::read:your:labels::

I love to grocery shop...I am a different breed all my own, but I do! I love to try out new grocery stores and see different types of foods and products - nothing makes me happier than going grocery shopping in California {home} - all those stores that we don't have here in Canada - some that are just straight up organic {love you LA} and it's not that expensive either!
The only thing that I hate is unpacking groceries...ugh. 

Lately, whenever I go grocery shopping, I check the labels of pretty much everything I pick up - I no longer shop in the middle aisles and if I do, I pick that box right up and make sure that it is as natural as possible {a lot of the times, it's not}. Nothing drives Travis crazier than us taking forever at the grocery store because I must read all the labels. ;)

Many people might say to others that actually read labels that 'it's food! throw it in the cart!' - but the fact of the matter is, they couldn't be more wrong. It's not food! We are eating "food-like products". 

I was cleaning out my pantry last weekend and throwing out food that I haven't touched in a while but also cleaning out my kitchen from 'crap food'. I eat a lot differently now than I used to. I steer clear of processed and hydrogenated foods as well as foods that are packed with sugars and salt {still working on the salt thing} and just trying to stay as whole and to the ground as I possibly can. Not to mention that I am on day 21 of my vegetarian challenge - or maybe lifestyle? - which by the way...I had a dream last night of hoarding deep fried chicken fingers and stuffing my face with them...weird...I know.

I spotted a cup of soup that I used to frequently eat for lunch at work - you know what I'm talking about. The Mr. Noodles...the Big Soup Cup - type of soups - not real soups by any means. For shits and giggles I decided to read the label on that {I never pick up the stuff when I'm out anymore} and I was quite surprised that a lot of the ingredients made me draw a blank - no wonder. Remember how they tell you in books, magazines, on TV that if you can't pronounce it, you shouldn't eat it? 

Well...I can pronounce it..sooo....where does that leave me?

Education is key here, people. 

Allow me to enlighten you on one...just ONE ingredient...out of 44 (!) ingredients on that label. OF SOUP!!
Before I begin, I would like to mention that amongst the ingredients you might see the dreaded MSG {monosodium glutamate} and it really is dreaded...but you'll also see something baffling, like 'Colour'. 

What the hell is colour?? 

How does one EAT colour?? 

I sat there for a moment and scratched my head, eyebrow raised, wondering what the hell 'colour' was in this soup - it doesn't say food colour...or what kind of colour it is...Yellow? Red? Blue?
So many unanswered questions!
But that's exactly what they want from you...to not ask those important questions. 

So then I saw TBHQ. Hmmm...

So I decided to GOOGLE TBHQ. 

This is what TBHQ is...right smack dab in the middle of that label - you're looking at the lovely picture of noodles on a spoon - oh so deliciously delightful, people laughing and enjoying soup in a cup - yummy chicken and beef flavours...

And those food manufacturers are praying to their almighty soup god that you do NOT read that label...because this is what you'll find...

TBHQ {Source: NaturalNews}

Used In:

- from crackers to crisps, to fast food {chicken mcnuggets anyone?}

- cosmetics and baby skincare products

- varnish, lacquers, resins

- used in the stabilisation process of explosive compounds

TBHQ - TERTIARY BUTYLHYDROQUINONE

is in fact a chemical preservative - a form of BUTANE. 

Did I get your attention?? If not, TBHQ founds in YOUR cup of soup {among other things} derives it's origins from butane...I'm not sure about you but I hardly classify that as something 'safe' to consume under any sort of circumstances...no matter how big or small the dose. 

But that's the thing...the FDA approves this preservative but under a 'safety guideline'...don't you find it a tad odd that we need safety guidelines on the foods that we eat? 

The FDA "allows amounts of up to 0.02% of total oils in the food to be TBHQ". So...why limit the amount if it's a 'harmless additive'? 

So yes, they add this crap to your food so that it delays the onset of rancidness {pretty much like everything else in those middle aisles at your grocery store to 'exten' shelf life} - but to what extent?

Here are some side effects of consuming 'high doses' of TBHQ {between 1 and 4 grams}.
- nausea

- delerium

- collapse

- tinnitus

- vomiting

- hyperactivity in children 

- asthma

- rhinitis 

- dermatitis 

- may aggravate ADHD symptoms in children

- cause restlessness

- estrogen levels in women may be affected

Not only that but long term use of TBHQ in "laboratory animals has shown a tendency for them to develop cancerous precursors in their stomachs, as well as DNA damage". 

So there you have it...why would you consume an additive in your seemingly harmless cup of soup if there are all these side effects to 'em? And that is just ONE ingredient! 

So at this point in my blog post, alarm bells should be ringing and you should be sitting back and thinking 'huh...I really should be reading my labels' because...YOU SHOULD! It's your health...

This post isn't my tactic at 'scaremongering' - "eat fresh whole foods or you will get sick and die!!" - no, not at all...and of course ingesting TBHQ won't kill us today either - but what about the long term? 

This is just ONE ingredient in some of the foods that we consume. What about all the other foods we eat? What about all those other ingredients and what about all those ingredients when they're combined?

We need to take into account the synergistic effect that this may have on our bodies. 

It's something to really think about and be consciously aware. 

Because at the end of the day, we need to know what we are putting in our bodies and I know for a fact - for me - a form of butane isn't one of them. 

-S.*