FAUX-FOOD EQUIVALENT: Fox’s U-Bet Vanilla Syrup
Ingredients: High-fructose corn syrup, and/or sugar, water, vanillin artificial flavor, citric acid, preserved with benzoate of soda.
Vanilla Whipped Cream
It’s so tempting to reach for the corn syrup and hydrogenated oil slurry known as whipped topping. Until, that is, you see how easy and wonderful this recipe is.
Time to the Table: 5 minutes Serves 4
YOU’LL NEED
1 pint whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon sugar
Tricks of the Trade
Don’t beat too long or you’ll get butter. Not bad, but definitely not whipped cream. Also, the cream whips better in colder temperatures. So if you’re having trouble with the texture in the summer or in a warm kitchen, just set the bowl over ice for a few minutes and then beat until fluffy.
IN A MIXING BOWL
Pour in the cream, vanilla, and sugar.
Mix with an electric beater on high until it fluffs. You’ll know it’s done when the whipped cream gently clings to the lifted beaters, but you can continue to make a stiffer texture if you like.
Play with Your Food
Many flavors can be added to your whipped cream. Depending on the dessert, try a teaspoon of almond or orange extract. A teaspoon of rum makes for a delicious accent, as does a simple sweetening with jam or a drizzle of maple syrup.
FAUX-FOOD EQUIVALENT: Cool Whip Topping
Ingredients: Water, corn syrup, partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, high-fructose corn syrup, sodium caseinate, natural and artificial flavors, xanthan gum, guar gum, polysorbate 60, sorbitan monosterate, beta-carotene for color.
Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
More than 95 percent of households consume cookies, amounting to more than 2 billion cookies per year. So, if you are an average person, that works out to 300 cookies per year. The batch below, however, makes only about 12.
Time to the Table: 30 minutes Makes 12 to 15 cookies
Tricks of the Trade
Don’t worry about greasing the sheet in this recipe. Because it has a stick of butter in it, the cookies won’t stick.
YOU’LL NEED
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
½ cup brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cup all-purpose flour
Pinch, each, of baking soda, cinnamon, and salt
1 cwp rolled oats
½ cup raisins
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
IN A LARGE BOWL
Blend the wet ingredients (butter, brown sugar, egg, and vanilla).
IN ANOTHER BOWL
Mix the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, oats, and raisins) and then fold them into the wet ingredients.
Dollop the dough, in lumps about the size of a Ping-Pong ball, onto a cookie sheet. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until golden. Remove to a rack to cool, and fend off the children.
Play with Your Food
For cakelike cookies, add a bit more flour.
For extra filling, throw in another ½ cup of oats or ½ cup of crushed walnuts.
For chewy cookies, take them out of the oven a few minutes early, while they are still soft.
FAUX-FOOD EQUIVALENT: Aunt Martha’s Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients: Flour, brown sugar, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, water whey, soy lecithin, sodium benzoate, citric acid, mono-and diglycerides, artificial flavor, beta-carotene color, vitamin A palmitate, oats, pecans, butterscotch morsels (sugar, partially hygrogenated palm kernel oil, coconut oil, skim whey, natural and artificial flavor, soy lecithin, Yellow No. 5 Lake, Yellow No. 6 Lake, Blue No. 2 Lake), eggs, corn syrup, baking soda, salt, natural and artificial flavor.
Appendix II
A Rogue’s Gallery of Faux-Food Additives
This “Rogue’s Gallery” glossary walks you through some of the most common of the unpronounceable ingredients we’re confronted with in standard grocery stores. What is Acesulfame-K? Silicone dioxide sounds like something used in breast implants, so why do they put it in cake batter to prevent “the tombstone”? Hydrogenated oils are in everything—is this the same stuff that endangers our hearts? And how are they different from the trans fats that are all over the news now?
The list of unhealthful ingredients in foods can lead you to just stop eating altogether. But remember that all food additives are not bad, just as all food products are not bad. So, to clear things up a bit, I’m asking the same three questions of some of the most common ingredients: What is it?, What is it doing in my food?, and What is it doing in my body? That way, you can get some basic understanding of the risks involved in eating them. Another wonderful resource, if you would like more information on these, is the Center for Science in the Public Interest.
How to Use the Rogue’s Gallery
At one point, scientific studies out of North Carolina told us that cigarettes were not lethal. At another point, scientific studies told us that the products laden with hydrogenated oil were going to save our lives. The science has corrected itself, as it usually does, but the point to keep in mind is that research can be well done, the results agreed upon by peers, and still be dead wrong. But, if that’s right, how are you supposed to know what to believe?
Some people adamantly defend newly invented food chemicals, and insist that there’s no evidence they’re harmful at all. Other people will use anecdotal evidence to argue just as strongly how horrid those products really are.
Do what you know is good for you, not what you hope will one day turn out to be healthy. And if there’s any uncertainty about a product, just wait fifty years or so until the science sorts itself out and everyone agrees. Until then, don’t eat it, so you won’t be one of those people others look at and say, “Ooh. Ouch. Look at that. What a shame.”
Where your health is concerned, hope is not a good strategy, and certainly don’t believe slick product ads. Do what you know is right. Eat real food, not faux-food chemicals, especially
when you know a carrot won’t cause heart valve problems
when you know an onion won’t raise your triglycerides
when you know a walnut won’t contribute to diabetes.
When in doubt, leave it out.
Acesulfame-K
What is it?
Acesulfame-K is sold commercially as Sunette and Sweet One. The FDA approved it in 1988 to be used in chewing gum, dry mixes for beverages, instant coffee and tea, gelatin desserts, puddings, and nondairy creamers, and to be sold separately in packets. By 1998, it was allowed into a broad array of food products such as soft drinks. This artificial sweetener results from the chemical combination of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, hydrogen, sulfur, and potassium.
What is it doing in my food?
It’s about two hundred times sweeter than sugar. For severe diabetics, and those who tremble before the twelve calories found in a teaspoon of sugar, it fills an important commercial niche. Also, unlike aspartame, it retains its sweetness when heated. That’s why you find it in so many baking products.
What is it doing in my body?
The Center for Science in the Public Interest has pointed out that the safety tests of Acesulfame-K, conducted back in the 1970s, were very poorly done. In fact, later studies suggest that this chemical actually produces cancer. Acesulfame-K breaks down into another chemical called acetoacetamide, and only 1 percent to 5 percent solutions of this breakdown product added to the diet for three months caused thyroid tumors in experimental animals. Based on this and other data, the FDA has been repeatedly petitioned to reconsider its safety.
Remember, sugar comes from plants. Unless you’re diabetic, don’t sweat that teaspoon! It sure beats a dose of acetoacetamide and the possibility of a thyroid tumor.
Aspartame
What is it?
Aspartame is a chemical invented by accident in the late 1960s, and it happen
s to be 180 to 200 times sweeter than sugar. Aspartame is synthesized from L-phenylalanine and L-aspartic acid.
What is it doing in my food?
Good question. It was approved by the FDA, but was pulled from the market when it was discovered that Searle, the manufacturer, had hid the damaging evidence produced by their product. It was reinstated years later through the political connections of its CEO, Donald Rumsfeld. It’s now used as a zero calorie alternative to sugar in dry form, and as one of the most common sweeteners of drinks.
What is it doing in my body?
When it is heated to 87° F, aspartame degrades into formic acid, methanol, and formaldehyde. Clinical effects from aspartame have been said to include dizziness, hallucinations, hives, and headaches. Those with PKU (phenylketonuria), as well as pregnant or lactating mothers, should avoid it. People who are sensitive to MSG may also be sensitive to aspartame.
John Olney recently pointed out in the Journal of Neuropathology and Experimental Neurology that “the artificial sweetener aspartame is a promising candidate to explain the recent increase in incidence and degree of malignancy of brain tumors. Evidence potentially implicating aspartame includes an early animal study revealing an exceedingly high incidence of brain tumors in aspartame-fed rats compared to no brain tumors in concurrent controls, and the recent finding that the aspartame molecule has mutagenic potential.”
Aspartame elicits rancorous ire from scientists who argue strongly that it’s lethal and just as much shouting comes from those who insist that it’s completely benign. In any case, all can agree that it’s certainly not a food.
BHA and BHT
What are they?
Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) are phenolic compounds that exist as a waxy solid and are synthesized by the reaction of p-cresol with isobutene.
What are they doing in my food?
These chemicals are added to foods as a preservative to keep fats from going rancid. They’re used for the same purpose in cosmetics, rubber products, petroleum products, thermoplastics, and packing materials. On food labels you may read that they are added “to maintain product freshness.” Their use, however, is completely unnecessary and can be replaced by safer antioxidants, such as vitamin E, or left out altogether.
What is it doing in my body?
Because it’s fat soluble, BHT is stored in your fat tissues for an extended period of time. These two chemicals can also interfere with blood clotting, and the International Agency for Research on Cancer considers them carcinogenic. The scientific data have actually shown that they are cancer-causing additives in some cases and not in others. But Dr. Saito and colleagues reported very clearly in Anticancer Research that BHA and BHT produce “great cytotoxicity [generates cancer] and apoptosis induction [causes cell death].”
Disodium Inosinate (aka, disodium inosine-5’-monophosphate)
What is it?
Disodium inosinate is the second cousin of MSG, which is another of the nucleotide family of chemicals. It can be synthesized from animal sources such as fish.
Why is it in my food?
Disodium inosinate is added to food products as a flavor enhancer, like the free glutamic acids of MSG. In fact, this additive would be incredibly expensive to use if it were not employed in combination with MSG itself. As one report emphasized, if you find disodium inosinate in your food, you’ll find MSG.
What is it doing in my body?
Closely related to MSG, it carries much of its same baggage. And a growing number of consumer groups warn against the consumption of this product. Specifically, it is reported to trigger gout, and it is not permitted in foods for infants.
EDTA
What is it?
Ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid is a synthetic amino acid also known as disodium calcium EDTA, tetrasodium EDTA, and disodium dihydrogen EDTA.
What is it doing in my food?
EDTA is put in foods to sequester minerals, such as iron and copper, and it is used as a preservative in some canned foods, to maintain color, prevent fizz loss in carbonated drinks, and prevent the oxidation of meats. It’s put in foods as a way to get out trace metals that may have been left behind in products that have been synthesized by metallic machinery.
Many “alternative medicine” practitioners recommend “oral chelation therapy” by taking EDTA supplements. However, a large number of research studies have failed to back up their claims.
What is it doing in my body?
EDTA binds to metal ions in your body. This can be good or bad, as heavy metals such as manganese and mercury that you might get from tainted fish should be removed. However, normal levels of copper, zinc, and nickel are vital to your health and should not be removed by any method, much less by eating EDTA. This is a case in which consuming a chemical (EDTA) to solve a problem (food processing–induced metals in your food) produces more problems by removing the natural levels of metals that should be in your body.
Gums
What are they?
Alginates, carrageenan, guar, locust bean, xanthan, tamarine, karaya, gum arabic, and other gums are carbohydrate polymers often derived from natural products.
What are they doing in my food?
Gums are added for the textural stabilization of foods such as candy, puddings, yogurts, dressings, and powdered drink mixes. They’re put into breads, such as microwave cakes, to manipulate the sponginess and keep them soft longer.
What are they doing in my body?
They are not normally absorbed by the body and, because of this, may prevent the absorption of some vitamins. Most research indicates no relation to cancer, although University of Iowa College of Medicine researcher Dr. Joanne Tobacman recently proposed that carrageenan may actually enter cells and lead to their death. Gums have also been identified as allergens in some people. The point to remember is not whether these gums are derived from natural products, but whether the molecules abstracted from them are safe for you in the long term.
High-Fructose Corn Syrup
What is it?
HFCS is a concentrated sweetener made through a three-stage chemical reaction with alpha-amylase, gluco-amylase, and glucose-isomerase.
What is it doing in my food?
Food manufacturers like it because it’s sweeter than sugar, new chemical processing methods make it cheaper than sugar, and it mixes into soft drinks much easier (the leading user of HFCS). It helps extend food’s shelf life, prevents freezer burn in frozen dinners, and keeps breads such as hot dog buns soft. Most low-fat foods contain this sweetener as well. From a food manufacturing standpoint, it’s very cost effective.
What is it doing in my body?
The USDA reported that the consumption of HFCS increased from zero in 1966 to an incredible 62.6 pounds per person in 2001.
Even though it’s marketed as just another sugar, the body does not recognize it as such and it does not clear it from the bloodstream like normal sugar. For this reason, your liver has to process it like any other toxin, and it does so by elevating your triglycerides. HFCS consumption is also associated with a fatty liver, obesity, and diabetes.
Hydrogenated Oil
What is it?
Hydrogenation is a chemical hardening process. Oils are cooked under intense heat (up to 400° F) and high pressure in the presence of a reactive metal catalyst such as nickel, zinc, or copper. To sufficiently derange the normal conformation of the oil molecules, chemists bubble hydrogen gas through the mixture as it combines with the metal for up to eight solid hours.
Compare this process to, say, the production of olive oil. To get olive oil, squeeze olives, and out comes the oil—no pressure-cooking and bubbling hydrogen reactions with metal catalysts.
What is it doing in my food?
Hydrogenated oils were not invented to improve your health or weight. Nor were they created to make the food taste any better. Food industries chemically modify ordinary oils to extend the shelf life of their products. It saves them
money. It also makes the oils more like saturated fats. In my thinking, this synthetic process gives food a texture, taste, and shelf life that approaches plastic.
What is it doing in my body?
Margarine, vegetable shortening, processed foods, deep-fried restaurant foods, and many fat-free products rely on hydrogenated oils, which contain the trans fatty acids strongly associated with heart disease. That’s why the FDA recently required food companies to list the amount of the trans fatty acids found in every product.
The French Don't Diet Plan Page 32
