Faux Food vs. Real Food
On the table before you sits a spoon, a new and improved lemony flavored food product, and a glass of cold water. To the right of that is another glass of cool water, a sharp knife, and a fresh lemon. You are so very thirsty. Which lemon water would you choose to drink? Unfortunately, Alfred E. Newman is right. Many of us would end up choosing the product made with artificial flavors. Why? Convenience is usually the given answer. If you are going to choose to eat prepared food products because it is convenient, you really had best arm yourself with some information about what you are eating. According to the FDA, “The term artificial flavor or artificial flavoring means any substance, the function of which is to impart flavor, which is not derived from a spice, fruit or fruit juice, vegetable or vegetable juice, edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf or similar plant material, meat, fish, poultry, eggs, dairy products, or fermentation products thereof.” Does that sound delicious?!
Why eat a product containing ingredients that are so intentionally not food? Eating real food made in your kitchen instead of a product designed in a lab keeps you in control of your health. There are so many tasty dishes to be made that all you will need are recipes that suit the way you live. If you don’t have 30 minutes after work, get up a little earlier and put that crock pot to good use. If you are too rushed to spend time in the kitchen at the end of the day, then cook on the weekends and freeze servings so all you have to do is reheat. Alternatively, prep the night before. Then it’s a matter of assemble and cook the next day. Lemon, the real kind, and chicken are perfect together. Visit www.eatingwell.com or www.cookinglight.com to find healthy recipes that are tasty too!
- Calorie Count Newsletter/January 2012 by Jannid
