Recently during lunch times the Pluscarden community has listened to a book about Ultra-Processed Food.
The conclusions of this book are rather alarming.
It seems that a lot of what we eat contains ultra-processed ingredients which are, or may be, by and large, harmful. That is: these ingredients are (or may be) harmful to health, to the environment, to the global economy, to the poor.
But these ingredients also make a very great deal of money for the huge trans-national food companies that produce and market them. And the purpose of these companies is not to contribute to our health or well being, or even particularly to nourish us, but to make money.
It would seem sensible therefore to be aware of all ulta-processing in the food we eat, and to do what can be done to avoid it.
What about bread?
We do make our own bread on occasion, but most of the bread we eat we buy. For many decades now we have been buying bread from a fine local bakery. This bread seems admirably healthy and good: lovely whole meal brown bread! But this bread contains (as it says on the bag): "Wheatflour (with added calcium, iron, niacin and thiamine), water, yeast, salt, brown sugar, vegetable oils fat (palm oil, rapeseed oil), soyaflour, flour treatment agent (e300), emulsifiers (e471, e472e)".
The emulsifier e472e is (of course) diacetyl tartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides: known in the trade as DATEM. DATEM contributes towards the moist springiness in bread, and increases its shelf life. So what's not to like there?? Only that it may be significantly harmful to your health, in all sorts of ways that our refectory book most thoroughly investigated.
By way at least of experiment, then, we are now trying a move to sourdough bread. This is made using only 3 ingredients: Wheat flour, salt and water. The yeast that makes the bread rise is found naturally in the flour. Of course this bread is slower to make, rather more difficult to chew, and more expensive. It's nice though, and good for you!
Our picture shows 2 varieties of sourdough bread in our refectory, and beside the board a pat of real butter!
Butter has for long been regarded as a luxury here: a treat reserved more or less for Christmas and Easter.
But margerine is about as ultra-processed as it's possible to get, and butter is really simple, natural and (so they say nowadays) good for you! Also, as it happens, much nicer.
So, in spite of increased expense, as compared to marge, butter is back on the Pluscarden menu.
Thank God!
