We live in a time of fast-paced change, a time of science and technology advancing with mind-boggling speed. While this offers many benefits, there is also cause for concern for many people especially when it comes to food.
Choose Your Food
What Kind of Food?
Ideally we want to eat healthy, whole foods so our bodies get all the nutrients they need to stay youthful, fit and strong. Many people try to eat organic food and avoid overly processed food, trans fats and genetically modified foods despite being told that “a calorie is a calorie” and it doesn’t matter where it comes from. The truth is (if you feel like doing this experiment) you feel so much better physically and mentally when you eat good, honest food instead of super-processed fast food stuff.
Californian Food Labeling Fight
In California the fight is on to have genetically modified food labeled as such (it’s amazing this should even be something people would have to fight for; the right to know what they’re eating) with a push from organic food advocates to vote “Yes to Proposition 37”. We’ll have to wait and see how that goes but it’s interesting to note that companies such as Monsanto, and PepsiCo (companies known for their support of genetically modified foods) have raised around $25 million to oppose Proposition 37.
Know What You’re Eating
In the mean time there is an easy way you can at least determine what kind of fresh produce you are buying and eating (let’s face it, an apple doesn’t come with a barcode – yet). It’s called the PLU, or Product Lookup code. You know those pesky little stickers on apples? Each one has a 4 or 5 digit code and each code tells what the item is, its type, its size, where it was grown and how it was grown.
Some Easy Tips:
If the first digit is a “9”, the produce was grown organically.
Organic PLU starts with "9"
If the first digit is an “8” the produce was genetically modified.
If the first digit is a “0” or it’s simply a four-digit number, the produce was conventionally grown.
Conventional PLU
Here’s a useful link to get more information about the PLU codes of the fruit, vegetables, herbs and nuts you want to know more about: http://plucodes.com/search_wizard.aspx?s=1. It’s one way you can take more control over what you eat.
