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After listening to Eva Shaub’s Year Without Garbage and now listening to Michael Moss’ Salt, Sugar and Fat, I’m reminded of the old adage, what is good for your burn barrel is not good for your health. Packaged processed food – even so called enriched processed foods – should be called what it is – junk food. And maybe junk food is too nice of a term, as that emphasizes it’s cheap.

Lately I’ve been flooded with ads for protein pancake mix, protein this, protein that. I must have looked briefly at an ad. But there is so much protein you can get without a fancy label or excessive packaging – like those 4 lb bags of kidney beans and 2 lb bags of brown rice I buy. Or plain unsweetened store-brand Greek yogurt – which admittedly comes in non-recycable No 5. polypropylene containers, though they do burn pretty hot. Still, if I can avoid plastic, all the more better – and indeed too much Greek yogurt – even fat free – can make you fat.

I am totally convinced that the healthiest things out there come with little to no packaging. Fruit and vegatables you can cook at home. Or if it’s packaged, it comes in bulk, as it’s basic ingredients and wrapped in simple paper or lightweight plastic, and not the clamshells and glossy packages that the marketers are constantly selling you at every grocery store these days. If you compost and avoid packaged foods, you can really cut down on your toxic trash.