The salmon you see at
the fish counter almost always sports a bright pinkish-orange hue, but in
fact, salmon is naturally a greyer shade. The swimmers take on their classic
coloring in one of two ways: wild-caught salmon eat krill, while farm-raised
salmon are fed pigment pellets. But don't let that stop you from buying farmed
fish. Though wild-caught salmon is technically better for you than farmed—it
naturally contains half the fat, and is slightly higher in zinc, iron, and
potassium—it's three to four times pricier. "Whether farm-raised or
wild, there are so many benefits of eating salmon, namely its rich source of
omega 3 fatty acids that we don't get enough of," says Blake. Buy
whatever is on sale and aim for two servings of fatty fish a week.
Some
oranges are dyed
Believe
it or not, the dye CitrusRed
No. 2is sprayed on some
Florida oranges early in the season to brighten their coloring. These oranges
are usually used for juicing, but some end up on grocery store shelves. The
dye isFDA-approved
and used in small concentrations, but theCenter
for Science in the Public Interestwarns
this dye is related to health risks, including cancer, in lab animals. (It's
not allowed to be used on California oranges.)Bagsof
these oranges need to include a label that says color has been added. The dye
still isn't meant for eating, so don't make candied orange peel or zest them
for cooking.
Olive
oil may be mixed with a cheaper variety
Extra
virgin olive oilhas come
under fire for not actually being olive oil. Many bottles are mixed with
cheaper oils like soybean or canola, according toConsumer
Reports, and shipped to the United States where you pay a premium price.
In addition to wasting your money, you're also losing out on the heart-health
perks of the monounsaturated fats you'd find in pure olive oil, says Cohn.
Chicken
is given a bath
The journey
a chicken takes from the farm to your kitchen table is not pretty. After
slaughter, warm chickens need to be cooled down, so they're placed in a big
tank of cold water and a sanitizer, like chlorine, to control harmful bacteria
and contamination, explains Don Schaffner, PhD, of the department of food
science atRutgers
University. TheFDAandUSDAsay
this process is safe, Schaffner says, but you can avoid chickens that have
been treated this way by choosing air-chilled poultry.
One not-so-healthy
thing some manufacturers do to your chicken: inject saltwater into raw meat to
enhance its flavor. Considering most Americans consume far more sodium than
they should, you'll want to read nutrition labels carefully—unaltered
chicken contains 40 to 70 milligrams of sodium per 4-ounce serving, while
injected chickens pack in 300 milligrams or more.
Meat
gets checked for antibiotics and hormones
You might be swayed to
buy meat that's labeled "antibiotic free," but the truth is,
"technically, all meat must be free of all traces of antibiotics before
it's sold," says Cohn. Translation: "antibiotic free" is mostly
a marketing ploy, and doesn't guarantee that the meat wasn't raised without
antibiotics. Similarly, you might see the label on chicken or pork that says
"hormone free." Again, it's a marketing tactic given hormones are
not allowed to be used on these two animals anyway. Look for terms like
"raised without antibiotics" and "raised without added
hormones."
Almonds
are pasteurized
Along with milk,
bottled juice, and canned goods, almonds are pasteurized in order to prevent
foodborne illness outbreaks, and can be achieved by roasting, blanching, steam
treating, or spraying with a Propylene Oxide Treatment (PPO). You should know
that PPO is considered safe by theEPA,
but is also sometimes added to engine oil or used to make mattress
foam—something you probably didn't bargain for when you sat down for a nutty
snack. If you want to avoid PPO, look for brands that say they've been
"steam pasteurized" or dry roasted.