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Food Labels Revealed will shed some light onto the sometimes mysterious and inscrutable food ingredients label , which is found on all processed food containers.
Episodes
Oct 31, 2017
Oct 31, 2017
43 min
INGREDIENT OF THE DAY: polyglycerol polyricinoleate
Today’s show is all about chocolate. Do you have a chocolate craving? Listen and find out why. Along the way, you’ll hear about how Christopher Columbus stumbled upon chocolate and didn’t know what he found, what is Dutch cocoa and what’s special about it, what the heck is conching, why milk chocolate took so long to be invented, the only town in America to be named after a chocolatier, the evaluation of 3 different chocolate bars and why they are so different, and what’s so wonderful about chocolate. Finally, a new podcast feature about processed foods will be introduced.
Show Notes:
To Contact Show: foodlabelsrevealed@gmail.com
The podcast can be subscribed to at the iTunes store. Search under Food Labels Revealed.
References:
The True History of Chocolate by Sophie and Michael Coe [book]
Slave Free Chocolate [website]
http://www.slavefreechocolate.org/
Hershey Company [website]
Endangered Species Chocolate [website]
Lindt Chocolate Company [website]
Nuts.com [website with cacao nibs info]
Sep 29, 2017
Sep 29, 2017
41 min
INGREDIENT OF THE DAY: Isinglass
Today’s podcast will examine the hidden ingredients in wine. Topics will include (1) why labels on wine bottles don’t list ingredients; (2) why some wines don’t have to list the alcohol content; (3) why wines must have a warning label; (4) what are the types of hidden ingredients and some examples of each; and (5) why some people may need to be concerned about which wines they drink. Finally, we’ll take a brief look at a new product hitting the grocery store shelves.
Show Notes:
To Contact Show: foodlabelsrevealed@gmail.com
The podcast can be subscribed to at the iTunes store. Search under Food Labels Revealed.
References:
E for Additives by Maurice Hanssen [book]
Food Additives: Complete Description [German app]
Winemaking Info
http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/ [website]
Additives and Cleansers Used in Winemaking
http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/additives.asp [webpage]
Info About Wine
http://winefolly.com/blog/ [blog]
Pesticides in Food
http://www.whatsonmyfood.org/ [website]
Search Guide for Organic Wine
https://organicwinefind.com/ [website]
Search Guide for Vegan Wine
http://www.barnivore.com/ [website]
Sep 1, 2017
Sep 1, 2017
42 min
INGREDIENT OF THE DAY: Ethoxylated mono and diglycerides
The subject of this podcast’s investigation is bread, “the staff of life” and America’s favorite staple. We’ll take a look at the most popular bread of the 20th century; how white bread emerged as the most prized food of the masses; the link between medicine, vitamins, and bread; and I’ll reveal the ingredients of 4 grocery breads from the unhealthiest to the healthiest. Finally, we’ll get a glimpse at a new product hitting the grocery store shelves.
Show Notes:
To Contact Show: foodlabelsrevealed@gmail.com
The podcast can be subscribed to at the iTunes store. Search under Food Labels Revealed.
References:
Swindled: The Dark History of Food Fraud by Bee Wilson
BAKERpedia [online resource for ingredients used in the baking industry]
Jul 30, 2017
Jul 30, 2017
38 min
INGREDIENT OF THE DAY: Pea Protein
In today’s show, I’m going to explore ice cream, America’s favorite summertime treat. Here are some topics that I’ll touch upon: What is the origin of ice cream? What is the official federal definition of ice cream? What’s the difference between ice cream and frozen desserts? How do you tell the difference between a real ice cream and a fake one? And, as usual, I’ll be looking at ingredients, particularly new ones. The national brand Breyers will be used for all the examples in this show since that company pretty much has products for every type of ice cream known to humankind. Lastly, details for the first book giveaway will be provided.
Show Notes:
To Contact Show: foodlabelsrevealed@gmail.com
The podcast can be subscribed to at the iTunes store. Search under Food Labels Revealed.
References:
Extraordinary Origins of Everyday Things by Charles Panati
Federal Ice Cream Standard of Identity
USDA Food Composition Databases
Jun 30, 2017
Jun 30, 2017
43 min
In today’s show, I’m going investigate two very popular toppings in the processed food industry, namely Kraft’s Cool Whip and Cheez Whiz. It seems like those products have been around forever. What are they made of? Are they okay to eat from a health and nutrition perspective? If you’ve been consuming them, should you continue? This episode will give you the skinny on those processed foods, plus I’ll take a look at a new product on the grocery store shelves.
INGREDIENT OF THE DAY: Gums
Show Notes:
To Contact Show: foodlabelsrevealed@gmail.com
The podcast can be subscribed to at the iTunes store. Search under Food Labels Revealed.
Book References:
Swindled: The Dark History of Food Fraud by Bee Wilson
Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us by Michael Moss
May 31, 2017
May 31, 2017
31 min
In today’s show, we’re going to delve into your knowledge of food ingredients. Yes, that means there’s a quiz, BUT don’t panic. Don’t get nervous. Don’t get your cheat notes out. It’s all for fun and education. In the second part of the podcast, I return to the feature called “New Food Inventions” to take a look at a new food product on grocery store shelves.
Show Notes:
To Contact Show: foodlabelsrevealed@gmail.com
The podcast can be subscribed to at the iTunes store. Search under Food Labels Revealed.
References:
None
May 1, 2017
May 1, 2017
32 min
In this episode, I’m going to delve deeply into chewing gum, taking you places you probably don’t even want to go to … answering such questions as “Who the heck started chewing gum?”; “When did it become an industry?”; “Who are the major players in that industry?”; “What are the major components in gum?”; “What’s the connection between automobile tires and chewing gum?”; “Why did I stop chewing gum around 2002 and didn’t return until 2 years ago?”; and, as usual, “What are the ingredients in chewing gum, in particular, my old-time favorite Juicy Fruit and the gum that I chew today?” This is not a journey that is likely going to change your life, but, hopefully, it will be fun and entertaining and maybe a little bit eye-opening.
Show Notes:
To Contact Show: foodlabelsrevealed@gmail.com
The podcast can be subscribed to at the iTunes store. Search under Food Labels Revealed.
References:
The Dorito Effect: The Surprising New Truth About Food and Flavor by Mark Schatzker
Tree Hugger Bubble Gum (All Natural)
Mar 31, 2017
Mar 31, 2017
34 min
INGREDIENT OF THE DAY: Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate
Hands down, Oscar Mayers’ Lunchables, meal-in-a-box for kids, has got to be the most chemicalized and industrialized food product on the grocery store shelves. Although, at first glance, it’s nutritional deficiencies are not blaring, the sheer number and poor quality of the ingredients is shocking, particularly since the Lunchables product targets children, the most vulnerable people in our society. In this episode, I’ll look at what’s in the box, explore some new, never-before-seen ingredients (at least in this podcast), compare the Lunchables option against a healthy, but unlikely, alternative, and finally address the overarching issue of childhood diseases directly affected by products like Lunchables.
Show Notes:
To Contact Show: foodlabelsrevealed@gmail.com
The podcast can be subscribed to at the iTunes store. Search under Food Labels Revealed.
References:
Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us by Michael Moss
The Dorito Effect: The Surprising New Truth About Food and Flavor by Mark Schatzker
Trashables: Oscar Mayer’s Lunchables Are Nasty – But the Message to Kids Is Worse by Michael Jacobson, Huffington Post
Feb 28, 2017
Feb 28, 2017
37 min
For this show, I'm turning my attention to America's all-time favorite food: pizza. Americans spend an annual $37 billion on frozen pizza; that's one-third of the global market. The average American family eats pizza at home 30 times a year, about once every 2 weeks, and we eat 3 billion pizzas each year. That's a lotta pizza! I selected two frozen pizzas for comparison: Red Baron's Classic Crust Supreme Pizza and its natural, meatless, and organic counterpart, Amy's Italian Sausage, Mushroom & Olive Pizza. How do these products compare? Which is costlier, which is healthier, and which one should you expose your body to? Along the way, we'll learn some food history, as well as get exposed to a few new food ingredients.
Ingredient-of-the-Day: none for this episode
Show Notes:
To Contact Show: foodlabelsrevealed@gmail.com
The podcast can be subscribed to at the iTunes store. Search under Food Labels Revealed.
Book Reference:
Swallow This: Serving Up the Food Industry's Darkest Secrets by Joanna Blythman
Jan 30, 2017
Jan 30, 2017
42 min
This program is a continuation of the 10th episode, which dealt with the ingredients found in 3 of the most popular energy drinks: Monster Energy, Red Bull, and Rockstar. For today's show, I address the benefits and detriments of energy drinks. What do they do for us? Are they harmful? Should they only be sold as adult drinks? Then towards the end of the show I examine two alternative forms of energy-enhancing drinks, namely energy drops and energy shots.
Show Notes:
To Contact Show: foodlabelsrevealed@gmail.com
The podcast can be subscribed to at the iTunes store. Search under Food Labels Revealed.
A very comprehensive and well-researched website that describes the effects of caffeine and the composition, benefits, and problems of energy drinks is The Caffeine Informer:
http://www.caffeineinformer.com/
What's the Buzz All About? - Senators Blumenthal and Durbin report on energy drinks (April 2013)