I'm a “foodie” who seeks to purse a healthy lifestyle.  I seek to share some of my insights with other great food lovers in Ottawa-Gatineau through this new regular column in The Canadian.

Many people in Ottawa would consider Kettleman's Bagels to be the best.  But I would never eat Kettleman's for one big reason.  That's Azodicarbonamide.

People who are concerned about their health need to stop getting dazzled by beautiful packaging brought together my marketers and need to start paying very close attention to what is actually going into food.

I have had enough of the sh-t that various companies put into food for various commercial reasons which has nothing to do with protecting human health.

Now, what's 'azodicarbonamide' which has been banned in the European Union?

Azodicarbonamide is an industrial chemical used to make yoga mats, shoe rubber, and synthetic leather.  It was the subject of a public backlash when word got out that Subway was using it in their bread dough.

Now, would you want to be eating your yoga mat with some butter, cream cheese or smoked salmon?

In 2001, lab tests found that direct exposure to azodicarbonamide inhibited human immune cell formation and function.

Dr Edwards documents in his article titled What is Azodicarbonamide? 9 Exposing Facts that, “While azodicarbonamide is used to condition bread dough, when it’s baked, the heat causes it to break down. Two by-products can result: semicarbazide and ethyl carbamate.” 

Semicarbazide apparently belongs to a family of chemicals known as hydrazines that are especially carcinogenic.  A 2003 study using animal models found that it caused free radical damage to DNA.

Other studies have found that semicarbazide damages human immune cells and the DNA of animals.

Dr Edwards further writes, “The awful truth is that industry has known for nearly two decades that this is toxic trash and fed it to us anyway.”

And azodicarbonamide is not the only additive that Kettleman's in putting in its bagels!

I cook and bake and I can tell you for a fact that the only ingredients that need to go into quality bagel is flour, some yeast and maybe some salt along with some other quality ingredients from poppy seeds to cinnamon.

There is absolutely no need to be putting garbage ingredients like   azodicarbonamide into a bagel.

Farm Boy used to have a great bagel a couple of years ago with just the basic ingredients.  But not anymore!  However, at least Farm Boy's bagels and most of the other crappy bagels in supermarkets like Loblaw and Metro do not have  azodicarbonamide – that's except for those they sell from  Kettleman's!

Watch out for other less horrible but crappy ingredients in store bagels like 'sorbitol' or |”glucose-fructose”.  There's no need for those to be in bagels either.

I would recommend a place like Continental Bagel Co in the Byward Market if you're looking for a quality bagel without the crap.