Bare Fruit

Our family loves fruit in all its forms, including dried.

My struggle with buying dried fruit is that it often has added sugar and preservatives.

Short of drying fruit ourselves (which we do sometimes), our only option was preservative laced dried fruit -- until now.

I came across Bare Fruit the other day and it is nothing but bake-dried organic fruit.  No added sugar or preservatives.

We bought the dried mangos, but the Washington based company also sells dried cherries, pears and Fuji, Granny Smith and cinnamon apples from Washington State.

The taste is fantastic and you can feel good knowing that only organic fruits are entering your body.  Find them at a grocery store near you or on Amazon.com.

BHT Food Preservative

When I picked our son up from school, his teacher said they gave him some popcorn because the ingredient list appeared "safe" other than BHT.  And she didn't know what BHT was (most don't).

I said, "No biggy.  He won't puke on it.  It's only lighter fluid."  She was shocked, but there is some element of truth as it also serves as an antioxidant for  petroleum products.

BHT, formally known as butylated hydroxytoluene, is a preservative that protects the fat, flavor and color of foods to which it is added.  I've noticed an increasing number of cereals (General Mills is a huge offender) that use this preservative.

BHT should be avoided when possible.  Some studies indicate that BHT may contribute to carcinogenicity (a chemical substance that induces cancer) and tumorigenicity (capable of causing tumors).  Other studies indicate it is difficult for some to metabolize, causing behavioral and heath changes.

The links to adverse health affects are significant enough that BHT is banned from food use in England, Australia, Sweden and Romania.

Butylated hydroxytoleune usually appears as BHT on product ingredient labels.  Like other mystery ingredients, it may be best to avoid it when possible.

Sulphur Dioxide and Grapes

Sulphur dioxide are two words that don't give me a warm fuzzy feeling.  Whether you know exactly what it is or not, usually thoughts of something negative and chemical come to mind.

So imagine my surprise when I found it on our grapes this morning.

I frequently buy organic grapes, but none were available at the store last night.  So I purchased regular grapes and headed home.

This morning as I was washing the grapes for our son's class snack I noticed "product of Chile" on the bag.  I usually see "product of California", so I read on with curiosity to discover the phrase "treated with sulphur dioxide to preserve freshness".  I figured, this couldn't be good.

After a little research I discovered sulphur dioxide is a poisonous gas which is sprayed on fruit, and acts as a preservative, enhancing its color and preventing mold.  Airborne inhalation of this chemical has lead to a rash of breathing problems, premature birth and premature death.

Grapes from Chile need to be picked and shipped with plenty of lead time before they hit the grocery shelves.  Sulphur dioxide, allows the grapes to be picked early and arrive looking fresh and ripe.

Asthmatics seem to be most at risk from ingesting sulphur dioxide.  For them, ingestion can increase chances of an asthmatic attack, skin rashes and upset stomach.

While generally deemed safe for consumption in small quantities in healthy people, why chance it?  I also wonder what the long-term effects of small daily doses.

Turns out California grapes are not in season and organic grapes are only in dreams this time of year.  With my only option being imported grapes,  I'll choose to pass.