What’s all the Fuss about Artificial Ingredients?

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I’ve been noticing an increase in the number of TV shows about artificial colourings, flavours and preservatives (aka E numbers) in children’s food. One show was about children going on a “War Time” diet whilst others simply were complaining about E numbers in general.

The one thing that strikes me about all of these shows is how parents want to blame everyone else for these foods except themselves. Often to demonstrate the problem they would show huge amounts of “kids” foods laid out on a table. There would be fairy cakes, sweets, jelly beans, cola, 1950s Candy and all sorts of other junk.

The parents would then be shown the foods and be told about all the bad stuff in it. I find it difficult to believe it when the parents turn round and say they didn’t realize the food is unhealthy.

C’mon, if something is fluorescent pink it’s hardly going to be healthy is it??!!

Of course it’s the supermarkets that get the blame for it all. I’m not saying that supermarkets are holier than thou but there are a lot of foods clearly marked as not having artificial additives in it too.

What ever happened to home baking?

I think back on my childhood with fond memories of baking cakes, pancakes and flapjacks. Because they were home made we had total control over the ingredients. Don’t parents bake with their children any more? Is really all too much bother? If it is I think it’s really sad.

Why is Kids Food also Junk Food?

When I was on a bus in Malta a couple of years ago I noticed an English couple with two kids. One of the children probably wasn’t even a year old yet the mother was stuffing marshmallows into its mouth. You’d think it was something healthy the way she was shoving them down, the kid didn’t even look like it wanted them.

Then my parents saw a woman feeding a baby cola from a babies bottle along with white chocolate. Wow, I suppose that’s considered a balanced diet in some parts!

Am I the only person who sees the madness? Yes, of course I think artificial ingredients should be removed from food but ultimately we all have a choice in what foods we eat. No one is forcing us to buy these unhealthy foods.  However there are those who concern themselves over such topics as how to clean your liver but then eat all the junk of the day.  There isn’t any point.

Are Fruit Smoothies Healthy?

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I just love it when you think you’re doing your body good then some journalist decides to ruin it all for you. The other evening I was watching a show called The One Show which raised the question of fruit smoothies being good for you.

Acid Test

You may already know that when you drop a dirty coin into some cola that it’ll come out clean. Well, they decided to carry out the same test with cola, fruit smoothie, coffee and water. When the coins came out of the cola and smoothie they were clean however the coins that were placed in the coffee and water were still dirty.

What this proves is that cola and fruit smoothies are acidic which can, over time, cause erosion of tooth enamel, so be very careful of those Beverly Hills porcelain veneers. To prevent this happening you should drink through a straw so that the liquid goes straight down your throat. Alternatively you can eat cheese because when acid levels in the mouth were tested, the acidity dropped to normal.

Sugar

They said that in a glass of fruit smoothie there’s 8 teaspoons of sugar. This is what I’m not too sure about. I’ve always believed that fruit is healthy for you and that sugar from fruit is different from refined cane sugar. Even if it does have high amount of sugar you do also get fibre, vitamins and minerals.

Lazy

It seems a lot of people are drinking pre-made smoothies from a carton because they can’t be bothered to eat raw fruit and vegetables. I wouldn’t suggest people do this, if you prefer to drink your daily amount of fruit and veg instead of preparing it yourself, then you’d be better off buying vegetable juice like V8.

I drink smoothies from time to time if I fancy something sweet and filling. I will continue to do so too however to me it’s more of a treat. The key is moderation. Ultimately fruit smoothies have got to be healthier than Sunny D. Surely?

If you are keen to make your own smoothies, then getting yourself a recipe book such as The Big Book of Juices and Smoothies.