Choosing Canned Meat
by Shereen Jegtvig
Chances are, most of the meat you buy at the grocery store is either fresh or frozen, but there are several types of meat available in cans. The most popular canned meats include fish like tuna and salmon, plus you can also buy shrimp, clam and crab meats in cans. It’s a convenient way to buy and use seafood.
Beyond seafoods, you’ll find chicken and other meat products in cans too, such as deviled ham, the often maligned Spam, corned beef and perhaps your grocery store carries a canned pate or two. These products are good for sandwiches, as additions to salads and as ingredients in recipes. And they last for a long time in your kitchen cabinets.
Some of the canned meat products will combine the meat with potatoes, like corned beef and hash, or other ingredients. These foods are easy to use, just heat and serve, but are they good for you? The main problem with canned meats, as with most canned goods, is the high amounts of sodium from salt and additives. Look for low-sodium varieties whenever possible. Some cured meats sold in canned form also contain sodium nitrite, which has been linked to increased rates of some types of cancer. Read more
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What are BHA and BHT?
by Shereen Jegtvig
Food manufacturers add things to their products to keep them from going bad before we eat them. When you look on the package for the ingredients list, you might find BHA and BHT listed there. Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) are preservatives that keep fats from going rancid.
Both BHA and BHT protect fats from oxidation damage caused when the fats in the food product are exposed to oxygen. Actually, they work in a similar way as vitamin E (although that similar action doesn’t mean BHA and BHT are good for you). BHA and BHT are often added to potato flakes, dry breakfast cereals, enriched rice, and foods containing animal fats and shortening. Read more
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Cutting Fat and Calories by Using Cooking Sprays
by Shereen Jegtvig
With obesity becoming a major health problem, it’s good to look for ways to cut calories – every little bit counts. One way to reduce the calories and total fat in your diet is to use cooking sprays instead of oil or butter when you cook. These cooking sprays work great for coating pans and bakeware without adding extra calories because you’re able to use just a thin layer of the product on your cookware.
How Cooking Sprays Work
Cooking sprays combine a small amount of oil with an emulsifier (usually soy lecithin) and a propellant. You simply spray the product onto your cookware. Some brands contain small amounts of silicone-based materials that appear to be harmless when ingested in these small amounts; however I don’t think they have the greatest flavor. Many also contain preservatives and even some artificial flavorings. The best cooking sprays keep the ingredients list short – only an oil, lecithin and a propellant. Read more
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Warning Labels on Hot Dogs?
by Shereen Jegtvig
Just recently, a vegan group called the Cancer Project filed a lawsuit asking the state of New Jersey to require cancer-warning labels on hot dogs. I think most people would find this lawsuit to be frivolous and I doubt New Jersey residents will see warning labels on their hot dogs anytime soon, but it is worth thinking about.
There have been studies suggesting a link between processed meats, like hot dogs, and colon cancer. They’re usually high in saturated fat and loaded with artificial additives and preservatives, the worst probably being nitrites, which are added to prevent bacterial growth and adds that familiar pink color. When the nitrites combine with other substances also found in meat to form N-nitroso compounds that are associated with a higher risk of several cancers. As an aside, many green vegetables naturally contain nitrites, but they don’t convert to the N-nitroso compounds, perhaps due to vitamins or antioxidants also found in the vegetables.
Does this mean that hot dogs should carry warning labels or that you should shriek and run away in horror the next time you see hot dogs at a picnic? Read more
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Food Tip: Hummus and Preservatives
by Shereen Jegtvig
I love hummus! It’s delicious and good for you because it contains only healthy ingredients – just chickpeas, tahini (from sesame seeds), olive oil and a little garlic (and maybe some other tasty additions or seasonings). Hummus has healthy monounsaturated fats and protein and when you combine some hummus with whole-wheat pita bread, you’ll have a healthy snack that will keep you feeling full for quite a while.
It’s always interesting to look up a normally healthy food, like hummus, on the FoodEssentials tool, to see just how badly processing can change it. We want convenient foods that last a long time, but that comes with a lot of added preservatives and ingredients that we may not want and definitely don’t need. Read more
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Calcium Propionate: What Is There To Know?
by Shereen Jegtvig
Chances are, that loaf of white bread sitting in your kitchen cabinet contains a little bit of something called calcium propionate, which has been added as a preservative. Calcium propionate keeps bread and baked goods from spoiling by preventing mold and bacterial growth. So if it’s bad for bacteria, does it mean it’s bad for you too?
The answer to that is maybe. Calcium propionate (along with propionic acid and sodium propionate) is used as a preservative in bread, baked goods and some dairy products; however it also occurs naturally in butter and some types of cheese. Rats fed large amounts of calcium propionate and similar chemicals didn’t show any negatives effects, so the FDA allows food companies to use as much as they’d like. And we certainly don’t want to eat bacteria- or mold-infested bread. Read more
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Fast and Easy Food Tip: Buy Frozen Vegetables
by Shereen Jegtvig
As a nutritionist, the most common piece of advice I give is to eat more vegetables. They’re generally high in fiber, low in calories and loaded with phytochemicals that help to prevent you from a number of diseases (especially dark green and brightly colored vegetables). According to the American Dietetic Association, 70% of Americans don’t eat enough vegetables every day. One of the reasons given is inconvenience – many people don’t have the time to peel, slice, chop, or cook their fresh vegetables.
Preparing delicious and healthy vegetable dishes doesn’t have to be difficult or time consuming when you choose frozen vegetables. There are many kinds available – from simple single vegetables with nothing added to blends of vegetables with added seasonings or sauces. Some are even designed to be steamed in the microwave, right in the bag. What could be easier than that? Read more
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What Are Sulfites & Why Are They In My Food?
by Shereen Jegtvig
Sulfites are sulfur-containing compounds that may occur naturally in some foods, like wine or grape juice and are sometimes added to processed foods to enhance flavor and to preserve freshness. Sulfites aren’t dangerous to most people but the US Food and Drug Administration estimates about 1 person in 100 is sensitive to sulfites and can suffer an allergic reaction. And the FDA also estimates 5% of asthmatics are allergic to sulfites.
Several things are not understood about sulfite sensitivities, like how much sulfite is enough to cause a reaction and even by what mechanisms the reactions occur. They may occur after eating foods that contain sulfites or maybe even from breathing any fumes that emanate from those foods. Sulfite sensitivities may occur at any point in a person’s life and reactions can be mild, such as a rash or hives, or severe enough to trigger an asthma attack. Read more
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Butylated Hydroxytolulene (BHT)
Ingredient Name: Butylated Hydroxytolulene (BHT)
Alternative Names: BHT, Butylated Hydoxytolulene, Butylhydroxytolulene, Dibutylated Hydroxytoluene, Antioxidant 264
Use in Food: BHT is an antioxidant commonly used in addition to similar chemical substance butylated hydoxyanisole (BHA) to preserve foods. BHT is added to a variety of foods (such as meats, breakfast cereals, shortening, chewing gum, dried potato flakes, enriched rice products, potato chips, dried soups and candy) to slow oxidation. This preserves… Read more
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Under the Microscope: Nitrites
Nitrites have, for centuries, been used as preservatives of meat, fish and poultry. Additives such as potassium nitrite, sodium nitrate and its derivative sodium nitrite act by drawing moisture away from the meat, thereby providing a dry, sterile environment in which bacteria are unable to grow. In addition to their antimicrobial properties, nitrites preserve the color and flavor of cured meat products, and are commonly used to impart smoky flavors, or red/pink colors into meats such as wieners, bacon and sausages. (Epley, 1999), (eNotAlone, 2009.) Read more
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