Watching television with my mother was always painful (it still is, actually ;-)) mostly because she would criticize everything on the tube, and refute every marketing message from sponsors during commercials. Her favorite thing to say while waving a fist at the television during a commercial that was claiming to sell some sort of amazing product was, and still is "Bloody bullshit!!" Hilarious with her English accent, I have to say.
Aside from making me want to punch people who talk incessantly throughout a program or a movie, watching her argue with the television actually DID teach me something very valuable that I'm incredibly thankful for. I learned from a very young age that what we see on television commercials is not always true, and, simply - is marketed to us as consumers to encourage us to buy products. It seems these businesses will stop at nothing to get us to buy their products, especially food.
My latest favorite brainwashing attempt comes from a company that makes frozen pizzas with "wholesome ingredients" because they care about your health. Frozen pizza that is actually good for me? Go on!! They even encourage you to check the ingredients yourself! Wow! They really must care about my health if they are using wholesome ingredients and encouraging me to read the label. This all sounds too good to be true...
I hopped online to read the ingredients of these so called "wholesome ingredient" ridden frozen pizzas after one of my girlfriends called & told me about the product. Here's a list of what's in the Pepperoni Pizza they rave about in their commercials.
Crust
Enriched wheat flour, water, durum semolina, soy oil, wheat gluten, sugar, yeast, baking powder, dehydrated rye sourdough, soy lecithin, salt.
Sauce:
Water, tomato paste, corn starch, sugar, salt, spice, onion powder, natural flavor.
Cheese:
mozzarella (milk, modified milk ingredients, bacterial culture, salt, calcium chloride, microbial enzymes)
Toppings:
Pepperoni (pork and/or beef, seasoning, spices, sugar, celery powder, garlic powder) water, salt bacterial culture, natural flavor.
Enriched wheat flour: Why is it we "enrich" everything we eat? If wheat is grown properly the way it is meant to be, then shouldn't it be rich enough on its own? Jeez.
Wheat gluten: Gluten is the protein that naturally occurs in wheat. If there is already wheat in the product (flour) this means there is already gluten in that wheat. Are they adding extra gluten into the pizza dough? Why? Perhaps these ridiculous modifications of our foods are what may be contributing to so many of us having intolerances and sensitivities to things like wheat.
Sugar: In the dough, the sauce AND the pepperoni. I don't know about you but I can't say I've ever put sugar in or on a pizza before. Not just because I think it would taste like crap, but because sugar is very unhealthy.
Pepperoni: You don't see everything that is in the pepperoni on this label - in fact - they can't even specify what type of meat is used. In addition to this, I would venture to guess that the animals used for the meat on this pizza were not raised by an ethical farmer, so who knows what you're eating there. You also do not see what is used in pepperoni to make it. Pepperoni is a cured meat - it is a processed food. This on its own means it is bad for you to eat. Curing meats is basically a food preservation and flavoring process, and in pepperoni, the chemical of choice for curing it is Sodium Nitrate. While some companies have chosen to use other ingredients to cure meat, there is no way for the consumer to know what exactly was used to cure the meat when buying this or any other frozen pizza. If there's any chance it is Sodium Nitrate in this pepperoni, it is important to note there are issues with consuming this chemical.
Sodium Nitrate is a chemical (NaNO2) that is used as a color fixative and preservative in meats. Sodium nitrate consumption has been linked to triggering migraine headaches, lung disease, and cancer. Any chemical that can be linked to causing any of these in humans is just not fit to eat. It's not fit!!! Periodic table of the elements, who invited you to my dinner?
These commercials are filled with half truths about things that are generally important to the public, things like our health, and eating well. We, as a nation believe them. Not because we're stupid (well...let's face it...some of us are), but because in general, we trust people. I like to think of this trust we place in others as part of our charm as Canadians, and while I never want us to give that up, I do want us to be smart and aware of what we're putting in our bodies. We don't have to become a bunch of conspiracists and never enjoy an occasional treat. We can still trust people but we can also take into consideration a couple of things when it comes to these commercials and the products they are selling.
These products are being marketed to us by a business. Their focus and priority is to get you, the consumer to buy what they are selling. Period. Makes sense from a business perspective, right? Our health is not their priority or responsibility, it is our own, and we cannot honestly believe that a frozen pizza is good for us just because it has been cleverly marketed to us this way. We're smarter than that, Canada. Come on!
We buy these products because we believe that these companies that state things like "It's All Good" are required by governments to tell us the truth when they advertise to us. Think again. If a can of ravioli can be sold to us as "secretly nutritious" even though it is some sort of meat in a can with a shelf life of 100 years, we have to be honest with ourselves about what "truth" in advertisement really is for these industries. Our governments that are busy trying to keep everyone happy (and doing a really shitty job at that, I gotta say!) will never say something like "Do not eat this brand of food. It is bad for you" or "Do not eat at this fast food restaurant" as it would put these people out of business. Governments are not in a position to point out specific industries and tell you not to eat their foods, so it is up to YOU the CONSUMER to do your research and find out for yourself. Ask questions and make decisions about what you will eat on your own on a regular basis. Your health is your responsibility - nobody else is going to make that a priority for you.
Personally, I don't buy anything pretending to be food that's advertised on television because I am quite sure whatever they're selling is not whole or real. I eat whole, real foods and if there is something I am about to buy with an ingredient I would never have in my kitchen, I put it back and walk away from it. Sometimes I run. I'm not suggesting that I never indulge in anything, because I do, but it is done in moderation. And if I was going to sit down and eat a pizza, I'd feel much better knowing for SURE what was in it, and I'd make it on my own. It would be a vegan pizza though, so likely pretty disgusting. ;-)
And by the way - as much as I love her, if my mom ever invites you to watch a movie or TV with her...umm...you might want to go with no. Unless you enjoy watching English ladies argue with people who can't hear her ;-)
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