Frankenfoods. Fake food.

Enter any large supermarket in the country, and the first thing you encounter is the fresh produce; bright colors, appealing smells, maybe even the scent of fresh-cut flowers. Nature’s bounty is clearly displayed in that section. Keep pushing your cart further inside, and you can identify cuts of meat, milk, eggs — still a clear connection between the products and their source.

Venture further into the aisles, and suddenly things become more obscure. There are rows of breakfast cereals in every shape, size, and color. Packaged snacks, soft drinks, bread wrapped in plastic bags, fridges of frozen food, and brightly hued heaps of candy — aisle upon aisle of shelf-stable foods fulfill every whim and desire.

Processed food is everywhere. It fills our pantries, fridges, freezers, lunchboxes, stomachs, and minds. In fact, 90 percent of the food Americans buy is processed: canned, frozen, dehydrated, or freeze-dried, according to Eric Schlosser, author of Fast Food Nation. The problem is that these preservation techniques destroy most of our food’s natural flavor and their nutritional content. And since the end of World War II, major industries have been devoting time and billions of dollars to restore the taste to the processed food they produce.

Michael Pollan, a writer and journalist, decided to track our food from the source. He began with corn harvested on a specific farm, tracing it to the factory for processing. Touring a plant at Iowa State University, he found that corn is basically separated into individual parts, ground into a white, unappetizing slush, and then sent to different factories to be turned into varied corn products. Fructose? High fructose corn syrup? Maltodextrin? Ethanol (alcohol and fuel for our cars)? Xanthan gum? Modified starch? All corn. Your typical meal of soda, chicken nuggets with ketchup, and French fries, when viewed by Pollan, is more than half derived from corn. We think we have endless variety. What we have is cheap, processed corn or soybeans under many different guises. “We’re processed corn, walking,” says Pollan.

“Most health problems Americans face today are the direct consequence of Frankenfoods,” Dr. Joel Fuhrman explains in Fast Food Genocide. Living in one of the wealthiest nations in the world, we’ve become a society brought up on fake, processed products. Malnutrition, a problem once solely facing Third World countries, is staring Americans in the face.

It’s a chilling thought. Americans spend 2.5 times more on health care than any other nation, yet our health is nowhere near the top of the list. CDC statistics indicate that more than 100 million American adults are obese, while one in ten adults suffer from diabetes. Heart disease, stroke, certain types of cancer, and an increase in autoimmune disease are rampant. The annual cost of obesity-related diseases is close to two billion dollars each year. According to Dr. Fuhrman, “It’s impossible to have normal brain function, and even a healthy emotional life, living on fake food. Fake food changes us, both mentally and physically.”

We can eat, we can be overweight, and we can still be starving.

They Couldn’t Stop

“Betcha can’t eat just one!” The (in)famous slogan of Lay’s potato chips could apply to about half the food we ingest.

Sara Bina Barnett, RDN, of the Lakewood-based SBNutrition explains the reality. “It’s addictive. These processed foods are designed to stimulate our brains. The top things my clients crave are French fries, chips, cake, cookies, and ice cream. Processed foods that have high sugar, fat, and sodium are the worst culprits. The more heavily processed a food is, the less nutrients it contains. Companies add vitamins and minerals, which is something that confuses people. I tell clients that “enriched” is a negative term. It means that all the positive aspects of the food were removed, and then synthetically replaced.”

In the fall of 2007, the Scripps Research Institute in Florida treated ten rats to an all-they-could-eat buffet of gourmet junk food. The rats ate so much that by the end of the 40-day trial, they had doubled their body weight. A safe haven, delicious food — what more could a rat want?

A lot, as it turned out. The scientists tested the rats’ response to an electric shock. Normal rats froze and tried to avoid the pain, but the corpulent rats kept gorging through their discomfort. They simply couldn’t stop. Using electrodes to measure brain impulses, it was possible to tell that while junk food made the rats happy at first, the pleasure wore off faster and faster every time they ate. The rats continually ate more to give themselves the pleasure they craved. They had become miserable, obese, food addicts.

How many of us find ourselves eating when we’re bored, nervous, or just as a “reward” after a tough day? It’s not just hunger, but rather the emotional aspect of eating. Eating trigger-foods makes the brain release the neurochemical dopamine, which results in a hormonal flood of pleasure. If you eat too much ice cream, you will soon have to eat more ice cream just to feel that “rush.” The desire for fast food becomes more intense every time it’s ingested, because it excites the brain.

Cravings are the result of our addiction to processed food and that villainous trifecta of taste: fat, sugar, and salt. Too much sodium inhibits the body from feeling fullness. We can then keep on eating long after it’s uncomfortably stuffed. With food addiction, instead of eating to live, we live to eat. Food becomes the master.

The Story of the Dorito

It gets worse. When the Dorito was first dreamed up by Arch West, he expected it to be an instant success. The triangle shape was new, and the crunch was satisfying. Deep fried, with a sweet taste from the corn, combined with a generous sprinkling of salt — it met all the criteria. It should have been a triumph.

But the Doritos weren’t selling, even with sugar, salt, and fat. Something was missing.

West’s colleagues were furious, but he didn’t capitulate. He decided to enhance his Doritos with a flavored spice blend that made the chips taste like tacos. By 2010, Doritos had created ten new flavors for the beloved chips, and the company was raking in five million annually. The era of man-made flavor had begun.

“Flavor factories churn out chemical desire,” Mark Schatzker, author of The Dorito Effect declares. One of the most addictive things about fake foods is their flavor. We don’t eat plain sugar mixed with water because it simply doesn’t taste good. Add some flavor, and suddenly it’s a drink you can market to millions.

Flavor is primarily the smell of gases released by chemicals you’ve put into your mouth. One drop of flavoring can add potent taste to five average-sized swimming pools, for only pennies. The flavor in a 12 ounce can of coke costs approximately one cent. Scientists at International Flavors and Fragrances, the world’s largest flavor company, spend their time trying to make our bland, processed food taste so addictive that we will keep buying and eating it.

Flavoring is in almost every processed food we eat — meat, yogurt, chips, drinks, candy, pastries — and we don’t even know what it is. For example, is there a difference between natural and artificial flavors? Often, they contain the same components, just obtained in a different manner. Amyl acetate is a substance that tastes like banana. Using a chemical to extract it from a banana gives you a natural flavor. Mixing vinegar with amyl alcohol yields an artificial flavor — but with the same ultimate result.

Want some strawberry ice cream? Typical artificial strawberry flavor contains a list of ingredients so long, it would take almost as long to read as the most convoluted list of ingredients on a shampoo bottle. Among others, strawberry flavor contains ethyl heptanoate, hydroxyphenyl-2-nutanone and methyl heptane carbonate. What exactly is that? None of us know.

While the Food and Drug Association (FDA) regulates additives, manufacturers are allowed to use their own experts to determine if the additives are safe, and meet FDA requirements. Michael Taylor, FDA’s former deputy commissioner, confessed that: “We simply do not have the information to vouch for the safety of many of these chemicals.”

Manufacturers manipulate taste, texture, fat, sugar, salt, and flavor to entice us into consuming more and more of their products. The ultimate choice lies in the hands of every individual. If knowledge is power, what exactly are we meant to do?

All about Balance

Life is hectic, and we’re all juggling so many different balls that the idea of preparing healthy meals and snacks might be enough to make the average frum woman want to toss that particular ball. After all, are we really supposed to eschew any processed products and pitch out all our white sugar? Are a pack of fish sticks and some frozen fries on a ridiculously busy night going to irreparably harm our children?

“We have to be normal,” Sara Bina tells me. “And also educated. It’s not about eating less, but about eating right. Here are several tips I recommend to increase the likelihood of healthy eating.”

Tip #1: If you can’t pronounce half the ingredients in a food item, it’s better to avoid it.

Tip #2: Check labels for the amount of added sugar in a product. (Some foods contain natural sugars, which may not be as harmful.) Unhealthy sugars are added for taste, texture, and to maintain shelf stability. The more added sugars, the worse the product.

Tip #3: Check the labels for whole grains. That means there are more nutrients in your food, and that goes a long way!

Tip #4: Make your own food as much as possible. When you control what you put in, your food will stay on the healthier side. This won’t be realistic all the time — the point is to do this as much as possible.

Tip #5: Saying you will “never” eat something tends to backfire. If most of your food is wholesome, and you replace processed foods with whole foods as much as possible, that’s great. (It’s important to note that Sara Bina also markets healthier muffins to clients and customers because she knows that treats and food choices that give us pleasure are also part of a normal diet.)

Tip #6: Make fruits and vegetables as accessible as possible. I like to have a platter of veggies and a dip for when my kids come home from school. When I’m extremely busy, it can be mini cucumbers, tomatoes, baby carrots, or other vegetables that don’t need to be cut.

Tip #7: Keep trying different brands of healthy foods. Certain brands of white whole wheat bread or pastas might work better than others. Be persistent. I’ve found Korn’s white whole wheat bread to be popular with 99 percent of my clients. Even picky kids often like Barilla whole grain pasta — I once used it for a sheva brachos, and no one noticed the difference!

Tip #8: Start training your kids young — but also realize that it’s never too late. I’ve worked with clients in their sixties who disliked healthy foods, and we managed to come up with satisfying solutions. There are so many healthy food choices that there’s something for everyone — as long as you’re open-minded!

Tip #9: Being healthier takes planning and commitment, but it shouldn’t have to take over your life. You can do it. Balance is key!

You are what you choose — to eat.

Who are you?

“Healthy” Impostors vs. Healthy Home Runs

Sara Bina shares better options for products that often pose as healthy foods — but are anything but!

Breakfast Cereal – Look for whole grains and satiating fiber. Some recommendations: Kix, Chex, plain Cheerios, Multigrain Cheerios (Sara Bina’s limit for sugar!), and Puffins. Compare amounts of sugar in various brands. High protein cereals generally contain more sugar, and most of us aren’t deficient in protein.

Yogurt – Most yogurt is mainly cream and sugar. Some contain 27g of sugar and only 4g of protein! However, plain yogurt with fruit doesn’t always work for kids. Greek yogurt is usually better because it contains more protein, which is filling. Read the nutrition label! Ideally, check added sugars before you buy yogurt. Sugar-free yogurts are controversial, but in moderation, they’re generally fine.

Crackers – Most are not very healthy. Stick with whole grain crackers, such as Shibolim, K’nockers, and whole grain or whole wheat Melba Toast.

Dressings – Look at the labels carefully! The serving sizes listed are for unrealistically tiny portions, so calculate how much you’re really consuming!

Snacks for Kids (and Adults!) – This is a major headache for parents. We need to be reasonable, and we can’t always say no. Sara Bina recommends one snack bag or pastry every day, as opposed to the multiple unhealthy snacks some of her younger clients consume daily.

Any fruits and vegetables are excellent, as is popcorn, roasted chickpea snacks, Drizzilicious snacks in moderation, whole wheat pretzels, packets of corn cakes/rice cakes, rice cakes with dark chocolate for a treat, and applesauce pouches and containers. Unsweetened dried fruit appeals to some, while freeze-dried fruit is for kids who enjoy a sweet crunch. Packaged olives, pickles and cheese sticks are also popular. A rule of thumb is packaged snacks in school, fresh snacks at home. With summer upon us, homemade popsicles made from blended frozen fruit, or fruit and yogurt smoothies, can be appealing, wholesome snacks.

What do YOU do?

Seven ordinary, busy mothers share ONE thing they do to make their menus just a little bit healthier.

Miri, mother of 4: “I serve vegetables every night with supper, and my kids have learned to love their veggies.”

Sari, mother of 6: “I make a lot of salad. On Shabbos we have around four salads per meal.”

Devora, mother of 4: “I’m trying to be more health-conscious, and my kids are following my example! They’ve been trying foods like quinoa — and enjoying them!”

Tova, mother of 5: “My kids don’t like cooked vegetables, but they enjoy soup. I make blended vegetable soups almost every week.”

Tzivy, mother of 3: “I water down the juice. Candy and soda are only for Shabbos.”

Shani, mother of 6: “No soda, ever!”

Adina, mother of 3: “I always have lots of fruit on hand, and I don’t stock up on certain unhealthy snacks. You can’t eat it if you don’t have it!”

(Originally featured in Family First, Issue 855)