Comments on The Purloined Letter: The Process of Choosing Our Foods

Whoa! Whatever happened to eating plain, homemade...

2007-02-24T12:01:52.062-05:00

Whoa! Whatever happened to eating plain, homemade yogurt with fresh fruit?

A few years ago, DD had a trip to the ER courtesy of some artificial dye in something she was served at school (so no label to read).

What's been grating on my soul lately is the prevalence of plastic, all the pre-packaged servings, ubiquitous shrink-wrap, etc. Much of it cannot be recycled, and that which is takes a huge amount of energy and water to process, and usually only becomes shredded matter, not "true" recycling. Sad.

Funny, that one caught me today too--I mean really...

2007-02-22T20:21:31.298-05:00

Funny, that one caught me today too--I mean really, would you rather be eating carmine or PETROLEUM which is what synthetic coloring is made of--but what strikes me is, why does yogurt need coloring at all?? Maybe if it's not pink enough it needs MORE STRAWBERRIES? There's also beet powder which will turn almost anything a lovely pink color.

By the way--did you also catch the piece about genetically modified ingredients--it mentions that 70% of our food is genetically modified, and you can't avoid it if you eat any processed food. But it doesn't say that certified organic foods are not allowed to contain gmos. Where was that little tidbit? Or did I miss it. (I did like the look of the recipe for Grit/Chickpea patties--I think it was Myra's too).

Just found your blog, and am really enjoying readi...

2007-02-22T05:48:07.212-05:00

Just found your blog, and am really enjoying reading your thoughts and experiences.

I find it interesting that the vegetarin media has such a strong opinion about alternatives to animal products. As a vegetarian with a mostly vegan diet, I am thrilled that more people are becoming educated about the animal content in their food (who knew that sugar wasn't suitable for vegans?), but articles like this just muddy the waters.

It's great to present the information to an intelligent audience, but even better to let them draw thier own conclusions.

That's crazy! Recommending people opt FOR synthet...

2007-02-21T20:19:56.122-05:00

That's crazy! Recommending people opt FOR synthetic dyes? {shaking head}

I'm no longer a vegetarian (I was for years though...

2007-02-21T18:00:54.246-05:00

I'm no longer a vegetarian (I was for years though..) but I remember when I went vegan and drove myself and everyone around me nuts by reading labels. Personally I'd rather eat cochineal than red dye 40 any day! That fish bladder thing with the beer makes me really glad I don't drink.. but I really do need to mention it to some Guiness drinking vegan friends.

funnily, I was just looking at a container of frui...

2007-02-21T15:48:08.811-05:00

funnily, I was just looking at a container of fruit juice yesterday and it mentioned cochineal and I started thinking about just this topic. I was also thinking about silk-- hydrolyzed silk used often in shampoo/conditioner/soap/lotions/food items.

It's not just VT that is saying goofy things like that (though perhaps we expect more from VT?), it's all over. Convenience taking over... it's frustrating!

It certainly does seem like the editors didn't thi...

2007-02-21T15:15:01.562-05:00

It certainly does seem like the editors didn't think that one through very carefully. I am not a vegetarian, but I do like to make informed choices about what I eat and I'm glad that they pointed out the whole "insect" thing. But replacing the wriggly things with plasticky things isn't going to make a product more appealing to people who want to eat whole foods with traceable and natural origins!

I just sent off my e-mail letter to the editor and...

2007-02-21T14:29:49.850-05:00

I just sent off my e-mail letter to the editor and feel better already.