Some thoughts about the organic/natural food
movement from a chemical engineer:
1) There will always be chemicals in
your food. No matter what you do. Even if you become super
self-reliant and grow all of your own food in your backyard (which I don’t
suggest). Let’s do a little review of high school chemistry real quick. What is
food- and everything else in the world- made up of? Tiny atoms that are bonded
together to form chemicals. Little hydrogens, oxygens, carbons, etc. We take
two hydrogens and an oxygen and bond them together and what chemical do we get?
Water! Similarly, we can take other atoms and bond them together to make
chemicals. And without this structure, nothing exists. Nothing. Not even air.
And especially not your food. Even if it’s organic.
2)
Just
because a chemical has a fancy name does not mean it’s bad for you. Did
you know that drink you’re having is filled with dihydrogen monoxide? I can’t
believe you would drink that stuff! It’s a fancy name for water, actually. Oh and how about eating something flavored with
2-methyl butyraldehyde? Don’t like it? Then better stop eating blueberries.
Even the all-natural, organic kind, because that chemical is in there. It’s not
added, it’s already there.
3)
Just
because a chemical is used in something non-food related, doesn’t mean it’s bad
to have in your food.
Did you also know that the dihydrogen monoxide you are drinking is also used
in windshield wiper fluid? Gross! Can you imagine putting the same chemical
from windshield wiper fluid into your body? Oh and by the way, saying a
chemical shouldn’t be eaten because it can be found in plastic is a copout.
4)
The
Food and Drug Administration knows a whole lot more about what chemicals
shouldn’t be in food than a simple google search does. Google
is an amazing thing. We can learn so much about so many things. But that
knowledge often puts us in danger of thinking we are smarter than experts
because we read a Wikipedia page. The FDA is made up of people who have PhD’s
in nutrition and chemistry and public health and food science. They know their
stuff! And they have absolutely no motivation to allow toxic things to be put
in your food. So maybe once you have studied one (or all!) of these topics for
eight years of your life rather than reading a few blogs and talking to some
friends, then feel free to question the FDA’s regulations about what chemicals
should be allowed in foods.
5)
Food
Manufacturers will never- I repeat- never put a chemical in your food that
doesn’t serve a purpose. People seem to have this image in
their heads of a mad scientist that mixes up weird chemicals and throws them in
the food just for fun. Like the mad scientist says, “oh this long-named, funny
sounding chemical is usually used for the rubber in car tires. But let’s add it
to this batch of crackers I’m making. That will really have everyone coming
back for more! And it will poison their children in the process!” Sounds
ridiculous, right? Because it is. Any and every chemical you can find on an
ingredient list is there for a reason. You may not agree with the reason, but
that doesn’t mean there isn’t one. If you oppose preservatives or pesticides,
that’s fine, but realize your food will go bad quicker and be willing to share
your meal with the bugs!
6)
Organic
food is much more likely to be recalled than non-organic food.
One of the main reasons- bacteria. Can’t have any of those antibacterial
preservatives for the federally regulated “organic” label. The result- you run
the risk of bacteria. I’d personally rather FDA approved preservatives that
have been studied thoroughly and determined to be safe.
7)
All
foods are processed! This one couldn’t possibly be true! Oh
but it is. Shocking, right? Every food goes through a process. I tried to find a
good definition for what organic foodies consider “processed” and I struggled.
I’m sure it’s out there and that’s fine. But just know even fresh produce generally
goes through a manufacturing plant and is packaged into boxes or bags. Sure,
you buy the stuff at the store looking fresh under the sprinklers, but
remember, the workers just unloaded it from some sort of container it was
shipped in.
8)
Vaccinate
your children! Okay, I know this one isn’t food
related at all. But it’s super important so I’m putting it anyway. Just as the
FDA knows more than you about food, the Centers for Disease Control knows WAY
more than you do about children and diseases. One of my biggest pet peeves is
when parents act like they know more about a disease than a doctor does, just
because they read the Wikipedia page, WebMD, and a blog of other parents’
opinions. Vaccinations are safe and important. If you disagree, talk to me
after you have spent 10-12 hours a day studying them for a minimum of eight years.
Because 99.9%* of the people who have done that will say to vaccinate your
children.
(*A made up statistic. But I don’t
care. There are plenty of reliable statistics out there for vaccinations. Start
working on those eight years of study, and you will find them.)
9)
And
finally, start appreciating progress. I get that life is too
fast-paced sometimes. I agree we should stop and smell the roses once in a
while. But that doesn’t mean we have to grow all our own food and live separate
from society. We have modern food technology and medicine and it’s a wonderful
thing.
Feed your kid apples and carrots instead
of cookies and chips. If you want to grow your own garden, great. That’s a
wonderful thing. But be informed if you are going to act informed. Don’t say
you hate chemistry and then claim to be a nutrition expert. And above all else,
don’t look down on your neighbor because she doesn’t eat as all-natural as you
do.
