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The biggest problem with processed foods is that they simply can't be trusted. If we're trying to control our MC symptoms by diet, and we're including a significant number of processed foods in our choices, the odds are fairly good that we may be eating contaminated food. The more processed foods we eat, the greater our chances of being "glutened", or "casined", or "soyed", or "whatevered"
Unfortunately, it's a sad fact of life, that we may never be able to achieve remission, if one of the foods that we eat regularly, is contaminated. That's why it's always best to eat either no processed foods, or as few as possible, while we're initially trying to get our symptoms under control.
If we want to try processed foods after we're in remission, that's relatively safe and easy to do, because once we're in remission, it's easy to tell if a food is contaminated - it will cause symptoms. If we're already having symptoms to begin with, though, it's impossible to tell if a food is contaminated, so if we continue to eat a contaminated food, we will remain symptomatic indefinitely, which is an unfortunate and sad state or affairs, but I have a hunch that it happen much more frequently than we realize.
Why? Because most people who are newly diagnosed with this disease, have to be dragged "kicking and screaming" to the GF diet. That's not surprising, because no one wants to have to change the diet that they have enjoyed for so many years, especially when it requires cutting out so many of the foods that they love to eat, and which they have eaten all their life. So what do they do - naturally, they try to find GF substitutes for the foods that they are accustomed to eating. They want the products to look the same, and taste the same. And that means, they want processed foods. Cooking from scratch isn't even on many people's radar, these days. Our grandparents did it all the time, but these days, we think that food should premixed, ready to cook with as few steps as possible.
IMO, next to the habit of eating out, cooking with processed foods is one of the most common stumbling blocks that can prevent us from reaching remission. The problem is that the deck is stacked against us when we use processed foods. First off, we have to carefully read the label, and if we happen to miss a single ingredient that we can't tolerate, we've already gone astray before we even start cooking.
A second pitfall becomes a risk when we learn to trust a product, because we know that it works for us, and then one fine day, without warning, that manufacturer decides to change an ingredient or two, (which seems to happen rather frequently these days, with many products), and we fall into the trap, by failing to read the label every time.
The most frustrating risk, though, is one that's totally beyond our control, and that's the increasing risk of undeclared allergens in processed foods. As more and more manufacturers outsource ingredients from the far corners of the earth, and ingredient suppliers are changed frequently, the risk of contaminated ingredients is rising dramatically. This recall report is representative of what's happening:
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases ... 16448.htmlUndeclared allergens were the most common cause of food recalls during the quarter, accounting for more than 45 percent of all food recalls. The number of recalls initiated because of undeclared allergens exceeded the total number of recalls for the pathogens Salmonella, Botulism and Listeria combined. Salmonella was the second leading cause of food recalls during the quarter.
When we cook from scratch, we can buy locally, from a trusted supplier, and we can even cook from our own garden. But when we buy processed foods, we typically have no control over where the various ingredients may come from, because they literally come from everywhere - all over the world. They come from wherever the processor could find the cheapest quote, that would meet their needs, at the time that they contracted those supplies. Can we seriously think that a supplier in Timbuktu, (or wherever), is going to decline an opportunity to make a big sale to a processor, just because they cannot be absolutely sure that a batch or two of the ingredient that they are offering for sale might not carry a risk of cross-contamination? Times are tough - they have to sell their products, if they're going to put food on their own tables.
Anyway, I just want to point out that if we're really serious about achieving remission, cooking from scratch can do wonders toward reaching that goal. Back when I was floundering around, trying to "eat my way back to health", I discovered that regardless of how safe the label looked, if the product contained more than 4 or 5 ingredients, I would react to it, virtually every time. It finally dawned on me that I needed to avoid all that stuff, if I intended to get my life back.
Now, after being in remission for years, I can eat processed foods, if I want, because even if the label is wrong, I will know almost immediately, and I won't make that mistake a second time. I occasionally eat GF cereals, and a few other things, but for the most part, I still mostly cook from scratch. After all, if we cook from scratch, then for all practical purposes, our GF, DF, SF, etc., food is really no more expensive than the food that everyone else is eating. Except for baking, of course, but since I've always viewed baked products as mostly desert items, anyway, we shouldn't get upset about having to pay more for deserts and specialty foods.
Love,
Tex
Enjoyed your input, as usual.
