I’m sure you’ve noticed the Fast Food hamburger under glass cover in the office. As you’ve seen, it has looked the same for 6 years now- just dried out. No mold. Nothing. And you may have remember the other one too… you know, the one that filled quickly with mold, within 10 days. Well, we have documented this entire process. Enjoy this short read!
We’ve been observing the effect of preservatives on food by comparing how burgers break down over time. We made a homemade burger using beef from a local, grass-fed cow, a whole wheat bun, and a slice of organic cheese. We also bought some burgers from McDonald’s. Check out the pictures to see the results! You can see the original blog post pictures by clicking here.
So why does the homemade burger mold and decay and the McDonald’s burger not? It’s all about preservatives. The McDonald’s burger is loaded with preservatives in the meat, cheese, bread, and even has a preservative coating on the wrapper. The preservatives kill mold, bacteria, and the natural enzymes in the burger. The homemade burger has no preservatives. Why should you care about preservatives? While it may seem good to prevent food from decaying, much more harm is done than the good provided from a longer shelf life. Your body has to figure out how to get rid of the chemicals used in preservation – in some cases these chemicals are known carcinogens and remain in your body. The preservatives can continue to kill good bacteria and enzymes in your body as they make their way through, making digestion more difficult. Eliminating enzymes in the food and in your body makes it very difficult to get the nutrients out of the food. Help your body get the most from food by sticking with non-processed, organic, local food whenever possible!
