The King's Dinner

Ingredients:  Water, Distilled Vinegar, Sugar, Salt, Garlic, Maltodextrin (corn), Soybean oil, Onion, Xanthan Gum, Red Bell Peppers, Sorbic Acid, Sodium Benzoate, Calcium Disodium EDTA, Spices, DL Apha Tochophery Acetate (vitaminE) Reb A (Natural Stevia leaf Sweetner), Caramel Color, Lemon Juice Concentrate, Modified Corn Starch

I just finished what I considered to be an excellent Thanksgiving meal.   I go through a lot of trouble making sure I have quality ingredients.  I order a pasture raised, organic turkey.  I drive 50 miles to a certified organic farm to pick up vegetables.  The remaining items are purchased at Whole Foods.  There are no GMO’s, nothing boxed or canned, nothing artificial, no refined sugar or flour.   I make the traditional fare; turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, cranberry sauce, cornbread, brussel sprouts and a tossed salad.  My dinner was fit for a king.  In addition, I had enough extra food to feed all the king's horses and all the king’s men.  However, there were only six of us:  my parents, my husband and my two children.  Technically, there were only five of us because my father, in recent years, has decided not to eat the traditional Thanksgiving dinner.  Instead, he brings his own food.  Why you ask….. BECAUSE HE DOESN’T EAT ANY FAT!  Nothing, zilch, nada!!

My father brought two manicotti’s stuffed with no fat cheese.  He also brought a bottle of salad dressing to toss in my salad because he will not touch olive oil.  Life is about choices, and I must respect my father’s view on food.  That is until I looked at the back of the fat free bottle of  Italian Dressing (ingredients listed above).  Once I saw those ingredients, the gloves came off!  How in the world is that food??  I felt badly for my organic vegetables.  Imagine getting tossed in that dressing?  My father was as happy as can be, but I decided to look up some of those ingredients in the book, What’s in your Food by Bill Statham:

                Maltodextrin – Flavor enhancer – probably genetically engineered – Potential Effects – Believed safe in foods at low levels; excess may elevate blood sugar and insulin levels and increase risk of diabetes.  Found in chocolate, candy…oh and fat free salad dressing.

                Sodium Benzoate – Preservative – Potential Effects – Asthma; hives; hay fever; contact dermatitis; mouth & skin irritation; hyperactivity, cardiovascular, liver, skin, gastrointestinal, kidney and neurotoxicity.  Found in soft drinks, fruit juice, jam condiments, baked gods, tomato paste, pickles, margarine…oh and fat free salad dressing…

                Calcium disodium EDTA – Preservative – Potential Effects – Muscle cramps, blood in the urine, intestinal upset, kidney damage, mineral imbalance, chromosome damage, may increase the uptake of heavy metals, may affect liver and reproduction.  Found in soft drinks, sandwich spreads, beer, ale, margarine, instant teas…oh and fat free salad dressing.

                Caramel Color  - Coloring – Potential Effects – May effect reproduction, liver and stomach, hyperactivity , caused blood toxicity and convulsions in animal tests.  Found in jams, soy sauce, oyster sauce, cookies, crackers, pickles, dark bread, dark beers ….oh and fat free salad dressing.

Now that cannot be good for you can it??!!