It's very hard to be certain what to eat anymore because there is so much conflicting data about the kind of diet we should have that is best for our health and the environment. I think the only...
It's very hard to be certain what to eat anymore because there is so much conflicting data about the kind of diet we should have that is best for our health and the environment.
I think the only thing to be sure of is that we should avoid as many highly processed foods as we can. If you can possibly make your own food at home, and it has ingredients you recognize like a potato or a walnut or something, you are way ahead. If you are eating something from a package that has a very long list of ingredients, you should probably try to substitute something else because it is almost certainly bad for you.
I would recommend reading In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto by Michael Pollan. It’s not a perfect book but it goes into detail about the kinds of food you should eat and why. Generally...
I would recommend reading In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto by Michael Pollan. It’s not a perfect book but it goes into detail about the kinds of food you should eat and why.
Generally speaking, you should follow the advice you probably got from your grandmother. In particular, “eat your vegetables”.
I would imagine that the processing and storage of these foods is probably why a lot of these chemicals are showing up in food. Most of the work is being done by machines which are likely made with plastic parts, and they get stored in containers that are either lined or are entirely made of plastic. So the best stuff you can eat at the supermarket will be the stuff not in plastic - generally that leaves us with the produce aisle.
I like that these substances are so pervasive that there's no way to completely avoid them, if you were so inclined. This also isn't the first time I've heard of issues with phthalates. I think...
I like that these substances are so pervasive that there's no way to completely avoid them, if you were so inclined.
This also isn't the first time I've heard of issues with phthalates. I think the first time I heard about them was from The New York Times reviewing Count Down by Dr Shanna Swan, professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York. In that book, Swan posits that we have in impending fertility crisis coming as a result of endocrine disruptors like phthalates. (She believes the massive drop in sperm counts researchers have observed can be blamed on endocrine disruptors.)
While Dr Swan is certainly an expert, does her opinion on this reflect the consensus of experts more broadly in her field? I don't know. But if it is, indeed, a concern, as she believes, this Consumer Reports article is certainly alarming.
Here's a summary from Google Gemini of the Consumer Reports article.
This article by Consumer Reports discusses the presence of plasticizers (chemicals that make plastic flexible) in food, focusing on phthalates.
Key points:
Phthalates are widespread in food: Found in almost all tested foods (85), including fruits, vegetables, dairy, and fast food. Levels varied across brands and products.
Health concerns: Phthalates are endocrine disruptors, potentially impacting hormone regulation and linked to various health issues like diabetes, obesity, and certain cancers.
Limited regulations: Current regulations might not reflect latest scientific knowledge and don't address all potential health effects.
Solutions needed:
Regulatory agencies: reassess safety of these chemicals.
Food manufacturers and retailers: set goals to reduce/eliminate them from packaging and processing.
Chemical companies: develop safer, non-toxic alternatives.
Consumer actions: While complete avoidance is difficult, the article advises checking their online guide for tips on reducing exposure.
It's very hard to be certain what to eat anymore because there is so much conflicting data about the kind of diet we should have that is best for our health and the environment.
I think the only thing to be sure of is that we should avoid as many highly processed foods as we can. If you can possibly make your own food at home, and it has ingredients you recognize like a potato or a walnut or something, you are way ahead. If you are eating something from a package that has a very long list of ingredients, you should probably try to substitute something else because it is almost certainly bad for you.
I would recommend reading In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto by Michael Pollan. It’s not a perfect book but it goes into detail about the kinds of food you should eat and why.
Generally speaking, you should follow the advice you probably got from your grandmother. In particular, “eat your vegetables”.
I would imagine that the processing and storage of these foods is probably why a lot of these chemicals are showing up in food. Most of the work is being done by machines which are likely made with plastic parts, and they get stored in containers that are either lined or are entirely made of plastic. So the best stuff you can eat at the supermarket will be the stuff not in plastic - generally that leaves us with the produce aisle.
I like that these substances are so pervasive that there's no way to completely avoid them, if you were so inclined.
This also isn't the first time I've heard of issues with phthalates. I think the first time I heard about them was from The New York Times reviewing Count Down by Dr Shanna Swan, professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York. In that book, Swan posits that we have in impending fertility crisis coming as a result of endocrine disruptors like phthalates. (She believes the massive drop in sperm counts researchers have observed can be blamed on endocrine disruptors.)
While Dr Swan is certainly an expert, does her opinion on this reflect the consensus of experts more broadly in her field? I don't know. But if it is, indeed, a concern, as she believes, this Consumer Reports article is certainly alarming.
Here's a summary from Google Gemini of the Consumer Reports article.
This article by Consumer Reports discusses the presence of plasticizers (chemicals that make plastic flexible) in food, focusing on phthalates.
Key points:
Consumer actions: While complete avoidance is difficult, the article advises checking their online guide for tips on reducing exposure.