yesterday, i went to whole foods (aka: whole paycheck) to buy my favorite lip balm, a $7 lipstick tube of protection against the elements, specifically, perennial southern california sunshine, arid atmosphere and harsh winds. if my lips aren’t soft, my girlfriend understandably objects. i reason seven bucks is a small price to pay to ensure peace. and, it’s not just me. so popular is this salve that for about the last decade it’s normally out of stock. the main ingredient is soothing, smoothing, shea butter, and its remarkably few other constituents were amazingly effective and wholesome, too. nothing, and i mean nothing, worked as well. my last stockpile finally consumed i needed to replenish. but, on inspecting the ingredients of this recent incarnation i was shocked to find that my once pure lip balm had been adulterated. now, just a mish-mosh of cheaper oils, including hydrogenated oil — that trans fat which has recently been banned in local restaurants — and flavorings in the same package. why?
treating food with arguably nefarious ingredients is a production expedient. a business model. yeah, so what? well, such happens with food all the time, and the deleterious effects go way beyond dry lips. relentless marketing of processed food continues to undermine the health, figures and physiques of the american population. but soft drinks, chips, fast food and its ilk are pretty obvious. more insidious is apparently fresh and wholesome fare.
for instance, salmon is said to provide healthful fat, but, ever popular farm raised salmon doesn’t contain the healthful oil of wild salmon. not only, to ensure it’s purchased it’s dyed orange. same thing for some olive oils diluted with less healthful hazelnut oil. (not that hazelnut oil is bad, but it’s not olive oil.) at best, such practices are deceptive. at worst potentially harmful. always, though, they’re profitable. the point? ya gotta read labels to be in control of your own health and fitness. even then you can’t always be certain.
a quick google search reveals suspicious items found in everyday food, so rather than reinvent the wheel, here are a few links to review.