I’m talking about fake baking in the kitchen – the kind that happens in your oven, not so much under ultraviolet lights. I don’t know much about fake baking in a tanning bed, in fact, other than you should not engage. Alright, besides some past instances, we’ll call them *momentary lapses in judgment* – in which I actually did partake in fake baking my skin – I am not in the know on the subject. All I can say is I wish I could take back each lapse. Those errors in judgment will haunt me forevermore. Fake baking in a tanning bed is BAD, ok? Ahh, youth, wedding parties, tan bandwagons, and the unknown. The rest is history. And filled with regret. ‘Nough said.
Back to kitchen baking – baking. Making and baking from scratch isn’t necessarily as innocent or natural as I first assumed. It can be. Trust me, I’m all for just about anything baked from scratch, with real ingredients. I want the baking innards in my baked goods to be natural. Laissez-faire, if you will: leave my baking innards alone! For instance, I’ve recently discovered that the light corn syrup in my pantry contains high fructose corn syrup and (thanks to a local foodie moms forum) the baking powder contains ALUMINUM, the heavy metal. Yep, confirm for yourself, and go check your own baking innards. If you feel even half as ambushed I did, read on.
Certain bleached flours are banned in the European Union. Uh, I’ll take my flour sans CHLORINE BLEACH, here in Minnesota as well, thank you. Highly chlorinated swimming pools make me leery; I have no desire to feed myself or my family chlorinated, chemically treated flour. Flour that’s bleached is stripped of most of the nutrients it contained, leaving essentially starch that breaks down into sugar. Oh, and if you’ve ever used “self-rising” flour, that contains plenty of ALUMINUM too. I used to use that stuff to make easy buttermilk biscuits, emphasis on used to. Geez, I thought I was doing my family a service by not using the boxed cake and brownie mixes or refrigerated cylinders of cookie dough. Well, maybe I was, but there’s more to it than just avoiding partially hydrogenated trans-fat sludge and preservatives. When will it stop and what is there left to eat?! Baking powder contains aluminum, *cheap* flour is bleached in chlorine, and corn syrup contains high fructose corn syrup.
Welcome to my fake baking intervention segment. You’re in good company, and I’m here to tell you that you’re still loved very much, and are a very good person, even if you’ve unknowingly succumbed to faux innards, like I have. The important thing is that we’re here together today, you’re surrounded by people who love ya, to make some much needed changes. (How did I do? You’ve been subjected to my first mediocre stab at Jeff VanVonderen from A&E’s Intervention.)
I realize I’ve titled this fake baking, I think it fits well. When you’re baking with aluminum, chlorine or HFCS, what else would you call it? If you buy boxed cake or brownie mixes, those are typically filled with trans-fats and other preservatives, to keep them on your shelf indefinitely. That stuff is not food. Plus, those mixes can contain yeast which can be dangerous, if you ignore the expiration date.
You don’t have to mill your own wheat just yet (I’m envious if you do this or want to). There are some people-conscious brands that have your best interests in mind. This is the Happy Alternatives portion. Think of these as treatment options in our intervention.
Happy Alternatives
Unbleached flour
You can buy this in a few varieties: straight-up unbleached flour, organic unbleached flour, unbleached whole wheat pastry flour, or organic whole wheat pastry flour
I currently have two varieties on hand in my pantry, both of which I heart and have restocked (and just so happened to use in my scrumptious pancakes this morning):
Dakota Maid Unbleached Flour
and
365 Organic Whole Foods Market Organic Whole Wheat Pastry Flour (don’t attempt to rattle that one off quickly…) *I try using this exclusively, but it doesn’t always happen. This one is the healthiest option, made with all 3 parts of the wheat berry (the bran, germ and endosperm).
Another alternative: Bread that is not white! When you eat white bread, you’re eating the same chlorine bleach treated flour remnants mentioned above. Beware of the label “enriched” – the label should read “depleted of nutrients, so we added things like metallic iron, which are shavings of a bar of iron, bon appetite”.
You can either make your own rendition of aluminum-free baking powder using 2 parts cream of tartar to 1 part baking soda, and 1 part corn starch (2 Tbs cream of tartar, 1 Tbs baking soda, and 1 Tbs corn starch)
…or buy one of these Aluminum-free brands:
Rumford (beware of same-owned Clabber Girl)
Aluminum-free stores (most likely):
Local Co-ops (these come highly recommended by me)
Corn Syrup
I find it easier to use alternative recipes, rather than this stuff, but here are a few alternatives. Again, check with Whole Foods Market or Local Co-ops for more alternatives.
Wholesome Sweeteners claim to sell the only organic alternative to GMO corn syrup
Nature’s Flavors sells an organic, vegan corn syrup – undergoing certification
Dellanatura corn syrup
…. And now the Nuts and Bolts segment
Links to nuts and bolts for:
Name
Bleached flour
What it is and what it does
Well, bleached flour is flour that is chemically bleached (chemically treated). According to both Organic Consumers and Natural News, bleached flour contains alloxan, which destroys the beta cells of the pancreas, increasing the risk of diabetes. Bleached flour is a starch filler, lacking most of the natural, good properties of wheat.
What it’s typically in
White enriched flour, white bread, cereal, crackers, pasta
Back to basics in my kitchen (my intervention follow-up)
In attempt to reduce the fake baking in my own kitchen, I’ve pitched the aluminum filled baking powder and self-rising flour, and the bottle of high fructose corn syrup – corn syrup. Once my Dakota Maid unbleached flour is gone, I’m not going to replace it. Bring on the organic whole wheat flour. I want the bran and germ, so I can justify eating more of the yummy pancakes and cookies that contain ‘em. I continue to steer clear of tanning booths.
Happy REAL Baking to you!
In this time when Big Food and Pharma are making mega profits, I'm acknowledging a broken system with options a parent can count on. While the information super highway puts infinite resources at our fingertips, navigating that maze leaves my head spinning. I created Spilled Ingredients as a sieve for all of us busy, real folks and parents.
Wow -this is really interesting. So glad I found your blog (from minnesota.com). I’ve recently become very interested in ingredients after my youngest child (20 months) was diagnosed with food allergies to eggs, milk, soy and peanuts. I never really paid a lot of attention to ingredients before. Now I have to bake our own bread and do a lot more cooking from scratch than ever. Thanks!
And watch out for those aluminum & teflon cookware. Aluminum is a very soft metal and it DOES end up in the food you cook or bake in it. ESP if that food is anywhere on the acidic side. Teflon has toxic fluoride compounds in it which have been proven to not only come off into your food, but also to vaporize into the air you breath should you ever over-heat the pan or burn something in it! If there were a canary or small bird in your house when this happened it would likely kill him! Studies have shown that a large majority of the population has teflon in their blood! And have linked this to several serious illnesses, diseases & immune system dysfunctions. It is most wise to get good quality ceramic/glass fired on cast iron, also know as enameled cast iron. Beware of cheap imitations which use a cheap epoxy resin (plastic) instead of actual porcelain or glass fired-on enamel. Glass cookware like corning or pyrex is also a very good choice.