Get to Know Your Food – Page 2

The Price of Eggs

Every day, I’m reminded of the old cliché, what’s that got to do with the price of eggs in China? The price of eggs in the US is mentioned somewhere in the news or online Every. Single. Day. So, let’s talk about it.

Eggs are an ingredient in many entrees, baked goods, and desserts. Many breakfast plates center around them. Most of us keep some in our refrigerator at all times. Due to their ubiquitous nature, even a slight increase in the price of eggs eats into the margins of restaurants, grocery stores, and food producers unless they increase consumer prices.

So how expensive are they?

Today, in my regular grocery store, a dozen large white eggs is $4.53. Another local store lists a dozen grade A large white eggs at $3.99. Other local stores are charging $5 to $6. Even at $6, we fall on the low end of the spectrum. At my regular grocery store in LA, a dozen jumbo white eggs runs $9.27.

More than $9 for a dozen eggs sounds ridiculous. Maybe it is. But until H5N1 is brought under control in poultry population, the price will continue to rise. We will have to pay more or find substitutes.

The interesting thing to me is that rarely do you see the price of eggs, or beef, or pork as ingredients in your kitchen compared with the price of we pay to consume these ingredients as part of packaged or restaurant food. We seem to lose our minds over the price of a carton of eggs for our refrigerator while not blinking an eye at an $11 hamburger from a fast food restaurant or a $4 muffin from the bakery.

You could say we’ll pay a lot for convenience. And that seems to be true. But I’m not sure we typically examine these costs closely or in any meaningful context. Sure, if you eat at home you will have to exert more effort. If you drink cocktails at home, you’ll have to invite people over to get a similar social experience.

But it seems crazy to scream about raw ingredients being expensive while paying too much for mediocre food on a regular basis without any similar complaint. If you have the money, it’s fine to make a choice to pay more for atmosphere, swiftness, convenience, and social interactions. But if you’re doing it without making a conscious choice, it’s possible you could mitigate the effects of higher egg prices on your household by examining this more comprehensively.

I’m not saying that higher ingredient prices are inconsequential. They’re making a lot of our lives harder. I’m simply saying that thinking about things differently can be helpful when we’re forced into changing circumstances.

Even at today’s prices, eggs fall in the middle range when compared to other proteins. Here is a snapshot of today’s price for fresh, ready-to-cook meat, poultry, fish, and seafood in the south central US at a single big box store. From that, we calculated the price per day for 5.5 ounces of protein – the daily serving recommendation per person from the American Heart Association.

Pork Loin Roast $1.84 per pound or $.12 per ounce is $.66 per day
85/15 Ground Turkey $3.64 per pound or $.23 per ounce is $1.27 per day
Boneless Pork Chops $4.58 per pound or $.29 per ounce is $1.60 per day
Chicken $4.78 per pound or $.30 per ounce is $1.65 per day
80/20 Ground Chuck $4.93 per pound or $.31 per ounce is $1.71 per day
Eggs $4.53 per dozen or $.38 per egg is $ per 2.09 per day
Tilapia $6.94 per pound or $.43 per ounce is $2.37 per day
93/7 Lean Ground Beef $6.97 per pound or $.44 per ounce is $2.42 per day
Beef Chuck Roast $6.97 per pound or $.44 per ounce is $2.42 per day
Shrimp $8.98 per pound or $.56 per ounce is $3.08 per day
Scallops $9.64 per pound or $.60 per ounce or $3.36 per day
Salmon $10.38 per pound or $.65 per ounce is $3.58 per day

As you can see, eggs currently sit in the middle of the pack. That may not be where they fell before, and it will change again. But having a general idea of larger comparisons can give you more control over your budget.

When it comes down to it, it’s not the price of eggs that’s stretching you thin. It’s the price of many cumulative things. The more factors you become aware of, the more options you have. That’s what the price of eggs has to do with the price of eggs.

Seed Oil Invasion

My virulent response to sunflower oil in food has me noticing a seed oil invasion when I shop. It could be that seed oils have always been present to this extent and I failed to notice. It could also be that they are contained in more foods now than ever before.

Vibrant sunflower field with a single hand reaching skyward amongst blooms under a clear sky

Seed oils are plant based which can make them sound healthy. To make things additionally confusing, they are sometimes found in minimally processed foods that are labeled as healthy alternatives to ultra processed foods.

And who thinks of bread, bagels, and granola as ultra processed food? Not most of us. And yet many brands are chock full of seed oils.

Are seed oils good for you? https://health.clevelandclinic.org/seed-oils-are-they-actually-toxic

In theory, they could be acceptable. But most often they are bleached, refined, and heated to help with taste and shelf-life. Such processing eliminates the potential health benefits and leaves oils with high levels of omega-6 fatty acids. While the body needs some omega-6s, this is problematic.

If you have too much omega-6 in your system, it upsets the ratio of omega-6s to omega-3s and causes inflammation. The ideal ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 is 2:1 or 1:1. For most Americans, the actual ratio is a staggering 10:1 and sometimes 20:1. And people keep asking if inflammation is to diet. With these numbers, it seems like the question answers itself.

The numbers also suggest seed oils are a big problem for lots of people besides me. If you have recurring abdominal cramping, bloating, gas, constipation, and diarrhea and can’t identify the source, you may want to see how much seed oil you are ingesting.

I know I’ve written about label reading ad nauseum, but I’m about to do it again.

The only way to know whether a packaged food contains seed oil is to read the label. I know it’s time consuming and not fun, but label reading can save you a lot of painful symptoms when you have food intolerance or allergies. And it can help you reduce the possibility of inflammation.

What you’re looking for are things like canola, cottonseed, grapeseed, sesame, soybean, sunflower, and safflower oil. Many characterize corn oil, rice bran oil, and peanut oil as seed oils, but peanut oil has fewer omega-6 fatty acids than others on this list.

Even though seed oils are pervasive, you will still have options to explore. Coconut, palm, and avocado oils are not considered seed oils. Neither is olive oil.

But before you start a journey to eliminate seed oils from your diet, be prepared – especially if you love chips and fries. It can be hard to locate chips that are fried in olive or avocado oil. And you may have to order something besides fries with your burger or risk a tummy ache.

I wish my favorite almond crackers hadn’t been invaded by seed oil. I feel the same about my favorite packaged popcorn. Even the doughnuts I used to order for my sister’s visits have been invaded. Again, the reality may be this has always been true and I’m just now noticing.

Or it could be we’re under siege from seed oils!

A Matter of Degree?

Is the difference between processed and ultra-processed food a matter of degree? Health experts have long railed against processed foods, but more recently seem to differentiate between processed and ultra-processed foods. This made me wonder, what’s the difference? Perhaps you’re wondering too.

The idea of ultra-processed food as a separate category began to circulate around 2009 when a Brazilian researcher, Carlos A. Montiero, coined the term in a scientific paper. The following year, he and his colleagues developed the NOVA Classification System for grouping foods according to level of processing. This system is currently used worldwide.

The NOVA Classification System has four categories: Unprocessed and minimally processed foods, processed culinary ingredients, processed foods, and ultra-processed foods. These categories range from fresh eggs, fruits, and vegetables to industrial formulations with five or more ingredients.

In spite of this widely used system, there is no set definition of ultra-processed. Other definitions include: foods changed by science until they’re almost unrecognizable from their original form; foods that have been altered to include fats, starches, sugars, salts and hydrogenated oils extracted from other foods; formulations not used in culinary preparations.

Why are ultra-processed foods relevant?

When you’re attempting to follow a healthy diet, these foods can be detrimental. They have been linked to increased risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, some cancers, and inflammation. And many are full of chemicals that may be harmful to some people.

For me, it seems many categories of processed foods have added ultra-processed options. And some long-standing processed foods have changed formulations or added ingredients that push them into the ultra category. And it isn’t always the cheapest food that contains the most additives.

What falls into the ultra-processed category?

Pretty much anything with a long list of additives and preservatives. When using the NOVA system, whole grain breads, lightly sweetened breakfast cereal or yogurt, and peanut butter may fit the criteria for ultra-processed. But as we know, not all breads, cereals, or yogurts are created equal.

Before you start throwing food in the trash, take a moment to review why you are choosing a particular product. If it’s for shelf-life or convenience, be realistic. If you eliminate a particular food, are you more likely to drive through a fast-food restaurant to fill the gap you created? If so, elimination may not be the best goal.

Is there a replacement you find appetizing, or can adjust to, that is processed, but not ultra-processed? If so, substitution may be a better goal. Some products, like peanut butter, are available in natural versions that contain only peanuts and salt. As long as the sodium content is reasonable, the natural version is a reasonable healthier replacement.

Plain yogurt that you sweeten with honey and top with fresh fruit is healthier than fruit-flavored, sweetened yogurt even though the yogurt itself is processed. Sparkling water with a squeeze of orange or lemon juice is healthier than canned flavored water which is healthier than a soda. Plain tortilla chips are healthier than nacho cheese flavored chips.

In fact, it can be helpful to know that processed simply means altered from its original form. This means common ingredients like the sugar, butter, and flour we use for scratch cooking are “processed.” Heating, pasteurizing, canning, and drying are also kinds of processing.

When I pick something from the garden, it’s unprocessed. Once I’ve cleaned it and removed any inedible parts, it’s been through the first stage of processing. After that, if I bake, boil, or freeze, it’s been through another stage of processing. But as long as I haven’t soaked it in salt or fat, it’s still a healthy food.

If I bake cookies, I am processing the flours with heat, plus combining them with fats and sugars. By definition, my homemade cookies can be called processed. The amount of fat and sugar will determine their level of healthiness, but they will most likely be healthier than a packaged version because that is all they contain. It is not uncommon for packaged products to include ingredients that are not on the label because they fall below the level required for listing.

Rather than being alarmed by the word processed or getting caught up in a war of definitions that causes you to eliminate convenience to the point it impedes your goals, choose products with fewer chemicals, additives, preservatives (including sodium, sugar, and fat), sweeteners, and flavorings. Cook and freeze when you can. Choose fresh as often as possible.

Remember that ultra-processed is a matter of degree. It’s the most changed and/or added to result of food production. When you regularly choose the least altered foods, you’ll automatically be on a healthier path. And we’ll be here cheering you on!

And/Or Sunflower Oil

Four little words – and/or sunflower oil. Does it really matter whether a cracker, cereal bar, or chip contains avocado, canola, corn, palm, safflower, soybean, or sunflower oil?

It does to me. That little and/or business has frustrated and mystified my search for foods that cause adverse reactions. If not for a particular accidental order of events, I’d still be wondering why potato chips sometimes make me ill and sometimes don’t.

I thought I couldn’t tolerate corn, popcorn, potatoes, almonds, cashews, and some gluten-free oats. I puzzled over the reason crackers with essentially identical ingredients caused very different responses and why a particular brand might bother me sometimes and not others. I eliminated foods right, left, and upside down only to continue having symptoms.

I mostly chocked intermittent reactions up to excessive burden. In other words, I’d probably eaten too many slightly irritating things at the same time which created an excessive burden on my system causing a reaction. That was my allergist’s go-to explanation when he was unable to explain an allergic response.

That explanation lives in the back of my mind. But should it? Or is there always a direct line that can be traced if we can just isolate a problem ingredient or combo?

I don’t know the answer. And given labeling standards plus the way in which elimination diets are often practiced, it’s going to be hard to get to something definitive. That is unfortunate because for health, comfort, and quality of life, individuals NEED TO KNOW the specific things that are problematic and what foods, drugs, supplements, etc. contain those things.

In that sense, and/or doesn’t cut it. Which is it? What is it? Is it in this food or not? I need to know…definitively.

Of course I understand I can only know what’s in a food if I make it. I’ve written those words countless times. But on occasion I must navigate restaurant food, parties, and events.

It’s difficult for hosts and considerate friends to keep up with a lengthy list of everchanging things they can’t feed me. And a list that frequently changes back and forth starts to look suspect, lending a certain credence to the skeptical who believe dietary restrictions are made up.

This lands as another frustration on top of the frustration of feeling bad while doing your best to avoid problematic foods. Could the food industry make things easier? Of course. But it would eat into their profit and give them less flexibility. Given ingredient shortages, supply chain difficulties, and inflation, it’s doubtful that fighting for more specific labeling standards would be a winning option at this moment.

The best you can do is write it down. Make a list of suspect foods. Compare and contrast over and over and over again until you find the commonality. This can lead you to problem ingredients. Starting with words like and/or and eliminating ingredients on either side of the phrase can help save a lot of time, especially when you’re experiencing intermittent reactions.

And since I began this post with oil, remember that vegetable oil is a very wide category and analyze accordingly. I hope you arrive at the answer more quickly than I did!