We in our highly advanced and regulated society, would like to believe that if something was not good for us it would not be allowed to be sold in our grocery stores. Wouldn't that be nice. The sad truth is there is no entity out there capable of ensuring the nutritional value or even the complete safety of the food sold on the shelves today. Food, like most everything else today is largely seen as a business. Profits control the ingredients and handling. They govern growing procedures, shipping, and of course labelling.
Fads and fashion control the names we use to describe our food, ie, "fat free" , "low carbs", "sugar free"' etc. The goal is to make it appear desirable, when in fact the goal should be to achieve high quality, nutrient rich, tasty food that will in fact protect us from decease not lead us to decease. There are things parading as food, and "food products" that our bodies have no idea what to do with once they enter our mouths. From these we must abstain. At least avoid as much as we can.
In view of the various risks and concerns about food, some people today decide to take the time to buy, prepare, and eat more fresh food. If that option appeals to you, seek out stores or markets in your area that sell fresh, untreated commodities. One consumer guide explains: “Many consumers seek contact with the producers—either at weekly markets [where fresh produce is sold] or where the food is produced—so as to buy the items when they are particularly fresh and to get a look at the production of the food and its origin.” This practice may be helpful when buying meat products.
In a similar vein, it may be best to purchase local foodstuffs in season, since they may be the healthiest. Realize, however, that if you adhere to such a standard, you will forfeit having a global selection of fruit and vegetables year-round.
Should you switch to organic food? That is a personal decision. Organic food has many enthusiasts, some no doubt motivated by distrust of new technologies used in the food industry. But not everyone agrees that organic farming offers safer food.
Whatever your preferences in food, carefully examine what you buy. “Where food is concerned,” laments one expert quoted in the weekly newspaper Die Zeit, “the consumer looks only at the price.” Being price conscious is laudable, but inspect the list of ingredients as well. It is estimated that nearly half the people buying food in Western lands do not take the time to read the nutritional information printed on labels. Granted, in some lands labeling is not comprehensive. But if you want safe food, then do what you can to examine the ingredients.
Whatever decisions you make regarding the foods you eat, you will probably need to be willing to bend at times, adapting to the realities of the land in which you live. For many people in this day and age, it is simply impossible—too expensive, too time-consuming, too problematic—to make sure that they eat only foods that are verifiably safe in every respect
