Another Evil Ingredient-Cellulose (aka: Sawdust)
June 5, 2011 § 2 Comments
Just when you think you have it all figured out, just when you think, “Okay, I have a grip on the pesticides and the preservatives, I totally understand that I’m not supposed to feed processed foods to my beloved feathered friend, I get the fact that foods high in carbohydrates lack the nutrition my bird needs to stay healthy; I know not to feed these to my bird”, another evil ingredient comes along and you have to look even closer into the ingredient listing on the package-back of your pet’s favorite food. Sigh…when will it ever stop? Never.
As companies feel the belt tightening on their economical pocket book, and they will because of the World Trade Market, you are going to find that your pet’s food, as well as your own, is going to become less and less nutritious and more and more “bulky” all of the time. And this “bulk” is not going to be packed full of nutrition, it’s simply going to be placed in the food-like product to make you and your pet simply feel fuller as the food enters the digestive system and plops down into your gut.
All of this makes for a body that becomes fatter and fatter and fatter, looking like it is over-consuming food, when, in fact it may very well be under-nourished because the “food” going into the body is only empty bulk, no nutrition.
At one time we had to worry about food that was packed with carbohydrates like wheat, corn and rice. We learned that those ingredients, even though the manufacturers touted they were “wholesome and full of nutrition”, when it came right down to it, no, they were not as nutritious as the food manufacturers claimed them to be. Those ingredients just filled the product up, extended it with bulk so the manufacturer could sell the product at a high price and make a large profit. Now, even these ingredients are becoming too expensive on the World Trade Market for manufacturers to use in their highly-processed foods, so they are turning to less expensive ingredients that can’t even be classified as a “food”, but can still be classified as “an organic substance” by the FDA.
Ingredients such as corn, wheat and soy that manufacturers once touted as “highly nutritious”, simply for their profit-driven motives of selling their foods to the non-suspecting public at prices that didn’t equal the actual nutrition their foods lacked, now are being replaced with even less nutritious ingredients and they are being touted as “fat-free!” And it hasn’t stopped the prices of all of these foods from climbing even higher!
What will you see as the bulk of the nutrition on the package backs? Even more forms of laboratory-produced chemical vitamins at the end of the ingredient list on the package-back.
First of all we had to watch labels and make sure the empty, simple carbohydrates mentioned above were not listed in the first few ingredients, then we realized that the pesticides and preservatives were probably even more dangerous than the carbohydrates. Because we realized we had to worry about the pesticides and preservatives found in conventional ingredients we began moving to organic ingredients.
Later we learned that the highly processed foods weren’t good for our pets either, that our pets need whole foods; raw foods their digestive tracts have to break down and utilize what they are intended to be used for in order to stimulate their digestive juices and get all of the body’s systems “ticking” like Nature intends.
Ahhh…this has been one learning curve after another, hasn’t it?
Now comes along this new menace. What is it? Who has introduced it? And what do we do about it?
It’s called “cellulose”? It’s nothing new. You see it everywhere and you’ve been using it for years, probably without even knowing it. Sometimes cellulose is nothing but a harmless vegetable-derived ingredient. But if it is derived from a vegetable the manufacturer will most likely be state that on the label because they are proud about that fact. But another word for it is “sawdust” and when this form of cellulose is used the manufacturer does not disclose this information because they are not proud about this fact, they are using it simply to bulk up the product to make a quick buck off their customers. Even if the package label states “plant” derived, we still have to wonder because sawdust is derived from a plant. The label must be clearly marked as “vegetable-derived” in order to be sure the cellulose is not actually sawdust.
You would normally see this being used in products like glue, plastics, pet litter, brake pads, asphalt, emulsion paints and a list of other inedible items. Then food manufacturers began adding it to gum to make it thicker so it would last longer for the avid gum-chewer. Then they found if they added it to food it would actually mimic fat and make people feel like they were getting that warm-fuzzy feeling after consuming fat, when in fact they were eating no fat at all. They began adding it to meats and eventually adding it to foods, especially weight-loss foods. Hmmm…
It’s being used WIDELY in human and animal foods to “bulk up” or “extend” processed foods without adding fat content. And the FDA allows it because it’s an “organic” substance.
And here we go again, if the manufacturer of your pet’s food doesn’t add it directly at the plant where your pet’s food is made, if the cellulose is added to an ingredient that the manufacturer orders outside of their own manufacturing plant, and then has that ingredient shipped to their plant and then adds the ingredient containing the cellulose to the processed food, alas your manufacturer isn’t legally required to disclose the cellulose on the package ingredient list!
So you, your infant (in baby formula), your dog, cat, bird or any other pet you have may be consuming it right now without you even knowing it! Even if you are feeding raw meat to your dog or cat, you might want to check out your source, it may be an additive to any ground meat you are feeding to your animal. A way to avoid this is to purchase a whole piece of meat and have it ground right in front of you. And remember the melamine scare? When we found it was being added to baby formula and animal food? It’s similar to that.
I’m concerned about this “cellulose” and what it might be doing to our digestive tract as well as our pet’s “innards”. I personally don’t believe that cellulose, commonly known as “sawdust” is digestible. What if it just sits there in the gut and doesn’t go anywhere? Could this be one of the reasons people seem to actually gain weight when they eat weight-loss foods? Could this be one of the reasons our animals are gaining weight when they consume these processed foods, even when we follow the manufacturer’s directions on the amount to feed according to age and weight of our pet? I think it well could be.
At any rate, in the case of human food we are finding cellulose in foods ranging from meats to fast foods, to weight-loss foods, “high-fiber” foods, to milk shakes, to frozen breakfast foods, to French fries and tator tots, to crackers, breads, muffins, pizza dough, and pancakes, the list is almost endless. If this is true, and it is, what are we to think about “animal foods”? We know there is less control and supervision over animal food.
Yes, we have another evil monster to be on the lookout for. We have to realize there is no way to stop this. The FDA isn’t going to be our police, we HAVE to be. It’s up to each of us, individually to watch what we consume and what our pets consume. And it’s going to become more and more difficult as food prices increase. Just last week I heard on the news that food prices are expected to double in the next 20 years. Now that may not sound like a big deal, but when you break it down in more realistic terms such as “$100.00 worth of groceries today will cost $200.00 by the time you are 20 years older”, then it really means something. Will you be 20 years richer or 20 years poorer by then? When you think in terms that the wage index has remained flat for the last decade, meaning that wages haven’t increased to match the cost of living, then this is pretty scary stuff. Well, the food manufacturers are realizing this and they are preparing for it now by adding “bulk” and “extenders” to their foods now. And it’s going to get worse in years ahead. Clearly all of us have to set our priorities and decide where our hard-earned money is going to go, our luxuries, or our health? For me and my pets it’s no question, I have chosen organic, pesticide-free and preservative-free since the early 90’s and I try my best to avoid processed foods. I will continue to do so for as long as I can. As a result I have very few doctor and veterinary bills. What I spend on the front end, I save on the back end. And I save myself and my pets a lot of worry and heartache to boot. To me that’s worth every dime.
Here’s a link if you would like to read more about cellulose being used in foods:
http://www.thestreet.com/story/11012915/2/cellulose-wood-pulp-never-tasted-so-good.html
If you are still wondering if there is any validation to this post, I found a website of a paper and pulp manufacturer that actually produces FDA approved “pulp” for use as a food filler. Here is there statement regarding their pulp food filler:
“Southern Bleached Hardwood Kraft (SBHK)
High brightness mixed hardwood kraft pulp is manufactured at XXXXX Paper’s Riegelwood, NC, Eastover, SC, and Saillat, France mills. These pulps are well-suited for use in a variety of printing and writing, tissue, and specialty grades of paper. They are FDA approved for food contact and food filler.“
If that isn’t enough proof that “sawdust”, “wood” and “pulp” is being used in our food, and most likely in our pet’s food, I don’t know what is. It is being openly and freely advertised on manufacturer’s websites as a viable FDA approved filler for food products! Scary stuff!
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Machelle Pacion / The BEST Bird Food / BirD-elicious! / Passion Tree House LLC © 2012 All Rights Reserved
*Information supplied by The BEST Bird Food or any of its contributors, associates, et al, does not intend to diagnose, treat or cure any symptom, illness or disease. Any information provided is strictly for the purpose of “sharing” resources. Should a reader decide to use any such information they do so at their own risk and holds author(s) and associates, et al, of The BEST Bird Food blog harmless in any and all legal matters concerning their health and the health of their family and/or friends and/or colleagues who they may share the information with as well as all of their pets and/or livestock whom they may practice the information upon.
Organic VS Conventional
February 23, 2011 § Leave a Comment
What does this mean?
I find in speaking with individuals abut organic foods that most people just don’t really understand the difference between truly organically produced foods and conventionally produced foods, and that’s why people don’t think it’s all that important to buy organic foods. Once a person really understands the difference, they almost always choose organically produced foods.
No doubt, I am a strong advocate of organically produced foods. But I’m not a strong advocate of the “Certified Organic” label. Once again, with the label, bureaucracy is attempting to sneak its way back into our lives and in doing so the prices of our luscious and pure foods are climbing sky high. If you will go the distance and shop your local farmers markets, most of the time you can find fruits and vegetables that have been grown organically. They may not have gone under the rigorous tests that allow them to be legally labeled “Certified Organic”, but they are organic just the same if they have been grown without the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Knowing the farmer and his or her product requires developing a long and lasting relationship, and possibly getting to know their other customers as well, but its well worth your time and effort.
Just what is the difference between organically and conventionally grown products? That’s what we will be attempting to explore and answer in this particular article.
Organically grown is a term we would have never run across years ago. Not long ago, the majority of us would be consuming fruits and vegetable without even giving a thought to the chemical fertilizers to make our foods grow larger than life and prevent our foods from being taken over by insects. In fact, all of us thought those two things were a pretty innovative idea! Wow, we could have fresh fruits and vegetables year round without the worry of spoilage or infestations of pests! What a new and wonderful idea. And this meant that prices would be lower across the board for all of our produce as well. The American people literally ate this idea up with enthusiasm. Again, “organically grown” was a term that virtually didn’t exist among the savvy and hip American middle class even fifty years ago.
Today, “organically grown” is developing a new standard by which most people who are concerned about the amount of possible carcinogens we are exposed to each and every day of our lives desire to live by. Those of us who are truly concerned about the amount of possible carcinogens that goes into our bodies, through various delivery methods, foods, the air we breathe, the water we drink and bathe in, the creams and lotions we apply to our skin, the medical procedures our bodies undergo, and more, want some amount of control, and we are controlling those methods first beginning with the food we eat, the first line of defense against aging and disease.
100% Organic – “Organically grown” means that a product, or the base product, such as corn, wheat, rice, etc., in a boxed product, was grown without chemical fertilizers or pesticides used on it, and that the ground it was grown in has to be free of chemicals for a period of at least 7 years. This product may use the USDA Certified Organic seal after meeting all of the legal requirements and filling out all of the tedious applications and passing all of the tests, and paying all of the applicable fees.
Organic – This product only has to have 95% organically produced ingredients in the total package. But it must meet the same requirements as the 100% organic foods. “Organically grown” means that a product, or the base product, such as corn, wheat, rice, etc., in a boxed product, was grown without chemical fertilizers or pesticides used on it, and that the ground it was grown in has to be free of chemicals for a period of at least 7 years. This product may use the USDA Certified Organic seal after meeting all of the legal requirements and filling out all of the tedious applications and passing all of the tests, and paying all of the applicable fees.
Made With Organic Ingredients – This product must contain at least 70% organically produced ingredients and may contain up to 30% non-organic ingredients. The USDA seal may not be used, but the package may be marked as “Made with Organic Ingredients”. **When we were producing our bird foods, this is the label we used. However, that being said, over 95%, close to 100% of our ingredients were actually certified organic. But because we didn’t have our foods tested, because of the high cost and bureaucracy involved, we could not label our foods “Certified Organic” or “Organic”. But we were using ingredients that were labeled as such and actually came to us with the certification labels. This is where the bureaucratic water gets really, really murky. It’s like double certification, and those costs get passed down to the consumer. We didn’t think that was fair, so we didn’t go to the expense of having our bird foods “double-certified” so we decided to go with the “Made with Organic Ingredients” label and then educate our customers that our foods contained over 95% certified organic ingredients.
“Transitional organically grown” means that a product or the base product in a boxed product has to be grown in ground that was free of chemicals for a period of at least 3 years. The USDA is no longer allowing this label to be used.
(Short Article by the USDA on Organic Labeling)
However, keeping all of this in mind, rules and regulations are more lax when it comes to manufacturing pets foods. The general premises are still held for “certified organic” and “organic”, but the enforcement of these rules and regulations are very lax. There are organizations a pet food manufacturer can choose to become a member of, but moreover it is not required, it’s more of a volunteer situation. Unless a pet food manufacturer is a huge corporation with sales that span the entire country and even International sales, many small pet food manufacturers just don’t see it as absolutely necessary to become accountable to yet another bureaucratic agency if they feel they are reliable and accountable in, of and unto themselves.
The (loosely) governing agencies for pet foods are FDA (Federal Food and Drug Administration), USDA (United States Department of Agriculture), FTC (Federal Trade Commission), AAFCO (Association Of American Feed Control Officials, Inc.), APPA (American Pet Products Association), AFIA (American Feed Industry Association-doesn’t really regulate pet foods, but represents the business, legislative and regulatory interests of the U.S. animal feed industry and its suppliers). In addition, each State has its own controls and regulations.
Conventionally produced fruits and vegetables are a no-holds barred pesticide-ridden, grown big and fast with chemical fertilizer, made to look shiny and tempting-to-eat colorful pieces of wax-coated dinner table center-pieces. In reality, when we take a bite into one of these tempting faux pieces of produce, we are left disappointed in a tasteless state of delusion. And the reasons behind this are the…chemical fertilizers and the pesticides that have seeped into the meat of the product. Chemicals, in my opinion, leach out and cover up the real taste of the individual piece of produce.
When a person compares the sheer difference in taste between the organically grown pieces of produce to a conventionally grown piece, the burst of flavor you get with the organically grown is the obvious difference experienced. A conventional piece of produce may look better, but only because of the potential carcinogenic chemical fertilizers and pesticides and waxy substance to make it shine and keep the pests away. But take one bite and you will know the difference. There is no comparison in taste. And the thought of eating a piece of produce free of potential carcinogens gives you peace of mind too. That in itself is enough reason to eat nothing but organic produce.
There is much controversy about just how much nutrition chemical fertilizers and pesticides actually strip out of the produce too. While chemical companies will tell you that using chemical fertilizers add to the nutrition of the produce, scientists are still at odds about this. And even if the chemical fertilizers do add to the nutrition of the produce, how much of the “chemical” nutrition does a living body actually absorb? How much of a chemical nutritive is bio-available to a living body?
So just how does this affect a parrot? Birds have a much more delicate system than humans do. And you will see how the conventionally grown produce affects their systems faster than you will see how it affects humans. You will see it in feather health, skin health, allergies, and behavior problems. Does your bird scratch a lot? Does it pull its feathers out? Does it mutilate its skin? Does it scream incessantly? Or, is it apathetic? All of these symptoms could be the result of chemicals in the food you are feeding.
And don’t think just because you are feeding a food that says it is “certified organic” that you are doing the right thing for your bird. There’s even more to this story.
All of the base ingredients of the food you are feeding could very well be certified organic, but if during the processing of the food the manufacturer is adding other ingredients, such as preservatives or laboratory-produced synthetic vitamins or food colorings, then you might be right back to the same problem you thought you were getting away from by feeding a food that is labeled certified organic in the first place. And it is perfectly legal for a manufacturer to add these ingredients to their products and the product still be “certified organic” because organic only covers the way a product is grown, whether it is grown with or without chemical fertilizers and/or pesticides, not what is added to the product during the manufacturing process.
When a manufacturer processes their foods so highly that the base ingredients are nothing more than a “mash”, and then they have to highly pressurize the mash so that it sticks together, this literally removes almost all of the real nutrition out of the food. In order to get nutrition back into the food the manufacturer has to add laboratory-produced vitamins back into the food. In addition, usually chemical preservatives are added to the food as well.
We all know how chemical preservatives can harm us as humans. We have read about them, we have heard about them. And MSG is found in virtually everything we eat, even maltodextrin. Maltodextrin is commonly used as filler and a “binder”, something to “glue” other substances together. So even if a brand name manufacturer says, “We don’t add MSG to our foods”, that may well be true, that they don’t actually add MSG to their foods because it is already in the maltodextrin their “outsourcing manufacturer” has in their stock products. In other words, the MSG has been added to the maltodextrin by the manufacturer of the maltodextrin before the “outsourcing manufacturer” of the bird food has received the MSG so the brand name manufacturer of your bird’s food is perfectly legal in saying that they don’t add MSG to their bird food! Do you see the slippery lie? And yes, the FDA allows any brand name manufacturer of any product to get away with this lie! And there are a number of preservatives that is used in foods today, under many names that you would never think of as being a “preservative”. “Natural flavorings” is just one ingredient that carries with it the connotation that MSG is probably present in the food.
(Link to list of commonly used names of preservatives hidden in food.)
So between the chemical preservatives and the laboratory-produced vitamins, you are right back to where you started in feeding “certified organic” bird food to your bird when you are feeding highly processed foods. This is why I am a hard and fast advocate of whole-food nutrition for parrots and other companion birds. If at all possible I believe foods should be cut in larger chunks and fed in pieces that are as recognizable as the food they are whenever possible. Obviously this is not always possible, but when it is, this is the best method to use.
Digestive tracts are meant to be used. When they are used, digestive enzymes are stimulated and the entire digestive system is put at work the way it was meant to be used. When whole foods are fed, natural vitamins are available in a bio-available means and no artificial vitamins need to be fed in most cases if a bird is a normally healthy bird. The key to feeding a whole-food diet is variety. A person has to do a considerable amount of research to understand what nutrients are contained in each independent food and which foods to feed to make sure a wide variety of nutrients are being received by your bird. A person also needs to have a general understanding of “food combination” and how one food plays with and against another in the gut. As with all foods, you may think that you are feeding enough of one food to supply one vitamin or mineral, only to find out that by feeding another you are canceling out a portion of another so you are left needing to feeding even more of the one you are canceling out. Nutrition can be a tricky game so you really need to understand what you are doing if you are feeding only a small number of ingredients. But if you are feeding a large number of ingredients, then the likelihood of malnutrition declines with each additional ingredient, or food, you add to your bird’s diet. So “the more the merrier” is the statement to live by in the case of feeding a whole-food diet to your bird! And always attempting to feed organic
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Machelle Pacion / The BEST Bird Food / BirD-elicious! / Passion Tree House LLC © 2012 All Rights Reserved
*Information supplied by The BEST Bird Food or any of its contributors, associates, et al, does not intend to diagnose, treat or cure any symptom, illness or disease. Any information provided is strictly for the purpose of “sharing” resources. Should a reader decide to use any such information they do so at their own risk and holds author(s) and associates, et al, of The BEST Bird Food blog harmless in any and all legal matters concerning their health and the health of their family and/or friends and/or colleagues who they may share the information with as well as all of their pets and/or livestock whom they may practice the information upon.
