We all want to believe that the foods we eat provide our families with good nutrition.
But what if we said that what's on your kitchen table may be stuffed with stuff that sounds awful?
Worse, would you even know if any weird, disgusting, or risky items slipped by your eagle eye at the supermarket register?
Maybe not, according to the food and nutrition staffers at Rodale News.
The group said that food marketers these days have "figured out a way to keep toxic additives and disease-promoting food packaging off of the label, making your job as a consumer harder than ever."
To cleanse your palate — and to take the mystery out of some of the more mysterious items — the Rodale crew has compiled a list of 15 offending foods that you and your brood may be better off avoiding.
What they found might surprise you. For example:
Flame Retardant–Laced Soda. Um, really? Yes, says Rodale. The toxic flame retardant chemical, brominated vegetable oil (BVO) was first used to keep plastics from catching on fire. The food industry has been adding BVO to "certain sodas, juices, and sports drinks, including Mountain Dew, Fanta Orange, Sunkist Pineapple", and some Powerades, to keep the artificial flavoring chemicals from separating from other liquids. (Gatorade said it would remove the compound from its drinks in Spring 2013, according to Rodale.)
Maggoty Canned Mushrooms. Rodale says the Food and Drug Administration allows makers to lock in an alarming 19 maggots and 74 mites in a 3.5-ounce can of mushrooms. (In the end, does it really matter if you kill the bugs when you cook them?)
Flesh-Eating Bacteria. The health information source says supermarket meats are "commonly infused" with veterinary meds, heavy metals, and staph bacteria, including the hard-to-kill, MRSA. It says eggs and grass-fed meat from organic farmers are more "sustainable" options.
Beaver Anal Gland Juice. According to Rodale, this is used "extensively in processed food and beverages, typically as vanilla or raspberry flavoring." (This, by the way, is my personal candidate for the most disgusting.)
Human Hair and Feathers. A runner up in the revolting category. Rodale says L-cysteine is a non-essential amino acid made from dissolved human hair or duck feathers. It's used "to improve" the texture of breads and baked goods.
We could go on, but we'd spoil your dinner. However, if you insist on learning more, click here for the full text for the 15 Grossest Things You're Eating.
What are the worst items you've snared at the market? Did you find anything really disgusting when you read the label? Tell us in the space below.
Photo credit: Flickr
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