Things are not as simple as they used to be. There was a time when any food a grocer sold was suitable to feed to the family. Nowadays, many of the products on the shelves can’t really be said to be food. Preservatives, additives, flavors, colors and shapes pollute our food sources in ways even the saviest of consumers can’t know about.

Breakfast cereal, for example, touts the benefits of whole grains and vitamins but at the same time is an extruded food, meaning it was processed so intensely that it could then be formed into a shape. This process leaches the food of most if not all of its natural properties leaving little more than flavor for the consumer.

Produce sits proud and bright, glistening under the misters, promising the nutrition only a fruit or vegetable can provide. Little do we know what chemicals, pesticides, or growth hormones that crop was exposed to before it was picked and packaged.

When I was child, my pediatrician was the first to suggest that cow’s milk wasn’t suitable for little girls. It was universally decided by the family that the doctor was a crackpot and that I could have all the milk I wanted. Today there are increasing reports of young girls entering early puberty and the likely cause is the growth hormone in milk.

Most disturbing: Organic. The organic label has always been my security blanket when grocery shopping. Any food labeled with that big O was safe. Now, companies with financial backing are getting lawyers to skew the laws on labeling so that eventually organic will be as meaningless as natural.

Food that is made with input from computers and test tubes is not healthy food. People are in fact the food that they eat. If we as people continue to eat foodlike substances, instead of food, we will not be healthy.

What has happened? Where can a person get food and food made from food? Who can we trust? What can we do to stop all this madness?

I don’t really have a good answer to these questions but my advice is this. Be aware of the food that you eat. Read the labels, ask questions, seek out reputable companies and vendors. The more concern you show over what you put in your body, the more attention manufacturers will have to pay to what you are willing to buy and eat. The faux food trend has to end if anyone can truly be a healthy eater. Awareness is the beginning.