WHAT?! give up sweet Pam!? yes... after doing a little research... I realized, all the additives and junk we were trying to cut out of our normal food... are included in the cooking sprays... even the organic kind... Just look at the can in your pantry... can you pronounce all the ingredients?
And... the whole "calorie free" claim is bogus... look at the servings size... 1/4 of a second spray... who does that?!?!?! So, they shrink the serving size to SO SO SO small to claim NO FAT and ZERO CALORIES! (which nutritional labels can claim if there is less than a .5 of a gram of fat... so if it is .5g of fat in 1/4 of a second spray... they can legally claim it is fat free...) So, if you spray it for 2 seconds, you are getting calories...
Now, oil is not the enemy, the yucky additives in the cooking spray is the ugly. And what is hard, the Genetically modified soy beans that are used in these sprays, aren't legally required to be labeled as Genetically Modified... a whole other issue...
The Examiner did a report on reasons why non-stick cooking sprays are not a good option... Here they are:
If cooking spray is a staple in your kitchen, here are four reasons to consider tossing out that iconic aerosol can:
1. Cooking sprays contain unhealthy additives
Home cooks typically don’t intend to add dubious ingredients like soy lecithin, mono and diglycerides, dimethylpolysiloxane, dimethyl silicone, or artificial flavors to their carefully selected meals, especially since the long term effects of these chemicals are still unknown. Nevertheless, many varieties of cooking spray contain exactly these things, especially when opting for artificially flavored varieties, like butter.
2. Cooking sprays contain genetically modified ingredients (GMO’s)
While things like soy, corn, or rapeseeds (canola) in and of themselves may not sound bad, the problem lies in the origin of the crops. Sadly, the vast majority of these foods (over 90 percent according to GMO Compass) are derived from genetically modified seeds, which have been altered so that growers can use more pesticides (without killing the plant itself) and therefore yield more crops.
According the American Academy of Environmental Medicine, animal studies have repeatedly shown serious health risks including infertility, auto-immune disorders, diabetes, and changes in major organs including the gastrointestinal system. The AAEM even went so far as to ask physicians to advise patients to avoid GM foods.
To further compound this problem, GM foods contain markedly higher levels of pesticides than conventional crops, increasing the risks of these already dangerous chemicals.
3. Cooking sprays contain soy
Although soy is typically viewed as healthy, people are consuming more of it today than at any other time in history. This is namely because it is an additive in just about every processed food available, leaving many experts fearing that there could be unintended health consequences to such overconsumption.
A Harvard University study, for example, reported that eating as little as one half serving of soy per day resulted in problems such as infertility in males and increased breast cancer risk in females. Other experts propose that the soy laden diet of today may also be a contributing factor in the increased incidence of soy allergies, which have increased by 50 percent since 1998, according to Nexus Magazine.
4. Cooking sprays may negatively impact lung health
In 2007, Seattle PI conducted studies on 22 leading cooking sprays. They found that even small amounts of the sprays, when heated, released high concentrations of diacetyl, a chemical that causes serious and even fatal respiratory disease under repeated, long-term exposure. Although manufacturers have since removed products containing diacetyl from the market, some health advocates fear that using aerosol products is still risky since the long-term effects of inhaling the particles and vapors of other artificial ingredients isn’t known.
So what is the solution? Do what your grandmother did and simply wipe down your pots and pans with organic, cold-pressed cooking oils such as olive or coconut. Or, if you simply must have a spray, most home goods stores sell hand-pump spray bottles designed to fill with any cooking oil you choose. You won't get that disgusting buildup on your cookware, and your body and the environment will be better off. "Now... another solution... DIY Cooking Spray. I like how you can pronounce every ingredient :)
HOMEMADE COOKING SPRAY
Ingredients
1 part olive oil (or your choice of oil)
5 parts water
1 misting spray bottle (make sure its a misting spray bottle)
5 parts water
1 misting spray bottle (make sure its a misting spray bottle)
Instructions
Mix in your spray bottle 1 part olive oil to 5 parts water. In my 12 ounce bottle, I poured in 2 ounces of canola oil and added 10 ounces of water. Shake well and you’re done. That’s it. Store in a cool, dark place. Shake before using each time.
Sometimes change is hard and sometimes, it just might not be worth it to you... Again... I am just blogging about my own discoveries and what we are doing as a family. Please don't take these posts as judgements towards you if you choose not to eat like we eat... I just want it to be a journal of my journey and a help to anyone who might want some info. That is all :)
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