Thursday Thoughts: Blogging Break and Why You Should Read Packaged Food Ingredients

Do you remember how you viewed food before becoming foodie or just increasing your knowledge of the food world? I remember how I only cared if it looked, sounded, or tasted good; nutrition info and ingredients were of concern.



Yep, I used to crave these and would usually stuff them with fries too.

 



It's crazy how far I've come since then.  Now I will maybe go out to eat about once a month, I think way too much of what I will have for each meal so that the macro nutrients balance out, and I read every single ingredient on every single package I pick up. It doesn't matter if I read the exact same package the week before, I still read it again.  Borderline insane? Maybe, maybe not; the food industry makes such quick choices to help their bottom line that you never know when ingredients will change.



Now I crave this, amongst many other whole foods and clean, lean protein!



Quick example: The Good Health Peanut Butter Pretzels used to have whole wheat as the first ingredient, but now it's this:

Enriched, Unbleached Wheat Flower [contains the following vitamins & minerals: Niacin (A B-Complex Vitamin), Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate (B1), Riboflavin (B2), Folic Acid], Peanut Butter (contains Peanuts, Cane Sugar, Salt), Stone Ground Whole Wheat, Salt, Baking Soda

But beware! Amazon still lists the ingredients as Whole Wheat, and Peanut Butter.

And what's up with companies like Jimmy Dean Sausage and Kellogg's trying to put up a healthy facade on their not-so-healthy products? Like Pop-Tarts are really a nutritious breakfast! Stop the advertising like these are acceptable breakfast (or any other time) foods!

No one needs a frosted rectangle jammed with crap like:

ENRICHED FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMIN MONONITRATE [VITAMIN B1], RIBOFLAVIN [VITAMIN B2], FOLIC ACID), CORN SYRUP, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, DEXTROSE, SOYBEAN AND PALM OIL (WITH TBHQ FOR FRESHNESS), SUGAR, CONTAINS TWO PERCENT OR LESS OF CRACKER MEAL, WHEAT STARCH, SALT, DRIED STRAWBERRIES, DRIED PEARS, DRIED APPLES, CORNSTARCH, LEAVENING (BAKING SODA, SODIUM ACID PYROPHOSPHATE, MONOCALCIUM PHOSPHATE), CITRIC ACID, CORN CEREAL, GELATIN, PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED SOYBEAN OIL†, CARAMEL COLOR, MODIFIED CORN STARCH, SOY LECITHIN, XANTHAN GUM, MODIFIED WHEAT STARCH, TRICALCIUM PHOSPHATE, COLOR ADDED, TURMERIC COLOR, VITAMIN A PALMITATE, RED #40, NIACINAMIDE, REDUCED IRON, PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE (VITAMIN B6), YELLOW #6, RIBOFLAVIN (VITAMIN B2), THIAMIN HYDROCHLORIDE (VITAMIN B1), FOLIC ACID, BLUE #1.†LESS THAN 0.5g TRANS FAT PER SERVING

That's for the popular strawberry flavor, right from their site.



Keep him and his friends out of your home!!



The Frosted Mini-Wheats might be better (read "easier"), but a bowl of creamy oats with mashed banana and peanut butter sounds and is so much better! Plus, what's with the little mascots riding around on the kids and acting like they help in school? Nonsense, I say!

And the Jimmy Dean Delights commercials just aggravate me to no end. You know the one where the guy dressed as a sun (who does that?) feeds a woman's wholesome breakfast to birds and gives her a Jimmy Dean Delights breakfast bowl or sandwich? Yeah, good job, commercial, way to make healthy eating look boring and bland....only feeding the negative way America views food.  The stupid commercial only talks about calories, not ingredients or nutrients.  Hmm, why not? Something missing in Jimmy Dean "Un"Delights?

Like most things in boxes, it has a list of crap:

INGREDIENTS: PRECOOKED SCRAMBLED EGG WHITES, COLOR ADDED (EGG WHITES, MODIFIED CORN STARCH, NONFAT DRY MILK, WHEY PROTEIN ISOLATE, SOYBEAN OIL, CARRAGEENAN, SALT, NATURAL EGG FLAVOR, GUAR GUM, XANTHAN GUM, ANNATTO [COLOR]), DICED POTATOES (POTATOES, PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED VEGETABLE OIL [SOYBEAN AND/OR COTTONSEED OILS], AND/OR VEGETABLE OIL [CANOLA, SOYBEAN AND/OR SUNFLOWER OILS], MALTODEXTRIN, SALT, DEXTROSE, TETRASODIUM PYROPHOSPHATE AND DISODIUM DIHYDROGEN PYROPHOSPHATE [TO MAINTAIN NATURAL COLOR]), COOKED TURKEY SAUSAGE CRUMBLES CARAMEL COLOR ADDED, BHT AND CITRIC ACID ADDED TO HELP PROTECT FLAVOR (TURKEY THIGH MEAT, SEASONING [SALT, DEXTROSE, SUGAR, SPICES, BHT, CITRIC ACID], CARAMEL COLOR), REDUCED FAT SHREDDED MILD CHEDDAR CHEESE (PASTEURIZED PART-SKIM MILK, CHEESE CULTURE, SALT, ENZYMES, ANNATTO COLOR, VITAMIN A), WATER.

Man, I've been ranting a lot lately, but I want so bad to better inform the world on how to view real, whole food as good and normal.  Going out to be fed from a drive-thru or sit down place is not normal and should be a treat!



My idea of a healthy and tasty breakfast. Look at those Brussels!



So, be careful out there (the grocery store), it's a crazy place with false promises printed all over packages.  Here's a great article on the confusion of healthy eating that I think really makes a good point on why so many just don't even try.  Although they should!

About the "Blogging Break" part of the title; I am going to ease off my posting for a while to see if it helps reduce stress.  Yes, I actually stress about getting pictures and writing posts on my blog. Obviously, a full time job, exercise, and food prep already takes a lot of my time and I need time with Kelley too.  My marriage is most important, afterall!

I love talking with all of you about our passion for food and fitness, and I will still be around.  I may only have 2 or 3 posts a week, and maybe less pictures.  This is my true passion, but the job pays the bills, so you know how that goes.  Maybe one day I'll find my foodie calling, but until then, I need steady income...to buy the good food!!

Chocolate Microwave Layer Cake. Proof that healthy is neither dull, tasteless, or time consuming.

I know I don't have a huge following, but to those that read my blog, what would you like to see in my few short posts?  What topics have you enjoyed in the past?

I know a few other bloggers are taking a break for blogging as school starts up and life interferes. If you're taking a break, how are you handling not posting?  Does it feel like you are cheating?

Have a great day and thanks for reading, I appreciate everyone who comments!