On Thursday morning I listened to and interview on CBC with Michael Moss who has just written a book called "Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us. What fascinating interview!
Michael told how large food companies go to great lengths to put the right balance of salt,sugar and fat in their products so that we will literally become addicted to the product and there fore buy more of the item over and over again.
Salt enhances flavor so that we find the food pleasing to the taste and therefore eat more. Salt also causes high blood pressure, but do the large companies care? Nor one bit.
Sugar is used in an amazing number of products. Relish has sugar in it. He covers cereals which are pitched to kids and how the sugar content has steadily increased and why. Kids are growing. A sugar kick doesn't last long so the brain tells the kid you're growing, you have to eat some more. It's unbelievable how much sugar is loaded into cereals. Sugar leads to diabetes and diabetes is a nasty that causes all kinds of other health problems.
Fat also makes food more pleasant. Fat can lead to high cholesterol which can lead to heart attacks and strokes.
So people eat the three baddies and they first of all become obese and that leads to a very unhappy life style and huge health costs.
What to do? Moss has all kinds of practical suggestions. However , the whole thing is a challenge. Just the other day a motion was made in the Canadian Parliament to require salt labeling to be more precise. Prime Minister Steven Harper voted against this motion as he thought it would cause companies difficulty. What rubbish!
I am not innocent when it comes to salt, sugar and fat. I have been lucky. At school I developed a coke habit. Usually one a day but on a bad day maybe three. I also had a small bag of cheezies each day! When I retired I heard that sodas had 7 teaspoons of sugar in them. I stopped drinking pop immediately. I did eat a lot of chips. I loved chips. Now I rarely eat them. I don't have salt on the table and rarely put salt in things that I cook.
My wife was diagnosed with high cholesterol quite a while ago. We made an effort to change our diet and reduce fat. I benefited from that one.
I still have some vices to face. I eat quite a bit of canned soup. It's loaded with salt. I can remember enjoying tomato soup and putting lots of salt and pepper on it. Yikes!
I certainly enjoyed Moss's comments. They made me think again and I will try and cut down on these some more.
It was interesting to see that Moss was interviewed by a number of programs. Papers covered him too. I guess that's what happens when you come out with a hot new book.
i wholeheartedly agree that we are killing ourselves with all the processed, loaded foods we eat. and the companies that push them do not care about the health effects. we are conditioned to reach for processed and easy these days, and we are definitely paying for it.
ReplyDeleteIt was Moss's point exactly that the companies have us hooked on the junk.
DeleteI heard that interview too, and found it interesting! My salt intake went way down back when I was a teen, because my Mum developed high blood pressure. She cut salt out of both our diets! I am used to avoiding it now.
ReplyDeleteI stopped drinking pop altogether about ten years ago... the amount of sugar in there is shocking! I can't stand those artificial sweeteners.
I found that once you leave salt out of stuff you get used to it.
DeleteI hear you, Red. I also am careful about what I eat, but it was not always so. We must learn how we are being manipulated before we can begin to do something about it. I'll look for this book. Thanks! :-)
ReplyDeleteAs you know, it takes more than just watching what we eat but also to keep active.
DeleteSalt eh?
ReplyDeleteI have it copiously on all foods except desserts! My doctor informed me that I have a salt deficiency???
However, I now only use sea salt. My doctor told me to have more???? Not the tampered stuff, good fresh
sea salt!
Here nowadays all food from supermarkets have to be FULLY listed - where from, what in them. It is the LAW.
Even the few remaining green grocers and butchers have to label from where their respective products come from.
The butcher shops even list the actual area where the beef or lamb came from - Southern Highlands, Tasmania,
New England region of NSW etc etc.
Fruit and vegetables from the grocers are the same.
The laws are now even getting tighter - the BUY AUSTRALIA campaign.
Today I wanted to buy tinned cherries. The only tinned cherries available in the supermarket were from -
BULGARIA! A country that many would not have a clue to pin point on an atlas.
So where are our Australian cherries??? Overseas?
Where my mother lives in Young, NSW is supposed to be the Cherry Capital of Australia?
So where are the Aussie cherries? I didn't buy the Bulgarian cherries. Bad luck, Bulgaria.
Of course some foods are not produced here, due to climate etc. I like for example for snacks,
Danish Atlantic salmon and trout. This is clearly labelled with the Danish code numbers, plus product of Denmark.
Some cheeses are the same here, plus various other foods - they are not produced here.
So my message is: Support your country's products first, check carefully the codes on everything, know that your country comes first in the food producing business - all this equates to supporting your farmers, ranchers, orchardists, fishermen etc.
And finally if you don't want to get obese etc. AVOID like the plague, fast food outlets.
Very good report on this issue, Keith.
Cheers
Colin (Brisbane. Australia) - where it continues to rain!!!!
Buying local food is better yet. we might have to do more work to prepare our food but we'd miss all the junk in it.
DeleteAll things in moderation. I rarely have any processed food but then I smoke and drink.
ReplyDeletehave a chocolate bar every now and again.
Amazing how much salt, sugar and fat biscuits contain. All our food here is labelled with quantity per 100gms.
All food is labeled but it's not exactly clear. They are gaming with us. this was the point of our MP's motion ...to make the salt labeling more accurate and realistic.
DeleteI have a bad habit of snacking. I really like chips, but have cut way down on the sugar years ago. If I have a chocolate attack, I keep sugar-free (Russell Stover) candy bars around. They're really good and satisfy my craving.
ReplyDeleteOne of Moss's slants is that we are addicted to certain foods and when we go up certain food aisles we become overwhelmed and by the junk,
DeleteYa, sweets are not a problem for me. I can give or take them. But put a bag of salted chips nearby and LOOKOUT! No book or interview will alter this craving
ReplyDeleteI got scared out of the chips. Once I quit eating them I don't miss them. there are chips in the house right now and they've been here quite a while.
DeleteI'm very aware of how salty prepared foods are.. whether sold in packages, restaurants or even store counters. I tend to salt some foods (potatoes and eggs, primarily) but not most so I really taste it in foods prepared in large quantities. I could easily become a sugar junkie.. it only takes a couple of indulgences. Luckily with the right mindset, it's also an easy habit to break.
ReplyDeleteI really notice the salt in French fries when I have them once in a while.
DeleteSupposedly, the big companies are trying to repair this bad image, but the food industry is so competitive, they feel they must do whatever to stay ahead...however, have you noticed that Whole Foods or other health/local/natural food stores are doing well without these games...
ReplyDeleteGood point about the alternative food stores. They are doing well .
DeleteBut sometimes....just sometimes...fast food is rather nice.
ReplyDeleteLinda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com
http://deltacountyhistoricalsociety.wordpress.com
I have a friend who says she needs a grease fix once in a while.
DeleteNo real shockers here. But knowing about it and doing something about is sometimes hard for me. Fortunately salt and sugar are something I need much of... but fat oh boy. That a problem because I love flavor.....
ReplyDeleteCurious as to why one needs lots of salt and sugar!
Deletei have to admit that I love salt and fat. But I fight it every day!
ReplyDeletePearl
Fight and you'll win.
Delete