[sideproject]

An oncologist in my family anecdotally told me how her patients are getting younger and younger - speculates (with research) that lots of food chemicals might be contributing.

Since the beginning of this year, our family has been much more conscious of the ingredients in the food labels. Lots of additives with many different numbers. We've been trying to get back to more natural things with less numbers. We bought breadmaker and started making our own bread (fun and messy). Bought a second hand ice cream maker (fun, tedious, but yum). Never knew how simple popcorn making was! Lots of colours of vegetables, home-grown spring onions. Our grocery bills on vegetables and fruits went up sharply. But it went down on crackers, chocolates and other things sharply.

I don't feel anything - but it helps me to think that I'm eating less numbers.

[sergioisidoro]

The numbers are not bad, and in many cases they might even be totally natural (eg. e330 citric acid, the acid present on citrus fruits).

I worry more about what's not in the labels (like pesticides used, antibiotics in meats, packaging etc). Your approach seems to be directionally correct tho, if you source your ingredients right.

[AstralStorm]

I believe a lot of this is leached from packaging, not even put directly in the food. How about we stop using plastic foil, foil laminated paper and plastic trays for everything? Glass was fine, plain paper was fine, waxed paper was fine, even non-laminated cans are fine.

[sofixa]

That's why I'm so happy Yuka exists. It's an app that scans barcodes of foodstuffs or cosmetics, and gives you an easy and clear scoring of the stuff inside them based on how good are they for you and for the planet (e.g. too much sugar, lots of protein, high impact on the environment, local or not, additives, etc.).

Of course it doesn't work on stuff without barcodes like vegetables and fruit, meat bought fresh, etc. but still it's extremely helpful and useful.

[sideproject]

Oh wow. Thank you. Never heard of Yuka until now. Used it all morning to scan barcodes! Love it.

[Rnonymous]

Ironically the pans in breadmakers are always(afaik) non-stick, based on the same PFAS chemicals.

Not that im saying you should avoid using a bread maker, but it doesn't avoid all chemicals...

[AstralStorm]

Less ironically the nonstick surfaces do not leach much of those after an initial bake cycle, unless you scrape them. Much less than, say, a plastic bottle.

But if you're really bothered by this, you can actually get a non-stick ceramic coated insert instead. Or do it the classic way with steel or glass and fat, just like cake.

Or get bread that's not packed in plastic heh.

[Rnonymous]

I was thinking that the PFAS probably make their way into the bread not during the bake cycle, but during the dough kneading/mixing cycles.

In my head I imagine the dough sticking to the surface and removing a monolayer of PFAS and integrating it in the dough.

[toxicFork]

I thought at first that the existing patients are getting better and looking younger thanks to the chemicals, rather than the new patients being younger than the previous ones.

[CaptainZapp]

Don't eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn't recognize as food.

Michael Pollan

[mrguyorama]

My great grandmother was a housewife in the 50s so that would include things like a "salad" made of mayo and nuts on a banana or a jello dish full of tuna.

[atentaten]

Any brand recommendations on the ice cream maker and breadmaker?

[sideproject]

We were recommended Breville. They are more on the pricey end. But we did get them second hand via FB marketplace.