In a marketing attempt to lure consumers to their products, food manufacturers are using an old concept towards bigger profits. This old “new” idea is to hide healthy food in their nutrient poor, manufactured products. This may fool some, but not us! We already stay away from their products. Here’s what they are trying to do.
Kraft Foods, Inc. is adding freeze dried cauliflower to their Macaroni & Cheese. They apparently freeze dry the cauliflower and then pulverize it and use that powder to replace some of the refined flour in the pasta. This allows them to claim that every cup of the product contains one half cup of vegetable.
Why cauliflower? Don’t they know that cauliflower (along with other cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, brussel sprouts and cabbage) are goitrogens? These vegetables can harm the thyroid gland when eaten raw or even lightly cooked.
Speaking of cooking, correct me if I’m wrong, but I suspect that they do not cook the cauliflower before they freeze dry it. Uncooked crucifers are not only goitrogens, but they are also harder to digest when raw. Additionally, the process of freeze drying may add some unwanted trace chemicals and it also reduces the nutrients available so that by the time it reaches the pasta, the cauliflower is cadaverous.
Instead of adding nutrients, the raw cauliflower actually works as an anti nutrient, having a negative impact on the body.
But no worries! Consumers are rushing to buy the “healthier” product because kids and families will actually eat it and mom can feel happy that they are getting a portion of vegetables.
The misinformation that the USDA and food companies market to consumers is frightening.
Harry Balzer, who tracks Americans’ eating patterns for The NPD Group, a market research firm, said “…parents are making genuine attempts to get healthier foods into their kids.” The problem is that what most people think of as healthy (due to warped USDA guidelines), turns out to be nutrient poor. And foods that are shunned turn out to be healthy.
For instance, take butter. It has been given a bad rap for years. But it actually is incredibly healthy, especially when it comes from healthy grassfed cows. It provides loads of vitamin A and D, and lots of healthy saturated fats and CLA.
How about cooking vegetables appropriately and sauteing them in butter and extra virgin olive oil with a little sea salt and garlic. Try that on your kids and watch those picky eaters chow down. When vegetables taste good, (butter and olive oil certainly helps towards that) kids will eat them.
The minerals in the vegetables will only be absorbed in the presence of saturated fats so the butter helps that as well. That is the way vegetables have been eaten for millennium and for these good reasons.
Any time a food is taken from it’s natural state and processed, nutrients are lost and undesirable elements may be added. New packaged food products are never based on nutritional content. Bringing a product to market is based on consumer acceptance to taste, texture and price. These companies are motivated by profits without any regard for the health consequences of eating foods that are manufactured in a lab. Science and government agencies follow along for the ride.
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This post is linked to: Real Food Wednesday, Healthy 2Day Wednesday, Creative Juice Thursday, Full Plate Thursday, Frugal Follies, Simple Lives Thursday, Pennywise Platter, Food Trip Friday, Fresh Bites Friday, Fun With Food Friday, Friday Food, Fight Back Friday, My Meatless Monday, Melt in Mouth Monday, Meatless Monday, Mangia Monday, Sugar-Free Sunday, Monday Mania, Mouthwatering Monday, Tuesday at the Table, Delectable Tuesday, Tempt my Tummy Tuesday, Tuesday Tasty Tidbits, Traditional Tuesday
