01 02 03 04 05 06 WHAT THE FORK 07 08 Are You Eating? 09 10 11 An Action Plan for Your Pantry and Plate 12 13 14 15 16 17 › 18 19 20 21 , MS, CNS, CDN Stefanie Sacks 22 23 24 25 JEREMY P. TARCHER • PENGUIN 26 a member of Penguin Group (USA) New York 27 28 29 30 31 S32 N33 9780399167966_WhatFork_FM_pi-xviii.indd 5 17/09/14 5:39 pm 01 02 03 JEY REM P. TARCHER/ PEnguin 04 Published by the Penguin Group Penguin Group (USA) LLC 05 375 Hudson Street New York, New York 10014 06 07 USA • C anada • KU • Ireland • Australia 08 New Zealand • India • South Africa • aChin 09 penguin.com A Penguin Random House Company 10 Copyright © 2014 by Stefanie Sacks 11 Penguin supports copyright. Copyright fuels creativity, encourages diverse voices, promotes free speech, and creates a vibrant culture. Thank you for buying an authorized edition of this book and for complying with 12 copyright laws by not reproducing, scanning, or distributing any part of it in any form without permission. 13 You are supporting writers and allowing Penguin to continue to publish books for every reader. Most Tarcher/ Penguin books are available at special quantity discounts for bulk purchase for sales promotions, 14 premiums, fund- raising, and educational needs. Special books or book excerpts also can be created to fit 15 specific needs. For details, write: Special. Markets@us. penguingroup. com. 16 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Sacks, Stefanie. 17 What the fork are you eating? : an action plan for your pantry and plate / Stefanie Sacks, MS, CNS, CDN. p. cm. 18 Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-399-16796-6 19 1. Natural foods. 2. Grocery shopping. 3. Food additives. 4. Nutrition. I. Title. 20 TX369.S23 2014 2014027015 641.3ʹ02—dc23 21 Printed in the United States of America 22 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2 23 Book design by Gretchen Achilles 24 Neither the publisher nor the author is engaged in rendering professional advice or services to the individual reader. The ideas, procedures, and suggestions contained in this book are not intended as a substitute for consulting with your 25 physician. All matters regarding your health require medical supervision. Neither the author nor the publisher shall 26 be liable or responsible for any loss or damage allegedly arising from any information or suggestion in this book. The recipes contained in this book are to be followed exactly as written. The publisher is not responsible for your specific 27 health or allergy needs that may require medical supervision. The publisher is not responsible for any adverse reactions to the recipes contained in this book. 28 While the author has made every effort to provide accurate Internet addresses at the time of publication, neither the 29 publisher nor the author assumes any responsibility for errors, or for changes that occur after publication. Further, the publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third- party websites or their 30 content. 31 32S 33N 9780399167966_WhatFork_FM_pi-xviii.indd 6 17/09/14 5:39 pm WHAT THE FORK Are You Eating? Edible Regulations— Can You Stomach This? There are hundreds of substances that go into processed foods with­ out formal approval from the FDA. While you may believe that this federal agency is meticulously monitoring your food, it is not. In other words, companies are typ i­ cally the ones calling the shots as it relates to an ingredient’s safety and its use for consumption. How the Food and Drug Administration Lets Food Safety Slip Through the Holes is a wonderful infographic created by Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), a non­ governmental organization (NGO) and consumer advocacy group whose “twin missions are to con­ duct innovative research and advo­ cacy programs in health and nutrition, and to provide consum­ ers with current, useful information about their health and well-​­being.”5 For animals like cattle, pigs, and poultry, the picture is equally as bad, if not worse. A recent report from the Animal Welfare Institute 9780399167966_WhatFork_TX_p1-382.indd 6 04/10/14 12:53 PM Chemical Preservatives Radura symbol 9780399167966_WhatFork_TX_p1-382.indd 11 04/10/14 12:53 PM WHAT THE FORK Are You Eating? Nutrition Facts (old) Nutrition Facts (new) 9780399167966_WhatFork_TX_p1-382.indd 104 04/10/14 12:53 PM Food Labels 101 Rice Crispy Box 9780399167966_WhatFork_TX_p1-382.indd 117 04/10/14 12:53 PM Food Labels 101 AMERICAN HUMANE CERTIFIED ( AHC) ANGUS/CERTIFIED ANGUS 9780399167966_WhatFork_TX_p1-382.indd 119 04/10/14 12:53 PM Food Labels 101 BIODYNAMIC CERTIFIED NATURALLY GROWN (CNG) 9780399167966_WhatFork_TX_p1-382.indd 121 04/10/14 12:53 PM WHAT THE FORK Are You Eating? FAIR TRADE FOOD ALLIANCE 9780399167966_WhatFork_TX_p1-382.indd 124 04/10/14 12:53 PM WHAT THE FORK Are You Eating? GLUTEN-​­FREE GRASSFED 9780399167966_WhatFork_TX_p1-382.indd 126 04/10/14 12:53 PM WHAT THE FORK Are You Eating? ANIMAL WELFARE APPROVED (AWA) (old) (new) CERTIFIED HUMANE R AISED AND HANDLED 9780399167966_WhatFork_TX_p1-382.indd 130 04/10/14 12:53 PM Food Labels 101 IRRADIATION KOSHER 9780399167966_WhatFork_TX_p1-382.indd 131 04/10/14 12:53 PM WHAT THE FORK Are You Eating? ORGANIC (USDA CERTIFIED) RAINFOREST ALLIANCE CERTIFIED WHOLE GRAIN 9780399167966_WhatFork_TX_p1-382.indd 138 04/10/14 12:53 PM WHAT THE FORK Are You Eating? TOP-​­RATED TERMINATOR VERY QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE TOP- RATED TERMINATOR INGREDIENT REFERENCE Chemical Preservatives Sodium benzoate or any benzoate; potassium sorbate or any sorbate; potassium bisulfite, potassium metabisulfite, sodium bisulfite, sodium metabisulfite, sodium sulfite; sodium nitrate, sodium nitrite; butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT); propyl gallate; tert-​­butylhydroquinone (TBHQ) Artificial Flavors and Enhancers Anything that says “artificial flavors” or “flavoring” (even “natural flavors,” if you want to take it that far); monosodium glutamate (MSG) Artificial Colors Anything that says “artificial colors” or “coloring”; Red Dye No. 40 (red #40); Yellow Dye No. 5 (yellow #5); Yellow Dye No. 6 (yellow #6); any other Dye No. And anything that says “Lake,” such as “Blue 1 Lake” Artificial Sweeteners Acesulfame­K, acesulfame potassium, ace­K, Sunett, Sweet One; aspartame, NutraSweet, Equal, Sugar Twin; neotame; saccharin, Sweet’N Low, Sweet Twin, Necta Sweet; sucralose, Splenda. Also be mindful of the sugar alcohols and novel sweeteners: erythritol, hydrogenated starch hydrosolates, isomalt, lactitol, maltitol, mannitol, sorbitol, xylitol; stevia, Reb A, PureVia, Truvia; fructo-​­oligosaccharide (FOS); tagatose, Naturalose; and trehalose 9780399167966_WhatFork_TX_p1-382.indd 150 04/10/14 12:53 PM Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Pantry, Fridge, and Freezer Rehab TOP- RATED TERMINATOR INGREDIENT REFERENCE Sugar and Its Many Euphemisms Agave, Barbados sugar, barley malt, beet sugar, brown sugar, buttered syrup, cane juice crystals, cane sugar, caramel, corn syrup, corn syrup solids, confectioner’s sugar, carob syrup, castor sugar, date sugar, demerara sugar, dextrin, dextrose, diastatic malt, diatase, Florida crystals, fructose, fruit juice, fruit juice concentrate, galactose, glucose, glucose solids, golden sugar, golden syrup, grape sugar, high­ fructose corn syrup, honey, icing sugar, invert sugar, lactose, maltodextrin, malt syrup, maple syrup, molasses, muscovado sugar, panela, raw sugar, refiner’s syrup, rice syrup, sorghum syrup, Sucanat, sucrose, sugar, treacle, turbinado sugar, yellow sugar Trans Fats (Hydrogenated Oils) Hydrogenated oil, partially hydrogenated oil; shortening; margarine Chemical Pesticides This is not something that you will typically see on a label, but note that anything organic is hopefully void of these chemicals; anything partially organic is not, as in “contains organic ingredients”; for produce, check out Pesticides in Produce (aka the Dirty Dozen PlusTM and the Clean 15TM) from the Environmental Working Group. Antibiotics and Hormones You may see “ antibiotic-​­free” and/ or “ hormone-​­free” on labels, but you really need to know how to vet through them, as noted in chapter 11, “Food Labels 101.” 9780399167966_WhatFork_TX_p1-382.indd 151 04/10/14 12:53 PM WHAT THE FORK Are You Eating? TOP- RATED TERMINATOR INGREDIENT REFERENCE Genetic Modification Unless organic, anything with alfalfa, canola, corn, cotton, papaya, soy, and sugar beets is most likely genetically modified. Best bet is to check out the Non-​­GMO Project’s Shopping Guide or True Food by the Center for Food Safety to get the latest and greatest information (more on this in chapter 14). 9780399167966_WhatFork_TX_p1-382.indd 152 04/10/14 12:53 PM 9780399167966_WhatFork_TX_p1-382.indd 153 04/10/14 12:53 PM 9780399167966_WhatFork_TX_p1-382.indd 174 04/10/14 12:53 PM WHAT THE FORK Are You Eating? REAPER RESCUE GUIDE PRODUCT/ BRAND CAN YOU LIVE THE BETTER FOR YOU WITHOUT? ALTERNATIVE (SEE APPENDIX B FOR GUIDANCE) (sample) Jell­O Yes Simply Delish Jel Desserts 9780399167966_WhatFork_TX_p1-382.indd 180 04/10/14 12:53 PM WHAT THE FORK Are You Eating? FOOD DIARY DAY ONE MEAL TIME FOOD/ HOW DO YOU BEVERAGE FEEL INTAKE (tired, bloated, hungry, etc.) BREAKFAST SNACK LUNCH SNACK DINNER SNACK DAY TWO MEAL TIME FOOD/ HOW DO YOU BEVERAGE FEEL INTAKE (tired, bloated, hungry, etc.) BREAKFAST SNACK LUNCH SNACK DINNER SNACK 9780399167966_WhatFork_TX_p1-382.indd 224 04/10/14 12:53 PM Balancing Your Plate DAY THREE MEAL TIME FOOD/ HOW DO YOU BEVERAGE FEEL INTAKE (tired, bloated, hungry, etc.) BREAKFAST SNACK LUNCH SNACK DINNER SNACK DAY