BedLam's Posts
Nairaland Forum › BedLam's Profile › BedLam's Posts
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 ... 68 69 70 71 72 73 (of 73 pages)
Shrimp Coated in Cleaning Chemicals What it is: Depending on where your shrimp comes from, it could be tainted with chemicals used to clean filthy shrimp farm pens. Just as gross, farmed shrimp from overseas is often full of antibiotics, mouse and rat hair, and pieces of insects. Where it is: Contaminated shrimp tends to come from critters imported from overseas shrimp farms. If you're looking for safer options, choose domestic shrimp. For the best options, consult the good fish list . Why it's bad: Only about 2 percent of all imported seafood is inspected, meaning this nasty stuff is making its way onto your plate.
|
Brain-Frying Fake Food Dyes What it is: Many artificial food dyes found in hundreds of everyday foods are made from petroleum-derived materials. Where it is: Dyes are used in cereals and candy to make them more "fun" for kids, in pickles to make them appear fresher, and in place of actual real ingredients in a variety of foods. Example? Betty Crocker Carrot Cake Mix is actually a carrot-free product, with "carrot flavored pieces" cooked up from corn syrup and artificial colors Yellow 6 and Red 40 Why it's bad: Orange and purple food dyes have been shown to impair brain function, while other dyes have been linked to ADHD and behavioral problems in kids and brain cell toxicity. You're getting ripped off, too. It's cheaper for food companies to use fake dyes than real ingredients. (Tropicana Twister Cherry Berry Blast contains 0 percent berry and cherry juice, despite its name.)
|
Ammonia-cleansed Beef What it is: Factory-farm conditions are rife with bacteria. On top of that, processing plants mix meat from hundreds or thousands of different cows, potentially creating a public health hazard in the mix. To try to make the meat "safer," industry typically puts the beef through an ammonia gas bath. Where it is: The USDA deems the gross process safe enough, and allows the meat to be sold without any indication that it received the gas treatment. (The process is banned in meats earning organic certification.) Why it's bad: You might order your burger with pickles or lettuce, but you likely don't want a side of ammonia, a poisonous gas. The kicker? Evidence suggests that blasting beef with it might not even be fully effective at killing germs. Look for organic, pasture- raised meats for a safer option. Often, you can buy these meats directly from local, sustainable farmers.
|
crushed bugs what it is: Carmine, a bright red food colorant, is actually the crushed abdomen of the female Dactylopius coccus, an African beetle-like insect. Where it is: Look for it in red candies and red-tinted yogurts and juices (particularly ruby red juices)—it's often listed as carmine, crimson lake, cochineal, or natural red #4 on ingredient labels, according to Bradley. Why it's bad: Not only is the thought of eating bug juice gross, but it also poses an ethical issue for some vegetarians and vegans. |
Human Hair and Feathers What it is: L-cysteine is a non-essential amino acid made from dissolved human hair (often from China) or duck feathers. Where it is: It's used as a commercial dough conditioner to improve the texture of breads and baked goods. Why it's bad: Eating something derived from the human body violates Muslim beliefs. Hair and duck feathers pose an ethical dilemma for vegans, too. Bake your own homemade bread (without hair and feathers) using bread recipes from the Rodale Recipe Finder. |
Shampoo Chemicals in Produce What it is: Phthalates are plasticizing chemicals used in everything from pesticides and fragranced soaps and shampoos to nail polish and vinyl shower curtains. Where it is: A 2010 study published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives found phthalates are winding up in our food, too. The source could be direct exposure to pesticides containing the hormone-disrupting chemical. Or to another potential source, human sewage sludge applied as a fertilizer to farm fields. The sludge can be tainted with shampoo chemicals that wash down the drain—it all winds up at the water-treatment plant, the source of the sludge. (Note: Use of human sewage sludge is banned in organic farming.) Why it's bad: Phthalate exposure, even in small amounts, has been linked to behavioral problems in children, allergies and asthma, eczema, and unhealthy changes in our hormonal systems. |
Sex Hormones in Milk What it is: Today's cows produce double the amount of milk they did just 40 years ago, thanks largely to a genetically engineered, synthetic hormone called recombinant bovine somatotropin, or rBST. Where it is: It could be in milk that's not organic or not labeled as rBST free. Why it's bad: Scientists link rBST to prostate, breast, and colon cancers. It's banned in other countries, and although still legal here, many dairies are moving away from it due to consumer demand. Choose organic milk to ensure that the cows producing your milk are fed a diet free of antibiotics, hormones, and pesticides. |
Beaver Anal Gland Juice What it is: It's a bitter, smelly, orange- brown substance known as castoreum, explains Bradley. "In nature, it's combined with the beaver's urine and used to mark its territory." Where it is: It's used extensively in processed food and beverages, typically as vanilla or raspberry flavoring. Why it's bad: This gross ingredient won't show up on the label. Instead, companies using it in making processed food list it as "natural flavoring." This poses a dilemma for vegans and vegetarians—and anyone who wants to avoid eating any creature's anal excretions.
|
Herbicide-Flavored Food What it is: Glyphosate, the active chemical ingredient in the popular weed killer, Roundup, is a hormone-disrupting chemical now used primarily on corn and soy crops genetically engineered to withstand a heavy dousing of the chemical. Nonorganic farmers dumped 57 million pounds of glyphosate on food crops in 2009, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) figures. Where it is: Roundup is so heavily used around homes and in farm fields that it's now being detected in streams, the air, and even rain. Because it's a systemic herbicide, it's actually taken up inside the plant… meaning we eat it. Yep, it's legally allowed in our food, and in an amount that worries scientists. It's found in most nonorganic packaged foods because most contain corn- or soy-derived ingredients, the crops that are most often heavily doused with Roundup. Why it's bad: Glyphosate exposure is linked to obesity, learning disabilities, birth defects, infertility, and potentially irreversible metabolic damage. To avoid pesticides in products, eat organic and avoided processed foods as much as possible. And use caution— "all natural" foods often are chockfull of pesticides and genetically engineered ingredients. |
Flesh-Eating Bacteria What it is: Grocery store meats are commonly infused with veterinary medicines, heavy metals, and staph bacteria, including the hard-to-kill, potentially lethal MRSA strain. Where it is: Unfortunately, the problem is far from rare. A study published last year in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases found that half of grocery store meat tested harbored staph bacteria. Researchers ID the overuse of antibiotics in industrial agriculture as a major cause in the rise of superbugs in our grocery store food. Why it's bad: MRSA kills about 19,000 people a year in America—that's more annual deaths than from AIDS in the U.S. Purchasing grass-fed meat and eggs from organic farmers is a more sustainable choice.
|
Maggoty Mushrooms What it is: Maggots are fly larvae, tiny rice-shaped creatures that feast on rotting foods. Where it is: The Food and Drug Administration legally allows 19 maggots and 74 mites in a 3.5-ounce can of mushrooms. Why it's bad: While maggots do have their place in the medical world—they can help heal ulcers and other wounds—most people think it's pretty gross to eat them! If you need another reason to ditch canned goods, consider this: Most are lined with bisphenol A, or BPA , a plastic chemical that causes unnatural hormonal changes linked to heart attacks, obesity, and certain cancers.
|
Paint Chemical in Salad Dressing What it is: Titanium dioxide is a component of the metallic element titanium, a mined substance that is sometimes contaminated with toxic lead. Where it is: Commonly used in paints and sunscreens, big food corporations add it to lots of things we eat, too, including processed salad dressing, coffee creamers, and icing. Why it's bad: The food industry adds it to hundreds of products to make dingy, overly processed items appear whiter. "White has long been the symbolic color of 'clean,'" explains food industry insider Bruce Bradley, who shares the tricks, traps, and ploys of big food manufacturers on his blog, BruceBradley.com . "Funny, when you use real food, you don't need any of these crazy additives—I think I prefer the real deal."
|
Flame Retardant–Laced Soda What it is: The toxic flame retardant chemical brominated vegetable oil, or BVO, was initially used to keep plastics from catching on fire. Where it is: For decades, the food industry has been adding it to certain sodas, juices, and sports drinks, including Mountain Dew, Fanta Orange, Sunkist Pineapple, and some Gatorade and Powerade flavors. BVO's purpose? To keep the artificial flavoring chemicals from separating from the rest of the liquids. Why it's bad: Scientists have linked too much BVO to bromide poisoning symptoms like skin lesions, memory loss, and nerve disorders. |
sigh! what is the way forward? |
babyosisi: Wasn't this the same way Muslim imams and some pastors supposedly met with and prayed for YaraduaA picture they said speaks a thousand words, how about a moving piture(video), I guess it speaks 100 times more! |
I hate it when I don't see pictures! you can't just sit in your cubicle and be writing stories from abuja or Lagos. go to where things are happening! funky journalism! |
so it is no longer who is fit for the job but our person? we won't get it right in a million Years if that is the case.........I don't blame the president, he is just keeping his enemies closer. |
No more love in the wild! the world is just so obsess with bad news |
lol....see as them be like ordinary citizen, who say law no good? if na here now, mopol go full everywhere. |
Yesterday na Lagos, today na Asaba.........tomorrow go be zamfara |
Every aspect of that movie should be earning an award, imagine a 2hour long piece with so much work. who would'v expected a soundtrack from Rickross and 2pac.....Best movie of the moment. |
CROWÉ: I dunno what you mean by youths but 20-something-year-old's generally don't care about politics is any country.stop lying! |
Aren't you guys fed up with bad news? yuck! off to bed.......wake me up when january is over. buenas noches! |
mitchyy: Sad news everywhere,This afternoon it was a baby buried, yesterday abi when na one boy dem molest. now na pregnant woman.......and someone would say we should keep praying! |
Thot one bottle of red wine for u abeg! |
Go and meet your LGA chairman! my area in Yaba is having uninterupted power.......eko o ni bake o |
At Op, do you mean soldiers now travel on luxurious buses? are on excursion or what? TRUE STORY OF A REAL FAKE! |
Can you hear yourself? asking questions you'v already known their answers! |
Seriously, we are important. to UK abi........I grab da point. Buh no 2day now wey dem wan helep us. |
OGA SEUN SOMETHING IS NOT RIGHT HERE O........U COULDN'T EVEN THANK TONTO DIKEH FOR HER "LIFESTYLE" THAT MADE HER A NAIRALAND FIGURE. SMH |
onila: ![]() |
FOR THIS MID-NIGHT NA E UNA DE BRING UDUAGHAN PIX WITH HE BALD HEAD COME FRONTPAGE! GOD FORBID BAD TIN! |
