1,001 Facts That Will Scare the S#*t Out of You: The Ultimate Bathroom Reader (6 page)

22

FACT :
Independent studies show that bell peppers, celery, kale, carrots, lettuce, and potatoes are the vegetables most likely to
expose consumers to pesticides
, despite being rinsed or peeled.
Bell peppers, celery, carrots, lettuce, and potatoes are also the foods most likely to expose family and friends to your lethal flatulence. Who the hell eats kale?

“Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides,” The Environmental Working Group,
www.foodnews.org
.

23

FACT :
Red-colored grocery items like fruit punch and strawberry yogurt are often dyed with carmine, which is made from
ground-up cochineal beetles
. For some, carmine can cause severe allergic reactions and can even lead to anaphylactic shock.
That’s too bad, because eating ground-up beetles sounds really great otherwise.

Daniel M. Marmion, Handbook of U.S. Colorants: Foods, Drugs, Cosmetics, and Medical Devices, 3rd ed. (Wiley-Interscience, 1991), 128.

J.B. Greig, “Cochineal Extract, Carmine, and Carminic Acid,” WHO Food Additive Series 46, Food Standards Agency, London,
www.inchem.org
.

24

FACT :
Citrus Red No.2 is often used to give Florida oranges a brighter, more appealing hue.

The same dye has been
banned for use
in food processing because studies have shown that it causes cancer.
Citrus Red No. 2 is also used at spray-on tanning spas to give customers that oh-so-life-like bright orange glow.

Mike Adams, “Grocery Warning: The Seven Most Dangerous Ingredients in Conventional Foods,” (Truth Publishing LLC, 2006), Organic Consumers Association,
www.organicconsumers.org
.

Elson Haas and Buck Levin, Staying Healthy with Nutrition: The Complete Guide to Diet and Nutritional Medicine, 21st ed. (Celestial Arts, 2006), 447.

25

FACT :
Prior to 2007, Girl Scout cookies were made with
trans fat-filled hydrogenated oil
, though most trans fat has now been removed from the recipes.
Hold on, Sparky. They’re still packed with sugar and saturated fat, so it’s not a good idea to down an entire box of Tagalong’s in one sitting. Even though I have. More than once.

Thin Mints, too.

Mike Adams, “Grocery Warning: The Seven Most Dangerous Ingredients in Conventional Foods,” (Truth Publishing LLC, 2006), Organic Consumers Association,
www.organicconsumers.org
.

“Thin Mints Recipes,” Little Brownie Bakers,
www.littlebrowniebakers.com
.

26

FACT :
A diet high in processed meats like sausage, hot dogs, and luncheon meats
increases the risk of pancreatic cancer
. Chemical reactions that occur during the preparation of these meats yield carcinogens, which could be responsible for the association.
Subway’s Jared: “I ate Subway every day for a year and lost 200 pounds. And my pancreas.”

Mike Adams, “Grocery Warning: The Seven Most Dangerous Ingredients in Conventional Foods,” (Truth Publishing LLC, 2006), Organic Consumers Association,
www.organicconsumers.org
.

“Processed Meat Linked to Pancreatic,” Consumer Affairs, April 22, 2005,
www.consumeraffairs.com
.

27

FACT :
Mushrooms can kill. The two species most commonly to blame in
mushroom poisonings
are the Death Cap, which contains seven toxins and can be lethal with just one bite, and the Destroying Angel, often confused for an edible white cap mushroom.
Death Cap. Destroying Angel. Who names these things, Dr. Evil?

Dahlia Rideout, “Ten Dangerous & Deadly Foods,” Divine Caroline,
www.divinecaroline.com
.