Health and Nutrition

Processed foods


Health and nutrition are two big subjects in America s culture, always coming up
as a topic that is looking for improvements. When it comes to food, we want it cheap,
simple to make, and to taste good. Unfortunately, cheap and simply made dont go well
with healthy or nutritious. The words cheap and simple can be used better to describe
what is called processed foods. Processed foods are foods that are altered from their
natural state, usually by adding chemicals to make foods taste better and last longer. This
may seem harmless at first, but many argue that these chemicals, and the process of
altering food, are detrimental for our bodies and health. Not only is there evidence to
show that processed food can have negative results, the majority use the logic that any
kind of chemical that is not suppose to be in our food will have negative effects on our
health. The big question is; how bad can processed foods really be?
What is in our food?
Learning about what is in our food may be a surprise and even a little disturbing.
When you buy hamburger meat, you dont really question it, you just know it is
hamburger meat. When you buy low fat products, you are trying to be good in your diet
by eliminating fat as much as possible, yet taking fat away means adding more sugar to

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make up for the taste. These things you dont always think of can be a big problem in our
foods, but most of us dont see the problem. Author Wendy Priesnitz in her article, What
Are They Doing to Our Food? lays out part of the story for us. Priesnitz points out
products and chemicals in our foods such as pink slime, farm chemicals, genetically
modified organisms or GMOs, food dyes, and high fructose corn syrup.
Pink Slime

Pink slime is a low quality, high-fat beef trimmings and connective tissue that is
treated with ammonium hydroxide gas that kills any bacteria in the beef. This product is
used as a filler in most beef products, and is estimated to appear in at least fifty to seventy
percent of all the beef in the United States. Interestingly enough, using ammonium
hydroxide on beef is illegal in most countries, including Canada (Priesnitz).
The other side of pink slime is that it is considered a safe additive in foods.
Because of this, David H. Freedman, author of the article How Junk Food Can End
Obesity, jumps to conclusion that there is nothing wrong with it. He insists the FDA
directly reviews only about 70 percent of the ingredients found in food, permitting the
rest to pass as generally recognized as safe by panels of experts convened by

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manufacturers. This is enough to convince Freedman that products such as pink slime
are fine to consume.
Farm Chemicals and Genetically Modified Organism
Farm chemicals are another problem in the food we eat. Fertilizers and nitrates
that are used in agriculture are contaminating our drinking water, as well as showing up
in the foods we eat. The big problem with these chemicals ending up in our food is the
effect it could have on infants and young children due to their still developing organs
and small size (Priesnitz). The Government has allowed a maximum acceptable level
of chemicals in foods before they could hurt adults, but children could react to these
maximum levels.
Another problem that can be found in farms are genetically modified organisms,
also know as GMOs. Genetically modifying food is done by taking DNA from one
species and putting it into another species, usually trying to enhance it.

The problem to some about GMOs is that their safety has not been adequately assured
(Priesnitz). But according to John Dumais, there is nothing to worry about with GMOs.
In his article, GMO Labeling: Bad for Business, Bad for Consumers, Dumais claims
that GMO seeds have been in our foods for decades and there have been no harm. He
presents it in a way to choose either foods with pesticides and herbicides, or foods that

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are genetically engineered. His views on GMOs may be convincing, but in response to
his article, Michael Faber insists on the dangers of genetically engineered foods. Im a
Grocer, and Im for GMO Labeling is the article in which Faber counters all of Dumais
claims to GMOs. Dumais claims GMOs are good for the environment by reducing
herbicide and pesticide use. However, a recent study found that the use of genetically
engineered crops increased herbicide use by 527 million pounds from 1996 to 2011
(Faber). He also counters Dumais statement that they have been used for decades and are
harmless by pointing out that GMO have not been tested for safety by the FDA, but have
been traced in health issues. After reading Fabers point of view, GMOs arent as
innocent as Dumais made them seem.
High Fructose Corn Syrup and Sugar

High Fructose Corn Syrup has replaced more expensive sucrose (table sugar) in
America, according to Wendy Priesnitz. It is used in processed foods as a sweetener, but
is also found in foods you wouldnt consider sweet, such as salad dressing and crackers.
Although it has long been classified as safe, it is thought to contribute to obesity and
diabetes because the body cannot metabolize it in the same way as sugar (Priesnitz).
Kate Lunau has also identified the problem with sugar and obesity. She believes we need
to Forget fat. Forget gluten. Sugar is fuelling the biggest health crisis of our time. Sugar

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is in almost everything, and can be impossible to avoid. Some Doctors view it as poison
and toxic. Processed foods are full of high fructose corn syrup so that they taste good, but
also to make you crave them more.
Conclusion
Evidence seems to be collected on the few aspects of processed foods that were
covered. It would seem obvious to most that the chemicals and processes that take place
in our food is in no way, shape or form, healthy for us. But it is still denied by David H.
Freedman, insisting The fact is, there is simply no clear, credible evidence that any
aspect of food processing or storage makes a food uniquely unhealthy. The U.S.
population does not suffer from a critical lack of any nutrient because we eat so
much processed food. This statement is interesting, considering the studies and facts that
were shown with the certain aspects of processed foods. Overall, processed foods can be
ignored by some, but until we demand safer food laws and clear labeling, we will be
destroying our bodies, our food, and our crops (Priesnitz).

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Works Cited
Dumais, John. "GMO Labeling: Bad for Business, Bad for Consumers." Concord
Monitor. 07 Jan. 2014: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 07 Jul. 2014.


Faber, Michael. "I'm a Grocer, and I'm for GMO Labeling." Concord Monitor. 13 Jan.
2014: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 07 Jul. 2014.


Freedman, David H. "How Junk Food Can End Obesity." Atlantic Monthly. Jul/Aug
2013: 68+. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 07 Jul. 2014.


Lunau, Kate. "Sugar Overload." Maclean's. 12 May 2014: n.p. SIRS Issues
Researcher. Web. 07 Jul. 2014.

Priesnitz, Wendy. "What Are They Doing to Our Food?." Natural Life Magazine.
May/Jun 2012: 16-17. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 07 Jul. 2014.