Food Phobias or Food Thoughts

I know i'm not the only one. I am a bit worried I may be a little OCD about this but lately i've been thinking a lot about foods. I know I could go all natural but I live in a rural community and while some of the organic things are found in the 2 grocery stores that are here some are not and it's a 1.5 hour drive to civilization to where I would find a Trader Joe's or Whole Foods.

I don't know if this is because i'm on this life plan or what as I've always thought these things but now they are becoming more pronounced.

I secretly fear I will get too OCD about this stuff. Please let me know some of your thoughts about foods. Here are some of my thoughts on different foods/drinks.

1. FRUITS AND VEGETABLES; The chemicals (pesticides) and germs on fruits and vegetables. I get pretty freaked out sometimes when I think of this. Once when I was younger and living at home I took dish soap and was washing the fruits and my step Mom freaked out LOL she said I was going to make everyone sick from leaving soap residue on it although I was rinsing it well. Oh and the wax they put on some fruits and veggies.  I keep thinking don't germs sit in the wax and grow like in a petri dish.

I just think okay I know the peel is good for you on apples but do I really want to eat that with that junk on it?

2. SODA'S; I drink tea with lemon ( I use lots of lemon in it) and splenda. I love it! I use to drink soda, coke, pepsi, diet rootbeer and will have one on occasion however I get a little obsessed and won't drink it when I begin to think of all the chemicals that must be in it and how it must be eating my tooth enamel and my insides.

3. GREASY FRIED FOODS; Already noted in another post

4. Processed Foods (boxed/canned/packaged); All the chemicals that go into making some of that stuff. I have read it and it's scarey!

5. Milk and Meats; Hmmm hormones and preservatives. Makes me wonder how a can of milk can last for 2 years. Ughhhh

7. I think about if some of these chemicals and processing attributes to obesity in some way. If there are chemicals that influence hunger and weight gain.

Most of the time I just try to put this stuff out of my mind and wash my fruits and veggies well with water (water only) and am trying more and more to stay away from processed foods.

I think it's smart to be concerned about what you put into your body. I'm sure you can find some organic produce in your market, but if not you can buy a special kind of wash to use on your fruit and veg.

I have a huge phobia of seafood, I can't even walk near it in the store.

Dairy and meat is gross!

Don't let yourself go crazy in either direction, being too lax or too strict. Try to enjoy your food.

I work in the produce business so would like to offer some reassurances.  Chemicals are increasingly expensive and are used sparingly as a result.  All fruit and vegetables are subject to residue testing to ensure that there are very low levels of any chemicals used still present at the time of purchase.   Organic fruit and vegetables (contrary to popular belief) are not chemical-free but are grown with a list of 'approved pesticides & herbicides'. Any wax used to preserve a fruit like an apple is water-soluble and will rinse off with water together with any dust and dirt.  Always rinse vegetables and salads... goes without saying... and peel where appropriate. 

One way to maybe overcome your fears would be to plant a small vegetable garden, an apple tree or, if space is a problem, plant a tub of herbs.  Growing food puts you more in touch with the realities of mother earth than buying things from shelves.  Once you've extracted a few slugs from your home-grown lettuce, supermarket products look positively pristine!  BTW... If we try to make our world germ-free we can't build up immunity and are more likely to get sick

It's not a problem to avoid sodas or processed foods if you can overcome your nervousness to fruit and vegetables.  Although the occasional soda or something in a packet will not kill you, make you fat or make you ill.   If you can find a good quality source for meat products it's worth making a special shopping trip once a month fill your freezer. 

alright first thing first what you are developing are phobias not ocd.  you might want to look into cognitive tharape for your phobias.   other than that. what is on the foods will not harm you, just be sure to wash them well befor you eat them.

REAL Baked sweets- I love em', but I feel so guilty when I eat them (even once in awhile). Esp. since i'm chubby. ;P

Peanut butter.  No matter what I do that jar will dissappear from my cupboards within a couple of days.

Hamburger helper...that stuff is just not right.

Fried chicken...the desire of this former love vanished a few years ago...I just had a change of heart and couldn't remove the image of a fried chicken head out of my head (http://www.mad-cow.org/00/chicken_head.jpg)

runningbuns....lmao I don't think I want to click on that link. I use to be really discusted by meat and went for a few years not eating meat very much at all. Even now when I have to rinse a chicken (forget chopping it won't happen) it grosses me out so bad that I cannot even eat it afterwards. I really really want to peek at that link but i'm soooooooooooooo scared LOL

Oh I so know what you mean about hamburger helper. I have some in my cupboard right now. I didn't buy it. I got it from a food bank when we weren't doing so well financially. Ughhhh my roomie keeps asking me when we are going to have it and I cannot make it. Just the thought of all that stuff listed on the side of the box grosses me out.  No hamburger helper is  ........Just not right LOL I have to agree!

thank you daftsage for clarifying that. I have been OCD in the past about leaving the house and having to recheck things a few times and I know i'm not so obessesed about this food stuff as much as they are thoughts. But I do find them a bit annoying. Hey but it's helping me lose weight lol.........makes me not want to eat the stuff.

Gi jane...thanks. I peel most of my veggies that I can so I don't even know why i'm thinking of this lately.

Okay I have a confession,. I was rinsing an apple and thought to myself I can feel the wax on here and it's not coming off with cold water so I switched to hot water so maybe it would melt it off. Silly I know.

Oh I don't even want to talk about slugs. One time my garbage disposal was plugged up and I kept running it but was hearing this loud noise. I reached in as I thought there were peels or something that wouldn't grind up but I pulled out the biggest slug i've ever seen in my life. I did puke!

I'm not saying I don't eat fruits and veggies but what i'm saying is lately i'm thinking of this stuff more and more. I'm just going to have to try and put it out of my mind because fruits and veggies are good for you. Like you said take off the peels of the ones you can and so i'm doing that.

Hmmm ya I think you are right. A monthly meat run to Trader Joe's might not be a bad idea. Thanks for the thoughts.

Okay I have a confession,. I was rinsing an apple and thought to myself I can feel the wax on here and it's not coming off with cold water so I switched to hot water so maybe it would melt it off. Silly I know.

I dont want to freak you out any more, but you should never eat, drink, or cook with hot water from the tap. I recently replaced the elements and thermostats in our water heater, and you really don't want to ingest that sediment that sits at the bottom of your tank.

http://everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=14138 47

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/health/349701_r eality04.html

im pretty indiscriminate with what i eat, but for some reason i cannot stomach drinks with sugar in! 

Thats all sodas, squash that has added sugar, tea or coffee with sugar (yeurgh) and any kind of juices! I think its a combination of the fact that many of the calories in the soda and squash aren't necessary, or 'empty' and the sickly sweet taste of those drinks (i was brought up on diet sodas-only for for special occasions, no-added sugar drinks and good old fashioned water) makes me feel physically sick!

Strange, I know.

cassie bee..no that's not strange at all. I'm the same way. I don't like sugary drinks. I won't drink them. It's a waste of calories to me but even when I was not on this life plan I still wouldn't drink them because of all the sugar. Same with soda..........it was a rare treat growing up but now I don't think of it as a treat but think of all the chemicals in it.

The only thing I use to drink was orange or apple juice. But even now that has too many calories.

grindel; ewhhhhhhh

Thanks for that post. Who knew? lol

First off, let me tell you that, you are right to be concerned what you put in and ON  your body. 

I actually wrote a research paper on this kind of topic last semester (i'm a biochem major) 

First, Organic is not a must, for some it is but benefit of the food far outweighs the concern of pesticide (which can be washed off with fruit and vegetable wash there is a brand FIT that you can get in most grocery stores that is safe, and can also be bought online).  I'm sure someone disagrees with me about the non- importance of organic, but frankly the "good" research doesn't support a difference in maintaining health. Also a lot of fruits and vegetables have a natural wax (apples, oranges, cucumbers, that's not all pesticide but you should still wash them)

Second, you have made a wise choice in staying away from soda.  Pretty much every thing in soda is bad for you (except water). It is highly acidic so it can trigger acid reflux or other stomach conditions. The part that actually is bad for you teeth is the sugar and high fructose corn syrup.  These actually have a chemical reaction with the tarter on your teeth to form an acid which eats the enamel.  This is true of all sugar, not just in pop though, that is why it is important to brush after eating or chew sugarless gum.  You have also made a great choice to stay away from processed foods.  A word of warning though, some foods that look natural are actually processed.  White rice, white bread, bleached flour.   These are all processed, but they have good alternatives.

As far as hormones are concerned, I used to work for a dairy (one that did not use hormones) and studies have shown ( I only use info from studies that use strict lab practices) that hormones do not play a part in the nutritional content of milk (or meat for that matter).  And most dairy's are now discontinuing the used of RBGH (recombent bovine grown hormone used in cows to stimulate milk production).  I know around us, we have Swiss miss, and Deans (which owns a lot of local dairy's) do not use RBGH.  You should take care to stay away from Organic milk though because of the treatment of the cows and potential quality issues, If you would like more info on this please PM me.  Also if you ingest artificial hormone, you shouldn't worry, the human digestive tract processed chemicals differently and usually neutralizes these hormones before they can do any damage. 

Also you are completely right about some chemicals attributing to obesity, High fructose corn syrup, and processed white foods are a real problem, because they are high glycemic foods (and usually addictive)  when your body puts out more insulin to regulate the blood sugar high that these foods give you, the excess insulin stores as fat. 

But because our bodies do such a great job of neutralizing most of our man made chemicals you shouldn't worry.   As long as your putting good food in your body and not crap food you'll do better. 

If you're concerned about chemicals, be concerned about your cleaning products,  at least the FDA regulates food, no one regulates cleaners or personal care products, so save your money on organic produce, and invest it in all natural cleaners, and personal care products,(you can get a great variety online) your body will thank you for that!

ellis_stephenie...

Thanks for that very informative post. Some may think i'm way over the top but I have also been thinking about my cleaning products lately. I know some people get tired of hearing the term 'going green' and I read someones post on it recently (not on here) about how they are sick of hearing people say they are going green as if to say it makes them a better person or something.

My take is the more we can do to help ourselves and our environment the better. I have been looking into several 'green' cleaning products and also looked online for natural cleaning agents such as lemon, vinegar, baking soda and so on.

I have a long ways to go with both going all natural eating and with the cleaning products but at least it's in the forefront of my thinking and i'm making small changes here and there.

I know we have to expect some germs in our life and so i'm not a germaphobic (I don't think)  but I had a friend once who was a biochemist and the things she would tell me just blew my mind. I just don't want to go to extremes in my life or go over board. Moderation is key *wink

Thanks :)