Thursday, July 7, 2011

Radioactive nuts and long life sandwiches

Most people would be award that brazil-nuts are high in selenium. They also only grow in South American and have not yet been successfully gown in plantations. The reason that they are high in selenium is that they are a metal accumulator. That is they have very large network of roots that suck the metals out of the soil into the nuts. This is great when it comes to selenium. However just found out today that the same process means that bazil-nuts are the most "normal" radioactive food. Normal, by means of naturally occurring radium in the soil. So I guess that selenium by supplement doesn't carry the risks of radioactivity. However these levels of radioactivity are very low and I would encourage you to eat lots of brazil-nuts!

Another headline caught my attention today, 14 day old sandwiches. British researchers have developed a way to keeping sandwiches "viable" for 14 days. The sandwiches are packed in a oxygen free package, which is full of nitrogen and carbon dioxide. Thus oxidation doesn't occur. They also use an acidic mayonnaise so the filling is fresh.

I find this rather horrifying, yet not doubt this technology will be successful...... and then exported around the world. I bet you that no analysis has been undertaken on the nutritional effects! Another reason to pack one own lunch, with fresh food from local sources.....

1 comment:

  1. Fourteen day old sandwiches ... Yikes!

    Makes me think about the scene in Minority Report when Tom Cruise eats the "very old" sandwiches from the eye doctor's fridge.

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