This is my weakness… No matter how many things I decide to take out of our pantry, Velveeta & Shells is one thing that will always be there (maybe). I know that I am disturbed by the fact that I don’t know of any cheese that comes in foil package naturally- but OMG, it just tastes so wonderful! No off brand or alternative can even compare in my opinion… Although I have had some homemade versions that are great in their own way.
Before posting this I decided I’d do a little research on this dinner staple that I keep in my home. What I found isn’t exactly helping me to justify buying it anymore!
Did you know that processed cheese foods (yes, Velveeta included) contain refined/hydrogenated oils? Eh, if you’ve looked at any packaging before you’ve probably noticed most things seem to anyway. What I Didn’t know before was that these oils are known to cause diabetes- and are also linked to atherosclerosis (clogged arteries), cancers, and auto immune diseases (EEK!). Before 1914 most cooking oils still contained animal fats, before companies transitioned to using complete vegetable oils, this means that people were still receiving at least some of their essential fatty acids (EFA’s are something that we as humans must obtain through diet, our body does not naturally create them) through the oils foods were being cooked in. In the years since 1914 the removal of EFA’s has become standard in order to extend the shelf life of products (Lovely, how they think things through huh?). EFA deficiency is quite common in the United States today, mainly Omega 3- but also Omega 6, these deficiencies are linked to pretty much every serious health problem that we see in people we know & love everyday, and so many people have never even heard of it! To read into it a little more, this is where I got a lot of it, double checked of course 🙂 – or there is always Google. I’m really hoping that between the change in diet, exercise, and supplementation that Hubby can get off his blood pressure medicine and we can all live a little better than we used to!
Maybe we will be finding an alternative to my favorite orangey-yellow box after all.
One Mom Who Changed the World... A work in progress 