• Welcome to Phoenix Rising!

    Created in 2008, Phoenix Rising is the largest and oldest forum dedicated to furthering the understanding of and finding treatments for complex chronic illnesses such as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), fibromyalgia (FM), long COVID, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), and allied diseases.

    To become a member, simply click the Register button at the top right.

Canned Food

Carrigon

Senior Member
Messages
808
Location
PA, USA
Does anyone else have a problem with canned food smelling and tasting like the metal cans? I usually buy canned fruit because it's cheaper than if I try to buy fresh, and it lasts longer. But I'm having a huge problem with the canned fruit smelling and tasting like the metal cans. And pretty much most canned food. I taste it in any of the canned spaghetti stuff, anything I get that's canned. Like I can't eat it. It's gross.

Then I have a problem with anything frozen. Most of it doesn't smell like food. Alot of it will have weird chemical smells.

So I'm having a real problem with food lately. If it's not fresh and less processed, I can't eat much of it, if at all.
 

Enid

Senior Member
Messages
3,309
Location
UK
Yes I certainly went through all this too some time - everything seemed to taste of metal and/or fishy later on. I've a feeling it's to do with toxin overloads. I wish I could aid Corrigan but am sure Rich would understand. All I did was drop all supplements and stayed only with simple foods eg rice and fresh veg (nothing fatty or oily). It did pass after a while.
 

alex3619

Senior Member
Messages
13,810
Location
Logan, Queensland, Australia
Hi Carrigon, I understand what you are saying. Canned food smells like cans to me too. I can usually eat it though, so my sense of the smell is probably less than yours, but its the same thing I think. Frozen food also smells funny. In particular I have a huge problem with frozen chicken, it tastes revolting - now that is something I do not eat. Fresh chicken is OK though, even though it comes from the same place in a lot of cases. I think they spray chemicals on the surface of frozen chickens to improve freezing, storing or cooking qualities. Bye, Alex
 

Whit

Senior Member
Messages
397
Location
Bay Area
You'd be better off eating more fresh stuff anyways. But if it's a matter of costs, that's a tough one. One thing I like to eat when I was living on my own was plain frozen vegetables, you can get them at Trader Joes or Whole Foods, no sauce or anything, just plain frozen veggies. They come in different mixes. Cook that lightly until it's warm/hot (you don't need to cook it well because the freezing process softens the veggies, and then just pour a sauce of your choosing on it. There's tons of premade sauces these days.

Takes about 1 minute to make, you avoid all the disgusting stuff in most frozen food (as long as you get some healthy sauces, and it keeps in the freezer forever.

I would often just use olive oil, soy sauce, maybe some sesame seeds and half an avocado on top of a stir fry style veggie mix. It's actually pretty good as long as you can ignore the silghtly squishier frozen vegetables, which doens't bother me since I know it's nothing harmful.
 

alex3619

Senior Member
Messages
13,810
Location
Logan, Queensland, Australia
Hi Whit ,the reason why canned food gets eaten sometimes, for me, is that on a very bad day opening a flip top can is about my limit. Open, grab spoon, eat. Its emergency food, not regular food. Mostly I use fresh ingredients. Bye, Alex
 

Carrigon

Senior Member
Messages
808
Location
PA, USA
Right now, it's definitely a cost issue. I have to get what I can afford since the disease has made me so poor. Most of the fruits and veggies here that are fresh are insanely expensive. When I was in the store at the beginning of the month, they wanted almost seven dollars for a small bag of fresh cherries. And they get close to five dollars for a bag of grapefruits. Strawberries are four dollars or more for a small container. I can't afford these kind of prices. And now, they've nearly doubled the cost of other items, like toilet paper. So it's like, what are you going to buy, the toilet paper or expensive fresh fruit. I end up buying the crappy canned fruit because it's cheaper, and I look for the ones that are packed in fruit juice, when possible. But it all smells and tastes of metal cans.
 

Ocean

Senior Member
Messages
1,178
Location
U.S.
I'm not sure if the cost is similar, but if frozen isn't much more expensive maybe that's a better option?

Also buying produce in season helps. The fruits you mention, except grapefruit, are in season in the spring/summer and much more expensive in winter time. At least where I live. Also some basic fruits like apples are cheaper in general than berries and cherries and such. Here is a little in season guide that might be of help. http://frugalliving.about.com/od/foodsavings/tp/Cheapest_Produce.htm

Canned food also has chemicals in the lining so the more it can be avoided, the better. But I know not everyone has the option to avoid canned. I haven't had canned food in a long time because of a special (health related) diet I'm on so I can't remember about the smell but I know sometimes food packaged in plastic just tastes like plastic to me.

Another alternative to canned food is freezing things yourself. Like with extra pasta sauce, you can freeze it so it doesn't go to waste, then thaw it out when you want more. I freeze food in glass containers, so no plastic taste to worry about.
 

Carrigon

Senior Member
Messages
808
Location
PA, USA
The frozen fruit here is just as expensive as the fresh, except they give a smaller amount for the same price.
 

Dainty

Senior Member
Messages
1,751
Location
Seattle
Consuming any commercially canned food not only tastes of the can, it gives me an instant headache. The reaction is the same no matter what the food, and even BPA-free cans are not exempt.

Consuming home-canned food or other food canned in glass, the top portion of it tastes overpoweringly of rubber to me, resulting in involuntary gagging and even vomitting if I force myself to eat it. Removing the top third portion solves the issue; my family eats that bit and I have the rest.

My caregiver has found freezing to be the easiest option. Generally home prepared foods such as cooked potatoes, cooked ground beef, broth, etc, are place in glass jars, mugs, or bowls which are then placed inside ziplock bags before freezing. I've found storing the food in direct contact with plastic causes issues for me but if it's only touching the glass and plastic is used to seal it that works for me.

I have three suggestions for you financial situation:

1) ask your local produce stores about discounts for ordering fresh produce wholesale,
2) see if you can find out when they're about to throw out some and if you can pick it over. I've heard of people obtaining loads and loads of fruit or veggies that are only slightly bruised or past their prime either dirt cheap or completely free this way.
3) Seek out sources from local farmers where you might be able to buy direct. It looks as though you might live close to Amish country, where this could be more of a possibility.

Of course I realize some or all of these may not be feasible for you, and I have no recommendations on having the energy to properly "put up" food as I rely on my caregiver for that (among other necessities). Wish things were better for you. :( *hug*
 

Athene

ihateticks.me
Messages
1,143
Location
Italy
Hi Carrigon,
How do you find foods in cartons, like juice cartons? If you don't find they taste contaminated... In the UK they sell ready made soups and some other foods in that type of packaging. I wonder if that might be an alternative to canned food for you, if you can find it in the US?
They are fresh and refrigerated and last quite a few days in the fridge. They would probably have more nutrients in them than canned or frozen food, I would think.
You can home freeze them too.

I have problems with the taste of food in many types of plastic packaging, and some frozen food (depends on the type of plastic they use), but I find these cartons OK (I also find regular cans OK too, though, so you seem to be more sensitive than me).
 

Carrigon

Senior Member
Messages
808
Location
PA, USA
They sell some stuff in cartons, but I find it often smells or tastes like chemicals. Boxed, I don't have a problem with. If it's a dry thing and boxed.
 
Messages
2,565
Location
US
I know how you feel. I am so frustrated with the cost of fresh fruit and veg, and frozen fruit (and nuts and most other food). I do okay with cartons and cans and frozen. But I'm sensitive to fresh fruit and veg :( Most fruit and veg have absorbed pesticides, except some of the thicker skinned ones like oranges, and if they are grown organically.

Not that I can spare the time or energy growing and preparing food, but this is important. My solutions I am working toward are:

1. Growing my own so they are chemical free. Also, a lot of commercial fruit is picked way, way before it's ripe and sits around for weeks. I don't think they have the same nutrients. I am not sure. Sprouting seems to be the easiest to grow and fast and sprouts are one of the healthiest. There are many types of sprouts to grow.

2. Organic juice. Somewhat expensive but I think you get more for your money, especially when they are using better juices, like pomegranate or cherry instead of grape juice. Some of them are not that expensive, around the same cost as canned brand name sodas.

3. Dried fruit. Also expensive but you aren't paying for the water weight, so I think they are easier to eat more vitamins faster, and convenient. I am not sure I can afford organic dried fruit. I have been eating normal dried fruit. Without preservatives if you are sensitive. Also dried in roll form (fruit rollups).

4. Jam and jelly and preserves can be good.

5. What was mentioned above, buying fresh from local farmers. I believe co-ops give you a discount at the farmers' markets. Many times I've also heard of "box" deals. Where you don't get to choose what's in there but they give a variety and the price is great, maybe half of what the farmer normally charges for what's inside.

6. I want to stock up when a particular fruit is in season and make my own dried fruit, jam, frozen, jar fruit.

7. Bulk frozen from warehouse club or if there's a super good sale at Trader Joe's or Whole Foods.

8. Some of the thick skinned ones I will eat non-organic fresh.

9. Powders and pills. They have the pills that equal drinking red wine. Very healthy. And the powders with lots of fruits and vegetables mixed in.

Some fruit comes in jars instead of cans. Or it comes in those little plastic individual cups, but those get expensive. If you don't NEED them to be small portions then it could be a waste, but you may find them an okay deal with generic brands, when on sale, or with coupons. However the inner lid lining could be a problem or those plastic cups?

I'm like the other poster who said yes I smell the cans, but I can still eat it. I want to stop eating canned food because of the BPA in the linings. Apparently only certain expensive brands have BPA-free cans. Trader Joe's has no BPA in some but it has BPA in others. Unfortunately giving up cans is hard. They are so convenient with a variety of foods in them.

Frozen I can also usually eat, but I read that freezing destroys a large percentage of the good vitamins. Still, I am in favor of frozen if I can't have fresh.
 

xchocoholic

Senior Member
Messages
2,947
Location
Florida
Add me to the list here too. I just recently gave up using my relatively new stainless steel
cookware because I could taste the metal. All meats, etc that come in shrink wrap plastic are out too.
I can drink water out of the gallon size plastic bottles but not the smaller ones. Tap
water has been out for a long time. I prefer glass bottled water tho.

I'm broke too so I stick to organic apples, bananas, citrus and occasionally splurge and get
some blueberries or cherries. Cherries were $7 a pound here the last time I looked. I never get a whole pound tho.

I'm experimenting with taking zinc for this. I'm at 100 mg a day but plan on increasing it.

Does anyone know why we're like this ? I have leaky gut and my mercury was a little
high the last time it was checked. Could this be why ?

Tc .. X
 

Enid

Senior Member
Messages
3,309
Location
UK
This metal thing is a problem (overload I think from bod's inability to handle) - I'm only able to add - eat what "tastes" good - rest avoid.
 
Messages
2,565
Location
US
Wow too bad about the stainless steel cookware. I may have to avoid S/S too but many people are concerned about non-stick coatings. Some are clearly unhealthy.

I would love to have well water and filter it. I have trouble with bottled water too (the ones I've tried). Besides, I'm afraid to drink most bottled water. There are reports where most of the top companies get poor grades for their "spring water". I am going with reverse osmosis water, but it tastes funny and needs getting used to.

If you have an Aldi's or Dollar Tree, they have better prices on frozen fruit. Non-organic at Aldi's. I believe some Dollar Trees have organic in addition to non-organic selections. $1 per bag. They may have changed or it may depend on what week or month you go. Some Dollar Trees don't have frozen foods. Costco has some too if you can deal with buying many lbs at once, and their membership fee.

Beans, brown rice, oats, eggs, quinoa are healthy and cheap.
 

Dainty

Senior Member
Messages
1,751
Location
Seattle
Add me to the list here too. I just recently gave up using my relatively new stainless steel cookware because I could taste the metal.

In my experience newer SS cookware is intolerable for me, but older pieces (decade+) tend to be okay.

Still, I prefer to avoid SS cookware completely. I could go into a whole rant about that..perhaps another day.

I may have to avoid S/S too but many people are concerned about non-stick coatings. Some are clearly unhealthy.

I generally use Visions pans that others find for me at 50 cents or so at thrift stores. They are heavy, though. A great option for saucepans and stockpots and the like are enameled steel, also known as graniteware, grannyware, or speckleware. Lightweight, cheep, and non-leaching due to the ceramic coating. The FDA doesn't allow any lead or cadmium in U.S. made enameled steel cookware and dishware; stuff made in China might be less safe.

There are other cookware options out there, but most have significant downsides for us as being heavy, breakable, and/or expensive. Soapstone, glass, glass ceramic, enameled cast iron, and unglazed ceramic all tend to be pretty good. Cast iron stuff can be good, though if you buy new I think they all start out with a mineral (petrochemical) coating which might render them intolerable.

Tap water has been out for a long time.

Glad you mentioned the water. I also cannot do the small plastic bottles, or even the large plastic things. Even plastic jugs my family has used for years, if the water sits in them for just a few hours I cannot force myself to drink it. Honestly, if I wasn't experiencing this extreme sensitivity myself i'm not sure I'd believe it, but there it is.

Have you experimented with under-the-sink filters? That's what I use and found it creates good water for me.

I would love to have well water and filter it. I have trouble with bottled water too (the ones I've tried). Besides, I'm afraid to drink most bottled water. There are reports where most of the top companies get poor grades for their "spring water". I am going with reverse osmosis water, but it tastes funny and needs getting used to.

I'd be cautious with the reverse osmosis if I were you. Since it removes all the minerals you want to make sure you're getting them elsewhere or adding them in afterwards - otherwise it will leech minerals from your body.

The other thing is that water produced from reverse osmosis is extremely "soft" and will pick up whatever chemicals leech from your water pipes or faucet very, very readily on its way out, much more so than tap water. I'd pay attention to the "funny taste" if I were you...no matter what we intellectually decide ought to be a good choice, our bodies tend to know what they're doing when they try to reject something like that.
 
Messages
2,565
Location
US
Still, I prefer to avoid SS cookware completely. I could go into a whole rant about that..perhaps another day.

I generally use Visions pans that others find for me at 50 cents or so at thrift stores. They are heavy, though. A great option for saucepans and stockpots and the like are enameled steel, also known as graniteware, grannyware, or speckleware. Lightweight, cheep, and non-leaching due to the ceramic coating. The FDA doesn't allow any lead or cadmium in U.S. made enameled steel cookware and dishware; stuff made in China might be less safe.

There are other cookware options out there, but most have significant downsides for us as being heavy, breakable, and/or expensive. Soapstone, glass, glass ceramic, enameled cast iron, and unglazed ceramic all tend to be pretty good. Cast iron stuff can be good, though if you buy new I think they all start out with a mineral (petrochemical) coating which might render them intolerable.

I'm trying to research more about all the harmful kitchen items.

I read it takes longer to cook in glass, soapstone, and ceramic. They don't heat up as well so you have to do lower temp and longer. I want to get this type of cookware, but it's worth noting this small downside.

Unglazed cast iron cookware supposedly leaches iron into the food, but iron is healthy. Apparently some cast iron can have bad coatings.

Bamboo seems best for a steamer.

For cooking/serving utensils, bamboo and wood are the only type that sounds good so far.

Watch out for old enamel coated pots and pans: "Some older enamel cookware contained the potentially toxic substance cadmium, which was sometimes contained in the red, yellow and orange pigments used to color the interior of enamel cookware. Cadmium was used mostly by foreign manufacturers."
 

alex3619

Senior Member
Messages
13,810
Location
Logan, Queensland, Australia
Hi SickofSickness, iron is OK for most, and many women in particular are deficient. However a percentage of us have haemochromatosis or borderline haemochromatosis, with dangerous iron levels. I am one of them, though only borderline. For the oven/microwave I used pyrex bowls. They do get very hot though, and are fragile if dropped. So far I have never had a reaction to stainless steel, but I prefer the enamelled steel in any case, I find it easier to clean. Bye, Alex
 
Messages
2,565
Location
US
I read more about the iron leeching from the pans. A source said the iron is not bioavailable so it doesn't help. I hope I do okay with cast iron. I want to do induction cooking so I need cast iron or stainless steel for that. I also read more about stainless steel. Many people say that some thicker high quality SS is fine for them, and only the cheaper ones are bad. I was glad to learn this, because for myself I believe I don't have to avoid all SS, just some of it.
 

taniaaust1

Senior Member
Messages
13,054
Location
Sth Australia
I'm trying to research more about all the harmful kitchen items.

I read it takes longer to cook in glass, soapstone, and ceramic. They don't heat up as well so you have to do lower temp and longer. I want to get this type of cookware, but it's worth noting this small downside.

not true as far as the ceramic goes (but yeah glass cooks slower)

For xmas I got given a Baccarat brand ceramic (I guess coated) fry pan and from that I can say that it cooks no slower than my stainless steel ones. Its great as far as cooking goes. It also seems to cook my food more evenly and food doesnt stick at all onto it eg amazingly my eggs just slide from it even where I dont put oil.

The frypan I have has an added bonus of having an area on its handle in which lights up red when the fry pan is hot (so also saving me from being burnt when Ive left the stove on and pan on stove as with my current stove the elements dont show when they are hot).
.....

Cans dont bother me except when excess food is left overnight in them... then I find there is a strong can taste which goes into the foods ruining their taste. Hence I never store food at all in cans in fridge once they are open.