Reaction to Meat and Fish

[tikitavi]

So I'm feeling like even meat and fish isn't safe sometimes. For example, I picked up some ground pork from a local farmer. But the last few days, I have been having a reaction to it! I think perhaps there is something in it besides just ground pork. Like dehydrated onion, for flavor. Or it's processed on the same equipment as sausage? And of course, this happens at the processor, so the farmer might have no control over it at all.

Also I've had reactions to smoked salmon. I think they put more in it, besides just smoking it? Same with frozen shrimp. I don't think the frozen shrimp I've gotten at the grocery store are just plain frozen shrimp.

I've also had reactions to canned fish. Even when the ingredients say just fish and water, I often get a reaction. It makes me wonder....are they able to put "flavorings" into foods (specifically meats and fish) without having to put it on the label?

[tikitavi]

I found an interesting article talking about "natural flavors" and "brines" added to fresh meat:

grocerygeek.com/2011/06/23/a-buyers-guide-to-avoiding-hidden-additives-in-fresh-meats/

"sk the meat department manager just to be certain because sometimes the meats that are packaged at the store don’t list the ingredients on the label.

"Think you’ll just play it safe and buy the “fresh” stuff directly from the meat case? Think again. At least in my town, the 2 major chains that have fresh meat cases are selling solution-filled meats in those cases, and you wouldn’t even know unless you ask. The key here is to ask the butcher (or even better, the meat department manager). And ask often because things do change."

The writer of the article felt that their choice of buying directly from the farmer means their meats are additive-free. But, I don't think that's necessarily safe either. The problem is that their meat still goes to a _processor_, and who knows what happens at the processor. :-( So frustrating!!

[charlie]

Basically, the less handled by someone else the better with all foods. Ground / minced may have other stuff added in for bulk. Sausages invariably have unsafe things in them unless you really know the source.
Meg reacts to smoked salmon, again the hitch is probably in the smoking process, alot list sugar in England.

Once you get to know your safe sources, stick to them, we are very lucky here to have several very good farm shops that do wonderful joints. I use hardly any supermarket sources for meat any more, never used smoked or treated meats and fish and only use tried and trusted tinned fish. But this took several years to perfect.

One of the best kitchen appliances I added to my collection was a food mincer/sausage maker and now mince most of the meat myself, then you know exactly what has gone into it, essential if you are really reactive. I buy sausage casings from our butchers. He reminds me every time they do their own gluten free sausages but I keep having to tell them they add too many spices so Megs doesn't like them.

[tikitavi]

Thanks, Charlie, all very good suggestions!

Charlie, what is the brand of food mincer/sausage maker that you use? I would really love to be able to make my own ground meat and sausage! Is it hard to clean out?

[charlie]

Mine is an Anthony Worrall Thompson one - he is a celebrity chef in England (recently caught shoplifting in Tesco - he doesn't know why- with some basic groceries). Our Argos store sells them.

Its brilliant, its electric and really easy to put together and take apart to clean. You can get manual ones but you need strong wrists!!! Just make sure you trim and cube the meat first (especially pork), I tend to use a course cutter first then a finer one. I'll find the link for them here and post it, then you can see the sort of thing you are looking for.

Its a Breville make. Can't do full item link - not that clever but go on www.argos.co.uk then on search key in catalogue number 934/9597

I don't think they ship abroad but you may have a similar product once you get an idea of what you are looking for.

[tikitavi]

Great, thanks Charlie! :-)

[denverjay]

I cannot tolerate anything smoked. I never knew why until I watched a friend smoke some pork at his house. He kept reaching in and basting the meat with solution which turned out to be a sugar/salt solution. He said almost all smoke houses do the same thing to keep the meat from drying out.

I also cannot tolerate any frozen shrimp, not sure why. I love fresh shrimp and can eat them all day long.

[tikitavi]

Aha!! That explains it. Thanks, Jay. You'd think they'd have to disclose those ingredients, but I guess not!

[buddhasbelly]

Smoked salmon is a problem for me most of the times too. I thought is was because they usually add a little bit of sugar, it says on the packaging in the Netherlands, but if I understand you denverjay, it is more than a little bit. That explains a lot! I guess ukbill will also find that interesting to read. He told me in the UK they usually add dextrose, so it is no problem for him. Or something like that I thought.

I almost only eat meat that has not been handled with extra process, like steak.

There is a new phenomenon lately here, where meat is sold as 'extra meager/lean', but if you check out the ingredients it turns out they add things like water, soy and wheat to take meat out of the meat to make it contain less fat. Watch out for those kind of meats too. Extra meager is seldom a good idea.

[charlie]

The problem is the food industry often only disclose the end result ingredients, not what may have happened down the line in the processing. Basically, the less the food has been handled the safer it will be, if I pick something up and it has a long list of ingredients I tend to put it straight back down before I go cross-eyed trying to pick out that irritating 5 letter word "SUGAR"

[ukbill]

Unfortunately in the food industry they only have to declare additives which make up a certain Legally defined % of the ingredients.

Below that level its voluntary if they declare or not.

Bacon for example can have 10% added water and it not be displayed in the ingredient list.
So if it says 87% meat then it can be as low as 76% the rest being water or "brine" which has been added usually by pressure injection.

IF it ever says in the ingredients that it contains "Polyphosphates" then added water is certain.

Polyphosphates are added to stop the water running out like a sponge.

The word Brine should mean just salt and water.. but then I think some legally trained person cold claim sugar is a salt too.

I think it might be worth campaigning for changes in the food labelling laws.. so they have to list EVERYTHING they add.

I know the Industrial food processors / producers would use this as an excuse to put the prices up further, but as we know lass than 1% of Fructose can cause real problems!

When the Laws were made I doubt this was considered.

[buddhasbelly]

We should start a mini revolution for the improvement of food labels! :-)

[ukbill]

Its surprising now how many medicines in the UK now state safe for people with "sugar intolerances"!

Even My mother has noticed..

So somehow our comments / moans are getting around.

Perhaps some of the "visitors" we get so many of are government advisor's or at least health service advisor's, who may be picking up from the problems we are posting here and "moving" things behind the scenes?

I really hope so!

I'm all for a mini revolution in a democratic, western civilisation sort of way of course..

Please no FBI files on me cause I have stated I want a "revolution"..

I am not interested in a "change of Government" sort of thing.. that would be a bit extreme even for me just for a change in food labelling.

[tikitavi]

ARGH....I had another horrible reaction to meat. I just picked some deli smoked turkey slices at our health food store. All that was listed in the ingredients was turkey, salt, and carrageenan. So why did I have such a horrible reaction? There MUST have been something else in it!

I am so angry....why can't producers disclose what is actually in their products??

[tikitavi]

Aha! It might be the carrageenan!

I couldn't find carrageenan listed in the German database, but I think it is a seaweed product. So I looked up seaweed, and got this:

www.daskochrezept.de/bundeslebensmittelschluessel/naehrwerte/algen-frisch_G001111_6.html
Fructose (Fruchtzucker) 840 mg/100g
Saccharose (Rübenzucker) 399 mg/100g

That is quite high in fructose, and quite a bit of sucrose too. So if carrageenan is similar, that might explain it!

[ukbill]

Tikitavi,

I react to fake "smoke" flavour, quite badly I think the smoke colour is in fact Fructose based Caramel colour.

Certainly I have no problem with traditional OAK smoked fish and meats.. even those which list sugar in the ingredient list.

Although I recently bought a pack of cheap (discount) Tesco smoked salmon offcuts and was really bad for a few days afterwards.. really bad brain fog!

Perhaps the offcuts got more sugar on them or it was just rubbish messed about food

I tried some better quality smoked Salmon last week and it was fine.. not a problem.. on reflection the cheap stuff did not mention "real oak smoked" so it might have just been painted (like they do with cheap smoked bacon) with the smoke flavour?