Food is an essential part of our daily lives, and it’s what gives us the energy we need to survive. Of course there are good food for you, while there are bad as well. Many people in the U.S. are obese, but many people are fit too. The cause of obesity is due to the over-consumption of bad food and lack of exercise. But what’s considered bad food? There are obvious answers to this question such as cookies, doughnuts, chips, hamburgers, and French fries. What people aren’t aware of is that almost every food that exists has something slightly bad in them.
Something popular that is present in many foods is hydrogenated oil. Hydrogenated oil is found in almost all processed food like soups, crackers, pasta, rice mixes, some cereals, frozen pizzas, pot pies, fried foods, and even sliced bread. Forcing hydrogen gas into oil at high pressure makes hydrogenated oil. It’s oil in which the fundamental fatty acids have been transformed to a different chemical form. Hydrogenated oil won’t go rancid as fast as untreated oil so its shelf stable. It’s used for pastries and frying because it has a high melting point. Examples of hydrogenated oil are margarine and Crisco. Originally, these products were produced and advocated as being healthier than conventional oils. But ironically, scientists in the 1990s found that these products have deleterious health effects. The fatty acids in oils are unsaturated fats, which have been certain to reduce cholesterol. It actually increases the level of bad cholesterol, LDL, and decreases the level of good cholesterol, HDL. In the production of hydrogenated oil, the healthy fats are converted into a new type of fatty acid, known as trans fat. Medical professionals have determined that trans fat is definitely harmful to one’s health. The consumption of hydrogenated oil has been known to give rise to coronary disease, diabetes, and obesity. Knowing that hydrogenated oils cause heart and cholesterol problems, why does the food industry continue to use it in all of their food products? Another problematic thing is what are people supposed to eat? Although, the food administrators have provided nutrition facts and ingredients to help people know what they’re consuming. So the best suggestion for people is to read the back of products and find out what they’re actually consuming. Unfortunately, this doesn’t solve everything because another problem arises from bacteria-infected foods.
Typically, people adjust their diet to become healthy by consuming fruits, vegetables, and proteins. Surprisingly, these produces have caused disease outbreaks, according to the article “When Bad Things Come From ‘Good’ Food”. Since September, the bacteria found in spinach, lettuce, and tomatoes have made many people sick, and three were killed. Now how are people supposed to trust the supermarkets and buy food? People already have to be cautious about what healthy foods to consume, but now they have to worry about purchasing infected foods? Isn’t this too much to worry about when consuming food? Other bad things that are present in food are flavor enhancers, also known as glutamic acid or MSG (monosodium glutamate). If there’s a high level of glutamates in the bloodstream, glutamate could go into the brain and cause the neurons to go wrong. Physical and psychological problems may result, and there may even be permanent damage. This is found in tomatoes, aged cheese and mushrooms, seaweed sauce, and frozen or canned foods to conceal any foul tastes. The article, “Diseases Attributed to Food Additives” provides plentiful and useful information about the chemicals present in different types of food.
After doing additional research, it’s apparent that there are more bad chemicals in food than what is typically known. Many people are becoming obese due to excessive consumption of hydrogenated oil. Ironically, people are trying to eat healthy by consuming vegetables, but many produce sold at supermarkets are infected with bacteria. This is a paradoxical situation because people are attempting to improve their health, but there happens to be other external factors that interfere. Food is so important to the human body, but it could be harmful and cause tragic damage as well. Will the food industry do something else to eliminate the bad chemicals and bacteria present in food? Or will people continue on the road to obesity and get sick?
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14 years ago