INSTANT OR DEHYDRATED POTATOES...ARE YOU SURE THEY’RE JUST POTATOES?

What is it? Potatoes in a box or bag.

Why eliminate it? The number of chemicals and their effects on the
body can be very harmful

Although the amounts of the toxins listed may be extremely low, however, we
have no way of knowing the following:

1. How much it takes to harm
2. How long the chemical accumulate in our bodies
3. How it may interact with other chemicals, even with the ones in the  same food,
4. Will the repeated assaults on our DNA ultimately overcome our ability to repair our DNA.

I personally find it to be outrageous that if an industry were to use a product  that contains the ingredients below for industrial uses, there is a requirement for them to have something called a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) on file on the premises so that they are aware of the toxicity in the product and the sheet warns about ingestinknown for that ingredient. 

Some of the chemical ingredients in instant potatoes are used in industrial applications, and they are dangerous to the degree that the government’s Occupational Safety and Health Agency (OSHA) requires industrial users to be aware of proper use and the effects of misuse.

For the millions of us who just go to the grocery store to unknowingly buy them, no such warnings are required! All of the information about the chemicals below came from the MSDS for the specific chemical. What I also think is outrageous is that the same thing holds true for ingredients in household cleaners and chemicals and for personal and skin care and cosmetic products, when we consider that if we feed these fake foods to our young children we must multiply the “dosage” that they are getting compared to what we get, because not only are their bodies so much smaller, but typically they will
absorb a higher percentage of a chemical than will an adult.

Here is a catalogue of the ingredients that are too often included in the pack of dehydrated potatoes,
- potato (you would actually be surprised if this was not included)
- monocerides (these are fats)
- diglycerides (another sort of fats)
- citric acid (a weak acid found in citrus foods, but can be synthetic, used for flavoring)

In addition to the ingredients above, as you will see in the table below, there are also some ingredients that I personally wouldn’t want to ever eat or allow my family to eat.  The information on safety and health concerns is presented on required Government Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS). The table below lists the chemicals that are in instant potatoes and the associated information from the MSDS. Although the cautions in the MSDS are, as we noted, for industrial usage, it is interesting to see that they still show the hazards that are present if someone ingests them. How come it isn’t ok to ingest
them if you are working in industry, but it is ok if you buy the same chemical if it is placed in a food?

INGREDIENT MSDS INFORMATION
Sodium acid pyrophosphate (used in electroplating)
Very Hazardous – in case of skin contact or eye contact as an irritant.
Hazardous – in case of ingestion or inhalation
Slightly Hazardous – in case of skin contact or eye contact as a corrosive. Inflammation of the eye is characterized by redness, watering and itching. Skin contact is characterized by itching, scaling, reddening, or occasionally blistering.

Sodium metabisulfate 
Hazardous – in case of skin contact (irritant) of ingestion, of inhalation, the substance may be toxic to upper respiratory tract, skin and eyes. Repeated or prolonged exposure to the substance can produce target organ damage. (Gee, do they think people are only gong to eat this one time, and no other foods have it?)
Toxic effects on humans- Acute potential health effects.
Ingestion: May be harmful if swallowed. May cause gastrointestinal tract irritation with abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, violent colic, and possible gastric hemorrhaging. May affect behavior/central nervous system and cause central nervous system depression/seizures. It may also affect the cardiovascular system (hypotension, tachycardia, cardiovascular collapse), ingestion of sulfite compounds may cause a severe allergic reaction (anaphylactic symptoms) in sensitive individuals and some asthmatics. (And that is only for the immediate effects) Prolonged or repeated ingestion may affect the liver, urinary system, and metabolism (weight loss). Future exposures may also cause asthma like allergy with coughing, shortness of breath, wheezing and/or chest tightness.

BHT – Butylated hydroxytoluene (Used in the food processing industry)
Hazardous – in case skin contact, eye contact, or inhalation.
Slightly hazardous - in case of ingestion.
Mutagenic - for mammalian somatic cells. (All mammals body cells, (that’s us!), except the reproductive cells. (Well, at least the reproductive cells are not in danger of mutating! I tend to think
that the possibility of this causing my cells to mutate is pretty darn hazardous!).)


WHAT CAN I DO INSTEAD?
I hope I have given you some helpful information that you can use to improve your own and your family’s health and wellbeing. You know what the problems are with “the 4 Whites” and why it is so
important to eliminate them from your diet. Now we are going to cover the ways you can work toward this goal without turning yourself “inside out”! And then we’ll explore the next step in achieving your dream of enjoying optimal health.

WHITE RICE... PRETTY LITTLE GRAINS OF BERI-BER

This was the conclusion the 1929 Nobel Prize winner, Christian Eijkman declared in 1896 on his return to the Netherlands, after ten years of research in Batavia, Java in the Dutch East Indies (now Jakarta, Indonesia). If you want to learn about his research an his findings that white rice does indeed cause beri-beri, a
horrible disease that killed many people, click here to read about him.

Perhaps a good place to start this discussion  and comparison is with the question of why we have white rice. The same questions and
answers also apply to refined and unrefined sugar and refined and unrefined flour. In all cases the unrefined is healthier and the refined is more frequently used. The answer is based on economics and history. 

 

First, the economics, live plants have a shorter shelf life before they spoil. The refining process removes matter that will decay. Most bugs won’t even bother to get into white rice because they sense that there is nothing to sustain their lives in it.

Now, for the history...When the milling of grains started and the resulting flour was so fresh and clean looking, the wealthy and the aristocracy felt that they deserved to have this delicacy and even kept it from the common people. The same thing happened with white rice and white sugar. 

 

That feeling of having something special, carried over even after the common people were allowed to have it, just because they were allowed. That made them feel special. Fortunately, at that time, the products were more expensive so a lot of people still couldn’t afford them. Because of that, many people have been convinced that white bread, white sugar, and/or white rice are more desirable. So, one bottom line is that we, the consuming public, choose to buy less healthful products and convenience. 

 

The differences between brown and white rice begins shortly after harvest.  The rice we eat is the seed of the rice plant. For brown rice, the outer husk of the seed is removed by milling. This leaves the product that we call brown rice. Whole grain Basmati rice looks more like white rice but has the benefit of being very healthy. White rice is the result of a polishing process in which the germ (the nutritious part that spoils sooner) and bran of the rice are also removed.

Removing the germ and bran results in a considerable nutrient loss. Brown rice offers a number a health advantages. The body’s insulin response to brown rice is significantly lower that for white rice. Brown rice is higher in fiber, B vitamins, Vitamin E, potassium, magnesium and macronutrients than all types of white rice.  Brown rice also has more dietary fiber than white rice, and it has been shown to maintain a superior microflora in the intestine. Studies show higher numbers of beneficial bacteria and lower numbers of harmful bacteria in the colon.   This is very important because many disorders including diverticulitis, cancer, and constipation are known to result from larger numbers of harmful bacteria and insufficient numbers of beneficial bacteria in the colon.

Fortified white rice is sold, and in some cases the label may indicate higher vitamin and/or mineral levels than brown rice. But, the synthetic vitamins used in fortifying are less bioavailable; that is they
are not assimilated as well for purposes of feeding the cells. Thus the brown rice is still a healthier choice. This is another example of a good principle, whenever you take a natural food from nature and change its composition or strip nutrients from it, you will always have less human nutritional benefits. Mother Nature really knows best.

GLEAMING WHITE FLOUR...THE BEAUTIFUL POISON

What is it? Refined bleached or unbleached wheat flour.

Why eliminate it? It is essentially converted by the body back into the same simple sugar as sucrose. It has all the same effects of sucrose so you could almost think of it as white sugar without the sweetness. By the way, if you can chew a piece of white bread or cracker long enough without having to swallow it, you will notice that the change to sugar starts in your mouth and you can actually taste it getting sweeter.

The origin of white flour is a whole grain. In making white flour, the whole grain is “refined.” In making white bread the refined flour is then, “enriched.” The refining process removes the fiber rich bran outer layer and the nutrient rich embryo, called the germ. So we start with a healthy food that has both fibers and nutrients and we end with negative nutrition...it takes more nutrients to deal with the resulting “food” than that food provides. If the flour is used to make white bread, the flour is also “bleached” with chemicals.

One such chemical, chlorine oxide, is allowed by the FDA even though it destroys beta cells in the pancreas and is linked to diabetes. Another chemical used in bleaching is alloxan, which selectively
destroys insulin-producing cells in the pancreas when administered to rodents and many other animal species. This causes an insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (called "Alloxan Diabetes") in
these animals, with characteristics similar to type 2 diabetes in humans.

Over 50 years ago studies showed that because of the “refining” process, more vitamin B complex and iron deficiencies were appearing. The government requires that white bread be “enriched,” because bread is a staple. Although refining the flour totally removes 15 nutrients, the “enrichment” process adds back only 3 B vitamins and iron. “Refining” robs a larger amount of healthful natural nutritional ingredients and then to prevent severe vitamin deficiencies returns a minimum amount of synthetic B vitamins and iron.  In “refining” flour, we also destroy complex carbohydrates (the fiber rich bran) and are left with a simple carbohydrate. Complex carbohydrates are processed during digestion without causing sudden spikes in sugar. Additionally fiber enhances healthy elimination. The lack of fiber is
related to constipation, and white flour is one contributor.

Simple carbohydrates cause sudden spikes in sugar which then causes the pancreas to release insulin in order to protect the brain from too much sugar. This cycle of spikes in sugar followed by a demand for insulin from the pancreas leads to Type 2 Adult Onset Diabetes. Sadly, Type 2 Diabetes is more and more often diagnosed in children under the age of 15 now.  While many people have consciously reduced their use of sugar, they may not be as careful in monitoring their white flour intake. As I
mentioned above, white flour essentially is converted to the equivalent of white sugar and produces very similar results in your body. They both are major contributors to diabetes and weight gain, and other degenerative diseases.

There are unbleached enriched breads. Don’t be fooled! These breads are slightly darker in color, but present all the same nutritional deficiencies of the enrichment process, just without the bleach toxins.
Remember, a diet that includes a lot of refined foods results in many women being malnourished, constipated, and vulnerable to chronic illness. Fertility problems and difficulty carrying a baby to term can also frequently be related to nutritional deficiencies that are so often related to the Standard American Diet... S.A.D!