The scoop on so called natural food additives or substitutes used in processed foods is something I have been enlightening myself about for many years now. Just when you think some of these manufacturers would have some decency; there it is on the label and IN my- not so natural anymore- ice cream: tara gum!
In nature food grows in complete nutritional proportions. The stuff that's good, like fiber is usual the largest component, vitamins, minerals and flavor all balance out, depending on how much one usual eats of the particular kind. Then there is the medicinal kind, of which we do not need to consume huge quantities of at a given time.
When only a part of a plant is used and eaten in an unusual large amount, because it is now separate from the whole, it becomes un-natural in my opinion. If this part is then even more split up and only a certain substance is extracted from it, sometimes even with the use of chemicals, it is hardly what the plant once represented.
It is like looking at our moon and calling it the universe.
This then derived substance, that once came from a plant is used in an unnatural high ratio in our food to make it appear a certain way. All in the name of making money, extending shelf life and fooling us into thinking it tastes better or looks fresher. Thereby shortening our life and not to mention the lives of suffering dogs, bunnies, rats, etc on which these substances are being tested to see how much of it will make them sick.
Our bodies like to digest whole foods, because all the components are there to make it work. When a particle is singled out it up sets our digestive system and it either eliminates it or stores it until it can figure out what to do with it. If the amounts stagger by eating to many of these unbalanced foods, we become unbalanced and disease develops.
Ok, foods like ice cream are supposed to be consumed in moderation anyway you say, but I would extend this advice to ALL processed foods (you may have noticed how stacked the grocery stores are with them and the fresh food is sort of on the side...) or avoid them all together and only buy or make your food from fresh ingredients. So what, if the ice cream has some water crystals in it or the sour cream a few lumps? Oh dear, shredding your own cheese to avoid the added cellulose in the pre-packed ones? Certainly!
Next time you pick up one of those 'convenient' foods read the label and see what the makers expect you to swallow: gums, wood pulp (used as filler), artificial colors, sweeteners, preservatives, the list is long and often hidden in harmless sounding words such as natural flavor (meaning it's an msg) and naming the plant it once came from. What a waste of natural products to have them end up being polluted like this and making us sick in the long run.
Makes an apple, carrot or hand full of nuts a lot more convenient, when you think about it, doesn't it?
