Hot Spots in Food Science
- Unfamiliar Terminology - unhealthy ingredients
We have all heard of trans fat and it's very negative effect on health. There was a big public scare about it and people didn't want it in their foods anymore. Well sadly it hasn't gone anywhere. Food industries who use trans fat still label it on their products as hydrogenated oil. This only takes a quick wikipedia search to find that the two are the same, but the average consumer will not bother. They will see there is no trans fat in their product and happily enjoy it, not knowing they are consuming something they would never if they were more educated. (See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans_fat#Health_risks)
- GMO's (Genetically Modified Organisms) in food
GMO's in food are a hotly contested topic in the food world. Many consumers and the media have blamed GMO's for a vast array of diseases and problems in nutrition today. Others claim that GMO's are harmless and often help the world, especially in low income areas. GMO's help crops to resist pests, have added nutritional benefits, and a handful of other benefits. GMO foods are widely used in the food industry and almost everyone consumes them daily.
(See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetically_modified_food#Derivative_products)
- Keto Diet
Every few months there is a new hot diet to try. A very popular diet right now is the Keto diet which consists of limiting or eliminating all carbohydrates and eating a very high fat and protein diet. Doing this makes your body run a process called ketosis which burns fat for energy and produces ketones. Many hail it as a fat burning and weight loss wonder. However there are significant health risks that can occur from this diet, especially as the ketones grow in number in your body.
(See https://www.webmd.com/diabetes/type-1-diabetes-guide/what-is-ketosis#1 and https://www.webmd.com/diabetes/ketones-and-their-tests#1)
I have been very interested in food science for many years and have always been very frustrated with fad diets. Most of them are used to just make money and they hype up the diet so that people will buy into it. Some of these diets to have some legitimacy to them. The Keto diet does really burn fat, but people need to be aware of the possible side affects and health problems associated with it. Diets can be very dangerous if the dieter is ignorant of the science of the diet.
I get so sick and tired of people and their fad diets! I've never seen anyone both lose weight and keep it off by using a fad diet. People need to choose a way to live that they can sustain throughout their lives. The earth has sufficient food for us if we would just be reasonable and realistic in our choices of what we eat.
ReplyDeleteI have a friend on the keno diet right now and it is really hard for her to get the calories she needs, so in that way I respect people to do the diets. At the same time, it is hard to imagine it being sustainable without a medical reason pushing you to continue. I wonder what role social media plays into all of this. I know for me, at least, that is where I come across most of the advertisements I see for fad diets.
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