“Foods That Aren’t What You Think”

 

FOOLED BY YOUR FOOD? With so many foods available today, it can be hard to know just what you're buying. Many foods on supermarket shelves might not be what you think they are. Here are some that you probably have in your cupboard right now.

FAKE OLIVE OIL: Your olive oil may not be what the label claims: 100% pure olive oil. There’s a good chance the bottle on your pantry shelf has been mixed with other oils. Is that really such a big deal? It is if you’re allergic to peanut oil, which is commonly mixed with olive oil in an act of food fraud. If you have a peanut allergy, you could have a severe reaction to this sneaky substitution.

MAPLE SYRUP VS. PANCAKE SYRUP: Maple syrup comes from sap from a maple tree. The sap is boiled and becomes the sticky stuff you know as maple syrup. But pancake syrup (also called table syrup) is not the same. Pancake syrup’s main ingredients are corn syrup and high-fructose corn syrup, and it includes other things, like:

• Coloring
• Flavoring
• Preservatives

WASABI OR NOT WASABI: Many restaurants, especially in the U.S., serve wasabi. But most of it isn’t real wasabi -- it’s a mixture of horseradish and wasabi root with mustard flour, oil, vinegar, high-fructose corn syrup, and food coloring. The real thing comes from the root-like stem of a plant related to cabbage and cauliflower. It naturally grows in cool, moist places and can be pretty hard to come by and harvest. You have to grate the root as you eat it because the flavor usually only holds for about 15 minutes after grating.

LOBSTER VS. LANGOSTINO: While you might think you’re about to enjoy a hot lobster bisque, there’s a chance you’re actually eating langostino -- a different animal that's related to a hermit crab. It's also known as squat lobster. The taste and texture are similar to lobster. But the FDA says it can’t be labeled as such unless the word “langostino” or “squat” is also used. Langostino is about half the price of the real thing.

THE TROUBLE WITH TILEFISH: There are a few types of fish that pregnant women, nursing mothers, and young children should avoid due to mercury. Tilefish is one of them. Unfortunately, it’s easy to eat this fish and not realize it. Markets and restaurants sometimes swap it for more popular species such as red snapper and halibut.  

DRUGS IN YOUR HONEY: Food fraud isn’t the only reason some foods aren’t exactly what you think. Think about honey. It may benefit your health in many ways, sometimes as a wound dressing. Of course, it’s also a delicious natural sweetener. But it may have plenty of contaminants, including traces of antibiotics that beekeepers use on their bee broods. They won’t make you sick, but they could add to the public health problem of antibiotic resistance.

NOT-SO-NATURAL FLAVORINGS: There’s nothing natural about some of the “natural flavors” in packaged foods. Food companies make them in a lab to mimic the flavor of real foods. Recently the FDA banned several synthetic flavorings in response to data that shows health risks in lab animals. If you want to eat healthier, stick with the original natural flavors: the ones found in real, whole foods. 

THE ICKY SIDE OF SPICES: The spice jars in your cabinet are filled with more than flavorful herbs. The FDA allows a certain amount of insect fragments, rodent hairs, and other gross things in every jar. For example, ground oregano can have up to 1,250 insect pieces per 10 grams before the FDA calls it “adulterated.” (Crushed oregano can only have 300). On the bright side, most products are well below the standards allowed for these unwelcome additions.  

WHITE CHOCOLATE: Mmm, white chocolate. It's sweet and creamy. You can buy it in candy bar form or sprinkle chips of it into your cookie dough. But it's not really chocolate. According to the FDA, chocolate has to have at least 10% chocolate liquor. That's the cocoa butter and the solids you get when the cocoa bean is ground. The white kind is made of a mix of cocoa butter, milk solids, and sugar but no chocolate liquor. 

FRUIT JUICE: Often, fruit juice is not 100% real fruit juice. Make sure you check the ingredients list. If it’s a long list, that can be a clue that what you’re buying isn’t actually all that it seems. Even if the label reads "100% fruit juice," it might not be what you’re expecting. That just means everything in it came from either a fruit or a vegetable -- but it might include cheaper juices you wouldn’t expect, like white grape or apple.

VANILLA FLAVORING VS. EXTRACT: Vanilla flavoring -- also called imitation vanilla -- is not the same as vanilla extract. The extract is made with vanilla pods and a simple alcohol called ethanol. The flavoring is made with synthetic vanillin. It's almost always made from extracts based on petrochemicals or wood pulp. You may have heard of it being made from castoreum, which comes from beaver glands. But it’s so rarely used now that it's very unlikely you'll find it in foods.

ORANGE JUICE: Orange juice that’s “not from concentrate” is pasteurized. This takes the oxygen out of the juice. But this also takes out many of the natural chemicals that give the juice its flavor. Also, the producer may store the juice for more than a year. So, they hire other companies to make flavor packs to add to the juice to make it taste fresh. These packs are often made by the same companies that make perfumes. The added flavors won’t be listed as an ingredient because they're made from orange essence and oil.

REVIEWED BY: Christine Mikstas, RD, LD, WebMD on July 02, 2019

SOURCES:

Food Safety Net Services: "What is Food Fraud?"

Consumer Reports: "5 Things You Need to Know About Maple Syrup."

Chemical and Engineering News: "Wasabi."

Washington State University Extension: "Growing Wasabi in the Pacific Northwest."

Huffington Post: "That 'Lobster' You Ordered Might Not Be Lobster At All." 

SeafoodSource: "Seafood FAQ: Langostino vs. Lobster: What's the difference?"

Oceana: “Oceana Study Reveals Seafood Fraud Nationwide.”

Washington State Department of Health: “Healthy Fish Guide.”

Environmental Science and Pollution Research International: "Towards a better understanding of the therapeutic applications and corresponding mechanisms of action of honey."

Scientific World Journal: "Antibiotic, Pesticide, and Microbial Contaminants of Honey: Human Health Hazards.”

FDA: "FDA Seafood List Updates for 2017," "FDA Removes 7 Synthetic Flavoring Substances from Food Additives List,” “Food Defect Levels Handbook.”

Science Direct: "Chocolate Liquor."

FDA, CFR -- Code of Federal Regulations, Title 21, Volume 2: “Food and Drugs, Chapter I -- Food and Drug Administration, Department of Health and Human Services, Subchapter B -- Food for Human Consumption, Part 163, Subpart B, Sec. 163.130."

FDA, CFR -- Code of Federal Regulations, Title 21, Volume 2: “Food and Drugs, Chapter I -- Food and Drug Administration, Department of Health and Human Services, Subchapter B -- Food for Human Consumption, Part 163, Subpart B, Sec. 163.124."

Michigan State University: "Is your fruit juice really 100 percent fruit juice?"

Mentalfloss: "What Does '100% Juice' Mean?"

Virtual Mass Spectrometry Laboratory: "Food Counterfeiting: Vanilla Case Study."

Harvard University Science in the News: "The Flavor Rundown: Natural vs. Artificial Flavors."

WNYC: "Last Chance Foods: The Secret, Highly Processed Life of Orange Juice."

American Nutrition Association Nutrition Digest: "'Fresh' Squeezed? The truth about orange juice in boxes."

Much Love, Dr.Shermaine, #InformativeRead #PleaseShare #HealthyBodySoulAndSpirit #IWantYou2LiveWell #FeelFree2SignUpAndFollow

The Goal is to Always Make You Aware of What Concerns Your Body, Soul and Spirit, So You Can Have Open, Honest and Frequent Discussions With Your Physicians and Counselors. You Can’t Treat or Cure What You Don’t Know is Sick.
 
"It's Not Selfish to Love Yourself, Take Care of Yourself and to Make Your Happiness a Priority. It's a Necessity." (Mandy Hale)

"Self-Care is Not Selfish. You Cannot Serve From an Empty Vessel." (Eleanor Brown)

The contents of the WebMD and Self-Care With Dr. Shermaine Sites, such as text, graphics, images, and other material contained on the WebMD and Self-Care With Dr. Shermaine Sites ("Content") are for informational purposes only. The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on the WebMD and Self-Care With Dr. Shermaine Sites!

If you think you may have a medical emergency, call your doctor or 911 immediately. WebMD and Self-Care With Dr. Shermaine does not recommend or endorse any specific tests, physicians, products, procedures, opinions, or other information that may be mentioned on the Sites. Reliance on any information provided by WebMD, WebMD employees, others appearing on the Site at the invitation of WebMD, and Self-Care With Dr. Shermaine or other visitors to the Sites is solely at your own risk. 

“All About Shrimp”

 

A Delicacy With Health Benefits

Shrimp is a seafood you can prepare in lots of ways to get a boost of nourishment. Whether they're farmed, wild, frozen, or fresh, shrimp bring flavor and nutrients to your diet.

PROTEIN, VITAMINS, AND MINERALS: Shrimp are low in calories and high in protein. In 3 ounces of raw shrimp you'll find 12 grams of protein and only 60 calories. Shrimp also offers you a ton of important vitamins and minerals. In 4 ounces of shrimp, you'll get 100% of the selenium and 50% of the phosphorus that you need each day. You'll also get 30% of vitamin B12, choline, copper, and iodine you need daily. 

LOW IN SATURATED FAT: Shrimp is a great option to lower unhealthy fats in your diet. You'll cut over 90% of saturated fats if you choose shrimp over the same amounts of steak or cheese. Shrimp has less than a tenth of a gram of saturated fat in 3 ounces. Plus, there's almost no trans-fat in shrimp. The healthy fats in shrimp, like omega-3 fatty acids, can lower your blood pressure and odds of getting heart disease and stroke.

HOW TO COOK WITH SHRIMP: You can eat shrimp steamed, boiled, barbecued, fried, sautéed, poached, or baked. Many sushi dishes have shrimp in them, raw or cooked. You can add shrimp to many dishes and pair them with all sorts of ingredients. Shrimp go great with citrus, herbs, tomatoes, chiles, corn, beans, bacon, and garlic.

THE COLOR OF SHRIMP: Shrimp vary in color due to the species, size, diet, harvest season, and location. Raw shrimp can be anything from white to shades of gray with light blue covered in red, dark gray, or pink. After they're cooked, shrimp will turn pink or red. It's normal for the ends of shrimp to be black when harvested. It's a natural reaction that happens when shrimp are out of water, but it doesn't mean that they're bad.

FROZEN VS. FRESH: It's uncommon to find actual fresh shrimp. Most "fresh" shrimp at seafood counters were frozen at some point and then defrosted before they were put in stores. You might get true fresh shrimp if you go to a community-supported fishery. Or if you live on the coast, you can buy unfrozen shrimp directly from fishermen.  But for most people, frozen shrimp are the best choice since they're usually put in a freezer right after they're caught.

FARMED VS. WILD: Farmed shrimp come from tanks while wild shrimp are from lakes, oceans, or rivers. They may look the same when cooked, but the health benefits aren't necessarily equal. The nutritional value in shrimp comes mainly from what they eat. Wild shrimp eat a natural diet and usually have less saturated fat compared to farm raised shrimp. Farmed shrimp have higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids because of the food they're given.

SHELLFISH ALLERGIES: If you have a shellfish allergy, you probably can't eat shrimp. Your body may respond badly to the proteins in shrimp and cause an allergic reaction. Some people have only mild symptoms, like a runny nose or hives. But a shrimp allergy can be life-threatening for some.

IS CHOLESTEROL A PROBLEM? A lot of people worry about the cholesterol in shrimp. Four large shrimp have about 14% of your total daily cholesterol needs. But in 2015, U.S. health officials rewrote dietary guidelines and removed their suggestion to avoid dietary cholesterol. The guidelines now say that for most Americans, cholesterol levels in your blood aren't linked to the amount of cholesterol in food.

CAN YOU EAT A SHRIMP’S VEIN? There's a dark line that goes through the back of a shrimp. It's called a "vein" or "sand vein," but it's actually the digestive system of a shrimp. It won't hurt you if you eat it, but the vein may have an unpleasant texture and might not appeal to your appetite. The easiest way to devein a shrimp is with sharp kitchen shears. Cut the back of the shrimp open and take out the vein with the shears.

IN HIGH DEMAND: The average person in the U.S. eats about 4 pounds of shrimp every year. It's the most popular type of seafood for Americans and ranks far above salmon, which the average person only eats 2 pounds of every year.

WATCH FOR PRESERVATIVES: Fresh and frozen shrimp both may have a preservative called sodium tripolyphosphate (STP). It can affect the shrimp's texture and flavor. Most frozen shrimp will have this preservative listed on the back of the packaging if it contains it. You can also ask someone at the store if their shrimp has STP if it isn't in a bag.

SIZING UP SHRIMP: Shrimp range in size from the small bay shrimp to the much larger "giant prawn." A lot of stores label shrimp "jumbo" or "large," but this varies at each store and isn't a regulated size. Some stores will mark their shrimp with numbers, which refer to the number of shrimp per pound. For example, 31/35 would mean there are anywhere between 31 to 35 shrimp per pound.

DOES LOCATION MATTER? The quality of your shrimp may differ based on where it's from. A lot of imported shrimp are farm raised and have many antibiotics in them. Global fish farms may not follow strict inspection standards like they do in the U.S. It's common for both wild and farmed international shrimp to be higher in contaminants. To find out where your shrimp is from, look at the Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) on the package.

REVIEWED BY: Kathleen M. Zelman, MPH, RD, LD on October 07, 2020

SOURCES:

Tufts University: "Can You Get Jumbo Benefits from Eating Shrimp."

Texas A&M: "Why you Should Add Shrimp to Your Diet."

Food Print: "Real Food Encyclopedia | Shrimp."

Seafood Health Facts: "Shrimp."

Colorado State University: "Wild caught vs. farm raised seafood," "What seafood is sustainable? Making seafood selections for health and sustainability."

Much Love, Dr.Shermaine, #InformativeRead #PleaseShare #HealthyBodySoulAndSpirit #IWantYou2LiveWell #FeelFree2SignUpAndFollow

The Goal is to Always Make You Aware of What Concerns Your Body, Soul and Spirit, So You Can Have Open, Honest and Frequent Discussions With Your Physicians and Counselors. You Can’t Treat or Cure What You Don’t Know is Sick.
 
"It's Not Selfish to Love Yourself, Take Care of Yourself and to Make Your Happiness a Priority. It's a Necessity." (Mandy Hale)

"Self-Care is Not Selfish. You Cannot Serve From an Empty Vessel." (Eleanor Brown)

The contents of the WebMD and Self-Care With Dr. Shermaine Sites, such as text, graphics, images, and other material contained on the WebMD and Self-Care With Dr. Shermaine Sites ("Content") are for informational purposes only. The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on the WebMD and Self-Care With Dr. Shermaine Sites!

If you think you may have a medical emergency, call your doctor or 911 immediately. WebMD and Self-Care With Dr. Shermaine does not recommend or endorse any specific tests, physicians, products, procedures, opinions, or other information that may be mentioned on the Sites. Reliance on any information provided by WebMD, WebMD employees, others appearing on the Site at the invitation of WebMD, and Self-Care With Dr. Shermaine or other visitors to the Sites is solely at your own risk.