I read a post by The Hearty Soul  suggesting our spices are laden with by-products of radiation and it caused concern. Immediately I was reminded of the nursery rhyme “Sugar and spice and everything nice, that’s what little girls are made of.” We use spices all the time, every meal, to make food taste better. Spices have natural benefits for healing too. Is there anything to it? I haven’t heard anything about it in mainstream media, so it’s not really a cause for concern; right?

The FDA says the process is safe. Not two weeks ago the FDA decided to update the definition of “healthy.”  At first I wanted to condemn the FDA for doing more harm under an approved label, but a friend caused me to step back and take another look. I wanted to believe that the FDA was trying to do something right by eliminating the ability for Pop Tarts to be healthy, and including avocados, salmon, and almonds under the healthy label. I was willing to issue a suspension of disbelief that the FDA wanted to do something right.  

Within moments I found several sources about irradiated food, questioning its health. Irradiation breaks down strands of DNA and further investigation is needed to determine the effects on humans.

And, it is not just in spices, mind you. Irradiation includes meat, milk, juices, flour, wheat flour, and produce. Is anything we consume safe? If we are not growing food ourselves how do we know if it is really safe?  

I am reminded of an article fellow health blogger wrote last week, featured here. The tease went something like, the FDA can’t redefine health easily, but it can be done in three simple steps. The FDA cannot be responsible for health when it can’t even define the word.  I wrote about it too.

Dr. Mercola, who cares about health and is a New York Times best selling author, suggests to look out for these possibly irradiated foods in the U.S.

Look at the chart again and consider all of that food ingested in the U.S. Next consider that Austria, Germany, and many other countries in the European Union only allow irradiation on dried herbs and spices.

How can the FDA be trusted with our food, with our health, with anything we put on or in our body? Quite simply it can’t. Once again, Irradiation is stamped approved by the FDA. It wants us to believe it is safe to irradiate food of bacteria and foodborne illness.

At minimum irradiation lessens the nutrients in food, so why do it at all? The FDA is at work again, using its stamp of approval to promote an unhealthy culture.

Want to know if your food has been irradiated? Just look for the green symbol above. It will be on the packaging.

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