Cheese vs. Cheese Food

What's the Difference?

Once again, looking at nutrition we start with my Mom, Diana.

 

Going shopping as a kid, my Mom always stopped us from buying Cheese Food, Cheese Food Product, Cheese Food Snack and Pastuerized Process Cheese Food (PPCF) along with any other deviants from "Cheese." So, what's the difference?

 

According to the Sargento Company website cheese is 100% cheese and cheese food or PPCF is something with a minimum of 51% cheese as an ingredient. Ouch.

Thus the name Kraft Singles on the package above. At least the PPCF is clearly noted after the word American on the label.

 

 

The Sargento website goes on to say that the following steps are how Processed Pasteurized Cheese Food/PPCF is created:

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1. The process starts with a minimum of 51% real cheese.

2. This is ground down and may be mixed with any of the following items including artificial coloring, flavoring, other dairy ingredients, water, salt and mold inhibitors.

3. The mixture is heated to at least 150 degrees Fahrenheit for at least 30 seconds.

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4. While heating, emulsifiers and acidifiers may be added.

5. The final product, with a minimum of 51% real cheese, is individually wrapped in plastic creating the Pasteurized Process Cheese Food (PPCF) found in the dairy department of your local supermarket.

 

"White American" what?

Pasteurized Process Cheese Product according to the small print on the side of the front label!

 

Now I am not saying the PPCF and similarly named items don't taste good, aren't less expensive sometimes, aren't easier to separate slices or don't have some nutritional value. I do think we should look over the ingredients list when purchasing. Or, as my Mom would say, "no, we can't buy that. It's not real cheese."

 

 

Here is the list of ingredients in Kraft Singles according to the Huffington Post along with some editorial comments by me in blue ink:

Cheddar cheese (milk, cheese culture, salt, enzymes)

Whey (by-product of the production of cheese. It is what's left when the cheese curdles are strained)

Water

Protein concentrate (what is that exactly?)

Milk

Sodium citrate (more salt)

Calcium phosphate (according to Rodale Organic Life, and researcher Janeen Leon, high calcium phosphate levels are associated with higher mortality and kidney disease rates, heart disease, weakened bones and decreased Vitamon D activity.)

Milkfat

Gelatin

Salt (more salt)

Sodium phosphate (more salt and see the problems listed above with calcium phosphate)

Lactic acid as a preservative (Does lactic acid sound familiar? It's the waste product from muscles that causes leg cramps)

Annatto and paprika extract (used for color and only small amounts but these two items actually have some mild nutritional value)

Enzymes

Vitamin A palmitate (hey, a little nutrition added!)

Cheese culture

Vitamin D3  (hey, some more nutrition added!)

I would like to add at this point that when deciding on which cheese to eat often opt for the harder cheeses. Why?
1. They have generally have required more enzymatic reaction to create  so in essence they are "pre-digested" making them more easily digested when eaten and therefore often produce less gastric upset.
2. They are often  made in smaller batches with less "chemicals" and additives.
3. They are less often artificially softened.

The nerves of the spine help regulate
digestion and elimination

4. We have a lot of new patients come to the office saying they can not tolerate dairy. The Chiropractic adjustment often helps their digestion which in combination with picking less artificially produced cheeses and decreasing amounts and frequency of eating dairy allows the person to return to eating dairy if they choose.
5. There is debate over the nutritional necessity of eating dairy:
   Pro- source of calcium, potassium, Vitamin B-12 and helps regulate phosphorous in the boday, source of protein and fat.
   Con-sometimes hard to digest, not highly absorbable form of calcium in milk, common allergies and intolerances to milk, weight gain association.

Not sure what is best for you? Contact me here on the BLOG or call for a free 15 minute phone consultation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Mom and the Dorito Effect-Part 2-Grill Marks and Consistent Taste

 

My Mom and the Dorito Effect, Part 2

Grill Marks and Consistent Taste

    With the backdrop of my Mom's observations on canned tomato soup forty something years ago the decades have seen a great deal of prepared and fast food "taste consistency" that can boggle the mind and bring into question the "ingredients list."

Hamburgers at your favorite chain, say McD's for instance, look, taste and smell the same whether you buy them in New Jersey, Florida, California, Washington state or anywhere in between. This is quite different than your backyard burgers that tend to vary depending on a number of factors including who is flipping the burgers on your grill.

What happens at the chains that burgers don't vary in taste, juiciness, grill marks, flakiness, smell or even how well done they are? At least 15 years ago information started appearing in the media that those "grill marks" on hamburgers and chicken at many fast food chains are painted or branded on using a combination of sugar, fats, oils, smoke flavoring and other chemicals. Much of the "grilled chicken" is actually cooked with a burst of hot air and never even touches a grill or flat top. Apparently consistent taste and appearance ("at least I know what I'm getting") ranks higher than great taste and nutrition to many and the prepared and fast food industries rely heavily on this preference.

To be continued...

 

 

My Mom & The Dorito Effect

      Forty or so years ago my mother, Diana Smith, announced that we would no longer be buying canned tomato soup.This was very upsetting to me as Campbell's or even Pathmark brand tomato soup with its super starchy taste was always a favorite on a cold, wintry day or as an occaisional treat.

  My Mom's reasoning was that the store bought canned tomato soup always tasted the same while homemade tomato soup's taste varied by type of tomato used, ripeness of the tomato, even time of year the tomatoes were purchased. My Mom was not sure what was being done to the soup, possibly adding corn starch or maybe a chemical but she was sure this was not healthy and if we wanted tomato soup she would be glad to make it from scratch.

To Be Continued shortly...

Thank you to my patients who took the time out of their busy days to nominate me for this honor. It is very much appreciated!

Dr. Andy Smith

It’s like he isn’t even listening.”

“She knows it in class but can’t do it on tests.”

“Would you stop shaking your leg for five minutes.”

“I have to take the tags off the back of all his shirts.”

“I want to help her more but I don’t know how.”

For many parents phrases like these are uttered or at least thought of too often in any given week.

Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD)

Sensory processing disorder (SPD) is a growing problem where the child has normal vision and hearing but can not properly process the information. This problem can stand alone or be combined with and exacerbate learning disorders, emotional or behavioral problems, ADD, ADHD, Asperger’s, and autistic spectral disorders.

How Can Chiropractic Help?

Chiropractic can improve the brain’s processing of the senses: sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell. Each Chiropractic adjustment (treatment) also improves  proprioception and vestibular function. These two often overlooked senses allow for the body’s sense of position, motion, balance, coordination and more. Improved sensory processing often results in better school achievement, social interaction, self-esteem, improved sleep, well-being and lower stress for the whole family.

Join Dr. Andy, a NJ Family Favorite Kids Doc, for a special presentation, Natural Ways to Help Improve Sensory Processing Disorder on Saturday, November 15, 2014 from 12-1 pm. The program will provide information on how Chiropractic and other natural therapies can help and includes a free book for parents and refreshments. RSVP 973-625-2600 or denvillejenn@optimum.net