On the DietDitch program we encourage you to avoid the long list. Why is this so?
Well because we have a sneaky suspicion that this list can actually make you fat.
So – I went to have a look in mom’s pantry to see what sort of lists I could find – this wasn’t so easy because eating the DietDitch way she really doesn’t have much of anything that has a long list. I was impressed.
But anyway I found a couple of things that I could look at the first being a packet of crackers. These are labelled on the packet as a ‘wholesome, country style, wheat cracker that the whole family will love’. They are made by a trusted Australian company as we get many Australian products in New Zealand.
So Let Us See
– this is the list from the packet. I have added the chemical name, if you like to call it that, in italics.
- Wheat flour
- Vegetable oil
- Sugar
- Wheatmeal
- Wheatgerm
- Salt
- Malt extract (from barley)
- Bran
- Rising agent (E341 E500) E 341 is Calcium Orthophosphates. E 500 is Sodium bicarbonate or baking soda.
- Flavours (contains milk)
- Honey
- Golden Syrup
- Milk solids
- Yeast
- Flavour enhancer (E621) Mono-sodium L-glutamate
- Vegetable extract (soy)
- Beef fat
- Food acid (E 330) Citric Acid
- spice extract
- Emulsifier (E322 from soy) lecithin
Kind of just blows you away don’t it. It is just a cracker for goodness sake.
What About Chewing Gum.
Do you eat sugared chewing gum because you don’t want to eat artificial sweetener? Well did you know plain old PK has 3 artificial sweeteners in it including Aspartame 951, as well as 950 and 961 and E 320 Butylated hydroxyl-anisole which is banned in some countries.
Then they have added a few other E numbers just for good measure. Hmmmmm
So we are not saying that all E numbers are bad for you however we do feel it is important to read the labels of products and be aware of what you are eating. You should know for example that E 621 is Mono-sodium L-glutamate and that E951 is Aspartame which is the most common of the artificial sweeteners on the planet. These two products alone may cause upsets in some of you although the manufacturers say there is no evidence. We urge you to find your own truth as always.
Do you need to get hung up about it – no, because eating the DietDitch way the majority of your food choices will not have a label attached and the labelled food will be eaten only moderation. And if we avoid the Long List, that is all the better.
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