In today’s food industry you can’t be too sure about what you are eating, so it’s important to learn the things you need to know about food. I know the last thing we care about while eating a delicious and flavorful meal is what it consists of. As long as it tastes good, that’s all we pretty much care about. However, knowing the origins of that meal might give you a different perspective on your food. So if you are curious, keep on reading about the 7 most important things you need to know about food you consume.
Have you ever wondered how shredded cheese that you buy in stores never clumps but when you shred cheese at home it all sticks together? Well the shredded cheese from stores is packed with cellulose that is made from broken-down plant fibers including wood which prevents it from clumping. It’s a very common food additive that is often even present in organic food. Who knew we would be eating refined wood pulp in our food!
I used to be number one fan of sausages but once I learned what they are made out of in detail, I couldn’t even look at them the same. Almost 50 percent of sausage is made from processed left over parts of pigs such as guts, organs, head meat and blood. I don’t know about you but that just doesn’t sounds appetizing to me.
It’s interesting how every beverage company makes every bottle of their not-from-concentrate orange juice taste exactly the same. In order to achieve that result they actually mix the juice with orange flavorings which are used to replace the natural flavors that are lost through a process of deaeration. Although orange juice is healthy, this just makes me want to pass on a cup of orange juice and just go for the fruit.
You know something is wrong with the maraschino cherries the second you take a look at them. I mean which food has such a bright red color? It’s just not natural! The way the producers actually make Maraschino cherries is that they bleach the fruit with chemicals, marinate it in vats of corn syrup and dye them a bright red color to give them the desired appearance.
Going back to the unnatural food coloring, have you ever wondered how most food gets its color? Most of the products that have a red and pink color to them are dyed with cochineal extract which is actually the bodies of crushed tiny insects. This takes food coloring to a whole another level!
Ice cream may actually be the most loved food product by people worldwide, so it’s important for producers to create their products really close to perfection. So in order to get the right consistency many ice creams are thickened and stabilized with carrageenan or a seaweed extract. Does that mean we can say that ice cream is not all that unhealthy!?
A lot of fast food companies use mind tricks in order to attract their customers. For example, have you noticed that place like McDonald's actively advertise with the colors like red and yellow? You might figure out why if you are familiar with color psychology! Apparently colors tend to evoke feelings, so colors like red arouse urgency, while yellow stirs up hunger.
The appearance of food plays a big role in its consumption which may be the reason why so many companies strive for an appealing look using unique ingredients. Are you aware of any other food facts that we should know about? Share in the comments!