What’s in that food?

Have you ever analyzed what goes into the food you eat? Things like MSG, additives, colorants and other foreign matter are put in food items, maybe to extend their shelf life, to make an otherwise bland product tastier or to be fillers because of pricing issues. Manufacturers respond to consumer demand for cheaper, tastier, sweeter or more palatable food and they have to adulterate natural food to satisfy your taste. Think about it. What you buy is what they will make more of.

So to improve food that is available, we must demand for more natural and organic food items. The additives and other ingredients added may be the cause of some health issues like allergies, skin and digestive issues and sometimes even brain fog and undiagnosed hypertension and kidney problems.

I do not mean to scare you, but I am just reminding everyone to be mindful of what they buy and what they consume. After all, let us remember that the consumer is a co-producer. It is a powerful move to make consumers more aware of what they buy – from the packaging to the contents of manufactured goods. As plant-based people advocate: Eat more plants, not food made in plants.

But I wish not to be misunderstood to be anti-manufacturing, or anti processing.  We only advocate consumption of more fresh food than processed. We know that food processing is a big industry that helps preserve our food items, but for better health, we must add or introduce fresh food into our diets. Vegetables and fruits are best taken fresh. Meats and fish can be cooked fresh, too, rather than always consuming canned goods.

The other issue is packaging. I was just in a waste disposal recycling facility and saw that most garbage is actually in sachets and containers of manufactured candies, chips and foil packs of refill sizes of oil and sauces and many other “retail” tinge portions. Gone are the days when my mother used to buy oil with refillable glass bottles, when soy sauce came in a bottle and not a disposable foil pack. If more consumers demand reusable containers, I am certain our manufacturers will respond.

I also saw in a cooperative’s store in Bukidnon that they used generic single use plastic to sell unbranded oil, vinegar and fish sauce. When asked if consumers preferred that to refilling bottles, the manager replied in the affirmative. Consumers must change their demands, whether in the city supermarket or in this provincial rural cooperative store. We need a lot of consumer awareness for things to change.

What can we do to help turn the tide and reduce waste while eating healthy?

Be a mindful consumer. Start with choosing the right packaging – is it recyclable? Is it one time use or single use plastic or foil? If you can afford it, can you choose glass over plastic, and do your own refilling at home?

Eat fresh whenever you can. Freshness is a good sign of where the food came from or how it was produced. You can do a taste test and teach your family or household the real taste of food when it is fresh. This idea is not elitist as some people claim. Fresh food ought to be cheaper, too, at the wet market, or from trusted suppliers whose farms you already saw or visited.

Check your labels. In our food course at the university we were taught to read labels. The first ingredient is the one the product has the most of. That rule has not changed, globally. So if the first item listed in INGREDIENTS  is sugar, then that is what it contains the most of. Have you ever checked labels of food items you buy? Take a moment to check the ingredients list of items in your pantry. Or what you see in convenience stores and supermarkets. Manufacturers are mandated to list them in the order of content – from highest amount or concentration to the lowest.

Nutritional facts. Take a moment to read nutritional facts and remember that 3500 calories is equal to one pound. Then, when you have educated yourself on caloric content, you will understand why you can never succeed at weight loss (or weight gain for some). Caloric content is the one thing many people are not aware of. If you wish to stay at 130 pounds, you only need 1950 calories a day to maintain your weight. But see a doctor or nutrition expert to help you understand calories and weight gain. And why we need to read nutritional facts on labels.

Segregate your trash. The containers are available everywhere to make life easier in segregating trash. You can make your own set or ask your community to invest in big dumpsters for trash segregation. This way, garbage dumps may get filled later than sooner, and we will soon be able to make our own compost from food waste if our local government dictates so. You will also discover that as you get more conscious of how you buy food, you will have less trash and will gather more recyclables, too.

So, how do we start being more conscious about what food we consume? You can start by eating at responsible establishments. Ask them what goes into your food. That is your right as a consumer. And if you eat at home, check labels and nutritional facts of purchased ready-to-eat items. Try to buy as much fresh food as possible. Or at some point, grow your own food.

Teach children by serving nutritious freshly-cooked food at home, when you can. Once they get used to fresh, their taste buds will lead them to better eating habits. And a better food supply chain for the whole country.

It all starts with one person, one household. Let us check what we can change in our homes. Before you know it, we may just have a healthier country.