šæš THE AMERICAN FOOD RABBIT HOLEā¦..
I Went Down the American Food Rabbit Hole. I Have Questions. š
And apparently, I brought a shovel.
As the founder and creator of HS Creations and the woman behind The Organic Chemist, Iāve spent six years studying ingredients, creating organic seasoning blends, and asking questions about what goes into our food.
And GOOD GRIEF. What a rabbit hole.
Ultra-processed foods. Artificial colors. Additives. Food labels. Marketing claims. Ingredients that sound like they belong in a chemistry experiment.
And now weāre apparently 3D-printing dinner?!
WHAT THE FUDGE?!Ā š
Before anyone starts throwing organic kale at me, let me clarify something.
I AM NOT A HEALTH SAINT.
I donāt eat perfectly. I enjoy my indulgences. I make questionable food decisions occasionally, and Iām certainly not here to judge whatās on anyone elseās plate.
But hereās where I draw my line.
I WANT TO KNOW WHAT IāM EATING.
I want to choose WHAT I eat, WHEN I eat it, and WHY.
And I want those decisions to be educated.
š¬ NOW, LETāS TALK ACTUAL SCIENCE.
Because opinions are one thing. Research is another.
In 2019, researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) published a controlled clinical study involving 20 adults.
Participants ate two different diets for two weeks each: one ultra-processed and one minimally processed.
Researchers designed the meals to be comparable in calories offered, sugar, sodium, fiber, and major nutrients.
Participants could eat as much or as little as they wanted.
THE RESULTS?
š¬ Participants consumed approximately 500 MORE calories per dayĀ during the ultra-processed diet.
š¬ They gained approximately 2 poundsĀ during that phase.
š¬ They lost approximately 2 poundsĀ during the minimally processed phase.
And THAT got my attention.
The researchers found that the ultra-processed diet led to greater calorie consumption and weight gain under the conditions of this experiment.
Now, before we start declaring everything in a package dangerous, letās be clear.
This was a small, short-term study.
It doesnāt mean every processed food is unhealthy.
It doesnāt prove every additive is harmful.
And it doesnāt tell us that all food processing is bad.
But it certainly gives us a scientifically supported reason to keep asking questions.
šæ SO WHAT ELSE ARE WE EATING?
Artificial dyes. Preservatives. Flavor enhancers. Plant-based meat alternatives. New food manufacturing technologies.
Some ingredients have legitimate scientific concerns associated with them. Others have been studied and considered safe for their intended uses.
And some questions are still being investigated.
Hereās something I think we should all remember:
Just because something is plant-based doesnāt automatically make it healthier.
Just because something is labeled ānaturalā doesnāt guarantee itās better.
And just because an ingredient has a complicated scientific name doesnāt automatically make it dangerous.
Good grief, WATER has a chemical name. Dihydrogen monoxide, anyone? š
This is exactly why understanding the science matters.
š WHY I CREATED HS CREATIONS
I didnāt start HS Creations because I thought the world needed MORE seasonings.
Have you SEEN the seasoning aisle?!
Weāre good. š
I wanted BETTER.
Thoughtfully selected organic ingredients. Handcrafted small batches. Bold flavor. No unnecessary fillers.
And products whose ingredients I could explain without needing a laboratory presentation.
Pure Ingredients. Bold Flavor. Crafted with Care.
Thatās not about claiming perfection. Itās about knowing what weāre creating and giving customers information to make their own choices.
š WELCOME TO MY RABBIT HOLE.
Weāre going to explore food science, ingredients, processing methods, labeling, marketing, and some things that might make us look twice at our grocery carts.
Iām not against innovation.
Iām not against science.
Good grief, Iām The Organic Chemist! š
IāM AGAINST UNINFORMED CHOICES.
No food shaming. No fearmongering. No pretending weāre perfect.
Just credible research, honest questions, education, and a healthy dose of sarcasm.
Because seriouslyā¦
WHAT THE FUDGE ARE WE EATING?!Ā š
Now Iām curious.
Do YOU read the ingredient labels, or do you trust whatās printed on the FRONT of the package?
Letās talk.
š THE SCIENCE BEHIND THE QUESTIONS
Original peer-reviewed research:
Hall KD et al. (2019). Ultra-Processed Diets Cause Excess Calorie Intake and Weight Gain: An Inpatient Randomized Controlled Trial of Ad Libitum Food Intake.
Published in Cell Metabolism.
National Institutes of Health explanation:
NIH Study Finds Heavily Processed Foods Cause Overeating and Weight Gain.
A note from The Organic Chemist:Ā This article is intended to encourage education and discussion, not provide individual medical or nutritional advice.
š Joanne | The Organic Chemist
Founder & Creator, HS Creations, LLC
Pure Ingredients. Bold Flavor. Crafted with Care.
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