What you need to know about nitrates, preservatives, hormones and other ubiquitous additives.
July 5, 2010 at 3:44PM by Brian Clark Howard
Summer is the season for fresh, local foods and bountiful farmers' markets, but unfortunately, too few of us are really taking advantage of nature's harvest. Even though eating what's in season, and cooking for ourselves, should be cheaper than processed and prepared fare, many people are stuck on old habits. This is also true despite the fact that cooking your own food helps with weight loss, because you have better control over what's included and you tend to use lower-fat ingredients.
Another good reason to eat fresh and local foods is to cut down on preservatives and other food additives, some of which are questionable. We've written before about the debate over nitrates and nitrites (are they really unhealthy?), as well as the continuing controversy of hormones in dairy products.
Let's take a closer look at food additives:
Read more: http://www.thedailygreen.com/living-green/blogs/recycling-design-technology/food-additives-infographic-460710#ixzz0t76NgSHK