I’ve spent most of 2014, and the first month of 2015 in Europe. Though I do not view myself as one who typically cares much about food outside of being hungry, I found myself utterly enamored with the food in these foreign countries. After 3 years, I can safely say that I am a certified Vegetarian! So much so that it has become synonymous with my name. Though in The U.S. I have struggled to enjoy eating the fruits and Vegetables alone, without having to add some sort of added preservative to give what I eat flavor! It did not take very long for me to notice that the food I was eating in Europe, “in its raw state” was literally INSANELY DELICIOUS! That baffled me. Why were the fruit & vegetables overseas so packed with intense flavor and more filling than in The US? Foods that I would have never thought to eat prior to my trip were quickly becoming a regular part of my daily diet! Not only was the food Great, it was also ridiculously cost efficient! I could purchase a bag of oranges for 1 Euro or Pound, whereas in The U.S. would have cost me $3 and more! So what was behind all this? I asked the French who were more than eager to tell me.
Did you know that in France and many European countries, U.S. Meat is NOT sold or even permitted?! Why? The French state that U.S. Meat, “like most U.S. Food” are not considered real food because of the preservatives and chemicals we use in them! In fact, much of the preservatives in our food have been banned and even outlawed around the world! One instance of a bad product was given to the French culture in the late 70’s. It was used as an Aid in growing agriculture and crops, but was quickly banned because of the sudden increase of Cancer cases in the population. Even the land it had been used on has been no longer used for consumption or even habitation! Acres of French Country side and fields sit today untouched for years, condemned as being poisoned ground today, some 20 years later.
Agriculturalist periodically have checked the land and continue to find traces of the elements, causing them to continue to deem the acres of land as, “UNSAFE” to the population! HMMMMMM!!! So what does that say about American Food, our land, and the preservatives well known for being used? I will let you decide…. But, I will leave you with this, The Health issues that plague us across our country do not seem to be prevalent overseas! Maybe we really are what we eat!