The 7 Foods Experts Won’t Eat. I’m no expert, which I’ve proven time and time again, and I never know who to listen to, but here’s yet another article that has given me food for thought. (Thanks to Musings of a Housewife!)
I swore this summer after canning tomatoes for the first time that I’d never do it again unless I grew my own tomatoes. It doesn’t save much money at all, it was a TON of work, and I knew my home-canned weren’t any healthier than storebought, since I didn’t even spring for organic.
I’m thinking differently after reading number one on the list: canned tomatoes. It’s another case of the attack of the BPA.
I had read in the past that tomatoes, along with beans, were good things to eat in cans because they don’t lose nutrients under heat and pressure. In the case of tomatoes, the lycopene is actually increased. Too bad the endocrine disruptors are too because of tomatoes’ acidity. Anyone want to get together for a day o’ tomater cannin’ next August?
NOTE: A commenter pointed out that Tropical Traditions has glass jar tomatoes and intermittent free shipping specials. 12/22 is one of them! Click for details on how to find organic tomatoes in glass jars.
I’m thrilled that I already avoid four of the seven items, but the last two are from the Dirty Dozen list. Perhaps they’re the gold and silver of the dirties. Unfortunately, they’re ones that I rarely spring for organic, because one of them is so cheap that it feels painful to double or triple the cost, and the other is just so fun and cheap to pick. *Sigh* After you read the article, I want to know this: does anyone ever have potatoes that don’t sprout? Mine always do.
I know I was trying to help you feel better about your eating by giving you 3 easy changes yesterday, and now I’ve brought you down. Just remember that the “experts” are often changing their tune from day to day, month to month.
In fact, I’m in conversation with a Harvard-trained doctor from Australia and Sally Fallon of Nourishing Traditions fame about the validity of the entire soaking grains process. They both agree that whole grains are hindered by phytates and we can’t get proper nutrients from them. They both agree that sourdough reduces the problems and increases the nutrients. They even would both choose – get this! – white bread if offered white or whole wheat.
There’s a whole bunch that they can’t agree on, however, and I’m going to try to sort it all out for you with my meager college degree in English. Be sure to grab an email subscription or the reader feed to keep up with the new developments!
And when you feel overwhelmed by the junk in the world, just remember that we need to trust God with our bodies as we trust Him with our souls. Pray that meal blessing well when you have to use foods that make you uncomfortable!
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What is the reason they would both choose white bread?
[Reply to this comment]
Local Nourishment Reply:
December 18th, 2009 at 11:54 am
The phytates are located in the part of the grain that is missing from white flour and white bread. It’s kind of a negative solution: sure it’s overprocessed, but at least it doesn’t have phytates!
Local Nourishment´s last blog ..Eating Cage Free Eggs?
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earlenegig@q.com Reply:
February 20th, 2010 at 11:01 pm
I am still a little unclear about the choice of white over wheat. Are we talking about mass produced grocery store bread or bread made from soaked grain/flour?
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Katie Reply:
February 22nd, 2010 at 3:35 am
Earlenegig,
Katie
I’m in the middle of exploring this issue right now – see this page for all the grains info: http://www.kitchenstewardship.com/seriescarnivals/soaking-grains-an-exploration/
That will get started clearing up the question!
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Katie Reply:
December 19th, 2009 at 12:43 am
Carmen,
Katie
One has to do with cost, one with phytates. More to come – I love keeping the teaser going!
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I’ve been mentally moving away from considering grains an ideal healthy food, even when soaked properly. Hearing that both of the experts above would rather have white bread is rather discouraging, though.
I don’t buy organic potatoes and mine sprout- in fact some were in my compost pile and I ended up with volunteer potato plants in my garden beds! (Maybe the person writing the article didn’t leave them around long enough?)
Looking forward to hearing more about the points of view of Sally and the Harvard doc.
Avivah @ Oceans of Joy´s last blog ..King Corn – a review
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I saw that article too. The canned tomato info alarmed me, as that is the only thing on the list I do use.
I did buy 40 lbs of organic tomatoes last summer, and blanched, peeled, chopped and froze them. However, I heavily rely on organic canned tomato paste for homemade ketchup, and canned sauce for homemade pasta and pizza sauce. Sigh. It seems I’d be better off buying the pre-made jarred pasta and pizza sauce, than making my own from canned tomatoes.
The day I saw the article I went on a search for an alternative. I’ve decided that the next time Tropical Traditions has a free shipping day, I will be ordering Bionaturae strained tomatoes and paste (glass jars) in bulk… eyes closed at the cost. I think I’ll be learning to can sauce and paste next summer as well.
And yes… back when I bought non-organic potatoes, they eventually sprouted. But my organic potatoes sprout REALLY fast!!! There is definitely a difference.
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Katie Reply:
December 19th, 2009 at 12:49 am
Jen,
I’m thinking the same about jarred spag and pizza sauce. The silver lining: one less time-consuming thing!
Another option for homemade tomato sauce and paste is to dehydrate sliced tomatoes and blend into a powder, then rehydrate…I did the first half but have yet to try rehydrating. Anyone tried that yet?
Katie
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Heather Reply:
December 20th, 2009 at 3:36 pm
I have made my own tomato powder. I have reconstituted it to make tomato paste, but it was very bitter. The concentration of flavor was still high when the proper amount of water was added to make a thick enough paste. I haven’t remedied this yet; perhaps a pinch of sugar and/or baking soda would be enough to neutralize the bitterness while maintaining the desired texture. Using olive oil when rehydrating it might also be a possibility.
When I tried to make tomato juice with my powder, it was very gritty. I couldn’t even chug it; I had to dump the whole glass.
Dehydrating my own tomatoes is very worth it for me, if I could just get it to work for the purposes it is intended for. Let me know if it works out for you.
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Katie Reply:
December 21st, 2009 at 1:53 am
Heather,
Katie
Thanks for the note about the bitterness – I’m anxious to try it now, and you’re right, maybe a pinch of sweetener would help. It was difficult to get a real powder w/o big chunks, so I’m a little worried about that!
Someday I’ll post on it when I get it down well (or when I fail miserably)!
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Katie Reply:
December 22nd, 2009 at 3:59 am
Jen,
Katie
TT has free shipping until the close of the day tomorrow (12/22).
7 oz. organic tomato paste in glass jars = $1.89 each.
24 oz. organic strained tomatoes in glass jars = $2.59 each.
Must order $16 worth to get free shipping. (4 jars each will do it)
Definitely close eyes to cost when same items are < $1 for a can at regular supermarket.
I think I’m going for it! Merry Christmas to me!
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Jen Reply:
December 22nd, 2009 at 12:18 pm
Yay Katie, thanks! Good for you. I went for it too, and can’t wait to try them.
Merry Christmas!
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Carmen: I don’t know about why they would, but here’s the main reason I would:
http://fibermenace.com/
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Yes, do tell us, I am so interested – and a bit baffled! And I hope you plan to fill us in on some of the rest of the conversation too! Thanks again for your work – it makes me feel so much better about never getting to the never ending ‘need to research/learn about’ list!
While I’m typing, I’d like to throw in a thank you for your advent thoughts too – every year (and I wish more throughout the year) I’m struck anew with the awesomeness of what our God has dared to do!
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Don’t quote me on this, because I can’t remember where I read it (I want to say Kelly the Kitchen Kop?), but there is also BPA in the lids of canning jars. I still say it’s a better choice over canned from the store, because it’s only in the lid, and not the whole can, but yeah…I say boo to that.
Also, the article mentioned conventional potatoes not being able to sprout. Unless I have a different definition of sprouting than they do, I’ve certainly had some sprout on me! Obviously I agree that organic is better, but I didn’t find that particular anecdote quite accurate.
Right now we have chosen to spend our organic dollars mostly on animal products. We’re on a limited budget, and we can’t afford to eat everything organic. But we feel that conventional animal products are going to have a worse affect on us than conventional produce.
April´s last blog ..I want it all!
[Reply to this comment]
Local Nourishment Reply:
December 18th, 2009 at 11:53 am
Ren over at Edible Aria did a post about the BPA in canning jar lids. But, if you don’t overfill your jars, and keep them upright, the food rarely touches the lid anyway.
Local Nourishment´s last blog ..Eating Cage Free Eggs?
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Katie Reply:
December 19th, 2009 at 12:56 am
April,
You’re right about the lids, but it’s such a non-concern for me. My food rarely/never touches the lid, so I don’t think it’s a big deal.
You are right about the animal products/organic, from all that I read!
Katie
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I’ll be interested in the soaking grains research. I gathered from Sally’s book that white flour doesn’t contain the phytates and doesn’t need to be soaked.
I’d just read somewhere (Organic Gardening Magazine, I think) about the BPA in canning lids. Bummer, especially for those of us who grow, preserve, and store most of our own fruits and vegetables.
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Interesting article – thanks for the link. I am with you that canned tomatoes would be the hardest on that list! Guess I will be working toward canning our own next summer too!
Jen´s last blog ..Italian Wedding Soup
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Great article and thanks for the link to the 7 foods. I’ll be sharing your article and the link on my blog.
I hadn’t heard about BPA being in the lids of canning jars, but how about taking off the top layer before using the rest of the tomatoes? I pressure can my tomatoes and I’ve never had a lid that was clean on the inside after the process.
Barb@My Daily Round´s last blog ..A Gift for the Neighbors: Pumpkin Gingerbread
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Twitter: ModernAMama
// Dec 18, 2009 at 3:32 pm
I meant to can. But I never got my act together when I had the most tomatoes (I have an excuse: my son was born in July!). Canned tomatoes are the only thing on that list that I do buy a lot.
Everything else I usually manage to avoid. Ugh, this world is so backwards! Our food should not be chemically infested and unsafe!
Kate´s last blog ..Baked Ravioli
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This was my first year of canning, and I didn’t think it was as bad as I’d anticipated it to be. Of course, it took a crazy lot more time than I thought it would, and there were nights that I pulled a batch out of the canner and shoved the rest that needed to be canned in the refrigerator to wait for tomorrow.
I’m definitely intrigued by the notion of dehydrating tomatoes, Katie. I don’t care for diced tomatoes,so it’s pretty much all sauce for me anyway. For the last two years, I froze tomato sauce in snack size ziplocks then put them all in a couple of gallon ziplocks.
I have to say I wasn’t all that impressed or convicted by the article in question here. The bit on apples is based on “common sense” versus an actual study. While I don’t necessarily disagree with the suggestion to avoid pesticides, it sounds suspect in an article like this.
Furthermore, has anybody else gotten frustrated with home-grown organic apples? I got some from my dad to make applesauce last year, and I about cried after spending HOURS and HOURS trying to cut out all the bad spots and worm holes (and WORMS!). I suppose I could have bucked up and just tossed them in the pot worms and all, but I’m not there yet.
I can also assure you that our cattle don’t eat chicken manure! We feed them a carefully calculated mix of hay, corn, gluten, and silage. Gluten is a by-product of ethanol production from corn, and silage is made by chopping the entire corn plant – stalk, cob, corn, leaves. (I’m probably missing something otherwise, but that’s the stuff I know.) Hee, as I’m re-reading this, I realized that since our chickens have free reign of the farm yard, they probably spend some time picking stuff out of the silage pile and some chicken manure works its way in. But it’s certainly not on purpose!
Cattle will most certainly get sick if they eat too much corn (hubs has told me things they have to do if some accidentally get into a corn field) but they like corn! Now, I don’t have the background to say whether that’s the same as saying my 2 year old likes ice cream, but given a choice, they’ll eat the corn.
I’m not sure I have the qualifications to really say this stuff, but I wanted to provide a perspective from out here on the prairie. :>)
Lenetta @ Nettacow´s last blog ..Preheating Quickly
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Katie Reply:
December 19th, 2009 at 1:03 am
Lenetta,
Your farm perspective is fabulous, and it reminds us that the only “best” choice isn’t always the local, organic farmer but perhaps just the local, doing-his-best farmer.
Your chickens certainly make good eggs when they’re running free!
I tried making some applesauce from untreated apples in my aunt’s yard, and yes…the bad spots took FOREVER to get out. Almost not worth it…I’d take a little BPA, some pesticides, and a little more time with my kids during the day.
Katie
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Wutzupwithat!! Ugh. That is all I can think to say right now. Wait, I guess there is more. All of those things mentioned are supposed to be healthy – so how much worse is the junk food?! Bummer for sure.
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I buy organic canned tomatoes, pumpkin and coconut milk. I am doing alot to eat healthy and buy meat and raw dairy from local grass-fed cows.
But I cannot stress about the three canned items that I buy. I will try and freeze tomatoes next year but I will never canned them -I’m terrified of the pressure cooker.
I try and remember to bless my food and thank Jesus for keeping my food safe.
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Katie Reply:
December 19th, 2009 at 1:05 am
Tina,
Katie
You can can tomatoes w/o a pressure cooker – but your note about trusting Jesus with the food is where it’s at!
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Eden Organics cans all of their products in BPA-free cans. Not sure if they’re cheaper than these, but their products are available at many grocery stores (including Kroger, I think) so you’d at least be able to avoid shipping.
Another idea since you mentioned you hated canning the tomatoes yourself…find a friend who enjoys canning and swap for something homemade that you enjoy making. Like bread or yogurt. You’d have to figure out how many jars of tomatoes equals how many jars of yogurt, etc. but I think it would be a good trade.
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Erin aka Conscious Shopper Reply:
December 22nd, 2009 at 6:30 pm
Woops! – was looking at your other post about canned tomatoes on sale, and ended up commenting here….
Erin aka Conscious Shopper´s last blog ..My New Year’s Resolutions
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Katie Reply:
December 24th, 2009 at 9:32 am
Erin,
Katie
Wow, both excellent tips – thank you so much! I will have to price check Eden in this area. Knowing that canning tomatoes is now “worth it” will make the time more “worth it”, but I just love the swap idea as something to keep in mind for lots of things!
Thank you so much for popping in!
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I’ve often wondered why soaking our grains is something our grandmothers and recent ancestors didn’t do (I had never previously heard of it until my “enlightenment”
) if, according to what Fallon seems to say, it was so prevalent a long time ago. Was it just the Europeans fault? Should we just really cut our flour consumption and we’ll be ok? Very curious to hear more on this topic and what your conversations were about!
Also, I tried the skim milk with raw cream added back in the yogurt…I need to go try it!
I guess I do almost everything on the above list: I buy canned tomatoes but very rarely salmon.
Merry Christmas to ya!
[Reply to this comment]
Mareth Reply:
December 23rd, 2009 at 3:11 pm
Meant to say the only things we eat on that list are canned tomatoes and very rarely salmon. Oops.
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Fight Back Friday December 18th | Food Renegade // Jan 7, 2010 at 5:13 pm
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