When it’s bought from a store! My son’s girlfriend brought home a cake that she’d been given at work for her birthday last week. It was supposed to be a chocolate mud cake made in the Coles bakery. I, for the most part generally avoid these cakes and things, but I did partake a little of this one no doubt to the detriment of my health. It looked like a cake, and tasted like cake (although not like a home made one), but there were some marked differences as you’ll read below.

I used to do quite a bit of baking when I was younger, and from my understanding cakes are made from flour, baking powder,  eggs, sugar, butter, cocoa (for chocolate) and maybe some milk, with some icing sugar, butter and maybe cocoa to ice it. That was the basic ingredients – things we all know and that could generally be found in our cupboards or pantry.

The ingredients in the Coles cake are listed as follows:

Sugar, flour, canola oil (containing antioxidant 320),, water, egg, cocoa, milk powder, thickener (1442), raising agents (450, 500), wheaten corn flour, iodised salt, glycerine, colours (133,155), humectant (1520), emulsifier (471),flavour,thickener (412), acicity regulator (330), perservative (202), chocolate ganache (dark compound chocolate (minimum 13%) sugar, vegetable fat, cocoa, whey powder, emulsifiers (322 from soy, 492) flavour, salt) sugar, water, canola oil (again with antioxidant (320), glycerine, emulsifier (471), flavour, preservative (202), white compound chocolate (minimum 1%), sugar, vegetable fat, whey powder, emulsifiers (322 from soy, 492).

Try baking that in your kitchen!

We all know what the sugar, flour, water, egg, cocoa, milk powder, corn flour, chocolate, whey powder and even vegetable fat are. Most of these are things we don’t want too much of in our  diets really (we could live without them – apart from maybe the eggs!) but we know what they are.

Lets take a closer look at the other ingredients and what they are:

Canola oil – we all know canola oil right? Do we also know that much of it is made from genetically engineered canola? and even if it’s not, it’s a hydrogenated oil, full of transfats that’s going to contribute to heart disease and thyroid disease - it’s best avoided but definitely not the worst ingredient in this little chemical cocktail.

Antioxidant 320 – This is in the Canola oil. It’s name is Butylated Hydroxyanisole (BHA) and it’s a Petroleum derivative - that means it’s made from Petroleum – mmmm tasty! It’s banned in some countries and is known to potentially cause hay fever, headaches, wheezing, fatigue, asthma as well as gastrointestinal, liver, endocrine and neurotoxicity and it’s carcinogenic (causes cancer).

Thickener 1442 – Hydroxypropyl Distarch Phosphate – This may be made from GM crops. It is a modified starch and the safety of modified starches is still uncertain, especially in infants.

Raising agent 450 – Potassium Pyrophosphate, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate or Sodium Pyrophosphate – Regarded as safe in small levels. Excess can cause kidney damage and osteoporisis. (How much is excess?)

Raising agent 500 – Sodium Bicarbonate – We all know bicarb but I think there may be different types (ways of making it? so some may be safer than others perhaps? not sure).  Large doses can cause rashes, respiratory distress, gastrointestinal bleeding, vomiting, diarrhea, and shock.

Flavours – it doesn’t say which ones but no doubt they are made in a laboratory and why does a cake need them? My cakes I used to make in my kitchen tasted better than this bought one so WHY are they in there?

Colour 133 Brilliant Blue - FD&C Blue no. 1 Coal Tar Dye. Banned in some countries. Causes asthma, urticaria, hayfever, allergic reactions, aspirin sensitive individuals should avoid and it’s carcinogenic. Note: Chocolate cake is brown from the Cocoa. Why does it need Bright Blue dye?

Colour 155 Brown HT – Brown Coal Tar dye – Same as the Blue one pretty much in health effects. Also banned in some countries. Note: Again what happened to the colouring effect of Cocoa?

Humectant 1520 Propylene Glycol - (Oh My God!) It’s made synthetically from Propylene or Glycerol or Propylene Oxide. Can cause contact dermatitis, lactic acidosis, dry skin, as well as respiratory, immuno and neuro toxicity. CNS depression and kidney damage. Note: I avoid this stuff in my personal care products and I’ve just eaten it in this garbage dressed up as a cake! See my page on the most common harmful chemicals in personal care products

Emulsifier 471 Mono and Di-Glycerides of Fatty Acids – May be of animal origin and may be GM. Generally regarded as safe in food.

Thickener 412 Guar Gum – Generally regarded as safe at low levels. May have health benefits but can cause intestinal cramps, flatulence, nausea and diarrhea.

Acidity Regulator 330 Citric Acid - Sounds harmless. Citric Acid is from citrus fruits and berries right? Not when it’s made synthetically. It may contain MSG or GM ingredients. Generally regarded as safe, however if it contains MSG then it may cause a whole host of problems.

Preservative 202 Potassium Sorbate – May cause allergic reactions, asthma, skin irritation and behavioral problems.

Emulsifiier 322 Lecithin – May be made from animal origin or soy. May contain GM. Generally regarded as safe.

Emulsifier 492 Sorbitan Tristearate – May be animal origin. May be GM. Regarded as safe at low levels, however high amounts in the diet can cause intralobur fibrosis, growth retardation and liver enlargement.

I have eaten a small piece of this cake on Friday and again tonight and both times felt unwell after. I’m fairly sensitive to chemicals and noticed both times that I felt kind of wired after and while I knew there would be some not too good ingredients in it, I didn’t realise the extent until I did the research for this post. I promise myself never again will I eat anything like this. My health and my body mean more to me that that. It’s no wonder I felt not quite right after.

It’s not only the (known) effects of each individual chemical that’s in there, but the possible effects of the whole toxic cocktail mixed together. It’s disgusting that this can be sold under the guise of food (even if it is ‘junk’ food) for not only adults, but also children to eat. Is it any wonder there is so many health problems out there and behavioral problems in children?

Anyone for cake? Not for me!

Processed meats – avoid them like the plague if you value your health. Even mainstream medicine is beginning to agree with that one. Almost all processed meats these days probably contain probably more chemicals and other junk than actual real food! These include ham, bacon, hotdogs, sausages, jerky, sandwich meats, salami, and pickled meats such as pickled pork and corned silverside. Pretty much all the cold meats that are found in the deli.

Almost all of these meat products these days contain Sodium Nitrite – a particularly harmful food additive added for flavour, colour and as a preservative. The Sodium Nitrite when combined with the amino acids in the meat create nitrosamines which are highly carcinogenic (cause cancer). The main reason that Sodium Nitrite is used is apparently to keep the pinkish colour in the meat and because it’s very, very cheap!

There are other ways to cure meat – plain old salt used to be used along with herbs and spices. There are other additives that can be used to keep colour also that are healthier choices, but they are no doubt a bit more expensive!

It’s a subject that is coming more into the mainstream, as research is in fact proving the very strong link between regular consumption of these meats with a massive increased risk of bowel cancer and pancreatic cancer in particular. A few companies are producing nitrite free products but they’re not easy to find and they’re definitely more expensive. The answer really is to just avoid these products. Just stop buying them – you won’t die from a bacon deficiency but you will die from pancreatic cancer!

If more people stop buying these products, then the companies that make them will have to look at changing their practices. Some are doing so now from what I’ve read, and my guess is that we’ll see more and more nitrite free products on the shelves as more and more research is announced in the media – my hope is that they actually do use healthier options and don’t just swap one cheap nasty chemical for another in an effort to con the consumer.

Even without the nitrites, most of the cheaper meats are still not worth even putting in your body. Those pressed ham and chicken products for instance – who knows what’s in them, it’s usually not much meat! Please, now that you’re aware, don’t buy them and put them in your kids sandwiches! The meat that is in them I’d say would be of questionably quality and from what I’ve seen on ingredient lists they also contain a whole lot of sugars, starches, MSG and other additives. I think they’re a pretty disgusting product that shouldn’t be allowed to be sold for human consumption.

My suggestion – Roast a free range chook or a leg of lamb and slice it up for sandwiches if that’s what you’re after. Eat fresh grassfed meat and avoid the processed stuff – it’s not only better for you, it tastes heaps better too!

What do you look for when you buy packaged foods? I’m guessing a lot of you don’t look at anything. You probably just buy it right? The ad’s say it’s healthy, full of calcium or protein or whatever. Many others look at the nutritional label – how much fat? how much sugar? how much salt? how many calories? We’ve been trained to look at the nutritional labels by who? The media? The advertisers? The occasional nutritionist being paid by the advertisers perhaps?

Would it surprise you if I told you that looking at the nutritional label and buying depending on fat or salt or sugar content won’t help to keep you healthier? It’s true and it makes no difference whether you have high cholesterol, whether you’re diabetic or whatever – you can’t judge any food product based on that nutritional panel. Your health depends more on the type of fat, the type of salt, the type of sugar as well as  how many chemical additives are in the food in question. This all creates the effect any given food will have in and on your body.

So, what do I look for? I know, confusion sets in, but it’s pretty much commonsense really.  Look at the ingredients! For many, many years, I’ve looked at and studied the ingredients in any processed foods that I buy (it’s been a standing joke in my family for many years about how long it takes me to shop – and now my son’s the same!). When I look at an ingredient list, if I couldn’t make it in my kitchen and if I don’t know what an ingredient is, then generally I don’t buy it.

There are little books available, and even on the internet you can find information on food additives – all those numbers and things. What they are and whether they’re even remotely safe to put into our bodies. The trouble these day is that most processed foods contain ingredients that aren’t safe to put into our bodies. Chemicals that will undermine your health and the health of your family and that’s a fact!

When it comes to food, fresh is always best. No doubt about it, but we do buy processed foods. It’s hard to avoid them these days. However there are generally some better choices than others and the ingredients are the key.

I myself don’t buy a lot of processed foods in comparison with most people. The ones that I do buy tho, tend to be the simplest and plainest versions. For instance I do buy tinned tomatoes. If you go to your supermarket and look at different brands or even different versions of the same brand you will find a few that contain only tomatoes, tomato juice and probably salt. Then you’ll find others that contain tomatoes, tomato juice, salt, and also maybe sugar, thickener, and/or preservative. I’d go for the one with less ingredients – after all I’m after the tomatoes. I could do without the added salt and if I find one without it I buy it and I definitely don’t want the other added stuff – it’s not food. It’s chemical additives – definitely not created by nature, and therefore have they no place in our food or our bodies!

Another example that I buy regularly is coconut cream. I buy organic where possible. If not possible, I buy a brand with only coconut and water usually. Other brands may contain emulsifiers, thickeners, preservatives and other additives.

I cringe when I see people buying flavoured rice crackers or potato chips. I don’t eat these often ( and shouldn’t at all probably), but when I do they are always plain. If you have a packet in the cupboard or next time you go to the shop, look at the ingredient list. How many of the ingredients would you use in your kitchen? How many of them do you actually know what they are? Not many. They contain MSG for one most of the time which is a nasty thing, added to give a salty flavour, but also added because it is proven to make us eat more! and it can cause many health problems. I’ll go into more detail in another post at a later date. The flavourings on these things are not food! They are a mixture of chemicals.

You see, all these added chemicals that you’re consuming are cumulative. Depending on your diet, each meal may contain a toxic cocktail of chemicals that are causing havoc in your body or your children’s bodies. This is something that is obviously not understood by most people I think and something I’m quite passionate about. I’m planning to go into a lot more detail with this including the brands of foods that are the worst for additives. I want to help people to realise what they’re eating and what these may be doing to their health. My hope is that if I can help people to realise what these food companies are doing – that they are taking you for a ride by taking your money and giving you garbage in return, we can make them create healthier foods and get rid of some of the nastiness from their products. It’s only through education and then people like us actually making choices instead of just buying, that we can hopefully force these companies to actually make real food that won’t cause cancer, heart disease and diabetes!

More to come…….