be harmless, but considering each person has their own unique chemical composition, it’s impossible to determine how these chemicals will act in the body. Some food addictives have been linked to behavioral disorders, organ damage, and even cancer. Because it is unclear on exactly how each individual person will react to the chemicals in processed foods, it is best to stick to whole foods as much as possible. Whole foods are those that are as close to their natural state as possible. Yes, that Twix may taste amazing, but it has no nutritional value. Instead we can look at the underlying messages that our body is sending. Usually when we have a craving, it means that we are lacking something nutritionally that our body needs. Here is a list of what our most common cravings should tell us:
Not only are these added ingredients detrimental to our health, but they also are taxing on the environment. Countless natural habitats have been leveled to make plantations for palm oil and fields for corn or soy, because that’s where the money is. It’s basic supply and demand. The more we consume processed foods, the more demand for the products put into those foods, and the more grown. In short, if we truly wish to preserve the environment and our health, the key is in avoiding additives when we can. That doesn’t mean that we can’t indulge in our favorite unhealthy foods, it just means our main focus should be on providing our body with the nutrients we actually need.
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