A couple weeks ago, word hit the street that Panda Express, a popular fast-food chain, is replacing eggs with corn in their fried rice.
Here’s a link to a video on the story.
Think about this next time you’re power-walking through the mall and someone offers you a sample of their chicken while you stride through the food court. Just keep on going before their succulent sample lures you into a nasty surprise.
They’re replacing a solid source of protein and healthy fats with lousy corn. And you can bet it’s genetically modified organism (GMO) corn.
The reason they gave for the switch?
A nationwide egg shortage due to bird flu.
Now… let’s put the bird flu stuff aside and focus on the nutritional aspect of this story. (I know we’ve got some readers ready to fire away some articles about how it’s a government conspiracy… as if the government’s competent enough to construct such plots… Well, maybe some puppet masters are, but anyway, I’m trying to stick to health here!)
It’s another example of a company choosing to save money over using quality ingredients. Now, I don’t have a problem with that. If consumers demand a cheap product, they can expect to get just that. Imagine the uproar if Panda kept using eggs but bumped their prices up instead.
I buy my eggs from a local farm. No shortage there. No animals stuffed with grains either.
But every now and then, I succumb to the convenience of eating out for lunch. Here’s how a recent conversation went between me and a co-worker when he saw me eating some Hunan beef:
Co-worker: “That stuff is loaded with sugar.”
Me: “*** **** it!”
Somewhere, buried in my subconscious, I knew. But my taste buds outvoted my brain (a common occurrence with most other parts of me too).
Think of it this way:
Whatever cheap-ish dish you grab for lunch has to go through just about all of the following:
- Ingredients purchased in bulk (that are available year-round).
- Able to withstand a cross-country or overseas journey without spoiling.
- Cheap to purchase.
- Easy to assemble.
- Be waiting, hot and fresh, within a few minutes of you ordering.
- Make a profit for every link in the supply chain.
- Taste good enough for you to want more.
… Do you really expect the convenient fare you get at a chain store to fulfill all the requirements above and STILL be healthy?
Don’t count on it. Because in lieu of the higher prices required for better-quality ingredients, purveyors of convenient food have a couple tricks up their sleeve:
- Excitotoxins — these chemicals fire up the pleasure centers in your brain. MSG is probably the most commonly known. Others are aspartame and any other noncalorie sweetener in diet drinks. But excitotoxins can show up in the sauces of main dishes as well.
- Processed carbohydrates, like sugar — again, I have to hate on sauces here. They’re the perfect place to sneak in spoonfuls of sugar to ensure any meat dish you order tastes delectable. It’s the real reason spice combinations are top-secret.
You’re especially in danger at a restaurant because you can’t readily examine the ingredients list.
So if lifelong health and staying trim is something you want for yourself, make the majority of your meals at home.
The problem with this is even grocery stores and food companies can fool you with the harmful (but tasty!) ingredients they sneak into products. Or spray on products. Or feed the animals that eventually create the products.
Does this concern you? And would you be interested in a handy guide you can take with you to the grocery store so you can tell exactly which foods are healthy and which are merely pretending to be?
With this guide, you could scan any label and instantly pick out the hidden, potentially harmful ingredients. Even the ones that sound healthy (food companies do this to fool you).
If you’re interested in a guide like that, write to us at livingwelldaily@lfb.org. We’ve got something in the works, but we’ll move forward on the project only if there’s enough reader response.
Until then, make your own food as much as possible. At least you’ll (sort of) know what’s going into it.
Nate Rifkin
Underground Health Researcher
